LYC Wins YRALIS Team Racing Championship

October 17, 2009

Larchmont, NY

 

LYC's varsity and masters team racing squads teamed up to defend the Glencairn Trophy, the Yacht Racing Association of Long Island Sound's interclub team race championship, and won the overall trophy for the third time in four years. This is the fourth year Larchmont Yacht Club has hosted this important team racing event. In previous years, the regatta was sailed inside the breakwater. This year, however, with a Nor'easter forecast, the LYC's marine facilities team helped clear the mooring field to allow the regatta to be sailed in front of the clubhouse. There were three races going on at once on the digital N course, teams rotating off the Vanguard dock and PRO Paul Lennon's Race Committee working like a fine machine to run 48 races in just over four hours.

 

   Team LYC blocks Pequot YC at a windward mark rounding. 

   Photo by Jim Fleming.

 

Any sailor will tell you that the first sailboat race started as soon as the second boat was launched. Then fleet racing and match racing added excitement to the sport. But take teams of three boats from four competing yacht clubs, divide each club's teams into Varsity and Masters divisions, add a blustery day in Ideal 18s...and you have the YRA's Glencairn Team Racing Championship.

"We've run a lot of important regattas at LYC over the years," said Regatta Chairman Buttons Padin, "but none had the 'up close and personal' feeling the 2009 Glencairn provided. Those members who came to watch the sailing loved what they saw and LYC put on a great show for our guest clubs."

The LYC Varsity team, captained by Ted Ferrarone, won its series and the Bumblebee Trophy in a tie-breaker over a solid Pequot Yacht Club Varsity team. New York YC’s Masters team won the Aileen Trophy by defeating LYC by one point, but the combination of a 1-2 finish crowned Larchmont Yacht Club as the Long Island Sound Team Racing Champions for the second consecutive year.

 

   Close racing off the LYC seawall allowed for excellent spectating at

   the 2009 Glencairn.  Photo by Maureen Koeppel.

 

LYC donated the Bumblebee and Aileen Trophies to the YRA in 2006. They are named for the International One Designs sailed years back by two of LYC's most successful sailors, Arthur Knapp and Cornelius Shields. The LYC Varsity has won the Bumblebee Trophy three times and its Masters have won the Aileen Trophy twice.

In addition to Captain Ted Ferrarone, Becker Chase, Scott Hogan, Langdon Mitchell, Jay Rhame and Steve Streit sailed for the LYC Varsity. The LYC Masters were Rob Dailey, Captain, David Dowd, Witold Geising, Bizzy Monte-Sano, Dan Ronan and Dave Smalley.

At the award ceremony, numerous competitors complimented and thanked Buttons Padin for the innovative way he and LYC had run this regatta and for their vital support for the Glencairn Trophy in recent years. Special thanks also go to Paul Lennon and Jed Kelly and the entire Race Committee, Lincoln White and his Marine Facilities staff, and Peter Gable, Pat Guerin and John Baxter who worked with Buttons and Lincoln to make sure the regatta went off like clockwork.

 

The winning Glencairn team from LYC.  From left to right: Dave Smalley, Scot Hogan, Steve Streit, Rob Dailey, Ted Ferrarone, Buttons Padin, Dan Ronan, Becker Chase, Langdon Mitchell, Jay Rhame, David Dowd and Bizzy Monte Sano.  Missing is Witold Gesing. 

Photo by Maureen Koeppel