Lake Hopatcong Yacht Club hosted the 2018 Comet International Championship on September 7-9th. The regatta was well attended with 23 Comets competing. The teams came from six different states along with four teams from Bermuda. Seven races were run in a variety of overcasting conditions ranging from light air and flat water on the first day, heavy air with gusts up to 17 knots on the second day, and rain with medium breeze on the last day.
The Comet class was designed by C. Lowndes Johnson in 1932 as a trailer version of the Star boat. The design combines a 16ft hard chine planing hull with a sloop rig. As a two person boat, it is one of the most affordable one-design classes. Since the Comet was first designed and built in 1932, many boats still sailing are classic and of wooden construction. In recent years, Whitecap Composites of Peabody, Massachusetts, have started building new boats for the class. At this years International Championship, seven of the eight new boats built by Whitecap Composites were in attendance.
A Class owned Comet was chartered to the championship host Lake Hopatcong Yacht Club Commodore Brian Murphy and son Teddy Murphy. Optimist sailor Teddy was skippering the Comet and showed the fleet that he has the “right stuff” for the class, finishing most races just behind the lead pack. Teddy received the Court and Ginny Memorial Trophy for being the Top Youth Finisher.
Congratulations to Rudy Bailey of the West End Sailing Club of Bermuda and his crew Olivia Eagles of Lake Hopatcong Yacht Club for handily winning the series without even having to sail the last race. Second place went to Mark Beaton and crew Barbara Colie of Mantoloking. It was no surprise Mark and Barbara did so well due to the fact that they have been competing all season together in a number of different one-design classes. Finishing third was Dick Harmon with crew Mark Wissner from the Leatherlips Yacht Club of Ohio. Fourth went to Talbott and Lee Ingram from the Shrewsbury Sailing & Yacht Club. Coming in fifth place was Bermuda sailors Peter Bromby and crew Nick Finegan.
First place finishers Rudy Bailey and Olivia Eagles pictured above.
Everyone was delighted with the facilities and friendliness of the club and the regatta went off without a hitch. Many thanks to Bill Nutzel who was awarded the Class Citizen Trophy for being an outstanding Regatta Chair for Lake Hopatcong Yacht Club, the housing coordinator Tom Lentine, the PRO Kevin Murphy and his excellent committee, and to the many Lake Hopatcong Yacht Club members who had a part in making this a successful regatta.
Results can be found here, http://www.regattanetwork.com/event/17005#_newsroom+results
