Virgo, with Dan Rabin at the helm, took the win in Saturday’s race.
Virgo, a Salona 33 from Beverly’s Jubilee Yacht Club, with Dan Rabin at the helm, took home the S.S. Crocker Memorial Trophy with a win in Saturday’s S.S. Crocker Memorial Race. Under cloudless skies and before sporty northwest winds, Virgo led the fleet of 33 across the finish line at Gales Ledge.
The race began with a five mile beat to windward, starting near the Gale’s Ledge red nun off House Island and proceeding to the red bell buoy off Eastern Point, Gloucester. The racers had a choice of going offshore for more wind, or heading in towards the Magnolia shore. Those who went towards shore appeared to have an advantage.
At Eastern Point, the racers set their spinnakers and headed southwest towards Newcombs Ledge for another five miles. On this leg, the larger boats that started as much as an hour later than the smaller boats, in keeping with the Crocker Race’s “Pursuit Race” format, were able to accelerate and make up time on the leaders.
At Newcombs Ledge, all the boats jibed their sails and headed north for the finish at the Gales Ledge nun.
Two wooden Crocker designed boats, Decade and Lands End, and the 42-foot Manshee, designed in 1934 by Nathanael Herreshoff joined the fleet. Manshee showed her heels on the two spinnaker legs, and finished second overall behind Virgo.
Carl Doane, of Incentive from the Manchester Yacht Club called this year’s race “good” and “competitive.” He noted some “close roundings” of the Eastern Point bell buoy. A Crocker Race veteran many times over, Doane said this year’s version was “a great success, put on by the MYC and the Committee.”
The S.S. Crocker Memorial Race is held annually in memory of internationally-renowned yacht designer Samuel Sturgis Crocker on waters between Manchester-by-the-Sea and Gloucester. Sponsored by the Manchester Yacht Club and the Manchester Harbor Boat Club, the race is run in the pursuit format and is open to all yachts. This year’s feature boat is Fomalhaut, which S.S. Crocker designed in 1939.
During the awards ceremony many of the competitors who came up to receive their trophies declared that the Crocker Race, because of the format of the race and the hospitality shown by the Manchester Yacht Club and the Manchester Harbor Boat Club is always their favorite race of the year.
