Please select your home edition
Edition
Noble Marine 2022 YY - LEADERBOARD

2013 Ida Lewis Distance Race - Overall

by Kirsten Ferguson 19 Aug 2013 09:22 BST 16-17 August 2013
Ida Lewis Yacht Club's Youth Challenge entry Icarus Racing during the 2013 Ida Lewis Distance Race © Meghan Sepe

Tricky overnighter leads to 16 boats missing time limit

Of 29 boats that started this year's Ida Lewis Distance Race, only 13 managed to finish within the 30-hour time limit due to light winds and strong currents. Nevertheless, the popular overnighter, which started Friday afternoon (August 16) on Narragansett Bay, was a hit, taking the fleet on its two shortest courses: the 122 nautical mile Nomans course (for IRC, PHRF and PHRF Double-Handed classes) and the 103 nm Buzzards Tower course (for the PHRF Cruising Spinnaker class). On Saturday (August 17), the lucky 13—including each one of the three Youth Challenge teams and two Collegiate Challenge teams entered --had successfully completed the race, with Massachusetts Maritime Academy's Andrews 70 SHINDIG taking line honors after crossing the line at 7:59 a.m.

"At the start, we had about 12 knots of breeze coming out of the bay," said Massachusetts Maritime Academy cadet Tim Dexter (Manchester, Vermont) who helmed SHINDIG, "and we were beginning to work on all the boats, but as soon as we got to Block Island it began to lighten up and current became more of a factor. Our crew stayed really positive. Everyone's head was in the race the entire time, and we pushed the boat as hard a we could."

The team of 15 sailors was awarded the Lois J. Muessel Memorial Trophy for best elapsed time overall as well as the William E. Tuthill Trophy for winning the separately scored Collegiate Challenge over the University of Rhode Island's Baltic 50 Crazy Horse. (To qualify for the Collegiate Challenge, more than 40% of the crew had not turned 26 prior to August 16.)

"I started racing big boats when I came to the Academy, and the biggest difference that I notice between offshore and dinghy racing is really the pace," said Dexter, adding that he, along with a majority of the team, also raced SHINDIG to take line honors at this year's 645-mile Marion Bermuda Race. "With distance racing, you get the chance to tune the boat and work on finding boat speed; you need to be able to make the boat go as fast as possible in a straight line."

A little after 9:30 a.m., Kevin McNeil's (Annapolis, Md.) Farr 40 Nightshift became the second boat to cross the finish line and was awarded the perpetual Lime Rock Trophy for best corrected time in PHRF. The Nightshift team also was one of eight boats hosting at least one junior sailor among its crew.

"We had a great turnout, with a total of 17 junior sailors participating in the Ida Lewis Distance Race overall," said Regatta Chair Simon Davidson (Newport, R.I.), one of two adults onboard the Class 40 Icarus Racing, which served as Ida Lewis Yacht Club's Youth Challenge entry. Davidson added that many of the junior sailors on Icarus Racing were also involved in the Ida Lewis Yacht Club's Big Boat Program, which takes a class out every Tuesday in the summer to sail all different types of keelboats.

"It is all about getting more young sailors out on the water and participating, and the purpose of the Big Boat Program is to give them exposure to keelboats," said Davidson. "Most of the kids in this program have done a lot of dinghy sailing in the past and progressed to keelboats, and the Ida Lewis Distance Race was the perfect way to put their new-found skills to the test in a racing setting. I can tell you that the four junior sailors on our boat did a stellar job. The light air turned out to be the perfect platform for learning offshore racing, because there is so much boat handling involved, and adjustments have to be made constantly to keep the boat moving."

Winning the Youth Challenge (also separately scored) was the Farr 47 Oakcliff, whose team traveled from Oakcliff Sailing Center in Oyster Bay, N.Y. It was presented with the Arent H. Kits van Heyningen Trophy by Robert Kits van Heyningen, who also competed in the event aboard his IMX-45 Temptress.

