A mystery solved at Shelter Island Yacht Club

Thursday, June 22, was mystery night at the Shelter Island Yacht Club (SIYC).

No, not the usual Agatha Christie who-done-it reenactment, but something even more intriguing. How did the SIYC’s Etchells Fleet 15 sailor John Sommi win first place in the Worlds? Followed by members Jay Cross winning 5th, and Scott Kaufman 9th. Well-respected Sailing Director Jeffrey Bresnahan acted as the MC for the evening, as the answer to the mystery unfolded.

The local backstory starts in 1978, when John P. Holmes brought the first Etchells to the SIYC. Over time, the class grew and fleet racing became a Saturday staple. Today there are 18 boats with Don Jones as the fleet captain. His organizing efforts have been rewarded by the continued vitality of the class.

Etchells are a sleek, fast, keelboat that were originally designed in 1966 by Skip Etchells as an Olympic class. At 30 ft. overall with a 22-ft. waterline, the boat resembles a mini–America’s Cup yacht of days gone by.

They are sloop-rigged, with a non-overlapping jib, and now are only built in fiberglass to exacting specifications, so that every boat is identical. There is a high level of technical know-how needed to sail them properly. With numerous adjustments to the rig and sails possible, even the slightest tweak can result in performance changes. For competitions like the Worlds, four people crew.

There were 62 boats on the line, 45 in the “professional allowed on board” class and 17 in the Corinthian class.

The competition is intense as some of the world’s best sailors remain loyal to this design. Jay Cross observed, “There were nine Olympic medalists, 25 Olympic sailors and 25 America’s Cup sailors in the competition.”

John’s crew aboard his boat Veracity were Victor Diaz de Leon, Will Ryan, and Beccy Anderson. John could not have been more complimentary, repeating numerous times, “It’s the people,” crediting them with helping make his first possible.

Of course, he had the good sense to recruit, train with, and devise a regatta program allowing them to flourish. It involved a lot of “time on the water practice” and reviewing “what we did as well as what the competition was up to.” At this level, coach boats equipped with video record the tactics and sail trim of the fleet. The footage is reviewed to better understand improvements that can be made.

Of course setbacks are inevitable and John had his share. “At one point we broke our mast in a collision and only with the help of a lot of people were we able to secure a new one and have it brought down to Florida,” he said. Followed by his mantra: “It’s the people.”

Near the end of the four-day regatta, the goal of first was tantalizingly close but not secured. A famed competitor was in the lead. Only the application of aggressive sailing kept the opposing boat from the prime podium spot, giving John and Veracity the winning trophy … which he proudly displayed while making it clear this was a SIYC win.

John’s generous spirit was evident as top 10 finishers Jay and Scott, as well as the Corinthian 3rd place finishers Connor Needham and Jack Lane, also spoke about their experiences and love of the sport.

Not sure if the mystery was solved of how the relatively small (in membership) SIYC consistently punches way above its weight in the very competitive Etchells class. Perhaps, in this who-done-it, all the fleet sailors who love being on the water and keep the spirit of racing dancing on their bows, are the answer.