Strong J/Fleet Set for 2026 American Yacht Club Fall Regatta

(Rye, New York)- Coming up next weekend will be the American Yacht Club’s famous fall regatta on Long Island Sound- the AYC Fall Regatta. For many sailors, it’s the culmination of a long summer of sailing on the Sound. Fall sailing weather often brings plenty of breeze, and the onshore festivities are second to none. The regatta has proven very popular with J/Boat owners from across the northeastern seaboard. The event features one-design classes for J/105s and J/44s, as well as offshore classes for ORC & PHRF handicap teams.

J/44 Class
Five teams are set to do battle with many of the class veterans wondering how things will shake out this time on the wild, woolly waters of western Long Island Sound. All the boats have won or podiumed in the regatta, so the outcome will largely depend on whether their “hot” crews are on board or AWOL! Those teams include Commodore Bill Ketcham’s MAINE, Don & Dick Rave’s RESOLUTE, June & Amanda Kendrick’s PALANTIR 5, and Christina & Willets Meyer’s BEAGLE. Don’t bother betting on this group, since it’s guaranteed to be 100% wrong! LOL.

J/105 Class
At this stage, about a half-dozen teams will vie for class honors, with three teams sure to duel for the top of the podium. Like their J/44 brothers & sisters, it will be a roll of the dice to determine who wins between David Willis’s SOLUTION, Damian Emery’s WARLOCK, and Paul Beaudin’s LOULOU.

PHRF Coastal Division
Eleven of the twenty-two teams are J/Boats from across the spectrum. Leading the pack is Len Sitar’s J/160 COUGAR, followed by Erik Asgeirsson’s J/45 ACADIA, and Albrecht Goethe’s J/46 HAMBURG II. A trio of J/100s will be giving chase: Tom Boyle & Bob Clyatt’s BLUEFIN, John Ford’s GREY OWL, and William Hennes’s LIBERTY. Another trio of J/99s will be a factor: Doug McKiege’s SAVE THE SOUND, Todd Aven’s THIN MAN, and Kevin Marks’s VELOCITY 2. Joining the chase will be Jon-Claude Zucconi’s J/92 EASY RED and Matt Roleke & Trace Dittenhofer’s J/33 CO-CONSPIRATOR.

PHRF Coastal Non-Spin Division
Sailing this half-dozen-boat fleet are two J/100S: Scott MacVicar & Brad Parish’s RESOLUTE and Lisl Dunlop’s VALOR.

ORC W/L Division
A pair of J/121s- Steve Losik’s HABINU and Trevor Roach’s TOUCH OF GREY- will be vying for fleet honors against a fleet of seven hot ORC offshore racers.

ORC Coastal Division
Steve Brownlie’s J/133 ASSARAIN IV will participate in this fleet.

Learn more about the American YC Fall Regatta here
https://www.yachtscoring.com/emenu/50760