Excellent Racing at the 2024 American YC Fall Regatta
by J-Boats 14 Oct 12:35 PDT
2021 American Yacht Club Fall Regatta © American Yacht Club
The annual Fall Regatta at the American Yacht Club signifies the end of the summer offshore sailing season on Long Island Sound. It’s a popular event that draws numerous J/Boats owners from across the Sound for competitive racing in one-design classes such as J/44s, J/105s, J/70s, and several PHRF handicap classes.
Participants experienced superb sailing conditions and decent breezes over this two-weekend event, allowing for racing on all four days and a total of nine races for the one-design classes!
J/44 Class
The five-boat fleet saw former New York YC Commodore Bill Ketcham’s MAXINE once again providing a “lesson” for the competitors. After beginning with a “slow start” of 2-4-2, Ketcham’s team went on to secure six consecutive victories, finishing with just 10 points total!
Quick learners and adept at racing sailboats are the duo of June & Amanda Kendrick sailing PALANTIR 5. This year, they started strong with a 1-2-3 and followed that up with straight seconds, earning the silver medal with 15 points. Completing the podium was Willets Meyer’s BEAGLE with 25 points.
J/105 Class
Damian Emery’s WARLOCK showed a return to form after over 30 years of sailing J/105s. Emery’s WARLOCK team dominated the J/105 fleet with five firsts and four second-place finishes, ending with a total of 11 points. Veteran J/105 skipper Paul Beaudin and his LOULOU team were impressive as well, securing the silver medal with a total of 13 points. The podium concluded with David Owen’s ECHO, finishing with 30 points.
J/70 Class
Jean Marc Papin’s PEN SEGAL completely dominated with straight victories in all seven races. Caelan McMichael’s USA 1725 took second place with 15 points, while Lucas Swain’s USA 1747 captured the bronze medal.
Coastal PHRF 1 Division
Enjoying the conditions and courses over four days of sailing was Len Sitar’s striking blue J/160 COUGAR. They racked up an impressive scoreline of 1-1-1-3 for a total of 6 points, easily winning their division.
Coastal PHRF 2 Division
The J/crews swept this division. The winner was Ron Richman’s J/133 ANTIDOTE, finishing with a score of 2-2-2-1 for a total of 7 points. Last year’s champion, Erik Asgeirsson’s J/45 ACADIA, placed second with a scorecard of 3-3-1-5 for 12 points. Bill Klein’s J/120 SPECK earned the bronze with a record of 4-4-3-2 for 13 points.
Coastal PHRF 3 Division
This division was dominated by J/crews in the top five. The silver went to Steve Landry & Derek Soohoo’s J/100 SANGUINE, with Todd Aven’s J/99 THIN MAN coming in third. Ray Warner’s J/99 AGENT 99 placed fourth, and Robert Schwarz’s J/109 NORDLYS took fifth.
Coastal PHRF 4 Division
The top two positions were decided by a tiebreaker, as both ended with 7 points. Jason Viseltear’s J/80 UPSETTER won on countback, followed by JC Zucconi & Jim Townsend’s J/92 EASY RED.
PHRF J/100 Class
The J/100s have seen a resurgence on western Long Island Sound with this attractive 33-foot daysailer. The trio of Tom Boyle, Bob Clyatt, & Doug McKiege sailing BLUEFIN secured another win. William Hennes’s LIBERTY came in second, followed by the duo of Drew Fung & Pat Jakobson with their boat FREEDOM. For more results and information regarding the American YC Fall Regatta, stay tuned.
