LYC Sailors Excel at the 2011

Robie Pierce Regatta

May 19-22, 2011
Rye, NY

For the third annual Robie Pierce One Design Regatta, co-hosts American YC and Larchmont YC added a new twist:  the world’s first all-women’s disabled sailing event, with seven teams from the U.S. and Canada, was held the day before the three-day main event. 

   Sarah Everhart-Skeels , Christy Padin and Teresa Laughlin lead

   the fleet down the run and into the fog at the women’s regatta.

“It has been a longtime dream of women to have our own event to help get more women into adaptive sailing,” said Canadian Sailing Team member Brenda Hopkin. “A group of us asked the organizers last year if they could put one on in 2013, and they did it in one year. We all had a ball.”

Sponsor Beirn not only underwrote the cost of the one-day regatta, they sent the women shopping in the clubhouse after racing, letting each contestant pick from an assortment of beautiful Beirn handbags. Beirn is owned by LYC’s Rita Overzat and her daughters Ali and Jenna.

With five wins in five races, Sarah Everhart-Skeels (Tiverton, RI) and crew Christy Padin from won the event, capturing the newly rededicated Larchmont YC - American YC Challenge trophy. Sailing with the winning team was able bodied crewmate Teresa Laughlin of LYC. LYC’s Susan King crewed for Hopkin with LYC’s Joanne Clark as able-bodied crewmate and placed third.

   Women’s regatta winners from left to right: Christy Padin,

   Sarah Everhart-Skeels and Teresa Laughlin.

In the third annual Robie Pierce One-Design Regatta, 14 teams completed 11 races over two days. Jonathan Evans, with crew 2008 Paralympic Gold Medalist Maureen McKinnon-Tucker, won the title, with able bodied duties split between Jonathan’s brother Gansen and nephew Jake. “Although a lifelong sailor, I haven’t sailed in over ten years,” Evans stated. “I’ve just recently gotten back into it, so winning this regatta was an added benefit.”

Second place went to the team of Tim Flynn and Sarah Everhart-Skeels. One point back in third was the all-LYC crew of Commodore Carl Olsson, crew Susan King and Bud Heerde as AB.

   The winning team of Jonathan Evans, Maureen McKinnon-Tucker and

   Steve Evans (AB) with Robie Pierce to the left, Carl Olsson who

   donated the trophy and PRO Bill Sandberg in yellow to the far right. 

“From its inception the mission of the Robie Pierce Regatta has been to get more people into adaptive sailing,” said Event Chairperson Siobhan Reilly. “Between the two events, we had 7 people sailing in their first disabled regatta. Mission accomplished.”   

The participants, volunteers and organizers of the Robie Pierce Regattas would like to thank the following sponsors for making these two events possible: Heineken USA, Beirn, Inc., AllScripts, Jet Blue, UK-Halsey, Ben & Jerry’s, Vineyard Vines, Nestle’s Water, Doyle Sailmakers and Lucerne Capital Management.

Full results can be found on the event website at

http://www.robiepierceonedesignregatta.com