Boatspeed and Teamwork Keys to Success At Helly Hansen NOOD Regatta in Marblehead
For the third day in a row, consistent winds fueled a full day of races at the Helly Hansen National Offshore One Design (NOOD) Regatta at Marblehead Race Week on Saturday. With slightly more wind than Friday, plus light waves and current, fleets kept very close for tight racing and crowded mark roundings on the racecourse.
When winds are moderate and less physically demanding, boatspeed differences tend to be minimal between competitors, which results in close-quarters racing and passing opportunities. In these conditions, however, it’s the best teams that tend to demonstrate their strengths.
In the Rhodes 19 class, David Nelson, of Stoughton, Mass., is running away with the regatta. He and crewmate Ken Delpapa—who have been sailing together for more than 30 years—have won six of 10 races this weekend and haven’t finished below sixth place.
“Boatspeed is our strong point – it gets us out of some jams,” Nelson said. “Also, jibing at the weather mark has helped us several times. Every time we jibe immediately after setting, we’ve been able to lay the leeward marks without having to jibe again, where a lot of boats have kept sailing onto starboard, waited to jibe and sailed a lot of extra distance. So we’ve consistently passed boats using that maneuver. I think the reason it’s paid off so well is the current has been setting us toward the leeward mark.”
Nelson is a former overall winner at the Helly Hansen Marblehead NOOD, and it seems fairly certain he’ll take the class title again this year. With a 14-point lead and only two races left before the fleet hits the 12-race cap, the game plan for Sunday is simple.
“We just need to try to get a good start, play it conservative and try not to be too deep in the fleet,” he said.
Contrarily, local J/105 skipper Charlie Garrard isn’t getting comfortable just yet. He currently leads the fleet by two points and credits his success so far to the help of his kids, who are sailing with him, and a focus on finding clear air on the racecourse.
“A two-point lead isn’t really a lead,” Garrard said. “The way I look at it, there are three boats tied for first right now. So tomorrow we get out there and try to race our own race. I think it can go any which way.”
Other crews with leads of eight points or more leading into the final day include David Cooke’s Aufblitzen in the Town Class, Thomas Loutrel’s Choppy Seas in the Viper 640s, Don Brush’s Landed Gentry in the Etchells, and Jud Smith’s Africa in the J/70s.
The largest of 10 fleets competing in this year’s event, the J/70 class saw extremely close racing again on Saturday, especially during mark roundings. The 57-boat fleet is prepping for the J/70 world championship in Marblehead this September, with most crews using this event as a training opportunity.
Former class world champion Timothy Healy and his crew on USA 2 staged an impressive comeback to move into second place overall after posting uncharacteristically high scores on Friday’s first day of racing.
“The key for us was getting better starts,” Healy said of his crew’s day two success. “We had clean starts and were able to use our boatspeed to get to the front of the pack. The first day our starts weren’t too good, so that was the big difference.”
Team USA 2 had one fifth and two first-place finishes on Saturday. The crew hasn’t sailed together before, so it’s also been important for them to gel and improve communication.
“I can tell that the sail trim and all the little fine-tuning is happening quicker and more effectively now,” Healy said. “Boatspeed comes and tactics get better when the communication is better. So all of it came together today.”
Looking ahead to the final day, Healy said his goal is to keep improving, especially on starts and speed. “That’s the key,” he said, “just keep working and learning and getting better.”
The Helly Hansen NOOD Regatta at Marblehead Race Week continues through July 29.
More results below. For comprehensive results, visit yachtscoring.com.
For more information, visit sailingworld.com/nood-regattas.
