Until the 2009 Bowditch Race!

The PCYC Regatta Committee announces the 2009 Bowditch Race - scheduled for Saturday, August 8, 2009 - in Salem Harbor, Massachusetts. Now in it's 5th year, the Bowditch is a Mass Bay Qualifier, and has earned PCYC the honor of 2008 MBSA Yacht Club of the Year. Our race crew works hard to run a proficient and challenging race, and then we round out the day with a family-friendly barbeque on the deck, an awards ceremony, and a crazy Cajun dance party that lasts until the early hours of the morning with entertainment by the Swamptones.

Business Community Sponsorship is key to the success of the Bowditch. To learn more about sponsorship opportunities, please see our Sponsorship Brochure HERE. 

Feel free to contact me should you have any questions or comments - director@bowditch-race.com.

John Devine, Principal Race Officer

The 2008 race activities and skippers' bags were provided by our generous sponsors.  We ask you to support these race sponsors with your patronage.  (Links below are live to sponsor web sites.)  2009 Race Sponsors will be listed soon.   PCYC Regatta Committee (Tom Tetrault, Chairman)

2008 SPONSORS - The Bowditch Race was made possible by the generosity of local businesses and individuals who support the racing community. 2008 Race Results are HERE. Photos of the race are available online HERE - and skippers were mailed a photo CD shortly after the race.

    Wolf & Company P.C.
    Salem Five Bank
     Keurig Coffee
     Bernard's Jewelers
    Russ Marine Services
    Dominion
    X-Treme Silkscreen
    West Marine
    Captain Norman LeBlanc

     a very warm welcome to our newest sponsors -

    New! ePaint Company
    New! Keystone Construction & Maintenance Services
    New! Sailing Anarchy
     New! Salem Waterfront Hotel

August 9, 2008 - What a Day ! Finally, after weeks of unending semi-tropical weather, the morning of August 9th broke free of the monsoon rains and enough thunder boomers to power most third world nations for weeks at a time. Only last evening mother nature provided us with another incredible light show. Torrents of rain and megawatts of electricity greeted early arriving entrants coming to Salem Harbor from Boston and ports south. One venerable 45-year-old 'Thunderbird' tacked back out to sea in an attempt to avoid the maelstrom.  With months of preparation and scores of contacts completed with the many old and new participants and sponsors, the PCYC Race Committee was ready for all the excitement of a fine race day scenario out on Mass Bay. The 4th Annual Bowditch Race was at hand. This year PCYC had the honor of sponsoring the competition as a Mass Bay Qualifier Race as well as the competition serving as the revival of the Annual PCYC - Jubilee Yacht Club Challenge Cup. As the RC settled in aboard 'Irish Mist' a mile south of Tinkers Rock Buoy at 13:40 hours, race conditions could hardly be better. A freshening southerly breeze, modulating between 6 and 10 kts. greeted contestants as they checked in with the RC. A 2.0 mile windward/leeward course (twice around, 8 miles total) at 185 degrees was selected by the RC. 

Though the Race Committee had difficulty with the first (A) fleet starting sequence requiring a general recall, patience prevailed and the competition got off with a tight start at the pin by the two A fleet boats at 14:10:00 hrs. 'Africa's' Jud Smith and crew went over early, but completed a nifty re-start and smartly closed the gap. Gordon Hall's IMX 40 'Katabatic' prevailed, however, with he and his crew covering the twice around distance in a brisk time of 01:16:57 for a corrected time victory of 3 minutes and seven seconds over 'Africa'. 'Katabatic's' VMG (velocity made good) was 5.9 kts. 

The B fleet, with three boats, got off without a hitch at 14:15:00 hrs. Peter Engel's Junneau 37, 'Goldeneye', took command of the race and finished with a clear cut win, outdistancing by over 8 and 12 minutes respectively, the efforts by Tom Mager and his crew aboard 'Gigi', and James McDevitt and crew aboard 'Hooked on Tonics'. 'Goldeneye' covered the course in an eyecatching 01:19:59, finishing some 3 seconds before the second A fleet boat. Great sailing Peter and crew ! 

