2010 Archived Stories
Harry Koeppel to Compete for
Optimist World Championship
December 28, 2010 – January 8, 2011
Langkawi, Malaysia
Langkawi, Malaysia is ready for the Opti World Championship
Photo courtesy the IODA/Sally Burnett.
LYC junior Harry Koeppel has arrived in Malaysia to become the first LYC sailor to compete for the Optimist class World Championship. Koeppel is one of five Americans who qualified for the prestigious event by virtue of his performance at the United States Optimist Team Trials in Kemah, Texas in May. The Worlds is arguably the most hotly contested junior regatta that exists, with 235 sailors from 56 countries battling for the title. The Worlds are the culmination of a remarkable 2010 for Koeppel, who won the JSALIS Optimist Championship, placed second at the USODA Atlantic Coast Championship, third at the USODA Opti Nationals, seventh at Opti North Americans, and was part of the team that won the Opti North American Team Race Championship and finished second at the USODA Team Race Nationals. To follow the action, please visit the event website.
LYC Members Take Home Silver at YRALIS Annual Awards; Commodore Carl Olsson Awarded Ned Anderson Achievement Award
December 5, 2010
Larchmont, NY
Commodore Carl Olsson accepts the Ned Anderson Achievement
Award from YRALIS President Bernie Armstrong.
Photo courtesy Andrea Watson/Sailing Press, Inc.
LYC members represented the Club well at all facets of the Yacht Racing Association of Long Island Sound’s annual awards dinner, highlighted by Commodore Carl Olsson winning the YRALIS’s highest honor, the Ned Anderson Achievement Award and Thomas Carroll’s J/133 SirenSong winning the Caper Trophy for best overall IRC performance for the second straight year. READ MORE.
LYC Member Adam Werblow Profiled
by Sailing Website
December 1, 2010
Larchmont, NY
Sail1design.com recently profiled LYC member Adam Werblow, son of long-time members Fred and Toni Werblow. Adam grew up in the junior program at LYC, dominating the local Fireball circuit in the early 1980s before sailing at Connecticut College and campaigning a Flying Dutchman. Since becoming St. Mary’s head coach 21 years ago, Werblow has created one of the most dominant college sailing teams in the country, coaching the Seahawks to 15 national championships while developing over 100 collegiate All Americans.
Flag Officers Promoted at Annual Meeting
November 13, 2010
Larchmont, NY
The new slate of flag officers (from left to right): Rear Commodore
Timothy L. Porter, Commodore Carl A. Olsson and Vice Commodore
Robert D. Snedeker.
The LYC Annual Meeting honors the accomplishments of the Club’s members and signals a passing of the torch to new leadership. After two years at the helm, Tor Holtan ended his term as Commodore and Vice Commodore Carl Olsson was promoted to the top spot. Rob Snedeker and Tim Porter were installed as Vice Commodore and Rear Commodore respectively. READ MORE.
Juniors Compete at International 420 Atlantic Coast Championship
November 12-14, 2010
Annapolis, MD
Several LYC juniors continued their year-round training by competing in the International 420 Atlantic Coast Championship, hosted by Annapolis YC. Sunny skies but very light winds that never topped seven knots prevailed in the Chesapeake Bay. Markus Edegran and Nick Gallagher finished second, two points behind the leaders. Reinier Eenkema van Dijk, sailing with Spencer McDonough, finished fifth; brothers Andrew and Matthew Mollerus placed sixth; and Claudia Taselaar, sailing with Katie Kelley, finished eighth. The next regatta for the 420 sailors will is the I-420 North American Championship in Miami at the end of December. Results.
Mollerus Brothers Selected to
US Sailing Development Team in 29ers
November 12, 2010
Portsmouth, RI
Brothers Andrew and Matthew Mollerus were selected to the US
Sailing Development Team in the 29er class.
