DAWN TREADER wins prestigious Northern Ocean Racing Trophy
on Wednesday September 3, 2003 11:05AM
Larry Cohens Dawn Treader, sailing under the FBYC burgee and with three other Fishing Bay sailors on board, sailed to a second place finish in Stamford Yacht Club's 238 mile Vineyard Race over Labor Day weekend. Sailing in winds that varied from 4 to 22 knots, Dawn Treader completed the race in just under 39 hours, to finish second in the five boat IMS Cruiser/Racer class, in which two of the other competitors were candidates for the Northern Ocean Racing Trophy.
The second place finish, coupled with a first in class in the Annapolis-Newport Race and a fourth in class in the Marblehead to Halifax Race, earned Cohen and Dawn Treader the 2003 Northern Ocean Race Trophy, awarded annually since 1961 by Stamford Yacht Club to the boat with the best record in qualifying ocean races over a season. See list of the 2003 Vineyard Trophy winners
For the last nine years the trophy has been awarded to boats sailing in both IMS Racer and IMS Cruiser/Racer classes, and the list of past NORT winners is a veritable whos who of blue water racing over the last 42 years. In order to qualify for the NORT, a boat must sail a minimum of three of the seven qualifying races, including the Vineyard Race.
In addition to Larry Cohen, five Fishing Bay sailors raced on Dawn Treader during her successful campaign. The successful Vineyard Race and NORT win are a fitting 25th anniversary present for Dawn Treader, a S&S designed Swan 411 launched in September 1978, and cap Cohens five years of campaigning her. The crew pictured are - left to right - Chip Kinsey, Mike Crowley, Ken Sutton, Larry Cohen, Fred Joyce, Hans Pusch, Colin Snell, Rick Rowland, Jeff Branflick and Paul Andersen.