(Regatta report provided by Liz Shaw and Katie Thompson, CAN 555)

Rye, NY (October 10, 2004) - With a five boat fleet, it was already a more successful event than many 470 regattas all over North America this year. The American Yacht Club and race organization committee had obviously prepared well for this event; the only thing left was for the winds to fill in.

The first day of racing in the 470 fleet proved interesting as the lead boat, (Erin and Alice) took four straight bullets, while the rest of the fleet was very close and battled it out with results all over the map. The winds that day were light to medium strength, becoming fairly shifty at some points, and the current was also a factor, (especially when trying to make a tight layline!) The race committee banged off four solid races on long trapezoid courses in tough conditions to have almost half of our series of nine races completed. Peter & Mike were in 2nd place with 10 points and the teams of Katie & Liz and Tim & Andrew were tied on 13 points each.

Arriving at the club on the second day, we were greeted with a wind direction completely different from that of the day before, and struggled to sail our way out to the course on time for the first gun. During the first race, the 470 fleet saw some of the most mentally taxing conditions in sailing. The race committee had changed the course to a double windward-leeward, and didn’t seem to even contemplate blowing off the first race which saw shifts of 45 degrees if not more, wind strengths ducking below 3 knots, and puffs filling in, in places impossible to predict. The placings during that race changed every shift and every tack with the leading team with enough in the bank to stay well ahead when the wind filled in from the left, which also brought the boat that was well at the back of the pack in front of those previously battling tack for tack for 2nd and 3rd. Once the wind filled, it stayed fairly consistent from that direction and gave the fleet a good medium breeze to work with for races 2 and 3 of the day. The fourth race proved to be the kind of sailing we all come out to do. With a solid strong breeze, all four boats that were left on the course dug hard, with the top three in a tight pack, all within six boat lengths of each other, with the fourth boat close behind. What was to become the second upwind leg to the finish, (as the race committee had shortened the course for various reasons) the four 470s had a tough grind session on a long upwind leg where the lead boat of Erin and Alice had finally regained first position, though it was taken by the other boats at particular times, and crossed with first line honors, with the Canadian girls, Katie & Liz, in second, the College sailors, Peter & Mike, in third, and the young gun 420 sailor, Tim, and his mentor crew, Andrew, in fourth. This race was by far the most exciting of the series thus far, and a very good way to end the day which brought us another 4 races of the scheduled 9.

Blowing over 30 knots of breeze, and some with wind gauges speculating that gusts were coming through at over 35 knots, the 9th and final race of the series was abandoned, and all stayed on shore for an early prize presentation, which left tons of time to pack up boats, and say goodbyes.

Final results were as follows: