While the summer may be coming to a close, sailing and racing on Manhasset Bay and the Long Island Sound is far from over. The fall winds and cooler days are perfect for sailing. This past weekend, the bay was full of activity as Manhasset Bay Yacht Club (MBYC) held their 83rd Annual Race Week and the Thirsty Thursday boats enjoyed another evening of racing.
Wednesday, Aug. 26, started Race Week festivities with ladies sailing. Four boats entered, one from MBYC, two from Port Washington Yacht Club (PWYC) and one guest. Tom Powers, MBYC Ideal 18 program director, Vince Syracuse, MBYC race committee chair, ran the races, with help from Mike Mansfield, PWYC Ideal 18 program director, and myself, Andrea Watson, PWYC race committee chair. Four races were completed in what could only be called challenging wind conditions for both the racers and the race committee. Marks were moved after each race to try to keep the course square. The results for the ladies sailing:
1. Cindy Jordan/Jamie Gross, 2. Aviva Pinto/Roxanne Lehman/Donna Greenwall, MBYC, 3. Dawn Serignese/Valerie Taylor/Kate Walz, PWYC, and 4. Dawn Wands/Lara Curto/Catherine Einhous, PWYC.
MBYC Race Week continued with racing through the weekend. Vince Syracuse, MBYC Race committee chair, submitted this recap:
Manhasset Bay Race Week is a club tradition dating back to the 1930s as the Manhasset Bay Fall Series. It was originally a Labor Day event that has evolved over the years and has been a part of MBYC summers since 1962.
Race Week 2015 drew more than 75 sailors to MBYC who participated in some very exciting racing. MBYC would like to acknowledge the support of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA), which entered four boats in the Sonar Fleet and one boat in the MBOD Fleet.
After getting off to a slow start on Aug. 28, which forced a “no wind” cancellation, the wind gods were kind on Aug. 29-30. An A-team race committee, headed by pros Bill Seiner and Ideal 18 Program Director Tom Powers, was able to run 22 competitive multi-fleet one-design races. There were 12 boats entered in the Sonar Fleet; after eight races, Cindy Jordan and Ted Toombs took first place with 22 points squeezing out John Browning and Former Commodore Sue Miller, who had 23 points. USMMA midshipman James Gardner came in third with 25 points. Cindy and Ted’s first place win in a 12-boat fleet earned them the Black Jack Trophy, the Edward P. Alker Trophy, the Lure Trophy and the Arthur E. Barnard Crew Trophy. Midshipman Gardner won The Robert Harvey Wessmann Jr. Trophy as the best under age 25 skipper.
Five boats were entered in the MBOD fleet. Seven races resulted in a win by Vice-Commodore John Silbersack at 13 points followed by Claes Larsson with 20 points and Adrian Alley, George Graff, Ned Baker and Dick Moore placed third. Two boats battled it out in the Ideal 18 Fleet, which had seven races. Team Syracuse, aka Vince and Dana Syracuse, won first place honors (and the Syracuse Family’s fifth Louise T. Haney Memorial Trophy) with 10 points followed by Guy Crawford with 11 points. There was also a separate women’s race in Ideal 18s, which got in four races and included two boats from PWYC. Cindy Jordon took first place and the David Craig Trophy. She also won the George H. Wicke Trophy as the best female skipper in the regatta.
Rita and Vince Syracuse, Race Week cochairs for the third year in a row, thank all participants, our race committee volunteers and the entire MBYC family for their support and help that made Race Week 2015 a huge success. Thanks also go to the many MBYC members who joined us for the Annual Race Week Clambake on Saturday evening that as always featured great food and the music of Stuart Marcus.
The 83rd Annual Manhasset Bay Race Week results were: Sonar (12 boats): 1. Cindy Jordan, YRALIS and Ted Toombs, MBYC, 2. John Browning/Sue Miller, MBYC, 3. James Gardner, USMMA. MBOD (5 boats): 1.John Silbersack, MBYC. 2. Claes Larsson, MBYC, and 3. Adrian Alley, George Graff, Ned Baker and Dick Moore, MBYC. Ideal 18 (2 boats): 1. Vince and Dana Syracuse, MBYC, 2. Guy Crawford, MBYC.
Charity Cup Regatta
It’s not too late to join the fun at PWYC this weekend. The 18th Port Washington Charity Cup Regatta, benefiting Avon 39: The Walk to End Breast Cancer, starts off the weekend of parties and racing with the Grand Cocktail Gala of Hope on Saturday, Sept. 12. The evening features an eight-piece J. Morelli Band and great food. It has been a hit over the past few years, selling out the entire club. Wine tasting from various local vineyards will be offered on the dock overlooking Manhasset Bay. Add in the live and silent auction items and raffle baskets, and the gala is an evening not to be missed. The following day is the regatta and all-day BBQ. This regatta is a Clean Regatta and is registered with Sailors for the Sea. The overall winning boat receives a framed oil painting of his or her boat by Lawrence Chrapliwy, artist-in-residence, Cow Neck Historical Society and a member of the American Society of Marine Artists. To enter the regatta, go to www.yachtscoring.com. For more information call the PWYC at 516-767-1614.
