Welcome to the 43rd Annual Annapolis Race Week
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Click here to view the latest Regatta Results.
Click here to view the Monday Racing Article. The full story is also included below.
Click here to view the Sunday Racing Article. The full story is also included below.
Click here to view the Saturday Racing Article. The full story is also included below.
Click here to view the Racing Preview Article. The full story is also included below.
CBYRA Annapolis Race Week – Monday, September 7, 2009
By BILL WAGNER
Staff Writer
Turbo Duck went wire-to-wire to win the Farr 30 North American Championship while bowmovement rallied on the final day to capture the Catalina 27 National Championship, both of which were held in conjunction with the 43rd annual Annapolis Race Week.
Turbo Duck won three of the initial four races to take control and led at the end of all three days of racing in topping a talent-laden, 12-boat fleet to garner its first North American crown. The father-son team of Bodo and Nick von der Wense, Pennsylvania residents who berth their boat in Annapolis, has been racing in the competitive class for a decade and called this one of their most satisfying victories.
“It was a case of great preparation followed by three days of great execution,” Bodo von der Wense said as he proudly gripped the Irish Cup. “We have competed in numerous North Americans and never won. It’s a great feeling to finally achieve that title.”
Nick von der Wense called tactics for his father while former Rolex Yachtsman of the Year Jeff Linton (Tampa, Fla.) trimmed the jib and assisted with strategy as Turbo Duck got the gun in five of eight races to finish with a 10-point advantage over Moxie (Jim Allsopp, Annapolis).
“Nick and Jeff worked very well together. Nick brought his local knowledge of the conditions while Jeff provided his usual expertise in sail trim. Our crew work on the whole was brilliant.”
Martin Casey Sr., and Jr., were equally thrilled to garner their first Catalina 27 National Championship in their first attempt. The Norfolk father-son duo raced PHRF for three years before getting the boat setup for one-design competition.
“This was a real tough fleet so it feels good to fight for three days and come out on top,” said the younger Casey, who skippered bowmovement.
Swell, skippered by Pasadena resident John Anderson led the regatta up until the final race. However, Casey and the bowmovement team grabbed the bullet in Race 8 while Swell placed fourth – resulting in a three-point swing in the standings.
“We got a great start in the last race and I think Swell got shut out at the line,” Casey said. “We were going to cover Swell, but once we realized we had clear air and a clean lane we just decided to sail our own race.”
Martin Casey Sr., worked the mast for his son while Jarrett Casey trimmed the jib for his brother as bowmovement recovered from a seventh in the opening race by winning four of the next six starts. Brendan Drinkwater was tactician while Evan Harrell was bowman.
“We were not accustomed to the current coming off the Bay Bridge and understood some marks in that first race. We got things figured out and never made that mistake again,” Martin Casey Jr., said. “We decided the best strategy was to go left toward the radio towers in every race. Going left was the answer.”
Strong performances abounded at 2009 Annapolis Race Week, organized by the Chesapeake Bay Yacht Racing Association with Garrett Cameron serving as overall chairman and Bobby Frey handling the on-water component for the fourth straight year.
On Fleet 1, Keith Mayes and his crew aboard Jubilee won five of seven races to capture the Beneteau 36.7 class while Kevin McNeil and the Nightshift team finished strong with bullets in four of the last six races to capture Farr 40 class, which was making its one-design debut at Annapolis Race Week.
Former St. Mary’s College of Maryland All-American John Loe called tactics aboard Nightshift, one of four boats in the fleet to win a race during the three-week regatta. “It was great competition. Every boat had good sailors onboard so you had to stay on your toes,” McNeil said. We had good boat speed and John did a really good job. I put him in some tough situations with bad starts and he dug us out.”
Wairere, the Thompson 30 skippered by Pete Hunter of Kill Devil Hills, N.C., repeated as PHRF A1 champ in impressive fashion – winning six of seven races with the lone blemish being a second. Annapolis resident Mike Buckley and New Zealand standout Adam Minoprio shared tactical duties aboard Wairere, which also captured class honors at the Screwpile Lighthouse Challenge and Southern Maryland Race Week.
“We have good boat preparation, good equipment, good sails and a good crew,” said Hunter, who has owned the Thompson 30 since 2003. “The light conditions that prevailed this weekend favored our boat, but we sailed smart and didn’t make mistakes.”
