Clagett Regatta competition underway

by Jan Harley on 26 Aug 2010 As a summer nor’easter reluctantly released its grip, sailing got underway on Narragansett Bay for the eighth annual C. Thomas Clagett Jr. Memorial Regatta. The race committee kept competitors ashore this morning while they waited for the tide to ebb and the northerly breeze to diminish and allow for a calmer sea state, and by early afternoon, conditions had improved enough to send the sailors out to the race course between Rose and Goat Islands, south of the Newport Pell Bridge.

In the five-boat Sonar fleet, 2008 SKUD-18 Paralympic Gold Medalist Maureen McKinnon Tucker (Marblehead, Mass.) and Gerry Tiernan (Falmouth, Maine) crewed for John Porter (East Troy, Wisc.) to win all five races and the lead position in that fleet on five points. Standing second overall with 10 points is the team of Paul Callahan (Newport, R.I./Cape Coral, Fla.), Brad Johnson (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) and Tom Brown (Castine, Maine) who placed second in all five races. All three have represented the U.S.A. in Paralympic Sailing, with Brown bringing home a bronze medal from the 2000 Games in the 2.4 Metre class. Eric Roberts (Reno, Nevada), Jim Thweatt (Sacramento, Calif.) and Dennis Moran (Framingham, Mass.) are third overall with 17 points and hold a slim two-point lead over Ted King (Brentwood, N.H.) sailing with Dan Rugg (Centreville, Md.) and Dirk Johnson (Middletown, R.I.). Charlie Croteau (Framingham, Mass.) and Jody Hill (Seabrook, Texas) with Kitty Mears (Brighton, Mass.) hold fifth place with 24 points.

After winning the opening race in the SKUD-18, Sarah Everhart-Skeels and husband Brian Skeels (both Tiverton, R.I.), find themselves just one point off the lead after Scott Whitman (Brick, N.J.) and Julia Dorsett (West Chester, Penn.) won the second and final races of the day. Whitman and Dorsett are the top-ranked SKUD-18 team in the U.S.A. and in July won the silver medal at the IFDS Disabled Sailing World Championship in The Netherlands. Mark Lewis (Hingham, Mass.) and Barbara Wilson are third overall.

With the largest turnout of any class in the regatta’s history, the 12-strong 2.4 Metre fleet sailed three races with Britt Hall (Darien, Conn.) taking the standings lead on four points after winning the first and last races of the day. Peter Wood (Ottawa, Canada) is second with eight points, followed by Scott Lutes (Montreal, Canada) with 14 points. After not finishing the first race when his jib shackle came undone, Charles Rosenfield (Woodstock, Conn.) made some adjustments to his boat and rebounded with good starts to add finishes of 1-2 to stand fourth overall with 16 points. Christine Lavallee (Gatineau, Canada) rounds out the top-five with 18 points.

'A lot of people thought it would be windy, windy, windy,' said coach Craig Guthrie (Halifax, Nova Scotia) explaining that the 2.4 Metre sailors were sitting around 'building nerves' during the postponement period. 'Finally we got out there and it was fine. Conditions were great once we got on the water. It was 15-18 knots the first race, but not even for the full race, and then it became a bit shifty and tactical. Although not a sunny day, it was beautiful Newport sailing.'

There are seven teams racing J/22s in the quest to win the 2010 Blind Sailing National Championship title, with each four-person team comprised of two sighted guides who assist the two sailors with visual impairments. After four races, 2006 IFDS Blind Sailing World Champions JP Creignou (St. Petersburg, Fla.) and Jan Bartleson with 2000 Rolex Yachtsman of the Year Magnus Liljedahl and David Bannister (all Miami, Fla.) are leading the standings with five points. Three points back and hoping for a third consecutive title are Sengil Inkiala (Waltham), Nancy Jodoin (Newton) and Ken Legler (Reading) with Harry Berman (Hull). While another experienced all-Massachusetts team – Matt Chao (Newton) and Ryck Lent (Waltham) with Lisa O’Connor Dalton (Hull) and Bill Rapp (Rockport) – stands third overall with 13 points.

'We headed out to the race course with the main reefed and no jib,' said Ken Legler about the breeze, which he explained came back up to 18. The defending champions won the opening race and then posted finishes of 3-2-2. 'I called the wrong gybe three out of the four races, and JP got us each time.'

Racing concludes Thursday, August 26. For more information, become a 'Facebook Friend' of The C. Thomas Clagett, Jr. Memorial Regatta at http://www.facebook.com/pages/C-Thomas-Clagett-Jr-Memorial-Regatta/128829627144323 or visit the event website at www.clagettregatta.org/ where full results are posted.