Dramatic, Misty AYC Fall Series Finale!

(Rye, New York)- The classic fall offshore sailing series on Long Island Sound got off to a spectacular start on its first weekend.  But, the luck was not going to hold with gigantic swings in the weather and the USA's ginormous budget-busting battles full of hot-air down in Washington, DC-- no question that amount of "hot air" was surely going to have its affects as far north as Wall Street and their favorite playground- Long Island Sound!  No question, the DC goons were "raining on everyone's parade" this past weekend.  What could've been a brilliant weekend for Saturday and Sunday turned into a goofy day of racing on Saturday and a wet, foggy, misty easterly on Sunday.  Heck, if you were a betting man (or trading guru) you would've shorted the markets worldwide Monday at dawn, such was the gloom!  But, a few Mt Gay & tonics and local micro-breweries tempered the atmosphere to simply a dull roar for the awards Sunday afternoon.

The American YC RC took their time on Saturday (much to their chagrin) to get in only one race on the East Course while the West Course guys got in two races. But, both AYC RC's took the bit in their teeth to get the ball rolling on Sunday to get in two solid races for all.

PHRF A class had three J/111s sailing and Paul Strauch's crew on ANDIAMO started out the series on the first weekend as top dog amongst the 111s, continuing their great performance this summer at Storm Trysail's Block Island Race Week. However, in the end the ANDIAMO gang "kissed" a rock on the way into Mamaroneck Harbor Saturday afternoon and withdrew from Sunday's sailing.  Only one point back after the previous weekend, the PARTNERSHIP team led by David and Maryellen Tortorello sailed fast and smart and posted a 2-3 on the last Sunday to take over 3rd spot for the series!  Sailing photo credits- Tom Young/ American YC.   For more American YC Fall Series sailing information

Gorgeous Start to AYC Fall Series

(Rye, New York)- The classic fall offshore sailing series on Long Island Sound got off to a spectacular start this past weekend.  The American YC Race Committee took full advantage of the sunny skies, beautiful breeze with skies punctuated by "torn cotton" clouds scudding across the horizon, by running five great races for the fleet of ninety boats sailing in the western reaches of the Sound.  Sailing were fleets of IRC & PHRF handicap classes as well as one-design classes of J/105s, J/109s and J/44s.  J/Teams comprised well over 50% of the fleet with 49 J's participating in the event, by far the dominant brand sailing in the AYC Fall Series.

Starting with the handicap classes,  PHRF A class has three J/111s sailing and Paul Strauch's crew on ANDIAMO are continuing their great performance this summer at Storm Trysail's Block Island Race Week.  ANDIAMO's crew sailed well to finish 3-5-3-4-5 for 15 pts to hold third overall after the first weekend.  Just one point back is PARTNERSHIP sailed by David and Maryellen Tortorello with scores of 6-3-4-3-7 for 16 pts.

With a Saturday forecast for light Northeast winds filling in behind a large Low pressure system going out to sea, the fleet will be challenged to make the most of 4-8 kts breezes against the strong Long Island Sound tides and currents.  Sunday's forecast shows some improvement with southeasterly breezes in the 6-12 kts range.  Sailing photo credits- Tom Young/ American YC   For more American YC Fall Series sailing information

Spectacular Sailing- Manhasset Series

J/105s and PHRF J/Sailors Love Sunny Conditions
(Manhasset, New York)- In its 34th year, 2012 featured terrific competition on the Sound and Manhasset Bay. Great weather on all four days, an unusual bonus. PRO Sue Miller even commented that she enjoyed only wearing a fleece on just one of the four days! MBFS is fortunate to attract the best sailors in the region, year after year, and the Club is honored to have received complimentary remarks from many racers about the job well done by our RC.

The weather was atypical but the competition was not. Sunny and warm conditions for all four days of racing were a bonus to the racers.

