New York Yacht Club Race Week - Winners in the spotlight

by Barby MacGowan on 19 Jul 2010 Seven classes concluded competition today in the first half of the New York Yacht Club Race Week at Newport presented by Rolex, while a balance of five classes logged a second of three race days in dazzling conditions similar to yesterday’s. The event is catering to 107 boats and 1200 sailors in its first half before switching gears on Wednesday to serve, in its second half, as the Rolex US-IRC National Championship for another 38 boats.

For anyone viewing the racing held north of Pell Bridge (some classes sailed on Rhode Island Sound), it was an extravaganza of vintage boats— Classics, 12 Metres, 6 Metres, and Herreshoff S Boats—battling for regatta titles in a light to medium westerly breeze. Jed Pearsall’s (Newport, R.I.)1913 Burgess-designed P-class sloop Chips matched its elegance with speed today to post finish positions of 1-2 and take overall victory in Classic CRF 2.

'There were places where you could float around and others where you could find some breeze,' said Pearsall about today’s tricky conditions on courses set around government marks, 'times of elation when you’d say ‘wow, we’re so far ahead,’ and then a while later you’d be so far behind—that’s how it was for everyone. On both days you had to pay attention to everything; it was a matter of not losing your concentration.' Pearsall’s closest competition was Joseph Dockery’s (Stamford, Conn.) Sonny, which added a 2-1 to its three-race score line today to finish second overall.

The big move of the day in the 12 Metre class was made in that class’s first race, when Ralph Isham’s (New York, N.Y.) Courageous was following Dennis Williams’ (Hobe Sound, Fla.) Victory 83 and went East of Gould Island on the way back to the Pell Bridge, while Victory took the 'high road' and went West of it. 'Courageous’s move was risky but they wound up on the rhumb line and ahead to win,' said Jeff Johnstone (Newport, R.I.), who was skippering for Carol Swift on the chartered American Eagle. 'It’s what determined the regatta for them.' Courageous, considered a modern 12 Metre, won the regatta, with Victory 83, also a modern, matching on points, but taking second on a tie breaker. (Both boats had two victories in their four-race score line.) American Eagle, the oldest 12 Metre competing and from the traditional era, was given a 20-second-a-mile handicap and finished tied on points with Guy Heckman’s Grand Prix era USA 61, but fell to fourth on a tie breaker there as well. 'We had our moments,' said Johnstone, 'especially when we had some wind; then we were pretty darn even with some of the newer 12 Metres.'

A total of five 12 Metres sailed together, with the Grand Prix America II finishing in fifth. They will return for their 12 Metre North Americans and the America’s Cup 12 Metre Era Reunion, hosted by the New York Yacht Club, in September, with luminaries such as Ted Turner and Gary Jobson expected to compete.

PHRF, which was split into two classes, also named winners today. Robert Armstrong’s (St. Croix, USVI) Good Girl topped PHRF 1, which sailed on Rhode Island Sound with the White Fleet, while Richard Mentelos’ (Guilford, Conn.) Park Place edged out David Nauber’s (Higganum, Mass.) Wolverine by one point in PHRF 2 class.

Other winners crowned today were Trevor Fetter’s (Dallas, Texas) Black Watch in Classics CRF 1; Thomas Rodes’s (Cambridge, Mass.) Ranger in 6 Metre Class; Alan Silken’s (Newton, Mass.) Firefly in the Herreshoff S Class.
Racing concludes tomorrow for NYYC Swan 42s (Phil Lotz’s Arethusa currently leads); J/122s (Thomas Boyle’s Wings leads); J/109s (Ted Herlihy’s Gut Feeling leads), Beneteau First 36.7 (John Hammel’s Elan leads); and J/105s (Damian Emery’s Eclipse leads).

