Swan 42 US National Championships - Team RCYC victorious

by Team RCYC on 23 Jul 2013 Following weeks of working out and dieting, the full 11 man crew of Team RCYC, the Club’s 2013 NYYC Invitational Cup representatives, made the class crew weight limit of 1984lbs just in time to put in a stellar performance at the 2013 Swan 42 US Nationals held in Newport, Rhode Island July 18-21.

The team consists of 2011 NYYC Invitational Cup team members: boat owner and driver John Hele, tactician Terry McLaughlin, navigator Allan Megarry, mainsail trimmer David Jarvis, jib trimmer Andrew McTavish, offside jib trimmer and strategist John Millen, boat captain and pitman Jim Gibson, spinnaker trimmer Rob Gale, mastman Will Gyles and bowman Sandy Andrews. As the class crew weight limit increased 50 kg on January 1, Mark Robertson was added to the 2011 crew to complete the 2013 NYYC Invitational Cup team. For September’s Invitational the only change will be John Hele and Terry swapping roles of helmsman and tactician.

The US Nationals is the most important Swan 42 class regatta of the year. A ten race no drop series was held over what turned out to be a three day regatta as the wind failed to materialize on the last day. Thursday and Friday’s racing was held outside on Rhode Island Sound and due to forecasted high winds Saturday’s racing was moved inshore north of the Newport Bridge on Narragansett Bay. These are the same two bodies of water that the NYYC Invitational Cup was held in 2009 and 2011 and will be held this coming September.

Showing a remarkable consistency in the tightly packed 15 boat fleet Team RCYC won three races and never finished below sixth. The fleet included the last year’s US Nationals winner and 2011 and 2013 NYYC Invitational Cup representative Ken Colburn’s Apparition as well as other 2013 Invitational Cup teams from San Francisco Yacht Club, Seattle Yacht Club, Yacht Club Italiano and Royal Thames Yacht Club all preparing for this year’s Invitational Cup.

Remaining on the Team RCYC calendar is the August 15th Send Off Party on the Island, an August 24-25 practice weekend in Newport and the Invitational Cup September 10-14. At this point there are many Club Members planning to take in the regatta in Newport to cheer on the Team RCYC website