IRC Class saw the custom J/120 AVRA sailed by George Petrides from American YC sail to an excellent record of 2-1-2-1-1-4-4-4-3 for 18 pts to secure 2nd overall.  Third in class was the gorgeous J/122 GEORGETOWN III sailed George Marks with a 1-4-3-3-2-2-3-2-4 for 20 pts.

PHRF A had the largest handicap class with eleven boats and the J/111 ANDIAMO sailed by Paul Strauch sailing for the host Manhasset Bay YC managed to finish 3rd overall with a 3-1-(12/DNF)-2-2.5-7-5-7 score for 27.5 pts.  Fellow member Bob Schwartz sailed his J/109 NORDLYS to 8th in class and also Jon Flamm sailed his classic racer-cruiser, the J/37 SOUND WAVE to 10th in class.

In PHRF B, John & Tony Esposito’s J/29 HUSTLER won by a slight edge over UNO MAS, Ryan Walsh & Jon Desmond’s J/29 which travelled down from New Bedford YC.  UNO MAS nearly pulled off what many thought was impossible, beating the HUSTLER boys in their home waters.  Going into the second weekend, both boats were tied on points and record with 1-2-2-3, but having won the last race the weekend before, UNO MAS was technically in 1st place.  However, the old adage seemed to kick-in for the last weekend, "when the going get tough, the HUSTLER gets going"!  Sure enough, ripping off a 1-1-2-2 cemented the Esposito's imperial seat atop the podium with 11 pts.  Ryan and Jon on UNO MAS gave it their all, but in face of the furious pace and intensity of the HUSTLER gang, could only managed a 2-3-3-1 to close out the regatta in second with 14 pts.  As a result, the Ted Clark Trophy was won for the 6th year in a row by HUSTLER, John & Tony Esposito, Morris Yacht & Beach Club/City Island YC for best performance in PHRF.  Also sailing in this tough division was Todd Aven's J/92 THIN MAN, managing a 4th behind these crazy hombres.

The prestigious John B. Thomson Sr. Memorial Trophy was won by the J/105 KINCSEM, Joerg Esdorn/Duncan Hennes, NYYC/American YC for the best performance in a One-Design or IRC class.  With nine boats participating, the J/105 class enjoyed some great racing.  Capturing three firsts and three seconds, Kincsem sailed to a dominating eight point win over arch-rival Eclipse in the Manhasset Bay Fall Series.  The regatta featured eight races, including one distance race, on Long Island Sound over two beautiful October weekends. Kincsem also won the event in 2011; Eclipse was the winner in 2010.

Even with victory in the series assured, the Joerg Esdorn and Duncan Hennes team seemed especially determined to take the final race.  They turned the bow of their green boat into the breeze for multiple wind-checks, snugged  the halyard on the jib in the freshening breeze, generally sailed around with much seriousness of purpose, and carved their favorite path through the fleet to line up for a start just a few boat lengths down from the committee boat.  For a moment, we even thought we saw tactician Fred Walters jot something down.

As the gun sounded, the usual cluster trying to grab the one good spot at the boat end all slowed each other as Kincsem shot off the line for a nice lead.  From there, all the Kincsem team had to do was stay in clear air, get the chute up and down cleanly, and cover the fleet. All went fine until the second beat, when the covering part became difficult. Boats trailing Kincsem split left and right in an oscillating breeze. What to do? Answer: Stay in the middle, hit the shifts and try to cover both sides. It worked, but Joerg-Duncan-Fred couldn’t have called it any closer.  (This writer is actually not 100% sure Walters was on the boat. Kincsem was too far behind in the first race and too far ahead in the second. If Fred wasn’t, his spirit surely was.)

