Murray on target in Annapolis

When Stephen Murray Jr. decides to focus on a regatta, he doesn't fool around.

Murray targeted the IRC East Coast Championship as an event he would like to win and realized that time on the water at the venue would be important. So the New Orleans resident had his TP52 delivered to Annapolis in early October for the purpose of competing in the Annapolis Yacht Club Fall Series, which is held over three weekends.

That extra effort paid dividends as Murray steered decision to victory in IRC 1 class to capture the 2009 East Coast Championship. Veteran professional Steve Benjamin called tactics aboard Decision IV, which edged the STC 65-footer Vanquish by a half point.

“This is a very prestigious regatta with great race management and top-notch competition, and we really wanted to make the commitment to win it,” Murray said. “We came to Annapolis a month before this regatta so we could race locally, tune the boat and improve our performance. I’m happy to say that effort paid off.”

Former Annapolis resident Pete Pendleton trimmed the jib while Chris Williams handled the main aboard Decision IV, which won the distance race that opened the regatta on Friday then placed second in a pair of buoy races on Saturday to build a lead.

Vanquish, crewed by a team of United States Merchant Marine Academy sailors, got behind the eight ball by finishing last in the distance race. However, the entry from Kings Point concluded the regatta with four straight bullets to nearly overtake Decision IV.

This is the first year that Murray has owned Decision IV, a Botin-Carkeek-designed TP52 that was launched in 2006. He previously placed fourth overall at the 2007 IRC East Coast Championship aboard a 2001 generation TP52 that was designed by Reichel-Pugh.         

“We’ve had the team together for the last three months practicing and training and getting to know the boat,” Murray said. “Steve Benjamin has done a lot of work with Botin-Carkeek to optimize the boat for IRC racing.”

A total of 38 boats in five classes competed in the 2009 IRC East Coast Championship, organized by the Chesapeake Station of Storm Trysail Club. Light winds of 7-9 knots out of the southeast were enough to hold the distance race while breezes in the mid to high teens enabled principal race officer Dick Neville to conduct five buoy races on Saturday and Sunday.

Sundance, skippered by Gary Beer of D.C., won the distance race and the initial buoy race en route to victory in the Farr 40 class, which attracted six entries. Sundance placed second in three other buoy races in scoring 14.5 points, 3 ½ better than Tsunami.

White Heat, a King 40-footer owned by Mike Williamson of New Castle, N.H., won three of five buoy races to capture IRC 3, largest class in the regatta with 10 boats.

Ed and Molly Freitag and their crew aboard DownTime won a good duel with fellow Annapolis resident Bill Sweetser and the Rush team to capture IRC 4 class. Jeffrey Todd called tactics while Fred Wagner served as navigator aboard DownTime, a Beneteau 40.7 that placed first or second in all five windward-leeward races.

Rush, a J/109 that Sweetser has campaigned very successfully over the years, was the defending class winner at the IRC East Coast Championship. Sweetser and team won the distance race, but could not win a buoy race.

“To beat Bill and his crew is quite an accomplishment,” Ed Freitag said. “Jeff Todd kept us going the right way and everything just came together.”

Holger Hinsch (main), Frieda Wildey (pit), Jim Praley (jib) and Louis Beauchemin (spinnaker) complete the regular crew aboard Down Time, which the Freitags have owned for 10 years.

“We have a consistent crew that works well together and that is the key to winning sailboat races. Preparation is important, but if you can’t get the boat around the corners you are not going to win,” Freitag said.

Elsewhere last weekend, class veteran Tony Parker captured the J/24 East Coast Championship on the strength of five straight finishes of third or better. Parker opened the regatta with a disappointing 14th, but then reeled off a pair of bullets, a second and two thirds in the next five starts to build a comfortable lead.

“We were up by 11 going into Sunday and I sailed the last two races very differently. We are primarily interested in covering and beating our closest competitors,” Parker said.  

Toronto-based sailmaker Rossi Milev called tactics while Dave Schoene (jib), Mattie Farrar (mast) and Ross Dierdorf (bow) rounded out the crew on Bangor Packet, which finished with a low score of 42 points.

“We had great starts and our boat speed was tremendous,” Parker said. “The whole team did a great job.”

This marked the 31st consecutive year that Parker has competed in the J/24 East Coast Championship. He won the regatta way back in 1985 and could only joke about the 24-year gap between titles.

“I should be a real threat to win again when I’m 88,” said Parker, who is 61 years old.

Ted Bartlewski, a Toronto resident, finished seventh or better in all eight races to place second overall with 47 points. Mike Ingham, a Rochester, N.Y. resident who placed second in the 2007 world championships, finished third.

“The depth of the fleet was very impressive. We had very good competition,” said Parker, noting that there were several past national and North American champs in the 34-boat fleet, which was hosted by Severn Sailing Association.  

IRC East Coast Championship