J/99 Agent 99 crushes PHRF in Ida Lewis Race

19th Ida Lewis Distance Race © Stephen Cloutier

J/111 PRAVDA Smokes ORC Division

The 19th Ida Lewis Distance Race hosted forty-five teams, including both world-class and recreational racers. The competition's 24-hour format saw seven classes leave Newport Harbor at 11:00 AM Friday, August 16, and return on Saturday to a finish line sighted from host Ida Lewis Yacht Club where volunteers were on watch to record times and meet each team on the water with a congratulatory bottle of prosecco!!

"With the forecast for light air, we chose a course of 135.0nm for all three ORC classes and a shorter 120.0nm for the four PHRF classes," said Will Museler, a member of the race team. "Most of the other established distance races in the country have the same set course, from start to finish, each year. Depending on the wind, you can be gone for a day or three days, you never know. Here you know!"

ORC Division

By all accounts, the sailors were pleased with the courses, which for ORC took the competitors out to Buzzards Bay Tower, then west past Block Island to a mark off Montauk, back to Buzzards Bay, and home again.

ORC 3 Division

Edward Kaye's J/111 PRAVDA from Marblehead, MA finished in 1d 1h 39m 20s to win ORC 3 Division and also take the silver medal for ORC Overall, only missing winning ORC Overall by a mere 5 minutes!

PHRF Division

PHRF's shorter course sent the teams first to the south side of Block Island, then east to Cox Ledge, Buzzards Bay Tower, and back to Newport.

PHRF Bagheera Division

Jeff Johnstone's J/99 AGENT 99 (Newport, R.I.) won this division quite easily and just missed the podium for PHRF Overall by a mere 26 seconds! Johnstone's AGENT 99 pulled off a daringly strategic downwind start, launching a spinnaker well before it crossed the pin end of the line. The boat rode low on a puff to separate from the fleet and then capitalized on a right shift that eventually enabled the team to get a mile ahead of the fleet within the first hour of racing.

"That start set us up mentally for the next six hours," said AGENT 99 crew Tom Kirk. "In sailing, anything you do well motivates you; the key is not to let the bad things slow you down."

Just finishing "out of the chocolates" was EC Helme's J/92S SPIRIT, settling for 5th place.

PHRF Coronet Division

This ten-boat division saw three J/crews predominate in the top four spots. David Rosow's J/122 LOKI is on a roll this summer, taking the silver medal and 3rd PHRF Overall. John Pearson's J/111 RED SKY 4 took the bronze medal and 6th PHRF Overall. Then, Jim Phyfe's J/44 DIGGER took 4th place and 9th PHRF Overall!

Youth Challenge Division

Winning the Arent H. Kits van Heyningen Trophy for the Youth Challenge was James Phyfe's J/44 DIGGER (Cranston, R.I.), which finished fourth in Coronet. Digger had a total of eight youths and two adults on board, and they were up against three other Youth Challenge entries. NOTE- Youth Challenge entrants must have more than 40% of the team reaching their 14th birthday, but not their 20th birthday before August 16.

Ida Lewis Distance Race Gold Sponsor was Contender Sailcloth. Silver Sponsors were Safe Harbor Newport Shipyard and Hogan Associates/Christie's International Real Estate. Bronze Sponsors were Gold's Wine and Spirits, Langan Design Partners, Newport Construction Services, Inc., and North Sails. Contributing Sponsors were Toni Mills Graphic Design, Mac Designs, Gosling's Black Seal Rum, and Stella Artois. Follow Ida Lewis Distance Race on Facebook For more Ida Lewis Distance Race sailing information.