NEWPORT, R.I. – Competitors plowed through the rain on Saturday to complete the round-the-island race in the 2009 Sail for Hope.
Sponsored by Sail Newport, the annual charity race is the unofficial end to the summer sailing season. This year, 52 boats with determined and hardy sailors made the 19-plus mile course in six classes of PHRF boats to benefit the Seamen’s Church Instititue in Newport and the RI Food Bank.
Phil Hallowell of Middletown, finished on Jest as the top boat in the overall handicap division. “Jest has done every year of the event and we love it,” Hallowell told organizers.
The crew onboard Jest also included local sailors Anson Stookey and Henry Little. The rest of the crew was comprised of youth sailors including Dirk Johnson, Jr., Sam Hallowell and Dylan Vogel.
“We put the young guys up front and us old guys do the back of the boat,” Hallowell reported.
Hallowell says the conditions on the west side of Jamestown were perfect for his Quest 32. In 10-12 knots with lots of puffs, Jest surfed the back side of the course on one beam reach. After passing Beavertail, Jest jibed reached the Jamestown Bridge and easily fetched the leeward buoy at the top of the island.
“We knew we had our class because were so far in front,” he added. “We noticed Interlodge and Bronco catching us towards the Newport Bridge, but the overall win was a pleasant surprise,” Hallowell added.
Other winners in their PHRF class included: Jim Lengel (Portsmouth, RI) on Top Cat, Alex Hood(Boston, MA) on Opus, Settler with Middletown’s Tom Rich and crew. Michael Dominguez of Barrington, R.I. also took home a first place trophy with his team on Bronco.
Alan and Peggy Renfrew of Saunderstown, R.I. won the J22 Division. The One-Design class sailed a course around Gould Island.
Steve and Sandy Parks from Middletown, R.I. took home a first place trophy for the NEMA Division on their F27 Flying Fish.
The most coveted award in the spirited annual event is actually the top fundraising trophy. Newport sailors Austin and Gwen Fragomen and their crew onboard Interlodge won the prize after raising over $6,500 for the charities.
Sailor/Photographer Matthew Cohen shot the race. Check out his website for official photos.
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Newport, RI
