2008 EDLU RACE

53rd Annual Distance Race

Saturday, May 10, 2008

The forecast was for a 15-20 knot northerly, allowing for a power reach out to and around Green Bell “11B” FL G 4s GONG (Lat: 41 00.0 Lon: 73 23.7) off Eaton’s Neck, and back to the finish off Larchmont YC.  The 43 entries anticipated a quick 32 mile race and expected to be home in time for cocktail hour.

The boats arrived at the starting line, but the breeze didn’t. The IRC boats went off on a light southeasterly, just light enough to get them to mid-sound before the breeze died. The PHRF boats, including PHRF spinnaker, PHRF double-handed and PHRF non-spinnaker divisions, were able to get off the line with a spotty northerly, which allowed them to creep along the Mamaroneck and Rye shorelines just long enough to get ahead of the IRC boats, before they to hit the Long Island Sound doldrums. The northerly turned into a light southeasterly. Those who made it across the sound to the Long Island shore enjoyed a short-lived southerly. The next ten hours brought more of the same - light to non-existent breezes against a foul tide. Fifteen of the 43 entries withdrew from the race. The remaining 29 boats fought it out, found zephyrs to allow them to trickle home to the finish off the Larchmont breakwater, with the last boat finishing 12 hours, 1 minute and 50 seconds after it started.

Larchmont YC boats that hung in and took home silver were:  Peter Bauer in Bonzar (placing first in the PHRF spinnaker division), Mark Hansen in Sweet Lorraine (placing second in IRC Division 2), Rich du Moulin in Lora Ann  (placed second in the PHRF double- handed division) and H.L. DeVore in Honahlee (placing third in IRC Division 2).

Tom Carroll in SirenSong, Commodore Jan K. Smeets in Bacchanal, Peter Saladino in Ragamuffin and Jed Kelly in Entropy were the remaining LYC boats which stuck it out and completed the Edlu Race.