2009 Lee Trophy Report

The 2009 Lee Trophy, hosted by Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club, was held over the weekend of 9-10 October in Oyster Bay, NY. The event, now in its 7th year, has firmly established itself at the forefront of the US keelboat team racing calendar.

The Royal Thames team, skippered by Mark Lees, Jon Pinner and Tom Heywood, travelled to New York on Thursday night to allow for a short but focussed training session on the Friday to acclimatise to the boats and venue.

Saturday morning dawned with a stiff north-westerly breeze of 18-20 knots and bright sunshine. The breeze was well-received by the Thames team since the Americans traditionally hold a speed advantage over us Brits in lighter winds. Racing commenced in two flights of Sonars, allowing four of the seven teams to race at any one time. In a break from tradition, the non-sailing teams were put to work by policing the racing from 6 provided umpire boats. A skipper from one team would be matched with a crew from another team to ensure a balanced umpiring team. The system received widespread praise from competitors and organisers alike.

The Thames team started well with tough wins over Eastern YC and NYYC 2. Starting was solid and we managed to hold speed against the Americans in the building breeze and short chop. The conditions made for some very exciting downwind legs and frequent place changes were seen throughout the 20 minute races. After the second flight, chief race officer, Al Constants wisely decided to prohibit spinnakers to avoid damaging the boats. This made for closer races with more team racing. A further win, against Seawanhaka 2, was followed by a careless loss to Larchmont. The day finished on a high with consecutive wins against NYYC 1 and Seawanhaka 1 who were comprised of 3 current BA Cup skippers. The race against Seawanhaka 1 was particularly keenly fought right up to the finish line, culminating in a successful 1,4,5 finish for the Thames.

The first round robin complete, the competitors headed back for a cocktail party hosted by event sponsors, Mr and Mrs Bruce Lee. A satisfying day, with the Thames sitting at the top of the leader board on 5 wins and just a single loss.

Sunday would present a different set of challenges with 8-10 knots of shifty wind. A complete second round robin would be sailed in favour of sailing a knockout series. Consistency was the key to day two, with every race contributing to the overall positions. Unfortunately, the Thames struggled to find the starting form that gave us a real advantage on day one. Despite this the team kept it together until the two final races of the day against Seawanhaka 2 and NYYC 1. Two victories were required to win the event, but this proved elusive and the Thames were ultimately relegated to 3rd overall by virtue of a tie break from second. Congratulations go to NYYC 1 who sailed an excellent day posting a clean sweep of six victories.

Thanks must go to Seawanhaka CYC for inviting the Thames back to this excellent event for the third consecutive year. We look forward to returning in 2010.