Essex Corinthian
Yacht Club
For further information about the series, contact
Bill Robinson, Race Committee Chair
Essex Corinthian Yacht Club
The Essex, Essex Corinthian, and Pettipaug Yacht Clubs will sponsor the 2019 Tri Club River Race Series on October 5th, 12th, and 29th.
The races take place in the Connecticut River in front of the Essex waterfront, involving cruising sailboats of at least 23.5 feet in length. Each race will also include an Ideal 18 class.
History:
Named in memory of outstanding sailors from each club, the River Race Series began in 1971 when the first race was sailed and is a special tradition shared cross the three clubs.
The Thomas S. Willets Race, sponsored by the Essex Yacht Club, will be on Saturday, October 7th, honoring the memory of Tom Willets who was Commodore of the Essex Yacht Club in 1950. A sailing trophy in his memory was donated by the Board of Governors of the Essex Yacht Club to commemorate his dedication to sailing, racing and the Connecticut River. The Willets trophy was first awarded 1998.
The Charles Birch Race, sponsored by the Pettipaug Yacht Club, will be Saturday, October 13th,
honoring the memory of Charles Birch who was instrumental in starting racing in the Connecticut
River in cruising sailboats. The Birch race was first held in September 1971. The Birch trophy was
built and donated by friends who worked with him at the Essex Boat Works. Charlie was a member
of the Essex Open Class and raced his boat "Blue Foam" with his son Ed where they won many races
together, a tradition Ed continues to this day. In 1950, the Open Class became the Pettipaug Yacht Club.
The Thomas C. Clark Race, sponsored by the Essex Corinthian Yacht Club, will be Saturday,
October 20th, and is sailed in memory of Tom Clark, a renowned Essex sail maker, Caribbean
charter captain, and early member of ECYC, fondly known to many as a “friendly salt” in the Essex
sailing community. To find out more about Tom Clark, click here.
The Clark Race trophy was presented to the club by past ECYC Commodore Jim Nash with the first race sailed in 1991. The Clark Race will also be open to other one design classes such as Lasers, 420’s, JY 15’s, MC Scows, and Blue Jays.
Race Day:
Each race will start at 11am and sail courses bound by Brockway Island to the north and Calves Island to
the south.
Race awards will be presented to those placing in each class. The combined results of cruising boats will determine
the overall winner of the Tri Club River Race Trophy, currently held by Flo (Toby Doyle) sailing for the
Essex Corinthian Yacht Club.
Interested skippers should obtain and complete an entry form for each race at the respective club.
The Tri Club River Race TrophyRace 2 of the Tri-Club River Series
This year, the Tom Clark Memorial Regatta is the SECOND race in the Tri-Club River Race Series
Starting with the Thomas Willets Memorial Race on October 5th (EYC)
Followed by the Tom Clark Memorial Race on October 12th (ECYC) ---> download forms by clicking blue buttons above
And finally the Charles Birch Memorial Race on October 19th (PYC)
Tom Clark Memorial Regatta - October 12th, 2019
Essex Corinthian Yacht Club
9 Novelty Lane
PO Box 759
Essex, CT 06426
Office Tel: (860) 767-3239
Office Email: ecyc@essexcorinthian.org