The first Penobscot Bay Rendezvous, held August 18 to 21 and presented by Wayfarer Marine and Lyman-Morse Boatbuilding, was just what the organizers, participants and sponsors hoped for: great weather, a fantastic mix of boats, some challenging sailing and three nights of great parties.
The event kicked off at Lyman-Morse in Thomaston, Maine, with boatyard tours followed by cocktails, an “all local fare” barbeque and a brilliant fireworks display as the finale.
After a forecast of widespread fog, the first race day brought blue skies and a nice southerly breeze. Boats competed in three divisions — PHRF racing 1 & 2, double-handed, and cruising canvas.
Isobel, the new Stephens Waring custom 75-footer (PHRF rating of minus 69) powered away and but was not able to save her time, with Hoi An (Center Harbor 50) finessing a corrected win and War Bride (J/124) second followed by Isobel in third.
In PHRF 2, J/80 Chaise Lounge was first followed by the J/24 Havoc in second, with Cabot Lyman’s Puffin in third.
In the double-handed fleet, J/42 Bravo won the start and the first leg but was passed by the eventual winner, J/46 Abracadabra, followed by Sabre 386 Esmeralde and Bravo.
Cruising canvas featured a variety of types and sizes from a C&C 110 to three 53-foot J/160s, a Little Harbor 68 and the 48-foot cat ketch Acadia. Acadia took first followed by J/160 True and the C&C 110, Hightail, in third.
The day’s racing was followed by an elegant cocktail party at the Camden Yacht Club, race results and a review of photos taken by the powerboat fleet on their photo pursuit.
Saturday brought everything from fog and 20-knot winds to unlimited visibility and sparkling seas.
Isobel took first in PHRF 1 followed by Sans-Culottes and War Bride.
For PHRF 2 the winner was Puffin, followed by War Bride and Snow Star.
The double-handed division saw the Oyster 56 A Lady, in first followed by Abracadabra in second and Bravo once again in third.
Cruising canvas once again saw the domination of Acadia, followed by the blue water proven Kanter 65 Te Mana in second and Machbuster (Little Harbor 68) also reveling in the big breeze.
The highlight of Saturday’s festivities was a dinner-dance hosted by Stephens Waring Yacht Design at Wayfarer Marine.
Sunday’s race brought more wind and patchy fog. After an abandonment and restart, War Bride took first followed by Sans-Culottes in second place. PHRF 2 saw Havoc with the win followed by Chaise Lounge and Puffin in third.
In the double-handed division, Bravo was first with A Lady in second and Abracadabra in third.
The awards presentation wrapped up the weekend. The first place trophy was a custom buoy crafted in Sitka spruce and mahogany by Lyman-Morse’s Dan Mercuro; second place was a custom bronze medallion by local artist Richard Remsen and third place was a customized key ring from Maine’s ChartMetalworks. Full scoring can be found at the event website www.penobscotbayrendezvous.com.
