Competitive race day for Menantic Yacht Club

Eight Vipers slithered back to Shelter Island this past weekend and ended up on the waters of West Neck Harbor on Sunday, joining the Menantic Yacht Club (MYC) for its seventh series of Sunfish races.  

No, they are not snakes but good sailors. Peter and Rachel Beardsley sponsor a Viper 640 regatta every year, and part of the entertainment is sailing Sunfish on Sunday with the MYC. I could tell from their smiles and comments that they all had a terrific time.

We have been averaging about 23 sailors every weekend. We would have had about the same on Sunday but the inclusion of the Vipers raised the total participants to 33, a record turnout so far this year. The wind wasn’t perfect, extremely shifty with some lulls and some puffs to maybe 12 knots, but that didn’t hinder the sailing. I don’t think anyone went swimming unintentionally, but many sailors slid off their boats between races to cool off.

Jim Koehler, owner of the Dinghy Shop, and a long-time MYC member, joined in the fun this past Sunday for the first time in a number of years. It was good seeing him and catching up. Don’t be a stranger, Jim.

The sailing was competitive, especially between two MYC sailors, Charlie Modica Jr. and Derek Webster. Charlie took a first place finish in the first race, and even with a first place finish in the last two races, Derek couldn’t quite get the upset and finished two points behind Charlie. Second place on Sunday wasn’t a bad way to end the season for Derek, who has to head home to California because the kids are starting school. 

John Modica finished in third place overall. John has been sailing really well this summer, and trying to catch up to his nephew, Charlie Jr. — a formidable task. In the continuing saga between brothers John and Charlie Jr., with only four weeks left in the season, Charlie needs to attach a motor to his Sunfish if he has any hope of catching up in the scoring.

Linda Gibbs had an exceptional day and was very pleased with her performance. She placed ninth overall.

Viper Todd Riccardi and I struck up a conversation as we sailed downwind with Todd just in front of me. When sailing downwind, lightweight sailors, such as myself, have an advantage over heavier sailors, and I beat Todd in two very close finishes by passing him right at the line. Unfortunately, that was not enough, and Todd placed ahead of me overall. Nonetheless, it was fun racing against him and the other Vipers.

The mark boat, captained by Matt Fox and crewed by Mike Donlon, set marks and then pretty much enjoyed the day. The pin end of the line had to be reset just once, and Peter reset the finishing pin once. A second mark/chase boat captained and crewed by Steve Shepstone and crewed by Kent Greenwald, a former classmate of both Steve and his brother-in-law Peter Zahn, gave a helping hand because of the large number of Vipers expected. 

The official chase boat, captained by Betty Bishop and crewed by Dave Daly, had an enjoyable day as well. That is, until the end of the day when they ran out of gas even though the gauge read one-quarter full. Fortunately, Matt, assisted by Will Lehr and Denise Fenchel, quickly came to the rescue. Thank you, all.

Betsy Colby, our PRO, ran Race Committee, crewed by Marian Thomsen, Amy Cococcia, Susan Donlon and Mary Vetri. Our RC always does a super job, and this Sunday was no exception. With a number of very close and crowded finishes it must have been a little nerve-racking; the sail number takers had to be writing furiously. The RC ran four races on a long course — many thanks, you all did a superb job.

Matt and Shelly will host an after-race party this coming Sunday. Also, with only four weeks left in the season, the annual Up the West Neck Creek Race will be held soon.

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 RC 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. Remember that you are out there to have fun.

See you on the water.

Results:           Pts      Place    

Charlie Modica Jr. 10 1

Derek Webster   12. 2

John Modica     21 3

Jim Kohler 25 4

Peter Beardsley   26 5

Eric Ryan 26 6

Taylor Hart 31 7

Jared Reineck     41 8

Linda Gibbs 4 4 9

Devin Hart 47 10

Colin Santangelo   47 11

Tim Mitchell         54 12

Charlie Modica   55 13

Will Lehr 58 14

Todd Riccardi   58 15

Bob Harris     66 16

Cole Constantineau 66 17

Peter Zahn     73 18

Kate Duff 74 19

Denise Fenchel   76 20

Ellen Leonforte   79 21

Bill Martens     87 22

Joan Butler 90 23

Rich Prieto 94 24

Rachel Beardsley   99 25

Jodi Sisley 103 26

Ed Kiaer 106 27

Tom McMahon   109 28

John Colby 109 29

Jonathan Brush   109 30

Patrick Robinson   120 31