SYC Mizzen

Race Season Opens with Ynglings and an Alden

The SYC racing season got underway on Saturday with three of the fleet making the starting sequence at 2:00.  John Ingalls and Torey Pellegrini each won a race in the same Yngling, while Teal was runner-up in both races.  JAVA picked up where she left off last season, winning the season opener in a sailover.

Aldens Finish Season in Light Air, Big Swells

JAVA captured the August Series with a pair of wins on a day notable for its near complete lack of wind, and swells courtesy of Danny (who caused the postponement of the last Saturday race day to Sunday.)  Cutty Wow finished second in the last race to bring home third place for August behind Bachelor Button.

Awards for Aldens as well as Ynglings, Sunfish and Herreshoff 12 1/2's will be presented at the season ending cocktail party this coming Saturday, Sept. 5, at 5:30 on the SYC dock.

August Series Results (worst score thrown out):

	8/1		8/8		8/15		8/24		8/30		Aug
Race	1	2	1	2	1	2	1	2	1	2	Pts.	Plc.
Java	1	1	DNS	DNS	3	2	1	1	1	1	18	1
Bachelor B	4	6	1	2	2	1	3	4	4	5	26	2
Cutty Wow	2	4	3	1	1	4	DNS	DNS	6	2	29	3
Old Bull	5	3	DNF	6	4	3	2	3	2	4	32	4
Elisha	6	5	5	5	DNS	DNS	4	2	3	3	40	5
Chiquita	3	2	4	3	6	6	DNS	DNS	DNS	DNS	42	6
Augusta	7	7	2	4	5	5	5	5	5	DNS	44	7
Sept. Song	DNS	DNS	DNS	DNS	DNS	DNS	DNS	DNS	DNS	DNS	61	8

Juniors Compete at NBYA Junior Olympic Regatta

A baker's dozen of SYC's juniors competed last week in E. Greenwich Bay at the NBYA Junior Olympic Regatta.  Five 420 teams from SYC were among the 63 two-man dinghies who competed, with Patrick and Aidan Power leading the SYC team in 18th, dogged by Noel Ingalls and crew Pat Gallagher, and Margot Littlefield / Sophie DenUyl in the next two spots.  Rex Littlefield / Casey Domine were 27th, and Cooper Richmond / Seamus Power were 55th.

In Opti action, first-year opti racer George Littlefield finished just out of the money (4th) among 29 "greenies", SYC ace Frankie Harnedy finished 23rd in a 41-boat "blue" fleet of Opti experts, and Luke Ingalls was 11th in the "white" fleet.

Full race week results here:  420 results; Optmists results ; Opti "green" fleet results.

JAVA Back on Top in Alden Fleet

Only the Aldens showed up to race on Sunday, rescheduled from the previous day due to Yngling North Americans being held at SYC over the weekend.  The expected bad weather from Hurricane Bill never materialized, allowing 5 Aldens to head for the line for their penultimate day of racing for the 2009 season.  In two races JAVA returned to her winning ways, and to the top of the Alden standings, winning both races comfortably.  Old Bull, despite keeping her spinnaker turtled, had the second-best showing with a second and a third.  Elisha, skippered by RaCom Chair Mara Shore, notched a second and fourth to earn "show" status for the day.

Alden August series results to date (since there have been more than 5 races held in the August series, the worst finish will be "thrown out" in the final point tally -- the point totals on the chart below do not reflect any throw outs):

		1-Aug		8-Aug		15-Aug		23-Aug
		1	2	1	2	1	2	1	2
	Aldens									Pts.
1	Bachelor Button	4	6	1	2	2	1	3	4	23
1	Java	1	1	DNS	DNS	3	2	1	1	23
3	Cutty Wow	2	4	3	1	1	4	DNS	DNS	27
4	Old Bull	5	3	DNF	6	4	3	2	3	32
5	Chiquita	3	2	4	3	6	6	DNS	DNS	36
6	Augusta	7	7	2	4	5	5	5	5	40
7	Elisha	6	5	5	5	DNS	DNS	4	2	41
8	September Song	DNS	DNS	DNS	DNS	DNS	DNS	DNS	DNS	56

August Junior Sailing Championship Winners

Last week saw four new SYC junior champions and a repeat from the July series.  Frankie Harnedy repeated as the winner of the Governor's Trophy for the top Opti sailor.  In the Commodore Garsh Trophy, the Opti event reserved for beginners and advanced beginners, Rafey Mueller came away with the prize for August.

The Huntoon Trophy is sailed in 420's and is the SYC grand prix event.  This year Noel Ingalls and crew Patrick Gallagher took the honors.

Sunfish compete for the Richmond Trophy (single-handed) and the Commodor's Cup (double-handed).  This month Aidan Power added the Richmond Trophy to his collection (placing in two other championships last week as well).  The Commodore's Cup was won by Luke Ingalls and Josh Arkins.