LYC juniors Andrew and Matthew Mollerus were one of three teams named to the prestigious United States Sailing Development Team (USSDT) in the 29er class for 2011. The USSDT is the youth pipeline team supported by US SAILING’s Olympic Sailing Committee and was created in 2009 to help young athletes, who have been identified as future Olympic prospects, acquire the skills necessary to launch successful campaigns and compete at the Olympic level.
LYC Places Second in Soiland Cup
Team Race at Southern YC
November 5-7, 2010
New Orleans, LA
Team LYC at the 2010 Soiland Cup
Southern Yacht Club in New Orleans hosted the 2010 Southern Soiland Cup, an invitational team race event held in Flying Scots. Ninety sailors from nine American yacht clubs, along with competitors from the Royal Thames YC (UK), completed 75 races over two and a half days. LYC led after the first round robin, advancing to the gold fleet, where wins were worth twice as many points. After the first gold fleet round, LYC was well positioned to loosen Southern YC’s grip on the Cup, but the hosts came on strong in the final round to defend the trophy by a single point. LYC was represented by skippers Cardwell Potts, Danny Pletsch and John Baxter, with crews Molly Baxter, Julie Wilson, Corky Potts, Jane Delashmutt, Ron Pletsch, and Jesse Fielding. Results and photos.
LYC Race Committee Receives Commendations at Annual Moosehead Awards Luncheon
October 31, 2010
Riverside, CT
A well dressed but nervous Race Committee boards Satan’s Toe for
transit to the annual Moosehead luncheon.
Photo by Maureen Koeppel
LYC’s Race Committee received the coveted “Moosehead Committee
Trophy” for excellence in Race Management at the Annual
Moosehead Luncheon, held in 2010 at Riverside YC. READ MORE.
LYC Sailors Win BMW Opti Team Race Cup
October 30-31, 2010
Berlin, Germany
Team USA (LISOT) atop the winner's podium in Germany.
Photo by Glave Steinweg
A group of five Optimist sailors from the Long Island Sound Optimist Team (LISOT), including LYC juniors Drew Gallagher and Ty Ingram, won the prestigious BMW Opti Team Cup Race, held at the Potsdamer YC on Lake Wannsee in Berlin, Germany. The LISOT squad was the first non-European team to ever win the regatta. After winning all 12 races on Saturday, Sunday’s finals were held in light air, with the Americans winning both races against a Norwegian team to claim the title. Results.
Larchmont Yacht Club Wins Glencairn Trophy For Third Straight Year
October 23, 2010
Larchmont, NY
Team LYC won the Aileen Trophy and the Glencairn Trophy. From left to right (row 1): David Dowd, Cardwell Potts, Peter Beardsley, Jay Rhame. Row 2: Andy Kaplan, Rob Dailey, Bizzy Monte-sano, Julie Wilson, Buttons Padin, Patrick Curran, Roland Schulz and Doug Lynn.
Larchmont Yacht Club successfully defended the Glencairn Trophy for the third straight year, led by an undefeated record by its varsity team. The Glencairn is an interclub challenge for the YRALIS Team Racing Championship, and the 2010 match featured a three-way tie for the title that required multiple tiebreakers to determine the overall results. READ MORE.
Arthur Wullschleger Wins US Sailing’s
Harman Hawkins Award
October 23, 2010
Phoenix, AZ
Lifelong LYC member and past commodore, Arthur “Tuna” Wullschleger, was honored at US Sailing’s Annual Meeting with the Harman Hawkins Award for his outstanding contributions to the sport of sailing in the field of race administration. Wullschleger is well known for his service as a national and international judge and umpire, and is credited with being one of the developers of the on-the-water umpiring that is now a fixture in match and team racing regattas. READ MORE.
Vanguard 15 Fleet Concludes
Successful Season
October 23, 2010
Larchmont, NY
David Meleney and Elizabeth Hawkins won the 2010 Vanguard 15
season championship.
