21 May International Teams Set the Bar at Oakcliff Clinegatta
May 21, 2012 – Oyster Bay New York
Celebration Captured by Cheryll Kerr Regattaphotos.net
On a weekend where someone ordered up 4 glorious days of weather, the teams that traveled the furthest ended up with the top spots at the Oakcliff Spring Clinegatta. Polish skipper Krysztof Rosinski and his Open Yachting team won a hotly contested final over Canadian Peter Wickwire.
In a first to win 2 finals, Wickwire was leading on the final run of the first race when Rosinski got an overlap with rights and luffed Wickwire hard. When Wickwire’s gunnel started to sccop water, Rosinski peeled off and sailed to the finish for the first point.
Race two once again had Wickwire in the lead. In an intense tacking duel on leg one, both skippers lost track of where they were on the race course. Wickwire was near a windward mark and rounded it but unfortunately it was the wrong mark. This is the one time a perfect set, in a puff was a bad thing. By the time the corrected their mistake it was too late and Rosinski took the regatta.
An excited Rosinski stated “Sailing the Match 40s has been a dream of mine for seven years.” It does seem that the experience was worth the wait.
Racing was just as intense all the way down the fleet in large part to the unique Oakcliff Clinegatta format. Race Program Director said “The two day Andrew Campbell clinic before the regatta was fantastic. All the teams showed huge improvement in boat handling and match racing. The four teams in the consolation round robin had some of the best and tightest match racing of the event.”
Adding, “the field included local teams plus teams the Midwest, Canada, Poland and Sweden and all of the teams were very strong, great for our first Grade 3 of the year.”
Oakcliff now turns its focus to its offshore program for the next few weeks with three boats entered in the Round Block Island Race, plus sailors on the Atlantic Cup finale in Newport RI and then two boats and sailors on a third in the Bermuda Race. These boats will be crewed by sponsors, supporters, staff and our new crop of Sapling Trainees which being their program tomorrow.
For more information please email race@oakcliffsailing.org – 415 760 7642
Full results:
1 Krzystof Rosinski POL
2 Peter Wickwire CAN
3 Magnus Sanberg – SWE
4 Mike Quaglio – USA
5 Peter Holz – USA
6 Doug Shannon – USA
7 David Niemann – USA
8 Bill Gladstone – USA
Oakcliff is a unique nonprofit training and coaching center located in Oyster Bay New York. With support from supporters and sponsors including Gill, Spinlock and EvoSport Oakcliff offers full time training programs for Acorns (15-18) and Saplings (18-30) for promising sailors who are interested in making sailing their full time passion. They receive training on Oakcliff’s extensive fleet in match, fleet and offshore racing as well as every position in the boat shop and in the front office. Oakcliff is open to all sailors and provides customized programs for sailing teams and corporate team building.