Photo: Paul Todd/ Outside Images Courtesy of NYYC

This past weekend the summer sailing season kicked off with the 167th New York Yacht Club Annual Regatta in Newport, Rhode Island. While not a part of the Classic Yacht Challenge Series, this a great opportunity for the classic yacht sailors to line against each other early in the season.

Racing commenced with an Around the Island Race on Friday in a 10 knot sunny Southeasterly with DORADE, SONNY, MARILEE, KIRAWAN, NEITH, and ANGELITA all lining up for the 18-mile lap around Jamestown. It all came down to the wire with Matt Brook's S&S 52 DORADE beating Ken Colburn's NY 40 MARILEE by just 5 seconds on corrected time. Craig Venter's SONNY rounded out the podium, then there were just 3 seconds between 4th place ANGELITA and 5th place NEITH. 

The Saturday and Sunday races are scored separately in the regatta and feature Navigator Races around Narragansett Bay. After a delay for wind on Saturday, a light sea breeze allowed for one race for 6 teams. Once again, it was a close finish times with just 40 seconds between DORADE and MARILEE again for the top spot and just 25 seconds between 3d place ANGELITA and 4th SONNY.

Sunday was a classic Newport day with a 10-15 knot building seabreeze all day from the Southwest under Sunny skies.  DORADE and MARILEE once again finished very close for the first race but it was Van Brown's NEITH, the Herreshoff 53, who took the last race of the day just ahead of SONNY.

Overall, Brooks' S&S was the top finisher for the weekend with Colburn's MARILEE, and Venter's SONNY just behind. All of the competitors are expected to return for the NYYC Tiedemann Regatta June 26-27 which does kick off the CYCS.

Also of note, MARILEE will be featured at NYYC on June 24th as part of the Herreshoff Marine Museum's Jubilee celebration along with other New York Yacht Club Herreshoff One-Designs: SPARTAN (NY 50) and AMORITA (NY 30). Learn more and get tickets at https://herreshoff.org/events/jubilee/nyyc-onedesign/