LYC’s Vanguard 15 fleet, the largest Vanguard 15 fleet in the country and the largest one design fleet at LYC, celebrated the end of the season at its annual party on Saturday, October 23. The 2010 season saw racing on 19 Sundays and two fleet racing regattas, with 97 races run. Over the course of the season, 71 skippers and 110 crews participated. Summer sailing member David Meleney, with All American crew Elizabeth Hawkins, edged out skippers Peter Deming and Steve Streit to win the season championship. READ MORE.
Danny Pletsch Finishes Second
at US Sailing Championship of
Champions Regatta
October 13-16, 2010
Greenwich, CT
Danny Pletsch (right) and Mark Kroening with their silver medals
from the 2010 Championship of Champions.
Photo courtesy Photoboat.com
LYC member Danny Pletsch finished second at US Sailing Championship of Champions Regatta. The CofC, as the regatta is commonly known, is a championship featuring 20 of the best one design national champions from the past year competing in a neutral class of boat. This year’s event was held at Indian Harbor YC in Ideal 18s. Pletsch, a past team race world champion and Vanguard 15 and Interclub national champion, was eligible to compete by virtue of winning the 2010 Interclub National Championship. READ MORE.
LYC Teams with Storm Trysail Foundation to Host Intercollegiate Offshore Regatta
October 10-11, 2010
Larchmont, NY
38 owners turned over the keys to their keelboats for the 2010
Intercollegiate Offshore Regatta, including the J/44s pictured
above. Photo by Howie McMichael
LYC teamed with Storm Trysail for the seventh consecutive year to host the Intercollegiate Offshore Regatta. The event is unique in collegiate sailing, where teams are given the keys to borrowed keelboats over Columbus Day weekend as a break from the dinghy sailing that dominates their seasons. READ MORE
SirenSong Wins Overall Title
at American YC Fall Series
September 25-October 3, 2010
Rye, NY
Morning Glory top) and SirenSong(bottom) thrived in the windy
conditions on the final day of the fall series.
Photos courtesy Photoboat.com
Thomas Carroll’s J/133 SirenSong won both the IRC 45 class at the American YC Fall Series and the Roger Sherman Trophy for the best combined score between the spring series and the fall series. SirenSong dominated the fall series, finishing no lower than second in any of the 11 races, and won 13 of the 21 races between the spring and fall series. Roger Widmann’s Swan 42 Quintessence placed third in the Swan 42 division; Vice Commodore Dr. Carl Olsson’s Morning Glory finished fifth out of 19 J/105s; Jan Smeets skippered Bacchanal to sixth overall; and IRC 45 and Julian Croxall and his new team aboard Jouster finished 11th in the J/105 division. Results.
Clay Bischoff Part of Winning Team
at Hinman Trophy
Sept. 29-Oct. 3, 2010
Seattle, WA
Bischoff (sail 19) tacks to cover the West Kirby Hawks (blue sails)
in the finals. Photo courtesy Adam Koch/US Sailing.
LYC member Clay Bischoff was one of the skippers on Silver Panda, the winning team at the United States Team Racing Championship for the Hinman Trophy. Bischoff, who had won the event three times previously with Silver Panda, sailed with crew Caroline Hall Levesque. Hosted at Seattle YC, the 2010 Hinman featured 15 of the country’s top team racing teams, along with perennial British champion, the West Kirby Hawks. In the finals, Silver Panda defeated the Hawks on a tie-breaker when the fifth and final race was abandoned. Other LYC members and former LJYC coaches also participated in the 2010 Hinman, including member Cardwell Potts on Who Dat! and summer sailing member Scott Hogan on Tall Boyz. For final results, photos and videos, please visit the event website.
LYC Junior Sailors Have Successful Summer Home and Abroad
Summer 2010
Markus Edegran and Nick Gallagher blasting upwind at Club 420
NAs en route to a 5th place finish overall
Some of LYC’s top junior sailors spent the majority of the summer on the road traveling to dozens of national and international championship regattas, bringing home trophies at many stops. LYC teams also won the JSA Championships in Optimists and Club 420s.
