Inaugural Fleet 10 Fall Classic delivers great J/109 racing
by J/Boats 28 Oct 2019 06:13 NZDT
19-20 October 2019
Inaugural Fleet 10 Fall Classic © j109.org
Long Island Sound J/109s assembled one more time in 2019 for the inaugural Fleet 10 Fall Classic at Stamford Yacht Club over the weekend of October 19-20. Thankfully, the forecast for each day was incorrect and the Sound delivered great conditions for October racing.
On Saturday, a light westerly breeze built into a consistent 7-10-knot southwesterly over the course of the afternoon. The Race Committee rolled the 9-boat fleet through four windward/leeward races with four legs each. The fleet was tight throughout the day with mark roundings providing tactical challenges and some interesting passing lanes.
On Sunday, the breeze shifted to the east and remained in the 7-11-knot range. With three races run about a mile offshore, the top boats had to balance pressure with the incoming tide to stay on top.
The regatta came down to the last race, when Trevor Roach's Incendiary posted a second and won the event with 13 points. JR Rechtschaffer's Emoticon led after the first day, but finished second with 15 points. Bengt and Marie Johansson's Zig Zag held onto third Place with a bullet in the final race and resisted the second-day charge from Julia O'Dowd's TBD and John Greifzu Jr.'s Growth Spurt (both of which finished with 22 points). In addition, Growth Spurt was the top boat fulfilling the Class's Corinthian requirements.
The Stamford YC provided an excellent venue for post-race camaraderie among the fleet and the J/109 Fleet 10 is already looking forward to building the Fall Classic in the future.
Find full results here.
More information at j109.org