Caminos Wins Top Prize at Block Island Sailing Event

[caption id="attachment_39232" align="alignnone" width="800"] Caminos, which is based out of the Breakwater Yacht Club in Sag Harbor, won the top prize over the weekend at Block Island Sailing Week.                                Photo by Allen Clark / PhotoBoat.com[/caption]

By Gavin Menu

For the second consecutive year, a sailboat based at the Breakwater Yacht Club in Sag Harbor is tops in the nation in the J/109 racing class.

Caminos, owned by Donald Filippelli and raced by his son-in-law, Ryan Dempsey, won the Everett B. Morris Memorial Trophy for best overall performance at Block Island Race Week over the weekend. Caminos also won the J/109 North American Championship, awarded as part of the overall race week.

“It’s a 10-year-old boat and takes a lot of abuse, and I love it,” said Filippelli. “Each day I tell the crew ‘Be safe, have fun and goddammit win!’”

Last year it was Skoot, captained by Jim Vos and also based out of Breakwater, that took home the North American Championship in racing off Newport, Rhode Island. Caminos finished second..

[caption id="attachment_39231" align="alignright" width="300"] The crew of Caminos includes, standing in back, Matt Nilsen, Mark Gorman and Terry Flynn; In middle row, Ken Nilsen, Michelle Horn, Tina Filippelli, Ryan Dempsey holding baby Jack and Birgitta Filippelli. And in front, Bruce Sawyer and Captain Donald Filippelli.[/caption]

This year’s fleet totaled 167 boats in 15 classes. Factors determining boat of the week include class size, total points and margin of victory. Racing in the largest class at race week with 25 boats, Caminos finished with the low score of 21 points, won four races, had nine top-2 finishes and finished 17 points ahead of the second-place finisher.

“We sailed conservatively, had mid-line starts and were going fast,” said Dempsey. “We were very fast upwind. I’m not sure why, but I’ll take it. It was all by-the-book fundamental stuff.”

Breakwater Summer Sailing

Meanwhile, back at Breakwater, it was Purple Haze and captain Lee Oldak who took first place in Division 1 of the Wednesday Night Summer Sailing Series on June 24 with a corrected time of 1:04:02. Dan Montero, aboard Gracious, finished second in 1:08:19, while Wayne and Carol Morse, aboard Roxanne, came in third in 1:08:53.

In Division 2, Jody LoCascio sailed Boogie Van to victory with a corrected time of 1:07:20. Osprey and captain George Martin finished second in 1:07:36, while Bruce Dinsmore and Joan Worthing were third aboard Wave Equation in 1:11:05.