Ida Lewis Distance Race - Results

Shortened Courses Deliver Overnight Challenges, Satisfaction

NEWPORT, R.I. (August 22, 2010)-George David (Hartford, Conn.) was shocked at how much wind there was during the sixth annual Ida Lewis Distance Race, even if 17 knots is nothing compared to what his crack crew aboard the 90-foot Rambler has endured before on its many race outings around the world. When Friday’s (August 20) 1p.m. start had to be delayed an hour due to a dieing gradient wind, David wasn’t hopeful that the shortened 122-nm course set for his IRC class would offer much in the way of thrilling winds, but Rambler wound up averaging an impressive 10 ½ knots of speed throughout 12-plus hours of racing, finishing at 2:18 the next morning and correcting out two hours ahead of Ron O’Hanley’s (Boston, Mass.) Privateer.

“We put ourselves in the right places most of the time,” said David, explaining that wind in the teens appeared mostly between turning marks at Montauk and Noman’s Land, and the rest of the legs had navigator Matt Wachowicz and tactician Peter Isler collaborating doggedly on weather transitions, avoiding light spots and determining whether going north of Block Island rather than south had its benefits. Turns out it did-Rambler and a few others in the 36-boat fleet that chose that route gained considerably-and for its spot-on decisions Rambler received the event’s Navigator’s Award in addition to trophies for best elapsed and best corrected time in the five-boat IRC class.

Arthur Burke’s (Dartmouth, Mass.) Andrews 70 Shindig also took home three trophies, one each for best corrected and elapsed time in PHRF Division 1–in which 11 boats sailed–and one for overall best corrected time in PHRF (a second division hosted 12 boats). Organizers chose a 104-nm course for PHRF and Double-handed boats to sail, and Shindig made it home in just under 15 and ½ hours, with Robert MacMillan’s Class 40 Cutlass taking second, behind by just over nine minutes on corrected time.

“Like everyone else, we were searching for wind,” said Burke, who literally drifted right after the PHRF start, which was combined for both classes. “But when we found it, then we really started to move.” Burke said his crew, which has countless Newport to Bermuda races under their belts, changed sails 17 times during the race and the boat was becalmed at multiple times during the race. “We just kept pressing.”

Within the PHRF division there were six Youth Challenge teams that proved the concept’s inaugural push was a popular one that will have legs for the future. Teams comprised of at least 40 percent junior sailors between the ages of 14 and 18 qualified and sailed in the PHRF Division–scored as such but then also scored separately for the new Arent H. Kits van Heyningen Trophy provided by Finish Line sponsor KVH Industries. To present the trophy at Ida Lewis Yacht Club on Saturday night was Mr. van Heningen himself, who at age 94, competed in the event and remains an inspiration to all sailing generations. The proud recipient was the crew aboard the X-41 Sarah, owned by Greg Manning (Warwick, R.I.) and representing East Greenwich Yacht Club, which also finished third in PHRF Division 1. The top Youth finisher in Division 2 was Tom Rich’s (Middletown, R.I.) second-place finisher Settler.

In the Doublehanded Class, sailing under PHRF, Michael Hennessy’s (New York, N.Y.) Class 40 Dragon took top spot, sailing the course in just under 19 and ½ hours, while Teri and Pete Binkley’s (Branford, Conn.) Quest 33 Wildeyes finished in just under 24 hours for second.

The Ida Lewis Distance Race is the only distance race that starts and finishes in Newport, R.I. It features a signature champagne finish inside Newport Harbor and was named one of Sailing World magazine’s “14 great events” in its guide for “The Ultimate Summer.” It is also a qualifier for the 2010 New England Lighthouse Series; Northern and Double-Handed Ocean Racing Trophies; and the US-IRC Gulf Stream Series.

Image - Rambler - Amory Ross

Class 1 - IRC (IRC - 5 Boats)
1. Rambler, RP 90 W B 90, George David, Hartford, Conn.
2. Privateer, Cookson 50 50, Ron O’Hanley, Boston, Mass.
3. Rocket Science, J 120 40, Rick Oricchio, Fairfield, Conn.
4. Barleycorn, NYYC Swan 42 42.5, Brendan Brownyard, Bay Shore, N.Y.
5. Fearless, Farr 395 39.4, Shaun Ensor, East Haven, Conn.

