This past weekend marked the ninth annual Storm Trysail Club Ted Hood Regatta with down to the wire racing in both the PHRF, J105 and Finn Classes.
The winner of the 21-strong Finn Masters was decided in the last leg of the last race when leader Darrel Peck of Oregon scored a total of 17 points after eight races giving him the overall win. John Dane of Mississippi finished his eight races with 18 points while North Shore sailor Luke Buxton of Hamilton took the bullet in the last race of the eight-race regatta and finished third with 27 points.
“The win today came down to the final moments,” said Peck, who has five Olympic campaigns under his belt. “We had champagne conditions all three days with tight competition and fantastic racing.”
The Finn dinghy was an Olympic class for nearly 70 years, so some of the master sailors today — who are over 40 — have continued to compete at the highest level of the sport while some are simply top-notch sailors trying out the Finns.
For second place finisher John Dane, he noted that “This is one of the best regattas I have attended this year. Right now, it is 110 degrees in Mississippi, and we are simply loving this,”
For Luke Buxton, who both helped organize the Finn event and who also competed, placing third behind such sailing greats like Dane and Peck was a thrill.
“What helped me is the top two boats were covering each other and vying for first, so I was only getting loose cover by the other boats,” Buston said. “I had a good start, good shifts and got in the lead. Taking first in the last race elevated me to third place overall.”
One of the unique characteristics about the Finn is that it was an Olympic class boat for nearly 70 years, and for much of its existence the Finn was a one-person dinghy with a large sail area that favored the heavier sailors where weight was an advantage. To make up the difference, many Finn sailors wore layers of heavy sweaters — and sometimes doused themselves with water to increase their upper body bulk during competition. Today, carbon fiber masts mean that modern technology has made boats more stable so lighter sailors can compete. This is drawing a lot more sailors to the fleet. The Finn dinghy has a long history, and its sailors rank among the best in the world. That includes master Finn sailor and 92-year-old Augustus “Gus” Miller who finished 14th.
“The Finn has a real pedigree. It is very physical and rewards physical effort. It also takes finesse, and finesse is the essence of sailing,” said Hamish Nichol of Australia who placed 18th overall. “Although someone like Gus Miller may not have that same strength now, he can still compete and do well because he has so much finesse.”
The racing also included the J105 and PHRF line which also featured high stakes competition. In PHRF 1, David Powers and brother, Tim Powers, and team took first place on Agora, the Beneteau First 36.1 from Boston with six points.
“We came in to today determined to overcome a couple of setbacks the day before and the wind kept building which is great for us and what we like,” said David Powers. “The boat took off in those conditions. We have been coming to this regatta for many years, and we have always enjoyed it.” The Farr 30 Indra placed second and Fred de Napoli placed third on his Beneteau First 10R Black Magic.
“We fought really hard and it was down to the last leg,” said Indra crew member Michael Cunniffe.
In the J105 class, which featured eight boats, the racing remained tight, but No Quarter dominated the four races with four bullets winning with four points. Charlie Garrard placed second with ten points and Ric Dexter was third with 18 points. In the PHRF 2 class, first place went to the J/80 Peter Pappas and second went to Linda Hosking on the C&C40 Ares.
“Overall, it was a highly successful Ted Hood Regatta, “said Capt. Clarke Smith, regatta director and president of the Storm Trysail Marblehead chapter. “The participation of the Finn Masters was a huge bonus and the local J105 and PHRF participants were great. Next year will be out 10th year and we have some plans to make this a significant event.”
During the era when Ted Hood was in Marblehead, sailors from all over the world used to get their sails made by his sail loft. Many were also drawn to stay here after working for Hood and pursued careers in yacht design and other areas of the marine industry. Being around Hood meant that sailors and colleagues were at the forefront of innovation including the roller furling jib which Hood invented. Hood’s success meant that he outgrew his facilities here and made the decision to move in 1985-86 to Portsmouth, Rhode Island, on Narragansett Bay. It was a loss to the town, but he left an enduring legacy, including the success of his nephew Chris Hood who owns C.W. Hood Yachts and has built and designed award-winning boats like the CWHood32 daysailer.
Robbie Doyle, who worked for Ted Hood for ten years, reminisced about him while at the Eastern Yacht Club on Saturday afternoon.
”I worked for Ted Hood for 10 years as a sailmaker and when I left to start my own sail loft he could not have been more supportive. Ted was very forward looking and although he would have loved to have stayed in Marblehead, he had a vision for his business which led him to Newport. He would have loved to see Marblehead as the center of yachting but that has moved on to Newport.”
For more information go to yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative/50664.
