Sailors hang on to the season with one more channel race


It’s a true sign of the end of the sailing season: well over half the moorings in Dering Harbor are now empty. But that didn’t stop seven sailors in five boats from participating in the Shelter Island Yacht Club’s Herreshoff 12 1/2 channel race this past Saturday. Sailors started off North Pier with a strong westerly breeze and twice sailed back and forth between Dering Harbor and channel marker N10, along the ferry channel.

Bruce and Susan Brewer took the win in their boat Spray, followed by Peter Dinkel in Nebraska. Denny and Ellen Clark crossed the finish line in Lulu Belle off North Pier third and Chip Luddecke finished fourth in Joan and David Wicks’ boat, Sweet Dream. Dona Bergin was over the starting line early but still completed the course for fun.

“It was nice, we had a beautiful breeze,” said Ms. Brewer.

Later that afternoon, the Yacht Club held its decommissioning ceremony, followed by dinner and dancing.