Class 2 - PHRF Division 1 (PHRF - 11 Boats)
1. Shindig, Andrews 70, Arthur Burke, Dartmouth, Mass.
2. Cutlass, Class 40, Robert MacMillan, Newport, R.I.
3. Sarah (Youth), X-41, Greg Manning, Warwick, R.I.
4. Eagle, J 120, Steven Levy, Greenwich, Conn.
5. Toothface, Akilaria Class 40, Mike Dreese, West Newton, Mass.

Class 2 - PHRF Division 2 (PHRF - 12 Boats)
1. Different Drummer, Cape Bay Fast 40 39.6, Frank Atkinson, Coconut Grove, Fla.
2. Settler (Youth), Peterson 42, Tom Rich, Middletown, R.I.
3. Act One (Youth), Summit 35, Bill Titus, Newport, R.I.
4. Lark, Beneteau First 40.7, Edmund Flynn, Marlborough, Mass.
5. Coco, Swan 36, Ian Scott, Newport, R.I.

Class 3 - PHRF - Double-Handed (PHRF - 8 Boats)
1. Dragon, Class 40, Michael Hennessy, New York, N.Y.
2. Wildeyes, Quest 33′, Teri & Pete Binkley, Branford, Conn.
3. Samba, Quest 30, Tristan Mouligne, Boston, Mass.
4. Dark ‘n Stormy, J 105, Michael Lachance, Wolcott, Conn.
5. Paladin, J 35, Jason Richter, Mt. Sinai, N.Y.

Three Little Birds

Bristol RI. The 11m Aquidneck Custom Composite Tri Three Little Birds was launched Wed 8/25. Love the paint job!

See how she developed at the ACC blog. After sea trials Three Little Birds will spend the rest of the summer in Dutch Harbor Jamestown.

LOA -11M / 36′
LWL - 10659mm / 35′
Max Beam -8M / 26.25′
Displacement loaded- 2730KG / 6000#
Ama displacement is 200%

http://riyachting.smugmug.com/Boats/Misc-Yachts/ACC11a/978981554_ChfxR-X2.jpg

Storm Trysail Foundation goes golfing

The Inaugural Trysail golf tournament and fundraiser will be held at the beautiful Newport National Golf Course on August 31, 2010. The days activities will be targeted toward both regular golfers playing their own ball and more casual golfers playing a modified scramble. After golf there will be a gathering at the event tent with dinner and cash bar, prizegiving, raffle, silent auction and a limited live auction.

The Storm Trysail Foundation is a 501©3 charitable organization dedicated to support the education of young sailors, junior safety at sea and intercollegiate big boat racing. The purpose of the foundation is to effect, promote and enhance the education of young sailors in safety at sea, safe boat handling in all conditions, inshore, offshore and passagemaking through seminars regattas and other on water training.

Get involved.

Herreshoff Classic Regatta - Fri, Sat, Sun

The Herreshoff Classic Regatta is an annual event drawing hundreds of participants from around the world. Classic and Herreshoff boat owners gather for a weekend of challenging races and social events. The weekend includes the race for the prestigious Bill Swan Memorial Trophy, the Livingston’s Wind Hill Trophy for Herreshoff 12 1/2s, and a traditional New England Clambake on the waterfront.

Racing Classes include:

Classic (pre-1970)
Spirit of Tradition (1970 and later)
S Class
12 1/2 (wood or fiberglass including CCSB H12, Bullseye, and Doughdish)
Six Metre
Twelve Metre
Sea Sprite 23
Cat Boat

J111 – sailed and introduced

Aethon was revealed, trialed & withdrawn

Statement from Steve Clark

Image of New wing

Image of Old wing

This week, the new wing for the C Class catamaran Aethon was revealed, trialed, and withdrawn. Control system problems caused damage to the wing’s airfoil surfaces. These were too extensive to be repaired and tested before the start of the International C Class Catamaran Championship on August 22. The team has therefore decided to scratch the entry of Cogito, and use her wing on Aethon in the Little America’s Cup.

Steve Clark, owner of both boats, designed and built Aethon with his nephew Oliver Moore over the last 18 months. He designed and built the new wing hoping to achieve something new. The wing weighs just 140 pounds, about 30 pounds lighter than Cogito’s wing and probably about 15 pounds lighter than the Canadian’s wingsails. The wing also has solid composite skins, which are better aerodynamically than the typical heat shrink covering, and has a more extensive twist control system that allows Clark and Moore to vary the trim of the wing throughout its entire span.

