MISSA News

MASSA Fall Fleet Championships

October 19-20, 2013 The Shrewsbury Sailing and Yacht Club (SSYC), Oceanport, NJ, and the Monmouth University Sailing Team hosted the MASSA Fall Fleet Championships Regatta. The races were held in Monmouth’s fleet of 18 FJs in the Shrewsbury River in front of SSYC’s clubhouse. The clubhouse, which was rebuilt after suffering severe damage from Hurricane Sandy, afforded spectators excellent viewing of the racecourse, especially from its upper deck. A team of over a dozen volunteers ran the regatta.

The sailors assembled early Saturday morning but were met with no wind despite a forecast calling for 10 to 12 knots from the south. Racing finally got underway shortly before noon in 5 to 8 knots of breeze that was tempered by an overcast cloud cover, and the race committee managed to run 12 races before darkness set in at 6pm. Racing started up again promptly at 9am on Sunday. Thankfully the forecast calling for 20 to 25 knots in the morning also proved inaccurate; the sailors were treated to a clear blue fall sky and winds ranging from 9 to 12 knots from the west, a direction that put the start / finish line very close to the SSYC docks. The race committee ran 14 races before the 3pm time limit.

Congratulations to Annapolis High School for their fine victory. They will be joined by the second through sixth place teams – Broadneck High School, Christchurch School, Rumson–Fair Haven, Norfolk Collegiate and Archbishop Spalding High Schools - at the Atlantic Coast Championships November 9 & 10 in Annapolis.