NEW YORK YACHT CLUB’S RACE WEEK
AT NEWPORT KICKS OFF SATURDAY
Regatta to Determine NYYC Trophies for IMS, PHRF
and AMERICAP II classes; North American, East Coast and New
England Championship Titles in One-Design
NEWPORT, R.I. (July 11, 2000) –
As the pieces of Newport’s summer regatta puzzle come
together, emerging as the central focal point is the 2002
New York Yacht Club Race Week at Newport presented by Rolex.
With mid-June’s Newport to Bermuda Race having preceded
it and this weekend’s Sail Newport regatta (for 20 classes
of one-design boats) dovetailing with it, Race Week has left
no room for excuses in terms of racing sailors being anywhere
else but Newport from this Saturday through July 21. That’s
when Race Week at Newport takes places as a four-day handicap
racing regatta ( with racing dates of July 13-16) and then
switches to accommodate three racing days (July 19-21) for
10 one-design classes. Splitting the two sessions is a distance
race (July 17) open to all boats entered in either or both
halves of the regatta. At the close of registration, 66 boats
had entered the regatta’s first half and 84 had entered
the one-design segment. Fifty-three boats will compete in
the distance race.
“Several of the best boats in
our class have come back to Newport after the Bermuda Race
and are participating in Race Week,” said J/44 Class
Executive Director Tom Castiglione (Sea Cliff, N.Y.), who
explained that the event’s second half will serve as
his class’s 2002 North Americans. “If there were
only one race week in summer you could get to, you’d
want to make it this one. It’s who runs it, where it’s
run and the way it’s run that makes it one of the best
events.”
The biennial regatta was a novelty just
five short years ago when it was inaugurated, but now it shines
as a jewel in Rolex’s highly polished line of
sponsored sailing events. The host of the regatta is the New
York Yacht Club, and the regatta will be centered at its Harbour
Court facility. After racing, competitors can enjoy the ambience
of the picturesque club house, which boasts Newport Harbor
as its backdrop.
“Last time at this event, it blew
12-16 everyday,” said Castiglione. “Our first-,
second- and third-place positions all came down to being determined
on the last day. It’s the guaranteed Newport sea breeze
that makes it a lot of fun.”
In its second half, Race Week also will
serve as the 1D35 East Coast Regional Championship, Mumm 30
North American Championship, and the J/35 New England Championship.
Remaining one-design classes sailing in Race Week are Farr
40, Farr 395, J/80, J/105, J/120 and Melges 24.
For Race Week’s first half, Dennis
Conner will be among the many big-boat champions competing.
He will take to the waters on his 13-year-old Reichel Pugh
50 Stars & Stripes, the namesake of his America’s
Cup boat that represents the New York Yacht Club.
“I’m coming back for two
days of personal vacation and to sail with my close friends
on the boat,” said Conner, who will steer on Sunday
and Monday while Tom Whidden, a fellow NYYC syndicate member,
takes the helm on Saturday. Referring to his many years of
America's Cup competition in Newport, he added with a laugh,
“I’ve done a little sailing here before. It’s
one of the greatest places in the world.” Tom Rich of
Portsmouth will finish out the racing on Tuesday before taking
the boat on the distance race.
Daily prizes will be awarded, with Rolex
timepieces awarded to yachts with the best performances among
IMS, PHRF and One-Design entrants.
For more information, including full
entry lists, visit the NYYC web site at www.nyyc.org