"I really enjoyed myself," said 16-year-old Catalina Feder (Oyster Bay, N.Y.), who managed the pit onboard Oakcliff and is no stranger to distance racing after competing with Oakcliff sailors in the 363-mile Marblehead to Halifax Race earlier this summer. "I personally enjoy offshore racing over other types of racing. You settle into a routine when you are all living on a boat together, and you are constantly pushing yourself to work hard to make the boat go fast; whereas, in a buoy race, though you work equally hard, at the end of the day you are done and can head into shore."

Of the 14 sailors onboard Oakcliff, 12 were from the Oakcliff Sailing Center's Acorn (ages 15-18) and Sapling (18-27) Programs. (To qualify for the Youth Challenge, more than 40% of the crew had to have reached their 14th birthday but not turned 20 prior to August 16.)

"The Youth Challenge is a great thing for us, and it is one of our goals to do events like these and do them well, but it is also so much about the experience for these kids," said Oakcliff Sailing Center's Training Program Director Jay Kehoe, one of Oakcliff's two adult crew members, adding that most of the juniors onboard had been training for four weeks prior to the Ida Lewis Distance Race and were able to sail the boat through the night with very little assistance. "Through our youth training program, we help them gather the tools they need to win. That is what they used for this event, and they did a great job."

Presented with the Commodore's Trophy for best corrected time in IRC was Christopher Culver's (Weston, Conn.) Swan 42 Blazer. "The teamwork on the boat was exceptional, and I don't think we left anything out on the race course," said Culver. "We had terrific calls tactically, and the light-air sailing was absolutely outstanding on the boat. There is so much camaraderie around distance and offshore races, and it's the ups and downs during one that make it so that you are never out of a race. No matter what the conditions are or where we are, there is always a lot of racing left and time to claw your way back." Following Blazer in second place on corrected time was Andrew and Linda Weiss' (Mamaroneck, N.Y.) Sydney 43 Christopher Dragon, which also received the Russell L. Hoyt Memorial Trophy for best elapsed time in this class.

In the Double-Handed class, sailing under PHRF, Edward Cesare's (Norwalk, Conn.) Class 40 Pleiad Racing finished the race in just over 24 hours, earning the Double-Handed Trophy for best corrected time in the class.

The Ida Lewis Distance Race is a qualifier for the New England Lighthouse Series (PHRF), the Northern and Double-Handed Ocean Racing Trophies (IRC), and the US-IRC Gulf Stream Series.

Starting Line sponsors for the 2013 Ida Lewis Distance Race were Bluewater Technologies, Inc., the City of Newport, New England Boatworks, Newport Shipyard, North Sails, and Marsh. Contributing sponsors were Dockwise Yacht Transport, Flint Audio Video, Mac Designs, Sea Gear Uniforms, Stella Artois, Gosling's Bermuda Black Rum, Rig Pro Southern Spars and Z Blok.

Overall Results: (top five)

Class 1 - IRC (IRC - 7 Boats)
1. Blazer, Swan 42, Christopher Culver, Weston, Conn., 1
2. Christopher Dragon, Sydney 43, Andrew & Linda Weiss, Mamaroneck, N.Y., 2
3. Miracle, R/P 44, Michael Cashel, Hingham, Mass., 3
4. Catapult, Ker 40, Marc Glimcher, New York, N.Y., 4
5. Orion, J/122, Paul Milo, Leesburg, Va., 8/DNF

Class 2 - PHRF (PHRF - 15 Boats)
1. Nightshift, Farr 40, Kevin McNeil, Annapolis, Md., 1
2. White Rhino, Swan 56, Todd Stuart, Newport, R.I., 2
3. SHINDIG, Andrews 70, Massachusetts Maritime Academy, Buzzards Bay, Mass., 3
4. Oakcliff YOUTH, Farr 47, Oakcliff Sailing, Oyster Bay, N.Y., 4
5. Crazy Horse C.C., Baltic 50, Kevin McLaughlin, Fairhaven, Mass., 5

