On Thursday, July 16, Tom and Laurie Welch in the J/100 Escape won the highly coveted Holmes Hole Sailing Association (HHSA) Cup — coffee cup, to be more exact. Second in the A Division by just 29 seconds was Apres, Steve Besse’s J/120. Twenty-nine more seconds brought Masquerade, a Morris 36 skippered by Michael Loberg, into third.
It was a lovely summer evening, with a perfect 10 miles per hour NW breeze that diminished to a not-so-perfect 6 or 5. By that time, the tide was flooding strongly enough to bring all boats home wing and wing. A lyrical sight.
In the B Division, Bow Van Riper and his daughter Katie brought Tyche, a Vineyard 15, to a first-place finish, and Isabella, a Gannon & Benjamin Bella sailed by John and Lisa Stout, came next. In the third spot was Commodore Jerry Goodale’s Stormalong, a Pearson 31.
There were seven boats in each division. Can 23A off East Chop, with its ever-perplexing current pattern, caused some consternation as usual, but otherwise the course was a pleasure.
On Sunday, July 19, Michael Loberg scored a doubleheader victory aboard his Morris 36, Masquerade. There were three A Division boats in both the morning and afternoon races. In the morning, Phil Hale’s Tango, a J/100, came in second, while another J/100, Tom and Laurie Welch’s Escape, came in third. In the afternoon, those positions were reversed.
In the B Division in the morning, Tyche added to the Van Ripers’ cup collection with another first. Silhouette, a Nonsuch 26 sailed by Beck Colson, made a fine seasonal debut, coming in second. Third was the stalwart Gloria, Roger Becker’s C&C 24. Roger’s description of the weather: “Flukey winds in the morning left some boats in holes watching others sailing along in their own zephyrs.” With little wind, some fog, and strong flooding tide, many found themselves where they wished they were not.
At 2 pm, a perfect 10- to 15-mph SSW breeze had built up, and eight B Division boats materialized for the afternoon race. Isabella took first place, with Tyche two minutes behind in second. Third was At Last, an Alerion X28 skippered by Jim Dixon.The breeze made for an energetic race, and even the dreaded Can 23A was unusually manageable.
The Thursday-evening race is a triangle within the arms of the two Chops. The Sunday harbor races are at 10 am and 2 pm, and involve two trips around the triangle each time, sometimes East to West and sometimes vice-versa. The Sound races at noon on Sunday are various courses out into the Sound. There are also three Sunday Rendez Vous trips to Robinson’s Hole, Tarpaulin Cove, and Chappaquiddick. Next Sunday’s event will be the race to Tarpaulin Cove, followed, hopefully, by a picnic and relaxed return to Vineyard Haven.
Holmes Hole races are held Thursdays and Sundays. All are welcome. For more information, visit holmeshole.org.
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly spelled the last name of Tom and Laurie Welch as Welsh.
