Larchmont (New York) September 9, 2001– The final day of the Sailing World Larchmont NOOD, a three-day sailing regatta hosted by Larchmont Yacht Club, was one of suspense. It wasnt simply a question of who would win the Long Island Sound leg of this national racing circuit: it was a question of whether the wind would arrive in time to sail the final battle.
As 133 boats–sailing from 10 states and Canada–waited for breeze today, different hopes coursed through skippers minds. After two days of racing in solid 6- to 15-knot breeze, class leaders didnt need a final race to lock their victories in. But those who trailed the leaders in points desperately needed a last chance to better their position. Few needed that chance more than J/105 skipper Kerry Klingler of Larchmont.
Klingler, competing in the largest class at this regatta, sailed to the startling line this morning in second place in the 23-boat J/105 class, only two points behind class leader Jim Sorensen (Sag Harbor, NY). He had a rough second day (with a 13th place, when he was on the wrong side of a windshift), and he was just getting used to a boat he launched only a month ago. So with no wind on the course this morning, you might assume his crew would be doing group prayers for breeze. But Klingler and his crew on MAGIC relaxed, and they waited.
“I checked the forecasts this morning and figured it was a matter of time before the southerly arrived.” When a 6-knot southerly breeze blew over the fleet, it was enough to give the racers a final race. Klinglers second place in Race 7 was enough to give him the J/105 class win.
A total of 14 classes competed at the NOOD, held September 7-9 and presented by Farmers Insurance Group and Mount Gay Rum. Seven of those classes used this regatta to vie for class championships (see results, below).
J/24 class winner Britt Hughes of Statford (Conn.) sailed home with multiple trophies today after winning the 18-boat J/24 class with his crew on SHOGUN. The NOOD stood as the class Long Island Sound Championship; Hughes was also awarded with the Lewmar Boat of the Day Award, a special trophy presented by support sponsor Lewmar to the top-scoring boat in Saturdays racing. But collecting those trophies was not an easy task.
The J/24 class win went down to the wire. Hughes ended up tied for points with second place Al Constants on BLITZ (Lattingtown, NY), and SHOGUNs class victory was earned on the slimmest of margins, on a quarter-boatlength overlap at the final finish.
Soverel 33s competed for their National Championships–and while there was only one Nationals winner, every competitor had a sense of accomplishment for garnering the largest turnout the Soverels have had in 14 years. Erik Will (Sodus Point, NY) captured the National title for the second time; he credited his success to crew, who are friends he has sailed with for some 20 years. “Everyone was up on everyone else in speed at some point during the regatta,” said one Soverel crew of the evenly matched fleet. “The win went to the skipper who could maintain that consistency in speed–and make the fewest mistakes.”
J/120 sailors on SUNDAY DRIVER won their class and kudos from presenting sponsor Farmers Insurance Group as the top-scoring family crew. Skipper Robert Carballal bested the J/120 fleet with his wife Theresa and sons Matthew and Dean in the crew. The Carballals never dropped below a third place in their seven-race series.
The Larchmont NOOD was expanded to three days of racing this year. Nine classes started racing on Friday; five classes joined the racing on Saturday. Fridays classes completed three races; three races were held Saturday; a final race was held on Sunday. Regatta trophies were presented tonight on the lawn of the venerable Larchmont Yacht Club.
The Larchmont NOOD is the eighth stop on the National Offshore One-Design (NOOD) circuit, a nine-event racing circuit organized by Sailing World magazine. The Larchmont NOOD joined the circuit in 1999; fleet participation has grown by some 50 percent since the Larchmont regattas inception. Support sponsors who joined event organizer Sailing World magazine (Newport, R.I.) included: Hall Spars & Rigging, High Sierra Sport Company, Lewmar, North Sails, Samuel Adams, and Sunsail.
The next and final stop on the 2001 NOOD circuit will be held on Galveston Bay, Texas, September 21-23, at the Houston Yacht Club. Race reports and NOOD fleet results can be found at the Sailing World website (www.sailingworld.com).
RESULTS/133 boats
Plce Skipper Hometown Boat Name Points
Express 37 (8 boats)
1 Al Minella Ridgefield CT Walrus 9
2 Richard duMoulin Larchmont NY LORA ANN 15
3 Robert Behringer Monmouth Beach NJ DRACO 16
Farr 40 (8 boats)
1 Jeffrey M Siegal New York NY APPRECIATION 14
2 George Carabetta Westbrook CT Diana 28
3 Stephen Brice Phillips Arnold MD LeRenard 28
Frers 33 (6 boats)
1 Greg Ames East Hampton NY Windswept 4
2 Arnold Lesser Centerport NY BON COEUR 8
3 Louis Nees Port Washington NY OUT OF REACH II 14
Henderson 30 (5 boats) NORTH AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIPS
1 Tony DaLia Brookville NY Zero Gravity 12
2 Michael Carroll Tampa FL New Wave 17
3 Walter Kennedy Charlotte NC Savannah 21
J 105 (23 boats)
1 Kerry Klingler Larchmont NY Magic 31
2 Glenn Darden Fort Worth TX Hoss 35
3 Jim Sorensen Sag Harbor NY WET LEOPARD 36
J 120 (7 boats)
1 Robert Carballal n/a Sunday Driver 11
2 Robert & Kathy Monro Darien CT Bye Bye Blues 16
3 Hugh & Susan Balloch Darien CT Dragon 18
J 24 (18 boats) LONG ISLAND SOUND CHAMPIONSHIPS
1 Britt Hughes Stratford CT Shogun 9
2 Al Constants Lattingtown NY Blitz 9
3 Christopher/Waldeck Zaleski & Zaleski Norwalk CT TWINS 13
J 27 (8 boats) NORTH AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIPS
1 Peter J. Johnson Orchard Park NY Piglet 15
2 Edward Tillinghast, III New York, NY AREOPAGUS 19
3 Doug Davies Stony Brook NY Sail # 421 22
J 29 (5 boats)
1 John Esposito Mohegan Lake NY Hustler 4
2 Jay McArdle West Point VA Fast Lane 9
3 Jim Mackevich Edison NJ For Sail 11
J 30 (8 boats) EAST COAST CHAMPIONSHIPS
1 Joe McCann Glen Cove NY PADDY WAGON 12
2 John McArthur Stratford CT SMILES 16
3 Ed Austin Ridgewood NJ CHINOOK 22
J 44 (11 boats)
1 Jeffrey W. Willis Huntington NY CHALLENGE IV 6
2 Scott Dinhofer Chappaqua NY Brown-eyed Girl 12
3 James Bishop New York NY GOLD DIGGER 14
J 80 (10 boats) EAST COAST CHAMPIONSHIPS
1 Michael Lague Stewartsville NJ Flash 13
2 Martin Kald East Elmhurst NY Monster Lady 22
3 Geoffrey Pierini Metuchen NJ Bada Bing 22
J 92 (5 boats) NORTH AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIPS
1 John Raymont Columbia SC Quixote 9
2 Elizbeth Taylor New York NY QUETZAL 16
3 Jeff Britton West New York NJ KILLER PUPPY 17
Soverel 33 (10 boats) NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
1 Erik Will Sodus Point NY Bushwacker 11
2 Lake Norman Fleet Matthews NC Outrageous 18
3 Mark McCarthy Westbrook CT 2 Thirsty 26
