Annual Jr C420 challenge regatta at SUNY Maritime
Patience was the key to the sixth Annual SUNY Maritime College Junior Challenge for Club 420 sailors.
After a nearly four hour postponement the first of six races went off at 5:33 p.m.
Thirty competitors representing Eastern Connecticut Sailing Association, Great South Bay Yacht Racing Association, Hudson River yacht Racing Association, Long Island Sound Junior Sailing Association and Peconic Gardiners Junior Sailing Association sailed in a steady 10 knot breeze. Each sailing association had three 420s representing them on windward/leeward courses in the East River between the Throgs Neck and Whitestone bridges.
Typical of racing at SUNY Maritime College, race four was called off with one minute to go before the start to allow a barge to pass through the race course. A special thank you to Maritime Sailing Coach/Bellport Bay YC Race Coach Zach Runci and The Waterfront Center’s Sailing Director Alicia Martorella for running efficient, quality races, including getting the sixth race off just minutes before the 7 p.m. deadline.
The Junior Sailing Association three-boat team from western Long Island Sound region won the day with best combined fleet race scores among the teams. Taegan Blackwell/Aisling Quirke of American YC received the best individual fleet score and Edward Lebens/Greta Farrell of the Waterfront Center were only three points away as second individual score. In the final race Julia Reynolds/Chase Reynolds of Pequot YC finished their best race of the day in the #2 position, gaining a 1-2-3 finish sequence for the JSA of LIS boats in that race.
For full race results, go to the JSA website regatta results page.
