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August 26, 2007

New Englands wrap up 25th year in Marblehead

Laurie Fullerton

MARBLEHEAD | Now in its 25th year, the premier sailing event of the summer season for big boat sailors wrapped up yesterday afternoon after three days of competitive racing with 102 boats in 12 fleets.

The PHRF (Performance Handicapped Racing Fleet) best known as the "New Englands" not only gives regional sailors a chance to test their skills after an entire season of racing, but it also offers sailors from the South Shore of Mass Bay, New Hampshire and Maine a chance to compete with the best local sailors this region has to offer.

One of the most popular fleets today is the 17-strong J105 fleet which is one of the few classes in this event that features identical boats, meaning there is no rating system and the winner tends to be decided on sailing skill alone. This year Marblehead resident Laurie Willard placed first many points ahead of the competition while sailing with former College All-American Bill Lynn. Like many area sailors drawn to the J105 fleet, second place finisher Mike Royer of Peabody had launched his J105 just one week ago. His team included Steve Goldberg of Beverly and the young commodore of the Pleon Yacht Club, Ryan Carney.

"For my first week with the boat, finishing in the top five is great," Royer said.

"The J105 is a premiere fleet for competition in big boats," said Goldberg, who also owns a J105 and will be racing it this fall.

For young Carney, who has only sailed in the smaller Laser boats, "this is my first PHRF New Englands and it has been a great experience."

With its long history in Marblehead, the New Englands always brings back old rivalries and this year was no exception. In true form, the crew from the Nelson Marek "Claddagh" owned by Leo Fallon finished first ahead of its rival "Katabatic" owned by Gordon Hall in Class 2, while in Class 4 the long standing duel between Marblehead's Phil DiCarlo's Frers 36 "Hot Spur" and Salem resident Peter Engel's "Goldeneye" wrapped up in second and third place, respectively, while Richard Hyde of Beverly took first aboard his Frers36 "Freightrain."

"Although we placed third overall, we did have a first place finish on the last day which is a moral victory for us," Engel said. "It does seem that we have a lot of new sailors here this year, which is great, and that the better sailed boats continue to get better. As it's the 25th anniversary of the event, I believe it will continue to grow as we have the facilities to run a good event."

What is unique about the New Englands is the fact that many cruising classes can compete and this year Rob Gorman of Marblehead took first in the Swan 44 division aboard his "Only Time."

"This is the third year I have competed in this event as I am primarily a small boat sailor," Gorman said. "We had wind which is key and winning is great in any conditions, so I hope this event continues to grow."

Typically, the New Englands are held at a time of year when winds tend to be light and fluky, which can give light air sailors and lighter boats the advantage. What is unique about this year is that the regatta featured strong southwesterly breezes on Saturday and light air on Sunday which leveled the playing field.

"This event is not just a summer highlight, it is a summer racing highlight," said David Campbell who traveled with fellow teammates from the South Shore to race aboard Bob Foley's "Wild Ride."

Many of Marblehead's best known sailors, like sailmaker Robbie Doyle and Bruce Dyson, sailed in a slightly different capacity. Doyle raced aboard his own design, called the e33, finishing sixth in his class while Dyson raced aboard his hand-built 8-metre yacht, which is slightly heavier than the other boats in his fleet. Dyson finished sixth aboard his "Pleione."

"We were hoping to repeat last year when we had seven first-place finishes but this was a slightly tougher race for us," Dyson said. "We had some new people to the boat and difficult sailing conditions. This is a brutal boat to sail as it is almost as complicated as an America's Cup boat with fewer people. But it is great fun to campaign, and this event is as good a regatta as you are going to find anywhere. Everyone who participates has a great time."

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