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Rhodes 19, Fleet 35, Narragansett Bay, RIGreetings, Welcome to Rhodes 19, Fleet 35, situated in the northern portion of Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, USA. Fleet 35 was established approximately 30 years ago by Robert Wood, Roland Desrochers and Robert Janelle as a Rhodes 19, Centerboard Fleet. Early in "Fleet 35" history, the founders somehow let a few Rhodes Keelboats slip into the fold and are now accepted as part of the environment. Rhodes 19, Fleet 35, Narragansett Bay is in itself a sanctioned Fleet through the R19 National Class Association and has its own Charter, Constitution & Bylaws. It actually has no official affiliations to any particular yacht club... other than majority location - Bullock Cove, Riverside, RI. The boats all meet and follow National Association Class specifications and rules. The only exception to these rules is that we race a "mixed" fleet. We have a fairly equal amount of Centerboard Rhodes as Keel Rhodes and there is no handicap applied. The waters out in the Upper Bay, Ohio Ledge, Conimicut Point produces enough chop...that both boats average out in boat-speed. "Narragansett Terrace Yacht Club" has been extremely generous to "Fleet 35" and we are allowed to use their facility on Bullock Cove for both Clubhouse use on race nights...and more importantly they provide us with a great Race Committee. We have "Fleet 35" members from Bristol Y.C., Edgewood Y.C., Tiverton Y.C. and many without any affiliation at all. The entire Race Committee ... goes above and beyond the call of duty to provide us with our own starting sequence, starting line and race scoring. Each vessel pays a nominal Regatta fee for both the Spring and Summer Series (around $75?) ... and NTYC pays for all of our trophies and awards out of their racing budget. In addition to the regular series...they host several around Prudence Island races on weekends... with more trophies and several races outside Bullock Cove. The participants share and take part to provide food on the grill after each race. There are several "Around Prudence Island Races" specifically for Rhodes 19's such as the "Unc Allen Trophy" and "Doc McVay Trophy". Please understand... Rhodes 19, Fleet 35 is a recreational orientated racing fleet with sailors from all ranges in expertise. There are many first year sailors, first Rhodes 19 owners and sometimes too many family members on a single boat that have a particular "sailing theory" that differs from each other. There are also some very experienced sailors that are valuable to the fleet in providing an education that they usually share willingly. Should you have any questions and or would like to join in as part of Fleet 35, please contact us and we will provide you with additional information.
Fleet Captain Claude Bergeron
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