The C fleet, with four boats competing, also got off to a clean start at 14:20:00 hrs., though regretfully, Joe Naroski, with his crew aboard 'MoJoe' started with the C fleet in error due to a miscommunication between the owner and the RC. Luke Buxton, aboard his newly acquired J 30, 'Evelyn', handled the course with aplomb. He and his crew, working with a new spinnaker as well, followed behind Carl Doane's Peterson34 'Incentive' over the finish line, but managed a corrected time victory of 27 seconds. Closing out the C fleet competition, John Murray and crew aboard 'Greyhound' eeked out a corrected time 4 second margin and third place over Fred Schmid's 'Whistler'. 

The F fleet was next. Starting out at 14:25:00 hrs., the two "C&C's got an "all clear"start. The 38' and 40' boats put on quite a show, with Jim Hosking and his crew aboard 'Ares' covering the course only 2 minutes and 2 seconds ahead of Dan Paranski and crew aboard 'Mus B Luf'. Corrected time for victorious 'Ares' was a scant 50 seconds ! 

The D fleet came to the line next. All five entrants made a clean start at 14:30:00 hrs. Though the boats represented a diversity of lengths and lineage, the PHRF ratings for this group of five was tight, with a range of 156 to 168. The results, however, were not as one might expect. This day, Bruce Baker and his crew aboard 'Blixten' was the cock of the walk. They took their Finn Flyer 31 around the course in 01:38:52, besting Tom Tetreault and his crew aboard 'Facet' by 03:05 CT (corrected time). Tom's venerable Bristol 35.5, however, outpaced Patrick Pearce's J24 'Fog' by a comfortable 06:57 CT, and eclipsed the final two boats, the Colgate 26 ('Fall Line') of Jack Cochrane and the C&C 33 ('Nirvana) of Scott Chausse by expansive margins of 08:08 and 15:09 respectively. 

The E fleet was next in line with the largest collection of ten boats. Three boats made an early entry to the starting line and began a delicate dance down the line on starboard tack. Others waited back or came at the line from east of the pin on port tack. With the start at 14:35;00, two boats went over early and were re-called immediately by horn and flag, followed by a radio call to the offending craft, 'Mustang Sally' and 'Lillian Baxter'. This fleet was graced by the presence of two 'Thunderbirds', erstwhile vintage craft with a fleet history dating back some 50 years. One of the T'birds was 45 years old and both sailed well during this competition. However, it was the pretty green hull of Bob Maxwell's 'Shenanigan', a Pearson 30, that outclassed the E fleet this day, taking out the well sailed 'Thunderbird' of Steve Kavanaugh 'Mysterious Ways' with a CT margin of 02:11. Paul Smith and his crew aboard the Merit 25 'Pterodactyl' came in third, just 01:01 CT behind the T'bird. The remaining seven boats crossed the line in the following order: Fourth to Jonathan Lee and crew aboard the other Thunderbird, 'Draco'; Fifth to John Kalinowski and crew aboard the Sabre 32, 'Sleigh Ride'; Sixth to Andrew Devine and crew aboard Beneteau F235, 'Rascal'; Seventh to Bill Kuszmar and crew aboard the Cal 28.2, 'Mustang Sally'; Eighth to Paul Odierno and crew aboard the Catalina 27, 'Pao's Cat'; Ninth to Jim Henderson and crew aboard the other Catalina 27, 'Vinga'; and Tenth to John Burke and crew aboard the Pacific Seacraft 31, 'Lillian Baxter'. 

