The Annapolis Yacht Club (AYC) has announced it will align with two high-profile new partners for its 37th Annapolis to Newport Race.
When the biennial race sets sail June 7 and 8 from the Chesapeake, the Storm Trysail Club will play a supporting role. The invite-only club, founded in 1938, is dedicated to blue water sailing, and made up of “expert offshore sailors who have experienced storm conditions and are capable of commanding a sailing vessel in such conditions.” The club sponsors and supports many inshore and offshore races.
Also new for 2019, the race will use Offshore Racing Congress (ORC) scoring. In 2018, the Annapolis Yacht Club added ORC’s handicap rule to all of its “big boat events,” so it will extend that rule to the Annapolis to Newport race as well.
“ORC is growing in popularity, particularly here on the Chesapeake Bay,” says event chairman Jim Praley. “It’s a very viable measurement system that is simpler to implement than some of the others.”
Scoring will also be conducted under the IRC, ORR, and PHRF rating systems. Special classes will be offered for Performance Cruiser, Classic Yachts, Multihull, and Double-handed, if enough entries are submitted to form a viable start.
With less than five months until the start, AYC is officially accepting entries to the race. To apply, and for all other race documents, click here.
-Meg Walburn Viviano
