J/Teams Dominate 79th Block Island Race Fleet
(Larchmont, NY)- The Storm Trysail Club’s 79th Annual Block Island Race gets underway Friday, May 22, at 12:00 PM in the waters of the Long Island Sound off Stamford, CT. Fifty-eight boats will take on one of the Northeast’s most historic offshore regattas, with a challenging, 186.0nm course that exits Long Island Sound, rounds Block Island to starboard, before returning to Stamford. A true test of seamanship, this year’s race is seen as a proving ground for the upcoming 2026 Newport Bermuda Race, with thirty-four of the entries appearing on both races’ scratch sheets.
The fleet represents a strong mix of modern offshore race boats, performance cruisers, double-handed teams, youth programs, and grand prix entries. ORC continues its rapid growth in offshore racing with the largest Block Island Race fleet to date, with fifty-eight entries- J/Boats have twenty-nine teams- 50% of the fleet!! The race is divided into 12 classes, including dedicated ORC and PHRF Double-Handed divisions. Five J/99s are entered this year, highlighting the growing popularity of the offshore-focused design in both shorthanded and fully crewed competition.
ORC 1 Doublehanded Division
This five-boat fleet is predominantly J/crews. Three J/99s are entered, including Mike Kohler’s EVENTYR, Todd Aven & Todd Diffee’s THIN MAN, and Kevin Marks’s VELOCITY 2. Joining them is Josh Reisberg’s J/120 ABILYN.
PHRF 2 Doublehanded Division
This all J/Boat fleet includes Peter Becker & Adrien Blanc’s J/105 YOUNG AMERICAN, Cary James’s J/109 SUNNY SIDE, and Denis Lafarge’s J/30 MIDNIGHT RIDER/ PMP STRATEGY.
PHRF 4 Division
Two J/teams are sailing in this five-boat fleet. They are Jonathan Thompson’s J/109 FULL TILT and Matt Roleke & Trace Dittenhofer’s J/33 CO-CONSPIRATOR.
PHRF 5 Division
A quartet of J/120s are sailing this half-dozen boat fleet. They are Brian Spears’s MADISON, Richard West’s CHARLOTTE, Andrian Lubimov’s DUET, and William Klein’s SPECK.
PHRF 7 Division
This half-dozen boat fleet is dominated by J/Crews. They include Bill & Jackie Baxter’s famous J/111 FIREBALL, Kevin Kelley’s J/122 SUMMER GRACE, John Storck & family’s J/130 BLITZEN, and the US Merchant Marine Academy’s J/44 COMET.
ORC 6 Division
In this rather eclectic collection of offshore racers in this eleven-boat fleet are two J/Crews. Sailing is the NEKA SAILING Team’s J/105 SLEEPER (a highly modified boat) and Doug McKeige’s J/99 SAVE THE SOUND.
ORC 8 Division
This relatively large eight-boat fleet is also dominated by J/Teams. Three J/122s are racing, including Andrew Clark’s ZIG ZAG, Constantine Baris’s DIRE WOLF, and David Rosow’s LOKI. Joining that trio are Martin Zonnenberg’s J/111 QUICKDRAW, John Sartorius’s J/120 ALIBI, and June & Amanda Kendrick’s J/44 PALANTIR 5.
ORC 11 Division
This large eleven-boat fleet has a trio of J/121s dueling for class supremacy. Those teams include Steven Levy’s EAGLE, Steve Losik’s HABIRU, and Trevor Roach’s TOUCH OF GREY. Joining them is Len Sitar’s magnificent navy-blue J/160 COUGAR.
For more Storm Trysail Block Island Race sailing information
https://stormtrysail.org/regattas/block-island-race/