Sunday was a fun highlight of the sailing summer. Some 27 boats raced around Southport Island. There was a racing class contest between the yacht clubs to hold a trash can trophy as well as overall racing and cruising classes. The race was open to all boats using a time handicap. In this photo we see Bob Stuart in his Menemsha 24, the slowest rated classic boat that was first to start at 11:10 a.m. The Boothbay Harbor One Designs and Rhodes 19s are the main class boats at the two sponsoring, BHYC and SYC, yacht clubs started shortly afterward. Flying spinnakers is a skipper’s choice that separates the racing from cruising categories for handicapping. The excitement comes when the J/boats and other racehorses with spinnakers flying on the homeward leg make it around and finish first.

Rob and Sandy Wheeler set up their boat to be the starting line in Boothbay Harbor and then moved to set up the finish line in Ebenecook Harbor. BHYC Junior Sailing Director Chris Liberti ran the race.

The first leg of the race was to get out to the Cuckolds lighthouse and bell buoy. This leg is usually directly into the wind. Here the fleet reached the mid-point passing by Cuckolds Light house. Ralph and Sandy Drayer maintained a safety patrol boat down below Cuckold’s buoy as the fleet rounded.

Once the fleet rounded the point, they sailed up the Sheepscot River. The racing boats opened their spinnakers and the cruisers enjoyed the great ride.

The results for the ‘round Southport race included ranking the first 3 boats from each club[ identified below]. BHYC won this year with 4 of the top six finishers, so the trash can will be returned to BHYC for celebration.

The top place winners were:

Racing class: 1st place Ghost J/80 bhyc 1, 2nd place Wired J/80 syc 1, 3rd place Razzle J/27 syc 2, 4th place Deuces Wild J/22 independant, 5th place Gemini Erikson bhyc 2, 6th place Miranda J/22 bhyc 3

Cruising Class: 1st place Counterpoint, 2nd place Sapphire bhyc 4, 3rd place Zephyr, 4th Plane Winsome, 5th Place Polar Express, 6th Place Anna Grace

The next event in “Summer of Sail” is the first of two Classic Boat Races, Friday, July 24 at 2 p.m. It is also a handicapped, timed start, based on the speed of your boat. Any boat whose design is more than 25 years old is qualified to enter. The course will be a known distance around islands and Coast Guard buoys. The meeting place for the start will be either Tumbler or the Spruce Point buoy. These are all explained in the Sailing Instructions. For further information, sailing instructions and to register, go to the Regatta Management Solutions calendar https://www.regattaman.com/calendar.php, select the race date and click info or register, or go to www.bhyc.net/ /racing-and-regattas to check the time and to register for these races. All sailboats are welcome.

A second event next Saturday, July 25, is the Southport Yacht Club’s annual Sequin Race day. Please contact SYC at https://www.southportyachtclub.org/2018-SYC-Racing-Schedule for information and to register.