From the Deck of Weetamoe, Shields #17
Race Report - July 30, 2025
From the Deck of Weetamoe, Shields #17
It never hurts to start by thanking the race committee for another wonderful evening on Narragansett Bay - our playground. They benevolently called us back several times eventually going to the I flag, but not , oh best beloved , the dreaded black flag.
Suffice it to say after a few practice starts, we were able to bang a really good one. We had Mike under our wing and how bad can that be? But let me back up….
We bought a place in Newport in 2016 predicting a retirement in a few years but took a blind eye to all sailing opportunities until our place was habitable. There was this guy, Oard, who insisted to be on the dock at 4:30 sharp. But how to finish the wall board and the paint by this un-reasonable hour? Sailing would have to wait. I always said to my wife, Bronwyn, some day a Shields will turn up in someone’s backyard - unwanted and affordable. (debatable).
Finally, that day came a few years ago and my NewportYC frostbiting mates Rob Schult and Whitney Slade jumped in and we bought #17. Why Weetamoe you say? I was always haunted by the name from a picture of four lovely J boats’ sterns lined-up on the hard in Bristol (1930s) and one named Weetamoe. (Google this - interesting)
So here we are in our third year after a disastrous race on July 23 ( someone has to be last - right?). Will the program dissolve or will there be redemption? A good start is everything in this fleet and with careful jockeying on the line we got a good one. The breeze threatened to swing right and the top boats seemed to know this. However if you go too far to Jamestown the wind lightens. We held pace with Andy Green on a long port tack until a small header made him tack away. We took a jog to the left, too, and headed back to the mark just shy of the three boat length circle. That first leg was a debate between a cold breeze from the left and a warm breeze from the right. We rounded in fifth. The surprise for me was 107 sailing a steeper angle downwind to the left, which paid off at the leeward gate. (Note to self - do this!)
The sagacious Race Committee called for a shortened course to avoid a thunderhead lurking over the Western Passage - not worth having anyone sink tonight. However, we did head toward the in-coming weather. But it never really came and the top 10 boats finished bang bang bang, with Weetamoe among them!
In summary, it is great to sail in such a challenging fleet where “it’s not over til the fat lady sings” type of finishes are the norm. And as I’ve learned yet again, writing is harder than sailing!
-Peter Fernberger; Shields #17
