Sep 17, 2024 @ 07:37:11 EDT
The 2024 MASSA Cressy Qualifier at Norfolk Yacht Club on the Lafayette River in Norfolk VA included 32 competitors broken down into 3 classes - 7 ILCA 7 sailors, 20 ILCA 6 Boys, and 5 ILCA 6 Girls. We were served up a perfect September day for ILCA racing with temperatures reaching 80 degrees F., and fairly consistent NE winds at 15-22mph, gusting solidly into mid to high 20's and building as the day progressed. Seas were lumpy.
With first warning at about 10:00, the regatta completed 8 races in each of the three divisions. Initially sailors competed in 3 W-4 races with a port reach to finish, followed by one W-5 and a a short mid-day break ashore. The sailors returned to a course reset for a slight wind shift and competed another 4 W-4 races. Racing ended close to 3:00.
The first day's racing on the ILCA 7 course ended with Christopher Draper from Thomas Jefferson in first place with an impressive 9 points, followed by Cole Martin from Vorhees High School in second and Hartley Cooper from Saints Peter and Paul in third place.
At the end of the day on the Boys ILCA 6 fleet, a very tight top 4 had Elliott Lipp from Christchurch School held first place, Sam de los Reyes from Severn School was in second, Richard Pokorney from Point Pleasant Beach recovered from a difficult first race to place third, followed very closely by Wyatt Lipp from Christchurch School.
The Girls ILCA 6 ended with the top 2 separated by only 2 points. Leila Pfrang from Hampton Roads Academy held first with 11 points and Alders Kulynych-Irvin from Bryn Mawr School was in second with 13 points. Chloe Shurr from Christchurch School recovered from a very difficult first three races to land in third place, tied with Skye Lily Charles from Stuyvesant High School.
Sailors reported at 8:30, rigged and resumed racing in the Lafayette River, after reaching the race course by about 9:30 to find breezes a bit stiffer than yesterday. NE winds were in the high teens to mid 20's with gusts 3-5mph higher. Seas were fairly lumpy. The temperature reached just over 80 degrees and the sky was partly cloudy.
Two W-4 races in each division were followed with an opportunity for coaching on the dock. The sailors then returned to the course for the final two W-4 races of the regatta.
In the ILCA 7 FLEET, Christopher Draper from Thomas Jefferson in NOVA walked away with first place having scored 9 bullets in 12 races. He was followed by Cole Martin from Voorhees High in Lebanon Township, NJ placing second, and Hartley Cooper from Saints Peter and Paul HS in Easton, MD taking home the third place trophy.
Sunday saw slight movement in the top placing sailors in the ILCA 6 Boys fleet. Sam de los Reyes from Severn School in Annapolis placed first, surpassing Richard Pokorney from Point Pleasant Beach, NJ who achieved 5 bullets in the event and solidly held second throughout the second day of racing. Elliott Lipp from Christchurch School in Urbanna, VA took home third place followed by only a 3 point separation by his younger brother Wyatt Lipp, also from Christchurch who took fourth place.
The ILCA 6 Girls division resulted in Leila Pfrang from Hampton Roads Academy in Newport News, VA holding onto first place by a narrow lead throughout the day. She ended the day followed by only 2 points by Alders Kulynych-Irvin from Bryn Mawr School in Baltimore, MD who finished in second place. Chloe Schurr from Christchurch School in Urbanna, VA showed remarkable consistency with consistent 3rd and 4th place finishes in races 7-12 resulting in a well earned 3rd place.
Congratulations to the top 2 finishers in each division who will go on to compete in the Cressy National Championship at Saint Petersburg Yacht Club on Oct. 26-27.
Great thanks are owed to the race committee especially PRO Alex Jacobs, and Judges Carter Little and Jerry Thompson.
The following chart shows the relative rank of the teams as of the race indicated. Note that the races are ordered by number, then division, which may not represent the order in which the races were actually sailed.
The first place team as of a given race will always be at the top of the chart. The spacing from one team to the next shows relative gains/losses made from one race to the next. You may hover over the data points to display the total score as of that race.
