Robin’s Rocking Return at the Classic Yacht Regatta

Ted Hood, 81, and his 1958-built Robin — the 50-foot yacht he designed and the vessel credited with launching his celebrated yacht-design career — captured overall honors at the 29th Annual Classic Yacht Regatta, besting a 63-boat fleet. The collection of entrants blended restored classics from the early 1900s with modern “spirit of tradition” yachts that combine contemporary build techniques with classic styling.

Racing on the regatta’s opening day was called off after a long postponement in windless, foggy conditions with light drizzle. Day Two delivered the opposite: clear blue skies and a steady northerly breeze that strengthened to the teens, providing an ideal 18-mile, round-the-island course with a balanced mix of upwind and downwind legs.

“We had ideal conditions, and a little bit of everything,” Hood of Portsmouth, R.I., said of the race. Among Robin’s crew were Hood’s sons Rick and Bob and several grandchildren — a multigenerational effort that helped the boat shine once more.

When Hood launched Robin as his first large-boat design, the centerboard and tall rig were considered radical. Robin won seven of her first 12 races and helped establish Hood’s reputation. He later focused on designing a string of fast yachts and sails, ultimately winning the America’s Cup in 1974. After changing hands and falling into disrepair, Hood repurchased and restored Robin — a refit he estimates cost several times her original build price — returning her to the competitive scene and admiration this summer.

Other notable winners included defending champion Black Watch, a 68-foot Sparkman & Stephens yawl skippered by Richard Breeden of Newport, which topped the Best Life Class. Sponsor Panerai honored top performers across classic categories with wall clocks. Category champions included Chips, a 1913 50-foot Burgess sloop; Eleanora, a 135-foot Herreshoff-designed gaff schooner from Switzerland; Equus, a spirit-of-tradition W-46; Sonny, a 1935 Sparkman & Stephens sloop; and White Wings, a 76-foot W-Class sloop.

For complete results, see moy.org.

Ida Lewis Distance Race Delivers Variety

The fourth Ida Lewis Distance Race, held Aug. 15, pushed an elite group of sailors around an extended coastal odyssey: from Fort Adams through Narragansett Bay, past Castle Hill, Brenton Reef, Block Island, Montauk Point, Martha’s Vineyard and Buzzards Tower to a signature finish inside Newport Harbor. The event offered classes for IRC, PHRF (spinnaker and non-spinnaker) and double-handed boats.

Eleven teams entered: four in IRC, four in PHRF and three double-handed. The PHRF and double-handed fleets sailed roughly 150 miles, while the IRC boats covered a longer 177-mile course. A light 10–12 knot breeze at the start diminished overnight, leaving boats becalmed en route to Montauk Point and forcing crews to adapt as conditions changed.

Strong wind shifts between Montauk and No Man’s Land tested strategy and sail-handling, producing frequent headsail changes. Hap Fauth of Newport, whose Reichel/Pugh 69 Bella Mente won the IRC class by finishing first in just over 24 hours, noted an unusual stretch in which the boat barely advanced for three hours, followed by a frantic series of sail changes.

While Bella Mente cleared the course fastest, she missed much of the later stronger breeze that reached up to 23 knots for other boats. Severe weather cells and dramatic lightning displays required cautious navigation and constant radar monitoring. Mike Coe, crew aboard Bill Jurgensen’s PHRF-winning Tripp 50 Falcon, described periods when lightning seemed to strike all around the fleet.

Falcon finished second overall after Bella Mente, completing the course at about 6:30 p.m. Aug. 16. Rima, a Reichel/Pugh 55 in the IRC fleet, finished later the same evening, narrowly behind another PHRF entrant. Jason Richter successfully defended his double-handed title in the J/35 Paladin, while the smallest and last finishers included Simon Day’s 21-foot mini Transat boat Josephine, which completed the course in roughly 37 hours.

U.S. Sailors Shine at the 2008 Olympic Sailing Regatta

The 2008 Olympic Sailing Regatta ended Aug. 21 with strong results for Team USA. Anna Tunnicliffe of Plantation, Fla., won gold in the Laser Radial, becoming the first U.S. woman in two decades to capture Olympic sailing gold. Zach Railey of Clearwater, Fla., secured silver in the Finn class — the first U.S. Finn medal since 1992.

Olympic Sailing Committee chairman Dean Brenner praised the young team of 14 first-time Olympians and noted the results as part of a long-term development plan. High performance director Gary Bodie highlighted the satisfaction of regaining singlehanded success after several challenging cycles.

