Mother Nature defeats Island crew: Gathering of sailors abandon Whitebread regatta

The 29th running of the Whitebread sailboat regatta took place Saturday, Oct. 1, but the weather forced race sponsor Peconic Bay Sailing Association to make some major changes. 

In past years, the Whitebread started in Cutchogue Harbor, circumnavigated Shelter Island and finished in Cutchogue Harbor, about 34 miles.

For the past several years, including this year, the start line was Buoy N18, in Hog Neck Bay, much closer to Shelter Island. There are six divisions and boats are grouped according to their PHRF ratings. A boat may finish dead last, as I have done many times, and correct up to a winning position.

The race is held in late September or early October, when the wind can be out of control and the weather foul.

The Whitebread is the season’s last large regatta held on the East End. This year there were 73 boats entered in the race.

All week I’d been scouring the internet weather and wind forecasts to see what was in store for us this year. One day I saw a rainy day forecast with very little wind.

Another day I saw a windy forecast with possible rain. With Hurricane Ian bearing down on Florida, I kept my eyes open and hoped for the best — little rain and manageable winds.

For the past two years we’ve been sailing Callaloo, Charlie Modica’s Alerian 33 instead of my C&C24, which was a pleasant change for several reasons. Not only is it larger and more comfortable but its all-electric winches are great.

Being a larger faster boat meant we didn’t need to leave my mooring in West Neck Harbor in the dark of night to get to the start line in time. Even though I do miss the early morning sun rises from the boat, the extra hour of sleep and leaving in daylight can have its advantages and disadvantages. The main disadvantage on Saturday was that it allowed us to see the weather conditions.

When my crew — Linda Gibbs, an 11-year uninterrupted veteran, Dave Olsen, a 16-year uninterrupted veteran, John Colby, a newbie and Charlie Modica, a 14-year interrupted veteran  — and I met at Charlie’s house to board Callaloo in daylight, we knew right away from the driving rain and the chop on the water that it was going to be one of those really rough years.

That, combined with an email from the Whitebread race committee stating that course ECHO2 was going to be used, did not bode well. Echo 2 is a shorter course, all inside the bays, not a circumnavigation of Shelter Island, and we were not disappointed with those changes. However, we were disappointed a short time later when we hoisted the main and realized what was in store for us.

With the visibility down to about a half mile, I only counted six or seven boats in the starting area out of 73 that had registered. Did the majority of the fleet have more sense than we?  Evidently the answer to that question was a resounding, “Yes!”

With rain pouring down, we hoisted the main, unfurled the jib and immediately realized that even with a fully reefed main we were going to have trouble handling the boat.

We were all sorely disappointed, especially since we were at the start, but prudence won out and we decided to head home and end what was an exciting adventure.

It’s not the first race I’ve abandoned and it probably won’t be the last race in which, to quote my cousin’s query, “You mean the boat that came in last beat you?” To which my oft-repeated reply is “Well, there’s always next year.”

As it turned out, 12 hardy skippers and crews did complete the course on Saturday. Kudos to those 12 boats that braved it out and to all the other skippers and crews who attempted to sail but abandoned the race.