As Kincsem reached the top mark on the second beat, Paul Beaudin’s loulou came barreling in on a lift from the left  and tacked just below and ahead of Kincsem at the mark.  Except…..oops….loulou couldn’t squeeze by the orange.  Kincsem was just short of layline, too.  But it had rights.  So it trapped loulou and forced Beaudin’s boat to sail just slightly beyond the mark.  (Much shouting could be heard down the weather leg.)  Kincsem then did a quick double tack and rounded. At that point, it was adios, sayonara , and ciao to loulou and the rest of the fleet.  And one last notch in Kincsem’s gunbelt.

Damian Emery’s Eclipse finished second in the regatta despite failing to win a single race.  It’s a bit unusual for Emery not to win at least won race in an event (though he didn’t win any races in the MFS in 2011, either), but that outcome also may say something about the competitiveness of the Manhasset fleet.  The race winnings got spread around nicely and included third place Revelation, fourth place Gumption, fifth place Planet Claire (YEA!) and sixth place Peregrina (which built up a huge lead on race one on Sunday by hitting the left corner hard on the first beat).

Revelation, owned by George and Alex Wilbanks, actually won two races in the series and looked poised to challenge Kincsem.  But the Wilbanks’s had trouble getting clean starts in the last three races and had to settle for finishes of 6-5-7, dropping them into a points tie with Kevin Grainger’s Gumption3, which went 2-7-3 in the final three races.

The battle for fifth place between John Koten’s Planet Claire and Josh Burak’s Peregrina also came down to the last leg, with Planet Claire just managing to cover Peregrina down the course on the final leg of the final race of the final day of the final weekend of the final regatta of the season.  Sailing photo credits- www.manhassetbayyc.org  For more Manhasset Bay Fall Series sailing information

Challenging Sailing- AYC Fall Series

(Rye, NY)- At some point, the streak of three beautiful weekends of sailing on Long Island Sound was going to break.  However, no one expected it to be such a demanding two days of sailing for the final weekend of racing in this year's AYC Fall Series.  With a combination of variable light winds Saturday and Sunday it was anybody's guess as to what was going to be a successful strategy for the weekend.  Nevertheless, some boats faired much better than others.

Some boats got HUSTLERED in PHRF 4, some were confounded by a CONUNDRUM in J/105s.  Yet others were a DRAGON working on a WING and a PATRIOTic prayer in IRC 3.  A GOLD DIGGER named MAXINE was up to the CHALLENGE, but a RESOLUTE VAMP named BEAGLE got all the GLORY in the J/44s.  ANDIAMO had to say "BRAVO" for an admirable, debut performance in PHRF 1.  In the J/109s, SKOOT was not so RELIANT on her STRATEGERY in every race; but NORDLY's BLUE SKY proposition to be the BIG BOAT was not received favorably by others. Then, in the J/105s it appears that CONUNDRUM was intent on confounding KINCSEM with an ECLIPSE.  But it was apparent the real REVELATION was that LOU LOU didn't have the GUMPTION during the MORNING GLORY of Sunday to SHAKEDOWN PLANET CLAIRE.  Perhaps the most JADED with their heads mostly in the STRATOSphere was GHOST DOG who was walking in CIRCLEs with BAD MEDICINE after having their eggs SUNNYSIDE UP!  All editorial lampooning and kidding aside, here's what did happen in these various fleets this past weekend. :)

The J Teams were well-represented across the spectrum of one-design sailing and IRC/ PHRF Handicap racing with a total of 102 boats sailing. In the one-design world were big fleets of nine J/44s, eight J/109s, twenty-one J/105s and six J/80s.  In the handicap arena, the J/122s, J/133 raced in IRC 3 while J/111s sailed PHRF A and the J/70, J/29s and J/92 sailed PHRF 4.  All in all, fifty-six J's were sailing or about 55% of the total fleet, the overwhelming brand leader in the regatta!

