Light winds close out AYC Fall Series

Following the start of the American Yacht Club Fall Series Regatta on September 22-23, the final races were held September 29-30 from their base in Rye, NY.

After last weekend, the South Course had already held 7 races and the East Course held 6. Coming into this weekend two boats were tied for first place in the IRC and PHRF Divisions on the East Course, while the South course had tight competition in the J/70 Division.

Competition on both courses resumed for the second weekend on the Long Island Sound for eight different boat classes.

Saturday (Sep 29) racing started off slow with little wind, but beautiful weather otherwise. In total, the South Course was able to get two races in. In the J/88 Division, “Escape” skippered by Elizabeth and Matthew Barry had a perfect day winning both races to move up to first place, tying with Douglas Newhouse’s “Yonder.” The neck and neck competition between Daniel Goldberg’s “Bazinga!” and Alex Meleney’s “Truckin'” carried on in the J/70 Division, as “Bazinga!” ultimately pulled ahead of “Truckin'” by one point.

“Loki” helmed by David Rosow continued a steady performance finishing fourth and eighth in the two races to maintain the lead in the J/109 division. Also in the same division, “Zig Zag” skippered by Bengt & Marie Johansson had a strong day on the water finishing first and second in the two races, as a result, moving up to fifth place.

At the end of Saturday, “Good Trade” skippered by Bruce Stone and Nicole Breault remained in the lead of the J/105 Division. “Conundrum” helmed by Harald Edegran and Jeremy Henderson continued to gain ground behind them, finishing first and second in both races to stay in second place. Unfortunately, the East Course did not race due to lack of wind.

After racing, sailors were provided a presentation in the American Yacht Club ballroom by Tucker Thompson. Tucker was the official host of the Volvo Ocean Race and returned to AYC to give expert commentary on what was the closest race in the history of the event. His presentation included stories, analysis, and a look at details of life aboard the VO65. Tucker also gave the attendees a sneak peek at the next Volvo Ocean Race. The presentation, sponsored by Volvo, was a great way to finish off the day after food and drinks on the front lawn.

On Sunday (Sep 30), the light wind continued along with beautiful blue skies. The East Course witnessed Christopher Culver’s “Blazer” winning the IRC Division with a first-place finish in the only race held. Notably, “Blazer” had also won the IRC Division in the 2018 Spring Series Regatta held this past April. Culver was presented with the James N. Worcester Trophy, awarded for the best performance in both regattas.

“Kenai ” helmed by Chris Lewis finished first place in today’s race to take the division and, in turn, win the J/44 North American Championship, which was held in conjunction with this year’s Fall Series. Adam Loory’s “Soulmates” and Craig Albrecht’s “Avalanche” battled it out in the PHRF Division for the Rampant Trophy. In the end, “Soulmates” came out on top to win the division by one point. The PHRF II Division did not race on Sunday as “CrazyTrain” skippered by Patrick and Brigette Croke won the division based on an impressive performance last weekend.

Like the East Course, the South Course also held one race on Sunday to conclude the regatta. “Loki” finished second in the one race held to secure the J/109 Division after outstanding sailing on both weekends. The J/88 Division came down to a tiebreaker with “Yonder” finishing first and “Escape” locking down second. “Good Trade” won the J/105 Division, the largest division of the regatta, after holding the lead throughout both weekends. And finally, “Bazinga!” came through to finish one point ahead of “Truckin'” to win the J/70 Division.

“Good Trade” also won the Zilph Trophy for best performance in level rating classes. Sailors reconvened on the front lawn to enjoy food, drinks, and live music by Cover Story. After a wonderful awards ceremony, the sun set over the New York City skyline for sailors to enjoy a picturesque view ending two great weekends on the water.

Race information – Results – Facebook

Source: AYC