Sea Cliff Yacht Club’s annual Around Long Island Race started this afternoon at noon. With 70 boats racing over a 207 nm course, the first boats should be finishing early afternoon Friday with smaller ones crossing the line over the evening and into the night.
The race draws boats from the Sound, Raritan Bay, and even two from the US Naval Academy (Yahoo and Kodiak). The start was off the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor with the boats sailing out to the Ambrose Channel bell. After rounding the bell, they run to Montauk, enter back into the Sound through Plum Gut or The Race and then finish off SCYC’s clubhouse in Hempstead Harbor. Weather models call for southerly winds all day on the ocean with steady 30 knots and puffs at times above 45.
There are clearly some boats to watch for line honors. KODIAK is a RP 65 that was donated to the US Naval Academy by Lloyd Ecclestone and being skippered by MIDN 1/C Javier Kane. Also from USNA is the Ker 50 WAHOO being sailed by MIDN 1/C Madelyn Ploch. Of note, Maddie grew up at American Yacht Club in Rye, NY and hopes to bring some local knowledge to the second half of the race—beating up the Sound.
New to their owners this year are ARMA from Larchmont Yacht Club, an all carbon-fiber GP 42 owned by a syndicate of four LYC members and AVALANCHE, a Soto 40 recently acquired by Craig Albrecht (Glen Cove, NY), also a stiped out carbon racer. Look for one of them to cross the line before any of the other monohulls.
Also from American Yacht Club is YOUNG AMERICAN, a J/105 being sailed doublehanded by Peter Becker and Adrian Blanc (Larchmont Yacht Club). YOUNG AMERICAN won their division in the 2023 Bermuda 1-2 and this duo of a sixty-something and a 20-year old are making a name for themselves.
The fleet is a blend of cruising boats, racer/cruisers like Ken Wisdom’s Dehler 41 OHANA and lots of J Boats of different sizes and vintages, to two flat-out racers.
One final note, the J/109 MORNING GLORY was donated to SUNY Maritime by Dr. Carl Olsson (a long time McMichael customer) with the stipulation that the Larchmont Yacht Club junior program could use it during the summer. LYC’s juniors are racing MORNING GLORY in the ALIR and looking to place well in the 9-boat Division 6.
You can track the race at http://kws.kattack.com/WPlayer/WPosDisplay.aspx?FeedID=1965
Regatta information and results will be posted at https://www.yachtscoring.com/event_scratch_sheet.cfm?eID=15649
