Tradition Continues at Larchmont Yacht Club

For the past 112 years the best sailors from around the area — and even around the world — have come to Larchmont Yacht Club to show off their expertise.

Larchmont Race Week is the biggest week on the regatta schedule at the Yacht Club and is the crown jewel of events held there all year long.

"This is our flagship event; this is our biggest event of the year," Larchmont Yacht Club Waterfront and Sailing Director Lincoln White said. "We got a huge group involved with making this event happen, to volunteers, staff and all the competitors and it's been a great week."

The race week begins and ends with bookended weekends that feature the senior week races. The week began last Saturday with multiple races in the adult divisions. The races are conducted over the two weekends with a winner to be crowned in each division.

The different divisions include the Racer / Cruiser, One Design, Ideals 18s and the signature race of the week, the Vanguard 15. 

Paddy Mullen, a sailor from Brooklyn and a member of the crew for the "Eagle" in the Cruiser class, talked about how important it was to race in the Larchmont Race Week.

"It's a very prestigious race and it's very exciting," he said. "There is some great competition out there and I heard a lot about the club and I was excited to see it especially since I'm new to racing."

Mullen explained the mindset that a crew member needs to have when racing.

"It's very, very intense. There's a lot of concentration and focus, and it is really exciting," he said.

When asked about what is the best part about being in this kind of event, Mullen said simply, "Winning."

During the week, the event focuses on junior races for younger age groups. Thunderstorms during the week disrupted some of the scheduled activities during junior week, but the week rolled on without a hitch.

Thursday was Opti Day, featuring a race for kids ages 9-15 using Optimist boats. 

Friday was called Safety at Sea Day, a program run by a group called the Storm Trysail Club during which kids learn everything there is to know about ocean racing.

"There a lot of tradition and support behind [Race Week], There's so much that goes into it," said White. "It's amazing how many people step up for race week as volunteers and it's definitely a huge undertaking for the club and they put so much into it."