Over the course of two days, sailors competing in this year’s Vineyard Cup struggled against shifting currents and winds.
Rounding the bend at West Chop on Saturday, the second and final day of the race, it was Black Watch in the lead followed closely by Aprés and Gut Feeling. Ultimately, it was the 68-foot Black Watch that claimed victory in the Vineyard Cup’s pursuit race, which pits boats of many shapes and sizes against one another.
“These were challenging conditions,” said Trevor Fetter, co-owner and skipper of Black Watch. “We had a lot of current and not a lot of wind.... We saw currents as high as nearly three knots today.”
Mr. Fetter sailed in the Vineyard Cup on Friday and Saturday alongside his sister, J.J., who won a bronze medal in the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona and a silver medal in the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.
“This is so different because in Olympic sailing all the boats are equal,” said Ms. Fetter. “So this is really challenging because all the boats are different, so they all perform differently and at different angles of sails.”
According to Ms. Fetter, sailing is like a game of chess, but the board is always in motion.
“Today was super tricky with that current and the shifting breeze and everything,” she said.
For 20 consecutive years, Sail Martha’s Vineyard has hosted the Vineyard Cup as a way to raise funds to provide free sailing lessons for kids living on the Island. Sail MV also helps run the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School sailing team.
“I think one of the coolest things is seeing the Sail MV facility,” Ms. Fetter said, who started sailing alongside her brother when they were eight. “It’s just an amazing venue for kids and how cool that they are able to provide free instruction for so many kids. That’s just fantastic.”
Black Watch was built by Sparkman & Stephens in 1938 and, after being loaned to the U.S. Navy during the height of the Second World War, patrolled the coast of New England looking for German U-Boats. Although the ketch rig that earned decorations for hunting U-Boats in a past life would take the event’s top prize, there were boats of all makes and models competing in multiple divisions during this year’s race.
“The Classic Yacht Owners Association requires us to divide those classes up into five or six different categories,” said Ellen Pesch, the principle race officer. “There’s classics, modern classic, spirited tradition, vintage and there’s all different rules around how those boats get classified into those categories.”
Since sailing is so dependent on the weather there’s quite a lot that goes into planning a successful race. Weeks before sailors reached the starting line, Ms. Pesch was diligently monitoring the weather and checking the currents to ensure competitors could have an optimal experience.
Twenty-four boats entered the race, but almost as soon as they had left Vineyard Haven Harbor on the second day of racing, the current moving east to west through the Sound brought many to an outright stall and forced two boats to withdraw mid-race.
“The wind direction wasn’t what was forecast,” said Ms. Pesch. “It didn’t cooperate. It didn’t fill in like I expected it to, so it was a little bit tougher race.”
Throughout the event, each boat crew meticulously adjusted their lines, hoping to mold their sails appropriately to catch even the tiniest bit of wind.
“Starting late is an advantage because you get to see what other boats have done wrong, or where they’ve gone where there’s no wind,” said Steve Besse, the Aprés skipper who piloted his boat with the help of his family. Aprés placed first in the spinnaker division and finished second overall.
“Sailing was a big thing for me,” Mr. Besse added. “It was really the first thing I found that I was somewhat decent at and I got a big confidence boost when I started being successful at sailing.”
Despite challenging conditions, Ms. Pesch said she was more than satisfied with the this year’s turnout.
“It’s a great event and we love getting more and more people coming out,” she said. “It’s not a serious race. We run it as though it’s a very professionally run race, but it’s more of a friendly, competitive race.”
To see the full results of this years Vineyard Cup visit yachtscoring.com.
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