LYC Sailors Finish on Podium at Ideal 18
North American Championship
September 18-19, 2010
Larchmont, NY
The 2010 Ideal 18 North Americans featured ideal conditions all
weekend. Photo by Fred Delmhorst.
LYC hosted the 2010 Ideal 18 North American Championship, and LYC members occupied two of the three places on the podium. Pierce McCreary, crewing for brother and past North American champion Jamie McCreary from Indian Harbor YC, won the event with five bullets in the 11-race series. LYC member Peter Beardsley with crew Gabe Jostrom finished second, three points ahead of two-time North American champions Shane Olney and Chris Dorsey from Rochester YC. READ MORE.
LYC Team Places Fourth at NYYC Invitational Cup U.S. Qualifying Series
September 8-11, 2010
Newport, RI
LYC battled top competition and big breeze at the 2010 U.S. Qualifying Series. Photo by Amory Ross.
Team LYC placed fourth at the U.S. Qualifying Series for the New York YC Invitational Cup. The Qualifying Series featured 24 amateur teams from some of the most prestigious yacht clubs in the United States fighting to qualify for the 2011 Invitational Cup, an international competition to be held in Swan 42s. READ MORE.
LYC Team Racers
Shine in Newport
August 30, 2010
Newport, RI
Team LYC traveled to New York Yacht Club’s Harbor Court facility in Newport, RI for three consecutive weekends in August for team racing regattas, with solid results along the way. Team LYC won the 20-team Vanguard 15 Team Race, placed second in the Morgan Cup and fourth at the Hinman Masters. READ MORE.
LYC Juniors Victorious in Dorade Trophy and
Beach Point Overnight
August 16-18, 2010
Larchmont, NY
LYC junior sailors completed a clean sweep of their big boat schedule by winning their divisions in the Dorade Trophy and the Beach Point Overnight. LYC fielded two teams, one sailing Vice Commodore Carl Olsson’s J/105 Morning Glory and the other sailing Harold Edegran’s J/105 Conundrum. READ MORE.
Ulmer, Klingler Winning Tacticians
at IRC Nationals
July 21-24, 2010
Newport, RI
LYC members Charlie “Butch” Ulmer and Kerry Klingler were victorious tacticians at the IRC National Championships hosted by New York YC in Newport, Rhode Island. Ulmer sailed with Andrew Weiss’s J/122 Christopher Dragon in the IRC 4 class, where she won three of the six races to take the closely contested class by one point. Klingler sailed with Rick Lyall’s J/109 Storm in IRC 5 where the action was even closer, with victory coming after several rounds of tiebreaker. Conditions for the event were primarily light for the drop-mark races, with fresh breezes for Thursday’s distance race. Results.
112th Race Week Features
Variety of Conditions
July 10-18, 2010
Larchmont, NY
Tight finishes were the norm in the ultra-competitive Vanguard
15
division. Photo by Tom Spelman
Sailors in the 112th Larchmont Race Week saw a variety of conditions that allowed for sailing on most days and a full slate of races for all divisions, while the usual copious amounts of Ben and Jerry’s and Mt. Gay Rum kept the good times rolling ashore for the 607 boats that competed over eight days. READ MORE.
LYC Sailors Have Success at
Newport Regatta
July 10-11, 2010
Newport, RI
Several LYC sailors stood atop the podium at the 2010 Coastal Living Newport Regatta. Ted Ferrarone teamed up with American YC sailor Doug McKeige to win the 505 class before heading to the world championship in Denmark. Senet Bischoff finished second in the Etchells 22 division, which was also the class’s Atlantic Coast Championship. Kerry Klingler and his team aboard Lifted finished second in the J/80 fleet. Harald Edegran, Jeremy Henderson and Mike’s Puleo’s Conundrum was in fourth in the J/105 division, however not enough races were completed over the light air weekend to constitute an official event for that class. Several LYC Vanguard 15 sailors also competed in the class’s national championship as part of the regatta. Results.
