Vineyard Race
Encyclopedia
The Vineyard Race is an annual sailboat
race hosted by the Stamford Yacht Club
in Stamford, Connecticut
. It is held every Labor Day
weekend.
The 238-mile race was started in 1932 and takes racers from Stamford east to Buzzards Bay
and back. The first race had 23 starters with five finishers. The race has been held 74 times since its founding.
It is also the final race of the Northern Ocean Racing Trophy series, the New England Lighthouse Series and the Doublehanded Ocean Racing Trophy.
In 1982 the race was described by Bob Bavier in Yachting
as one of the "yachting classics." and:
The fastest time to complete the course was set by Blue Yankee in 2007. Skippered by Bob and Farley Towse of Stamford, Connecticut, it covered the course in 20 hours, 20 minutes and 15 seconds.
The race is several races in one. Competitors must navigate Long Island Sound
before passing into Block Island Sound
through one of several narrow passages where there are tough tidal currents. After rounding the tower they must leave Block Island
to starboard before heading back into the Sound. A typical race involves a variety of conditions.
In 2010 the Stamford Yacht Club held the 76th running of The Vineyard Race. Although the race start was delayed by 24 hours due to Hurricane Earl passing through the racing area a shortened course was run in moderately heavy wind and sea conditions. The Vineyard Lightship Trophy for winning overall under the IRC handicapping formula was awarded to Vela Veloce, a Southern Cross 52 owned by Richard Oland.
Sailboat
A sailboat or sailing boat is a boat propelled partly or entirely by sails. The term covers a variety of boats, larger than small vessels such as sailboards and smaller than sailing ships, but distinctions in the size are not strictly defined and what constitutes a sailing ship, sailboat, or a...
race hosted by the Stamford Yacht Club
Stamford Yacht Club
The Stamford Yacht Club is located in Stamford, Connecticut and was founded in 1890 at the home of William Lottimer.The first race sailed at the club took place in August of 1893. According to Yachts and Yachtsman of America, the race was open to sloops and cutters, 36 to 43 feet long...
in Stamford, Connecticut
Stamford, Connecticut
Stamford is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 122,643, making it the fourth largest city in the state and the eighth largest city in New England...
. It is held every Labor Day
Labor Day
Labor Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September that celebrates the economic and social contributions of workers.-History:...
weekend.
The 238-mile race was started in 1932 and takes racers from Stamford east to Buzzards Bay
Buzzards Bay (bay)
Buzzards Bay is a bay of the Atlantic Ocean adjacent to the U.S. state of Massachusetts. It is approximately 28 miles long by 8 miles wide. It is a popular destination for fishing, boating, and tourism. Since 1914, Buzzards Bay has been connected to Cape Cod Bay by the Cape Cod Canal...
and back. The first race had 23 starters with five finishers. The race has been held 74 times since its founding.
It is also the final race of the Northern Ocean Racing Trophy series, the New England Lighthouse Series and the Doublehanded Ocean Racing Trophy.
Yachting (magazine)
Yachting is a monthly English-language magazine published since 1907. It was founded by Oswald Garrison Villard, publisher of the New York Evening Post and the Nation. The next year Herbert L. Stone became the manager. In 1938 Stone and some friends bought the magazine.It features articles on...
as one of the "yachting classics." and:
- The greatest distance races of the world have several things in common -- a challenging course, competitive fleets and an interesting array of famous yachts. By those standards, the Stamford Yacht Club's Vineyard Race rates close to the top. Like a miniature Fastnet, the Vineyard has a combination of coastal cruising, where currents play a big role, a stretch of ocean sailing, and a mark to round -- the Buzzards Bay tower -- before returning.
The fastest time to complete the course was set by Blue Yankee in 2007. Skippered by Bob and Farley Towse of Stamford, Connecticut, it covered the course in 20 hours, 20 minutes and 15 seconds.
The race is several races in one. Competitors must navigate Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound is an estuary of the Atlantic Ocean, located in the United States between Connecticut to the north and Long Island, New York to the south. The mouth of the Connecticut River at Old Saybrook, Connecticut, empties into the sound. On its western end the sound is bounded by the Bronx...
before passing into Block Island Sound
Block Island Sound
Block Island Sound is a strait in the open Atlantic Ocean, approximately wide, separating Block Island from the coast of Rhode Island in the United States...
through one of several narrow passages where there are tough tidal currents. After rounding the tower they must leave Block Island
Block Island
Block Island is part of the U.S. state of Rhode Island and is located in the Atlantic Ocean approximately south of the coast of Rhode Island, east of Montauk Point on Long Island, and is separated from the Rhode Island mainland by Block Island Sound. The United States Census Bureau defines Block...
to starboard before heading back into the Sound. A typical race involves a variety of conditions.
In 2010 the Stamford Yacht Club held the 76th running of The Vineyard Race. Although the race start was delayed by 24 hours due to Hurricane Earl passing through the racing area a shortened course was run in moderately heavy wind and sea conditions. The Vineyard Lightship Trophy for winning overall under the IRC handicapping formula was awarded to Vela Veloce, a Southern Cross 52 owned by Richard Oland.