J/Teams Capture Silver @ Annapolis to Newport Race

(Newport, RI)- The 475.0nm Annapolis to Newport Race is one of the most historic and well-known of the US East Coast blue water races. Linking two seaports dating from our nation’s birth, Annapolis and Newport, the race provides a stark contrast between the country’s largest estuary- the Chesapeake Bay- and the Atlantic Ocean. The course heads south for 120 miles from Annapolis to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, then east to the Chesapeake Light, and hence northeast to Newport, leaving Block Island to port. After navigating the shallows and currents of the Bay, navigators have to decide if they want to sail the rhumbline to Newport, go in towards the shore, or head further into the Ocean. This year, it seemed those that stuck it out to sea found better winds and weather conditions. Here is how it broke down for various J/Teams commanding a boatload of silverware for the trophy caves.

ORC 2 Division
In this large 14-boat fleet, it was Ken Comerford’s J/121 DARK STORM that took home the silver medal, missing the division win by just a half hour.

ORC 3 Division
Andrew Clark’s J/122 ZIG ZAG placed 2nd in Class and 2nd Overall in ORC Division competing with a fleet of thirty-one racing yachts. Also, the team was very proud to be awarded the James Allsop Seafarer Trophy. This perpetual trophy is held at Annapolis Yacht Club and awarded to the boat with the best combined score from the prior 635.0nm Newport to Bermuda Race and the current Annapolis to Newport Race. This 475.0nm bi-annual race runs from Annapolis, MD to Newport, RI. This was the team’s first time completing the event.

Taking the bronze medal on the podium was Richard Born’s famous J/120 WINDBORN, a team that has multiple podiums in this event over the decades! Fourth went to Barrett Adams’s J/120 PHOENIX, sixth was Patrick Hylant’s J/122 MOXIE, seventh was Jim Phyfe’s DIGGER, and eighth was Ove Haxthausen’s J/133 RUMBA.

ORC Doublehanded Division
There was an outstanding performance by SUNDOG, a J/124 that Paul Parks acquired in the fall of 2024. This marked the first offshore race for Parks aboard his new boat, and the result couldn’t have been better. They led a podium sweep by J/Teams of the Doublehanded Division!

SUNDOG finished more than eight hours ahead of the J/35 ABIENTOT, but wound up beating the J/35 by about a half hour on corrected time. Skipper Roger Lant and crew Michael Welin sailed brilliantly aboard ABIENTOT, which led all the doublehanded boats around the Chesapeake Light Tower. “I don’t know how two guys can sail a J/35 that fast,†Parks marveled.

SUNDOG had its struggles negotiating the predominantly light air in the Chesapeake Bay with Parks beating himself up for being caught on the wrong side of two wind shifts. However, the J/124 got into a nice groove going downwind in the lower bay to claw into contention.

“Well, the weather forecast for the Chesapeake Bay was about as wrong as it could be. We had two nice spinnaker runs, neither of which were in the forecast,†Parks said. “We had a wonderful spinnaker run right down to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, which got us back into the race.â€

SUNDOG was so becalmed shortly after passing the Chesapeake Light Tower that they took down the mainsail on two occasions. After getting going again, the J/124 ran into a header that prompted Parks to take the boat further out into the ocean and discover more reliable breeze.

“I think that stretch was really the difference. That is when we got some separation,†said Parks, who estimates taking SUNDOG a couple miles east of the rhumb line.

Parks praised Saunders for “doing 80 percent†of the work on the boat and described his partner as an “excellent sailor and highly competent navigator.â€

“It was long and slow, but a tactically interesting race. We had some good and bad moments,†Parks said. “We learned some things about the boat along the way. Overall, we were really pleased with how it sailed and the speed that we had.â€

Parks was presented with the prestigious C. Gaither Scott Trophy for Corinthian Spirit. That award, which is presented at the discretion of the Race and Event Committee, goes to a team or individual skipper that has demonstrated the spirit of Corinthian competition as promoted by Commodore C. Gaither Scott. The award is not always handed out and is named in memory of Past Commodore Scott, who also served a term as the Race Committee Chairman.

After the J/124 SUNDOG, it was Roger Lant’s J/35 ABIENTOT that took the silver medal, Todd Aven and Todd Diffee’s J/99 THING MAN took the bronze, and Mike Kohler’s J/99 EVENTYR took fourth place.

ORC Performance Cruiser 2 Division
David Esseks and his close-knit crew of family and friends sailed their J/109 TWIGA to a very convincing victory in the class; beating the runner-up J/99 BAY RETRIEVER by more than seven hours on corrected time.

TWIGA led the class out of the Chesapeake, but skipper Kevin Sherwood and his crew aboard the J/99 BAY RETRIVER were close behind. However, the J/109 left the J/99 far behind in the Atlantic Ocean and crossed the finish line almost seven hours earlier.

“We worked very, very hard to keep the boat moving whenever it got really light. We were becalmed with no steerage at least four times, including three in the last 12 hours,†Esseks said.

This was the fourth time the New York City resident has competed in the Annapolis to Newport Race aboard his boat and by far the best result. TWIGA in PHRF 2 in the 2019 edition, then fourth out of nine entries in PHRF in 2021.

James Esseks was aboard as navigator and watch captain for his twin brother, while Will Esseks handled the foredeck for his father. Helmsman Marc Robert and headsail trimmer Clayton Gates completed the five-man crew.

“This is a relatively small, light boat for this class; open ocean is normally not our strong point, especially upwind,†said David Esseks, who credits a 145% genoa as being critical to the successful offshore passage. “That 145% jib gave us the power we needed in those conditions.

The previous best finish in an offshore race for the TWIGA team was a third in class for the 2023 Marblehead-to-Halifax. “We’re very, very happy about the result. The boat did a great job and we hung on tight.â€

Behind the J/109 TWIGA, it was Kevin Sherwood’s J/99 BAY RETRIEVER that took the silver medal.

PHRF Division
As they have in past Annapolis Newport Races, John Sartorius’s J/120 ALIBI took the silver medal. Then, an award was given for the First All-Women Crew: that went to Maryline Bossar’s J/42 ALLEGIANT.

For more Annapolis to Newport Race sailing information
https://www.annapolisnewportrace.com/