Commodore David K. Elwell Jr.'s Conspiracy in the NYYC Race Week at Newport presented by Rolex. (Photo by Rolex/Dan Nerney)
NEWPORT, R.I.– We know it seems like a long way off, but take heart that the 2010 summer sailing season is taking shape. Just announced is the schedule for the seventh biennial New York Yacht Club Race Week at Newport.
Promising to be one of the most anticipated regattas in the country, the NYYC Race Week will serve as one of several highlights to the summer season. So mark your calendars, it’s slated to take place from July 17-24.
No other sailing event has its unique split format for One-Design, Classic, 12 Metre and PHRF championships in the beginning of the week (July 17- 19) and IRC racing at the back end (July 21-24) or the propensity for delivering that extra something that keeps it on the priority list for sailors serious about mixing hard-core competition with a compelling story line and good fun.
In 2008, host New York Yacht Club embellished Race Week activities with the unforgettable 100th birthday celebration of America’s legendary yacht designer Olin J. Stephens; in 2010, the club will ramp up for the integration of the Rolex US-IRC National Championship, an annual event that last year was held on the West Coast and this year is expected to attract participants from all corners of the country.
“The two sessions allow competitors to choose between a short week and a long week,” said Event Chair Peter Cummiskey. “For instance, the NYYC Swan 42 class has chosen Race Week at Newport as the venue for its national championship and the J/109 class will be sailing its North Americans for the first part of the week, but some owners will also enter their boats in the IRC racing during the second half. Some crew who sail One-Design in the first half of the week undoubtedly will find rides for the second half during IRC. It all depends on the time, opportunities and competitive appetites of individual sailors.”
Race Committee Chair John Myles added that there is no racing anticipated on Tuesday, July 20, allowing a day to switch to IRC configuration and facilitate crew changes. A mix of short course and middle-distance racing is planned for the IRC racers, depending on conditions. The Rolex US-IRC National Championship will end with a Rolex gala and awards banquet on Saturday, July 24.
Both segments of Race Week will feature NYYC’s notable race management team, beautiful sailing on the waters of Narragansett Bay and Rhode Island Sound, convenient access to the largest concentration of world class offshore racing support facilities in North America, daily social gatherings and technical briefings, and the hospitality of the New York Yacht Club’s entire membership and staff. Rolex timepieces will be awarded for best overall performances in Classic, One-Design and IRC divisions.
Large fleets are anticipated for this premier event, with many traveling to the area to compete in the 2010 Newport to Bermuda Race and Onion Patch Series, the latter of which kicks off with the 156th NYYC Annual Regatta presented by Rolex (June 11-13). Last year, 105 yachts entered the Annual Regatta; two years ago, a Newport to Bermuda Race year, 110 yachts competed. The tradition of the Annual Regatta began at the New York Yacht Club’s original clubhouse in Hoboken, N.J., in 1845, during its second year of existence.
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Newport, RI
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It is a long way off, but it lifts the spirits to think about the upcoming sailing season during this brutal cold! Should be a great event.