Class 3 - PHRF Double-Handed (PHRF - 3 Boats)
1. Pleiad Racing, Class 40, Edward Cesare, Norwalk, Conn., 1
2. Oronoco, Sabre 426, Adrian Ravenscroft, Cohasset, Mass., 4/DNF
3. Ruse, Swan 44, William Marsh, Chatham, Mass., 4/DNF

Class 4 - PHRF Cruising Spinnaker (PHRF - 4 Boats)
URSA, J 109, Brooke Mastrorio, Lakeville, Mass., 5/DNF
Spirit, J 92S 30, EC Helme, Newport, R.I., 5/DNF
Shindig, P39-2 39, Kevin Flannery, Waban, Mass., 5/DNF
Haerlem, Swan 55/57, Hendrikus PLM Wisker, Round Hill, Va., 5/DNF

For more information on the annual Ida Lewis Distance race, visit www.ildistancerace.org

Related Articles

Ida Lewis Distance Race
Popular overnight sailboat race set for August The 13th edition of the Ida Lewis Distance Race is scheduled to start on Friday, August 18, 2017, promising once again to deliver an exciting late-season topper to a busy summer of competitive racing on Narragansett Bay. Posted on 22 Apr 2017
Mouligne is up to the challenge
In Ida Lewis Distance Race Talk about stretching one's sailing legs. Last year, Tristan Mouligne of Boston was about to compete in his sixth Ida Lewis Distance Race. Posted on 23 Apr 2016
New teams join the mix
For Ida Lewis Distance Race 2015 Word is out that the Ida Lewis Distance Race (ILDR) is one for the sailing bucket list, and a slew of event newcomers have registered for the popular overnighter's 11th edition, which kicks off Friday, August 14 at 12:30 p.m. Posted on 8 Aug 2015
Ida Lewis Distance Race
Mother Nature packed extra punch for the 10th anniversary Mother Nature packed an extra punch for the 10th Anniversary of the Ida Lewis Distance Race, with high winds (up to 25 knots) and rough seas challenging its record 47-boat fleet and forcing 12 to retire from racing. Posted on 18 Aug 2014
10th Ida Lewis Distance Race preview
Ten reasons why you should race Ida Lewis Yacht Club's signature overnight competition, the Ida Lewis Distance Race celebrates its 10th Anniversary in 2014. And to toast a decade of offshore fun for everyone, here are the top ten reasons why you should be on the starting line. Posted on 12 Jun 2014
Ida Lewis Distance Race celebrates
10th Anniversary as Newport's Signature Overnight Race This summer, the Ida Lewis Distance Race will celebrate its tenth anniversary doing what it does best: presenting sailors with an exciting overnight offshore experience that covers hallowed sailing ground and is just the right length. Posted on 29 Mar 2014
Ida Lewis Distance Race 2014
Set to take place on 15th August In its tenth edition, the Ida Lewis Distance Race features four coastal courses between 104 nm and 177 nm, and is perfectly designed overnighter for IRC, PHRF, One Design, Multihull and Double-Handed boats of 28 feet or longer. Posted on 8 Mar 2014
All set for Ida Lewis Distance Race
New England sailing classic begins today Rush hour on Narragansett Bay will arrive early Friday, August 16th, when 29 IRC, PHRF and Double-Handed boats head for the starting line of the Ida Lewis Distance Race. Posted on 16 Aug 2013
Ida Lewis Distance Race preview
Starting on 16th August in Newport R.I. The starting line at the Ida Lewis Distance Race will be adorned with some extra bells and whistles next week when new teams, a new class and multiple Youth and Collegiate Challenge teams join the competitive ranks for the popular overnighter. Posted on 11 Aug 2013
Sailors plan early
For Newport sailing seasons Grand Finale This summer, Newport, R.I. will wrap up another busy sailing season with the fan-favorite Ida Lewis Distance Race. In its ninth edition, this popular overnight competition starts on August 16th and takes sailors on one of four coastal courses. Posted on 6 May 2013