LYC Juniors Start Summer with
Major Championships
July 4, 2010
Kingston, Ontario and Hingham, MA
Harry Koeppel surfs downwind in big breeze on Lake Ontario.
Photo by Dave Rein
Some of LYC’s best junior sailors started the summer in style, competing in two major championships. Three Optimist sailors competed at the 2010 IODA North American Championship and Casey Klingler raced in the U.S. Junior Women’s Doublehanded Championship. READ MORE.
Pieter Taselaar Competes at ISAF Offshore Team World Championship
June 28-July 3, 2010
Porto Cervo, Italy
Pieter Taselaar and his Melges 32 team aboard Bliksem raced as one half of the United States team at the 2010 ISAF Offshore Team World Championship. Taselaar, who was eligible for the event by virtue of being the highest placing American boat at the 2009 Melges 32 World Championship (which he won), teamed with the Farr 40 Barking Mad. Their combined score placed the United States third overall out of eight countries. Results.
Morning Glory Finishes Second at
Block Island Race Week
June 21-25, 2010
Block Island, RI
LYC Vice Commodore Carl Olsson accepts his second
place trophy from PRO Sue Miller.
Vice Commodore Carl Olsson’s Morning Glory finished second in the J/105 class at Block Island Race Week, with a team composed primarily of LYC sailors. After a slow start to the week, Morning Glory crossed the finish line in second place in six of its final seven races to secure a spot on the podium. The crew included LYC members Peter Beardsley (tactics/mainsail trim), Rachel Beardsley (pit), Kevin Schultz (bow), perennial winter sailing member Sascha Vucelic (mast) along with Vicky Jo Neiner (jib/spinnaker trim). Results.
LYC Sailors Compete in 2010 Bermuda Race, Take Home Silver
June 18-22, 2010
Hamilton, Bermuda
Gus Carlson’s R/P 66 Aurora finished second in class 8.
Photo courtesy PPL Agency.
LYC sailors competed and fared well in the 2010 Newport-Bermuda Race. The famous 635-mile “Thrash to the Onion Patch” stands as one of the world’s classic ocean races and is certainly among the most challenging to sail. LYC had a very strong presence in this year’s race, with three club boats and 15 members racing. Gus Carlson’s R/P 66 Aurora came in second in Class 8 and 14th overall in the 108-boat St. David’s Lighthouse division (for amateur helmed yachts) and Rich duMoulin’s Lora Ann finished third in class and third overall in the 26-boat double-handed fleet. READ MORE.
Top WLIS Female Sailors Compete at 2010
Mendez Regatta
June 10, 2010
Larchmont, NY
This annual regatta, commissioned by former LYC Commodore John M. Mendez, is an invitational for women in western Long Island Sound. READ MORE.
Canadian Paralympic Medalists Win 2010
Robie Pierce One-Design Regatta
June 3-6, 2010
Larchmont, NY
Despite the big breeze and reefed sails, racing was tight at
the 2010 Robie Pierce Regatta. Photo by Howie McMichael
Larchmont Yacht Club, in partnership with American Yacht Club, hosted the second annual Robie Pierce One-Design Regatta for sailors with disabilities. Spanning the four days from June 3 – June 6, 2010, LYC became the home away from home for 18 crews of disabled sailors, plus over 100 volunteers from the two clubs. John McRoberts (Vancouver, BC) and his crew Brenda Hopkin, Canadian Bronze Medalists at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics, won the hard-fought regatta, with the top four boats separated by just three points.
Robie Pierce Regatta Video Footage.
LYC Yachts Endure in 2010
Block Island Race
May 30-31, 2010
Stamford, CT
Lora Ann Starts in Light Air.
