Powder Puff Regatta at Riverside Yacht Club
written by Erin Wojdaszka
On July 10th Riverside Yacht Club hosted its first all girl mixed fleet regatta. The regatta had 100 individually registered competitors and close to 56 boats ranging from Club 420, Feva, ILCA 4 and 6, , and Optimists of all three age groups, plus beginners.
The day could be described as a perfect sailing day for all the boats with breezes ranging in 3-7 knots. The racing area was in the waters off Captain’s Harbor in Greenwich, except for the beginners in Green Fleet who stayed near the club on the Mianus River.
As the boats made their way out to Captain Harbor they had a steady breeze at about 4-7 knots that enabled them to get out to the course quickly and start their first races with little delay. Optis had their own course next to the C420, Feva, and ILCA fleets. The C420’s had the first start in the series and they made their way to the upwind mark, as they rounded the mark, you could see the variety of colors of all the spinnakers popping up.
Reese Ambrose and Hannah Austin finished first in race 1 of C420s. Both girls were excited to be competing in an All Girl mixed fleet regatta. They both also participated in the Law Trophy regatta and said, “ We are hoping for a better sailing day, because Law Trophy was a tough day to race with the wind blowing 20-24 knots.” Opti racers made their way tacking up the windward course, which was a little tough with the choppy waters and the current, but as they rounded the mark they let out their sails and quickly went downwind. Katharine O’Connor from Larchmont came in first for race 1 for the Optis. Jane Sykes from Riverside was also right there with Katharine and came in first for races 2 and 3. Both girls did great rounding the mark and continuing along the course downwind. The conditions got a little dicey towards the end but there were multiple C420s hoping that they would compete in a fourth race. RC said, “We had wind readings of over 20 knots on the signal boat as they were out there, but we were able to get the C420s four races.”
The committee members and race officers all played an important role in the regatta. Riverside had a race committee for each fleet and they consisted of current board members and past board members. Regatta chairpersons Sarah Klocinski and Martha Glenn were excited to be a part of the regatta and worked to make it a smooth day for the competitors. RYC had many members of the yacht club that helped out and volunteered their time to make this regatta a success. There were 3 PRO’s that each contributed their time and support to the girl competitors. Andree Pruett, Ellen Quinn, and Beth Danilek all played a huge role in the race committee and between all three have an amazing amount of experience. Andree said, “ She was impressed w/ the outpouring of support that came from the RYC membership and staff to support the regatta – there was genuine desire to highlight the capabilities of the female sailors – not only for the beginners, but also for the more accomplished sailors. We had a strong group of knowledgeable women members who served on RC – they were thrilled to be part of it and brought their expertise with them. It is easier to aspire to something if you see proof that it is attainable – I think between our competitors and our support team we accomplished that at the Powder Puff Regatta and I am looking forward to being part of it again next year!”
The Opti-green fleet stayed ashore for a morning full of fun games, competitors meeting, and lunch. As soon as lunch ended they made their way to the top deck to have their competitor’s meeting and review the course and some additional teaching tips. Sailing director Samantha Labuzetta did a great job reviewing the starting sequencing and reviewing safety protocols. The competitors all got to their boats and coaches helped get them off the dock. It was great to see the coaches ride alongside of them in their coach boat talking them through how to get out of the dock area and out to the course. Some great teaching points were, “ Let your sail out, remember to steer towards danger to get away, and let’s look at where the wind is coming from.” The breeze was just around 3 knots as they started their first race, but quickly picked up to around 5 knots, which made a shorter race series, but there were lots of smiles coming in. After the Green Fleet Opti’s came in, some went back out on Hobie Waves to end the day with some fun sailing. All around, the girls had a beautiful day for sailing and a fun time racing. To see the results of the Powder Puff Regatta click here Powder Puff Regatta.
