Fall 2011.indd - Annapolis Yacht Club

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One for the Record Books Team AYC Takes 3rd in 2011 New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup Nathan Adamus Team AYC: Peter McChesney, Skipper; John Torgerson, Tactician; Shane Zwingelberg, Main Trimmer; Stan Welle, Bow; Vann Walke, Mast; Scott Carr, Spin Trimmer; Scott Snyder, Trimmer; Dave Askew, Pit; Margret McChesney, Mid Bow; Rodrick Jabin, Strategist; Jay Kehoe, Coach. On August 25, 2008, New York Yacht Club Commodore Charles H. Townsend announced the inaugural New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup, an invitational fleet-racing regatta, scheduled to take place September 15-19, 2009. The concept behind the Invitational Cup was to bring together amateur yacht club teams to compete against teams from around the world. Invitations were sent to premiere yacht clubs around the world in order to revitalize the spirit of international competition between Corinthian sailors. Commodore Townsend remarked, “This event will once again bring the Corinthian spirit to the forefront of the sport and enable us to share the excitement of sailing on the waters of Rhode Island Sound.” The committee also decided that the race would be held biennially at Harbour Court, the NYYC's on-the-water clubhouse in Newport, R.I. Prizes would be awarded to the top-three teams, with the winning team receiving star treatment via 22 AYC BEACON VOLUME 3, NO. 2 engraving on the NYYC Invitational Cup, donated by former-Commodore Robert L. James and former NYYC Trustee Charles A. Robertson. The trophy is permanently displayed at New York Yacht Club’s 44th Street Clubhouse in Manhattan. In the first biennial Invitational Cup in 2009, host club NYYC overpowered 19 amateur teams from 14 nations in NYYC Swan 42s to hoist the trophy. The only two U.S. teams to compete in that race were NYYC and Saint Francis Yacht Club. After other U.S. clubs expressed an interest in joining the heralded international competition, NYYC decided to open the doors to additional U.S. yacht clubs. The U.S. Qualifying Series was eventually announced, allowing carefully selected U.S. teams to compete for one of three slots in the 2011 NYYC Invitational Cup. It was in this U.S. Qualifying Series on September 7-11, 2010 that Team AYC took their first step to
eventually becoming a force at the NYYC Invitational Cup in 2011. During the first two days of racing on Narragansett Bay, 24 of the nation’s finest yacht clubs were split equally into fleets designated Red or Blue. Competing teams sailed half of each day’s races in either NYYC’s Sonars or Sail Newport’s J/22s. After 14 races were completed, the top six teams from each fleet were combined into the Gold fleet. The final two days of the Qualifying Series were sailed in Sonars. The bounty for a top-three finish in the Gold fleet was a spot in the 2011 NYYC Invitational Cup. Annapolis Yacht Club battled all week to solidify a second overall in the Gold fleet standings with 50 points. Skipper Peter McChesney credited the conditions for being a significant factor in their impressive finish. “The current was good for us when it was strong at the starting line because we had good starts. On the Chesapeake we’re used to current and some of the lake people [competing here] are not. We were up on the line, and other people were getting pushed back. It was helpful for us.” Perhaps foreshadowing Team AYC's third place finish in the 2011 Invitational, McChesney also noted in Qualifying Series interviews that “Our mantra is ‘first is third and third is first’ for this regatta.” By finishing second, Team AYC joined Eastern Yacht Club and Newport Harbor Yacht Club in qualifying for the 2011 regatta in Newport. After qualifying, Team AYC began prepping for the 2011 Invitational Cup. However, it was the support of AYC members that provided the biggest inspiration and motivation for the team. The “Get on the Boat” campaign invited members to contribute to Team AYC's NYYC Invitational Cup journey in exchange for getting their name on the Swan 42 Mustang. The number of donors was overwhelming and Mustang was emblazoned with the names of many generous sponsors before its practice run in the Swan Nationals. Team AYC headed into Newport in the wake of their fourth place finish in the Swan 42 U.S. Nationals, but Day 1 was far from kind as AYC finished 11, 10, and 12. It was especially disheartening considering there were no throw “Without the donations and continuous encouragement from our members...we probably would not have seen the same degree of success at this year's NYYC Invitational Cup.” outs. On Day 2, Coach Jay Kehoe celebrated his birthday in style as Mustang vaulted up the leaderboard with a 6, 1, 3 to move to third place overall. Things were looking great on Day 3 when a costly penalty caused the team to slip back into fourth overall after a disastrous sixteenth place finish in Race 8. Never one to shy away from adversity, McChesney rallied the troops on Day 4 to finish 2 and 4. A light breeze on Day 5 only allowed for one final race, and AYC took advantage with a third to land an overall third place podium finish behind first place Royal Canadian Yacht Club and the second place finishers from host club NYYC. McChesney summed up what many competitors were thinking all week. “It was certainly, arguably, the most unique, special, exciting regatta. The professional circuits, Olympic campaigns, and a lot of great one-design classes [beg attention], but certainly this is a new unbelievable regatta with worldwide excitement.” Commodore Torgerson also extended his congratulations to the team for their outstanding effort and excellent results. Although their podium finish was monumental, especially for a team that had to navigate past an extended list of exceptional U.S. amateur clubs to qualify, it was the support from the Club and Team AYC's positive attitude that was the real story at this year's regatta. “Without the commitment of the AYCF, the generosity of Gary Jobson for the use of Mustang, and all of the members who ‘Got on the Boat,’ I can honestly say that we probably would not have seen the same degree of success at this year's NYYC Invitational Cup,” said Jay Kehoe. “It's unbelievable how the positive energy that the membership and staff provided via email, phone, and text messages transplanted to the team and provided us the momentum we needed to achieve a podium finish.” As General Manager Brian Asch reminds us every month in the Smoking Lamp, AYC is more than a Club, it's a community. As such, we can all celebrate Team AYC's historic finish and treasure the camaraderie and support from members and staff. To quote Team AYC Skipper Peter McChesney, a third place finish is sometimes just as good as a first place trophy. Congratulations Team AYC, third place is as good first in our books! VOLUME 3, NO. 2 AYC BEACON 23
Page 1 and 2: THE ANNAPOLIS YACHT CLUB BEACON VOL
Page 3 and 4: Contents RACING CRUISING JUNIORS 11
Page 5 and 6: Celebrating Annapolis Yacht Club |
Page 7 and 8: Introducing our Newest One Design F
Page 9 and 10: The Tides Inn and Bay Creek resorts
Page 11 and 12: Tenacious racing in the AYC Fall Se
Page 13 and 14: Expanding Horizons Cruising the Bri
Page 15 and 16: Connection to the Community The Ann
Page 17 and 18: The much coveted America's Cup has
Page 19 and 20: Connection to the Yachting World Th
Page 21: “This committee is really about m
Page 25 and 26: Membership Development Understandin
Page 27 and 28: I was asked to be on the Board so I

Fall 2011.indd - Annapolis Yacht Club

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