Twilight Keel Boat Regatta at Port Washington

With thanks to Bill Gordon and Bob Hodson:

On Friday evening, August 10th, Port Washington Yacht Club's Junior Yacht Club held its second annual Twilight Keel Boat Regatta. This regatta is part of the Junior Sailing Association of Long Island Sound's growing "Big Boat" series of races designed to broaden the racing experience and appeal for our older junior sailors. Through the generosity of the participating yacht clubs and the boat owners who lend their boats to the program, junior sailors have an opportunity to experience a whole new and exciting dimension of our sport.

With a stalled low pressure system generating easterly winds of 18 to 20 knots and seas to 6 feet on western Long Island Sound, the race committee carefully watched the weather picture prior to the 6 PM start.

Six boats hailing from Port Washington, Seawanhaka, Indian Harbor,Riverside, and Noroton Yacht Clubs braved the challenging conditions and showed up at the starting line with number 3 storm jibs and full crews on the rail. The colorful array of foul weather gear made for quite a sight, but did offer protection from the intermittent rain showers.

When the prep gun sounded, the Race Committee, on a very bouncy committee boat, posted a windward - leeward course of 10 nm's using government buoys as marks of the course. After a clean start at "Can 1" north of Execution Rocks lighthouse, the fleet split, with some boats electing to head inshore and several heading out into mid-Sound. By the time they converged at the second mark, "Bell 42" at Scotch Caps off American Yacht Club, it appeared the inshore boats had a slight advantage. Rounding the mark and setting their spinnakers, the boats took off on a "rock & roll" ride to the leeward mark off Hart Island. From there it was an upwind beat through the waves and schools of blitzing bluefish to a finish in the stormy darkness back at "Can 1".

Trophy Results:
1 Christine Jakob SEAW in a J120 corrected time 1hr 43 m 9sec
2 Peter Sullivan NORO in a J105 corrected 1h 44m 22 sec
3 Justin Marks NORO in a J109 corrected 1h 50m 22 sec

The complete results are posted on the respective JSA and PWYC web-sites. The Port Washington Junior Yacht Club wants to thank to all the participants who braved the weather to make it a very successful regatta. We’re hoping for an even bigger event next year!