NEWPORT — Strong afternoon breezes surprised sailors and elevated competition during the fifth annual Safe Harbor Race Weekend, as 72 teams battled across Narragansett Bay from Friday through Sunday despite forecasts calling for light winds.
The record-breaking fleet competed in 10 classes, with navigation racing gaining popularity as an alternative to traditional windward-leeward courses. Nineteen teams opted for the longer, more strategic navigation format emphasizing course management and seamanship.
“We were expecting much lighter air, and we ended up with fair wind, cool dry weather and blue skies,” said Brian Nelson of Shrewsbury, New Jersey, whose J-122 Honey Badger won the PHRF Nav B class. “What more could you ask for.”
Nelson’s team, sailing their first season aboard Honey Badger, posted a consistent 3-1-1-3 record across four races, including Friday’s race around Prudence Island and three weekend races around government marks and islands.
The 19-boat IC37 class provided the weekend’s most intense competition, featuring circuit superstars in multiple windward-leeward races. Peter Wagner of Portola Valley, California, guided Skeleton Key to victory over current IC37 National Champion Steve Liebel’s New Wave team by four points.
“Going into Sunday, we knew that we would be allowed to throw out our worst finish after eight races,” Wagner said. The two boats match-raced in the final contest, with Wagner’s team strategically accepting an 11th-place finish to secure the overall win.
Victor Wild’s TP52 Fox dominated ORC A class with a perfect record, winning all five races. The closest competition came in ORC C, where John Cooper’s Cape 31 Cool Breeze broke a three-way tie to claim victory despite a penalty in the final race.
“Unfortunately in our last race we had to accept a penalty for sailing through an exclusion zone, but fortunately we had enough first-place finishes in the bank for us to win the tiebreaker,” said Cool Breeze tactician Billy Liberty.
Six superyachts ranging from 98 feet to 197 feet returned after a year’s absence, sailing coastal courses visible from Newport and Jamestown shores. The 98-foot ketch Delta House won with a 1-1-2 record, edging the 116-foot sloop Whisper by one point.
“We may not have the fastest boat or the best crew, but we know we’ll win, because we carry with us his ethos ‘Superior Attitude!'” said Delta House Capt. Greg Evans, referring to their late patron.
The weekend featured social events including Friday’s Coastal New England Dinner at Safe Harbor New England Boatworks and Saturday’s crew party at Safe Harbor Newport Shipyard.
Navigation racing continued its growing appeal, with 19 teams choosing the format over traditional buoy racing. Chris Bjerregaard of Bristol, who co-skippered his Alerion Express 38 Hope to victory in Nav C class, praised the variety.
“Ours is a cruising boat, with a stable crew augmented by my wife, son and friends, so it better suits us,” Bjerregaard said. “We just find it more fun with a wider variety of things to do on the racecourse.”
Complete results are available at https://bit.ly/SafeHarborRW.
