Reed Baer and John Burnham triumph in the 60th Shields National Championship at Larchmont Yacht Club
by Edward Padin 23 Sep 19:33 PDT
September 19-21, 2024
Grace leading the pack during the 60th Shields National Championship © Doug Reynolds
The Larchmont (NY) Yacht Club hosted the Shields Class National Championship regatta on Long Island Sound from September 19-21, 2024. A total of twenty-two boats competed in the Championship, representing local fleets and locations from Narragansett Bay to Monterey, CA, and Edgartown, MA. Throughout three days, the maximum of eight races were conducted in conditions that varied from light, shifting winds on the first day to a consistent easterly breeze with wind speeds in the high teens for the series’ concluding race.
Ultimately, it was co-skippers Reed Baer and John Burnham, from Newport’s Ida Lewis Yacht Club and Fleet #9, who secured their fourth Shields National Championship (previous wins in 2002, 2011, and 2016). Aboard Shields #107 Grace, alongside Baer and Burnham, were Rachel Balaban, Mat Buechner, and Pete Schott. With an impressive scoreline of 1-2-4-2-1-3-3 after seven races, they enjoyed an unassailable lead and opted to skip the final race to pack up their boat early for the journey back to Rhode Island the next day.
Second place was also claimed early after seven races by another crew from Narragansett, featuring Matt Hirsch, Tim Dawson, Mat Van Note, Scotty Innes-Jones, and Nate Frizell. The battle for the last podium position tightened during the concluding two races. Finally, it was Larchmont’s Ward Young sailing with his brother Andrew, Mike O’Connor, Billy Rohman, and Ben Cesare, who dramatically secured that spot by winning both of the last heats. There was a sense of nostalgia as Young finished on the podium aboard Shields #25 Checkmate, the beautiful “Shields Green” boat originally owned and raced by Cornelius Shields, the class’s founder, and raced for decades by Fred Werblow before being sold to Ward.
Competing for that third position were the Buzzards Bay team of Ken Deyett, Carolyn Petie, Josh Johnson, Luke Celu, and Katie Collins, who finished fourth, just one point shy of Young. The local Larchmont team of Rob Dailey, Com Crocker, Anna Tikhononova, Patrick Slattery, and Ryan Zupon finished fifth, another four points behind.
On the racecourse, the formats were straightforward windward-leeward courses, but the shifting north/northeast breezes coupled with tidal influences necessitated solid tactics and consistent management. Over the seven races, the leading boats showcased their consistency, as Baer and Burnham’s lowest score was a fourth place, winning two races, while Hirsch’s best finishes were a tenth and a fifth. Both crews “had their game on.” Nevertheless, six other boats were also in contention, each earning at least one top-three finish, highlighting that this Championship could have gone to any participant.
The hosting of the 60th Shields National Championship was clearly a major celebration for the LYC. Club member Cornelius Shields created the Shields boat design in the early 1960s and tirelessly promoted fleet development across the country. He supplied boats to maritime academies, which were then chartered to local sailors during summer. The Shields Fleet #1 is housed at Larchmont Yacht Club and remains one of the nation’s strongest fleets, being the Club’s most active one-design fleet.
However, this diamond anniversary Championship celebration was made possible only through over a year of planning by Event Co-Chairs Doug Millar and Matt Tym, along with more than 70 Club volunteers turning the Championship into reality. Longtime Newport Shields sailor Peter Gerard traveled to Larchmont, serving as Co-Principal Race Officer alongside LYC’s Cynthia Parthemos, while a complete jury observed the event from the signal boat, Satan’s Toe. Additionally, numerous onshore volunteers managed registration and hospitality, assisted boats with launching and retrieving from the water, and staffed the Race Committee.
“For Matt and me, organizing this regatta has felt like a second job for the past year. We meticulously attended to every aspect from logo design and crew gear, awards, sponsorship, to accommodating visiting sailors at our Thursday night BBQ with 60s throwback tie-dye shirts, making this a Championship to remember,” Doug Millar reflected. Matt Tym added, “Without the seamless collaboration of the Club’s professional marine facilities and staff, and the generous support from our sponsors McMichael Yacht Yards & Brokers and Carlsberg Beer, this could have turned into just another regatta. Instead, this weekend of racing and camaraderie will be cherished and discussed for years to come.”