The competition in IRC 40 was closely fought, but in the end it was Andrew Weiss' family team aboard the J/122 CHRISTOPHER DRAGON that started in first and never relinquished their lead, winning with six 1sts and one 2nd for a net 6 pts overall!  Giving them run for the money but seemingly just off the pace tactically was the beautiful J/122 WINGS sailed by Mike Bruno, managing 16 pts net, sufficient for second place in class.  Fourth was Steve Furnary's PATRIOT with 24 pts net.  Sixth was Ron Richman's J/133 offshore champion ANTIDOTE with 28 pts net.

In PHRF A, the J/111s led all teams home with Paul Strauch's ANDIAMO winning with five 1sts and two 2nd for 7 pts net.  They were followed home by the vastly improved BRAVO team led by Sedgwick Ward with two 1sts and five 2nds for 10 pts net!

In PHRF 4, the J/Teams dominated.  The infamous J/29 HUSTLER sailed by the Esposito family with John and Tony led the charge to the top of the fleet on the first day and never looked back, accumulating eight 1sts and one 2nd to crush their class with a perfect counting scoreline of simply 1sts.  Second was the J/92 HOUND DOG sailed by Christian Uecker with a total of 17 pts net.

In the one-design world, the J/44's had great sailing amongst the eight boats participating.  Jim Bishop's GOLD DIGGER got their "mojo" together for the first regatta in quite some time and pulled off a well-deserved victory in a tough fight for the top three overall between the DIGGER, MAXINE and CHALLENGE.  Second was Bill Ketcham's MAXINE with 16 pts net, just one point back from DIGGER.  Third was Jeff Willis' CHALLENGE IV with 17 pts net, nearly pulling off an upset victory overall had they won the second to last race.  Len Sitar's and AJ Evans' VAMP finished fourth, beating Don & Dick Rave's RESOLUTE that finished fifth on a tie-breaker "count-back".

The J/109s had a "runaway" after the first weekend with Jim Vos' SKOOT team (pictured above) compiling an impressive record for the regatta to win with just 18 pts net.  Matt Baker's RELIANT hung on strongly to secure second place after the first weekend and won a tie-breaker over Jack Forehand's STRATEGERY with both teams scoring 23 pts each.  Fourth was Bob Schwartz's NORDLYS and fifth was John Pearson's BLUE SKY.

J/105s had a huge turn-out for the AYC Fall Series, one of their best in years with twenty-one boats participating!  It also marked a subtle "changing of the guard" as a new sheriff showed up in town and ultimately walked off with all the silverware.  Third after the first weekend, Harald Edegran's and Jeremy Henderson's CONUNDRUM sailed a fleet-leading 1-3 on the last weekend to sew up their first major regatta win on Long Island Sound in J/105s. Next on the scoreline were two long-time J/105 class veterans.  Second was Joerg Esdorn's and Duncan Hennes' KINCSEM with 30 pts, narrowly beating Damian Emery's ECLIPSE with 32 pts.  Fourth was George and Alex Wilbanks' REVELATION and fifth was Paul Beaudin's LOULOU.

Finally, the J/80s also had a runaway with Gary Panariello's team on COURAGEOUS finishing with 11 pts net as a result of five 1sts and four 2nds!  Second was Dan Goldberg's FRIVOLOUS with 19 pts net and third was Mike Zupon's JUGGERNAUT.   For more American YC Fall Series sailing information   For AYC Fall Series scores

Fantastic AYC Fall Sailing- J/Teams Rule!

(Rye, NY)- Following on the previous weekend's IRC East Coast Championships hosted by Riverside YC in Greenwich, CT, it was American YC's turn this time around.  It was yet another gorgeous weekend of racing on Long Island Sound with six to seven races sailed in 8-16 kt breezes with big puffs, holes and wind shifts that rewarded a combination of smart sailing and a bit of luck.  The J Teams were well-represented across the spectrum of one-design sailing and IRC/ PHRF Handicap racing in a strong turn-out of 102 boats registered.   In the one-design world were big fleets of nine J/44s, eight J/109s, twenty-one J/105s and six J/80s.  In the handicap arena, the J/122s, J/133 raced in IRC 3 while J/111s sailed PHRF A and the J/70, J/29s and J/92 sailed PHRF 4.  All in all, fifty-six J's were sailing or about 55% of the total fleet, the overwhelming brand leader in the regatta!

