Star Class Honoring the Past, Leading the Future
The 65th running of the Mid-Connecticut Fleet Nutmeg regatta took place on the weekend of 30 September 2017, in the waters off of the Milford Yacht Club in Long Island Sound. Mid-Connecticut Fleet star skipper and highly experienced race officer Ed Becker acted as the PRO, subbing for the legendary Alan Pritchard, who was under the weather.
The opening Saturday of the regatta was breezy and overcast with winds from the northeast which were very shifty. The mark boat reported a mean wind velocity of 17 knots with gusts well over 20. The tide was ebbing most of the day. Of the 9 registered competitors, only five started and only four boats finished Course 4. Jim Revkin with Guy Avellon were duking it out with new to the class Kevin Hetherington-Young and long-time Boston Harbor Star Fleet skipper Steve Braverman crewing for him. Lake George skipper Lauren Barth with Wesleyan student and sailing team crew Nate Barton, dropped out of that race to spare her brand new mast any damage. Father and son Jay and John Richardson of the Central Long Island Fleet finished third, followed by Lou Roberts and Brian McSweeney who finished despite an on-course repair.
The Saturday evening dinner and party event was hosted by Carol Gracco and Mike McClure in what has become an annual event for the Nutmeg Regatta. Special thanks to Carol and Mike for another fabulous and fun feast at their beautiful home.
Sunday saw entirely different conditions, a sunny day with extremely light winds shifting 180 degrees, back and forth, throughout the morning, going from East to West, making it extremely difficult to get a race off. The first race was course 4, but shortened to finish on the second leg, with the race committee hoping to get off 3 races before the time limit. Lauren Barth, an experience lake skipper, won the second race, following by Hetherington-Young in second place, and light air wizard Carroll McCallum, sailing with Witold Gesing in third. The race committee was able to get off a third race, a course 3, as the winds stabilized from the west. Hetherington-Young and Braverman maintained their consistency, winning the last race, followed by close finishes of Barth and Barton and Revkin and Avellon, respectively.
Hetherington-Young and Braverman won the Nutmeg Regatta, sharing that honor with many Star Class legends, some of whom are still competing today. Revkin and Avellon were second, followed by Barth and Barton. The top three boats are hoping to show up at Oxford, Maryland, for the Star Fall Windup.
Submitted By,
Jim Revkin, Steve Braverman and Lou Roberts