John White has won Annapolis Race Week more times than he can remember and added another notch to his belt by topping PHRF A2 class aboard his unnamed and heavily modified Beneteau 10-meter. Co-owner Tom Ballard traveled from Iowa to work the pit aboard USA 999, which closed the regatta with four straight bullets. Fred Potts (main), Dave Lincoln (jib), Kevin White, Julie Winters, Mark Hempstead and Debbie Gosselin completed the crew.
“It all comes back to the people I have on the boat. All these people have sailed with me a ton over the years and they make my job easy,” White said.
Randy and Dot Watson along with the rest of the crew aboard Windward were down in the mouth on Sunday night after losing a protest that resulted in a disqualification in Race 4. However, the Tracy’s Landing couple did not allow that 11th place result spoil an otherwise strong regatta – rebounding with a pair of bullets on Monday to register a one-point victory over Remedy (Bert Carp) in PHRF A3.
North Sails-Chesapeake professional Jonathan Bartlett served as tactician on Monday for Randy Watson, who steered his Frers 36 to first or second place in six of the seven races. “We were determined to go out there (Monday) and finish business. We did just that, we pretty much smoked the fleet in both races,” said Watson, who has won Annapolis Race Week three years in a row.
J/105 was the largest class in the regatta with 19 boats and Dr. Jim Konigsberg (Inigo) won a spirited duel with Denis Seynhaeve (Mopelia). Inigo trailed Mopelia by one point entering the last day so Konigsberg went into match race mode, beating Seynhaeve by six points in two races to swap positions in the final standings.
“We sailed very aggressively against Mopelia in the opening race on Monday then applied a loose cover in the last race,” said Konigsberg, who had Paul Murphy calling tactics.
Rob Mairs and his family-based team on Puffinator rallied on the last day to overtake Angry Chameleon (Brian Robinson) and capture the J/80 class. Chris Mairs served as tactician for his father while his wife Tara worked the mast. Jim Fisher (trimmer) and Mark Tidgewell (foredeck) are other relatives on the crew of Puffinator, which opened with a fifth then placed first or second in the remaining six races.
Puffinator won both races on Monday to erase a three-point deficit to Angry Chameleon and win the regatta on tiebreaker.
“Our goals going in were to sail conservatively, minimize our mistakes, have fun and hopefully get a podium finish,” said Mairs, in his second year racing a J/80 class after enjoying success in a Kirby 30 (Puffin) and J/29 (Mighty Puffin). “We did not expect to win as both Angry Chameleon and Dragonfly have been at the top of the fleet all year.”
Alan Field came all the way from Los Angeles to compete in Annapolis Race Week and was rewarded with a victory in Melges 24 class. Former College of Charleston All-American Steve Hunt called tactics for Field, who won four of the initial five races to build a big lead then held off hard-charging Henry Filter (Wild Child).
“We started well and went the right way a lot,” said Hunt, who gave credit to the coaching of multi-time Melges 24 champion Dave Ullman.
Arnold resident Brian Jones led the PHRF Sport Boat class from start to finish, winning five races and placing second in the three others. An Antrim 27 skippered by Tom French and an Esse 850 steered by Gerry Taylor could not keep pace with Problem Child, a Blue Collar 27 designed and built by Jones.
“We have a good boat and a good crew. We sailed well as a group and stayed out of trouble,” said Jones, who won the Sport Boat class in 2008 when it debuted at Annapolis Race Week.
Jimmy Praley steered while his uncle Mike Praley trimmed the main as Upchuck overcame a couple penalties to capture the Cal 25 class. Victories in both races on Monday enabled to overtake Zephyr (David Hoyt) in the final standings and earn its first win at Annapolis Race Week.
“Our goal was to stay out of the current and stay in the breeze. It was tough because the tide was running hard and there were a lot of phases to the wind,” Mike Praley said.
Perhaps the most impressive performance at Annapolis Race Week was put forth by A Parent Tripp, co-owned by Brett Harrison and John Yeigh. Harrison steered and Yeigh called tactics as the Tripp 26 won all eight races en route to a runaway victory in PHRF B class.
