Fall 2011.indd - Annapolis Yacht Club

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