Big breeze expected for IC37 finale

The third edition of the IC37 North American Championship September 23-25 and hosted by New York Yacht Club in Newport, RI. With big breeze expected for the 20 teams, it will be a hard-fought showdown on Narragansett Bay as the largest of big boat one-design fleets in the US will also by vying for the 2022 IC37 Season Championship Trophy.

Steve Liebel’s NEW WAVE currently sits in the top spot for the Season Trophy with 54 points followed by Hannah Swett and Ben Kinney’s MEMBERS ONLY (50 points) and Rod Jabin’s RAMROD (48 points). To qualify for the inaugural award, teams must have sailed in the NYYC Annual Regatta, US Nationals, and the North Americans plus either the Sail Newport Regatta or Safe Harbor Race Weekend.

Points are earned through the high-point scoring system where first place earns the number of boats in the fleet, second place earns one less, etc., which means with 20 points available at the finale and 11 boats set to qualify, the Season Trophy is still anyone’s to win.

On the starting line will be last year’s North American Champions, the Sertl Family with DAS BLAU MAX, and all four of the 2022 Regatta champions: Chris Lewis’ QUBIT (NYYC Annual), MEMBERS ONLY (Sail Newport Regatta), NEW WAVE (US Nationals), and Doug Newhouse’s YONDER (Safe Harbors Race Weekend). Thirteen of the competitors utilize the innovative NYYC’s Charter Boat program with seven privately owned boats making up the scratch sheet.

By the end of the regatta, eight teams will have sailed all five events this summer: ARETHUSA (Phil Lotz), GAMECOCK (Peter McClennen), KASHMIR (Mike Mayer), MAHALO (Charles Kenahan), MIDNIGHT BLUE (Alexis Michas), NEW WAVE, SKELETON KEY (Peter Wagner), and YONDER.

Instrumental to the success of the season is Class Coach Moose McClintock, who has been on the water for all 23 races this summer and runs a practice weekend early in the season and a day before every major event culminating in 22 total sailing days between June and September.

McClintock’s biggest focus is always on the importance of practicing the repetition of moves among the crew so they become second nature. He consistently offers tips between races from his coach boat and during fleet debriefs on ways to execute these maneuvers in order to minimize communication, which in turn increases boat speed.

That crew work priority has been evident as every winner this season has attributed crew synergy in one way or another to their victory. With nine sailors typically making up a team and only one Group 3 member permitted onboard, this means there are over 150 corinthian sailors on the water this weekend fighting alongside each other to make it to the podium.

Racing kicks off daily in Narragansett Bay or Rhode Island Sound. With strong northwesterly breezes expected throughout the North Americans, this could be a regatta for the record books with every race taking all the sailors have to give.

Race details – Entry list – Facebook

Source: IC37 Class