Sail1Design Editor

If you don’t like the weather…just wait a while!

Yes, there was competitive racing throughout the week, but the weather was the major factor influencing the 124^th Larchmont Race Week.

The western end of Long Island Sound confirmed the reputation of being a light-air venue during the summer, but nobody expected the number of storms that would run west to east down the Sound during this 8-day period. “Going into this year’s Race Week, I thought the fact that we would run seven different circles for adult sailors and multiples for the juniors would be our biggest logistical challenge,” commented Steve Leicht, the Club’s Vice Commodore who, with Rear Commodore Chris Schoen, were the week’s co-chairs. “However, it was the unexpected heat wave and the resultant series of frequent, severe storms that ripped down the Sound that caused the greatest issues.”

The senior portions of Larchmont Race Week ran on the opening and closing weekends. Knowing that wind can be an issue, the Race Committee set an early and late start times for the One-design and Racer/Cruiser circles. Opening day found the later start time the better option, and, once the wind filled in and the regatta’s first races were in the books, everyone was told to head for shore as the first of multiple cells was about to roll through. With November over Hotel set, the intention was to return to the course…but the front took all the wind away with it. Sunday, Day 2, the hope was to play catch-up ball, and two races were completed.

Monday – Wednesday was designated Larchmont Junior Race Week with over 400 juniors sailing 420s, ILCA 6s and 4.7s, and Fevas. As soon as the sailors arrived at their starting areas, the weather forecaster notified LYC that severe storms were approaching. Again, with November over Hotel, the kids came in only to have the worst squall of the week hit with no return to racing that day. Fortunately, Tuesday was champagne sailing making up for Monday. However, Wednesday was a drifter, and the sailors never left the shore before November over Alpha signaled the end of their regatta. The anticipation was that Thursday’s Opti Day would go off without a hitch, only to have yet another series of fronts develop as the first race was underway. Only the white division, who started first, got scored.

As an aside in the reporting of racing, on the eve of the final weekend, LYC hosted a presentation of its five skippers who ended-up on the podium after the 2022 Newport-to-Bermuda Race. They shared stories of this historic race for LYC: Jason Carroll’s ARGO, Chris Sheehan’s WARRIOR WON, Andrew and Linda Weiss’ CHRISTOPHER DRAGON, Peter McWhinnie’s IN THEORY, and Chris Schoen’s PHANTOM.

The final weekend called for the later start on Saturday and Sunday the Around Execution Rocks Race, a mid-distance race, where all classes start at the same time sailing the same course. Fortunately for all, the Race Week concluded with 12-15 knots out of the east making the trip around Execution Lighthouse a day of sailing never to be forgotten.

The Execution Rocks Race is indicative of the many initiatives that Larchmont Yacht Club has implemented to renew participation in an historic event in a sport that is experiencing participation softness around the world. In addition to the fun and uniqueness of this final, multi-fleet race, Larchmont Race Week offered cruising sailors the Expressly for Fun pursuit races the first weekend. There was also a Vanguard-15 team race and an Ideal-18 event that weekend, plus the Viper 640s and Shields held regional championships drawing boats from other areas. On top of that, there was live music most every night, lobsters galore, the Mt. Gay Rum tent, junior dinghies for members to try sailing off the front dock the second Saturday, a hospitality desk, and, yes, even a Larchmont Race Week pro/am tennis tournament. Vice Commodore Leight capped off Larchmont Race Week noting, “We had hundreds and hundreds of members and guest sailing throughout the week. When the weather decided not to deliver, the Club, our sailing and marine facilities departments, and our scores upon scores of volunteers provided a truly world class regatta experience for all…regardless of age, what they were sailing, or the weather!”

Full results: https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=15314

Class winners were:

• Shields: Ward Young/Mike O’Connor – Larchmont YC
• Viper 640: Marek Zaleski – Noroton YC
• IOD:       Elliott Wislar – American YC
• S Boats: Rick Beck – Larchmont YC
• Ideal 18: Katie Morgan – Noroton YC
• ILCA 7: Jean Fillion – American YC
• ILCA 6: Owen Bischoff – Larchmont YC
• Vanguard 15: Ted Ferrarone – Larchmont YC
• PHRF:    Cory Eaves – Larchmont YC
• Expressly for Fun Spinnaker: Paul Strauch – Manhasset Bay YC
• Expressly for Fun Non-spinnaker: Ken MacArtney – Huguenot YC

Perpetual Trophy Winners:

• The Anne Kathleen Cullen Memorial Trophy – best one-design performance – LYC Team Race Team (Chrissie Klingler, Drake Lyon, Kira Wood skippers)
• The Vincent Monte-Sano Trophy – Top performing LYC Racer/Cruiser – Andrew Weiss and Lawrence Cutler
• Charles Vanderlaan Trophy – Top overall racer/cruiser – William Purdy – American YC
• The Tom L. Fitzsimons Trophy – Top Shields Class – Ward Young/Mike O’Connor
• Joseph J. Weed Memorial Trophy – Top IOD – Elliott Wislar
• The Jan C. Brassem Memorial Trophy – Top LYC racer/cruiser boat in the Edlu and Race Week – Bolide, Ned Roseberry and Brian McCluskey

