Twenty-six boats competed in the 2012 Ida Lewis Distance Race that began on Aug. 17. The race featured two distinct courses. The IRC, PHRF and PHRF Doublehanded crews sailed the 122-nm Nomans course and the remaining two PHRF Cruising Spinnaker boats raced the 103-nm Buzzards Bay Tower course.
The Ker 40 Catapult owned and skippered by Marc Glimcher of New York took line honors arriving at the finish line off the club just before 0630 on Aug. 18.
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Ida Lewis Distance Race |
According to Catapult’s navigator, Newport, R.I., native Geoff Ewenson, “They (the race committee) made a very good decision in shortening the course to a 122 miler. It really allowed all of the IRC boats to race reasonably tightly and there was everything to the race without the extra 25 or 30 or 40 miles. In the end everybody on our team, and I’m sure on the 42s, felt like it was the perfect length race. We got all the conditions, all the angles, we had a bit of everything and we didn’t feel that the race drug on at all. For us it ended at the right time.” Ewenson sailed the first Ida Lewis Distance Race in 2004.
Catapult was awarded the Ida Lewis Distance Race Commodore’s Trophy for the IRC class win, along with the perpetual Russell L. Hoyt Memorial Trophy for best elapsed time. For Ewenson, winning the Hoyt award had special meaning.
“When I was 10 years old I sailed home from Bermuda on Russell Hoyt’s boat Destination. I grew up in Newport and knew Russell and I considered him to be a friend even though he was quite a bit older than me. It really is quite nice to be able to be on the boat that comes back and wins the trophy that’s named after him.”
The 56-foot Swan White Rhino owned by Todd Stuart of Key West, Fla., won in the 14-boat PHRF class and was awarded the Lime Rock Trophy for the class win. Stuart was almost a DNS when he thought he did not have enough crew.