Highlights by class:

• Laser Radial (Women’s Singlehanded Dinghy): Anna Tunnicliffe won the 28-boat event.

• Finn (Men’s Heavyweight Dinghy): Zach Railey earned silver after a consistently strong regatta.

• 49er (Skiff): Tim Wadlow and Chris Rast climbed into contention but were sidelined by equipment failure and finished sixth.

• Yngling (Women’s Keelboat): Sally Barkow, Carrie Howe and Debbie Capozzi battled through the regatta and finished seventh after a disappointing medal race.

• Star (Men’s Keelboat): John Dane III and Austin Sperry finished 12th but recorded several impressive light-air results.

• 470 Women and Men (Doublehanded Dinghy): Amanda Clark and Sarah Mergenthaler placed 12th; Stu McNay and Graham Biehl finished 13th.

• Tornado (Multihull): John Lovell and Charlie Ogletree were hampered by a sail choice that didn’t suit the conditions and finished 15th.

• Laser (Men’s Singlehanded Dinghy): Andrew Campbell overcame two penalties to win one race and finished 25th overall.

• RS:X (Windsurfer) Women and Men: Nancy Rios and Ben Barger each finished in the mid-to-lower twenties in their fields.

Full Olympic sailing results are available at sailing.org.

New York Yacht Club Announces World Invitational Cup

New York Yacht Club Commodore Charles H. Townsend announced the inaugural NYYC World Invitational Cup, a biennial fleet-racing event to bring amateur yacht-club teams from around the world to Rhode Island Sound. Scheduled for Sept. 15–19, 2009, at the NYYC’s Harbour Court in Newport, R.I., the regatta will be sailed in the new NYYC Swan 42 fleet, with options for clubs to charter boats or bring their own.

Organizers emphasize the Corinthian spirit and the chance for clubs to showcase their top sailors in demanding, competitive racing.

Seawanhaka Wins Hinman Masters

Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club of Oyster Bay, N.Y., won the 2008 NYYC Invitational Regatta for the Commodore George R. Hinman Masters Trophy at Harbour Court, Aug. 15–17. The three-day team-racing event finished with the New York Yacht Club second and Noroton third, separated by just two points among the top three teams. The Masters division requires skippers to be at least 45 and crew 40, and this regatta featured 3-3 team racing in Sonars with spinnakers.

Seawanhaka’s winning lineup included Al Constants (team captain) and a crew of experienced club racers who combined to secure the title.

NYYC’s Silver Panda Repeats as U.S. Team Racing Champion

Team New York Yacht Club Silver Panda won the U.S. Team Racing Championship for the third consecutive year and fourth time overall at the Erie Yacht Club in August. The Silver Panda squad defeated Britain’s West Kirby Hawks in the finals without dropping a race and earned the right to represent the United States at the Team Racing World Championship in Australia.

Team members included Pete Levesque, Elizabeth Hall, Clay Bischoff, Lisa Keith, Colin Merrick and Amanda Callahan. Joel Hanneman received the Gay Lynn Service Award for his efforts to grow team racing through coaching and program development.

Inkiala Claims Blind Sailing World Title

The 2008 Blind Sailing World Championship, part of the C. Thomas Clagett Jr. Memorial Regatta, was won by Sengil “Inky” Inkiala (Watertown, Mass.) with crew Nancy Jodoin and sighted guides Ken Legler and Harry Berman. The regatta combined Paralympic classes with blind sailors competing in J/22s, and the series included challenging northerly winds and an ebbing current.

Inkiala built a consistent series with four bullets on the final day to finish with 12 points, well ahead of defending champion Matt Chao’s team. Jason Wallenstein’s crew finished third. Next March, Chao and Wallenstein will represent the USA at the 2009 Blind Sailing World Championship in New Zealand.

Complete Clagett results are available at ussailing.net/Clagett.

Takumi Nakamura Wins Knickerbocker Cup

Takumi Nakamura and the Albatross Match Racing Team from Japan won the 2008 Knickerbocker Cup, earning an invitation to the Bermuda Gold Cup and advancing on the World Match Racing Tour pathway. Nakamura’s crew won every match except one on the first day and defeated top international teams, including Sergey Musikhin of Russia and Keith Swinton of Australia. Despite light winds on Manhasset Bay and Long Island Sound, decisive late-day gusts allowed organizers to complete the final matches.

Nakamura’s performance was notable for its cohesion despite a crew that had not sailed together long, demonstrating rapid development across international Grade 2 and Grade 3 events.