Queen’s Cup Race Recap
Published: Monday, July 16, 2018
The 80th running of South Shore Yacht Club’s Queen’s Cup Race from Milwaukee across Lake Michigan was off to a wet and bouncy start.
Sailors at the starting line faced winds out of the northeast at over 15 knots with waves running three to five feet. These conditions forced many skippers to make some tough decisions prior to the race.
Of 153 boats entered, 137 actually started, and 114 boats were logged in at the finish as some turned back after battling the lake. The first third of the 75-mile overnight race to Grand Haven, Michigan, proved to be a continuation of the starting conditions. But the boats that left Milwaukee in the late afternoon found that the last 50 miles or so of the race were completed in milder conditions. Skippers reported that wind and wave moderated after a time, and even air temps seemingly warmed a bit.
Thus conditions became more favorable as boats headed into the evening, leaving the Milwaukee skyline and the sunset on the horizon behind them. The ride became more comfortable for those many crew members riding the windward rail, a necessary position during the race to help reduce their boats’ angles of heel. Some boat even encountered “holes” along the way – pockets of calm that left their boats scuffling for a time.
Given the weather and the handicaps assigned to the boats, it turned into a good race for the medium sized boats in the fleet, not the smallest and not the mega-boats. The Queen’s Cup trophy this year was awarded to Sociable, from Milwaukee Yacht Club, a 40-foot Beneteau sailed by skipper Robert Arzbaecher and his crew, veteran competitors in Lake Michigan racing. Sociable took the trophy as the first boat overall among 96 boats scored under the Performance Handicap Racing Fleet (PHRF) system, the most prevalent system. They finished the race in 10 hours, 14 minutes.
Claiming this year’s Silver Jubilee Trophy by finishing first overall among 32 of the PHRF boats also competing under a handicap system called the Offshore Racing Rule (ORR) was 36-foot Tango in Blue from South Shore Yacht Club, with skipper Rick Trisco and crew. They completed the race in 9 hours and 42 minutes. To show how handicap systems can vary, Tango in Blue was 21st overall, although first in its section, in PHRF scoring.
Winner of the Silvie Trophy, awarded to the first boat to finish, went to Heartbreaker, a 52-foot Botin skippered by Robert Hughes, finishing in 7 hours 44 minutes at 9 minutes past midnight. The Fons America Trophy went to Instigator, skippered by Matthew Mergener, as the top placing SSYC boat within the PHRF fleet. Instigator is another 40-foot Beneteau and finished second overall just four minutes behind sistership Sociable.
The majority of boats were finished and safely docked by sunrise. “The marina staff was on all night accommodating the race, and we certainly can’t thank them enough,” said Mark Erickson, who headed up race activities at the finish host, Grand River Sailing Club.
The racers had pleasant dockage at the Grand Haven Municipal Marina and the seawall in the heart of the downtown area, where many were adorned with winning flags from previous races. Sailors and area residents alike enjoyed breakfast at the Eagle’s Club, and the Eagles broke records for the number of customers served: over 200!
Downtown was busy on Saturday with the Fine Arts Fair on Washington Avenue, as well as Soccer in the Sand at the Grand Haven city beach. All enjoyed the warm and sandy beaches found on the Michigan shores.
Also a hit: veggie smoothies from Voyage Juice Co. and coffee and snacks from Jumpin’ Java. At noon singer/songwriter Gabrial Lundy entertained the crowd as racers were anxiously awaited final race results.
The Queen’s Cup awards ceremony was the first public event at the new Lynne Sherwood Waterfront Stadium. Flags and trophies went to Sociable,Tango in Blue, and all the boats winning and placing in nine PHRF sections, three ORR sections, the Cruising Fleet, the Short-Handed Division (crew of two) and the Multi-Hull Fleet. A complete list of winners is available at ssyc.org under the Queen’s Cup tab.
Many rounded out the day at the Eagle’s Club public beer tent, enjoying the music of Back Seat Driver. The town was hopping that night!
Mark reported that Grand River Sailing Club was honored to host the Queen’s Cup finish and highlight Grand Haven as a sailor’s paradise, with hopes that the Queen’s Cup Race will return in the future.
Overall, this was another successful Queen’s Cup, with sailors challenged by varying conditions and great competition. The sailors appreciated the tremendous effort was put forth by all who planned and hosted this historic race.
tags: Events, Lake Michigan, Racing, Sailing
