(Annapolis, MD)- Steady, heavy rains and rough seas greeted the fleet of
fifty-six sailboats that took to the Chesapeake Bay for the start of
the 2013 Annapolis-to-Newport Race. Nasty weather on the front end of
Tropical Storm Andrea made for miserable conditions on Friday afternoon
when the 34th biennial event began off Annapolis. Organizers with host
Annapolis Yacht Club pushed the start back by four hours in hopes of
eluding the first tropical storm of the Atlantic hurricane season. Race
committee chairman Chip Thayer waited until 4 p.m. to fire the first gun
so participants would encounter safer conditions.“We thought if we sent the fleet off as scheduled that many of the boats would reach the mouth of the bay about the same time as the tropical storm,” Thayer said. Winds held steady at around 15 knots out of the northeast when the smaller, slower boats in PHRF 3 class crossed the start line off the R2 buoy near the middle of the bay. Almost all the sailors wore foul weather gear as the constant rain became heavy at times while turbulent three-foot waves bounced the boats back-and-forth during pre-start maneuvers.
The PHRF I Class was treated to a complete thrashing by J/Teams with the J/111 FIREBALL sailed by Kristen Berry and crew winning class, taking 2nd overall and winning the "Overall Performance Award" for the Annapolis-Newport Race! Second was the J/120 SAYKADOO sailed by Steve McManus. Third was Marty Roesch's J/111 VELOCITY, fifth was Bill Fields' J/160 CONDOR and 7th was Arne Fliflet's J/120 MAZAL TOV. Congratulations to all J sailors in the Annapolis-Newport Race, amazing performance. For more Annapolis Newport Race sailing information
