First races of the summer for Shelter Island’s Menantic Yacht Club
Thirty-one sailors participated in the Menantic Yacht Club’s (MYC) first series of Sunfish races this past Sunday in West Neck Harbor in near perfect conditions.
The sun was shining and, more importantly, we had wind, even if it was a bit shifty and a little gusty. A number of new faces appeared, though no records were broken. I saw two boats go over and was advised of a third, in only 9 knots of wind or less — quite a feat. The new courses were well received and overall it was a very successful day.
Prior to racing we held a skippers meeting at Commodore Pete’s Landing. It was good seeing old friends and meeting newcomers who included 13-year-old Timothy Mitchell, Peter Hemmelsack, Michael Untermyer, Sumner Pingree and Lucy Brown. New self-stick course cards were handed out and the new courses were explained by Steve Shepstone. They are fairly simple and fun to race. Peter Due sailed over from Cedar Point and John Modica came in from Connecticut. I put out a request for volunteers and they turned up. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, our volunteers are the best.
The racing was relatively competitive, but Peter Beardsley was the clear winner and was awarded the Windel’s trophy for placing first in the first race of the season. Derek Webster was a fairly close second, followed by Charlie Modica Jr., that’s right Jr. not Sr. Finishing fourth was Paul Zinger. Linda Gibbs, sailing the boat belonging to our sorely missed Dave Olsen, performed well, placing sixth. Congrats to all the sailors on a fun-filled day.
Two of the sailors who flipped were the Modica brothers, Charlie Sr. — not Jr. — and John. Charlie went over on purpose to cool off and John, well …. John also placed ahead of his older brother on the day, thus setting the stage for another season of the show we’ve all been waiting for — the Battle of the Modica Brothers. Sumner was the third flipee.
Several sailors had broken parts, which was not surprising since it was the first race of the season and things were shaken out after a winter in storage. Also sailing on Sunday was Bill Martens, freshly back from a trip to Venice with one his young grandsons. Joining Bill on Sunday was Tom Pickett, his son-in-law, who, by the way, beat Bill on the day. Tom has sailed with the club in the past and has greatly improved.
Several sailors did their 360 penalty turns including yours truly. Charlie even did two. However, a number of sailors did not do their penalty turns when they committed an infraction. You know who you are. Please do your turns.
Betty Bishop captained the chase boat crewed by Jodi Sisley. They had a fun afternoon on the water watching the races, but were prepared to go overboard if necessary. Matt Fox captained the mark boat along with Sharon Wicks, Lucy Brown and Susie Masse. With the wind direction fairly steady, after setting the marks, they also enjoyed an afternoon on the water. Thanks, all.
Betsy Colby ran the races with her trusty crew of Amy Cococcia and Marion Thomsen. Steve Shepstone also joined the crew, along with Timothy’s mother Kerry Mitchel, and Will Lehr’s friend Coree Ferraro. The Race Committee ran a practice race in order to orient people to the new courses. They then ran five races. You all did a superb job.
With Timothy’s membership, Will is no longer the youngest member of the MYC. Will, who just finished his junior year at NYU, has been sailing with the MYC for a number of years. On Sunday he had his best race ever, placing third in one race, a formidable feat against some really top-notch sailors. Congrats, Will.
Linda Gibbs and Tom McMahon hosted the after-race party, which was extremely well attended. It wasn’t only Tom’s expert grilling or Linda’s scrumptious dessert that brought the crowd, but Tom’s favorite events, the annual LYCE MYCE shore events, were held. Everyone had an enjoyable time playing the different games that included hitting a croquet ball through a wicket, sending a frisbee through two stakes, hitting a golf ball into a basket, bean bag toss, and guessing the number of golf balls in a bucket, with the winner keeping all the golf balls.
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 on Facebook at Menantic Yacht Club, or from Bob Harris at [email protected] or 505-235-5844. Steve and Melissa Shepstone have a fleet of loaner boats available on a first-to-reserve basis. Contact Melissa at [email protected] to reserve your boat.
See you on the water.
Results: PTS Place
Peter Beardsley 9 1
Derek Webster 15 2
Charlie Modica Jr 23 3
Paul Zinger 24 4
Melissa Pumphrey 31 5
Linda Gibbs 34 6
Joan Butler 48 7
Alicia Rojas 49 8
Eric Ryan 51 9
John Modica 58 10
Steve Shepstone 63 11
Ronnie Hill 67 12
Tom Pickett 67 13
Bob Harris 70 14
Charlie Modica 73 15
Peter Due 75 16
Rich Prieto 83 17
Will Lehr 88 18
Peter Zahn 91 19
Bill Martens 95 20
Jonathan Brush 102 21
Denise Fenchel 105 22
Tim Mitchell 107 23
John Colby 112 24
Sumner Pingree 126 25
Tom McMahon 126 26
Rachel Beardsley 128 27
Kate Duff 130 28
Mary Vetri 133 29
Brett Mintz 152 30
Michael Untermyer 154 31