The competition in IRC 40 was very close and the starts were difficult with many of the top boats pushing the line hard at the favored end.  After the dust cleared, it was pretty clear that Andrew Weiss' family team aboard the magnificent J/122 CHRISTOPHER DRAGON were out for redemption from their performance the week before in the IRC East Coasts.  Starting in first and never relinquishing their lead, Andrew's team dashed off five 1sts and one 2nd to be leading their IRC 3 class with just 5 pts (net).  Second is the other beautiful J/122 WINGS sailed this time by Mike Bruno, managing a 2-2-10-4-3-2 for 13 pts net.  Fourth is currently Steve Furnary's PATRIOT with a 3-4-53-5-4 for 19 pts net.  Sixth is Ron Richman's J/133 offshore champion ANTIDOTE.

In PHRF A, the J/111s are leading with Paul Strauch's ANDIAMO currently leading with four 1sts and two 2nds for 6 pts net followed by a much improved, fast-sailing BRAVO sailed by Sedgwick Ward's team with four 2nd and two 1sts for 8 pts net!

In PHRF 4, the J/Teams are giving everyone headaches, starting with the famous J/29 HUSTLER sailed by the Esposito family with John and Tony continuing to lead the charge.  HUSTLER's six 1sts and one 2nd mean they have a perfect scoreline of 6 pts net.  Second is the J/92 HOUND DOG sailed by Christian Uecker with a 3-2-2-2-1-2-3 tally for 12 pts net.  Kerry Klingler and Rick Lyall (of J/109 STORM fame) are sailing their new J/70 and currently sit in fourth despite not finishing 3 races.

In the one-design world, the J/44's had tight, fun racing amongst the eight boats that were sailing.  Many of the mark-roundings were so close virtually all the boats were taking the corners of the course as a group!  So far, Jim Bishop's team on GOLD DIGGER have got their boat-speed back onto form and are rumbling around the racetrack in first place with a record of four 1sts and two 4ths for 8 pts net.  Second is Bill Ketcham's MAXINE with a 2-4-1-5-2-2 record for 11 pts net.  Third is Jeff Willis' CHALLENGE IV with a 3-5-3-2-4-1 for 13 pts net.  Len Sitar's and AJ Evans' VAMP is fourth and Don & Dick Rave are fifth sailing RESOLUTE.

The J/109s have had one boat jump out in front of the pack with a six point lead while the next four boats are all fighting for the balance of the podium all within 3 pts of each other.  At the top is Jim Vos' SKOOT with a 3-6-1-2-1-2-1 for 10 pts net.  Matt Baker's RELIANT has 16 pts net for second, John Pearso's BLUE SKY has 19 pts net for third on a tie-break with Jack Forehand on STRATEGERY.  Bob Schwartz's NORDLYS is in fifth with 20 pts!  Incredibly close sailing for this group, most likely making for some anxious moments this coming weekend on Long Island Sound!

J/105s are enjoying one of their best turn-outs for the AYC Fall Series in years, with twenty-one boats participating!  At the top of the pack are some of the long-time class leaders.  Topping the leader board for this past weekend is Damian Emery's ECLIPSE with a 3-6-1-4-1-7-3 for 18 pts net.  Second is Joerg Esdorn's and Duncan Hennes' KINCSEM with a 5-2-3-5-6-1-6 for 22 pts net.  Third is Harald Edegran's and Jeremy Henderson's CONUNDRUM with a 1-3-9-6-11-3-1 for 23 pts pts.  Rounding out the top five is Paul Beaudin's LOULOU in fourth with 27 pts and fifth is George and Alex Wilbanks' REVELATION with 29 pts.

