Race Area
Sailing in New York Harbor is breathtaking. This is an opportunity for a photo of a lifetime.
First there is the skyline of Manhattan. The towering skyscrapers are built right up to the water's edge. It is awe inspiring to race in front of the skyline and then return to North Cove, right at the base of the large buildings.
The harbor is also home to the State of Liberty. She gazes out over the harbor and holds her torch up high as a universal symbol of hope. This is your second picture of a lifetime.
All races will start and finish from the "Honorable William Wall," the spectator platform and clubhouse in the harbor.
The Honorable William Wall is anchored in the Upper Bay just north of Ellis Island (see red box on image below). This is just under 1 mile from North Cove.
Depending on the wind
direction, starts can be upwind or downwind. With a sea breeze from the
south or a north east breeze during a storm, the starts are
upwind. With a
northwest wind after a cold front or a southwest wind during a heat wave, the
starts are downwind.
The courses will be windward-leeward around inflatable buoys set by the race committee. The race committee will set the first mark either upwind or downwind from the clubhouse. The next mark will be set in the cove on the opposite side of the clubhouse. This provides excellent viewing for the spectators who can watch the race boats sail up, round the mark in the cove and then sail by again.
During the summer, the harbor frequently benefits from a sea breeze which blows up from the Atlantic Ocean. The sea breeze provides a perfect upwind leg with a windward mark being between Governors Island and the Statue of Liberty.
