Prospector blasted off the starting line while being powered by a fractional asymmetrical spinnaker and staysail configuration.
Part-owner Marty Roesch was at the helm as the Mills 68-footer rapidly pulled away from the rest of the 23-boat fleet that started the Annapolis-to-Newport Race on Saturday morning.
Prospector, owned by a syndicate known as Shelter Island Transatlantic Partners, was passing Poplar Island just over a half hour after starting. Larry Landry, one of four owners, was hopeful of exiting the Chesapeake Bay by around 8 p.m. on Saturday.
“This boat really has some giddy-up to her,” said Landry, noting the Mills 68 has reached speeds of 25 knots downwind.
Indeed, Prospector was rocketing along at approximately 17 knots on a tight reach on Saturday and was soon out of sight of the large spectator fleet that gathered for the second Annapolis-to-Newport Race start.
Conditions were similar to those that propelled the Friday starters down the bay – 10 to 14 knots out of the east-northeast with gusts in the upper teens.
Shelter Island Transatlantic Partners initially got involved with grand prix offshore racing with the original Prospector, a Farr 60 built by Carroll Marine. That boat was formerly known as Carrera and set the Annapolis-to-Newport Race record in 2001.
Annapolis professional Chris Larson skippered as Carrera completed the 475-nautical mile course in 42 hours, 58 minutes and 12 seconds. That course record stood for 15 years until it was finally broken during the 2017 edition of Annapolis-to-Newport.
Warrior, a Volvo 70 skippered by Stephen Murray Jr., completed the passage in 40 hours, 14 minutes and 36 seconds. Prospector’s four owners, which also include Paul McDowell and Dr. David Siwicki, are hopeful of bettering Warrior’s mark.
“This boat is most certainly capable of breaking the record,” Landry said on Friday night. “I think the forecast might put us in position to do so.”
Most weather forecasts show the Saturday starters enjoying running and reaching conditions well into Sunday morning. Long-range predictions call for the wind to shift east then east-southeast, which would produce downwind conditions in the Atlantic Ocean as well.
“It appears to be a very favorable forecast, but you just never what the wind conditions will actually be,” McDowell said.
Landry and McDowell agreed it’s imperative that Prospector be able to head toward Newport upon entering the Atlantic Ocean. If the predicted easterly wind shift does not come through, the Mills 68 might have to head offshore for many hours in order to improve its sailing angle.
“This race is going to hinge on when we get into the ocean and what we find out there. The timing of that shift in the ocean will be crucial,” Landry said. “We need to be able to turn left and go northeast in the ocean. So that right-hand shift is a critical variable for us.”
Prospector is doing A2N with a primarily amateur crew with the four owners holding important roles. Landry is the tactician while McDowell and Roesch are aboard watch captains. Dr. Siwicki, one of the three original owners along with Landry and McDowell, works the pit.
Roesch, an Annapolis resident who owns the J/111 Velocity, recently joined the partnership and is one of the primary helmsmen along with McDowell.
Saturday’s start featured entries in ORC 1A and 1B, PHRF 1 and ORR 1. Rikki, a Reichel-Pugh 42 owned by Boston resident Bruce Chafee, quickly established itself as the second-fastest boat behind Prospector.
A group of five Farr 40-footers campaigned by Oakcliff Sailing and the Naval Academy varsity offshore sailing team raced in close quarters – separated by just a few hundred yards.
Navy has entered its two Farr 40s, Ranger and Zephyr, with crews consisting entirely of midshipmen. Hayden Kuzemchak is skippering Ranger while fellow rising senior Zack Bauer is skippering Zephyr.
“Of course, the number one goal is to win the race. However, we also want to improve our sailing skills and gain valuable offshore experience,” Kuzemchak said. “If we can accomplish both of those goals the Ranger crew is going to be very satisfied.”
Friday’s fleet of 29 starters in six classes enjoyed a downwind start and many miles of beam reaching thanks to north-northeasterly winds ranging from 8 to 12 knots. Principal race officer Bruce Bingman set the start line just south of R2 off the mouth of the Severn River and the entire fleet crossed with spinnakers flying.
A popular strategy was to come off the starting line on port jibe and make a beeline to the deep water of the shipping channel since the current was about to begin flowing out the bay from an unusually high tide.
A few boats, such as Laurent Givry’s Beneteau Figaro 3 took an alternative route to the western side of the bay and it seemed to pay dividends as Le Defonce quickly moved into the lead within the Doublehanded class.
Of the boats that went east in search of the expected current advantage, Lady Grey – a J/110 skippered by Herrington Harbour Sailing Association member Joe Laun – showed strong form and speed in leading the entire fleet down the bay.
Friday’s fleet featured the following classes: ORC 2, PHRF 2, Performance Cruising, PHRF Classic, ORR 2 and Doublehanded.
“It’s looking like a beam reach down the bay and a broad reach up the coast,” said Rick Lober, skipper of the Beneteau 473 Celerity that is competing in ORR 2. “It would be incredible if we didn’t have any windward legs.”
Bingman said forecasts show some severe weather hitting around the time most of the 52 boats will be approaching the entrance of the Delaware Bay.
“It looks like the faster boats may be able to finish on a reach. However, I’m thinking the slower boats may need to do some beating to get into Newport,” Bingman said.
Odette, a Hylas 56 owned by Annapolis Yacht Club member Jasen Adams, will have four teenagers as part of its 10-member crew. Alex Adams was 13 years old when he crewed for his father in the 2017 Annapolis-to-Newport Race, logging more than 100 miles as helmsman in helping Odette to a runner-up finish in Performance Cruiser class.
“We have a platform that is comfortable and can accommodate a lot of people. We’re all about ocean racing and introducing more sailors to ocean racing,” Jasen Adams said.
Alex Adams attends the Portsmouth Abbey School and will have two teammates – Evan Boyd and Jenna Palmer – aboard Odette. St. Mary’s-Annapolis sailor Andrew Tollefson, a lifelong friend of the younger Adams, is also part of the crew.
“We do have a core crew of five sailors who have logged thousands of miles on Odette. That being said, we’re certainly aware that we have some novice ocean racing crew,” Jasen Adams said. “We’ll take each decision as it comes. Having spent some time with these sailors, I think we’ll be fine.”
Alex Adams received the Youth Helmsman Award for the 2017 A2N and hopes to repeat that honor while steering during both watches. He is one of three principal drivers aboard Odette along with his father and Rich Hoyer.
Annapolis resident Ken Comerford is skippering a J/111 named Moneypenny and will have his two sons – Kyle and Willy – as part of the crew. Kyle Comerford recently completed an outstanding career as skipper of the SUNY-Maritime offshore sailing team while younger brother Willy competes at the College of Charleston.
“As you get older, I think you do anything you can to spend time with your kids,” said Ken Comerford, getting choked up as he spoke. “I do very much appreciate every opportunity I get to go sailing with my sons.”
Comerford, a veteran ocean racer with many miles under his belt, expects a fairly straight-forward passage.
“I don’t think it’s going to be a big tactical race. I think it’s going to be a drag race with a lot of reaching,” he said. “Every time we run our models the wind seems to go farther and farther aft, which would be good for this boat.”
