Pass the Advil — Shelter Island’s Menantic Yacht Club sailors brave the breeze

Mother Nature was good to the Menantic Yacht Club (MYC) this past Sunday and held off the rains that had been forecast all week.

The strong, gusty winds made for some tough sailing and maybe some minor bruises, but all 30 sailors who participated were smiling at the end of the day, especially the one sailor who commented that she took Advil prior to racing.

The racers included invading Vipers that descended upon the fleet in force. And no, these Vipers were not snakes, they were excellent sailors who normally sail Viper 640s, guests of Peter Beardsley. There were a number of flips and some sailors were forced to sail to shore to fix broken parts. A few sailors arrived late, and a couple went home early. 

Caitlin Cumming arrived late, missed a race, and still finished in the middle of the pack. Ruth Hakansen sailed well, but had to beach her boat to fix a problem, causing her to miss one race. Paul Zinger needed to make a repair when his back block came loose, and then decided to retire early, as did Peter Due, who also arrived late, and Jonathan Brush. Doug Kadlec missed a couple of races as well. Alicia Rojas could be heard whooping it up after finishing in the top 10, and Jodi Sisley and John Colby were seen battling it out towards the back of the pack.

As Linda Gibbs sailed past the Committee Boat in the first race, she rejoiced at the fact that this was her first race as a senior citizen. Happy Birthday to Linda, and also to Amy Cococcia.

The wind, though strong and gusty, was steady. The hard work was heading toward the windward mark. Downwind, the boats were moving so fast it was like surfing. For those sailors in the front of the pack, the racing was extremely competitive, and the Vipers thrived. The Vipers of which Peter Beardsley is one, had all been in a Shelter Island Yacht Club sailboat race on Saturday. MYC’s Lee Montes placed first overall, followed by Vipers Colin Santangelo, Dean Balcirak and Stu Craig, who placed second, third and fourth, respectively. Had Peter Beardsley not been disqualified in one race for being over early, and had Charlie Modica, Jr. not missed a race, they probably would have been in the very font of the pack in the standings. Kudos to everyone who toughed it out on Sunday. 

Betsy Colby ran the races as usual, along with her crew of Marian Thomsen, Deborah Mintz and Amy, who had just returned from Hong Kong. Knowing my limitations in the windy conditions, I also joined the crew.  We had a hard time setting the anchor for some unknown reason, but nonetheless managed to set up the courses and start the races on time. Andre Van Rynbach commented after racing on what a great job the Race Committee did. Betsy ran longer races than usual, and for the second week in a row was able to run all six races. Good job all, and thanks.

Betty Bishop captained the stake boat crewed by Dave Daly. They were kept fairly busy making sure sailors were able to right their boats when they went for that unexpected dip. The gusty wind caused several sailors to flip, including Bill Martens, not once, not twice, but three times, followed by Ellen Leonforte and Doug Kadlec.

Matt Fox captained the mark boat along with Areyanna McCarthy, Emma Grunin and Mathew Oluwole, all NYU friends of Will Lehr. Matt was back from a week of relaxation — that is, if you call prepping 400 lobsters for last Saturday’s Rotary Club dinner relaxing. They had to move some marks but all had fun. Many thanks to all of you.        

This coming Sunday, Aug.11, Jonathan and Anita Brush will host an after-race party.  You know what to bring.

We are a very congenial family-friendly club, open to all. We may not have a clubhouse, but the sailing is great, the camaraderie is superb, and we just have tremendous fun. All sailors, novice to expert, are welcome. Just show up in West Neck Harbor at 2 p.m. on any Sunday through Labor Day, check in with the Race Committee, giving them your full name and sail number, and be sure to bring your life jacket. Non-sailors are also welcome to assist with the Race Committee boat and the stake boat. You can get more information about the MYC at the Facebook page: Menantic Yacht Club, or from Bob Harris at [email protected].

Steve and Melissa Shepstone have a fleet of loaner boats available on a first to reserve basis. Contact Melissa at 203-206-1745 or [email protected] to reserve your boat.

See you on the water!

Results             Pts    Place

Lee Montes        14             1

Colin Santangelo    27  2

Dean Balcirak   28           3

Stu Craig                   29            4

Andre Van Rynbach   42             5

Charlie Modica, Jr. 43   6

Peter Beardsley               47             7

John Modica        48        8

Alicia Rojas         68         9

Rachel Beardsley    72  10

Charlie Modica                73            11

Rich Prieto           74        12

Will Lehr                             80            13

Denise Fenchel                82            14

Caitlin Cummings    88            15

Kate Duff                             93            16

Joan Butler           95        17

Eugene Van Rynbach  99           18

Tom McMahon                    123      19

Ellen Leonforte              124       20

Ruth Hakansen                  129        21

Linda Gibbs         129      22

Jonathan Brush               140      23

Peter Due                            141         24

Jodi Sisley             149      25

John Colby                         150        26

Bill Martens        153       27

Paul Zinger          159      28

Doug Kadlec        179      29

Sharon Wicks     186       30