The Tappan Zee Challenge – 20 Years of Great Regattas
June 15-16, 2019
Nyack Boat Club
Nayack, NY
This was the 20th Tappan Zee Regatta. As usual, it was well-run, genially hosted, and very competitive regatta. Saturday started with PRO Judy Hanlon setting up a long four-leg course. The wind was about 10 knots from 200°. A perfect day for Sonar racing, so off we went. The first race reflected what would come for the rest of the day. As the race developed the RC had to move the windward mark to the right about 20 degrees. Race strategy included favored-end calculations might have been more important than boat speed. The wind stayed in the same general direction for the middle part of the day and built for a while. Taking advantage of small shifts and lifts kept shuffling the positions of the competitors.
Later in the day, and in classic Nyack fashion, the wind shifted left, built, died, and shifted left some more. Again, strategy and tactics might have been more important than boat speed. Those taking the higher line saw the rest of the fleet quickly catch up. There were some windward spinnaker douses, one going under the bow, and a lot of close finishes.
The RC decided it had seen enough carnage and destruction. (The Viper fleet appeared to be thoroughly enjoying the breeze, but there was at least one capsize and a lot of scary moments, especially when downwind Lightnings crossed upwind Sonars!) Day one ended with a weary sail home and a lot of beer, food, and good stories to tell that evening.
Day two was predicted to be more of the same; but it presented a delightful contrast. The wind was from the same direction but started at about 7 knots and died to about 4. The regatta leaders, 781 Noroton’s Behar Gidwani and 674 Nyack’s Rick Doerr, decided to match race after the first start with Rick doing covering tacks throughout the first leg. The rest of the fleet cheered them on—and passed the dueling duo by the time the first mark was reached.
The fifth and last race of the event was the most exciting. After more match racing between Gidwani and Doerr, and three legs with every boat in the fleet in the lead at one point or another, six boats converged on the windward mark with less than a boat length between them. 539 rounded first set their spinnaker with an hourglass, and 781 saw a chance to move past reaching over them, as did 674. 781 decided it would be clever to go left (there seemed to be less current there). Unfortunately, three other boats—including the leader (461 Boughton and Esmay)) made the same decision at the same time. By the time everyone had finished jibing, 674 had zoomed off to the right in good air and 781 was in 6th place.
Given the scores at that point, Gidwani, looked fated to lose the regatta to Doerr. Then the wind teased with puffs and lulls. Boats gradually jibed back to the center of the course and piled up on top of one another. Gidwani held out to the far, far left, jibed, and took a thin slant of wind back toward the pin. Doerr fought a bit more current on the right and then jibed from the far right and headed for the boat. The final finish was Doer in first, Gidwani in second, and the rest of the fleet more or less all at once in third.
RC again made a good decision to send the fleet home. There had been enough excitement and enough close racing to satisfy even the most diehard Sonar sailor. We had all shown the closeness in the speed of our one-design boats and that we can sail and compete in a wide range of wind speeds and conditions.
Behar Gidwani and crew took first place for the Regatta; second place went to Rick Doerr and crew, Third place to Boughton and Esmay & crew.
It was a good day to be a Sonar sailor and the Nyack Boat Club should be proud of hosting yet another great event.
Respectfully submitted
Behar Gidwani; David & Kitty Bessey
