August 14-18
Ids Lewis Yacht Club
Hosted by New York Yacht Club, Ida Lewis Yacht Club and Sail Newport
23 competitors were selected for the event this year. Erica Reineke took top prize in the four day event sailed in predominantly light air conditions.
Day one of the event only a practice start and one race got off. The wind was out of the East with shifts and pressure coming out of the left. Wind speed was under ten all day with heavy rains. My big mistake was going right too early in a consistent left shift on the first beat. My finish was a 20 my throw out.
Day two winds went further left than day one. Pressure increased until the sea breeze began to take effect and weather conditions improved. Current played a strong role. The left side had some nice current relief. However, the wind was still unstable so it was crucial to stay in phase. After the first race the wind died completely. The new pressure came an hour later out of the North East. This surprised me. The second race of the day the left paid same as before. For the third race I took a gamble on the right. With slack tide and more consistent pressure towards the middle of the bay this paid. I rounded the mark in second, stayed in phase and finished second. My results were 11, 12, and 2
Day three we had a prolonged on shore postponement waiting for the sea breeze to fully take effect. When this occurred the wind was out of the south west with somewhat consistent pressure in the low teens. For me the biggest challenge of the day was getting off the line clean with a lane to the left side. With the current going against the wind the up winds were extremely short with the left side paying most of the time. Three key components that paid big were not over standing the weather mark due to current, staying low on the reaches, and turning as little as possible on the down winds. With this said towards the beginning of the last race the right side seemed to be even and actually pay towards the top of the course. My results were 7, 9,14,7.
Day four was almost identical to day three with the sea breeze kicking in about two hours sooner. The wind was in the mid-teens out of the south west with small shifts to keep in mind. Current was not as big of a tactical factor as the days prior, but it was most definitely a consideration when getting off the line. Both races came down to getting off the line with a lane and staying in phase. The last two days of the regatta the pin end was heavily favored. The last race I port tacked the line and protected the left. This was a mistake with the right side having slightly better pressure and shift towards the top. I rounded the weather mark second. Lastly I allowed Erica to work right of me on the down wind. This moved me back two places. My finishes were 7, 4. I finished the regatta in sixth place overall.
RESULTS
