Smooth Sailing
for second annual Turkey Regatta
by Steve Sheppard
The second annual Turkey Regatta took place under

sunny skies and moderate winds Saturday. High winds Friday pushed the event up a day, which was fine with race organizers.

"We couldn't have asked for a better day," said Nantucket Community Sailing executive director Nick Judson. "We had winds between 5 and 8 knots, which was beautiful."

Ten crews of sailors, from ages 16 on up, competed in a total of eight races, with each crew sailing in five races.

The most first-place finishes earned the team of Chris Amory and Jessie West top honors and broke a first-place tie with the team of Linda and Venessa Green. Third place went to the team of Adie McCalley and Howe Constable.

Held in the waters off Children's Beach, the Turkey Regatta is a revival of the original races begun by McCalley and traditionally held on Gibbs Pond the day after Thanksgiving. While the original Turkey Regatta featured Sunfish, the ocean waters make Hunter 140s the new boat of choice.

Above all, a spirit of fun pervades the event that unofficially closes the Nantucket racing season. The winner gets to keep the golden turkey trophy until next year's regatta. "We hope it will serve as the centerpiece for their next Thanksgiving dinner," Judson said.

Next year's Turkey Regatta is again scheduled for the day after Thanksgiving, "but it will probably be postponed until Saturday," Judson noted.

The Turkey Regatta is co-sponsored by Nantucket Community Sailing and The Maury People.

I

Gordon Borges and Davenport Crocker (above, left) sailed to a seventh-place finish; salvaged from the hold of the Speedwell, the Pilgrim ship that never made it to the New World, the golden turkey is awarded to the race winnner; Anali Bowers and Andrew Sarratori are in boat number 7, with Borges and Crocker advancing on their starboard side.