Yachts hoist sails, set spinnakers for three-day Penobscot Bay Rendezvous

Sat, 08/17/2013 - 12:15pm

    PENOBSCOT BAY — With horn blasts and a shot from a starting gun, the third annual Penobscot Bay Rendezvous — a regatta of yachts, the boat business and the beauty of the region — kicked off Friday at high noon just outside the Rockland Breakwater. More than 45 sailboats, including the elegant, the high-performance, and the sensible cruisers, were there to join the first day of friendly competition.

    The Rendezvous is a three-day celebration of power and sail, hosted by two local boatbuilding and boat service yards, Wayfarer Marine, in Camden, and Lyman-Morse Boatbuilding, in Thomaston. (See below for full list of race participants)

    “This is our shop window to the world,” said Dan Bookham, a volunteer with the Rendezvous, who was on the water Friday afternoon for the start of the first race, and one of three that marks the weekend. Stretching around him for 360 degrees was a horizon of blue on blue, Penobscot Bay in August, with a clear sky overhead and a steady breeze blowing out of the southwest: perfect conditions for a regatta in what are considered to be among the best northern hemisphere summer sailing waters.

    Boats from England, Caribbean, even one registered in Minnesota, as well as Maine and New England, were readying their sails and setting strategies for a course that would take them from the Breakwater, over to a marker off Owls Head, and back up the bay to end in Camden for the evening.

    On Saturday, Aug. 17, the race course would be around Islesboro, and on Sunday, a to-be-determined Olympic sailing course. Race divisions covered cruising boats, those sailing double- or singlehanded, multihulls, and one-designs. Essentially, race organizers were willing to set up a division if there were three or more boats of any given class that were registering for the weekend.

    The goal of the Rendezvous is multi-fold: to honor the maritime trades of Maine, and Penobscot Bay; to strengthen the local boatbuilding and service industry; and to further position this region as competitive with other Atlantic yachting areas.

    “This will become a premiere regatta that sailors will climb over each other to become part of,” said Bookham. “Let’s stack ourselve up alongside the Caribbean, Cape Cod and Rhode Island. And, let’s get the local community to rally around this economic and emotional value.”

    The Rendezvous is the collaborative brainchild of Wayfarer owner Shane Flynn and Lyman-Morse owner Cabot Lyman.

    “Both are romantic guys, who are enamored and taken with the level of skill of those in the boat industry here,” said Bookham. “They want to show that this is a viable way of making a living, and, they want to feature the beauty of Penobscot Bay.”

    The three days are filled with other activities beside races, including evening cocktail parties, dinners and dances, and fireworks. An awards ceremony rounds out the weekend on Sunday, Aug. 18.

    The same weekend, the New York Yacht Club, with its fleet of yachts, is also sailing through Penobscot Bay, with a few racers participating in the Rendezvous competition.

    Owls Head Transportation Museum joined in the regatta from the air, conducting a Friday noon fly-over. The planes included a 1933 Waco, a 1941 Stearman biplane, and a 1946 Piper Super Club.

    According to Rendezvous organizers: “The Penobscot Bay Rendezvous welcomes both the hard-core sailor as well as the recreational sailor who is not so competitive or concerned with getting around the marks first but would like to join in a new activity on the water. Last year’s fleet featured many first time racers and they are all coming back this year for more.

    ”Ted Smith the Rendezvous’ Primary Racing Officer is once again in charge of assigning everyone to his or her desired class so that everyone participates at his or her level of intensity. In other words, super yachts to daysailers are encouraged to participate. Bucket Rules will apply to the super yachts, and skippers can recruit rock stars and pile on the rail meat or you can spend the day in the cruising class, leisurely going from mark to mark and join in the festivities each evening.”

     

     

    Fleet - Crusing    # of Entries: 12  

    Cruising

    Symington, Ann

    Anjacaa

    Camden

     

    Palmer Johnson 53

     

     

     

     

     

    Cruising

    Lorraine, Marc

    Hightail

    Appleton

     

    C&C 110

     

     

     

     

     

    Cruising

    Jellinek, Judy

    September Morning

     

     

    J 160

     

     

     

     

     

    Cruising

    Levangie, Daniel

    Windwalker II

     

     

    sloop

     

     

     

     

     

    Cruising

    Grant, Robert

    Tempest

    Camden

     

    Sabre 34-2

     

     

     

     

     

