American Yacht Club Spring Series 2018

Following the first half of racing held on April 28 and 29, the 2018 American Yacht Club Spring Series continued for the final weekend of racing on May 5 and 6 in Rye, NY. Spring sailing resumed as eight separate boat fleets ranging in size from the towering IRC class to the competitive J/70 class competed on the Long Island Sound.

On Saturday, sailors aimed to pick up where they had left off; however, the weather had other plans. With very little wind on both courses, sailors were forced to wait for breeze throughout the day. In total, the East Course was only able to get one race in.

Christopher Culver’s Blazer continued its strong performance winning the only race in the IRC division and its fifth race victory in a row. In the One Design division Maxine, skippered by Past Commodore Bill Ketcham, battled it out with Kenai, helmed by Chris Lewis. In the end, Kenai won the only race of the day by one point as Maxine finished second.

The South Course managed to get two races in by shortening the last race. Semi Charmed, helmed by Trevor Roach, bounced back from a rough finish last weekend by placing first and second in the two races. In the J/105 division, loulou held on to its lead, winning both races making it four race wins in a row. Zig Zag, owned by Bengt & Marie Johansson and Morning Glory, helmed by Carl Olsson, maintained control of first and second place, respectively, with two points separating them in the J/109 division.

After racing, sailors were treated to a special presentation in the American Yacht Club ballroom by Tucker Thompson, who was the official host of the 35th America’s Cup. Tucker gave a unique behind the scenes look at the competition for the 35th America’s Cup held in Bermuda. His presentation included stories, analysis, and a look at the rich history of the America’s Cup. Tucker also gave the attendees a sneak peek at the 36th America’s Cup in New Zealand.

Sunday morning brought overcast skies as competitors returned to AYC for the final day of racing. On the East Course, Maxine sustained its solid performance throughout both weekends to win the One Design division. Avalanche, a Farr 395 helmed by Craig Albrecht won the PHRF 1 division. Scott Johnston‘s Phantom YCC – CC had a great weekend winning the PHRF 2 division, with Tenacity finishing one point behind. Blazer demonstrated near perfect results winning seven out of nine races in the IRC division to take the Commodore Edward L. Richards Trophy.

On the South Course, the battle in the J/70 division continued, where first place was anyone’s for the taking. Semi Charmed persevered to win the division with Daniel Goldberg’s Bazinga! right behind finishing second. Both boats had quite the comeback considering at the end last week Semi Charmed was second in the division and Bazinga! was fifth.

With 13 boats, the J/105 class was the largest fleet in this year’s regatta. Paul Beaudin’s loulou was no stranger to the competition as it took first place for the fourth year in a row. Trailing right behind in second place was the Young American Sailing Academy, helmed by Maddy Ploch. This junior team boasted a crew of sailors mostly under the ages of 18.

In the J/88 division, Escape owned by Elizabeth and Matt Barry finished first, with Wings skippered by Past Commodore Mike Bruno finishing second. Over the course of both weekends, the J/109 division was hotly contested. Though neck and neck, Zig Zag pulled through to win the division. Morning Glory placed second just one point behind. In the ORR division, Neil Hindle’s Muskoka won not only the division but also the only distance race of the regatta.

Event details – Results

Final Results (Top 3):

IRC (IRC – 5 Boats)
1. Blazer, Christopher Culver , USA – 1 -[4] -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -2 -1 ; 9
2. Quintessence, Roger Widmann , USA – 3 -1 -2 -2 -2 -3 -2 -1 -[4] ; 16
3. SKYE, Michael Bistany , USA – 4 -2 -3 -3 -4 -2 -[6] -4 -2 ; 24

J 44 (One Design – 8 Boats)
1. Maxine, William Ketcham , USA – 1 -1 -3 -2 -1 -[5] -2 -1 -3 ; 14
2. Kenai, Chris Lewis , USA – 2 -3 -1 -3 -4 -1 -1 -[6] -1 ; 16
3. Resolute, Don and Rick Rave , USA – [4] -4 -2 -1 -3 -2 -3 -2 -4 ; 21

PHRF 1 (PHRF – 6 Boats)
1. Avalanche, Craig Albrecht , USA – 1 -1 -[2] -2 -1 -1 -2 -2 -1 ; 11
2. Soulmates, Adam Loory , USA – 4 -3 -1 -1 -6 -[7] -1 -1 -2 ; 19
3. Oakcliff-Black, Oakcliff Sailing , USA – 3 -4 -[5] -4 -2 -2 -4 -4 -3 ; 26

PHRF 2 (PHRF – 8 Boats)
1. Phantom YCC – CC, Midshipman Scott Johnston , USA – [7] -2 -2 -1 -3 -6 -3 -1 -2 ; 20
2. Tenacity, Samuel Fuller , USA – 6 -1 -3 -2 -2 -3 -2 -2 -[7] ; 21
3. Crazy Train, Patrick and Brigette Croke , USA – 3 -3 -5 -6 -[7] -1 -1 -4 -6 ; 29

Distance Races Only (ORR – 4 Boats)
1. Muskoka, Neil Hindle , USA – 1 ; 1
2. Wild Goose II, Dan Walsh , USA – 2 ; 2
3. Magic, Kenneth Laudon , USA – 5 ; 5

J/70 (One Design – 11 Boats)
1. Semi Charmed, Trevor Roach , USA – 2 -1 -1 -4 -[8] -8 -1 -2 -4 -1 -2 ; 26
2. Bazinga!, Daniel Goldberg , USA – 4 -[9] -6 -6 -2 -2 -4 -4 -1 -2 -1 ; 32
3. Truckin’, Alex Meleney , USA – 1 -3 -3 -3 -6 -3 -2 -[8] -2 -4 -6 ; 33

J/88 (One Design – 7 Boats)
1. Escape, Elizabeth/Matt Barry , USA – 1 -1 -1 -1 -2 -1 -3 -2 -5 -[6] -3 ; 20
2. Wings, Mike Bruno , USA – 3 -2 -6 -2 -1 -2 -5 -[7] -4 -3 -1 ; 29
3. Albóndigas , Justin Scagnelli , USA – 4 -5 -4 -4 -[6] -5 -6 -1 -1 -1 -2 ; 33

J/105 (One Design – 13 Boats)
1. loulou, Paul Beaudin , USA – 3 -1 -1 -3 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -[9] -3 ; 16
2. Young American, Young American Sailing Academy , USA – 1 -[7] -3 -4 -5 -2 -2 -7 -4 -1 -4 ; 33
3. Conundrum, Harald Edegran / Jeremy Henderson , USA – 6 -2 -2 -1 -2 -[7] -5 -6 -7 -6 -7 ; 44

J/109 (One Design – 8 Boats)
1. Zig Zag, Bengt & Marie Johansson , USA – 1 -[4] -2 -1 -1 -3 -3 -2 -3 -4 -2 ; 22
2. Morning Glory, Carl Olsson , USA – 3 -1 -4 -2 -3 -1 -2 -3 -2 -2 -[5] ; 23
3. Mad Dogs & Englishmen, Adrian Begley , USA – [6] -6 -3 -6 -4 -5 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 ; 29

Source: AYC