The following report is courtesy of Dan Grossman, co-owner of J/109 Spitfire.
Buzzards Bay Regatta on August 6-8, 2004 offered conditions from near-calm to boisterous. After Friday’s atypical northerly breezes and overcast skies, Saturday and Sunday provided the kind of conditions the Bay is famous for, with sea breezes filling in by late morning and building through the afternoon under partly cloudy skies. The last race on Sunday challenged crews with gusts to 32 knots, and a vicious square chop.
The world-class race committee, led by PRO Tom Farquhar, got off three windward-leeward races on each of Friday and Saturday and two on Sunday. The Beverly Yacht Club provided excellent facilities, with support and volunteers from co-sponsors New Bedford, Mattapoisett and Low Tide Yacht Clubs.
For the first time, BBR offered one-design racing for a six-boat J/109 fleet. The BBR Committee, chaired by Ray Cullum, was exceptionally supportive of this new and growing class. The J/109 New England fleet adopted the format used at the J/109 East Coast Championship for level racing at BBR: class sails, driver plus six crew in lieu of weight limitations, and slightly relaxed class rules. Ted Herlihy’s Gut Feeling dominated the series, with eight bullets. Mike Davis’ Gambit took second place in seven races. Dan and Jon Grossman’s Spitfire took third place in the series by a narrow 3-point margin. For complete results, see the below link.
