In seven races scored among ten teams spread in three classes, Jim Swartz’s TP 52 Vesper won overall in HPR scoring at New York YC Race Week presented by Rolex.
Supported by a solid veteran team, Swartz amassed an impressive scorecard to include four firsts and create a margin of victory over runner-up Franck Noel’s TP 52 Near Miss of 9 points. Steve and Heidi Benjamin’s Carkeek HPR 40 Spookie was another 3 points back to finish in third place overall.
The event this year was intended as four days of racing, but Day One was cancelled due to the threat of storms in the Newport area. The remaining three days had a mixture of windward-leeward course racing and courses NYYC described as “stadium courses” which had the fleet transiting around marks throughout Narragansett Bay, within sight of the shore and shore-based spectators. In the light afternoon seabreezes, conditions ranged from 6 to 12 knots.
Vesper tactician Gavin Brady commented on the stadium course formats: “What the New York YC has done this year with the course format is quite brilliant, and it adds a whole new dynamic to racing. Having shorter courses closer to shore is so important because people watch, and it brings interest to the sport; it is an absolute must for the future of sailing. Having the Race Committee switch up the race format each day also makes it quite exciting.”
