C420, Laser and Laser Radial Sailors Compete at Commodore Law Trophy Regatta
The parking lot at Indian Harbor Yacht Club in Greenwich, CT, was buzzing with activity on Monday, June 30th as junior sailors prepared for the first of two days out on the water. The prestigious Commodore Law Trophy Regatta for Laser Standard, Laser Radial, and Club 420s was hosted by Indian Harbor YC where it was first sailed 85 years ago.
The regatta, which is open exclusively to sailors who qualified for JSA champs last year or were accepted by resume, consisted of 61 sailors, including those who were looking to secure a spot in the Area B Qualifier Regatta for the US Junior Singlehanded and Doublehanded Championships on July 10th in Mystic, CT.
Being the first regatta of the season, many sailors were excited for what the two days had in store. “There’s some heavy breeze out there, and I’m looking forward to some nice competition,” American Yacht Club Laser Radial sailor Owen Moore told me on Monday.
While conditions were near perfect on Monday, with the Race Committee managing to get 5 races in, conditions on the second day were not as nice. “It was pretty darn shifty out there,” AYC sailor Austen Freda said. “We had a postponement because of no wind and then 10 minutes later I was on the trap.”
Although the shifty wind only allowed the racers to get three races in on Tuesday, sailors were optimistic about the upcoming racing season. “You’re obviously racing against some good kids,” Hector McKemey told me, referencing the fact that this race is only open to highly qualified sailors. “Hopefully, such intense racing this early on will prepare me well for the rest of the summer.”
The winner in Laser Radials was Jared Gaynes, sailing for American Yacht Club, while Richie Gordon, sailing for Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club, took first for the Laser Standard class and the team of Will Gallagher and Jack Knowles, sailing for Larchmont Yacht Club, won the Club 420 division.
Full results are posted on the regatta documents section of the JSA LIS website
