Sailing: Buzzards Bay Regatta Concludes
The dinghy classes were unable to race Sunday, the final day of the 39th Annual Buzzards Bay Regatta, due to high winds which were forecast to strengthen during the day. Officials decided to cancel the third and final day of the regatta for the smaller boats quite early in the day due to safety concerns.
The regatta got underway in the waters off South Dartmouth’s New Bedford Yacht Club (MA) on Friday with breezes that remained light and shifty throughout the day, resulting in fewer races sailed than scheduled. Saturday’s racing was quite different but challenging for the sailors who had to battle gusts over 20 knots.
Local youth sailors Dimitri Stevens, Connor Astwood, Ryan Powell and Ellie Wollmann entered the 146 boat Club 420 fleet while Mackenzie Cooper took part in the 92 boat Laser Radial Division. There were over 350 entries in 11 classes this year.
Pictured below: Mackenzie Cooper [191021] approaches the leeward mark:
Saturday’s results will stand as the final, leaving the team of Astwood and Stevens as the top Bermuda Club 420 entry in 39th place after 6 races. The pair had two top ten finishes on Saturday including a second place finish in race five which propelled them up the leader board.
The next Bermudian was Ryan Powell finishing 62nd, sailing with his american crew George Luber. They had two top twenty finishes. Wollmann and crew Amy Katherine Turner finished in the 78th spot. Meanwhile on the Laser Radial Course Mackenzie Cooper struggled in the windy conditions on Saturday and fell from 12th to 24th place overall.
The Club 420 division was won by Esteben Forrer and Chris Ford from Coronado YC in California while the Laser Radial champion was Nick Valente from Charleston, SC.
