New York Yacht Club Race Week at Newport presented by Rolex

NEWPORT, R.I. (July 19, 2002) -- What happens when over 600 sailors are turned loose in New England "thick as pea soup" fog and asked to find their way around a racecourse? For the 93 boats competing in the second half of the New York Yacht Club's Race Week at Newport presented by Rolex, the challenge on this first day of one-design racing was to get to the finish without getting lost. In 5-12 knot winds, three races were run on two circles for Mumm 30, J/35, J/120, J/105, J/80 and Melges 24 classes while two races were completed on a third circle for Farr 40, J/44, 1D35 and Farr 395 classes.

With a schedule that calls for a total of seven races to be sailed, each race can make or break a team's chance at claiming a Rolex watch, the top pr ize for the best performing boat at the end of the week.

The one-design portion of Race Week at Newport, which continues through Sunday, is serving as the Mumm 30 and J/44 North Americans, 1D 35 East Coast Regional Championship and the J/35 New England Championship. In a unique split format, Race Week accommodated nine classes of handicap-rated boats for four days of racing on the front end before switching into one-design mode.

For more information and full results, visit the NYYC web site.