Media Contact: Buttons Padin, epadin@padesta.com, 914-439-5476

Three Atlantic Coast ILCA Champions Crowned, July 9-10, 2002

Vying for the title ILCA Atlantic Coast Champion, 153 sailors descended on Larchmont (NY) Yacht Club over the July 9-10 weekend. Competitors came from up and down the Atlantic with many from the area Long Island Sound clubs, as well as major contingents from Ft. Lauderdale, Miami, and St. Petersburg, FL, Charleston, SC, Annapolis, MD, and more…including Bermudian and European entries. The host club, one of the first to adopt this single-hander in the 70s, renewed its involvement with the ILCA dinghy during Covid when the popularity of single-person boats skyrocketed.

FULL RESULTS HERE

Event Chair Ned Roseberry commented, “Going into Covid, we saw a resurgence of ILCA sailing at Larchmont Yacht. Now that the Championship is in the books, I’m sure every competitor found this a competitive and fun regatta. I’d also like to share credit for this exceptional regatta with the Club’s Sailing Director and my Championship co-chair Doug Reynolds and the scores of volunteers and Club staff members.”

LYC Commodore Rob Dailey continued, “Next week we will be hosting our 124th edition of Larchmont Race Week, and the Club takes pride in hosting major regional, national, and international level Championships. In the past, we’ve run keelboat championships including the Etchells Worlds, the Star 100^th Anniversary, the Viper 640, J/105, and J/109 North Americans, dinghy championships including the V-15 Nationals and last summer’s Opti ACCs, as well as annually hosting the Intercollegiate Offshore Regatta with the Storm Trysail Club. Hosting the 2022 ILCA ACCs fit our Club’s mission perfectly.”

Saturday’s racing experienced typical Long Island Sound July conditions. Winds in the 5-6 knot range from the south/southeast. The Race Committee, led by PRO Jeff Borland (Annapolis, MD), squeezed the most out of the day delivering for each of the three ILCA divisions (4.7, 6, and 7) two races. On Sunday, however, local sailors were overheard saying, “These are near-perfect sailing conditions!”

Logistically, the ILCA 4.7s and ICAL 7s divisions had their own start, but the ILCA 6 division, with 97 entries, was divided into four groups with two racing against each other at one time…giving everyone the opportunity to sail against everyone else evenly. By 1500, four more races had been sailed for each making a total of six for the Championship with a range of conditions challenging all on the water.

In the end, three Champions were crowned: the ILCA 7 Champion was Campbell Patton from the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club (3-(8)-5-1-1-3) in a fleet of 22 competitors, the ILCA 6 Champion was Jake Homberger from Lauderdale (FL) Yacht Club (1-1-2-3-1 (5)) in a fleet of 97, and the ILCA 4.7 Champion is French sailor Gulda Dondona ((4)-1-4-2-1-1) in a fleet of 22, from the Yacht Club de Cannes. FULL RESULTS HERE

When asked what he felt was his winning difference, ILCA 7 Champion Patton commented, “Definitely having had consistent starts. I executed that pretty well for most races and when I didn’t, I struggled, and it was a big catch-up game.” When asked about the need to shift gears as the wind speeds and directions varied throughout the weekend, ILCA 6 Champion from Jake Homberg shared, “It was about keeping your head out of the boat and being ready for whatever came your way. I was working mostly the Cunningham and sometimes the vang to keep the boat balanced and moving fast.” Sailing in the smallest division—both rig size and number of competitors, Gulda Dondona, shared her take on boat speed, “My boat speed came from being comfortable with my boat, and having gotten to know it in many regattas. Add to that really wanting to win and that’s how one gains performance.”

This was not PRO Jeff Borland’s first time helping run a regatta at Larchmont Yacht Club, having been an umpire for two US Team Racing Championships sailed at LYC. His take on the weekend’s sailing was, “Saturday was extremely challenging for the Race Committee with the breeze up and down and very streaky. It was relatively steady, but it was hard to get off fair races. Today, however, were champagne conditions with 10-12 knots coming right down the pipe so our job today wasn’t that hard. We did have a few shifts to work with. And while it didn’t affect our race management that much, many of the competitors were having difficult with the tide, so they were over early not having recognized that the tide existed. Otherwise, as I said, it was a champagne day of sailing and now, as we stand porch looking out over the water, we see the breeze has gone flat so it’s wonderful that we got in today’s four races for a six-race Championship.”

About Larchmont Yacht Club
The Larchmont Yacht Club was founded on Long Island Sound in 1880 and, from its inception, has been one off the premier yacht clubs in North America.
The Larchmont Yacht Club is located at 1 Woodbine Avenue, Larchmont, NY 10538.
Press inquiries should be addressed to Edward “Buttons” Padin, epadin@padesta.com.