Increased Participation at Larchmont Yacht Club Edlu Race

Published on May 14th, 2016

Larchmont, NY (May 14, 2016) – The Larchmont Yacht Club today hosted its 61st annual Edlu Race on Long Island Sound with the fleet being confronted by a range of conditions during the day.

The start of this 32-mile race was delayed for an hour as competitors awaited the expected southerly to fill in. The first classes to start favored the Connecticut shore, hoping to catch the anticipated southerly overshoot. By the time the larger classes started, reports from area airports predicted stronger winds on the Long Island shore, and that made the difference.

For the IRC division that started after a second postponement, those who played the Long Island shore longer and more aggressively on the reach out to the turning mark ended up winning. By the time the fleet reached the halfway mark, the race that started as a drifter had become a jib reach to the finish with winds in excess of 20 knots.

In the end, it was Chris Kramer (Rye, NY) sailing his C-32 Six Brothers to victory in the combined PHRF divisions and winning the Edlu Trophy for best overall performance. Lenny Sitar (Holmdel, NJ), sailing his veteran J/44 Vamp, won the tough IRC division and, with it, the Nyala Trophy.

After the level of participation for the Edlu Race had been languishing in recent years, this year, under the guidance of Event Chair Bud Heerde, PRO Dick York, and the Club’s Yachting Committee, a concerted effort was made to invigorate this historic race. In addition to excellent racing, this year’s Edlu featured a sailors’ after party at the Club where complimentary food, beer, and rum drinks were accompanied by music on the Club’s front lawn.

Effective planning and promotion resulted in sixty-one boats entered, an increase of 40% over the previous year with entries in IRC, PHRF, Double-handed, and Non-spinnaker divisions.

Full results: http://www.yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eid=1601