The G fleet had seven boats entered and seven finishers. Starting at 14:40:00 hrs. the competitors had to make their way without the assist of the gun. It seems that mis-shapened shells (possibly a result of our chronically humid summer) contributed to several mis-fires. Fortunately, our (very loud) starting sequence horn (activated by a deftly programmed electronic device) and a well synchronized RC flag crew, made up for a flagging shotgun. Off to a clean start and a building breeze, the fleet was challenged best by the crews aboard 'Nonpareil' and 'Andiamo'. 'Nonpareil' made good on her name and bested the fleet, but not without a spirited charge from Lou Pina and crew aboard the Pearson 31, 'Andiamo'. Tom Anderson and crew beat Lou this day by 01:32 at the line with a CT of only 0:20. Another day ...? Great racing crews !!! David Gardner and crew, aboard their Bristol 35.5, 'Solstice' finished Third among the G boats, followed by Ron Vener and crew aboard 'Jasmine" for Fourth, Thomas Euloth and crew aboard 'Raconteur for Fifth, Ed Hutchinson and crew aboard 'Ocean Song' for Sixth, and Michael Crawford and crew aboard 'Bacchanal' for Seventh (and final boat across the line, completing the 2008 Bowditch Race in building seas). The RC commented on how well the wing on wing set looked to us aboard the Irish Mist, as 'Bacchanal' made her way back to PCYC crisply for the best part of the non-sailing portion of the day - party time ! 

Now, we didn't forget the M fleet. It's just that these multi-hulls started last (for obvious reasons), but as expected, finished in very short order, some completing the course by lapping boats in other fleets. The four multis cleared the start line at 14:45:00 hours, though for an unknown reason, 'Pooka', started well behind the fleet (after having come to the the race course first, some 65 minutes earlier). It was a curious sight to see 'Pooka' begin the race so late, with a hard working crew, and one very comfortable lady aboard, casually reading a hard cover book, sitting beneath the 'dodger' looking all the part of the lady of the manor taking in a light hearted novella, with the whirlwind of the race all about her and without a single hair out of place. OK, back to the race. Ted Grossbart's 'Andra" ate up the course in one hour and 31 seconds, flying over the waves at a VMG of 7.9 kts. He and his crew simply outclassed the M fleet, with Jeff Schreiber and his crew aboard 'Dragonfly" coming in a distant Second, some 37:32 behind with a CT of 12:55 behind 'Andra'. Tom Cox and his crew aboard 'Triad' made a very competitive run at 'Dragonfly', beating her over the finish line, but finishing Third, with a CT one minute more than 'Andra's'. Pooka, with Wayne and Mark Allen aboard, completed the run of the multi's with a Fourth place finish, some 17:48 CT behind the winner. 

Back at PCYC, Race Committee officials adjourned to crunch the numbers and pronounce the official winners to come forward and claim their bounty. Bruce Baker and the crew of 'Blixten' took overall racing fleet honors with a corrected time on course of 1:16:28, a mere 29 seconds (corrected) ahead of 'Katabatic'. Tom Anderson and crew on 'Nonpereil' took the overall cruising fleet honors with a corrected time of 1:20:48, only 20 seconds ahead of Lou Pina's 'Andiamo'.

Meanwhile, out on the Club Deck and in the main hall, skippers and crew made their way to a wealth of tasty treats while perusing the contents of their complimentary bag of swag, thanks to the largess of our generous sponsors. Soon after, the great sound of the Swamptones filled the air while toasting of the victors and the vanquished accompanied the regaling of the gathered crowd with tales of race cunning and valor. Special thanks to our many old and new sponsors for this years Bowditch Race and gala. Also, a hearty thank you to Alana and her gallant, hard working bar crew. To our PCYC Rear Commodore, Larry Robertie, thank you for bringing us those 'special culinary surprises'. And to all our PCYC Officers and Board of Directors, thank-you for all of your support, beyond the call of duty, to make this Regatta the very special event that it was. To the Regatta Committee and Race Committee, many many thanks for the countless hours of preparation, execution and completion of this year's larger and better than ever Bowditch Race. 

PHOTO GALLERY - See pictures of the 2008 Bowditch Race on the club's Zoto website HERE.  Photos from 2007 are HERE.

SPONSORSHIP BROCHURE - The deadline has passed for sponsors for the 2008 race - please join us next year!

PAST RESULTS - View results of past races  2005   2006   2007  2008

For more information about the Bowditch Race, please contact PRO John Devine
781-594-3225 or email him at  Director @ bowditch-race.com