Annapolis to Newport Race Starts Friday

by Molly Hughes Wilmer on 31 May 2007 Racing yachts are flying battle flags around Annapolis harbor, crews are making last minute preparations, and registration is well underway for the 2007 Annapolis to Newport Race. Almost 60 boats have entered the 60th anniversary of this classic East Coast off-shore race. The 473-mile race will start at noon this Friday, June 1st, at the mouth of the Severn River off Annapolis.

The competition represents the full spectrum of today’s off-shore fleet, ranging from modern designs including a custom 72-footer, a Reichel Pugh TP 52, and a Reichel Pugh 45 to classics such as a Hinckley SW 50 and two Bermuda 40 yawls. The smallest boat in the fleet is a Bristol 33. The field includes several previous class and line honor winners, such as Donnybrook, Jim Muldoon’s custom 72-footer from Annapolis, MD, Dolphin, Henry Morgan’s J/42 from Annapolis, MD, and Dawn Treader, Larry Cohen’s Swan 48 from Gloucester, VA.

Michael Brennan, the overall winner of the 2005 IRC class in his TP52 Sjambok, from Newport, RI, is returning in a new Sjambok, a Reichel Pugh 45. The 58-boat fleet is the largest since 2001, when 63 boats started the race. The fleet will be split into two classes in the IRC division, three classes in the PHRF division, and one class in the Double-Handed Division. There will be seven yacht club teams competing across divisions for the City of Annapolis Yacht Club Challenge Trophy.

After sweeping the top three finishes in the PHRF class in 2005, four J/120’s are entered for Friday’s start. Two J/35’s and three J/42’s are also in the PHRF class, and two J/44’s are in the IRC class. While the boats within these four designs don’t share identical ratings, they represent the closest thing to onedesignracing spectators will witness as they track the off-shore competition.

Full fleet online race tracking for every boat in the fleet is sponsored by Corum USA, LLC. Horizon Marine’s iBoat Track system, using GPS transponders aboard each boat, is accessible through any web browser. The Internet-based tracking program will be updated every two hours, providing position, speed, fleet and class positions during the entire length of the course. The link to the race tracker, a complete entry list and the yachts within the Club Challenge teams have been posted on the race website: www.annapolisyc.org/newport07.

About the Annapolis to Newport Race

The 2007 Annapolis to Newport Race offers racing in IRC and PHRF divisions. The addition of a Double-Handed Division in 2007, racing under IRC, supports a rapidly growing segment of the offshore racing scene. In 2005 almost half of the fleet raced in teams representing their yacht Clubs.

The Annapolis to Newport Race is one of the most historic and well-known of the U.S. East Coast blue water races. First run 60 years ago, it links two seaports dating from our nation's birth, Annapolis and Newport. The race provides challenging diversity over different bodies of water, as well as convenient ports of refuge along the entire course. As a result, the race is a favorite for first-time offshore competitors, as well as experienced blue water racers. The record time for the 58-year-old race is held by Carrera, Joseph Dockery's Farr 60 skippered by Chris Larson, which set a new course record in 2001 of 42 hours, 58 minutes, 12 seconds. The race is organized by the Annapolis Yacht Club, with assistance from the Naval Academy Sailing Squadron, New York Yacht Club and Ida Lewis Yacht Club.