The 2010 Block Island Race saw three LYC boats take the line; Thomas Carroll’s J133 Siren Song, Rich duMoulin’s Express 37 Lora Ann and Colin McGranahan’s J130 Dragonfly. Gus Carlson’s recently acquired R/P 66 Aurora was a late scratch. READ MORE.
LYC Team Competes in Figawi Race Weekend
May 29, 2010
Hyannis, MA
Cynthia, with reefed genoa, blasts to Nantucket shortly after the
start of the 2010 Figawi Race. Photo courtesy Marblehead Studios.
Larchmont Yacht Club’s Cynthia, a Grand Soleil 46.3 owned by Steve Landis, took the flag of the LYC Cruising Squadron east for the 2010 running of Figawi Race Weekend. Figawi is a classic New England distance race from Hyannis, Massachusetts to Nantucket held each Memorial Day weekend since 1972. This year’s race was featured over 250 sailboats in 13 divisions. READ MORE.
The New Satan’s Toe arrives at Larchmont
May 27, 2010
Larchmont, NY
Photo by Maureen Koeppel
The new LYC Race Committee boat, Satan’s Toe, was delivered from Winter Harbor, Maine, on Thursday, May 27. Designed by Calvin Beal for commercial lobstering, the hull was built by Beal and finished at Sargent’s Custom Boats in Milbridge, Maine, to the specifications of the LYC Race Committee. She is 38 feet long and 15 feet wide, an ideal platform to conduct races for many years to come. The 450 mile delivery took four days and was made in two stages.
LYC Teams Shine at ABC Match Race Quarterfinals
May 24-25, 2010
Larchmont, NY
Wild and woolly downwind legs highlighted the days racing.
Photo by Maureen Koeppel
LYC teams had a strong showing at the ABC Match Race Quarterfinals, held May 15-16, 2010, at LYC. The ABC Quarterfinal is a step on the ladder to the US Match Race Championship, also known as the Prince of Wales Bowl. With the explosive growth of the domestic match racing scene, this regatta has evolved into a high-level event, as only the top two teams advance to the semi-finals.
LYC Teams Persevere in
2010 Edlu Distance Race
May 8, 2010
Larchmont, NY
The 2010 Edlu saw all conditions, with Alex Dubitsky’s P-Class Bernice starting in heavy rain and light air (photo by Howie McMichael) and Bud Heerde’s X-34 Maudelayne (right) pounding into a brisk westerly under sunny skies back home (photo courtesy photoboat.com)
Thomas Carroll’s J/133 SirenSong and Steven Landis’s Grand Soleil 46.3 Cynthia, both of LYC, overcame gusts over 45 knots to win their respective divisions in the 55th running of the Edlu Distance Race. READ MORE
Taselaar and Team Bliksem Continue
Their Winning Ways in Italy
April 30 – May 2, 2010
Scarlino, Italy
Bliksem downwind.
Pieter Taselaar and his Bliksem team continued their hot streak in Europe by comfortably winning the Melges 32 Audi Sailing Series event, which was held in Scarlino, Italy April 30 – May 2, 2010. While in second place after the first day of racing, Taselaar dominated the following races and never finished outside of the top three in order to win in the competitive 17-boat fleet. READ MORE.
LYC Opti Sailors Excel at National Team Trials; Harry Koeppel Qualifies for World Team
April 29-May 2, 2010
Kemah, TX
LYC’s Harry Koeppel (17071) leads fellow World team member
Chris Williford (15705) around a weather mark.
Photo by Davis Gaynes
LYC sent nine of its finest junior sailors to Texas Corinthian Yacht Club for the 2010 United States Optimist National Team Trials. After 13 windy races, five LYC sailors placed in the top 26 of the 185-boat fleet and were selected to compete in several top international Optimist regattas. The strong showing was capped by Harry Koeppel’s fifth place finish, making Koeppel the first ever LYC junior to qualify for the Optimist World Team. Koeppel will compete at the 2010 Optimist World Championship, to be held in Malaysia in late December. READ MORE
SirenSong Takes Top Honors at
AYC Spring Series
April 24-25/ May 1-2, 2010
Rye, NY
Thomas Carroll’s J133 SirenSong dominated the IRC 40 class at the American Yacht Club Spring Series sailed April 24-25th and May 1-2. Carroll’s polished campaign never seemed in difficulty as Siren Song won 7 of the 9 races in her 9-boat IRC 40 class. She also won the Commodore Edward Richards Trophy for best performance in the 27 boat IRC Division. SirenSong has won this prestigious event in three of the past four years. Conditions were mixed for the event but SirenSong showed great consistency in her sound win.
