Second Annual Kettle Cup Regatta a Resounding Success at Shore Acres Yacht Club

Regatta Report from Clay Johnson, Colie Sails

Shore Acres, NJ - The Shore Acres Yacht Club played host to the second annual Kettle Cup Regatta this past weekend on May 6-7, with ten Melges 15s competing in a thrilling display of back-and-forth racing. Participants from Barnegat Bay, Long Beach Island, and Long Island, NY, made up a competitive and diverse fleet, including parent/child, sibling, and coed teams.

On the first day, the fleet navigated a light and puffy westerly breeze, with the forecast calling for eventual wind from the southeast. PRO James Byrne decided to race in the creek, allowing the fleet to sail three exciting and unpredictable races before the breeze died and lost out to the sea breeze. The fleet then enjoyed a steady 10 knots for racing, with Little Egg sailor Jude Ryon and his father, Richie, putting on a masterclass, winning both afternoon races.

The following day saw two more races with similar conditions. Again, the decision was made to sail in the creek to get the races off before the breeze dwindled. The first race proved a little spotty at times, but all boats finished within a few lengths of each other, making for an intense finish. The fleet then waited for the sea breeze to come in, but the westerly made a final surge providing 5-8 knots of breeze for the seventh race.

The regatta was a great success, with Clay Johnson/Elizabeth Tell winning overall followed by the Ryons and Geoff Loffredo/Kristin Hess. It was fantastic to see three new teams trying out the Melges 15 - Colie Sails facilitated a demo boat, and Chris Fretz and Aidan Cunningham allowed other sailors to use their boats, too.

Shore Acres did a superb job running the event, and the organizers are already looking forward to next year's event.