The Edgartown Yacht Club’s 89th annual “‘Round the Island Race” was a success this past weekend, according to organizers, and race conditions — highlighted by fair winds and fast finishes — made for a memorable July weekend of sailing.
The 55-nautical-mile race that circumnavigates the Island is one of the country’s oldest sailboat competitions, according to a press release from the Edgartown Yacht Club (EYC), which hosts the race every summer. This year, the race attracted 45 sailboats competing across nine classes, including the spinnaker, the non-spinnaker, the double-handed spinnaker, and the multihull.
As forecast, the wind held steady at 10 to 12 knots at the start of the race on Saturday, eventually growing to 15 knots with gusts over 20, which set the stage for most of the fleet to finish before 5 pm.
“Hands down, this was one of the best ‘RTIs’ [‘Round the Island’] in a long time,” Cindy Alten-DeLotto, event co-chair, said in the release. “It was just that kind of perfect day — awesome competition, fantastic wind, no protests, no complaints.”
The high-performance M32 catamarans led the fleet during race day, with Newport, R.I.’s Lary Phillips’ Midtown Racing, claiming the multiclass win and line honors after completing the course in just over four hours and 17 minutes.
“We averaged 24 knots on the first leg and knew our time would be quick,” Phillips said in the release, explaining they just missed out on setting a new race record. “The lead changed three or four times, and the crew worked hard to come away with the win. The long upwind in the Sound was a challenge and with the wind hitting 25 knots towards the end, our boat was really at the outer limit of being able to safely sail. The ride was a wet and wild one, but we had a great sail and a great time.”
Phillips and his crew also won the Incognito Award, given to the team that exhibits passion, perseverance, and commitment to the sport during Edgartown Race Weekend.
Joe Brito, from Bristol, R.I., sailing the J/121 Incognito, took the day’s largest trophy haul, winning Spinnaker Class B and posting the fastest corrected time among all spinnaker boats to capture the Venona Trophy.
“This was our fourth time racing here, and we’ve won our class before but never the Venona Trophy,” Brito in the release. “It was the windiest, fastest race we’ve sailed here, and we made seven sail changes.”
“We very much appreciate everything the race committee does, and the camaraderie it creates is unprecedented,” added Brito. “We really enjoy that.”
Tucker Murray’s Morris 42, as part of the “Smiling Wave” team, won the Spinnaker Class F in its first ever “‘Round the Island” race. Murray, a 23-year old with a young crew, watched the race from the sidelines in the past, but in their first ever showing, proved he belonged.
“We signed up and then saw the forecast, so we really began to focus,” Murray said. “We spent much of the race coming from behind but played the tides, currents and wind shifts well. I’m appreciative of the organizers and all the work that went into this, so we could have a good time.”
According to the release, additional class winners included defending champion Stephen Besse from Guilford, Conn., sailing the J/120 Apres in Spinnaker Class D; Bill Jocobson from Charlestown on the J/46 Vanish won Spinnaker Class C; Ned Joyce and Andy Reservitz’s from Marion took first in on their J/105 Dark ‘n Stormy in Spinnaker Class E; Peter Soule from Brewster took first in the Non-Spinnaker class on his Beneteau 311 Saylavee; and Ian and Bryan Gordon’s from Winnetka, Ill. on the C&C Redline 41 Evening Star took first in the Double-Handed Spinnaker.
All of the competing sailboats’ courses are available here.
