Sailing
Fair winds and 74 sailboats with more than 300 sailors on board made for a spectacular sight at Saturday’s Round the Island Race. Beginning with its early morning start, the Edgartown Yacht Club race was quite a spectacle as the boats positioned themselves for eight starts. Winds prevailed for most of the race and all but two boats completed the 56-mile mile course.
The Vineyard Haven Yacht Club is hosting the U.S. Junior Windsurfing National Championships in Vineyard Haven harbor on August 1 and 2. The tournament also includes Mexico and Canada. Windsurfers will be competing in four age groups from 11 to 19 years old.
The Vineyard will be represented by several sailors including Eli Hanschka, Elie Jordi, Rasmus Sayre, Simon Elliott and Emily King.
Also competing in a separate class will be the Kona Class New England Windsurfing Championship which is open to all ages.
Possibly the biggest, and certainly the longest, sailboat races of summer come together this weekend. On Saurday, 74 sailboats are expected to race around the Island in the Edgartown Yacht Club’s annual Round the Island race. The race — about 52 miles in length — starts in early morning and lasts all day, taking boats clockwise around the Island.
Possibly the biggest, and certainly the longest, sailboat races of summer come together this weekend. Tomorrow, 74 sailboats are expected to race around the Island in the Edgartown Yacht Club’s annual Round the Island race. The race — about 52 miles in length — starts in early morning and lasts all day, taking boats clockwise around the Island.
Ronan Murphy stood by the boathouse and posed the question: “Where do a bunch of college students from a small island west of Europe go for the summer?”
The answer — “An even smaller Island!”
The assembly of sailing instructors let out a chorus of booming laughs, a nearly constant sound track for the group, it seemed.
It was a sailor’s weekend in Edgartown. Over 200 one-design sailboats of all sizes competed in the Edgartown Yacht Club 89th annual regatta. The boats measured as short as eight feet to as long as 30 feet. The sailors and their sailboats came from all around Southeastern Massachusetts.
Bill Roman, manager of the Edgartown Yacht Club, said the Thursday through Saturday racing went well, though sailors were challenged by the variability of the wind.