Gusty Winds Greet Interclub National Contenders

Thirty-five teams arrived in Winthrop, Massachusetts, last weekend for the 2011 Interclub National Championships, sponsored by Paul W. Marks Food Service Co.. The sailors were greeted Saturday morning by gusty winds out of the east. The wind, steady in the high teens, with gusts into the low 20s, kicked up seas that built to 3 to 4 feet and gave the 12-foot, round-bottomed, cat-rigged dinghies and their crews a workout on the first day of the event.

The fleet had 4 modified windward-leeward races, with the windward mark just off the Winthrop shore and a long run to a leeward gate nearly back at Snake Island. The race committee was kept busy rescuing capsized boats—only 19 boats of the registered 35 boats completed the fourth race.

The Larchmont, New York-based teams of Paul-John Patin and Felicity Ryan and John and Molly Baxter emerged nearly unscathed, with no finish below a 4, and 8 and 9 total points, respectively. Rounding out the top 5 were 3 local teams: me and my husband Paul Adam, with 27 points; John and Myrna MacRae with 33 points, and Andrew and Julie Crocker with 34 points.

After an evening that included a good dinner, a generous raffle (thanks to many sponsors) and some candlepin bowling, the crews returned Sunday morning to westerly winds in the 20s with gusts to 30. Racing was officially canceled at 11:00 a.m., and the 2011 title went to Patin and Ryan, their first win in 19 years of sailing ICs together. Patin and Ryan also won the 2011 Wharf Rat Challenge Trophy, an award given to the team that scores best across 7 interfleet events over the course of the winter.

Results:

Interclub Nationals Final Results (pdf)

Host Club:

Winthrop Frostbite Sailing Club

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