2006-06-10 Rando @ NYYC Annual Regatta

NYYC Annual Regatta on Moondance

June 10 & 11, 2006, I sailed on Moondance, Swan 44, as tactician. We raced in the 152nd New York Yacht Club Annual Regatta in Newport, RI. Here's a team photo (without our skipper Cliff Crowley, sorry!)

I create these blogs for the enjoyment of family, friends, teammates, and fellow competitors. The posted pics are lower resolution versions of originals I retain. I also retain all rights to these pictures but allow non-commercial use and usually share the originaly freely for personal use.

Saturday's racing was out in the ocean. We had a LOT of wind -- 30 knots or so. We had ocassional bouts of rain as well. At least it wasn't cold.

Nick lounges on the cabin top.
Edwina smiles at the camera.

Will concentrates on a competitor.

I put my camera away for most of the day. It wasn't survival conditions -- but mostly I was hanging on with both hands, and trying to be useful as tactician. Plus, the camera prefers to stay dry.
Below: the NY 32 Siren manages to stay on her feet. And she did manage, unlike Harrier, the RP-78 maxi which dropped her rig shortly before the start. Nobody got hurt, thankfully, but a lot of sailors were very disappointed. One less boat to race to Bermuda in a week.

Vigilant, one of the Navy 44's. We passed her on this downwind leg, and we didn't fly our spinnaker on the final run.

Siren approaches the finish line.

Vigilant crosses the finish line.

The race committee boat had it pretty rough out there.

Maggie & Matthias

Rick & Fernando

Edwina & Nick

Cleaning up the bow

The sun decided to come out :)

Skipper Cliff

Arielle & Maggie

This is the Open 60 Gryphon Solo, doing a bit of practice prior to next week's Bermuda Race.

Newport isn't only for the big boats.
Gryphon Solo again.

Brown Eyed Girl, J-44, our dock neighbors. Drying out that spinnaker.

We only had one race on Saturday. After we cleaned up the boat most of us cleaned ourselves up as well, then we went over to Harbor Court to socialize with teammates and our competitors.
Edwina & Nick

Keely chatting with some fellow.

One of my rare missed shots

Robbie, Stephane & Whit. The pictures often work MUCH better with a flash!

Maggie & Matthias

Hi, Jodi

Erika & Matz

Matz, Robbie & Rick

Cliff, Fernando, & swan broker ____?

Pam & Tom

Kelly & Erika fighting over Rando. I believe that's called a "Randwich".

What are they up to? I have no clue.

Oh boy, they are kissing bandits! Great!

Tom from the Navy, one of the aspring defenders of the seas.

Tom gets his reward!

Ciff & Arielle.

A little sunset photography. Great view.

Nick, Rick, Cliff & Edwina

Arielle, Maggie, & Rick. What?

After dinner a few of us walked downtown. Why is Alex chasing those ladies?

A nightcap at the IYAC seemed a sensible idea.

Sunday morning was much sunnier and much less breezy than the day before.

Since my company is involved in bridges I take lots of pictures of them.

Sailing out to the starting area, not far from Halfway Rock.

Dan, Rick & Matz
Vamp, J-44. Good buddies.

Rocked up in a gust.

Tooling around prior to the starting sequences.

A few pics of our mainsail, one from each side.

One of the faster boats in the world is Maximus, the 98-footer from New Zealand. She was the fastest boat entered in this regatta by a wide margin. I'll admit I find her fascinating. Most of the other maxi-yachts started near the committee boat end of the line but Maximus was hanging out at the pin end (near us). I dutifully took a bunch of photos.

Here's the start of class 1. Most of the boats started at the committee boat end, but not Maximus.

Left to right: Bella Mente, Blue Yankee, and Stark Raving Mad

The start of class 2

Brown Eyed Girl, J-44, getting ready for their start. I've sailed with them a few times. Nice folks.

Dawn Treader, Larry Cohen's latest Swan, up from the Chesapeake for another Bermuda Race.

Brown Eyed Girl

Glory, the J-44 raced by the US Coast Guard Academy

Aphrodite, Swan 46, and one of our teammates. Our other teammate was the Swan 45 DSK Comifin from Italy and we called ourselves "The Swandinistas"

Aphrodite again. Besides being fast sailors they put on a killer party. Everything you want in a teammate!

It was a slow race and got slower. I spent more effort looking for breeze than I did taking pictures. We managed to find some decent breeze and had a reasonable result. But I couldn't resist this photo. The yacht is named True and it's evident they TRULY need some spinnaker coaching...