The 60th Shields National Regatta concluded on September 21st, hosting 22 boats from across the country. Teams traveled to Larchmont Yacht Club to race and were met with a range of conditions on The Long Island Sound. During the three days, eight races were sailed in everything from light and shifty breeze to easterlies reaching high teens.
At the end of the series, co-skippers Reed Baer and John Burnham sailed away in #107 Grace with a definitive victory. Hailing from Ida Lewis Yacht Club and Fleet #9, they are previous Shields nationals winners, taking first place in 2002, 2011, and 2016. Also aboard Grace were Rachel Balaban, Mat Buechner, and Pete Schott. With a 1-2-1-4-2-3-3 scoreline after seven races, they secured the lead and packed up their boat early for the drive back to Rhode Island.
Shields 2024 Nationals Winners
Aeolus locked down second place in a similar manner; Matt Hirsch, Tim Dawson, Mat Van Note, Scotty Innes-Jones, and Nate Frizell from Narragansett sailed seven races and opted to skip the last as well. However, it was a battle to the end in order to round out the podium. Larchmont’s Ward Young nabbed third after winning the final two races. Also aboard were Andrew Young, Mike O’Connor, Billy Rohman, and Ben Cesare. Buttons Padin of Larchmont Yacht Club wrote, “There was a sense of nostalgia in Young’s podium position as he was sailing Shields #25 Checkmate, the lovely ‘Shields Green’ boat that originally belonged to Cornelius Shields himself, the originator of the Class…Fred Werblow sailed [this boat] for decades before he sold her to Ward.”
The team of Buzzards Bay sailors on Bit-O-Honey finished just one point behind Checkmate, consisting of Ken Deyett, Carolyn Petie, Josh Johnson, Luke Celu, and Katie Collins. Larchmont locals Rob Dailey, Com Crocker, Anna Tikhonova, Patrick Slattery, and Ryan Zupon finished in fifth place– four points behind Bit-O-Honey.
Race committee set courses as simple windward-leewards but the fluctuating north/north easterly breeze proved to be challenging. This, combined with tidal changes, emphasized the importance of tactics and course management. The top boats demonstrated that consistency paid off in the end. Baer and Burnham never posted a finish lower than fourth, and Hirsch’s lowest scores were a tenth and fifth. The top two were extremely competitive but still had to contend with six other boats who all posted top-three finishes. This could have been anyone’s championship to win!
Grace ahead
This regatta was a celebration for the host club. Cornelius Shields was an LYC member and designed the boat in the early 1960s. He worked tirelessly to create fleets around the country and facilitated programs where boats would be donated to maritime academies and then chartered to local sailors over the summer. Shields Fleet #1 was created at Larchmont Yacht Club and has continued to thrive. It is the Club’s most active one-design fleet.
Buttons Padin notes, “This diamond anniversary Championship celebration could not have been possible without over a year of preparation by Event-Co-Chairs Doug Millar and Matt Tym and over 70 Club volunteers bringing the Championship to life. Long-time Newport Shields sailor Peter Gerard traveled to Larchmont to serve as Co-PRO with LYC’s Cynthia Parthemos, and a full jury was on the water observing the event from the signal boat, Satan’s Toe. In addition, scores of onshore volunteers staffed the registration and hospitality desk, helped traveling boats get into and out of the water, and manned the Race Committee.”
Doug Millar, one of the organizers, says that, “For Matt and me, this regatta has been like having a second job for the past year. Our attention to every detail from logo design & crew gear, awards, sponsorship, housing visiting crews to our 60s throwback tie-dye shirts BBQ Thursday night made this a Championship to remember,” Matt Tym adds, “Without the total cooperation of the Club’s professional marine facilities and house staff, and the generous support of our sponsors McMichael Yacht Yards & Brokers and Carlsberg Beer, this could have been just another regatta. Instead, sailors will remember and talk about this weekend of racing and shoreside camaraderie for years.”
Larchmont Yacht Club holds a historical link between the Shields Boat and Class, and it is fitting that they host the diamond anniversary Championship. Carol Shields, the daughter-in-law of Corny Shields attended the awards ceremony Saturday night. Accompanying her were Corny IV who flew in from Montana, and his son Corny V, adding to the nostalgia.
When asked about Larchmont Yacht Club’s preparation for these events, Commodore Steve Leicht said, “It is in our Club’s Mission Statement, and our membership’s DNA, that we host world-class regattas. That’s what we’re here for and why we do it so well! As such, it should come as no surprise that the Shields Class held its National Championship in our waters for the fifteenth time. Larchmont Yacht Club looks forward to 2030 when we will again host the Shields National Championship as we celebrate our Club’s 150th Anniversary.”
Thank you to Buttons Padin for contributing his thoughtful report and insight. Thank you to Doug Reynolds and Kate Millar for pictures, and to Mauren Koeppel for the video. Find full results here.
Leave a Reply