Finally, the big news for J/80s is that this is the first year the J/80s have had a one-design start in the AYC Fall Series!  The racing is close and fun.  Gary Panariello's team on COURAGEOUS is leading with four 1sts and three 2nd for 8 pts net.  Just behind is Mike Zupon's JUGGERNAUT two each of 1sts, 2nds, 3rds and a 5th for 12 pts.  Third is Dan Goldberg's FRIVOLOUS 16 pts net followed by Dave Wenstrup on MERLIN in fourth and Mike Beers' MITT-SEA in fifth!  For more American YC Fall Series sailing information

Sailing Shootout @ IRC Champs

J/122 & J/35 Win Class, J/105 Wins PHRF Classic
(Greenwich, CT)- The sailors on Long Island Sound were blessed by remarkably spectacular sailing conditions this past weekend.  With the passage of a monster front, the backside of the Low produced two straight days of North-Northwest winds in the 5-20 kts range with mostly flat waters and just local motorboat chop to contend with across the course.  With temps in the low 70s, puffy white clouds scudding across the skies, there was a lot to be grateful for amongst the hardened veterans of Western Long Island Sound sailing.  Why?  Pure & simple.  The twin developments of global warming and lots of concrete and real estate development along both shores of Long Island, New York along the south and NY/CT on the north means that Long Island Sound often turns into a "parking lot" for sailboats having to deal with the dual, competing sea breezes trying to form on both shores! That's a lot of roof-tops and black-topped roads to compete with for wind!  In the last decade, Long Island Sound sailors have been suffering the same fate as their friends in the Chesapeake Bay and Tampa Bay far to the south.

The thirty-three boats that showed up for the US-IRC Championship of Long Island Sound and PHRF Fall Classic hosted by Riverside YC were incredibly appreciate of what Mother Nature had to offer for their weekend of sailing.  In the PHRF Classic Racing Division, the J/105 STRANGE BREW sailed by Randy Bourne walked away with class and overall honors with a 1-1 for just 2.0 pts!  That's a clean sweep, eh?  Ken Hall's J/100 NEVERMORE sailed well to grab 5th and fellow J Sailor Brian Warner raced his J/35 IMPROMPTU to 6th in class.

Over in IRC 4 Class a true "storm" was brewing.  In the end, Mark Parry's & Lawrence McGrath's J/35 BLUE MOUSE sailed a solid series and won class with three 1sts and two 2nds for a total of 7 pts.  However, arch-rival Rick Lyall and crew on the champion J/109 STORM was badly damaged by an out-of-control Express 37 DRACO that lost steerage while ducking and slammed into the port quarter, creating a massive hole, taking out the stern pulpit and damaging the wheel.  Fortunately, no one was hurt other than some bruised egos.

In IRC 2 Jim Bishop's J/44 IRC Modified speedster sailed a very strong series but suffered a somewhat similar fate as their classmate in IRC 4- STORM.  After compiling a 2-2-3-3 and easily in contention for 2nd, Jim's team managed to foul (or get fouled) by a competitor in their class at the start of the last race and, as a result of boat damage, had to take an RAF immediately after the start.  As a result, they finished third in class, still respectable considering the consequences.