    Cruising

    Davin, Joe M

    Querencia

    Boxford

     

    Alden 45

     

     

     

     

     

    Cruising

    Krakoff, Peter

    Caper

    Warren

     

    Alberg 35

     

     

     

     

     

    Cruising

    Andrew, Armstrong

    Alliance

     

     

    Sabre 452

     

     

     

     

     

    Cruising

    Blake, Ben

    Atlantic

     

     

    J 160

     

     

     

     

     

    Cruising

    Naylor, Andrew

    Mach Buster

    Cincinnati

     

    Little Harbor 68

     

     

     

     

     

    Cruising

    Wilson, Tom

    Cygnus

    Bremen

     

    Bermuda 40-3

     

     

     

     

     

    Cruising

    Coleman, Doug

    Skitterygusset

     

     

    J 46

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Division 1

    Smithwick, Reginald

    Kaos

    Falmouth

     

    Frers 41

     

     

     

     

     

    Division 1

    Logan, Donald

    Keemah

    Falmouth

     

    J 105

     

     

     

     

     

    Division 1

    Gill, Thomas

    Sea Smoke

    Boston

     

    J 100

     

     

     

     

     

    Division 1

    Simon 11, Frank

    Smitten

    Hope

     

    J 100

     

     

     

     

     

    Division 1

    Lyman, Cabot

    Puffin

    Cushing

     

    Custom

     

     

     

     

     

    Division 1

    Johnston, Robert

    San-Culottes

    Rockland

     

    Beneteau 40.7

     

     

     

     

     

    Division 1

    Tisdale, Andrew

    PREVAIL

    London

     

    Tripp 65

     

     

     

     

     

    Division 1

    Owen, Nathan

    Seabiscuit

    Norwell

     

    J 46

     

     

     

     

     

    Division 1

    Stephens, Bob

    Goshawk

     

     

    Custom

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Division 2

    Turner, Lorence

    Renegade

    Camden

     

    J 29

     

     

     

     

     

    Division 2

    Blodgett, John

    Gosling

     

     

    Ostkust

     

     

     

     

     

    Division 2

    Lalumiere, Matt

    ACADIA

    Falmouth

     

    Sabre 34 MK1

     

     

     

     

     

    Division 2

    Henry, Jesse

    Chaise Lounge

    Rockland

     

    J 80

     

     

     

     

     

    Division 2

    Weber, Benjamin

    eMotion

    Mendham

     

    E33

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Doublehanded

    Babbitt, Tom

    Bravo

    Camden

     

    J 42

     

     

     

     

     

    Doublehanded

    Stevenson, Richard

    Buzz

    Bath

     

    Sydney 38 O D

     

     

     

     

     

    Doublehanded

    Lyman, Drew

    Towhee

    Thomaston

     

    Cal 40

     

     

     

     

     

    Doublehanded

    Rogers, Paul K.

    Canty

    Camden

     

    Scheel 36 Cst

     

     

     

     

     

    Doublehanded

    Miller, David

    Resolute

    Blue Hill

     

    J 122

     

     

     

     

     

    Doublehanded

    Mc Guiel, Mark

    Jessica

    Cushing

     

    Mrose

     

     

     

     

     

    Doublehanded

    Gerritsen, Jacob

    Ex Libris

    Camden

     

    J 40

     

     

     

     

     

    Doublehanded

    Beard, Bruce & Dorsey

    Esmeralde

     

     

    Sabre 386

     

     

     

     

     

    Doublehanded

    Berlack, Steve

    Arrowhead

    Franconia

     

    J 42

     

     

     

     

     

    Doublehanded

    Bennett, James

    Astraea

    Bath

     

    J34C

     

     

     

     

     

    Doublehanded

    Van Lunen, Lloyd

    Boreas

    Brunswick

     

    J 120

     

     

     

     

     

    Doublehanded

    Hart, Ronald

    True North

    Camden

     

    J 109

     

     

     

     

     

    Doublehanded

    Tonge, Rick

    Juliet

     

     

    J 42

     

     

     

     

     

    Doublehanded

    Stringos, Gust

    Bluebird

    Skowhegan

     

    Morris 36 S D

     

     

     

     

     

    Doublehanded

    White, Robert

    Preamble

    Hull

     

    Island Packet 37

     

     

     

     

     

    Doublehanded

    Smith, JP

    Fadeaway

       

    Little Harbor 44