Noroton claims Grandmaster Team Race

From the inception of the New York Yacht Club Grandmasters Regatta in 2010, Noroton Yacht Club (Darien, CT) was the undisputed champion of grandmasters team racing. While the club’s streak of six straight wins ended in 2016, they were back in the winner’s circle at the 2024 edition on August 23-25 in Newport, RI.

With a 4-1 record on the final day, Noroton put daylight between itself and Day 2 leader Texas Corinthian Yacht Club and clinched the win. Newport Harbor Yacht Club finished third and Southern Yacht Club took fourth. Host NYYC, winner in 2023, finished sixth.

The New York Yacht Club Grandmasters Team Race Regatta mandates skippers be at least 60 years of age and crew at least 50. The three 3v3 format is sailed in Sonar keelboats with spinnakers.

“We try to race every Thursday night from April until late August,” says Noroton Yacht Club Team Captain Michael Rudnick. “And we’ve been doing that for years with all ages. It’s really a great opportunity. Everybody mixes it up. We run races, and nobody really keeps score, but it’s just race by race, and it gives everybody a chance to sail, gives us a chance to train, and it’s great for the club.”

Rudnick says the weather also played to Noroton’s strengths. Over the course of the three-day regatta, the breeze rarely gusted above 12 knots and was often below 10.

“We’re good in light air,” he says. “Western Long Island Sound is a very light-air venue. We know the boat. We know the conditions here. We spend a lot of time up here, so I think the conditions really were helpful for us. We practice with kites all the time. So the more kites, the better.”

Time will tell whether this is the start of another extended winning streak. The Texas Corinthian team, which won the event in 2021 and 2022, is eager for redemption next year.

Details: https://nyyc.org/2024-nyyc-grandmasters

Final Results
1. Noroton Yacht Club, Darien, Conn. 15 wins
2. Texas Corinthian Yacht Club, Kemah, Texas, 13 wins
3. Newport Harbor Yacht Club, Newport Beach, Calif., 10 wins
4. Southern Yacht Club, New Orleans, La., 9 wins
5. Storm Trysail Club, Larchmont, N.Y., 9 wins
6. New York Yacht Club – Altreuter, 9 wins
7. Larchmont (N.Y.) Yacht Club 7 wins
8. Gamla Stans Yacht Squadron, Sweden, 7 wins
9. Ida Lewis Yacht Club, Newport, R.I., 6 wins
10. New York Yacht Club – Whipple, 5 wins

2024 New York Yacht Club Grandmasters Regatta. Winning team from Noroton Yacht Club: (not in order) Bill Crane (skipper), Christopher Daley, William Vernon, Kari Roberts, Tom Kinney (skipper), Alison Widmann, Kevin Sheehan, Howard Seymour, Scott MacLeod (skipper), Janet Grapengeter, Michael Rudnick (captain) Peggy Willson Hersam.

Source: NYYC