ILCA District 7: Big Ben wins the Area A’s

John Bentley & winner, Ben Richardson

The Area A’s could have been considered a mostly manly masters regatta with 18 competitors in total of which only 4 were under the age of 35 with only one female competitor. Needless to say, the talent was deep and Ben Richardson took the win ousting Peter Shope by 1 point.

The two-day event, also known as The Championship of Buzzards Bay and the Robert Saltmarsh Trophy provided classic Buzzards Bay conditions-smokey South Westerly breezes holding at 15knots with gusts to 20 knots on both days. The talented and professional RC from the New Bedford YC knocked off 9 windward leeward races, which granted each competitor one throw-out. What made this regatta different from most Buzzards Bay events was the situation of the racecourse. The RC tucked the weather mark close to shore, which made for a super shifty and puffy entry to the weather mark. The downwind legs were wavy and perfect for surfing. According to Scott Ferguson, Ben Richardson was “Mr. Smooth” downwind! Also noted was Peter Shope’s downwind speed. Richardson, Shope, Bear and Ferguson battled it out on day two with lots of ribbing at the awards.

Looking all around, I was so impressed with the fitness and talent. Most guys in this master’s age group would be comfortably situated in their loungers with a Bud and a hot dog on Father’s Day…not these guys! So cool and very inspiring….I actually dusted off my Laser and signed up for BBR...time to get in shape I suppose!

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