Fair Haven Sailing Club Competing in Junior Sweeps

Six area boat clubs will compete in Junior Sweeps this week, including the Fair Haven Sailing Club “River Rats,” Monmouth Boat Club, Keyport Yacht Club, Rumson Yacht Club, Atlantic Highlands Sail Education Program and Shrewsbury Sailing and Yacht Club. The area clubs take turns organizing the four day event, and this year, Kelly and Brian Duddy from Rumson Yacht Club are responsible for the event. 

The Junior Sweepstakes Regatta consists of four days of races. After questioning a number of adults who participated as children, we know the Sweeps goes back as far as 1972. If you can put a different number on it please email the author, we would love to set the record straight. The organized Regatta is at least 39 years old. 

On Monday, Aug. 8 and Tuesday, Aug. 9, kids will compete on the Shrewsbury River (the South Shrewsbury Regatta), and on Tuesday afternoon, parents and instructors will transport trailers loaded with boats and gear to Monmouth Boat Club to compete on the Navesink River (the North Shrewsbury Regatta) on Wednesday, Aug. 10 and Thursday, Aug. 11.

The South and North Regattas each consist of five races: three on the first day and two on the second, weather and wind conditions permitting. Kids may sail in one or the other of the regattas or both, everyone is encouraged to sail all four days. 

The boats being sailed include: Laser Radial, Club 420, and Optimists. Optimists, usually the largest fleet, is split into groups. The White Fleet is kids 10 and under, the Blue Fleet is 11 and 12 year olds, the Red Fleet is ages 13-15. The Green Fleet is for first year sailors age 15 and under. Everyone who participates in Sweeps Week, must be age 17 or under as of Aug. 10.

Awards are given for each of the two Regattas and also for the overall Sweepstakes, the top five places in each fleet are given awards unless there are less than 10 boats in the fleet, then top three boats are given awards.

Ribbons for the races on Monday will be awarded on Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. After the fifth race on Tuesday, the scoring program run by Bill Heath will drop the worst race, or in other words, the race with the most points. The objective is to have as few points as possible; three firsts on Monday, would score you as 1…1…1… for a total three points, which would put you in first place.

Results by fleet for Monday after 3 races on the Shrewsbury:

Green Optimist Fleet

1                     Harrison Quinn

2                     Michael Dasaro

3                     Ava Atanacio

4                     David Burrell

5                     Jack Torpey

Blue Optimist Fleet

1                 Shannon Kearney

2                 Marielle Abel

3                 Zach Dasaro

4                 Jack Balestro

5                 David Yaffe

White Optimist Fleet

1                    Elias Economou

2                    Harry Ricker

3                    Molly Meehan

4                    Susan Munger

5                    Julianne Brinton

Red Optimist Fleet

1                      Robert Gearon

2                      Colleen Ross

3                      Chase Goodwyn

4                      Daniel  McCahon

5                      Rachel Bauer

Laser

1                      Robert Gruskos

2                      Andre Cabon

3                      Ryerson Shippee

4                      Morgan Burrell

5                      Derek Arnheiter

420

1                      Molly Lucyk with Madison Curtis

2                      Teddy Fortier with Rebecca Bauer

3                      Michael Munger with Brittney Slook

4                      Catherine Nunger with Jesse Stevenson

5                      Jack Hurley with Samantha Vought