The 172nd New York Yacht Club Annual Regatta delivered a blend of history, close competition and modern racing as more than 130 boats competed off Newport, Rhode Island.
The spotlight fell on the classic yacht SPARTAN, which marked a successful return to American waters after years racing on the Mediterranean classics circuit. Built in 1913 by the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company in nearby Bristol, Rhode Island, the 70-foot NY50 is the only surviving example of nine sisterships commissioned for New York Yacht Club members. Owner Charlie Ryan brought the yacht home for the summer and was rewarded with victory in the Classics B division after winning three of the four races.
"Because of the America 250th celebration, a couple of the European boats wanted to come over here," Ryan said. "I thought, 'Well, they're going to come, I should come home too.'"
Ryan credited years of restoration work and sail development for the yacht's recent success. "It was probably about three or four years ago that we really figured it out," he said. "And then we started winning a bunch of regattas in the Med."
Elsewhere, Bill and Jackie Baxter's J/111 FIREBALL dominated the 16-boat PHRF C class on its first appearance at the regatta. "We loved it," said Bill Baxter. "This is the first time we've done the New York Yacht Club Annual Regatta. I really enjoyed the event."
PHRF Pace — Bill and Jackie Baxter's J/111 Fireball on its way to overall honours in the 16-boat PHRF C division during its first appearance at the New York Yacht Club Annual Regatta. Photo: Paul Todd
The regatta also featured the Northeast debut of the ClubSwan 28 one-design class, with seven boats competing. Veteran skipper George Gamble secured overall victory after a tightly contested series. In the fast-growing IC37 fleet, Steve Liebel's NEW WAVE recovered from a difficult opening race to secure overall honours by a single point after five races.
The regatta, first sailed in 1846, remains North America's oldest continuously run sailing competition. Since 1988, it has been based at the New York Yacht Club's Harbour Court clubhouse in Newport. Many of the classic yachts will return later this month for the Tiedemann Classics Regatta, while the IC37, PHRF and ORC fleets are scheduled to compete again during Race Week Newport in July.
