As "captain" my duties include building the boat in the spring, rigging and stepping, and tuning the mast, making sure the bottom is sanded smooth and race ready, prepping the interior equipment, and overseeing the launching and delivery of the boat arounf New England for racing. While we are racing, I am just another member of the crew. The Swan 42 class has very strict one-design rules (all the boats are as identical as possible) including one that says the owner of the boat must be the helsman during racing.
This week I have the privelige of sailing in what has quickly become an international sailing phenomenon, the New York Yacht Club's semi-annual Invitational Cup. This regatta brings together some of the best teams of amatuer sailors ffrom around the globe to compete in the strict one-design racing. The 2011 event includes 4 US teams, all of whom had to compete in elimination qualifier series' in order to attend, as well as teams from places like England, Japan, Argentina, Ireland, Finland, Norway, and Austrailia. The boat that I run, Apparition, won the right to be the "home team" for the NYYC and essentially "Defend the Cup".
The racing is based in Newport, RI Tuesday through Saturday, September 13-17 and overlaps with the Newport Boat Show.
Please follow us online at www.invitationalcup.org where you will find results, photos and commentary from each days racing. There is also some very interesting data available at www.kattack.com where you can watch GPS, computer generated replays of each race. In the results pages and photos we are listed as New York and we are hull number 15.