American yacht club fall series

Mother Nature served up gorgeous conditions for both weekends of the AYC Fall Regatta. © Jim Reilly

“Long Island Sound sailing conditions were spectacular!” said AYC Sailing Director Kevin Broome. “Everyone, including sailors, Race Committee, and support boats worked hard. Our wind ended up being a little stronger than the forecast each day. Warm weather, wind, and some waves were enjoyed by everyone, and it was a great weekend all the way around!”

John Sommi’s Cloud9 (Darien, CT) highlighted the boat J/88 class with a sensational two weekends of racing, posting seven bullets in a row to start the first weekend of racing and ten bullets overall to finish first in the division. “We had Cloud9 prepped for North Americans next week,” said Sommi. “The boat setup was fast, and the crew’s work was flawless. The scores don’t reflect the competitiveness of the fleet, the starts were contested and there were many close crossings. We got a few breaks to finish many races just a boat length or two ahead or behind the nearest boat.”

The USMMA’s M.A.T. notched four bullets on her way to second place in IRC. © Jim Reilly

Peacemaker YCC, a Ker helmed by Leo Vasiliev (Bayville, NY) posted five bullets during the first weekend and followed up with two more in the final weekend to finish atop the PHRF class.

Close finishes and tight scoring highlighted the 6-boat J/44 fleet, with only four points separating first and fourth place heading into the final weekend. Lenny Sitar’s Vamp (Holmdel, NJ) posted a during the final three races to finish tied for first with Don and Rick Rave’s Resolute (Huntington, NY). Close behind, Bill Ketcham’s Maxine (Greenwich, CT) and Tom Blackwell’s Breakaway (Fairfield, CT) tied for second in the division and finished only one point out of first.

After finishing first in the AYC Spring Series this May, Loki, helmed by David Rosow (Fairfield, CT) returned to take first again in the J/ division after posting five straight bullets in the second and third day of racing.

The IRC Division saw two boats trading spots nearly every race throughout, which made for some really thrilling competition. Pterodactyl, Scott Weisman’s R/P 45 Custom (White Plains, NY) finished with four straight bullets during the final weekend to take first place with Kenneth Luczynski’s M.A.T. YCC (U.S. Merchant Marine Academy; Kings Point, NY) finishing a close second in the division.

Bill Ketcham’s Maxine finished third in the always ultra-competitive J/44 One-Design Class. © Jim Reilly

John Gochberg’s USA (New York, NY) had an impressive two weekends of sailing in the 8-boat J/70 class, posting eight bullets in 12 races to take first place. Finishing second was the U.S. Coast Guard Academy’s Yogi (New London, CT), helmed by Nick Custer and a new crew that included recent Junior American Yacht Club grad Richard O’Leary, Merrill Cline, Greg Gaskel, and Dan Peveler. “It was great to see so many young sailors mixed into the adult racing!” said Broome.

Sailors enjoyed food and drinks on the front lawn overlooking the New York City skyline following both weekends of racing, and a wonderful awards ceremony hosted by American Yacht Club at the regatta’s conclusion.

During the first weekend, AYC also welcomed back special guest speaker Tucker Thompson, who gave a presentation on this year’s America’s Cup to a full audience.

“I have been coming to American Yacht Club each year to present about the America’s Cup or Volvo Ocean Race, and each time I am simply blown away by the club, the staff, and the members of AYC,” said Thompson. “It is one of the best clubs I visit on my annual 40+ yacht club speaking tour and I always look forward to coming back. It would be great to see a big AYC turnout in New Zealand for the Cup in March of and hopefully, if American Magic is successful, we can bring the Cup back to AYC for another visit!”

Included in this year’s Fall Regatta was a wonderful beer tasting on the front lawn featuring Sloop Brewing Co. Big thanks are in order for Doyle Sails, who sponsored the beer for this year’s Fall Regatta and Poland Spring for sponsoring water. For all final results, visit Yachtscoring.com and be sure to visit American Yacht Club’s Facebook page to view photos from both weekends of action.  ■

Welcome to SpinSheet Magazine's sailing photo galleries! Here you'll find images from various sailboat racing events and regattas on the Chesapeake Bay. These sailing photos are captured by SpinSheet's staff as well as contributing photographers such as Will Keyworth, Al Schreitmueller, Ben Cushwa, Walter Cooper, and Dan Phelps. Photos are available for purchase at the corresponding links below. Please contact [email&#;protected] for more information on commercial use of images.

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J/70 &#; World&#;s Fastest Growing One Design, Trailerable Speedster!

Easier to trailer, rig and ramp launch.
The J/70 Speedster ( feet) is J/Boats&#; first fully ramp-launchable, keelboat &#; designed to fulfill a growing need for an easy-to-own, high performance one-design that is exciting to sail, stable enough for the entire family, easy to tow behind the family vehicle, to rig in the parking lot, ramp launch and sail.  Plus, J/70 is built to last.

In less than 48 months the J/70 worldwide fleet is over 1, boats strong, attracting some of the most talented sailors in the world and helping to spark growth of numerous sailing leagues across Europe. J/70 is replacing tired old keelboat fleets at a number of sailing clubs and helping to reinvigorate membership by attracting younger sailors into the ranks.  There are fleet discussions underway now around the world both for new leagues and for established clubs.  The Sailing World Overall Boat of the Year J/70 has taken the world by storm and future growth for this fantastic boat looks very bright, indeed!  These days it is safe to say  there is some J/70 event happening on almost any given weekend somewhere around the world!

Key J/70 Features.

• Large comfortable cockpit with open transom.
• Deck-stepped lightweight carbon mast for easy rigging & stepping.
• Inexpensive three sail inventory with masthead A-Sail.
• Vertical lifting keel.
• Small cabin for storage and personal privacy.
• Easy to trailer to regattas, ramp launch and store at home for winter.
• Only 1, lbs & low road height so most 6 cyl vehicles can easily tow.
• Fits inside most standard garage doors!

More comfortable to sail on deck.
The 11&#; long cockpit and moderate height boom in the J/70 allow easy crew movement across the cockpit while tacking and jibing. For sitting and hiking comfort, mid-height padded backrests/lifelines run cockpit length, large cockpit floor mounted toe-rails for secure foot bracing and comfortable seat height and ergonomics makes J/70 one of the most comfortable small keelboats to helm.  No need for hiking straps to keep you in the boat. Plus there are strict class limits on how to hike to make the boat less physical to sail.

Easy for the entire family to join in!
With mandatory on-board jib/spinnaker sheet winches, a feather light responsive helm and confidence building stability, you can enjoy sailing with friends and family more often.  Kids or seniors will feel as comfortable and in control steering or trimming sails, whether for daysailing or evening sunset races, the J/70 will be both exciting and forgiving.  When you are ready to take it to the next competitive level, the competition at national events won&#;t disappoint.

On-board privacy, protection, storage & auxiliary power
The small cabin below is a bonus in any small keelboat, and the J/70 cabin is just large enough to provide weather & sun protection, a place to nap and/or for personal privacy&#; essential to keeping the whole crew happy if spending a day on the water.

The J/70 one-design class rules provide for a hp outboard engine (gas or electric). This means one can sail further away from homeport without worrying about paddling home or hailing for a tow. Race Committees can start races on time and finish them later in the day without having to arrange tow boats.

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SDYC&#;s Bruce Golison and SDYC crew 2nd at the J70 World Championships

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