“I’ve been racing more than 40 years and this is the first time I’ve ever been on a boat that won every race of a major regatta. We are very humbled to do so well,” Yeigh said. “Obviously, it’s just a fantastic feeling for the entire crew. Everything just came together. We had new sails, a great crew and going left in every race paid off.”
The PHRF Non-Spinnaker fleet sailed distance races around government marks for the third straight year and all participating skippers came away pleased with that format. Robert Yoho sailed his Beneteau 36.7 Kolohe Anakalia to victory, winning one race and placing second in the two others to nip Coyote (Richard Griner).
“I give all the credit to my tactician Dan Porter for pointing us in the right direction. When he says jump, I say how high. I don’t question anything Dan says,” said Yoho, who informs that Kolohe is a Hawaiian term for naughty and mischievous.
Top three overall place winners at 2009 Annapolis Race Week received mounted half-model hulls, a change that thrilled skippers. “We felt that giving out unique awards was one way we could upgrade the regatta. We are constantly working to make Annapolis Race Week bigger and better,” said Cameron, who is the current CBYRA vice president. “We got a lot of great comments from the racers and that is who we care about. If the sailors are happy, all of us involved with organizing the regatta are happy.”
CBYRA Race Week – Sunday, September 6, 2009
By BILL WAGNER
Staff Writer
Blame it on the full moon!
Abnormally strong currents continue to play a huge factor in the 43rd annual Annapolis Race Week and the current full moon is almost certainly the cause. An ebb tide rushing at almost two knots has forced race committee personnel and competitors alike to make adjustments while adding a unique element of strategy.
“The current was humongous again today. It is certainly having an affect, but that’s sailboat racing. As usual, the sailors have taken the current into account and adjusted,” said Bobby Frey, on-water chairman of Annapolis Race Week.
The current has challenged the race committees by making it tough to accurately set marks. Some marks have dragged, forcing drop boats to move quickly to rest them. However, Fleet 1 principal race officer Taran Teague said there has been one positive by-product of the current.
“The current is pushing boats off the line so we’ve had very few boats over early,” said Teague, whose race committee has recorded just two on-course-side penalties in six classes that have all completed at least five races.
Helmsmen and tacticians have altered their thinking by not starting at the favored end of the line and over-standing marks.
“I don’t think we’ve tried to start at the favored end once. With the current running as hard as it is, we didn’t want to get into a tussle with other boats. We’d rather stay away from the favored end and come off the line clean,” said Guillaume Seynhaeve, who is calling tactics for his father aboard J/105 leader Mopelia. “That’s been the key to our success so far. We’ve stayed in clean air and stayed out of trouble.”
Denis Seynhaeve steered Mopelia to a pair of bullets in three races yesterday to overtake Day 1 leader Inigo in the 19-boat fleet, largest at Annapolis Race Week. With one day remaining in the three-day regatta, it’s basically a two-boat race with Mopelia holding a narrow one-point lead over skipper Jim Konigsberg and the Inigo team.
“To be honest, I just want to stay the heck away from Inigo. We want to sail our own race tomorrow and not worry about them,” said Guillaume Seynhaeve, noting that his father is selling the boat at season’s end. “We’d like to go out on a winning note.”
Skippers aboard 11 of the 12 boats competing for the Farr 30 North American Championship are wondering what Turbo Duck is doing to go so fast. The father-son team of Bodo and Nick von der Wense won two of three races on Sunday to take a comfortable eight-point lead over second-place Moxie, skippered by Jim Allsopp.
Bodo is driving while Nick is calling tactics aboard Turbo Duck, which has won four of six races so far and finished no worse than fourth. Former Rolex Yachtsman of the Year Jeff Linton (Tampa, Fla.) is trimming the main while Chris Morgan is pulling the spinnaker and main sheets. Scott Walter (bow), Nan Walker (pit) and Severn School sailor Mike Saldi complete a crew that is basically the same as the one that sailed in the 2008 Farr 30 World Championships.
“We still have the boat set up the way we did for worlds and the sails we bought for that event are still fresh since the boat has only done two regattas since then,” said Nick von der Wense, who has not crewed for his father since the 2008 worlds. “I definitely think there is some equity built up from having sailed so much with this group.”
