By Jen Lee, Women of AYC Chair & Race Organizer
This past Saturday, at Lake Pleasant, 17 boats comprised of women skippers and mixed crew raced in the Ruth Beals Cup. The day started with a light breakfast and then the skipper’s meeting, where special guest Jerelyn Biehl and PRO Kim Stuart reviewed the racing documents and provided tips. Everyone headed out to the start line with the horn sounding at 1:01 pm. The course was the unique ‘B’ course, similar to the course sailed last year in honor of AYC’s founder, Ruth Beals. But this year, the temperature was a blazing 100°.
Racing was tricky, with winds being light and variable throughout the day. In corrected times, all boats finished within 26 minutes, a remarkable note considering competitors’ varying skill and experience levels. The elapsed time for finishing ranged from 2:18 to 3:15. The high heat and low winds made for a challenging day, but for some, a slight breeze near the last mark made for a fun finish.
We had several gallant skippers at the helm for the first time, so kudos to these women! View the results here.
Following racing, the first-ever Ruth Beals Ball was held to celebrate racers and the start of the sailing season. Rick Johnson and Susan Schreiner prepared a delicious Italian dinner for everyone to fill up with. Ed Scheletsky came out to give them a hand, while Bruce and Dianna Andress created a lovely atmosphere with fancy table settings and real wine glasses!
After dinner, the awards were handed out, and Jerelyn Biehl gave a short presentation on “The Unassuming Power of Women.” Jerelyn included women’s history with sailing and racing in San Diego and a few of her experiences as a woman and sailor. Afterward, attendees danced to DJ tunes for the rest of the evening.
Thank you to the event organizers, those who pitched in as extra helping hands, and any support staff for making this a memorable event. And a special appreciation goes out to all of the guys who showed up to support the Women of AYC!
View more pictures from the day: Ruth Beals Cup 2024
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