With 19 entries and 132 sailors, the 2024 Annapolis J/105 Women’s Regatta featured tight competition throughout the largest cruising one-design women’s regatta. Eliot Caple led Patriot to victory with two second place finishes followed by a bullet. In addition to a tie for second and third place, multiple positions were separated by a single point.
PRO Sandy Grosvenor noted the close racing: “On two of the three races, we had at least two boats that were not OCS but were within 1 meter of the line. And in the third race, all but one or two of the fleet ‘gated’ within a minute of the leader.”
Marie Klok Crump and Ashley Love, winners of the 2022 and 2023 regattas, finished with ten points each, with Crump on 4-teenz winning the tiebreaker and placing second. Molly Wilmer’s Mirage team was two points behind the tie, benefiting from a bullet in the first race. Beth Scheidt on Smoke n’Oakum was fifth and the talk of the Race Committee for her tight starts.
Caple, a former member of the US Sailing team, skippered at College of Charleston, and has been racing on Patriot for three seasons. Serving as tactician on Patriot was Maddy Ploch who sailed in that role on last year’s second place finisher and competed on the offshore team at the US Naval Academy. According to Caple, their consistency came down to two factors: “We sail very, very flat upwind. And then downwind I sail very low, max on the windward side. And I could drive lower than anyone.”
Crump was previously ranked number two in the ISAF Women’s World Match Race circuit, was crowned twice as Danish Match Race Champion, pursued an Olympic campaign in Ynglings in 2004, and was part of the winning J/80 Championship team in 2021 after also having won it in 2013. Love represented the USA at the Women’s Radial World Championship in 2009 and has recently been making a name for herself on the team racing circuit, leading a team to multiple podium finishes in the invitational Thayer Trophy and the New York YC Women’s Invitational.
The top three finishers all included juniors on their teams, with Crump sailing with four juniors and four mentors. “I have always respected this event for the tight racing and this was an amazing opportunity to include teenagers, who otherwise don’t get on big boats, for a great learning experience.” At the awards, Love challenged all boats to bring a junior for the 2025 regatta.
In addition to juniors, the talent included
- a crew of women all over 50 on Sandra Libby’s Go Nil,
- at least one sailor over 70 on Amy Harris’ Break Away,
- multiple military veterans,
- a team of midshipman from the US Naval Academy on Avenger, and
- representation from across North America, including Sarah Schaill Colarusso’s team from Charleston, SC on London Calling and crew from Toronto, ON on Heather McCann’s Santa’s Reign, Dear, and Victoria, BC on Alexandra Clary’s Rum Puppy.
Katy Zimmerman’s team on Firebrand won the inaugural Maggie Flanigan Perpetual Trophy for the “Best Dressed Crew.” The trophy was dedicated remembering the spirit of J/105 racer Maggie Flanigan, who died on August 17th. The perpetual trophy inspired a variety of ‘fits across the racecourse, and “costume changes” for the awards party. Daryl Weinstein Cooke from Chessie said, “I never thought I’d hear, ‘Make sure your tutu doesn’t get caught in the block’ while racing.”
Flanigan was a member of 2023 winner of the Best Dressed Crew, a trophy that did not exist until they arrived on the racecourse, to the delight of the race committee, in their bright pink and white attire. A self-proclaimed “Seamstress, Fiber Artist, Costumer, Sailor” the trophy remembers the joy, light, and humor which she brought to her serious pursuits. As Caple said, “It was a fitting tribute to Maggie, and I can’t wait to do it again next year.”
Scott Nixon of Quantum kicked off the weekend with a practice session Friday evening attended by more than ten teams. Several teams raced in the Annapolis Labor Day regatta on Saturday as practice. The skipper’s meeting Saturday evening was hosted by Sandra K. Libby.
Love noted, “The multitude of successful events make the experience of the J105 Women’s Regatta much more than just the one day of racing on the water. The event, the practice and the on-land events have increased my interaction with the J105 class ten-fold. The talent pool is growing with the new influx of crew and the sailors who were already in the class are embracing and mastering more roles on the water, but also behind the scenes. Planning the event together on land builds our friendships and the evidence of this plays out on the water. Since getting involved in this event as a competitor and now as part of the organizing committee, I’m much closer with the class, invested in its continued success and cheering for its future.“
ABOUT
The Annapolis J/105 Women’s Regatta is a one-day, one-design regatta, hosted by J/105 Fleet 3, with the Sailing Club of the Chesapeake (SCC) as the Organizing Authority. First held in 2022, this was the largest edition to date and the largest regatta of its kind, with 131 female sailors on 19 boats.
J/105 Fleet 3 is the largest fleet in the J/105 class, and the largest cruising one-design fleet in Annapolis. This women’s regatta is part of an overall J/105 class initiative to get more women involved. Multiple J/105 women’s events have been held in 2024, including in Toronto, San Francisco, Seattle, Galveston Bay, and Charleston.
The Sailing Club of the Chesapeake (SCC) altered the J/105 rules for this regatta to encourage all women teams. The SCC specializes in hosting “signature” regattas that each have their own personality, like the EWE Spirit Regatta, the J/105 Women’s Regatta, and the Hospice Cup, to be held on September 14.
PHOTO CREDITS: Wilbur Keyworth, SpinSheet Magazine
Caple’s Patriot team with the perpetual trophy and their keepers.
LINKS
Wilbur Keyworth Photos: https://drive.google.com/open?id=10KomZxfAfGk5qc2bSA4fI0kBKLnG8bxZ&usp=drive_fs
Dan Phelps Photos: https://www.danphelpsphoto.com/Sailing/Bay-Sailing/2024-Annapolis-Womens-Regatta
Official Regatta Page: https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=16426
Official Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/772714321344026