Competitors said Turbo Duck has been starting conservatively then launching off the line, building a healthy lead on the first beat in all four races that it won. “I think the left side has been favored in almost every race and we’ve had four really good starts,” Bodo von der Wense said. “We have the boat speed and we have the boat-handling. We’re certainly in a good position right now.”
Catalina 27 class is contesting its national championship as part of Annapolis Race Week and the title is going down to the wire. Pasadena resident John Anderson remained atop the leader board after sailing Swell to a first and a third on Sunday. However, a fourth that resulted from a 20 percent penalty has hurt Swell, which is just one point ahead of bowmovement, the Norfolk entry skippered by Martin Casey.
Casey opened the regatta with a seventh in the 12-boat fleet, but has rebounded to win three of the last four races to put the pressure on Anderson. “It is our regatta to lose, but we definitely need to keep a close eye on bowmovement. Those guys are top-notch. They are really sailing well,” Anderson said. “We’ll have to see how things develop tomorrow. Hopefully, we can put up a good result in the first race and give ourselves some breathing room.”
A Parent Tripp continues to tear it up in PHRF B, winning all six races held so far to take a commanding 13-point lead over runner-up Still a Gorilla. Co-owners Brett Harrison and John Yeigh clearly have the Tripp 26 dialed in to be so dominant in a 13-boat class consisting of some outstanding designs.
Annapolis Race Week has attracted a typically strong fleet of 170 boats in 19 classes. Wairere, a Thompson 30 skippered by Pete Hunter of Kill Devil Hills, N.C., is the only other boat to post straight bullets. Simon Minoprio and Mike Buckley are sharing tactical duties on Wairere, which is well on its way to repeating as race week champ in PHRF A1.
J/80 is making its debut as a one-design class at the 2009 Annapolis Race Week and the competition has been keen. Arnold resident Brian Robinson and his team aboard Angry Chameleon have led since the outset thanks to three bullets in five races, but it has not been easy.
“The racing has been very close, very exciting. There are a lot of good boats and teams out here,” Robinson said.
Angry Chameleon was the only J/80 that competed at Annapolis Race Week in 2005. Four years later, the class has eight boats on the line thanks largely to the promotion of U.S. Class president Kristen Robinson, owner of Angry Chameleon.
“It’s great to have our own start at a major regatta like this. All the teams are loving it,” said Brian Robinson, giving kudos to first-year owner Kenneth Mangano for posting a second and a third yesterday to earn his first trophies.
In Fleet 1, Kevin McNeil and the Nightshift team had a strong outing with a 1-2-1 line on Sunday and seized the Farr 40 class lead away from Yellow Jacket while Keith Mayes continued his strong showing in the Beneteau 36.7 class with a trio of bullets. Peter Scheidt and the family team on Maggie had a 1-2-1 line and now leads the J/35 class by seven points.
CBYRA Race Week – Saturday, September 5, 2009
By BILL WAGNER
Staff Writer
Light winds and strong currents challenged the skippers, but the 43rd annual Annapolis Race Week got off to a rousing start with every class completing at least two races. Three classes – J/24, Far 40 and PHRF B – managed to complete three races.
“I give the race committee a lot of credit. That was a gutsy move to go for three races. They shortened the legs from 1.3 miles to 1 mile after the first race, which was really smart,” said Bill O’Malley, trimmer aboard Farr 40 leader Yellow Jacket.
Bobby Frey, on-water chairman of Annapolis Race Week, applauded principal race officers Taran Teague (Fleet 1), Ed Michels (Fleet 2) and Fred Dersch (Fleet 3) for ensuring that the entire 170-boat fleet got plenty of action. Easterly winds in the 5-8- knot range predominated while the current was ebbing at nearly two knots.
“All the race committees did an excellent job. We had very fair contests on all three courses and I think the sailors were happy for the opportunity to post some results,” said Frey, in his fourth year of directing the popular regatta organized by the Chesapeake Bay Yacht Racing Association. “While it was light, we were fortunate that it was very sail-able. The current was an issue… it was really whipping.”
Wairere, the Thompson 30 owned by Pete Hunter, won both race in PHRF A1 class by using the current to its advantage. Hunter, a resident of Kill Devil Hills, N.C., is seeking to repeat as class champion at Annapolis Race Week.
