The New York Yacht Club’s anniversary party week wrapped up with two final races for Classics 1, and Dorade finished up the series in second place. John Burnham reports.
A sea breeze building to 14-15 knots put the more powerful Sparkman & Stephens designs Santana and Black Watch in position to win the pair of races on the final day of the New York Yacht Club 175th Anniversary Regatta. Dorade, which had benefitted from some lighter and shiftier winds earlier in the week and held a one-point lead over Santana, finished in fourth and then third, dropping to second for in the series results, three points behind Santana.
Our sailing master, Kevin, admitted that the first race of the day wasn’t Dorade’s best of the week in terms of positioning the boat well at the start and on the first beat, and that on the reach legs, the bigger boats really began to pull away. In the second race, he said, it was lumpy and windy and there were no shifts, and he often clocked Santana making an extra half a knot upwind.
“I was disappointed not to win the series, but overall really pleased,” Kevin said. “This is the best we’ve done against Santana, and if we’d had our conditions, the result might have been different.”
Matt’s view, from the perspective of mainsheet trimmer and owner, was even more upbeat. “The week was a lot of fun,” he said, “and we were honored to be part of this historic regatta.”
As the week’s onboard reporter and one of the mid-deck string pullers, I missed the final day of racing due to a prior commitment but saw earlier in the week how well Dorade went in light air and how the other boats sometimes had an edge when the breeze built.
When I asked Kevin what the next move might be, he said that he and Matt were talking about some different options, but then again, maybe with the light airs of August yet to come, they won’t make any changes at all and will keep the boat set up for light winds.
The contest among classic racers will resume next month at the Opera House Cup at Nantucket.