What goes around, comes around for Art Santry, and going around Martha’s Vineyard is in his blood. Mr. Santry was first in class for the 77th annual Round the Island race Saturday, and undefeated in two days of Round the Buoys racing on Thursday and Friday, following a long absence from Edgartown Yacht Club competition.
Racing Temptation Oakcliff, a Ker 50 recently refurbished with state of the art materials, Mr. Santry proved the quickest of the quick.
“We’ve got a pretty fast boat,” he said after collecting some silver hardware at the Round the Buoys awards ceremony Friday evening. “A really fast piece of carbon fiber helps a lot.”
It was a homecoming of sorts for Mr. Santry. He was aboard his father’s boat Pleione in the 1970s when she was always among the top competitors. Sailing with a crew of family and friends, Mr. Santry, along with tactician Bill Rudkin, returned to the race this year.
“It’s been 30 years,” he said. “The last time I did this regatta was with Bill and my father in 1985.” Both had high praise for the Edgartown Yacht Club race committee
Temptation Oakcliff’s competition in the IRC class was the show-stopper of the regatta. Foggy is a brand new Germán Frers designed sloop, 74 feet of wood molded over a carbon fiber core, highlighted by unusual touches from famed architect Frank Gehry. With bright red carbon fiber spars, jet black synthetic fiber sails, and hundreds of small portlights forming dancing patterns on the hull, she drew plenty of attention at the end of the Edgartown Yacht Club dock, and plenty of respect out on the course.
A fleet of 67 racing boats started the Round the Island race on Saturday morning off Cape Pogue. Separated into 10 classes, the sailors were sent off in a flawless series of starts, bound on a 52-mile circumnavigation of the Island in light northerly breezes. Dodging shoal water and working a strong tidal current to best advantage, crews completed the course in a wide range of times, from about six hours to more than 11 hours. It was no surprise that Foggy, skippered by owner Richard Cohen, galloped around the course in the fastest elapsed time (6 hours, 2 minutes) to win the Commodore’s Concord Cup. Her corrected time, which accounts for the assigned handicap, was second to Temptation Oakcliff.
Tenacious, the United States Naval Academy entry with Jackson Niketas in command, captured the Verona Trophy, for best corrected time in the PHRF Spinnaker class. Her sister ship Gallant, also sailed by a Navy team, with Erik Derecktor at the helm, finished second in that class.
Roy Catignani, in the Benetau 373 Breezing Up, took home the Upbeat Cup, for overall winner among the non-spinnaker boats.
Local sailors did well against very tough competition. Twanette Tharp, representing the Edgartown Yacht Club aboard Glissè, a Swan 62, finished sixth on corrected time in one of the three non-spinnaker classes, which earned the Ocean Race trophy, for the top finisher from the home club. Norman Lewis skippered the class winner, aboard Cygne.
Paul Stafford won the Ocean Race trophy in the double-handed division aboard Iniki, with a second place finish. The class winner was S. Zachary Lee in Yankee Girl.
Sheridan Carey was the winning skipper in the PHRF non-spinnaker B class aboard the Saber 38 Indian Summer.
Betsy McCombs was tops in the PHRF A class, aboard the Farr 40 Scherherazade, and Dave Alexander won the PHRF B division with the Arcona 430 Pressure Drop.
Wendy Nichols won the Classic Division aboard Adventuress.
In one design racing, Saykadoo was best in the J/120 class, with Stephen Besse, sailing out of the Vineyard Haven Yacht Club and Holmes Hole Sailing Association, a close second.
Nyabinghi, with Angus Davis at the Helm, was best on corrected time in the C&C 30 class.
Round the Buoy racing on Nantucket Sound drew 26 competitors on Thursday and Friday. A steady breeze provided ideal conditions on Thursday, but very light air made for trying sailing on Friday.
Tops in each of the five classes were Michael Williamson (PHRF A) representing the Portsmouth Yacht Club in Brigadoon, a J/111; Ted Herlihy (PHRF B) of the New Bedford Yacht Club in his J/109 Gut Feeling; Jody Graul (PHRF C) of the Nahant Dory Club and the Lynn Yacht Club in Summerin, a Saber 36; Ed Cerullo (Double Handed) of the Edgartown Yacht Club in Undine, a Morris 36; and Art Santry (IRC) in Temptation Oak Cliff.
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