2023 Safe Harbor Race Weekend Preview
by Barby MacGowan 7 Aug 2023 11:54 PDT
August 11-13, 2023
(Clockwise from upper left) Defending Champion Hawk, Defending Champion Rikki, IC37 fleet, Superyacht Nakupenda, Defending Champion Denali © Safe Harbor / Stephen Cloutier / Safe Harbor / Onne van der Wal
In its third year, the three-day Safe Harbor Race Weekend, set to start Friday, August 11, has proven its staying power with "wicked good" competition and a robust schedule of social events. To date, 67 teams have entered in 11 classes - ORC A and B; PHRF A, B, and C; PHRF Performance Cruising A, B, and C; IC37 One-Design; and Superyacht A and B - with four of those showing defending champions in the mix.
"We were very happy to repeat our win in the inaugural regatta with another victory last year," said Richard Barker (Newport, R.I.), who will skipper the Evelyn 32 Hawk in PHRF C. "It was the highlight of our season."
Hawk has sailed with basically the same crew over several years, and it includes Barker's daughter Katie Barker, who handles navigation and logistics. "We have won and lost against many of the teams entered, so we have a healthy dose of respect for them," said Katie Barker. "Virtually any boat in the class can win, and we look forward to going head-to-head with them."
Other defending champions are Michael D'Amelio's (Boston, Mass.) JV66 Denali in ORC A; Bruce Chafee's (Boston, Mass.) R/P42 Rikki, also in ORC A; and the 76-foot Zemphira in Superyacht Class B.
Safe Harbor Race Weekend is the only regatta in North America to include a Division for Superyachts. This year, nine of these magnificent sailing vessels, ranging in size from the 72' Miss Shell (in Superyacht Class B) to the 138' Hanuman (Superyacht Class A), will grace the waters with their awe-inspiring beauty.
It's always fun to get the superyachts out on the racecourse," said Steve Rowland (Westport, Conn.), the owner and driver of the 109' Nakupenda, which earlier this year won its class and overall honors at the St. Barths Bucket Regatta, staged exclusively for superyachts. "We only race two regattas each year, so we really look forward to this. If we sail good races (in Superyacht Class A), then we hope to score well and maybe even win!"
Nakupenda's crew, which sailed in both previous Safe Harbor Race Weekends but has not yet won here, is based mainly in Newport and has a wealth of local knowledge for wind and current conditions. "It's tremendously helpful, especially in lighter winds," said Rowland. "And we learned again in St. Barths how important good teamwork is, especially for jibing maneuvers with the kite."
Because of their size, the superyachts will sail on Rhode Island Sound while all other classes will sail on Narragansett Bay.
On-water competition will be managed by Premiere Racing, a renowned regatta management team, while post-racing gatherings and special events will be organized by Safe Harbor at Safe Harbor locations in Newport and Portsmouth, Rhode Island.
"The Safe Harbor Race Weekend is very well run, and we particularly like the multiple windward/leeward races we get in our class each day," said Hawk's Richard Barker. "The post-race socials are the best on the Bay."
Much anticipated onshore activities are Friday's Coastal New England Dinner Presented by BMW at Safe Harbor New England Boatworks, Saturday's "Talk of The Town" Crew Party Presented by X-Shore at Safe Harbor Newport Shipyard (A celebratory Mariners Feast with Live Music), and Sunday's Awards Ceremony at Safe Harbor Newport Shipyard.
For more information on Safe Harbor Race Weekend and daily releases/full results (when available), visit shmarinas.com/safe-harbor-race-weekend.