DAY THREE RESULTS (Top Three)
Laser Full Rig (One Design – 31 Boats)
1. 198633, Laser, Bryce andreasen Marblehead, MA, USA, 1 -3 -3 ; 7
2. Has Ben, Laser, Benjamin Richardson Gloucester, MA, USA, 2 -2 -4 ; 8
3. periwinckle, Laser, David Robison MArblehead, ma, USA, 5 -4 -6 ; 15
Laser Radial (One Design – 11 Boats)
1. Lola, Laser, Hannah Lynn Marblehead, MA, USA, 1 -2 -1 ; 4
2. Reach Around, Laser, James Collins USA, 2 -3 -2 ; 7
3. 189722, Laser, Morgan Cheney Marblehead, MA, USA, 3 -5 -3 ; 11
Viper 640 (One Design – 13 Boats)
1. Choppy Seas, Viper 640, Thomas Loutrel, Charleston, SC, USA, 2 -1 -1 -3 -1 -1 -[5] -4 -2 -1 ; 16
2. Meow!, Viper 640, Cole Constantineau, Cambridge, MA, USA, 3 -3 -2 -2 -3 -6 -1 -2 -[7] -2 ; 24
3. Mo Grins, Viper 640, Moise Solomon, Groton, CT, USA, 1 -4 -3 -4 -2 -3 -2 -[5] -3 -4 ; 26
Rhodes 19 (One Design – 24 Boats)
1. Tough Cookie, Rhodes 19, David Nelson, Stoughton, MA, USA, 1 -4 -1 -1 -1 -1 -[6] -3 -3 -1 ; 16
2. Mohotta Mobetta, Rhodes 19, Kim Pandapas, Marblehead, MA, USA, [14] -6 -4 -7 -6 -5 -1 -5 -2 -2 ; 38
3. Sundance, Rhodes 19, Kaznoski/Cooke Pete/Evan, Marblehead, Ma, USA, 6 -9 -[10] -6 -2 -8 -2 -6 -1 -4 ; 44
Town Class (One Design – 16 Boats)
1. Aufblitzen, Town Class, David Cooke, Harvard, MA, USA, 3 -3 -1 -1 -[4] -2 -2 -2 ; 14
2. Tonic, Town Class, Nick Cann, Marblehead, MA, USA, 6 -[11] -5 -2 -1 -1 -6 -1 ; 22
3. Lille Venn, Town Class, Berit Solstad, Stowe, VT, USA, 1 -4 -2 -3 -[7] -3 -7 -4 ; 24
Etchells (One Design – 9 Boats)
1. Landed Gentry, Etchells, Don Brush, Leicester, VT, USA, -2 -1 -1 -1 -3 -4 -4 -[5] ; 16
2. Juhnksho, Etchells, Joel White, Marblehead, MA, USA, -[7] -2 -4 -4 -2 -5 -3 -4 ; 24
3. Sour Mash, Etchells, Bob Schaefer, Wakefield, ma, USA, -1 -4 -5 -5 -1 -2 -[8] -7 ; 25
J 105 (One Design – 12 Boats)
1. Merlin, J 105, Charlie Garrard, Marblehead, MA, USA, -2 -1 -3 -2 -5 -[7] -1 -2 ; 16
2. Sterling, J 105, Mark Lindquist, Kingston, MA, USA, -5 -2 -1 -4 -2 -1 -[6] -3 ; 18
3. Blown Away, J 105, Jon Samel, Andover, MA, USA, -4 -[5] -4 -1 -3 -4 -3 -1 ; 20
IOD (One Design – 11 Boats)
1. Gypsy, IOD, Bruce/Norm Dyson/Cressy, Marblehead, MA, USA, 2 -2 -1 -1 -1 -1 -[3] -2 ; 10
2. Javelin, IOD, Bill Widnall, Lexington, MA, USA, 1 -1 -3 -2 -2 -[5] -1 -3 ; 13
3. Sagacious, IOD, Timothy J. Dittrich, Swampscott, MA, USA, [8] -4 -2 -4 -4 -2 -4 -1 ; 21
J 24 (One Design – 9 Boats)
1. Hijack, J 24, Fred Deom, Montreal, Que, can, -2 -1 -1 -[7] -5 -3 -1 ; 13
2. Little Martha, J 24, Christopher Clancy, Scituate, MA, USA, -[4] -3 -2 -1 -2 -2 -3 ; 13
3. Shifty, J 24, Martin Gallagher, Scituate, MA, USA, -5 -[6] -5 -3 -4 -1 -2 ; 20
J 70 (One Design – 57 Boats)
1. Africa, J 70, Jud Smith, Swampscott, MA, USA, 1 -10 -1 -1 -[13] -3 ; 16
2. USA 2, J 70, Timothy Healy, Jamestown, RI, USA, 18 -[19] -3 -5 -1 -1 ; 28
3. Catapult, J 70, Joel Ronning, Excelsior, MN, USA, 7 -2 -7 -18 -[33] -4 ; 38