“We tried to stay out in the deep water on the legs when the current was with us and it definitely helped our speed,” said Hunter, who had Simon Minoprio and Mike Buckley sharing tactical duties. “It was about 5-6 knots all day and that is the best wind for our boat. We got great starts, stayed in clear air, worked the shifts well, managed to stay in the breeze and keep the boat going.”
Turbo Duck, sailed by the father-son team of Bodo and Nick von der Wense, posted a pair of bullets on Saturday to seize the early lead in the Farr 30 North American Championship that is being contested in conjunction with Annapolis Race Week. Bodo von der Wense is steering while son Nick is calling tactics aboard Turbo Duck, which has a four-point lead over Jim Allsopp and crew aboard Moxie.
Catalina 27 class is contesting its national championship as part of Annapolis Race Week for the first time since 2002 and John Anderson has seized the early lead by notching a pair of seconds on Saturday. Anderson, a Pasadena resident who is seeking to defend his race week title, holds a one-point lead over Tom Walsh and Four Little Ducks.
No boat had a better day than A Parent Tripp, which won all three starts in PHRF B. Brett Harrison steered and partner John Yeigh called tactics as the Tripp 26 took a commanding six-point lead over second-place Artemis 2 (William Helf).
“It was perfect weather for a Tripp 26. This boat really goes well in light conditions. More people should buy one of these boats because they are great for the Chesapeake Bay,” Harrison said.
Harrison had his own strategy for how to handle the current whenever it was going against the fleet. “We went hard left every time. If you did that you got about 10 minutes at the end of the leg when you were out of the current and that allowed you to make big gains.”
Farr 40 made its debut as a one-design class at this year’s Annapolis Race Week and Yellow Jacket showed superb consistency in grabbing the early advantage. Co-owners Larry Bulman and Jeff Scholz sailed the Annapolis Yacht Club entry to a solid line of 2-2-3 on Saturday.
“In the first two races we got good starts, had good boat speed and maintained good position relative to the fleet,” said O’Malley, who works for Farr Yacht Design. “We got a bad start in the last race, but were able to fight back, which was encouraging.”
North Sails-Chesapeake professional Willy Keyworth is calling tactics on Yellow Jacket, which holds a one-point lead over Endorphin (Erik Wulff) and Sundance (Gary Beer), both of which won races on Saturday.
“It’s been very close, tight racing. I think the owners are all enjoying this one-design competition,” O’Malley said. Windward is looking to repeat as PHRF A3 winner at Annapolis Race Week and got off to a good start. West River Sailing Club member Randy Watson steered the Frers 36 to a first and a second on Saturday.
“We certainly had a good day. We were coming into the starting line with speed and were able to launch,” Watson said. “The current was a killer. You really had to over-stand whatever you thought the lay line was. The biggest thing was keeping the boat going fast and not worrying about pointing upwind or sailing your angles downwind.”
Windward is locked in a close battle with the Olson 30 Kestrel (Al Holt) and the Donovan 27 Remedy (Bert Carp) for CBYRA High Point honors in A3. Both rivals are just two points behind with two more days of racing remaining.
“This is far from over. Kestrel and Remedy are both well-sailed. We need to keep the pedal down,” Watson said.
CBYRA Annapolis Race Week – Preview
By BILL WAGNER
Staff Writer
Two classes will contest major championships while two others will make their one-design debut as part of the 43rd annual Annapolis Race Week, organized by the Chesapeake Bay Yacht Racing Association.
A strong fleet of 12 boats are entered in the Farr 30 North American Championship, being held in conjunction with Annapolis Race Week for the first time. “In this economy, we are very pleased with the turnout,” said Tink Chambers of Stagg Yachts, which manages the Farr 30 class.
Turbo Duck, an Annapolis-based boat sailed by the father-son team of Bodo and Nick von der Wense, captured the North American circuit title in 2008 and is one of the favorites. Turbo Duck placed third at last year’s North American Championship.
“I think it’s amazing that we will have 12 boats on the line. That’s a very good turnout. It’s great to see the class making a comeback,” Bodo von der Wense said.
Rhumb Punch, a Solomons-based boat sailed by the husband-wife team of John and Linda Edwards, also figures to be in contention after capturing class honors at Acura Key West 2009. Adrenalin, owned by Jeff Maludy of Toledo, Ohio, is another strong program.
