Tactics give local yacht racing win
By Bob Nuse, Sports Editor
Anthony Chiurco had an idea of what it would take to win the race that would decide whether his boat finished first or second at the New York Yacht Club Race Week at Newport presented by Rolex, held last month off Newport, R.I.
Entering the last of six races in the event, Chiurco and his American Eagle boat needed a win over Nefertiti to finish first in the 12-metres Division C.
”We needed to win the last race of the day,” said the Princeton resident, who is head of neurosurgery at the University Medical Center of Princeton. “I noticed the wind shifted 10 degrees to the right two minutes before the start. I ran the line and the pin end was not reset to the new breeze, giving the committee boat end of the starting line a significant advantage.
”I approached the line on starboard tack. Nefertiti made a port tack approach. So I aimed our bow right at her and forced her to jibe toward the pin giving us the favored side. In yacht racing a lot has to do with tactics.”
Chiurco and his crew used that advantage to win the race and finish first in its class at the three-day regatta, which celebrated the 100th Birthday of Olin J. Stephens, one of the most famous yacht designers in history.
American Eagle, a former America’s Cup boat skippered by Ted Turner, finished first in the final three races to just edge out Nefertiti and win the regatta.
”The tactics are so important,” said Chiurco, who has been sailing for 30 years. “It’s like chess on water.”
Chiurco’s tactics certainly paid off in his latest regatta, giving himself and his 16-member crew quite a bit to celebrate.
”I usually race in four regattas a summer, ending with the North American championships in September,” said Chiurco, who won the North American championship last year and will defend the title in Newport next month. “I’ve been racing large boats for 30 years. An Australian friend of mine suggested racing in the 12-metre class and I got hooked on it.
”It’s a terrific boat to race. I’ve raced boats 40 to 80 feet. And I’ve also raced Lasers on Carnegie Lake.”
The win last month was the latest for Chiurco, who has captured a number of prestigious regattas. In addition to his North American title last year, he also won the won North American championship in 2004. He’s won the New York Yacht Club Regatta twice, as well as the Around the Island race and the Tiedemann Regatta at the Museum of Yachting.
Chiurco also won the Newport Trophy in 2007 for best performance with 12-metre boat in the North American championships. In 2006, Chiurco won the Ted Hood Trophy for best performance in the overall 12-metre class.
It’s an impressive list for a neurosurgeon who certainly has other responsibilities.
”I block off certain times in the summer to be able to do the regattas,” said Chiurco, whose crew is made up of people he sails with regularly in Newport and Annapolis.
And over the years he’s proved to be quite successful at those regattas, including the latest one where racing tactics meant as much as anything in leading to the win.