Preview of Vineyard Race

Published on September 4th, 2015

Stamford, CT (September 4, 2015) – Labor Day weekend’s Vineyard Race is a classic American yachting event: a 238-mile course stretching from Shippan Point, through the swirling currents of the Race or Plum Gut, past Block Island, and on to the light tower at the entrance to Buzzard’s Bay, to return leaving Block Island to starboard en route to the finish in Stamford Harbor.

Begun in 1932, it has attracted the finest sailors and fastest boats for nearly 80 years, and its intricacies and challenges bring them back time after time. Those who are successful nearly always credit local knowledge of these tricky waters and a good deal of luck.

In 1982, Bob Bavier described the race in YACHTING magazine as one of the “yachting classics.” Here’s how he describes it: “The greatest distance races of the world have several things in common – a challenging course, competitive fleets and an interesting array of famous yachts. By those standards, the Stamford Yacht Club’s Vineyard Race rates close to the top.

Like a miniature Fastnet, the Vineyard has a combination of coastal cruising, where currents play a big role, a stretch of ocean sailing, and a mark to round – the Buzzards Bay tower – before returning.”