J/Crews Collect Silver at The Edlu Distance Race

ByStuart Johnstone

(Larchmont, NY)- Larchmont Yacht Club’s annual distance race, The Edu, took place last weekend in somewhat difficult weather conditions. With a start off the breakwater at Larchmont Harbor, the course went to Eaton’s Neck and back, a distance of approximately 32.3 nm. The Edlu had both ORC and PHRF divisions.

As the 71st anniversary of this historic race approaches, the early spring timing usually means sporty winds and thrilling competition. For the various participants, the race was also viewed as a tune-up for the Block Island Race and, for some, the 2026 Newport Bermuda Race.

As has been the case in many previous editions of The Edlu, the J/Teams faired quite well across the board in the various ORC and PHRF Divisions. Here is how it all went down during this “offshore sprint,” which took most boats about 5-6 hours.

ORC 1 Division
In the seven-boat fleet, Constantine Baris’s J/122 DIRE WOLF grabbed a coveted silver medal on the podium.

ORC 2 Division
This seven-boat fleet saw the 41 ft carbon fiber speedster- Macrae Sykes’s J/125 GOOD NEWS- take the bronze medal for the 5+ hours of effort. Then, finishing in fourth place was Len Sitar’s flag-blue beauty, his J/160 COUGAR.

PHRF 1 Division
The eight-boat fleet saw just one J/Team complete the course to take the silver medal- Matt Roleke & Trace Dittenhofer’s J/33 CO-CONSPIRATOR.

PHRF 2 Division
The eight-boat fleet was John Sartorius’s J/120 ALIBI, which took the silver medal, with Bill Ingraham’s J/124 TENEBRAE earning the bronze medal.

PHRF 3 Division
This seven-boat fleet saw yet more silverware added to the Baxter family’s groaning trophy shelves. Winning by a considerable margin of 28+ minutes corrected time was Bill & Jackie Baxter’s J/111 FIREBALL. Taking the bronze medal was Mark Hansen’s new J/40 performance cruiser SWEET LORRAINE. Finishing fifth place was the US Merchant Marine Academy’s J/44 COMET.

PHRF Doublehanded Division
This ten-boat fleet saw a near sweep by J/Teams of the top five positions. Taking the silver medal was Josh Reisberg’s J/120 ABILYN, followed by Todd Aven’s J/99 THIN MAN, taking the bronze medal. The balance of the top five included Cary James’s J/109 SUNNY SIDE in fourth place and Doug McKiege’s J/99 SAVE THE SOUND in fifth place.

For more Larchmont YC Edlu Distance Race information
http://www.larchmontyc.org