NYYC wins 2021 Kirby Cup

New York Yacht Club reclaimed the Kirby Cup title for 2021 in a tie breaker with reigning champion Vineyard Haven YC. The annual Kirby Cup Team Race was sailed September 25-26 at Noroton Yacht Club (Darien, CT) in Sonars after a hiatus in 2020 due to the pandemic.

The regatta came down to the last race with NYYC and Vineyard Haven YC squaring off as the gusty, shifty NWerlies pushed over 20 knots by mid-afternoon on Western Long Island Sound.

After being skunked on the first day with gorgeous sunny skies but not enough wind for racing, the second day delivered spectacular champagne conditions for the two full round robins among the five clubs who battled for the top spot.

New York YC started off with 2 losses, which ended up being their only losses of the regatta. As the breeze built, so did NYYC’s performance. They ran the table, including going undefeated in the second round robin and beating Vineyard Haven in the last race to clinch the tiebreaker.

This annual team race is named in memory of long-time Noroton YC member and designer of the Sonar (among many legendary boats), Bruce Kirby, and hosted by the birthplace of the Sonar, which Bruce originally designed for Noroton YC. This was the first running of the event since Bruce’s passing in July 2021, and it included Margo Kirby presenting the awards.

“New York YC has been competing at the Kirby Cup for many years,” said NYYC team captain Brian Doyle. “After beating Vineyard Haven YC in a close battle in 2018, and then taking second to them in 2019, it was great to be back on top this year.

“The clubs that were here today have been coming to this regatta for years – it’s always nice to race against so many friends and gratifying to do well against a field of really good sailors,” said Doyle, whose NYYC helmsmen included himself, Will Graves and Chris McDowell.

A tradition of the Kirby Cup is the awarding of the Peter Wilson “Fair Play” award to the club or individual that displayed the utmost of Corinthian sportsmanship. This year’s award, the result of consensus among the competitors, went to Vineyard Haven YC helm Karl Ziegler.

Final results
1. New York Yacht Club
2. Vineyard Haven Yacht Club
3. Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club
4. Larchmont Yacht Club
5. Noroton Yacht Club

Source: NYC