Kirby Cup – the official Team Race Championship of Sonar class

Sailing in dramatically different conditions over two days off Noroton Yacht Club in western Long Island Sound, Team NYYC, under skippers Tom Kinney (Team Captain), Karl Zeigler and Brian Doyle, won the 2014 Kirby Cup Team Race Invitational regatta (September 13-14) with an unblemished 15-0 record. The Kirby Cup is the official Team Race Championship of the Sonar Class and honors Sonar designer Bruce Kirby, who was present at the event and regatta dinner hosted by NYYC.

Sailing against teams from Rochester Yacht Club, Vineyard Haven, Sewanhaka Corinthian YC, Team Marblehead and host Noroton Yacht Club, Team NYYC won six races on day 1 in a strong northeasterly where both boat handling and team racing skills were tested. On day 2, a shifty northwesterly filled in after a short delay calling on good course management as well as strong team racing to create winning combinations.

Strong teams from the competing clubs and short courses put a premium on good starts and patience as in many cases the races were not decided until the last beat. The Noroton RC, led by Glen Morrison, handled the difficult conditions enabling the fleet to complete three full round robins over the course of the two days.

Chief Umpire Peter Wilson and his crew, supplemented by competitor umpires – a unique and important feature of team racing in the northeast – kept the racing fair and races decided on the wwater. Noroton YC, which drew on the generosity of its members to put a fleet of 12 Sonars on the waters, has long been active in team racing and actively engages its members in the discipline in all roles.

Final Results:
1. New York (15-0)
2. Noroton YC
3. Vineyard Haven YC
4. Rochester YC
5. Marblehead YC
6. Seawanhaka YC

Report by Steven A. Wolff.

PHOTO: The winning NYYC team (which included some who are also Noroton members) was: Roland Singer, Steve Wolff. Monique Singer, Mercedes Tech, Tom Kinney (Team Captain), Bruce Kirby, Karl Ziegler (Skipper), Paul Barringer, Britt Hall, Brian Doyle (Skipper), Alex Fridell and Matt Cohen.