Catalina 27 class will conduct its national championship with a deep, competitive 12-boat fleet. Pasadena resident John Anderson sailed Swell to victory at last year’s Annapolis Race Week and hopes to defend that title.
“I think it’s going to be very competitive and I wouldn’t be surprised to see four or five different boats win races,” Anderson said.
Waldorf resident Rich Wallio captured the Catalina 27 National Championship in 2003 the last time it was held as part of Annapolis Race Week. Wallio will team with skipper Curtis Sarratt to sail Chaos this year. Other top contenders include bowmovement (Martin Casey, Norfolk, Va.) and Snagglepuss (Peter Zahn, Severna Park).
Farr 40 class will make its one-design debut at Annapolis Race Week with a solid five-boat fleet. Annapolis resident Kevin McNeil credited on-the-water regatta chairman Bobby Frey for suggesting the Farr 40s break out of the PHRF A0 fleet.
“Bobby Frey recognized that we have a growing fleet of Farr 40s on the Chesapeake Bay and wanted to give us a start. In his wisdom and leadership, Bobby knew that having a one-design start at race week could only help the local class,” McNeil said.
Rod Jabin, who steered Ramrod to victory at the Chesapeake Farr 40 Regatta hosted by Storm Trysail Club and the Annapolis National Offshore One-Design Series, is sailing in Europe and will not compete this weekend. That throws the class wide open and McNeil said all five boats could win.
Yellow Jacket, skippered by Larry Bulman, placed second at Block Island Race Week this summer and is always a factor. Sundance, owned by Gary Beer, will have Annapolis professional John Bertrand calling tactics. Seawolf, a Naval Academy entry skippered by varsity offshore team member Austin Van Olst, will have Jahn Tihansky aboard.
“It’s bound to be a very competitive regatta. I think this group of boats will mix it up quite a bit,” said McNeil, who was runner-up at the Chesapeake Farr 40 Regatta in May.
J/80 class also makes its one-design debut at Annapolis Race Week with eight boats slated to duke it out. Arnold resident Kristen Robinson is the current U.S. Class president and has spurred local interest in the J/80.
“Our local fleet is growing and I give Kristen a lot of credit for being the catalyst,” said Jeff Jordan of J/World Annapolis. “We’ve had 15 boats on the line every week for Thursday night racing. People are discovering that it’s a fun, easy boat to sail.”
Jordan will skipper the J/World entry Emotional Rescue with a team comprised of three students. Brian and Kristen Robinson have enjoyed significant success aboard Angry Chameleon while Chris Johnson and his Dragonfly team also figure to be in contention.
Last year’s introduction of a PHRF Sport Boat class last year was a success and a fleet of five boats will try to wrest the title away from Brian Jones and the Problem Child team. The Blue Collar 27-footer made its competitive debut at the 2008 Annapolis Race Week and performed impressively, getting the gun in every race and winning all but one race on corrected time.
“I think the Sport Boat class is gaining in popularity and we have some ideas for how to increase the participation in future years,” said Frey, hinting that similar designs that currently live in PHRF A2 or A3 might be pushed to where they truly belong.
This marks the third year of special racing for the PHRF Non-Spinnaker class at Annapolis Race Week. Skippers have reacted favorably to the format of sailing strictly distance races around government marks with officials from the Gibson Island Yacht Squadron monitoring the conditions.
“The non-spinnaker boats prefer this type of racing. These boats are better suited to sailing distance courses as opposed to going around the buoys,” Frey said. “We’ll have the Gibson Island folks trail the fleet and they will customize the course based on the breeze, shortening if necessary.”
Other class champions returning to defend their titles at Annapolis Race Week are Team Aegis (Jim Kershaw, Beneteau 36.7), Zephyr (David Hoyt, Cal 25), Tenacious (Scott and Carl Gitchell, J/105), Bebop (Bob Rutsch/Mike Costello, J/30), Medicine Man (Charles Kohlerman III and IV, J/35), Wild Child (Henry Filter, Melges 24), Anema & Core (Ennio Staffini, PHRF A0), Wairere (Pete Hunter, PHRF A1), Windward (Randy and Dot Watson, PHRF A3) and A Parent Tripp (Brett Harrison/John Yeigh, PHRF B).
