Special to the Vineyard Gazette, Sept. 9. 2014
by David Lott
Photo by Susan Waldrop
The 42-foot schooner Phra Luang and captain Jeff Robinson won the 37th running of the George R.
Moffet Race last
Saturday and with the win enjoyed the cheers and hoots of an appreciative
crowd that had assembled post-race at the Vineyard Haven Yacht Club. It was Phra Luang's
second win in seven years.
Following the tradition that the final results are read aloud, beginning
with the last-place
finisher and working one by one up to the winner, bone-tired skippers and
their crew grew
almost
as anxious as they had been nearly six hours earlier when
the signal flags counted
down
to the 11:20 am start time
.
Thirty-nine boats set out
in two divisions in blustery conditions
featuring
cloudy skies and
winds blowing 20 mph out of the southwest. Thirty-four finished. The
traditional
season-ending
race is held each year
in honor of Holmes Hole Sailing Association co-founder
George Moffett, a veteran sailor who campaigned his yacht Guinevere for many years.
The race is named for one of the founders of the Holmes Hole Sailing Association, George Moffett, a veteran sailor who campaigned his yacht Guinevere for many years, including victories in the Bermuda and SORC Races. He donated Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary to the Island. - See more at: http://mvgazette.com/news/2012/09/14/moffett-race-brings-high-seas-spirits-and-storybook-finish?k=vg53a3154fd2dc5#sthash.bbKtOuir.dpuf
The race is named for one of the founders of the Holmes Hole Sailing Association, George Moffett, a veteran sailor who campaigned his yacht Guinevere for many years, including victories in the Bermuda and SORC Races. He donated Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary to the Island. - See more at: http://mvgazette.com/news/2012/09/14/moffett-race-brings-high-seas-spirits-and-storybook-finish?k=vg53a3154fd2dc5#sthash.bbKtOuir.dpuf
The race is named for one of the founders of the Holmes Hole Sailing Association, George Moffett, a veteran sailor who campaigned his yacht Guinevere for many years, including victories in the Bermuda and SORC Races. He donated Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary to the Island. - See more at: http://mvgazette.com/news/2012/09/14/moffett-race-brings-high-seas-spirits-and-storybook-finish?k=vg53a3154fd2dc5#sthash.bbKtOuir.dpuf
Brock Callen of Sail Martha's Vineyard led the committee boat and selected a 20-mile course that featured
two loops around a triangle that
took the fleet down the Sound on the back of an ebbing tide toward
Falmouth, then
over to Middle Ground and then back up to West Chop against the current.
The wind
continued to build during the day throwing out ever deeper waves and higher gusts that
challenged crews to stay on task on rock-and-roll windward beats while dodging water that gushed over
bows and into cockpits.
Boats then rode the crests of following seas that pushed speeds to well
over 12 knots on
the final leg that took them up the North Shore and past West Chop to the finish.
Grabbing line honors was Steve Besse (winner in 2009) aboard his J/120 Apres which completed the
course in just two hours
and thirty-eight minutes. He was followed by four other streakers who
also came in
under three hours: Scott
DiBiaso on Juno, Brian Roberts on the Sparkman & Stephens beauty Aileen, Phil Hale on the J/100 Tango and Damian McLaughlin (2005) on the 42-foot Walter Greene.
The boats continued the finishing parade off Eastville Beach for another hour and
16 minutes when Jim Pringle's 22-foot Sailmaster Myfanwy brought the scoring to a close.
But the magic of PHRF ratings, which allowed such a wide diversity of boats ranging from 16 to 75 feet
16 to 75 fee
to compete together in the same race, is what determines the final standings. The ratings are also
what creates such drama post-race because the names of the ultimate winners are almost
always a mystery.
Following Phra Luang in a money finish on corrected time was previous Moffett winner and
Holmes Hole Commodore Jerry Goodale (2008) aboard Stormalong just 58 seconds behind.
Jim Lobdell (1989) captained the schooner Malabar II to third. Woody Bowman, whose summer
appeared lost when his catboat was dismasted in July, came in fourth aboard Wonder, a G&B Tern
that he quickly learned how to sail and more than salvaged the year with. And in fifth place came
John and Lisa Stout in the G&B Bella-class Isabella.
A special certificate was awarded to the last-place competitor Aurora, a 48-foot Derreckor yawl
skippered by Bradley Abbott, which stated he would not have to pay an entrance fee for the
2015 Moffett Race. Mr. Abbott smiled his assurance in the spirit of the sportsmanship
that pervades the competition, saying that he would indeed use the certificate and return next year.
"That's the secret to success," several tired, but happy sailors concurred as the after party stretched
on into the evening: "Keep showing up."
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