The St. Francis YC made the following entry on their Facebook page on September 17: “Craig Healy leads an all-star team representing the St. Francis Yacht Club at the New York Yacht Club's Invitational Cup this week in Newport, RI. The team took second in both races today, the second day of racing, and are now in 4th place. More information and full results at: www.nyyc.org/WorldInvitationalCup.”

This unassuming notation belies the scope of the regatta, to which 19 yacht clubs from 14 countries were invited - quite a lofty and exclusive crowd. The races were held on Newport, RI’s Narragansett Bay in matching Swan 42s, on September 16-19.

The St. Francis crew was made up of the following club members, many of whose names will be familiar: Craig Healy, skipper; Adam Sadeg, trim; Russ Silvestri, cockpit/trim; John Callahan, cockpit/trim; John Collins, pit; Joe McCoy, mid-bow; Matt Noble, mast; Chris Smith, bow; and Seadon Wijsen, mainsheet.

When racing wrapped up on Saturday, the home team took home the Cup, not our home team from San Francisco, but the host club, New York YC, represented by Phil Lotz and crew. First runner-up was the Royal Canadian YC, led by Terry McLaughlin. Lotz’s crew included his wife Wendy and sons - and the one Category 3 pro allowed, Ken Read of Volvo Ocean Race fame. “We used tactician Ken Read’s patience in picking wind shifts and the crew’s flawless execution of maneuvers. They were key to the day and were the two things that got us through the regatta,” said Lotz. These were also Read’s home waters.

Our guys from San Francisco finished sixth in the ‘away game’, with 12-11-11-2-2-1-7-11-7-15-20 or 99 total points for the 11 races. For complete results and much more, see www.nyyc.org/eventnews.