Annapolis Race Week will be held Saturday through Monday on three different courses around the Chesapeake Bay. Post-regatta parties will be held at the Annapolis Yacht Club annex with Gosling’s pouring Dark-N-Stormy drinks and Adam’s Ribs serving up great food. The Orlando Phillips Band (Saturday) and Matthew Frey (Sunday, Monday) will provide musical entertainment.
Tim Wilkes and his team will be on the water taking still photographs while also producing a video that will be shown nightly during the tent party. Harken will once again conduct its “Grinder Challenge” at 7 p.m. each evening.
Frey will direct a typically-strong on-water team that will be led by veteran principal race officers Taran Teague (Annapolis Yacht Club, Fleet 1), Ed Michels (Eastport Yacht Club, Fleet 2) and Fred Dersch (Naval Academy Sailing Squadron, Fleet 3).
Course splits are as follows: Fleet 1 (Farr 40, PHRF A0, A1, A2 and A3, J/35, Beneteau 36.7). Fleet 2 (Farr 30, PHRF Sport Boat, J/105, Melges 24, J/80). Fleet 3 (PHRF B and C-D, Catalina 27, J/30, Cal 25, J/24).
CBYRA has stepped up the caliber of awards with skippers of the first, second and third place finishers receiving half-model hulls mounted on a wooden board. “We wanted to make the trophies unique and different. Most skippers have lots of silver, but not many have a half-model,” Frey said.
At press time, a healthy fleet of 170 boats had entered the 43rd annual Annapolis Race Week, just five fewer than last year. Frey said the impressive turnout speaks well of the regatta’s reputation for delivering on and off the course.
“One thing we’ve noticed this season is that the traditionally well-attended regattas are holding their numbers despite the economy,” he said. “We’ve made Annapolis Race Week a Key West-level event at an Annapolis price. From a race management standpoint and social standpoint, it is a great value.”
Skippers participating in Annapolis Race Week are reminded to turn in nominations for the Shawn Hadley “Foredeck With a Winning Spirit” Memorial Trophy. This marks the second year the special perpetual award will be presented in honor of Hadley, a popular bowman on Fast Company and other Annapolis boats.
CBYRA once again offers a hearty thank you to all the major sponsors of Annapolis Race Week: Goslings, Jaguar Land Rover Annapolis, Michelob from Katcef Brothers of Annapolis, Annapolis Performance Sailing, Fawcett Boat Supplies, North Sails, J-World and J-Port, North Point Yacht Sales.
Important Documents:
Click here to view the latest Regatta Results
Click here to view the Notice of Race
Click here to view the Notice of Race - Amendment 1
Click here to view the Notice of Race - Amendment 2
Click here to view the Sailing Instructions including Amendment 1
Click here to view the Sailing Instructions - Amendment 2.
Click here to view the FINAL Exhibit 1 - Fleet Splits
Click here to view Tidal Currents
More great news: The 3rd place trophy has also been upgraded to a half hull!
For PHRF classes it will be a 12 meter and for One Design it will be the class hull!
Some things have stayed the same as last year:
1. Same great racing venue with three courses plus distance races on the Bay.
2. Same great Clubs running the courses including AYC, EYC, NASS and GIYS.
3. Same great party on the grassy knoll at AYC.
4. Same great liquor sponsor Goslings with Dark & Stormy and Gosling Gold!
5. Same great beer with Michelob on tap!
6. Same great food from Adams Ribs!
7. Same great music from Orlando Phillips on Saturday & Matt Frey on Sunday & Monday.
8. Same great photos from internationally famous Tim Wilkes!
9. Same great awards given every night!
New this year we have:
1. Farr 40 one design start!
2. Farr 30 North Americans run in conjunction with ARW!
3. Catalina 27 Championship runs in conjunction with ARW!
4. Melges 24 start on the same Club start that is running their Worlds in less than a month!
5. New classes including PHRF Sport Boat, PHRF Corinthian, J-80 and Olson 30! (depending on entries)
6. Easier party entry using different color, single and 3-day passes with reduced pre-purchase cost. One Day pass is $15.00 and Three Day is $35.00 They will cost more at the door!
7. Daily films and photos by Tim Wilkes!
8. Surprise 1st & 2nd place trophies!
9. Click here for Schedule details.