Nelson snags Marblehead NOOD Overall title

The sixth and final event on the Sperry Top-Sider NOOD Regatta circuit culminated with the 125th anniversary of Marblehead Race Week, with 158 teams competing in the three day event (July 25-27). David Nelson and his crew not only claimed first place in the 32-boat Rhodes 19 class, but also snagged the honor of Marblehead NOOD Overall Winner among the 10 competing classes. The top spot earned Nelson and his crew a berth at the NOOD Championship in the British Virgin Islands in October, which will be sailed in 44-foot boats provided by Sunsail. Full report.

Additional information courtesy of Laurie Fullerton…
The 125th running of Marblehead Race Week wrapped up on Sunday with 158 boats competing, some for four days, others for three, with the same goal of bringing it down to the final race to determine a winner.

This years’ Race Week, officially known as the Sperry Top-Sider NOOD Regatta at Marblehead Race Week, drew competitors from as far away as Texas, as a result of the event’s reputation, not to mention the historic Marblehead yachting traditions.

For the J/105 fleet, it turned out to be a down-to-the-last race finish that was eventually won by the Circe’s Cup of Marblehead, skippered by Ric Dexter. They accumulated 19 points, beating out Fred deNapoli, who finished with 20 points.

At one time during the regatta, one of the top boats hailing from Texas and owned by Mark Masur had a chance to take it home to the lone star state, but Marblehead’s sailing talent prevailed to take the top two spots, while the Texan finished third with 21 points.

“The J/105 fleet in Marblehead is really strong. We can race here three times a week if needed, and this helps keep the fleet intact. It’s just great to be racing here this week,” Dexter said.

For second place finisher Fred deNapoli, it was tough racing all the way through.

“They got us by one point,” he said. “So, it was actually possible that five boats could have won it. We were covering one of those boats, the Texans, and while we were covering them Circe’s Cup got out in front and [secured] the win.”

In the Laser Class, the win went to J.B. Braun of Marblehead, who most recently was part of the winning America’s Cup team, Oracle of San Francisco.

“The Laser is kind of an energetic, physical boat, and we have all ages racing in it. It has competitors young and old, male and female, so it is a great fleet.”

Additionally, three key Laser sailors Wayne Colahan, Tom Dailey and Patrick Andreasen were recipients of the coveted Leonard M. Fowle trophy for their contribution to the event and in building the Laser fleet.

In the Rhodes 19 fleet, David Nelson bested the large field of 33 on the line to take home the win with 35 points, just ahead of second place finisher Charles Pendleton with 37.

Although somewhat new to this fleet, Nelson’s performance was top notch, and he not only was the recipient of the Norm Cressy Award for excellence, but Nelson was also chosen as the overall winner of the NOOD Regatta, and will head to the British Virgin Islands in October to compete for the Sperry NOOD Championship.

In the Town Class, the overall winner was Rex Antrim with eight points. He had an impressive four firsts, two seconds and one third overall.