IC37 July racing heats up in Newport
by IC37 Class Association 9 Jul 2022 06:13 NZST
July 9-10 & 13-16, 2022
IC37 July racing heats up in Newport © Scott Trauth /
www.ScottTrauthPhotography.com
Over the next eight days, IC37s will dominate Narragansett Bay between six race days and two practice days for the Sail Newport Regatta this weekend (July 9-10) and the IC37 Nationals held during Race Week in Newport presented by Rolex hosted by New York Yacht Club (July 13-16).
Fourteen teams will compete in the first weekend with then a record 24 boats will be on the line for Nationals starting on Wednesday.
With sunny weather in the forecast for this weekend, the crews will be hoping for the patented Newport seabreeze to fill to give them the ideal racing conditions on Rhode Island Sound. With the two of the top three teams from the Annual Regatta last month sitting out the Newport Regatta, it will be Terry McLaughlin's Defiant in the favored position.
However, do not count out some of the new teams like Peter Wagner's Skeleton Key who started finding their stride towards the end of the Annual Regatta, their first event since making the switch from a successful J/111 program.
Will the teams who sail over the weekend have an edge over the 10 additional teams who join a few days later? Only time will tell but Annual Regatta winner, Chris Lewis' Qubit Texan crew will be back along with the Winter Series winner Steve Liebel's New Wave. All the teams will also have access to the IC37 Coach, Moose McClintock, who will be on the water every day offering tips and help to all the sailors.
The National Championship title is up for grabs as the 2021 winners, Drew Freides & Bill Ruh's Pacific Yankee will not be back but the North American Champions, the Sertl Family with Das Blau Max, will be on both starting lines with their family of four plus friends who make up the crew. With so many different champions from the last few years, it is sure to be anyone's regattas this July.