Around Long Island Race 2009

Last year, I took part in the 190 mile, 2008 Around Long Island Race. The course starts off Rockaway Point, NY, you then leave Montauk Point and the Orient Point Lighthouse to port, to the finish line off the Glen Cove Breakwater.

We had a blast  but the conditions were so light that we did not finish. I did not take part this year as Knot Again was not racing. It sounds like a missed a lot of excitement. Last night I received this email from RYC Past Commodore, Vicky Jo Neiner in the daily club email blast:

The 2009 Around Long Island Regatta was started yesterday afternoon in some of the worst conditions in the event's history.

NJ was represented well.  Some of the boats included:

RYC:
Sea Feather
Poppy
Quintessence
Beatnik
Persistence

KYC:
Desdemona
Healing Power

AHYC:
Surface Tension
Jade
Falcor

There were gale conditions at the start with 8-10' waves.  The direction was ENE at 30-40 knots which would make the sail to Montauk directly upwind and into the waves.  It was very difficult to make decent VMG in those conditions.  MANY boats decided to not even start, and then saw speeds into the teen+ surfing home with reefed mains and #4's.

Several of the boats who did actually start, quickly polled the crews and called it quits.  Horrible conditions, crew sea sick, and too much water coming into the boats.  Most of the fleet dropped out by night fall.

As of 9:30 this morning, only 9 boats were left racing.
Zaraffa (NASS) rounded Montauk at 7:40 this morning, and a second boat, Tenacity, called in at Montauk just recently.

9 of the 10 NJ boats are confirmed DNS/DNF.  There is not yet an official report from Healing Power,  (They deserve a survivor's award if they braved the entire night)

I was concerned about the last bit as my crewmate Jeff Vrader was on Healing Power. As it turns out they retired too and were back on the mooring by 10 pm. It sounds like they made a go of it. Still that's  along time in those conditions.