Clear skies and temperatures in the high 70s kicked off the largest national sailboat racing circuit in the United States Friday.
The Helly Hansen National Offshore One Design Regatta series is on its fifth and final stop of the season in Marblehead with about 1,000 sailors competing on the North Shore waters. Vying for individual class trophies, 140 boats are competing for the regatta’s overall prize: a trip to the British Virgin Islands for the Helly Hansen NOOD Regatta Championship, hosted by Sunsail in October.
The Marblehead NOOD regatta, which continues through Sunday, is a spectator-friendly event and the races can be seen aboard private yachts on three separate racing circles. Race start times are dependent on wind and weather, with the first warning signal set at noon each day.
Eight one-design classes raced on Friday, with competitors enjoying a full day’s races in three different division courses (one-design means the boats are identical). Winds topped out between six and eight knots, making for a slow but competitive day on the water.
In the Rhodes 19 class, Kim Pandapas of Marblehead (Corinthian YC) currently sits in first place with seven points. The team of Jeff Shoreman and Dave Reynolds of Marblehead (Eastern YC) are in second place with 19 points, and David Nelson of Stoughton (Hingham YC) is in third with 24 points.
In the Town Class, 14 boats competed with shifty winds throughout the day. Berit Solstad of Stowe, Vt. (Lake Champlain YC) is in first place with six points, followed by David Cooke of Harvard (Corinthian YC) with nine points, and Arthur “Tip” O’Neill of Swampscott (Marblehead YC) with 13 points.
It’s a tight race so far in the IOD class. Stephen D. Barrett of Salem (Dolphin YC) sits in first place with seven points, just one point ahead of Charlie Richter of Lexington (Eastern YC). Peter Stahle of Georgetown (Corinthian YC) is in third with nine points.
The standings are just as tight in the International Etchells class and the J/105 Class. In the International Etchells, Tomas Hornos of Marblehead (Boston YC) is in first place with nine points. Don Brush of Geicester, Vt., is right behind with 10 points, followed by Ted Hardenbergh of Hopkinton, N.H. (Portland YC) with 11 points.
It’s even tighter in the J/105 Class. Mark Masur of Dallas, Texas (Fort Worth Boat Club) sits in first with 12 points and Jon Samuel of Andover (Jubilee YC) is right behind with 13 points. There is currently a tie for third place, with Fred deNapoli of Danvers (Corinthian YC) and the team of Ernest and Sue Hardy of Winthrop (Cottage Park YC) each earning 14 points.
Carter White of Portland, Maine (Portland YC) notched three first-place finishes in the J/24 Class races, putting him in first place with three points. Michael Lachmayr of Boxford (Jubilee YC) is in second place with eight points, and Fred Deom of Laval, Quebec, sits in third place with 10 points.
The second largest fleet of the regatta, the J/70s, have 23 boats in the class and finished the day with three races. Jud Smith of Marblehead (Eastern YC) is in first place with four points. Will Welles of Portsmouth, R.I., is in second with seven points and the team of Henry Brauer and Stewart Neff of Marblehead (Eastern YC) are in third place with 17 points.
Smith thought is team did well overall. “Winds started in westerly, and ended southerly. It was a challenging day with breeze changes, but we held the lead,” he said. Smith’s crew included his wife, Cindy, along with Will Felder and Marc Gauthier.
“We got a clean break in one of the races when the race got called back,” he added. “Not sure if tomorrow will be more wind, but Sunday should be how I like ? a little more wind, a little drag-racey.”
There’s a tie for first place in the Viper 640 Class, with Tyler Moore of Hampton, Va., and Thomas Loutrel of Charleston, S.C. (Corinthian YC) each earning five points. Cole Constantineau of Cambridge (Community Boating, Inc.) is currently in third plac