by Kristin Connell & Justin Nolf
September 9 – 11
Friday morning greeted the JY15 fleet with sunny skies and a decent northerly breeze. Forty-three boats attended the 2005 North American Championship. Crew combinations included children with parents, collegiate sailors, husband-wife and fiancée teams, as well as “masters”. Despite a calm morning (postponed start), day two presented sailors with a challenging, heavy-air breeze. Teams ended the day fully exhausted from hiking. Sunday began the first race with light winds out of the north; only to switch to a southerly breeze for the rest of the day. Conditions were mentally challenging due to shifty and variable conditions.
The host, Niantic Bay Yacht Club, was absolutely amazing and a perfect location for this regatta. Following the registration on Thursday night, there was a cookout on the beach. Friday evening gave way to a pizza party. Saturday was salsa dancing and a lovely sit-down dinner. Teams were presented with pictures of their individual boats, courtesy of local photographer, Dave Fasulo.
After the first day of racing, the fleet was divided into four teams in order for the more experienced sailors to coach the less experienced boats in the fleet. The idea behind splitting into teams was that the team with the greatest improvement would win the team portion of the regatta. This gave everyone the opportunity to ask questions about various aspects of JY racing.
Overall, it was a perfect regatta. We could not have asked for a better venue. The weather handed us a wide range of wind conditions. Race committee did an excellent job setting courses. Our hosts were amazing – we were well-fed for the entire weekend. Competition was fierce, but friendly. And we all left learning something new. We highly recommend joining the fleet next year!