New York Yacht Club's 153rd Annual Regatta

by New York Yacht Club on 30 May 2007 The New York Yacht Club's 153rd Annual Regatta, an open event presented by Rolex, is drawing an impressive list of entries. Sailing from its Newport, Rhode Island Harbour Court Clubhouse, it offers eligible yachts two levels of competition: a two-day series on Saturday and Sunday, June 9 & 10th and an Around the Island Race on Friday, June 8th that will be scored separately. Class starts will be offered for IRC (spinnaker and non-spinnaker), PHRF, Classic (non-spinnaker), 12 Metre and eligible One-Design classes with eight or more entrants.

Entries show five of the new one-design NYYC Swan 42s; among them is Conspiracy, owned by a syndicate that includes Vice Commodore David Elwell and former-Commodore George Hinman that won IRC 1 in last weekend’s Storm Trysail Club's Block Island Race. There will be at least three America's Cup 12 Metres; Commodore Charles Townsend’s TP-52 T-Squared and Rear Commodore Robert Towse’s and Farley Towse's Blue Yankee, last year’s Herreshoff winner. George David’s Rambler will be there; the 90-footer just won the Block Island Race overall, as will former-Commodore Lawrence Huntington’s Snow Lion. (Both Snow Lion and Rambler are taking aim at the soon-to-start transatlantic HSH Nordbank blue race.) There are more than 15 J/105s entered in the Annual Regatta. Classic and vintage yachts will be represented by S teve and Simon Frank’s Gracie, which just won a trophy for best performance by a vintage yacht in the Block Island Race; Amorita, a NY 30, which is more than 100 years old, Angelita, an Eight Metre -- which won a Gold Medal in the 1932 Olympics -- Fortune, Sonny and Adventuress. Last year a record 132 yachts competed. A complete listing can be found at www.nyyc.org.

Team trophies will be awarded in both competitions with the Rolex Cup for the best two-yacht team in the Around the Island Race and the Great Corinthian Trophy being awarded to the yacht club team with the best score in the Annual Regatta. Registration and social entries can be made online at www.nyyc.org.
Post-race activities on Friday, June 8th include cocktails and an Around-the-Island Awards party. On Saturday evening post-race activities include a casual tented Annual Regatta Buffet Dinner beginning with cocktails at 1830, dinner at 1900. (Dan Nerney photo.)

On July 15, 1845 the members of the New York Yacht Club met in their Hoboken, NJ, clubhouse for the first time. Two days later they began a tradition that lasted: the club’s Annual Regatta now in its 153rd edition. Only wars, beginning with the Civil War in 1861, and a political assassination – New York Senator Robert F. Kennedy -- have prevented the Annual Regatta from being sailed.