9th edition of the Liberty Cup Regatta 2020 makes the news!
Marc Hittner of New York Harbor Channel was on board Signal boat Le Peniche with his videographer Daniel, filming all the action. Thank you Marc for putting this wonderful piece together. To read the article go to https://newyorkharborchannel.com/the-successful-running-of-the-2020-liberty-cup-regatta/
If you would like to see the video click play below.
The 9th edition of the Liberty Cup Regatta was held this past Saturday with over 20 boats hailing from Long Island Sound to Metedeconk River Yacht Club. The fleet was divided into 3 classes: One-design (J105), Spinnaker, and Non-Spinnaker, with the first class going off at 12:30. Everyone enjoyed perfect temperatures, blue skies, and manageable currents with a slack tide timed right in the middle of the racing day, but that’s where the perfection ended. For photos go to the club’s web site photo gallery.
Shifty easterly winds dominated the first half of the regatta, with shifts up to forty degrees and wind speeds up and down, boats felt very lucky or very unlucky at times depending where on the course they were. The usual Staten Island Ferries and tug traffic made its way through the course and offered many tactical challenges to the fleet. But the main event to happen this day was the largest container ship ever to be seen on the East Coast pulled by 4 tugs. Plowing through the middle of the course heading for a photo shoot at the Statue of Liberty, racers had to deal with this Beast in the East not once but twice, as it made its way back south after the photo shoot.
Despite all this, the Race Committee was able to pull off four races for the J105’s and three races for the spin and non-spin classes. Everyone felt it was a very full day of racing and were back at the docks around 5:30.
Congratulations to Hornet (RYC), Thunder (MBC) and Liberty Yacht Club member boat Koinonia for winning their classes. The top three boats of each class will each receive the iconic Statue of Liberty trophy. No Lightship BBQ or awards party happened this year due to COVID-19 so the trophies could not be presented in person. However winners will be sent their trophy to proudly display on their bookshelves.
For full results go to: https://www.yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eID=13124
A big, big thank you goes out to the Race Committee with PRO Vicky Jo Neiner, Capt. Jim Chambers, Kelly Mcintyre, Kevin Lacomp, Jose Cordones, Ed Guy, Lisa King, Pete and Margo for putting on a perfect display of flags and horns, all right on time.
Also, thank you Andy Licata and Liberty Landing Marina staff for supporting our guests, Dive-Tech for lending us their new Zodiac, Mark Kornutik for picking up the PHRF equipment trailer, and to the officers of Liberty Yacht Club for helping plan the event.
We hope to see you all again next year for the 10th edition of the Liberty Cup Regatta. By then 2020 will be way back in the rear view mirror, and by then our event will be even bigger and better than ever!
