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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 6^th 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

On Thursday, January 31, Sonar Class Administrator Ed “Buttons” Padin of Larchmont Yacht Club, along with Siobhan Reilly and Bill Sandberg of AYC, received the Gay Lynn Award, US Sailing’s highest award for Adaptive Sailing. The award recognizes ten years of the Robie Pierce Regatta hosted and run by Larchmont YC and American YC. Buttons received the award at US Sailing’s National Sailing Programs Symposium in Jacksonville.

 Buttons, Bill and Siobhan put together the Robie Pierce after the adaptive championship in 2008. Betsy Allison of US Sailing notes, “The premise was to create and to grow the biggest event in a single one design class in the USA.  Buttons, along with Siobhan Reilly and Bill Sandberg, took the ball and ran with it. Larchmont and American YCs have collaborated and shared assets over the years … as they alternate hosting this event from year to year. It obviously has been a great success with the sailors as it rolls into its 11th year!”  She also says, “Over the years, “The Robie” has become one of the country’s foremost events for sailors with a broad array of disabilities including physical, neurological and visual impairments.”
 
Bill Sandberg credits Buttons for initially championing the concept through at Larchmont, and spearheading the effort here since then. He also notes that Buttons was key in creating the “adaptations”, the customizable seats temporarily affixed in the Ideal 18s (the Sonar’s smaller sibling) to allow all the sailors to compete. 
 
One addition to the Robie in which Buttons takes special interest is the Robie Pierce Women’s Invitational. Run the day before the full Robie, it is the world’s only, all-women’s adaptive regatta. While many of the women sail in the full regatta, the women-only event allows many novices to try adaptive sailing.
 
I am sure Buttons would note that the triumphs of the Robie Pierce Regatta are only achieved by the great effort of his co-chairs and the many LYC and AYC members who pitch in to set up and run the regatta. For those who have been lucky enough to contribute to the Robie, there is a feeling of inspiration watching the grit and determination of the contestants both to race and to win.  All are glad to be a part of the continued success of the Robie. We are delighted that Buttons is carrying away the Lynn Trophy this week.
 
US Sailing describes, “The Gay S. Lynn Memorial Trophy is awarded to a person, volunteer or professional, or to an organization, that is selected by the Para Sailing Committee, as having made an outstanding contribution to disabled sailors and the sport of adaptive sailing over a sustained period of time.”