Preliminary Results

Sunday, July 18, 2010 - Top three in each class
Position, Boat Name, Skipper, Hometown, Finishes, Total points

Blue Fleet – 6 races completed

Class 1 – NYYC Swan 42 (15 boats)
1. Arethusa, Phillip Lotz, Newport, R.I., 1-1-1-3-1-4, 11
2. Hoss, Darden / Williamson, Fort Worth, Texas, 2-6-5-4-5-6, 28
3. Daring, John Hele Newport, R.I., 5-8-3-5-7-2, 30

Class 2 – J/122 (7 boats)
1. Wings, Thomas Boyle, Irvington, N.Y., 1-1-1-2-1-1, 7 points
2. Pugwash, David Murphy, Westport, Conn., 2-2-2-1-2-2, 11
3. Christopher Dragon, Andrew Weiss, Mamaroneck, N.Y., 3-4-3-3-3-3, 19

Class 3 – J/109 (13 boats)
1. Gut Feeling, Ted Herlihy, South Dartmouth, Mass., 2-1-1-1-2-4, 11
2. Caminos, David Filippelli, Amagansett, N.Y., 3-2-2-3-3-2, 15
3. Gossip, Steve Kenny & Greg Ames, Wainscott, N.Y., 1-3-4-2-3, 17

White Fleet – 6 races completed

Class 1 – PHRF 1 (10 boats)
1. Good Girl, J/100, Robert Armstrong, St. Croix, 1-1-1-2-2-1, 8 points
2. Settler, Peterson 42, Thomas Rich, Middletown, R.I., 2-3-2-1-1-2, 11
3. Act One, Summit 354, Charlie Milligan & Tom Roche, Newport, R.I., 2-3-3-3-3, 18

Class 2 – Beneteau First 36.7 (8 boats)
1. Elan, John Hammel, Arlington, Mass., 1-1-1-2-1-1, 7 points
2. Whirlwind, William Purdy, New York, N.Y., 4-4-1-2-6, 21
3. Kea/Slipstream, Chick Pyle, San Diego, Calif., 3-3-5-6-4-2, 23

Class 3 – J/105 (20 boats)
1. Eclipse, Damian Emery, Shoreham, N.Y., 1-1-4-1-3-1, 11 points
2. Kincsem, Joerg Esdorn, Katonah, N.Y., 6-2-1-4-5-7, 25
3. Savasana, Brian Keane, Weston, Mass., 3-3-5-12-1-5, 29

Green Fleet – All classes completed two races today
Class 1 – CRF 1 (3 boats)
1. Black Watch, Trevor Fetter, Dallas, Texas, 2-1-1, 4 points
2. Bolero, Edward Kane, Concord, Mass., 1-2-2, 5
3. Sumurun, Robert Towbin, Camden, Maine, 3-3-3, 9

Class 2 – 12 Metre (5 boats, Two races)
1. Courageous, Ralph Isham, New York, N.Y., 2-4-1-1-, 8 points
2. Victory 83, Dennis Williams, Hobe Sound, Fla., 1-1-2-4, 8
3. USA 61, Guy Heckman, Newport, R.I., 3-3-4-2, 12

Class 3 – CRF 2 (5 boats, Two races)
1. Chips, Jed Pearsall, Newport, R.I., 1-1-2, 4 points
2. Sonny, Joseph Dockery, Newport, R.I., 2-2-1, 5
3. Fortune, Don Glassie, Newport, R.I., 3-3-4, 10

Class 4 – 6 Metre (6 boats; two races)
1. Ranger, Thomas Rodes, Cambridge, Mass., 1-4-1-1, 7 points
2. Syce, Bob & FarleyTowse, Stamford, Conn., 2-1-2-2, 7
3. Madcap, Thomas Fair, N. Kingstown, R.I., 6(DNC)-2-3-3, 14

Class 5 –S Class (10 boats, two races)
1. Firefly, Alan Silken, Newton, Mass., 1-1-1-4, 7 points
2. Osprey, Mike McCaffrey, Newport, R.I., 2- 4-3-3, 12
3. Argument, Stephan Sloan, E.Greenwich, Conn., 3-5-8-1, 17

Class 6 – PHRF 2 (5 boats, Two races)
1. Park Place, O'Day 34, Richard Mentelos, Guilford, Conn., 1-1-1-4, 7 points
2, Wolverine, Frers 33, David Nauber, Higganum, Mass., 2-2-3-1, 8
3. Showdown, Bijan Rasadi, Groton, Conn., 3-3-2-3, 11

On-demand video by T2p.tv will be available after 9 p.m. each evening of Race Week at www.nyyc.org where complete results also can be found.