SIYC Opti Regatta Recap
On Wednesday July 6th, over one hundred sailors arrived at Shelter Island Yacht Club for the first Opti event of the 2016 season. The JSA Opti Area A regatta is a qualifier for the JSA Opti Championship which will be held at The Waterfront Center in mid-August.
The day started with boats being unloaded and sailors greeting each other with smiles, meanwhile SIYC Instructors were finishing safety checks and preparing coach boats. At 10:30 the skippers meeting commenced, where PRO Jeff Bresnahan gave opening remarks and explained the course that would be sailed. Pipes Cove, the racing area does not usually get breeze until later in the day so SIYC plans to have lunch on land before sending the kids out into the hot sun. The SIYC kitchen staff prepared an amazing lunch for sailors, which were set out under the awning after the skippers meeting.
At 11:30 the sailors took to the water, promptly being towed through the ferry line and into Pipes Cove. With a dying northerly, the race committee set a course and promptly attempted to get a race off. The race began with around 4 knots, but died as sailors approached the windward mark. Knowing the race would take too long and a fleet almost a leg apart already, the RC decided to abandon the race. With no breeze left, the sailors went into a holding pattern, which meant for some swimming to keep cool.
At 2:30 a Southerly finally emerged, the RC sprung into action, setting a course with the hope that the breeze would remain consistent. Luckily it did, and the red and blue fleet had their first start. The left seemed to pay in most of the races however the starting line continued to be squared up with plenty of room on either side of the line. The white fleet was able to get three races while the red and blue fleet got four. That made a series, and kids were happy with the quality and length of the races.
Once the boats got back to shore, all of the kids and instructors were happy to see watermelon slices and other snacks waiting for them. Thanks to SIYC and the volunteers who made the regatta function so smoothly. For results click here
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