Brooklyn Four Bagger

By Greg Gilmartin

It was a Dark ‘n Stormy night.  Again.

It was unprecedented in the 107 year history of America’s 2^nd oldest yachting trophy that the same boat, the same owner and the same crew would win it 4 years in a row.   That was yesterday.  

Today,  Mudhead Mike LaChance  and his crew drank from the Brooklyn Cup again as his J-105 Dark n Stormy beat out 25 challengers to win the Geenport Ocean Race hosted by the Chinese Yacht Club and the City of Greenport, NY. 

The Brooklyn Ocean Challenge Cup was originally donated by publisher William Randolph Hearst in 1904 to the Brooklyn Yacht Club as a prize for a long distance sailboat race.  Over the years there has only been one other 4 time winner,  Stuyvesant Wainwright in the yacht Butterfly.  He won it over a 5 year period between 1920-1925. 

The Cup was thought lost or missing for many years, but was eventual found and deeded to the Chinese Yacht Club in 1953.  Races for the Cup were held on and off over the years before the current revival  in 2008.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (September 25, 2011) – The Lloyd Phoenix Trophy was decided in dramatic fashion on Sunday at the U.S. Offshore Championship, hosted by the U.S. Naval Academy Squadron on Chesapeake Bay. Defending champion Bruce Kuryla (Milford, Conn.) of the New York Yacht Club and Milford Yacht Club and his team edged skipper Steve Travis (Mercer Island, Wash.) and his crew from the Corinthian Yacht Club of Seattle by a boat length in today’s final distance race to win the Championship. 

“To pull it out at the finish line is unbelievable,” said Kuryla. “We were behind Travis at the bottom mark, and after going back and forth with them, we trailed by a hundred yards at the top mark. We went low and fast in the light wind and kept creeping along in Long Island Sound style,” explained Kuryla. 

Following spirited discussions among competitors and regatta organizers last night, a consensus was reached that completing the slated distance race was top priority for today.  

With his marching orders, PRO Bruce Bingman launched the fleet to the race course area and the prayers for wind began in earnest. Fortunately a light northeasterly filled in and a line was set. Bingman selected the shortest course available and after a brief postponement, got the race underway. With the ebb still flowing strong, the left was favored and teams able to hold their lanes ruled at the top mark.