Only one Category 3 (or professional) sailor was allowed per team, and Ken Read, most recently credited for his Volvo Ocean Race success, was it for the NYYC team. Read, a NYYC member, was humbled, however, by the equanimity of his teammates. “Lord knows these guys I’m sailing with can get around the track without me,” said Read, pointing out that Rick Merriman, a three-time All American from Navy, is part of the “speed loop” with Lotz that keeps the boat going while allowing Read the luxury of solely focusing on tactics.
The NYYC Swan 42 Downhill Express was sailed by the Japan Sailing Federation, Makoto Uematsu,
skipper, that finished third.
“Before every regatta you circle what you think are the top five teams, and there is not a surprise in this top-five group at all,” said Read. As noted, Canada finished second, the Japan Sailing Federation third, Finland’s Nylandska Jaktklubben fourth and Royal Cork Yacht Club fifth.
The conditions were shifty, as they had been for all previous races, but while the wind had whipped in a frenzy all week and even this morning while the sailors left their moorings at Harbour Court for a pre-race Parade of Nations through Newport Harbor, they had moderated to about 10-12 -- its weakest all week -- by the afternoon.
“I hadn’t thought about if before now, but we really didn’t miss a set, a takedown, a tack or whatever over the four days of racing,” said Lotz at the end of the regatta. “There was no maneuver that didn’t go reasonably well if not perfect. As for Canada, they did great today; we were just lucky enough to still be close enough to them to win.”
While Lotz was talking, Oliver Stanley, a crew member from the Royal Yacht Squadron Team, stopped by to shake his hand. “It was a real pleasure to watch you and your team sail,” said Stanley. He explained that the NYYC team managed to “eek out positions” where he didn’t think they could and sailed not only with fairness but with great friendliness. That, afterall, was an important underpinning of the regatta..
“It’s great sailing against some old friends here,” said McLaughlin, adding with a chuckle, “and some of whom are very good sailors who haven’t sailed a lot lately but still have it.”
With the Canadian team easily maintaining its second-place position from yesterday, it was the Japan Sailing Federation that perhaps fought hardest to stay in third overall. “The points were very close, and we had a chance to get second, but the shifts made it difficult,” said tactician Eiichiro Hamasaki from that team. “In the last race it was mainly in my mind to keep third.” Steering the boat was Takashi Okura, famous for his successful race boats named Sled, and acting as pitman was Makoto Uematsu, famous for his successful race boats named Esmeralda. The two sailors brought together the best of their two teams, and it showed.
Finland’s Nylandska Jaktklubben team was skippered by Leonardo Ferragamo, head of Nautor’s Swan; however today tactician Kenneth Thelen took the helm. In the first race with only a quarter of a leg to go, Finland and Canada were running neck-and-neck but Finland crossed the finish line first. “It’s really great; the boats are so close,” said Thelen about the NYYC Swan 42s being used at the event. (Nautor’s Swan is the manufacturer.) “And sailing in one-design competition is the best.” Thelen added that he, like others in the regatta were amazed by their surroundings. “I never imagined a place like Newport existed in America.”
As for the Royal Cork Yacht Club’s performance, skipper Anthony O’Leary said, “If you had offered us fifth place on the airplane over here, we’d have taken it, because that’s pretty respectable in this fleet.”
The complete list of competing clubs is as follows:
Rolex, Sperry Top-Sider and Nautor’s Swan are the official sponsors of the NYYC Invitational Cup. Compliments of Rolex, the most prestigious maker of timepieces in the world and a long-time supporter of sailing, video of each day’s racing will be produced by Emmy Award winner and Rolex Testimonee Gary Jobson. The daily shows will air online during the regatta at http://www.nyyc.org/eventnews and as part of a 30-minute television program on ESPN2. Sperry Top-Sider, the iconic American brand that invented the world's first boat shoe, hereby defining a new category of footwear, is the event’s exclusive footwear supplier. Sperry will preview its latest evolution in performance footwear, the Ventus (the Latin term for “wind”) and will provide this footwear to all competitors, prior to its retail launch in late October. The NYYC Swan 42, the result of a pioneering partnership between NYYC and Nautor’s Swan to develop a one-design for racing by predominantly Corinthian crews in local, regional and international events, is the exclusive sailing yacht of the regatta.
As supporting sponsors, Sailing World magazine is the official media partner for the event; Henri Lloyd is the exclusive performance apparel sponsor; and the NYYC Swan 42 Class is the official class organization.
(end)
(Results Follow)
New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup
September 15-19, 2009
Sept. 19: Day 4 of racing, 2 races completed (11 total in the series)
19 teams competing
Final Results
NYYC Swan 42 Yacht Name, Yacht Club Representing (Country), Skipper, Race Finishes, Total points
1. Arethusa, New York Yacht Club (USA), Phil Lotz, 2-4-2-8-6-3-1-10-3-3-2, 44
2. Daring, Royal Canadian Yacht Club (CAN), Terry McLaughlin, 1-3-5-1-14-5-10-5-8-2-1, 55
3. Downhill Express, Japan Sailing Federation (JPN), Makoto Uematsu, 7.2-16-3-6-10-2-5-6-4-4-10, 70
4. Better Than, Nylandska Jaktklubben (FIN), Leonardo Ferragamo, 7.2-14-10-4-4-19-6-2-5-1-7-79.2
5. Blazer, Royal Cork Yacht Club (IRL), Anthony O'Leary, 3-1-1-13-7-17-2-4-17-11-4, 80.
6. Tiburon, Royal Bermuda Yacht Club (BER), Mark Watson, 5 -5-6-16-8-4-3-13-14-12-9, 95
7. Interlodge, St. Francis Yacht Club (USA), Craig Healy, 12-11-11-2-2-1-7-11-7-15-20, 99
8. Conspiracy, Royal Danish Yacht Club (DEN), Marie Klok Crump, 16-2-18-3-12-16-9-3-10-9-5, 103
9. Celeritas, Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron (NZL), John Melville, 11-17-15-5-1-6-16-9-13-8-3, 104
10. The Cat Came Back, Royal Ocean Racing Club (GBR), David Aisher, 15-8-4-11-14-10-4-7-15-7-11, 106
11. Impetuous, Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club (CHN), Jamie McWilliam, 17-12-14-7-5-8-8-19-2-10-13, 115
12. Bandit, Royal St. George Yacht Club (IRL), Michael Cotter, 7-8-16-9-20-11-13-1-9-18-8, 120
13. Mustang ,Royal Thames Yacht Club (GBR), John Greenland, 8 -9-7-15-11-9-15-12-11-13-13, 123
14. Quintessence, Real Club Nautico de Barcelona (ESP), Jordi Tarré, 9-6-12-10-15-14-14-14-16-17-6, 133
15. Orbit, Norddeutscher Regatta Verein (GER), Achim Griese, 6-18-9-18-20-15-19-15-1-5-14, 140
16. Apparition, Royal Yacht Squadron (GBR), Oscar Strugstad, 13-10-13-14-16-12-17-18-12-6-16, 147
17. Hoss, Yacht Club de France (FRA), Bruno Trouble, 10-20-8-17-9-7-11-17-18-16-15, 148
18. Mutiny, Yacht Club Italiano (ITA), Carlo Alessandro Puri Negri, 13.2-15-17-20-3-18-18-8-6-15-20, 154
19. Barleycorn, Yacht Club Costa Smeralda (ITA), Vittorio Codecasa, 14-13-20-12-20-13-12-16-19-20-20, 179
