The venerable Edgartown Yacht Club’s Round the Island race saw nearly perfect racing conditions over the weekend, with 39 boats from New England and beyond completing the course of approximately 57 nautical miles around Martha’s Vineyard.
“We had a screaming wind of 15 to 20 knots, out of the east,” said race committee co-chairman Hal Findlay. “That was so favorable for everybody.”
The race is in its 80th year.
This year the home club initiated a new race, called Round the Sound, an 18 nautical mile course from Edgartown outer harbor to a buoy off Osterville, back west to a buoy off Falmouth, and then back to Edgartown. Eight boats competed in the new event.
“It was a beautiful weekend, very, very good breezes and a very competitive fleet,” said Edgartown Yacht Club commodore Paul Mitchell. “We thought it was a resounding success for the first year, we’re expecting more people to participate next year.”
Mr. Mitchell himself had a successful day on the water, skippering Amusing to first place in the Sheilds division of the Round the Sound race.
“We had everyone on board participating in the navigation, looking at paper charts, electronic charts, trying to calculate the tide and the distance. It was really a team effort,” Mr. Mitchell said.
Other winners in the inaugural Round the Sound race included Annie, sailed in the Classic division by Phil Smith of the Nantucket Yacht Club.
Lord Charlton won the multi-hull division, skippered by Jon and Leanne Charlton of the Beverly Yacht Club.
Tonic, with Isabella Giordano at the helm, was best of four boats in the J/70 class.
Frank Sutula, sailing for the Holmes Hole Sailing Association in Soma Holiday, represented Island competitors well in the PHRF C division of the Round the Island race, with a tie for first on corrected time. After 57 miles of racing, Mr. Sutula’s corrected time matched to the second with Kanga, sailed by Luke Tougous out of the Beverly Yacht Club in Marion.
“The day was actually a perfect day for the race,” Mr. Sutula said. “Our boat likes wind the way it was. The crew came together. You make a lot of decisions in a 57-mile race, you say most of them were right, but then you say, oh, one or two others could have been even better.”
Wicked 2.0, sailed by Douglas Curtiss of the New Bedford Yacht Club and always competitive in the Edgartown Race Week regatta, won the PHRF A division.
Aurora, sailed in the A division by Gus Carlson, was not best on corrected time, but was awarded the Concord Cup representing the best elapsed time. Aurora finished the race in 5 hours, 55 minutes, 29 seconds.
Best in PHRF B division was Raptor, skipped by Ed Bailey out of the Beverly Yacht Club. Stephen Besse representing the Vineyard Haven Yacht Club and Holmes Hole Sailing Association in Apres, took fourth in Division B.
In the PHRF non-spinnaker class, Chip Hawkins sailed Caneel to a first place finish for the Barrington Yacht Club. Caneel was also awarded the Upbeat Cup, for overall winner of the non-spinnaker competitors.
In the double-handed division, Yankee Girl was fastest on corrected time, skippered by S. Zachary Lee. Yankee Girl also took the Venona Trophy, representing the best corrected time of the spinnaker divisions.
Also notable in the double-handed division was Iniki, skippered by Paul Stafford, who was awarded the Martha’s Vineyard Ocean Race trophy for best corrected time by a member of the home Edgartown Yacht Club.
In the classic division, Ron Zarella won in Blackfish for the Great Harbor Yacht Club.
Second in the classic division was Wild Horses, skippered by Donald Tofias.
Mr. Tofias of Newport is always competitive in his W-class boats. He is an enthusiastic supporter of the Round the Island race.
“It doesn’t get any better,” the skipper said. “I’ve been coming out here for over 50 years, I’m 71. Until they drag me off the boat and cremate me and scatter my ashes on Buzzards Bay somewhere, I’ll keep coming.”
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