11 Jun Kopp claims victory at socially-distanced quaranteam regatta
June 7, 2020 (OYSTER BAY, NEW YORK) – The Oakcliff Quaranteam Regatta had a slow start
with hot and glassy conditions but the Match 40s jolted to life when a thunderhead rolled
through bringing rain and 16 knots gusting 20 with 30 degree wind oscillations. Out of the
seven teams that competed, it was Bryce Kopp, representing Pequot Yacht Club, who came out
on top. Andres Guerra and the Oakcliff team took second and Peter Bailey came in third.
“I’d say good boat handling was what really helped us find the win this weekend,” remarked
Kopp. “Everyone on the boat was working hard, we were quick on the upwind, and we noticed
lots of kites going down late so we really focused on getting ours down early.”
With social distancing regulations in place, each quaranteam never came closer than six feet to
another person and masks were required any time support boats approached. Additionally, the
crew of each team either got tested for COVID or trusted one another to have been safely and
strictly quarantined for at least two weeks. The volunteers operated short-handed with most of
the umpires riding solo and PRO Patrice Gallo being helped by only one other person, her
daughter Morgan, for the whole regatta. Despite the logistical challenges, they did a fantastic
job.
Oakcliff also came up with a socially-distanced substitute for the regatta party. Each of the
competitors stayed on their boats in the mooring field while Oakcliff’s support boats delivered
full party packs for the whole crew: cold beer, chips and queso, and freshly grilled hot dogs and
veggie skewers (and a fresh delivery of Coach Meeting House’s famous spiked slushies!)
“We really liked the on-the-water party,” Bailey commented. ” It was such a nice evening to be
hanging out on the boat in the sun after the pouring rain and cold. Oakcliff did a great job
keeping the food and drinks coming.” Kopp added, “We thought it was absolutely fantastic. The Oakcliff team did a tremendous job and we even thought it was more fun than the normal regatta party. We were so unbelievably happy about the hot hot dogs at the end of the day. It gave such a morale boost to go into the
next day strong.”
The second day of the regatta saw sunny skies and a beautiful 14 knot breeze with gusts up to 18. Larry Kennedy and Roger Baker kept the course square and Match 40 Fleet Captain Cat
Chimney triaged breakdowns so they could complete the round robin. Bumping up against the
time limit, OA Patrick Burks made the call to go straight into a consolation round for places 5-7
and then directly into petit finals and finals with 1st against 2nd and 3rd against 4th. Many
competitors came from New York City where there was an 8pm curfew scheduled so there was
a slightly earlier limit than usual.
“Holding this regatta would have seemed risky if it wasn’t for the total commitment of all of the
Oakcliff staff, the stellar group of volunteers and serious competitors” explained Executive
Director Dawn Riley. “Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the freedom, the competition, and the
sunshine.”
See more photos on Oakcliff’s Facebook page or check out their Youtube channel for 4K drone
footage.
See complete scoring for the regatta.
Oakcliff Press Contact
Francis George
Media & PR Manager
T: +1 631 935 5573 (USA)
E: PR@OakcliffSailing.org