Stedman Smith Cup, Saturday, June 3, 2023

The annual race to crab cakes at the Tred Avon Yacht Club was outstanding.

The downwind start was orchestrated by Ron Freund and his RC crew on Red Sky. A relatively strong ebb current pushed the fleet across the line. Dudley Do Right, skippered by Dave Buchanan, was unlucky as DD was caught in the drift pushing DD over-early. The fleet lingered for an hour just trying to get to G23 and to Howe Point. It looked like a "never get there" trip to Oxford.  Gradually, the wind increased to 15 knots. The J boats zoomed to Oxford with Aura crossing the line first. 

There was no problem getting everybody to the red buoy before the 12 noon dead line. Jitterbug was the only boat that required to employ the motoring rule. It required 4 minutes of motoring to get to the finish line at 11:59:23, a close call. 

The fleet enjoyed a great lunch at the TAYC. Then it was time to sail back to Cambridge. Just getting off  the dock was a challenging as the east wind was up to 15-25 Knots. The start was on time, 14:00:21. The fleet sailed to the ugly spider Choptank Light. The skippers retired to there hot-healing cabins and the crews took over. Close-hauled all the way nearing hull-speed, some reefing was in order. The day was in great contrast to previous Stedman Cups when Leg 2 was abandoned due to lack-of-wind.

What was impressive was the number of people who turned-out to crew, several boats had five or six sailors for this Non-Spin event. The fleet filed the Tred Avon Yacht Club dining room. About 35 competitors in all. Crab cakes will do that. All will have great memories of the event.

Many thanks to all that made this a great event. Joe Brooks, Choptank Fleet Captain, deserves special recognition in arranging the luncheon and registering the boats. Ron Freund and his crew on Red Sky have been consistent in their support as Committee Boat.

Last year Champion: Gabrielle skipped by Branden Spear. 

Who will succeed last year winner and claim the Stedman Smith Cup? 

Stedman Smith Cup Past Champions

2017 - Whistle Jacket   Trevor Carouge

2018 - Jambo                Trevor Carouge

2019 – Jambo               Trevor Carouge

2021 – Lazy Ethel         Dotty Holoubek

2022 – Gabreille           Branden Spear

Race results will be posted on this site, 

George Breig, Choptank Scorekeeper

 

View from the rear 30 minutes after the start.
It is easy to find the next mark when you are last.