List of winners below:

		Winner	Runner-Up	Third
Huntoon Trophy	420	Noel Ingalls / Pat Gallagher	Aidan Power / Luke Ingalls	Rex Littlefield / Casey Domine
Richmond Trophy	Sunfish	Aidan Power	Myles Arkins	Cob Ingalls
Commodore's Trophy	Sunfish Doubles	Luke Ingalls / Josh Arkins	Cob Ingalls / Myles Arkins	Frankie Harnedy / Jack Skinner
Governor's Trophy	Optimists	Frankie Harnedy	Aidan Power	George Littlefield
Comm. Garsh Cup	Beg / Adv. Beg. Optis	Rafey Mueller	Kevin Gallagher	Andi Burgatt

Seven Ynglings Complete NA Tune-Up at Saturday Racing

The local Yngling fleet came out in force last Saturday for their final race tune-up prior to the beginning of the Yngling North American Championship here at SYC beginning Thursday.  Ruth Hough continued to impress, winning the day with a pair of bullets and a second; Junior Sailing Race Coach Torey Pellegrini impressed with the other win for the day and a pair of seconds.

The outnumbered Alden fleet completed a pair of races for their penultimate Saturday race day, with Bachelor Button missing a pair of victories by a split second (losing to Cutty Wow by a nose in the first race.)

A pair each of Herreshoffs and Sunfish completed a race, with Truslow's Pooh II taking the H 12 1/2 race, and the crew of Luke Ingalls and George Littlefield leading the Sunfish. 

		Aug15
		Race 1	2	3
	Ynglings
	Orion	5	3	3
	Teal	4	4	6
	Olympic Boat (Ruth Hough)	2	1	1
	Olympic Boat (Mike/Torey)	1	2	2
	Gael Force (MacDonald)	6	7	7
	Loki (Richmond)	3	6	5
	Pat Clancy and Flash	DNF	5	4
	Aldens				August Points
1	Bachelor Button	2	1		6
2	Cutty Wow	1	4		9
3	Augusta	5	5		16
4	Chiquita	6	6		19
4	Java	3	2		19
4	Old Bull	4	3		19
7	Elisha	DNS	DNS		24
8	September Song	DNS	DNS		28
	Sunfish
	Will and Kevin Gallagher	DNF
	Seamus Power / Joe Gallagher	2
	Luke Ingalls / George Littlefield	1
	Herreshoff 12 1/2
	Pooh II	1
	Sea Trout II	2

Ingallses Again in August Atop Parent-Child Challenge

Sunday morning in a lifting fog, Luke Ingalls skippered father John to his second parent-child regatta win in as many months, this time in 420's, with an unbroken string of "bullets".  As in July, George Littlefield and his dad dogged the Ingalls crew, but again scored as runners-up.  Another section of the Ingalls gang, Cob and mom, beat out the rest of the six-boat field to take the bronze.  Henry Burns steered his father Cam in a sailover to take parent-child Sunfish honors for August '09.

Four SYC Opti'ers Compete in Bristol; Lasers come to SYC

On Tuesday, four of SYC's finest headed up the bay to compete in an NBYA regatta for Optimists at Bristol YC. They were only able to compete a small handful of races in very light air.  Luke Ingalls finished second in the "white" fleet (the youngest sailors) while Frankie Harnedy hit the middle of his "blue" fleet.  Nick Oulette Perry and George Littlefield competed in the "green" fleet for first-year opti racers, with George coming in fourth and Nick in the middle of the 30-boat fleet.

While the Optis were away, the Bay's Laser contingent showed up at the shores of the Sakonnet for their annual regatta here.  As in further up the bay light winds prevailed.

On Thursday, the club's 420 teams are on the bay at Sail Newport for their final NBYA one-day regatta before next weeks NBYA Junior Race Week in E. Greenwich.

August Junior Championships Start with Harnedy as Repeat Winner

On Monday five Junior sailors vied for the August edition of the Governor's Cup, sailed in Optimists.  As in July, Frankie Harnedy won "going away."  Also following the July pattern, but this time in reverse order, Aidan Power was runner-up, with George Littlefield taking third in very windy conditions.

Four other SYC championships will take place Wednesday through Friday of this week.  Next week, the final week of the August junior sailing session, will be taken up by Fun Day on Monday, and NBYA Junior Race Week Tuesday through Thursday.  Junior sailors and their families will celebrate the end of a successful season at an awards cookout at 5:30 on Friday, August 21

Teeny Cockpits Key to Plunder in Pirate Battle

Last Sunday morning, close to twenty of SYC's flotilla found out how difficult it is to capture pirate booty when the target is as small as a Sunfish or Laser cockpit.  Completely inept initial pirate ship Bachelor Button had to resort to begging other boats to take up the pirate challenge once they quickly ran out of tennis ball -- and proved incapable of scooping up floating ones to replenish their supply.  When all but one of the fleet fell to persuasion or tennis balls, Hutch Bryant and crew sailed away from the skirmish unpersuaded and unscathed, and won round one. 

Hutch's band of ruffians proved a lot more adept as the initial pirate in round two, and quickly rallied much of the flotilla to join them as pirates (by successfully landing tennis balls in their relatively larger cockpits).  Left "standing" at the end of the skirmish was Rafey Mueller's crew in a Sunfish (their secret was keeping their tiny cockpit on the bottom side of their usually overturned Sunny.)

A rip-roaring time had by all, and many thanks to perennial first pirates Charlie and Mary Truslow who rallied the armada to sea, and shepherded them carefully from Granny Carr.