Christopher Dragon XII, Blitzen, and Thin Man Take Overall Honors
STAMFORD, CONN. — The Storm Trysail Club’s 79th Annual Block Island Race delivered a classic offshore challenge this weekend as just over 60 boats took on the wet and cold 186-nautical-mile course from Stamford, CT, around Block Island and back. Competitors faced a demanding mix of conditions, beginning with a long upwind slog out of Long Island Sound before many crews were rewarded with fast reaching and downwind conditions for the run home.
The race once again served as a proving ground for many teams preparing for next month’s 2026 Newport Bermuda Race, with more than 30 entries appearing on both race scratch sheets.
Three UK Sailmakers customers took overall honors in their respective divisions:
Taking Overall ORC honors and the prestigious Harvey Conover Memorial Overall Trophy was Linda and Storm Trysail Club Commodore Andrew Weiss’ Italia 11.98 Christopher Dragon XII, which also topped ORC Class 6 after correcting out ahead of an exceptionally competitive fleet. The team additionally claimed the William Tripp, Jr. Memorial Trophy for Best Corrected Time in the ORC Fleet and the Tuna Trophy for the best combined ORC scores in the Edlu Race and Block Island Race series.
When asked about the pivotal point of the race, Weiss noted, “As we approached the end of the Sound, we were expecting the wind to be further right, but the wind went left and the boats that were further south going through Plum Gut found themselves in foul current while we had a knot push going through The Race. Then, the wind backed along the Rhode Island shore and we made a big gain there over the boats south of the rhumbline. We set our A3 at 1BI and shifted to the A2 at Southeast Light. We found ourselves sailing among the next two larger classes of boats. We wanted to reenter the Sound through Plum Gut, but conditions led us to go through the Sluiceway with a 5-8-mile lead on our division. We tried to work south gybing down the Sound with the A2. We pretty much sailed the plan we made at our kitchen table Friday morning!”
John Storck Jr.’s J/130, Blitzen, at the 2026 Block Island Race. Photo © Stephen Cloutier | IG:@blockislandsteve.
In the PHRF Division, Past Storm Trysail Club Commodore John Storck Jr.’s J/130 Blitzen, captured both PHRF Class 7 and Overall PHRF honors after a strong performance in the changing conditions around the island course. Blitzen was awarded the Terrapin Trophy for Best Corrected Time in the PHRF Fleet and the George Lauder Trophy as the best-performing vintage yacht over 25 years old.
Blitzen’s victory was made even more special by the family crew onboard, with three generations of the Storck family racing together. Storck Jr. and his wife Colette sailed alongside their sons, John III and Erik, Erik’s son Hudson, son-in-law Baker Potts, and longtime family friends David Waldo, James Willis, and Josh Parks.
Blitzen’s game plan was also to stay south of the outbound rhumbline as the wind was to shift right. “We started a bit overpowered with our J1, but knew the wind would moderate in an hour or so. With a roller reefing headstay, we have to make bald-headed jib changes, so we agreed to start with the larger jib and it paid out, helping us drive through the lumpy sea state. Soon after the start, we tacked to the right and that put us on top of the competition going out. We got out of the Sound through the Race just before the current turned on us, basically fetched 1BI. Approaching 1BI there was foul current, but once we rounded and set our A2 we were able to leg out on the other boats. We sailed with the A2 for the rest of the race taking it down at the finish line.”
“I’ve had this boat for four years and, working with UK Sailmakers, have replaced all of its sails. This is the first time I’ve had a boat when all the sails were great at the same time. Credit goes to UK Sailmakers and Butch Ulmer.” – John Storck Jr.
The ORC Doublehanded division once again showcased the growth and competitiveness of short-handed offshore racing. Todd Aven and Todd Diffee aboard the J/99 Thin Man claimed victory in ORC Doublehanded and earned the Gerold Abels Trophy for Best ORC Doublehanded Performance after navigating the tactical overnight course against a talented fleet of shorthanded teams.
Todd Aven and Todd Diffee aboard the J/99, Thin Man, at the 2026 Block Island Race. Photos © Stephen Cloutier | IG:@blockislandsteve.
Aven shared, “We were neck-and-neck with our competition going into Block Island Sound around midnight. Playing the shifts and puffs crossing to 1BI was a bit of chess and a bit of craps. Shortly after the mark, we put up the code 0 and took off from the pack. Staging out of the dead zone near Southeast Light was a game-changer. After that, it was a dozen hours of champagne downwind sailing with the A2 spinnaker, gybing occasionally to stay in the middle of the Sound where the breeze was better. The breeze really came up in the last hour or two of our race. We pulled off a couple of clean inside gybes and got down the spinnaker before the final turn at the Cows. Blasting across the finish line at 9 knots under full main and heavy J1 with 20 knot gusts was a real thrill.”
Andrian Lubimov’s J/120 Duet, at the 2026 Block Island Race. Photo © Stephen Cloutier | IG:@blockislandsteve.
Also making a trip to the podium Sunday night was Andrian Lubimov’s J/120 Duet, winning PHRF 5. Sailing against three other J/120s and a pair of Swans, Lubimov corrected out with a winning margin of 20 minutes over the next boat. The six boats in this division played the Connecticut coast to Bridgeport and then sailed the rhumbline. Duet’s big move was exiting the Sound via the Race as the rest of the division chose Plum Gut. By the time they got to Block Island, their lead had grown and it continued to extend back through the Sound to the finish.
PRO John Troy summed up the race saying, “After the blustery start Friday and many hours of cold rain, we weren’t sure how people would look back on this race. From the positive, enthusiastic reactions of sailors at last night’s awards ceremony, it’s clear that this 79th Block Island Race was a success.”
