New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup - Defending champions lead

by info@regattanews.com on 14 Sep 2013 An almost three-hour delay due to lack of breeze on the penultimate day of racing at the New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup presented by Rolex was subsequently followed by a general recall once racing got underway on Rhode Island Sound. It was the first time thus far in the five-day regatta that the 20 yacht club teams were racing outside, which meant they were relieved of the need to frequently tack back and forth along the shore of Aquidneck Island as they had done over the previous three days of competition while racing in the relatively close confines of upper Narragansett Bay.

The change of course location appealed to several teams who turned in their best results of the series thus far. The team representing Yacht Club Argentino (YCA) was clearly more comfortable racing in the three foot offshore swell and nine knots of breeze as they scored a 3-2-1 in today’s racing.

'It was a perfect day,' said YCA skipper Paolo Cosentino. 'The conditions were more stable [today]. Inside the Bay it’s quite tricky; the currents and going through the channel from one side to the other. We are not used to sailing these kinds of conditions.' Cosentino explained that the conditions outside made the team feel more like they were racing at home in Buenos Aires, Argentina. 'We were clear on which side we wanted to race, so we focused on the speed of the boat and, really, the boat was quite fast today. We also feel more comfortable in the handling of the boat. Our intention was just to improve, because we were quite at the bottom of the table.' Cosentino explained that the team’s goal was to finish top-five in the regatta. More important, however, was for them to give their all to the competition and today’s results made them very happy with their effort.

YCA gained a great deal in the standings based on today’s results. They came into the day in 16th overall and moved up to now stand eighth with 95 points. This is their second time competing in the Invitational Cup, having placed 11th in 2011.

Big gains in the overall standings were also made by the Royal Southern Yacht Club team who are competing in the event for the first time. Finishes of 10-9-2 moved the British team up from 11th into fifth overall with 91 points. Yacht Club Italiano, with results of 4-13-3, moved up the scoreboard three places into 14th overall with 113 points. Not faring as well today was the team from Seattle Yacht Club. Three double-digit finishes, 12-19-12, dropped them from fourth to seventh overall on 92.2 points.

Larchmont Yacht Club, who have been flying the Rolex gold spinnaker indicating their position as standings leader for the last two days, and defending champions Royal Canadian Yacht Club, have swapped places after today’s three races. With a 1-3-7, the Canadians have taken the lead with 45 points. The Americans, with 51.1 points, do not have an insurmountable deficit to overcome. But they will relinquish the golden spinnaker to the Canadians for the two planned final races of the series.

Racing, concludes Saturday, September 14, and will be preceded by the fleet parading through Newport Harbor at 0900, offering spectators (at the Newport International Boat Show and at additional vantage points along the waterfront) an opportunity to cheer the competitors before the first race of the day scheduled for 1100 EDT. The course location, on Narragansett Bay or Rhode Island Sound, will be determined by the Race Committee based on the day’s conditions. The winner of the 2013 New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup presented by Rolex will be determined at the conclusion of racing.

New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup presented by Rolex
Standings through 10 races
Position, Team, Country, Points Total

1 Royal Canadian YC, CAN, 45
2 Larchmont YC, USA, 51.1
3 Royal Thames YC, GBR, 63.3
4 Royal Cork YC, IRL, 77.8
5 Royal Southern YC, GBR, 91
6 Japan Sailing Federation, JPN, 92
7 Seattle YC, USA, 92.2
8 YC Argentino, ARG, 96
9 New York YC, USA, 97
10 Cruising YC of Australia, AUS, 101
11 Royal Prince Alfred YC, AUS, 104
12 Royal Yacht Squadron, GBR, 107
13 The San Francisco YC, USA, 110
14 YC Italiano, ITA, 113
15 Royal Hong Kong YC, HKG, 117
16 Royal Freshwater Bay YC, AUS, 123
17 Royal Belgian Sailing Club, BEL, 134
18 Nylandsk Jaktklubben, FIN, 138.9
19 Real Club Nautico de Barcelona, ESP, 161
20 Royal Swedish Yacht Club, SWE, 163

Further information on the New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup presented by Rolex and daily reports during the event may be found at Event Website