A Blowy Stamford/Vineyard

Clicking back down to the local level...this past weekend was the occasion of my favorite eastern seaboard race, the Stamford/Vineyard hosted by the SYC. Thanks to Ernesto the competitors had a stiff wind this year. In the late 90's I did the race a few times and just as often as not coasted through the Gut at 3:00 AM on the current and a prayer. Barring a hurricane, late August is not known to be the blowy season on the Sound. According to the re-cap on the club web site...the weather was the story of the weekend. Twenty six boats started Friday but all but three dropped out by noon Saturday, unable to continue in the easterly breezes. Steady winds of 30 knots were reported in the Sound Friday night with steep 6 to 8 foot seas from the east making the leg out to Buzzards Bay a rough one.

The Vineyard Race is the final race of three in the Northern Ocean Racing Trophy. The 238-mile course sails east out of Long Island Sound, past Block Island, R.I., to the light tower at Buzzard's Bay off Martha's Vineyard, and back.