I can say with complete certainty that no matter what you were doing the weekend of September 21 - 22nd, it could not compare with the fantastic Sutherland Regatta that was held at Minisceongo Yacht Club. I can’t remember when this event had more participants. Judging by the smiles and the enthusiasm, everyone had a fantastic time.

Of course, it didn’t hurt that the weather was just about perfect. Saturday had a nice breeze all day with typical Hudson River puffs and shifts. The weather forecasted the wind to have a major easterly component which almost always means there will be some major shifts. The regatta organizers, showing great foresight, wrote Race Instructions that included courses using a drop mark to create a windward mark to the East. The Race Committee did a great job, setting up courses with short legs, twice around, that could easily be shortened. They also followed the wind, setting easterly, northerly and finally westerly upwind legs as the wind backed during the day. With the competition fierce, the mark rounding’s were often completed in crowded conditions putting a premium on planning ahead and good crew work. Also, Minisceongo traditionally has a large non-spinnaker fleet. As the spinnaker boats rounded the marks, they then had the added challenge of threading their way through the large number of boats behind them as they raced to the leeward mark.It all made for an exciting day of racing. After three really close races, the top boats in all of the fleets were within a few points of each other.

After such and exciting day on the water, MYC put on a great after race party. Their steak dinner is one of the best deals of any regatta feast as well as being a tasty treat.

Sunday’s racing was in considerably less wind but the sun was out. You’re on the water and there is not a better way to spend time than racing your boat. Everyone was excited for another day of competitive sailing. The RC set a windward/leeward course with the spinnaker boats doing two laps and the non-spinnaker boats doing one lap. The courses used the aforementioned drop mark that was placed upwind, almost due east of the start line. The RC politely answered a radio query and provided the racers with an approximate bearing to this new and hard to see mark of the course. The wind was starting to get fluky and this resulted in the boats being more separated than in the previous days racing. Ten, twenty and even as much as forty minutes separated finishers in the various fleets in this race. Still it was a beautiful day and there was still lots of time left to race. After all the boats had finished, the RC set a course for a second race It was a windward/leeward course, with the spinnaker boats doing two laps and the non-spinnaker boats doing one lap. This proved to be a “lap too far” for the spinnaker boats as the wind died and they struggled to make way against the current. The non-spinnaker boats had two finishers but the RC wisely abandoned the race as not being a fair competition. There were some unhappy skippers and protests were lodged (redress) at the RC. It all got settled in a manner that left everyone satisfied that the right thing was done, and we learned something from the Racing Rules Appeals 100. So all the wiser and ready to celebrate, everyone gathered at MYC’s magnificent new clubhouse for some hot dogs, beer and world class chili and to congratulate the winners.

The members of MYC put on a terrific event and the work of the Race Committee was outstanding. The communication was accurate and timely. There was a great deal of care taken by all to make sure that this event was enjoyable and provided a great weekend of competitive sailing.

Sutherland Regatta Results

Darrell Dwyer, HRYRA President

Shattemuc Yacht Club put on their 140^th Open Regatta last weekend. Their long history of hosting yacht racing events really showed, as the event was about as perfect as a regatta could be. Of course, it didn’t hurt that there was plenty of wind for the racers to enjoy!

Saturday started out with some rain. Luckily, enough of the racers donned foul weathergear so the rain gods were tricked into aborting any further sprinkles. The wind was from the Southeast as predicted with gusts into the twenties. Two around the buoy races were completed by all fleets of between 4 and 4.8 miles in length. With gusty shifty winds, everyone was kept busy keeping the boats on their feet and trying to find the fastest way around the course.

A sumptuous feast awaited the racers when they returned to SYC’s clubhouse and the fine westerly view it provides was a perfect place to socialize while taking in a gorgeous sunset.

Sunday’s forecast was for the wind to veer to the Northwest and with this shift, a possibility of higher wind speeds. The race committee got off three races, two around the buoy courses and a true windward/leeward race for the third and final race of the regatta. By the second race, the winds had built to where the apparent winds were creeping into the 30 knot range. With the wind direction in opposition to the current, needless to say, there were also lots of waves in the mix to add to the challenge. Luckily there were only a few gear breakage problems, a torn sail, broken batten and a parted spin pole foreguy were some examples of damage. Everyone made it safely to Shattemuc to spin tales of their adventures, enjoy a hearty lunch, relax and congratulate the winners of the two days of challenging racing.

