This weekend, 19 boats competed for the Newport IYAC Cup sponsored by Bud Light. Held every year by IYAC (rated as one of the top sailor bars in the country)—an infamous stopping point for all pro sailors during their stay in Newport—the race is usually around Jamestown. Due to the breeze, it was a modified shorter course of 13.5 miles. Since the America’s Cup left, it’s probably the biggest bar bragging rights in town. Past winners include Javlin, Rambler and Bill Mack. This year, breeze was 18-25 knots, with three VX One’s competing—Jim Myers, Phil Hallowell and Tim Pitts. The course took the VX One’s in Class One from Jameston to Portsmouth and down the harbor. There were three lead changes upwind, including boats such as the TP52s. The three VX One’s rounded fifth, sixth and seventh overall, but the race changed completely when the kites went up. Check out the drone video by (clicking here). The VX One’s hit confirmed speeds of 23-24 knots, and were ripping down the bay. They caught all the “fast boats” who had previously held a 7-8 minute lead. It was complete domination. Even the Race Committee was shocked to see the VX One’s finish first, second and fourth overall. It was a complete showing of what this boat can do, even with a wide variety of crew weight and experience. The boat was very stable and a blast going downwind. The event definitely opened eyes is Newport, as the VX One is the smallest boat to win the Cup. Owners in the bigger boats now want a ride on the VX One! The Newport Cup, founded in 1992, is a traditional around Conanicut Island (Jamestown) race. Bud Light has been the race’s core sponsor for all 22 events, and Goslings Black Seal has been on board for the last six. The race is open to any entrant with a PHRF rating and has enjoyed a wide variety of sailing vessels. The IYAC also hosts a Sportboat Series every Monday night in the summer. It began in 2010 and is open to all Sportboats up to 32′. The idea is that most racing does not cater specifically to these types of large planing dinghies, so they decided to give these guys a start and see how it goes. They have had Viper 640s, International 14s, J/80s, Garage Rockets, and most recently VX Ones and Marstrom 32 Cats. On any given Monday, they have 6-7 VX Ones. The IYAC also hosts the “Newport Cup” race around Conanicut Island. The race is held every year on a weekend near the 4th of July holiday. They have multiple classes racing under Narragansett Bay PHRF for the prized Cup. Competitors have included world champion sailors and crew racing in many different types of boats from J/24s, Shields and 12 Meters, and all kinds of Grand Prix IRC racers from TP52s to Super Maxis.
