8TH ANNUAL FRIENDSHIP REGATTA DRAWS 59 YOUTHS

Competition draws sailors of all ages

8TH ANNUAL FRIENDSHIP REGATTA DRAWS 59 YOUTHS
Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 08/20/07
BY TERRY GAUTHIER MUESSIG
STAFF WRITER

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BELMAR — Hogging a division championship is something Adrianna Matyas did not want to do, but the teenager's performance in a regatta on Sunday proved she could be considered a sailor to reckoned with.

Adrianna, 13, of Manasquan along with 58 other youths participated in the eighth annual Friendship Cup Regatta sponsored by the Friends of the Belmar Harbor. The races were held in the Shark River at the Belmar Marina at L Street.

Last year, Adrianna participated in the optimist division races, a single-person boat and won in her age bracket. This year, she opted to race in the 420s boat competition, a two-person sailboat.

"I didn't want to hog it," she said referring to possibly winning a second year in a row for the single-person event. So for this event she partnered with Siobhan Kenney, 16, Wall. Kenney was the skipper, and Adrianna was her crew person.

Kenney said she has been sailing for about five years.

"I started racing last year," she said.

She began the sport for fun. Then last year, she decided to take her sport to the next level and began racing.

"Racing is fun too," she said. The events added a new dimension to her sailing, and "I love the competition."

The races started about 10:30 a.m. There were five divisions: the 420s; JY-15s; three optimist called "opti" for short, a single-man craft, as well as a first-time sailor opti division. The first-time division was recognized as a green fleet. The sailors in this division all received certificates for participation.

The three opti races for placing in the race were defined by age brackets. The white fleet was for sailors up to 10 years of age; the blue fleet was for 11 and 12 year olds, and the red fleet was for ages 13 to 15.

The courses for all the races called for participants to maneuver their boats around the river rounding buoys that were placed in the water to form a triangle-shaped course.

There were eight boats in the 420s competition. By the time Siobhan and Adrianna rounded the first buoy, it was clear they would win the race.

James Britton, 19, of Middletown, an instructor for the club, was skippering a small raft in the water and was grinning ear-to-ear and yelling "way-to-go," to the obvious winners of the first race.

"They (Adrianna and Siobhan) are doing an amazing job, today," Britton said. Although he rooted for the other sailors, he was a bit partial to the two girls' performance. He is their sailing instructor at the club.

The FOBH is a community sailing club in Belmar, and is open to the public for membership.

The program was established to promote and foster the enhancement of the Shark River Basin, said Michael Mixson of Belmar, a past president of the organization and retired school teacher and vice-principal of Neptune High School.

There are sailing programs for junior sailors and advanced sailors as well as adult instructional programs. Membership fees range from single member at $100 per year to $150 for a family per year. Other membership programs such as supporting and life members are available.

"I joined four years ago with my wife (Mary Clanton-Calnan) so we could take sailing lessons," David Calnan of Avon said. He is now the president of the club. Their daughter Caroline, 12, was among the sailors in the opti races.

"You don't have to be a member of the club to take lessons," he said.

The races for each division were being conducted on the river at the same time, but in different locations near the docks.

The prizes for the event are mainly bragging rights for the year, Mixson said. However, the sailors also received ribbons and medals for their efforts.

Both Adrianna and Kenney said they were happy with the results.

Adrianna will be racing again next year and will see if she could win a "triple crown."