Conanicut Yacht Club 88th Around the Island Race overall

by John Mayers on 8 Sep 2015

Division H Competitor La'Fawnduh at the start. Cate Brown

The Conanicut Yacht Club hosted 96 boats for its 88th edition of the Around the Island Race, which took place this past Sunday, September six, 2015. The annual event is one of the oldest ongoing sailboat races on Narragansett Bay, featuring a complete circumnavigation of Conanicut Island (for competitors racing mono hull sailboats over 22 feet in length that are rated for PHRF-NB). The race is followed by a dinner celebration at the host club, which was attended by over 250 people this year.

“This event has once again brought the Narragansett Bay sailing community together for a competitive and fun day on the water,” said Organizing Chairman John Mayers, adding that the fleet was comprised of a variety of different boats and competitors of all ages from different clubs and communities around the area. “Every year, our greatest variable is the race day weather and this year it was absolutely perfect; with conditions not only providing great sailing, but also highlighting how beautiful our bay is, especially when it’s filled with a fleet of sailboats.”

White Rhino 2 and Reef Points at the start; the team’s took second and third place, respectively, in Division K. © Cate Brown

The starting sequences completed on time, and a majority of the fleet finished the race before 3 p.m. From there, Competitors and guests convened for the awards dinner where they recapped the exciting day over refreshments and dinner.

This year, David Schwartz’s (Bristol, R.I.) Seguin 40 Mischief took home the John C. Quinn Trophy for fastest corrected time around the island (three hours, three minutes and ten second). The perpetual trophy is named after the club’s former commodore, an accomplished sailor at all levels of the sport.

The other perpetual fleet award presented was the Commodore Bruce R. Brakenhoff Trophy, which went to Huntington Sheldon’s (Shelburne, V.T.) Reichel/Pugh Zaraffa, which completed the race with the shortest elapsed time around the island (two hours, 14 minutes and 24 seconds).

The Around the Island Race fleet heading downwind toward the finish on the west side of Conanicut Island. © Cate Brown

Conanicut Yacht Club 88th Around the Island Race

(Top Three Results Follow: Boat Name, Captain, Hometown based upon elapsed time corrected with a PHRF-NB rating)

Class A (Thirteen boats):

1. Boat: Top Cat, Captain: Jim Lengel, Bristol, R.I.
2. Boat: Lynx, Captain: Dennis Nixon, Jamestown, R.I.
3. Boat: Sugaree, Captain: James Cornwall, Warwick, R.I.

Class B (Eleven boats):

1. Boat: Coconut, Captain: Tom Dalbora, East Greenwich, R.I.
2. Boat: Haraka, Captain: Craig Forbes, Warwick, R.I.
3. Boat: Four Suns, Captain: Charles Beal, Jamestown, R.I.

Class C (Ten boats):

1. Boat: Bad News, Captain: Michael Marshall, Boston, Mass.
2. Boat: Lucy, Captain: Corey Sertl, Jamestown, R.I.
3. Boat: Wharf Rat, Captain: Matt Dunbar, Pawtucket, R.I.

Class D (Thirteen boats):

1. Boat: Pipe Dream, Captain: John Mollicone, Newport, R.I.
2. Boat: Sugar Magnolia, Captain: Jeffrey Adam, Newport, R.I.
3. Boat: FastLane, Captain: Henry Lane, Jamestown, R.I.

Class E (Eight boats):
1. Boat: Comet, Captain: Ed Adams, Newport, R.I.
2. Boat: Leonessa, Captain: Ray DeLeo, Bristol, R.I.
3. Boat: Luna, Captain: Chris Brown, Jamestown, R.I.

Class F (Ten boats):

1. Boat: Mischief, Captain: David Schwartz, Bristol, R.I.
2. Boat: Aurora, Captain: Andrew Kallfelz, Jamestown, R.I.
3. Boat: Hawk, Captains: Barker and McVicker, Newport, R.I.

Class G (Ten boats):

1. Boat: Temptress, Captain: John Gowell, Jamestown, R.I.
2. Boat: Gut Feeling, Captain: Ted Herlihy, New Bedford, Mass.
3. Boat: Kestrel, Captain: Sean and Susan Doyle, Cos Cob, Conn.

Class H (Nine boats):

1. Boat: Just A Friend, Captain: Clay Deutsch, Newport, R.I.
2. Boat: Avalanche V, Captain: Ben Jacobsen, Jamestown, R.I.
3. Boat: Little Big Man, Captain: Dominick Cannavo, New York, N.Y.

Class J (Six boats):

1. Boat: The Cat Came Back, Captain: Lincoln Mossop, Jamestown, R.I.
2. Boat: Odyssey, Captain: Alfred Van Liew, Middletown, R.I.
3. Boat: Entropy, Captain: Paul Hamilton, Jamestown, R.I.

Class K (Eight boats):

1. Boat: HH42, Captain: Glenn Walters, Newport, R.I.
2. Boat: Reef Points, Captain: Gurdon Wattles, Little Compton, R.I.
3. Boat: White Rhino 2, Captain: Todd Stuart, Newport, R.I.

Conanicut Yacht Club Awards:

- Eads Johnson Trophy (large boat, fastest corrected time) - Boat: Aurora, Captain: Andrew Kallfelz
- Robert A. MacLeod Rear Commodore Trophy (day-sailer, fastest corrected time, Boat: Lucy, Captain: Cory Sertl