“The way the thing works” said Clark, “is that they are all interrelated. You cannot get the weight savings without adding complexity to the control system. During the brief time that we had everything working Oliver and I were highly impressed by the performance and potential of the new wing. We thought we had hit a home run. But some old boogiemen like stretch and bending caused certain parts to bear loads that they weren’t engineered to take and they folded up exactly like you would expect them too.”

The withdrawal of the second American entry means that Lars Guck and Andrew Gaynor, initially slated to sail Cogito at the event, will now be moved to first and second alternate. ” I feel very bad about having to scratch and entry to the regatta” continued Clark. “We thought long and hard about what it would take to repair the wing and get to the starting line, but we concluded that it simply wouldn’t be possible. We would be showing up with a completely untested and untuned rig. We would have no confidence that we could complete the program, and would most likely have to do a series of mid regatta fixes under great pressure with little time. This would mean that we had the real opportunity of going backwards and turning something that has the potential to be extraordinary into a piece of junk. The work of the last six months could be completely thrown away.”

“We have no one to blame for this than ourselves. We did not manage to get the assembly done early enough to have suitable time to test and debug the new wing. As it happened, because we were so late to the water, any problem would have been significant, and a minor problem became a game ender.”

While Clark voiced his disappointment, he also made it clear that he feels quite confident in the team’s chances using Cogito’s rig. “Cogito’s wing is a great power plant” Clark concluded. “It is proven and we know how to sail it very well. We think there is enough innovation in Aethon’s hulls and foils to give us a reasonable chance at winning the regatta. And that’s what we are going to try to do.”

Below are two photos, both with Aethon on port tack. In one she has the new wing, in the other she has Cogito’s. The differences are fairly obvious.

The Clagett Expands

Starts Monday! - Able-Bodied Sailors Welcomed in 2.4 and Sonar Classes.

Responding to requests from competitors, the organizers of the C. Thomas Clagett Jr. Memorial Clinic and Regatta are once again expanding the scope of this well-known event for sailors with disabilities. For the eighth running, August 23-26, 2010, The Clagett will welcome able-bodied sailors to compete in two of the four classes raced in the event: the single person 2.4 Metre and the Sonar whose three-person crew must include at least one sailor with disabilities. This move should result in not only more boats on the starting line, but also a more challenging level of competition in these fleets. Find out more.

Image - Amory Ross

Fast on a C Class

Newport RI. Seven of the fastest boats in the world, on the same course, at the same time—that’s how the Little America’s Cup will start off. Then, after nine fleet races, pairs for match racing will be established and a winner will eventually be determined.

The International C-Class Catamaran Championship at the NYYC’s
Harbour Court starts Sunday. Here’s a peak at what to expect.

They make us wear f- -ing booties

Un-edited video - CAKEWALK - The Largest Yacht Ever Built in the United States

BRIDGEPORT, CT - When the six deck, 2998 gross ton vessel floated off Derecktors new 4000 ton dry-dock into the waters of Bridgeport harbor, it was the culmination of an effort never before seen in American yacht building. Several years and many, many thousands of skilled labor hours, along with tireless work from the owners’ team and Derecktors project group were needed to make the original vision a remarkable reality. Spec’s

Rose Island Lighthouse Clambake

Don’t miss this great event to support the lighthouse!

• Wear soft sole shoes for the boat ride.
• Bring your trash stewardship skills.
• Bring a BIG appetite for the tastiest, worlds best clambake FEAST!
• Bring a blanket or folding chair to sit on.
• Picnic tables are available for those who don’t bend and sit on the ground all that well

THE MENU
(served in courses starting at 12:00 Noon)
New England Clam Chowder, Fresh Garden Salad, and Homemade Corn Bread.
THE BAKE: Steamers, Mussels, Portuguese & Italian Sausages, Saugy Hot Dogs, Red Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Onions, Carrots, Celery, Garlic, Herbs and Butter, Just-picked Corn On The Cob and Seasoned Fish. Lobster Optional
DESSERT: Chilled Watermelon Wedges
CASH BAR: Soda, Bottled Water, Juice, Sam Adams Lager & Light Beer, Summer Ale and Twisted Tea, plus Red & White Wine

Buy tickets

They’re out there all the time

NARRAGANSETT — If a great white shark devours a seal off Sakonnet Point and no one sees it, did it really dine in Rhode Island waters?

For Nancy Kohler and her small staff of shark experts tucked away on a bluff overlooking Narragansett Bay, this is not a philosophical question about unperceived existence.

