2026 AYC Spring Regatta Recap
The 2026 American Yacht Club Spring Regatta brought three different kinds of breeze. 48 boats registered for the Friday coastal course, 20 boats for the weekend windward/leeward course, and 37 for the weekend coastal racing.
Friday's coastal race was a delicate affair, with light, inconsistent breeze that spread the divisions across the lower Long Island Sound and ultimately led to some boats getting a shortened course and others the ultimate abandonment of their race. Still, the weather was gorgeous, everyone enjoyed being out on their keelboats (for many, the first of the season), and the sun was shining as people gathered post-racing for food and entertainment on the AYC lawn.
The winners in the divisions that completed a Friday race were:
ORC 1: Touch of Grey, Trevor Roach (J/121)
ORC 2: Antidote, Ron Richman (Grand Soleil 44)
PHRF 1: After Midnight, Paul Jeka (CTM 41)
PHRF 2: Redemption, David Goldstone (Farr 395)
PHRF 3: Velocity2, Kevin Marks (J/99)
Saturday was even tougher. The lower LIS remained glassy and after a patient postponement, race committee finally posted AP over A. The East course was little luckier, with just enough of a southerly to get a single shortened race in for the W/L courses.
And then there was Sunday. If you were a fan of feisty conditions, Sunday was your day. The wind began in the upper teens but not long after racing started was already ranging between 20 and 30 knots. David Barton, PRO of the East W/L Course, commented, "The high winds created a test of tactics and boat handling, and the level of competition was excellent."
On the South coastal course, a few boats retired, a few reefed, and many piled their weight on the rail and fought their way around the race course in tough conditions. A few people got banged up and two sailors ended up overboard during tough spinnaker maneuvers. Both were quickly recovered but it was an excellent reminder to everyone to take safety seriously and to require PFDs on a day like that.
Sadly, it was a marksetbot that got the worst of things on Sunday — see below, ouch! However, our team will be working to put humpty dumpty together again.
Regatta chairs Erik Asgeirsson and Mark Ploch also brought back the Ideal 18 shootout racing off the dock, which had many takers this year providing entertainment to all the sailors relaxing on the lawn.
Windward/Leeward Division Winners for the 2026 Spring Regatta:
ORC 1: Jax, Oivind Lorentzen
ORC 2: Christopher Dragon XII, Linda and Andrew Weiss (Italia 11.98)
J/44: Resolute, Don and Rick Rave
J/88: Oh Jee, Nicolas Delcourt
Coastal Division Winners for the 2026 Spring Regatta:
ORC: Phantom, Chris Schoen (XP 44)
PHRF 1: Avalanche, Craig Albrecht and Alexis Gesualdo (Soto 40)
PHRF 2: Hamburg II, Albrecht Goethe (J/46)
PHRF 3: Velocity2, Kevin Marks (J/99)
PHRF 4: loulou, Paul Beaudin (J/105)
PHRF J/100 Non-Spinnaker: Saltire, John and Corinne Foster (J/100)
PHRF Non-Spinnaker: Badger, Edward Casal (Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 439)
