American Yacht Club Fall Series

American Yacht Club Fall Series – Magnificent opener

by J / Boats on Oct 4 13:41 UTC
2-3 October 2021

The 31st Annual American Yacht Club Fall Regatta, virtually a J / Fest regatta for J / Sailors enthusiasts, began with an afternoon of racing in the light wind, followed by a reunion of sailors and old friends who have reunited after not seeing each other since 2019.

Given the option to choose between 10:55 a.m. or 12:55 a.m. for the first warning signal, the race committee opted for the later start time based on the forecast and made the announcement the day before the race. race. This allowed the competitors to spend more time with their families, get ready for the race, or just relax on Saturday mornings.

On day one, the south course was able to complete one race and the east course finished two. Sunday winds were still favorable at 15 knots with good sailing conditions, offsetting the lighter breeze on Saturday.

Class J / 44

At the end of day one, AYC ahead of Commodore William Ketcham on MAXINE (AYC) held the lead in the one-design J / 44 races with two balls, an impressive four points better than any other boat in this division on the East course. MAXINE was able to maintain her lead until Day 2 with almost all the balls. Commodore Thomas Blackwell on BREAKAWAY (AYC) gained ground between Day 1 and Day 2 and now sits second in this division.

Class J / 109

In the eight-boat J / 109 class, it was a familiar team leading the standings, with John Greifzu’s GROWTH SPURT leading by one point over Trevor Roach’s INCENDIARY. Jon Rechtschaffer’s EMOTICO is in third place with just four points.

Class J / 105

Unsurprisingly, the eight-boat J / 105 class was Paul Beaudin’s LOU LOU sporting triple balls to lead the class by five points. The second place is LAURA BEA from Max Kalehoff and the third is ATARAXIS from Frank Latawiec.

Class J / 88

Justin Scagnelli and Tim Price on ALBONDIGAS (HYC) and Lawrence Cutler and Andrew Weiss on ONE TOO MAY (STC) lead the J / 88 class on the south course, currently tied at 9 points.

Class J / 70

After four races, it is the winning class PEN SEGAL of Jean Marc Papin, followed by Gibbons Sinclair HALF MINE II in second and NEKA of Ben Hunt in third.

PHRF I Division

The coastal racing classes had a lot of fun circling western Long Island Sound in such magnificent conditions. The first is Bill Ingraham’s J / 124 TENEBRAE with two bullets. They lead a potential podium, if not a top-five sweep in the division. The second is Len Sitar’s J / 160 COUGAR, the third is Ron Richman’s J / 133 ANTIDOTE, the fourth is Ove Haxthausen’s J / 133 RUMBA and the sixth is Kevin Kelley’s J / 122 SUMMER GRACE.

PHRF II Division

Likewise, in the PHRF II division, the J / Teams are set to lead a podium sweep. Currently Todd Aven’s J / 99 THIN MAN is just one point off the lead and Jason Viseltear’s J / 80 UPSETTER is third just two points behind.

With all of these tight results so far, more races in Weekend 2 are eagerly awaited. The weather on Saturday turned out to be perfect for the AYC to host the post-race Rocking Regatta party on the flagpole lawn. Everyone enjoyed a musical performance by local band Cover Story, lawn games, free beer donated by Doyle Sails and Carpentry Classics, craft beer tastings offering the top two contenders for the AYC Ale vote and the bar and lounge. AYC x Chandon Garden Spritz. Post-race gatherings will be held after each race day during the fall regatta, ensuring lots of socialization and fun for competitors and spectators.

Everyone enjoyed the long-awaited return of the post-race nights at AYC after the 2020 break in such a relaxed and welcoming way. Next week’s post-race gatherings will include a free tasting of Saugatuck-based TUCK Gin as well as the awards ceremony.

More info here