Danny Pletsch and Kari Sachs Repeat as Interclub National Champions
April 17-18, 2010
New Bedford, MA
The Baxters (bow 66) and Danny Pletsch/Kari Sachs (bow 50) neck
and neck at the 2010 IC Nationals. Photo by Fran Grenon.
LYC sailors ruled the top of the podium at the 2010 Interclub National Championship. Danny Pletsch and Kari Sachs repeated as champions by four points over two-time national champions John and Molly Baxter. LYC frostbiters also placed fourth through sixth overall at the hotly contested regatta hosted by the Community Boating Center. READ MORE.
LYC Members on the Podium at
Charleston Race Week
April 9-11, 2010
Charleston, SC
LYC had a strong presence at this year’s Charleston Race Week, scoring podium finishes in the event’s two toughest classes. The event featured heavy air for the first two days of the event with a more sedate 6-12 knots for the final day of racing. Kerry Klingler continued his winning ways by guiding his J/80 Lifted to victory. The win could not have been closer as Lifted took the title on a tie-break by virtue of winning four of the ten races in the 20-boat fleet. Michael and Ryan Zupon, with LYC Sailing Director Lincoln White aboard, had a steady performance aboard Juggernaut to finish ninth overall in the same class.Melges 32 World Champion Pieter Taselaar did a little cross training at Charleston Race Week by sailing in the Viper 640 class. Though it was his first time racing a Viper, Taselaar notched a solid second place in the 30-boat fleet, trailing only the two-time defending national champions. Taselaar teamed up with his Melges teammates Willem VanWay and Micheal Coxon for this notable result. Results
John and Molly Baxter Tops in Stanley Bell Regatta
March 21, 2010
Larchmont, NY
An experienced fleet times the start perfectly at the 2010
Stanley Bell Regatta. Photo by Maureen Koeppel
John and Molly Baxter tamed shifty conditions and a 30-boat fleet to win the 2010 Stanley Bell Regatta, sailed in the inner harbor at LYC on March 21. Originally slated for the weekend prior, the event was postponed due to the violent Nor’easter that rolled through town. This regatta honors the memory of long time winter sailing chairman Stanley Bell, who was the face of frostbiting at LYC for many years. READ MORE.
LYC Juniors Continue Successful
Winter Season
March 14, 2010
Mar del Plata, Argentina and Jensen Beach, FL
Harry Koeppel explodes through a wave in Argentina.
Photo by Matías Capizzano
LYC junior sailors have stayed sharp all winter, competing nationally and internationally. The campaigns continued through February and March, starting with Harry Koeppel and Reinier Eenkema van Dijk traveling to Argentina February 6-10 for the Mar del Plata International Sailing Week, which holds two events during the week. In the first regatta, the duo finished 17th and 19th overall in the 134-boat fleet, comprised of many of the best Optimist sailors in the Western Hemisphere, while in the second, Koeppel improved to fourth overall with Eenkema van Dijk finishing 24th. Koeppel is currently in Uruguay competing in the IODA South American Championship. READ MORE.
Bliksem and Argo Continue Southern Circuit
March 4-7, 2010
Miami, FL
Argo hangs on downwind in Miami. Photo by John Payne
The LYC Melges 32 teams continued their road trip competing in the Miami Grand Prix in Miami, FL March 4-7. Defending regatta and world champion Pieter Taselaar was unable to hold onto the title but sailed a very solid regatta in his brand new boat, finishing fourth overall. Jason Carroll and team Argo had a tougher time and finished 13th in the 23 boat fleet. The event was won by Jean-Francois Cruette (La Rochelle, FRA) sailing Teasing Machine.