The biggest battle for the weekend happened to be in the IRC 3 class with a bunch of "hot" boats sailing for honors of "big dog on campus" in the mud-puddle known as Long Island Sound- it consisted of two J/122s, a J/111, a Summit 35 and two well-sailed Farr 30s.  From the beginning, it was clear the two J/122s were going for class supremacy from the starting gun of the first race.  Imagine this, two J/122 Champion teams dueling "mano-a-mano" for LIS IRC Champion.  One is the Bermuda Race Champion, Block Island Champion, Vineyard Race Champion (CHRISTOPHER DRAGON) and the other is J/122 North American Champion, Block Island Race Week Champion, and New York YC Annual Regatta Champion (WINGS).  It was a battle of the gladiators of offshore and course-racing in the J/122 world.  On WINGS was Tom Boyle and Mark Ploch and on CHRISTOPHER DRAGON was Andrew Weiss and Butch Ulmer-- an all-time classic match-up.  Then, as spoiler was the J/111 PARTNERSHIP sailed by yet another champion J/122 team (offshore champions, too) led by David & Maryellen Tortorello and David Hirsch.  The sailing results don't spell-out how close the actual racing was amongst these three boats.  In short, the first day's sailing in 12-19 kts of NNW breeze was much to the liking of the J/122s.  But, a miscalculated bottom mark rounding by the J/111 PARTNERSHIP in Race #3 could easily have changed the results-- since PARTNERSHIP rounded the mark in first boat-for-boat but hit the mark and performed a poor penalty turn.  Sunday's racing was full of drama, starting with the J/111 winning the first race on elapsed and IRC handicap, then nearly pulling it off again with a dramatic comeback to win  on elapsed again but losing IRC handicap by mere boat-lengths. Kudos to Tom Boyle and the WINGS team for winning with a steady 1-1-2-2-2 for 8 pts total. Second was Andrew Weiss's veteran campaigners on CHRIS DRAGON with a 2-2-1-4-1 tally for 10 pts.  And, third was the Tortorello's PARTNERSHIP with a 4-3-3-1-3 score to complete the J/Team's sweep of IRC 3.  For more Long Island IRC Championship & PHRF Classic sailing information

J/111 ANDIAMO Wins AYC Spring Series

(Rye, NY)- The annual spring rite of passage for the start of the Long Island Sound offshore sailing season was finally completed this past weekend.  Hosted by the American Yacht Club in Rye, NY, the excellent turnout was helped by gorgeous, cool, spring weather conditions with sunny days prevailing for both weekends of sailing.

In IRC I Class, the J/133 ANTIDOTE sailed by Ron Richman had a terrific series and managed to finish second against a fleet of basically completely custom, tricked-out forty footers, included in this fleet were a Ker 40, Farr 40s, X41, King 40, Farr 400 and Ker 11.3.  Great to see a "family cruiser-racer" come out on top over outright racing machines.

In IRC 2 Class, the J/122's were fighting hard for the top five.  In the end, third was Steve Furnary's PATRIOT followed by WINGS sailed by Mike Bruno, Tom Boyle and Jim Callahan in fifth.

The J/44s continued to have a wonderful time racing.  This time, Jim Bishop's GOLD DIGGER team proved themselves as one of the class leaders.  Finishing the series with 1sts, 2nds and 3rds enabled them to climb up the ladder fast and win the regatta overall in the J/44 One-Design Class.  Second with three 1sts and a 2nd on the last weekend was Phil Gutin's BEAGLE.  Third was Bill Ketcham's MAXINE, fourth Jeff Willis' CHALLENGE IV and fifth Don & Rick Rave's RESOLUTE.

The J/105 one-designs were having yet another epic battle for "top dog" on Long Island Sound.  But the second weekend proved to be the real testing ground for this fleet. KINCSEM took the lead in the AYC Springs Series on Saturday and narrowly held on on Sunday to win the regatta over Sean Doyle's KESTREL. The Joerg Esdorn/Duncan Hennes team on KINCSEM finished the regatta with a scant 25 points over 11 races. But KESTREL also ended with 25 points, thanks to a 2-3 finish on Sunday versus a 1-6 for KINCSEM. The tiebreaker went to KINCSEM. Over the 11 races, KINCSEM finished ahead of KESTREL 6 times, while KESTREL had the better finish 5 times. KINCSEM won four races; KESTREL three. Both teams threw out a 6 as their worst finish (KINCSEM had two 6s). Doesn't get much tighter than that. Paul Beaudin's LOULOU finished the regatta in third, followed by Kevin Grainger's GUMPTION3 in fourth, and George and Alex Wilbanks's REVELATION in fifth.

