HYC Takes 3rd Place Lloyd Phoenix Trophy US Sailing Offshore Championship w/Results
Posted on 29 September 2009 by Mark Lewis.
RJ DiMattia and the crew of “Wharf Rat” represented the Hingham Yacht Club and Area A PHRF at the 2009 Lloyd Phoenix Trophy. This trophy is the US Sailing national offshore championship. This year it was held at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD on their One Design Navy 44’s. Click here for results.
Wow, what a weekend!
I want to say thanks to everyone who helped get us ready for this event. It is a big undertaking to take a team from New England down to Annapolis and without the help and support of some very understanding families and teachers our effort would have been doomed from the start.
The racing was tight with no throwouts and with a relatively short series of seven races, there was a premium on keeping out of trouble on the course and out of the protest room. It seemed like every team had one or two bad races, but by the end of the regatta Hingham Yacht Club was tied for second and one point out of first.
The conditions varied all over the place, and admittedly the team struggled in the long distance race. We managed to persevere and end on a high note, winning the final race of the regatta, a six legged six mile windward leeward. Just to give you an idea of how tight things were, this race was won in the last hundred yards of the course after nearly six miles of racing and the first three boats finishing within 25 seconds of each other.
Our team was the youngest at the regatta with the exception of the Naval Academy, who as host, are allowed to enter one team. We had the least experience in boats with wheel steering and we were the only team with two women! This last part may have contributed to our popularity, but no matter what, we made sure we did Hingham Yacht Club proud.
Thanks,
RJ DiMattia
Team Wharf Rat - Lloyd Phoenix 2009
- RJ DiMattia - Helm/Tactics
- Mike Feeley - Trim/Cockpit/Helm Relief
- Ted Mellors - Cockpit/Traveler
- Danielle Van Strien - Main Trim/Sewer
- Billy Hines - Pit/Floater
- Michele Pruden - Pit
- Frank Hennigan - Mast
- PJ Johnson - Bowman
- Emily Pello - Could not attend
- Greg Manning - Could not attend