Once again, the many people of Shattemuc Yacht Club are to be congratulated for putting on a really top-notch event. There are few clubs that do as professional a job of running a regatta as the fine members of this club.

There’s still plenty of time to get in on all of the fun. The long-range weather forecast for the next HRYRA regatta at Minisceongo Yacht Club looks to be outstanding. Minisceongo also has traditionally had the largest turn out in the non-spinnaker fleet with ten boats often at the start line. So don’t delay. Get your MYC registration in and we all will look forward to seeing you on the weekend of September 21^st.

The results of the Shattemuc Regatta can be found here.

Darrell Dwyer, HRYRA President

Hello Racers.

I wanted to discuss with you the inclusion of a new fleet that can/will be added to HRYRA Regattas. This will be a Non-Spinnaker Double Handed Fleet.  Boats that wish to race in the Double Handed (DH) fleet can ask for a second (no charge) PHRF certificate.

Double-handed - A member who wishes to use a different configuration when racing Double-handed can also apply for a separate Double-handed certificate which will be marked for Double-handed racing only. A double handed racing certificate may describe a completely different configuration from the fully crewed certificate. For instance, my boat “Ripple” is rated for a 155% genoa and no roller furler for fully crewed racing.  If I were to get a second DH certificate, I could get my boat rated for a 135% dacron genoa on a roller furler which could ONLY be used in DH racing fleet.  You can NOT use the DH cert in a fully crewed racing fleet (HRYRA div. 1,2,3).  If you only race with 2 people on board, or have trouble getting weekend crew, this may give you the opportunity to fleet race with other double handed boats. As per YRALIS safety regulations (which HRYRA follows), you are ALLOWED the use of an autopilot in DH fleet racing (ONLY while racing in a HRYRA DH racing fleet).

For the 2024 season, this fleet will begin as non-spinnaker. If HRYRA sees sufficient numbers of boats that would like to race DH spinnaker, HRYRA may add that fleet next year. (Please leave us feedback).

DH fleets will be scored separately from Fully Crewed Fleets.

Respectfully,

Mike Colucci, HRYRA Handicapper, YRALIS PHRF Committee

The Hudson River YRA recently switched to MailChimp for email to Members.

Anyone, including crew, may sign up to our email list at https://phrf.hryra.org/hudson-river-yra-newsletter.

This will ensure you get the latest news including: Events, NoRs, SIs and Regatta Wrap ups.

Again in 2024, scoring for ALL divisions (spinnaker and non-spinnaker) will use the PHRF Time on Time (ToT) Scoring System.

If you are interested in how the TCF is calculated and applied, US Sailing offers a comprehensive overview of ToT at: http://www.ussailing.org/racing/offshore-big-boats/rating-rules/#1471969534315-2e06dd00-392d

Another great explanation comparing ToD and ToT written by Peter Oden, HRYRA Rules and Appeals Chairman, can be found HERE.

2024 HRYRA Board Officers

President: Darrell Dwyer

Vice President: David Wightman

Secretary: Liz Sugg

Treasurer / PHRF Secretary: Cc Dwyer

PHRF Handicapper: Mike Colucci

PHRF Scorekeeper: Sherri Hill

Rules/Appeals: Peter Oden

Haverstraw Bay Racing Association: John Nonenmacher

Women's Regatta: Vicki Arbitrio

Please remember, if you have a question concerning racing in a HRYRA regatta, or any question about HRYRA, please contact your Club’s HRYRA Representative. If they do not have an answer for you immediately, they will be able to get one.

Our Club Representatives to the HRYRA Board for the 2024 season are:

Chelsea Yacht Club

Peter McConnell

Kurt Worell

Hudson Cove Yacht Club

Gerald Cohen

John Edwards

Kingston Sailing Club

Dave Wightman

Greg Allen

Minisceongo Yacht Club

Bob Tamagny

Jessie Fitzgerald

Nyack Boat Club

Liz Sugg

J. Mark English

Shattemuc Yacht Club

Peter Oden

Vicki Arbitrio