Given the deep-rooted connection between the Shields boat, the Shields Class, and Larchmont Yacht Club, it was only fitting that LYC hosted this diamond anniversary Championship. Enhancing the nostalgia during Saturday night’s awards ceremony were Carol Shields, Corny Shields’ daughter-in-law, and her son Corny IV, who traveled from Montana for the occasion along with his four-year-old son Corny V.
LYC Commodore Steve Leicht encapsulated LYC’s philosophy on this and other regattas, stating, “As stated in our Club’s Mission Statement and inherent in our membership’s values, we host world-class regattas. That’s what we aim for, and it’s why we excel! Hence, it should be no surprise that the Shields Class has chosen our waters for their National Championship for the fifteenth time. Larchmont Yacht Club eagerly anticipates 2030 when we will once again host the Shields National Championship while celebrating our Club’s 150th Anniversary.”
Final Results:
PosSail NoBoat NameSkipper / CrewClubR1R2R3R4R5R6R7R8Pts
1 107GraceReed Baer John Burnham / John Burnham co-skipper / Rachel Balaban / Matt Buechner / Pete SchottIda Lewis Yacht Club1242133DNS16
2 USA 254AeolusMatt Hirsch / Tim Dawson / Mark Van Note / Scotty Innes-Jones / Nate FrizellConanicut Yacht Club31103252DNS26
3 25CheckmateYoung / Young / O’Connor / Rohman / CesareLarchmont Yacht Club106183111130
4 237Bit~O~HoneyKen Deyett / Carolyn Petie / Josh Johnson / Luke Celu / Katie CollinsBuzzard Bay15TLE24625231
5 5454Rob Dailey / Com Crocker / Ryan Zupon / Pat Slattery / Anna TikhononovaLarchmont Yacht Club9TLE65414635
6 106LadyJohn MaweLarchmont Yacht Club64819619539
7 USA 26TangoKaren & Dan Ronan / Kevin Hynes / Katrina Ronan / Steve Ronan / Marion ManikerLarchmont Yacht Club4877579442
8 23RascalKurt Weisenfluh – Matt Tym / Maura Weisenfluh / Chris Foley / Owen WeisenfluhLarchmont Yacht Club2TLE510114101152
9 USA 138EnvyAdam Walsh / John Gochberg / Scott Reichhelm / Mike Devlin / Lauren WalshNew York Yacht Cub13TLE31612815869
10 238White RabbitRichard Robbins / Ethan Robbins / Alan Silk / Peter Cassidy / James LambBeverly18320141797371
11 USA 221CorneliaStephen Glascock / Hayden Bennett / Curtis Adam / Garrett Carlson / Taylor FitzpatrickNYYC7TLE13913146UFD72
12 usa 180MartinMICHAEL RAJACICH JR / Michael Rajachich / Matt Rajachich / Eric Wagner / Nate Dunkertayc5712121416211480
13 176KatherineGregg Takata / Doug Campbell / Andrew Wertheim / Margaret Takata / Fred TreffeisenLarchmont Yacht Club12TLE919102213780
14 158GloryRon Oard / John Nothacker / Cullen Martin / Carolyn Garth / Rob SchuttNew York Yacht Club215151371011UFD82
15 96OctoberJames Wirtz / Dino Pick / Larry Gamble / Justin Lacy / Heath PackardMonterey Peninsula Yacht Club8TLE1418161516988
16 182LureSkip McGuire / Tim Walsh / Greg Kaldor / Kate Manion / Will GallagherLarchmont YC20TLE11171513121088
17 USA 205NemesisJonathan Krumeich / Adam Zakka / Zach Warner / Ted HelmeIndian Harbor Yacht Club16TLE1961920141296
18 41HavocMatthew Hays / Ken Bond / Chris Schoen / Tim Drucker / Tim SawyerLarchmont Yacht Club14TLE1821211281396
19 5Swamp FoxJames Lawless / Marta Brown / Bill Bond – not Friday / Mike Mollerus – Fri / Dana EmeryLarchmont YC19TLE1711818181799
20 220PhoenixDan VanderWoude / Polly VanderWoude / Erik Bengtsson / Chris Lonegro / Michael O’ConnellLarchmont Yacht Club11TLE161518172015102
21 USA 219DeJa VuSteve Mettler / Stuart Randall / Mike Bankero / John Hess / Cindy Alten-DelottoEdgartown YC17TLE212020211716121
22 139DelaplaineJames Pala / Hunter Van Stetsen / Ashtin Signh / Ryan Moore / Max CuriozNaval Postgraduate School22TLE222222192218135