Tangible proof arrives every summer in the form of two or three great whites that get tangled up and die in the nets of fish traps off Sakonnet Point.

Of great whites in local waters, Kohler says, almost dismissively: “They’re out there all the time.” Read on

Image -The Providence Journal / Steve Szydlowski

Support a cause - cruise on EASTERNER

EASTERNER CRUISE / RECEPTION TO BENEFIT SAIL TO PREVAIL
(Formerly Shake-A-Leg Foundation)
Ocean House, Watch Hill, Rhode Island
Cruises Sat-Sun August 28-29th; Sunday Reception and Presentation -
Cocktails and Hors’dourves - 5:00 / Presentation - 6:00

Join Sail To Prevail to support a great cause and take a cruise aboard the classic 1958 12-meter EASTERNER, which competed in three America’s Cup trials and won race 6 in the 2009 12-metre World Championships in Newport. Meet Sail To Prevail CEO and EASTERNER Captain Paul Callahan; hear the story of Sail To Prevail and how it is empowering Rhode Island’s handicapped youth through its innovative programs, including the EASTERNER’s remarkable, first ever retrofit for sailing by the handicapped. Reception and presentation Sunday afternoon after the cruise, at the Ocean House with stunning views of the Atlantic, Block Island and Long Island Sound.
Cruise and Reception Tickets Sold Separately; Cruise - $1,000 per person; limited to 10 guests per cruise.

Reception & Presentation - $150 per person. To RSVP please call Sail To Prevail at 401-849-8898.

Image - Amory Ross

12 Metre Reunion

12 Metre Era Reunion Presented By Rolex

Starting on Wednesday, September 15, the 12 Metre North American Championships will bring the glamour of racing these elegant sloops back to Narragansett Bay. There will be three days of racing (September 15-17) for the North American title with luminaries sprinkled among the fleet including Ted Turner and Gary Jobson sailing on American Eagle ~ US 21.

“Ted Turner and Gary Jobson, seen here celebrating their 1977 win of the America’s Cup aboard Courageous, will reunite this September in Newport, Rhode Island, for The 12 Metre Era Reunion Presented By Rolex”

More

The highlight of the weekend will be the 17th America’s Cup Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony presented by Rolex Watch U.S.A., during which five New Zealanders (Simon Daubney, Mike Drummond, Warwick Fleury, Murray Jones and Dean Phipps) and one American (Halsey Herreshoff of Bristol, Rhode Island) will join the 69 legends of the Cup who have previously been selected for membership in the Hall of Fame. For more information on the Saturday evening event, please visit The Herreshoff Marine Museum website.

The only free and open to the public event of the Reunion will be held at the Newport International Boat Show on Thursday, September 16 at 5 P.M. (entrance is through Gate 3, starting at 4:30 P.M.).  Bill Ficker, who skippered Intrepid ~ US 22 through its successful defense of the 1970 America’s Cup over Australia’s Gretel II~ KA 3, will lead the Legends Panel, along with six of the most famous names in the America’s Cup race history.  Gary Jobson, ESPN’s Yachting Commentator and co-chair of the reunion, will moderate. Details

photo credit “courtesy of Gary Jobson”

Built in 56 days

The S.S. John W. Brown, America’s oldest surviving Liberty ship, will visit the Port of Providence in September and dock at Providence Piers, Conley’s Wharf, at 200 Allens Ave.

One of only two surviving fully operational Liberty ships preserved in the U.S., SS John W. Brown is a product of the Emergency Shipbuilding Program that built more than 2,700 liberty ships during World War II. Designed for quick and relatively easy construction, Liberty ships made possible the massive sealift of troops, arms, and material to all theaters of the war. The Brown was built in 56 days by the Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard in Baltimore. More details.

Video

Safety at Sea seminar for youth sailors

Wednesday, August 18
Ages: 14 - 18 years of age.

The Storm Trysail Club in association with the Ida Lewis YC and Sail Newport are offering a Jr. Safety at Sea seminar for youth sailors.

This is a great opportunity for youth sailors to get hands on sailing experience aboard “big boats” including J105s, J109s and Swan 42s coached by some of Rhode Island’s finest offshore sailing specialists and instructors and midshipmen from King’s Point US Merchant Marine Academy.

Instruction covering safety and big boat organization will consist of sessions on land and on the water including use of inflatable liferafts and safety equipment, changing sails/reefing, communications and navigation. Sign up at the Sail Newport website.