2023-08-23
Chester Race Week features 125 boats and crew
STORY AND PHOTOS BY KEVIN MCBAIN
CHESTER - The annual four-day Helly Hansen Chester Race Week kicked off with a bang thanks to the Bluenose II who fired off its cannon to kick-off the three days of racing at the Chester Yacht Club.
The racing itself got off to a slow start on opening day, Aug. 16 as a lack of wind delayed the start to all of the races.
The first of five classes to start was the Bluenose Fleet that was delayed for about an hour-and-a-half because of a lack of wind and the constant shifting of the wind.
However, things changed as the day continued and other classes followed suit to get their races in. The following day, Aug. 17, conditions changed and racing continued "under epic conditions," as recorded in a news release.
Pat Nelder, on-water chair of Chester Race Week commented in the release, "The stronger wind conditions today tested the sailors' mettle. We saw some lead changes in different classes, including the Dragon "Intrigue" who won Pursuit Division 2, beating out the two leading Roues. A terrific and competitive day overall."
The event took place Aug. 19 and featured 125 boats in five divisions. The largest division, the Bluenose Class featured 32 registered boats, one of the largest rosters in recent history.
Watch for more on this story in next week's edition of LighthouseNOW.
