Helping develop future offshore racers

The Ida Lewis Yacht Club (Newport, RI) is continuing its commitment to strengthening the future of offshore sailing by encouraging yacht clubs throughout Narragansett Bay and beyond to field teams in the Youth Challenge and Collegiate Challenge divisions of the Ida Lewis Distance Race

The annual New England classic gets underway August 14 on a course selected to last 24-hours, and by providing meaningful offshore racing opportunities for younger sailors, the event seeks to provide a step for the sport’s next generation.

“We have seen clear evidence that sailors who participate in the Ida Lewis Distance Race through these classes often continue their involvement in offshore keelboat sailing and actively seek out further opportunities to develop their skills,” said Ida Lewis Yacht Club Commodore Bill O’Hanley.

That progression was evident earlier this year at the Bermuda Race when former Youth Challenge sailor Rory Meunier-Mott (20) entered the Doublehanded Division as co-skipper of a Class 40 with Tim Kent and Youth Challenge sailor Maddie Ammatuna (18) competed aboard the J/44 Digger.

Of 35 boats competing in the Ida Lewis Distance Race last year, five qualified for the Youth Challenge and six for the Collegiate Challenge by meeting the requirement that at least 40 percent of their crews be youth or collegiate sailors, respectively.

In addition, 11 boats—roughly 31 percent of the fleet—carried at least one high school sailor, with 22 high school sailors participating overall. Nine boats, representing 25 percent of the fleet, included collegiate sailors, for a total of 20 college competitors.

“It was an outstanding showing of the next generation of sailors,” said Youth and Collegiate Challenge coordinator Adam Witham.

This year, with 38 boats entered thus far and registration remaining open through August 10, three teams have signed up for the Youth Challenge: James Phyfe’s (Cranston, RI) defending champion, the J/44 Digger; the CBC Youth Offshore Team’s Figaro 2 Red Shift; and Bill Kneller’s (Newport, RI) J/109 Vento Solare.

“I have two returning crew from Portsmouth High School and two new students from Dartmouth,” said Kneller. “I’m glad to be able to provide an upcoming generation of sailors the opportunity to get some keelboat experience. This is a great educational experience for them as they learn to manage their time and energy in a confined space, eating, sleeping and sailing.”

Currently entered in the Collegiate Challenge are Brad Gibbs’ (Providence, RI) JPK 1030 Rumble; and Will Denker’s (Hull, MA) defending champion, the J/99 Falcon.

“We are coming back with our crew of 100% University of Vermont college sailors, all under the age of 21,” said Denker, who serves as the University of Vermont’s Keelboat Captain. “Hopefully, we’ll reclaim the collegiate award and move from second in class to first!

“It’s super fun to be able to campaign a boat in Newport comprised of all young-adult sailors and still compete at the highest level against Newport veterans. We’ve done several overnights and inshore races this season already and are hoping that our training pays off again at Ida Lewis.”

Details: https://www.ilyc.org/distancerace

Editor’s note: Great idea, but we encourage the organizers to go a step further and offer a registration discount to the youth and college teams.