In PHRF 1 Class, the J/111 ANDIAMO sailed by Paul Strauch rattled off a few more 1sts to win PHRF 1 by 15 pts. J/109s took 3 out of the top five.  Third was Bob Schwartz's NORDLYS, fourth was John Pearson's BLUE SKY and fifth was Mike Sleightholme's APSARA.

Finally, in PHRF 4, the Esposito gang on the J/29 HUSTLER prevailed to win their class, but on a squeaker-- winning on a tie-breaker.  Third overall in class was Matheus Hovers' J/29 KATOENDRA, a result of a strong performance over this past weekend.   For more AYC Spring Series sailing information

Gorgeous Sailing In AYC Spring Series

J/111 ANDIAMO Winning PHRF 1
(Rye, NY)- The annual spring rite of passage for the start of the Long Island Sound offshore sailing season took place this past weekend.  Hosted by the American Yacht Club in Rye, NY, the excellent turnout was helped by gorgeous, cool, spring weather conditions with sunny days prevailing for both days of sailing.

In IRC I Class, the J/133 ANTIDOTE sailed by Ron Richman is hanging tough after six races sailed over two days.  They're lying second in class in a very tough fleet of experienced offshore racers and new-fangled boats like a Farr 400, Ker 40, Ker 11.3, X-41, King 40, Farr 40, Swan 42 and a Tripp 41-- talk about bringing a cruiser-racer to a gun-fight!  Great to see a family-sailed boat fairing well against some all-star professionally sailed boats!

In IRC 2 Class, the J/122 WINGS sailed by Mike Bruno, Tom Boyle and Jim Callahan is leading their fleet against fellow J/122s and Farr 395s.  Third is Steve Furnary's J/122 PATRIOT and just off the pace is George Marks' J/122 GEORGETOWN III.

The J/44s are having a wonderful time, as always, sailing in what may be the "most one-design" of large offshore one-design sailboats.  With the vision of Jim Bishop, the J/44s have endured the test of time and J/44 teams continue to have a long-time love-affair with their beautiful sailboats.  With such evenly matched boats, it's always hard to tell how well each team will perform over the course of a series  At the moment, Don and Rick Rave on RESOLUTE are enjoying a slim lead over second place Bill Ketcham on MAXINE.  Tied with Bill but losing on a tie-break is Jeff Willis on CHALLENGE IV.  Fourth is the ubiquitous Jim Bishop on GOLD DIGGER just one point back and fifth is Phil Gutin on BEAGLE.  More to come next weekend from this fun-loving, competitive group.

The J/105 one-designs are having yet another epic battle for "top dog" on Long Island Sound.  Having found a 5th gear, Sean Doyle's team on KESTREL have been fast out-of-the-blocks like a top-fueled dragster, starting off the first weekend in 1st with 11 pts.  But, chasing them hard as a group are the balance of the top five.  In that group are some formidable champions in the J/105 class, including Paul Beaudin on LOULOU in second tied with Joerg Esdorn and Duncan Hennes in third on KINCSEM followed in fourth by another familiar name, Kevin Grainger on GUMPTION 3.  Fifth are George and Alex Wilbanks on REVELATION.

In PHRF 1 Class, the J/111 ANDIAMO sailed by Paul Strauch managed to pull off four 1sts to lead their fleet.  Third and fourth are two J/109s, John Pearson's BLUE SKY and Bob Schwartz's NORDLYS, respectively.

Finally, in PHRF 4, the "money guys", the Esposito gang on the J/29 HUSTLER are at it again.  Three 1sts and three 2nds are sufficient to keep them in the lead in their class.  Matheus Hovers' J/29 KATOENDRA is hanging in there for 5th overall and hoping that some good J/29 "karma" rubs off on them from the Espo team!   For more AYC Spring Series sailing information