2024 Safe Harbor Race Weekend Preview - Bring it on!
by Barby MacGowan 3 Aug 2024 13:29 BST
August 9-11, 2024
2023 Safe Harbor Race Weekend action: Defending champions Tacktile in PHRF Cruising © Safe Harbor / Stephen Cloutier
In its four short years of existence, the three-day Safe Harbor Race Weekend has established itself as a revered sailing tradition on the summer regatta schedule for Narragansett Bay and Rhode Island Sound.
To date, 65 teams have registered for the August 9-11 event, which will host as many as ten classes competing in ORC, IC37 One-Design, PHRF, and PHRF Performance Cruising. And while these teams are psyching up for fierce competition promised on the water, they're also eagerly anticipating good fun ashore assured by the event's many social opportunities.
"Safe Harbor Race Weekend always has great competition, amazing race management, and even better parties," said New Wave's skipper Steve Liebel (Tampa, Fla.), one of many headliners in the extremely competitive IC37 class, which is expecting over 10 entries. "We look forward to it every year."
Liebel, who has sailed with his same crew for over 30 years and will defend his title at the IC37 North Americans in Newport this September, feels the Safe Harbor Race Weekend will help set him up for success. "The winners of this year's New York Yacht Club's Annual Regatta and Race Week (New Wave and Kaui, respectively) and the winner of the Sail Newport Regatta (Turkey Bone) will all be here, along with several other outstanding crews," said Liebel.
An ORC class champion at this regatta last year, Drew Freides (Los Angeles, Calif.) will sail his Cape 31 Pacific Yankee in ORC 4 this year. (On the preliminary scratch sheet, there are a total of four ORC classes.) He will pit against two other high-performance Cape 31s (Katahdin and Warrior Won) and a Farr 30 (Das Blau Max), all notable for their polished teamwork and winning track records.
"It was tough last year (to win); it'll be tough again this year - none of these guys are pushovers," said Freides, who recently topped his class in the New York Yacht Club's Annual Regatta as well as Race Week and has won world championships in the Melges 24, Melges 20 (twice), and Farr 40 classes. "We've had the same core team for many years, so we feel like we're at the top of our game, but we're still expecting a battle here."
Several champions from last year's PHRF classes are back to defend in 2024, including Joe Brito (Bristol, R.I.), sailing his J/121 Incognito in PHRF 1, and Kevin Dakan (Warwick, R.I.), who will sail the J/110 Memory in PHRF 2. (Currently, there are a total of two PHRF classes and three PHRF Performance Cruising classes.)
Competing in PHRF Performance Cruising 1, 2, and 3, respectively, will be defending champions Dudley Johnson (Westerly, R.I.), sailing the Marten 49 Pugilist; James Phyfe (Cranston, R.I.), sailing the J/44 Digger; and Jeffrey Wilson (Fairfield, Conn.), sailing the Sabre 42 Tacktile. Rather than the windward/leeward courses sailed by ORC, IC37 and PHRF classes, the Performance Cruising classes will sail navigation courses around government marks.
"One longer race per day is more enjoyable for us, and it is certainly better suited to a 35-year-old cruiser/racer," said Digger's Phyfe. "Jim Bishop and his team had great success with this boat as Gold Digger in the past, but she doesn't maneuver like some of the more modern designs. We do well when the boat is able to showcase its natural abilities, so we look for longer course legs and the variety of angles these races feature."
As for his competition in the class, Phyfe said he's not familiar with most of the boats sailing, "so it should be fun to see how we match up." He sails with mostly locals from the Warwick/East Greenwich area and likes to include younger sailors when he can. "My niece Brooke puts together a good group of juniors for us every race, so I am sure we will have several 20-year-olds on board as well."
There appears to be no shortage of talent or enthusiasm for the 2024 edition of Safe Harbor Race Weekend. According to Event Director Tim Moll, all classes are scheduled to sail the Around Prudence Island Race on Friday. "This is a fun and popular way to start Safe Harbor Race Weekend prior to classes splitting into their windward/leeward and navigation course divisions on Saturday and Sunday."
Racing/Social Schedule
With a Captains' Briefing scheduled for Thursday (August 8) at Safe Harbor Newport Shipyard, on-water action starts Friday at noon and will be followed by a Coastal New England Dinner Presented by BMW at Safe Harbor New England Boatworks. Saturday and Sunday's racing, also with scheduled noon starts, will be followed, respectively, with the "Talk of The Town" Crew Party (a celebratory mariners feast with live music) presented by Mount Gay Rum at Safe Harbor Newport Shipyard, and the final Awards Ceremony, also at Safe Harbor Newport Shipyard.
More information here