Baxters/Pletsch Repeat at
Interclub Midwinters
January 30-31, 2010
Annapolis, MD
The winners derigging their IC after sailing on Saturday
The LYC team of John and Molly Baxter, Danny Pletsch and former LYC junior sailing instructor Megan Magill repeated as Interclub Midwinter champions. Hosted by Severn Sailing Association in Annapolis, Maryland, the Midwinters feature a college-style A/B format where one team shares a boat, alternating time on the water every two or three races. The 2010 event, attended by 19 teams and 76 sailors, was marked by extreme conditions, including six inches of snow on Saturday and sub-freezing temperatures that created ice floes in the Chesapeake Bay. READ MORE.
LYC Sailors Compete at Key West Race Week
January 18-22, 2010
Key West, FL
Juggernaut rounds the windward mark in a pack at Key West.
Photo by Allen Clark / photoboat.com
LYC had a strong presence at 2010 Key West Race Week, with race committee volunteers and sailors alike seeking refuge in the warm Florida sunshine. Although the entrants were down, the competition was still very strong, especially in the J/80 class, where Kerry Klingler’s Lifted and Michael Zupon’s Juggernaut competed, and in the Melges 32 class with LYC’s Jason Carroll’s Argo. Winter Sailing chairman Nick Langone made his tenth annual trek to the Keys to add his race management prowess to the Division 1 circle and LYC Protest Committee chair Mary Savage was on hand as one of the event’s judges. READ MORE.
LYC Sailors Kick off Winter Campaigns
January 10, 2010
Florida; Bahamas
Jason Carroll and Clay Bischoff plane into the finish
at 49er Worlds in the Bahamas
A number of LYC sailors have been spending time down south, sharpening their skills and racing against some of the best in the world. The active winter circuit began in December and continues through March for many teams. READ MORE.
LYC Juniors Have Successful Start
to Winter Circuit
January 10, 2010
Miami, FL and Adelaide, Australia
Ty Ingram works the chop upwind at the Orange Bowl
For LYC’s top junior sailors, the competition continues even though the summer is over. Cold weekends practicing up north paid off at the first of the major junior winter regattas, with Optimist national team member Ty Ingram placing a career best 11th at the Florida Orange Bowl regatta out of 222 (and the sixth highest American), while Opti sailor Drew Gallagher traveled to Adelaide, Australia, placing fifth overall in the International Optimist Dinghy Association Oceania Championship. READ MORE.
Pieter Taselaar Named US Sailing’s Sailor of the Week
Portsmouth, RI
January 6, 2010
LYC member Pieter Taselaar became the second LYC member to be named US Sailing’s Sailor of the Week. Taselaar, who won the 2009 Melges 32 World Championship with his team aboard Bliksem, plans to compete in regattas in Europe and the U.S. in 2010 before attempting to defend his title in San Francisco. READ MORE.
Larchmont YC Finishes Second at
Vanguard 15 Team Race Midwinters
January 2-4, 2010
Sarasota, FL
Team Larchmont YC from left to right: Molly Baxter, Nick Ewenson,
Meredith Nordhem, John Baxter, Danny Pletsch and Alexis Rubin.
Team Larchmont YC finished second in a competitive 23-team field at the 2010 Vanguard 15 Team Race Midwinters held at the Sarasota Sailing Squadron in Sarasota, Florida. The crack squad consisted of members John and Molly Baxter and Danny Pletsch with Alexis Rubin, with former LYC sailing instructor Nick Ewenson and Meredith Nordhem also joining the team. Junior members Nik Holtan and Lily Beck were also in attendance sailing on the eighth placed “Big Whoop” team. READ MORE.
