The Black Dog Dash 2015 attracted quite a pack of boats!
Here are a few photos from The Black Dog Dash in Martha’s Vineyard on July 18th, The Drone shot shows the beach with The Black Dog Tavern on the left and part of the 16 boat fleet pulled up to the beach. The Corsair Cruze 970 shots are my boat along with new owners Will and Kerry Saltonstall, their daughter Lucy, my wife Jane and Norm Farr. It was a fun time for all participants with an awards ceremony celebrating the 25th Black Dog Dash and great party at Kate Shands and Joe Molinar’s house who are new F-27 owners in the NEMA Fleet. – Bob Gleason
Photos by Debbie Druan
The Black Dog Dash held its 25th annual Black Dog multihull sailboat race on Saturday, July 18. A total of 15 boats raced the traditional course from Vineyard Haven to West Chop to Cape Pogue to Edgartown and back — a distance of 22 nautical miles.
The fastest boats finished in less than 2 hours and 15 minutes in the 10- to 15-mph SSE wind. A pursuit start, which tracks time over distance, was used. The boats started at anchor, slowest boat first at 11 am, with subsequent boats at intervals, ending up with the fastest boats starting last.
Boat sizes ranged from 24 to 40 feet long.
Racers belong to the 50-year-old New England Multihull Association (NEMA), which has 150 members and meets in Boston. Members come from New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts, and are professionals, scientists, engineers, and architects, an elite group of excellent sailors with state-of-the-art trimarans and catamarans.
After breakfast at the Black Dog Tavern, T shirts were handed out to skippers and crew. After the race, all boats rafted up on the beach in front of the Black Dog Restaurant. Fun awards were given out, such as first entry, worst start, first late fee paid on time, most kids on board, and fastest elapsed time. More seriously, points count for the NEMA season trophy. The top racers: 1. Jay Spaulding and Irene Gonion’s Blue Moon from Pawcatuck, Conn.; 2. Mike Vidon’s Milk + Honey from Russo Park, N.Y.; 3. Dave Lussler’s Bazinga from Exeter, R.I.
