Oakcliff Halloween Invitational
On Halloween weekend, Oakcliff Sailing Centre and their fleet of Swedish Match 40s were host to the final Oakcliff Match Race regatta of the season in Oyster Bay, New York. With 9 teams from the US and Canada, the crews competed for valuable points for the World Match Race Rankings during the Oakcliff Halloween Invitational Grade 3. Skippers included World #1 ranked Chris Poole, #12 Cormac Murphy, and top Canadian ranked #28 Peter Wickwire, among others. The other Canadian team was the True North Sailing Team, a young team skippered by Alec Coleman.
For this event True North Sailing Team would be made up of Duff Paisley on Bow, Tate Howell on Mast, Edward Coleman on Pit, Jack Porter on Trim, and Andre Van Dam on Main. While Alec and Jack are the lead skipper and trim for True North, it was the first time the rest of group would Match Race together. On a break from their journey with the Canadian Youth America’s Cup Team, Andre, Tate and Alec took the opportunity to sail with eachother in a very different discipline of the sport.
The first day of the event was an atypical late October day, with temperatures reaching almost 30 degrees, sun, and a light Westerly breeze. The racing was no less intense however, as teams battled through the round-robin series to see who would make the semi-finals on Sunday afternoon. By the end of the day scores were extremely tight, with Webster, Poole, and Bailey in previsional semi spots. Topping the tables was the surprise of the young True North Team, with Coleman sitting with a record of 5-1.
Sunday’s conditions were quite the contrary, as a weather system brought torrential rain and a stiff Easterly breeze. The crews stepped up as the round robin series continued, with competitive matches, collisions, near-broaches, and many tight finishes. At the end of the round-robin the semi finalists were announced: Poole, Coleman, Bennett, and Bailey. Both Coleman and Poole took their semis in a clean 2-0, and headed to the finals match up. Bailey and Bennett battled in the petit-finals in a series that Bailey ultimately topped Bennett 3-2. Over in the finals, a David v Goliath situation was being played out. Unfortunately for Coleman and True North, it was not to be their day, as race 1 narrowly went the way of Poole, who then followed up with a race 2 win to secure the event win.
The young Canadians were proud of their showing at the event, competing with some of the best match racers from across the US and Canada, and proving they have what it takes to duel with them. With an average age of 22 onboard for the event, Coleman and the True North team are sure to be back for more.
Check out the full photo gallery from the event below.
