Hundred-mile race couldn't be closer
While slogging a hundred miles from the Cape Cod Canal to the Buzzards Bay buoy south of Cuttyhunk and back may not be your idea of a fun way to spend the weekend, seven skippers and their crews thought differently a couple of weeks ago.
Begun last year as a tribute to the 100-year-old yacht club, the Mattapoisett Yacht Club 100-Mile Race drew seven boats this year on Aug. 24-25 and, after those seven boats tacked 50 miles twice down and up the bay, sported a photo finish.
"Amazing," was how MYC Commodore Fran Grenon described the 25-second difference between the Ballyhoo, skippered by Wesley McMichael of the Beverly Yacht Club, which finished in 17 hours, 40 minutes and nine seconds, and In Deep, skippered by Bob Warren of the MYC, which finished at 17 hours, 40 minutes and 34 seconds.
"These boats traveled a hundred miles, and the finish was that close," said Grenon. He and other organizers at the MYC are hoping to start a tradition in Buzzards Bay and draw more boats to the long-distance race next year.
"Other long-distance races (such as the New Bedford Yacht Club Whaler's Race to Block Island, scheduled for Sept. 14-15) go outside the bay," said Grenon, "and, if the weather turns bad, you're stuck out there."
Keeping the MYC 100-Mile Race relatively close to shore within the (admittedly very large) confines of Buzzards Bay means boats can, if necessary, drop out and get to safety in a relatively short period of time.
"We want to try to make this race the safest hundred-mile race around," Grenon said.
Here is how the 2nd annual MYC 100-Mile Race turned out (corrected results):
1. Ballyhoo, Wesley McMichael, BYC, 17:40:09; 2. In Deep, Bob Warren, MYC, 17:40:34; 3. Dark 'n' Stormy, Ryan Walsh, Fort Rodman Marine Education Association/Low Tide Yacht Club, 17:45:04; 4. Horizon, John Flood, MYC, 17:47:30; 5. Zara, Gil Canastra, MYC and FRMEA/LTYC, 18:00:11; 6. Revelation, Tom Muldoon, MYC, 18:41:24; 7. Summer Pride, Mike Bailey, MYC, 19:27:23.
QYC GOING 'ROUND BAY
At noon this Saturday, Sept. 7, the starting guns roar for the 50th annual Quissett Yacht Club Round the Bay Race. Single-hulled sailboats with valid 2002 PHRF ratings are eligible to enter the race, which starts outside Quissett Harbor and travels as far south as Quicks Hole, past West Island and Nye's Ledge off Mattapoisett, to Centerboard Shoals outside Sippican Harbor and back to the finish.
Boats race in a pursuit or staggered start format, with the higher-handicapped boats starting first. The Quissett RTB Race includes both racing (spinnakers allowed) and cruising (no spinnakers allowed) classes.
The yachts will be racing for several trophies, including the Boston Yacht Club Trophy for the first finisher; the Harbor Challenge Trophy for the first finisher from the Quissett Yacht Club; and PHRF trophies for the top three finishers in the racing and cruising divisions.
Entry fee is $30 for members of the U.S. Sailing Association or $35 for others (there may be a late registration fee). For information on entering the race, log on to www.mattapoisettyc.org and click the Quissett Round the Bay race link, or contact co-chairs Steve and Janet Chalmers at 508-548-3331 (phone) or (508) 548-1108 (fax).
BOAT SHOW FOR A RAINY DAY
If your boat's out of the water, if the wind or weather doesn't cooperate, or if you just want to get out of town and do something different, think about attending the 32nd annual Newport International Boat Show.
From Thursday, Sept. 12, through Sunday, Sept. 15, you can stroll through the exhibits of power boats, personal watercraft, sailboats and accessories, or catch a seminar at the "Boatshow Classroom."
Among the speakers at the show will be photographer Anne Converse and writer Carolyn Ford, both from Marion. The co-authors of Wood, Wind and Water, the story of the Opera House Race in Nantucket, are scheduled to speak in Room A of the boat show classroom on Saturday, Sept. 14, 10-11 a.m.
Other seminar topics include: Surfcasting 101; Getting Your Captain's License; Fly Fishing Shallow Waters for Stripers; Chartering Beyond the British Virgin Islands; or a Day in the Life of a Marine Forecaster.
You can try sailing in the waters of Newport Harbor through the Discover Sailing program, or shop the boat show specials at five different venues -- the Newport Yachting Center, Oldport Marine, Bannisters Wharf, West Wind Marina, or the Newport Harbor Hotel and Marina. Shuttle water taxis will be on hand to transport you from one venue to another. In addition, the 7th annual Newport Brokerage Boat Show is taking place at the Newport Shipyard.
Admission is free, and a water taxi can shuttle you from the boat show to the brokerage show and back.
If you order advance tickets online (www.newportboatshow.com), you can save $4 off the walk-in price. For adults, the online advance cost is $10 per ticket plus a $1 handling fee for a one-day pass. The regular adult admission price is $15 at the gate for a one-day pass, $20 for a two-day pass (no online discount). Children under age 12 get in free when accompanied by an adult.
LOW TIDE FINALE
Here are the final results for Series 3, raced Thursday evenings during August, at the Low Tide Yacht Club:
Class I (spinnaker): 1. Pieces of Eight, Mark Thornhill, 3 pts.; 2. Tequila Sunrise, Bob Luiz, 6 pts.; 3. Banzai, Ed Ilsley, 10 pts.; 4. Dark 'n' Stormy, Ryan Walsh, 11 pts.
Class II (non-spinnaker): 1. Dragon, Dick Hitchcock, 3.5 pts.; 2. Bogi, Bob Dixon, 4.5 pts.; 3. Zara, Gil Canastra, 9 pts.; 4. Breezin', Darryl Murphy, 11 pts.; 5. Head Girl, Chris Fletcher, 15 pts.
Class III (non-spinnaker): 1. SeeFest, Ira Perry, 3 pts.; 2. Prudence, Ted Cioper, 5 pts.; 3. Miss Hannah, Ray Davignon, 14 pts.; 4. Fiddlers Green, Jay Cafferty, 15 pts.; 5. Horsefeathers, Ed Silva, 16 pts.
If you have news about boating in and around Buzzards Bay, contact Barbara Veneri by e-mail at bveneri@hotmail.com. To join an online discussion of boating issues, enter www.southcoastnavigator.com in your browser, then click the Port of Call link.
This story appeared on Page B5 of The Standard-Times on September 5, 2002.
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