The competition for the New York Yacht Club’s annual regatta sponsored by Rolex is getting fiercer as the D-Day draws nearer. Starting, Friday, June 11, the Rolex sponsored annual regatta will feature class champions, historic classes and some of the largest boats seen on water. The competition will begin with the Around-the-Island race on Friday, followed by two days of gruelling buoy racing. The regatta is the oldest in

America, dating way back to 1845.
The championship is divided into several divisions like the PHRF, Classic, 6 Meter, 12 Meter and IRC, each division having its own favourite.  The Ran is one of the favourites in its class, having earned its fair share of appreciation at the Grand-Prix classics like the 2009 Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, Rolex Fastnet Race and Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. The owner of any 72 footer Ran is confident that the yacht will be able to navigate the tricky course with ease.

The 69 footer, Reichel/Pugh designed, Bella Mente, owned by NYYC member Ken Read, earned a name for itself after winning its class at the Rolex Middle Sea Race in the year 2009. Another hot contender is the Puerto Rico-based yacht, Titan 15, owned by Tom Hill and designed by Reichel/Pug. This ocean beauty registered a second place at the Antigua sailing week and a win at the BVI Spring Regatta.

As the skipper of the il monstro, Ken Read, member NYYC, has been making just the right kind of noise for the last few days. According to him, the Rolex sponsored annual regatta is one of his “must do� events, with the ultimate prize reserved for the 2011-2012 Volvo Ocean race. He feels that the regatta is a fantastic opportunity for him to prepare for tougher circumstances ahead at the Volvo Ocean race.

The one design class will feature 15 entries, with the top billing reserved for the reigning National Champion Phil Lotz, who commandeered the Arethusa to top position in the inaugural New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup last year. According to Lotz, consistency will pay dividends in the long run as there are a number of equally good competitors. The Arethusa will also compete in the Rolex US-IRC National Championship in the second half of the race week. The skipper is confident as the boat showed good results at the 2008 IRC East Coast Championship, winning its class.

Tags: Annual Regatta, New York Yacht Club, rolex

This entry was posted on Saturday, May 29th, 2010 at 1:41 pm and is filed under Rolex Culture, Rolex Events. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.