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Report from 2008

"Today wasn't really about boatspeed at all," says Viper 640 skipper Justin Scott, originally from England.  "It was about being on the right [correct] side at any one time or another."

Scott and his teammates were part of a one-day Sportboat exhibition class that included four Viper 640s, two Laser SB3s, eight RS K6s, and one Open 5.70, all sailing under Portsmouth Handicap.

The regatta's sportboat class was created specifically for the Larchmont NOOD to encourage participation from (and foster cooperation amongst) a flowering 20-foot sportboat scene in the Northeast. The concept came together in the past few weeks, and thanks to class coordinators from each, the sportboat division pulled in an impressive 14 boats. It's the groundwork, for what could be a stronger sportboat fleet for next year, with the possible inclusion of the Ultimate 20 class, which is a regular at other Sperry Top-Sider NOODs, and even the new Melges 20.

In year regatta's Sportboat fleet, however, things fell into place as expected given the conditions, with the lighter winds favoring the Vipers. Chris and Dawn Shaughnessy, with Viper designer Brian Bennett standing in at the helm, showed great poise in the conditions, winning the opener by a large margin, finishing second to Scott in the second, and then finishing third in the final race, despite a horrendously late start. That third race was won by Walter Florio's K6. Keeping close tabs on the top-two Viper teams, however, was Kaitlin Storck's Laser SB3, Team MacLaren, which finished third overall, tied with Scott. Storck had finishes of 2-4-2, and had the breeze built into the moderate range, this serious could have turned out all together different.

But Dawn Shaughnessy was ecstatic with the team's win, and said that Bennett's presence on the boat definitely had them sailing faster. "I had no idea how to roll tack the boat until today, and man, does it make a difference."  Shaughnessy is from Raritan YC (New Jersey) and she and her husband got into Viper sailing after finding one for $5,000 on eBay. They trailered it to New Jersey from Colorado, and it sat in their driveway for nine months. They put a carbon rig and other upgrades into it and eventually traded the boat in for a new one. This one, says Dawn, is fast, and once they get their PHRF certificate approved they'll be terrorizing Raritan's Wednesday night fleet.