Biblical, Stormy Ida Lewis Distance Race

J/105 Youth Team Dominates-- Again!
(Newport, RI)– The weather started out gloomy, then got downright nasty for the 13th edition of the Ida Lewis Distance Race, which started Friday, August 18 off Fort Adams State Park in Newport, RI. A forecast calling for storms to pass over the race course during the night convinced seven of the original 40 entrants to drop out prior to the start for six classes (IRC, PHRF Spinnaker A, PHRF Spinnaker B, PHRF Cruising Spinnaker, Doublehanded and Multihull). Of the remaining 33 teams, an additional ten were forced to retire due to damaged equipment or other problems incurred during multiple squalls that left memorable impressions and their calling cards of driving rain and winds gusting 40+ knots.

“It was biblical,” said Brian Cunha, who took overall honors in PHRF division and won his 11-boat PHRF Class A with a crew comprised primarily of local sailors. “It was just one cell after another, and it was raining so hard you couldn’t have your face into the wind, because it hurt so much. We were waiting for Noah’s Ark to come floating by!”

The two PHRF Spinnaker classes and the IRC class sailed a 150 nautical mile course that took them to Buzzard’s Bay Tower, past Block Island to a government mark off Montauk Point, back to Buzzard’s Bay Tower and then back to Block Island before heading home. The first storm hit on the first stretch to Buzzard’s Bay Tower, making for a long, wet, yet exhilarating night of competition.

Perhaps most impressive was the performance by the American YC’s Junior Big Boat Team aboard their J/105 YOUNG AMERICAN.  They persevered with three others teams in Spinnaker B to finish the race and take the top trophy for its first-place finish as well as the Arent H. Kits van Heyningen Trophy for the race’s Top Youth Challenge.

“We knew the forecast wasn’t going to be easy on us but we didn’t think we’d see 50 knots,” said Constantyn van der Voort (Rye, N.Y.), who helped steer and ran things in the J/105’s cockpit. “That was a little scary, because we had three sails up… the storm jib, the #3 jib on the furler and the mainsail.” His crewmate Nick Hein (Westport, Conn.), who was on bow, said that the team of eight is preparing for the next Newport to Bermuda Race. “This was the most open ocean sailing we’ve ever done as a team,” he said.

In the PHRF A division, Bob Manchester’s J/120 VAMOOSE took the silver.  Then, in the IRC Big Boat division, Jack Gregg’s J/122 TARAHUMARA took 5th place.  Finally, in PHRF B class, Bill Kneller’s crew toughed it out as well sailing their J/109 VENTO SOLARE to 4th.

Photo is of Maddie Ploch, one of two members that were so successful in last year’s Newport to Bermuda race.  She’s driving the Young American J/105 off the start of Friday’s Ida Lewis Distance Race.  Sailing photo credits- Stephen Cloutier.  For more Ida Lewis Distance Race sailing information

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