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Match Racing the Colgate 26’s in the 2006 Knickerbocker Cup
By Dave Perry

We entered the starting box at four minutes to go before the start – just as our opponent did at the other end of the starting line. Reaching at each other at top speed, neither of us blinked - until the last second when I, as the port-tack boat, was required to turn to avoid him on starboard. And so the brawling began, each of us turning quickly at the other as the forward-positioned rudder of the Colgate 26 gave us maximum control over our boats. Turning in our own wakes, the two boats never more than a length apart, and often within inches, the two perfectly equal Colgates went at it like the foils of two expert swordsmen, slashing and retreating, looking for any kind of small advantage. And then it stopped, and the race began, and the two boats were off, side by side, neither faster or slower than the other, up the race track, with the outcome of the race a complete unknown to both teams.

Photograph by Andrea Watson

Match racing is best when done in equally matched keel boats that handle well, are not over-powered and that have symmetrical spinnakers. Colgate 26’s fit that description perfectly. Most races in the 2006 Knickerbocker Cup were neck and neck around the course, a testament not only to the caliber of the teams but to the equality of the boats as well. In 5 knots and in 25 knots, the boats handled superbly, allowing the teams to maneuver within feet of each other on the spinnaker legs, one trying to block the wind of the other, the other trying to find enough air to breathe. And rarely a spinnaker came down more than ten seconds from the leeward mark due to the ease of handling the big colorful sail.

I was very impressed with the boats, as was my foredeck crew who has sailed with me for years. She found that she could tack by stepping in front of the mast or by crossing the cockpit, depending on the tactical needs of the situation. And she did it all on the fore deck: raise the spinnaker, furl the jib, gybe the pole and pull the spinnaker down.

I look forward to my next sail in a Colgate 26, and I am certainly thankful Steve arranged for the boats to be used in the 2006 Knickerbocker Cup.

About Dave Perry:

Dave is currently the Director of Athletics at Greens Farms Academy in Westport, Connecticut, a K-12 co-ed independent school. He received his undergraduate degree at Yale, and has received an honorary Doctorate of Education from Piedmont College. He has been a member of the US SAILING Appeals Committee since 1986, and is a Senior Certified Judge.

He has authored three books on the sport, Understanding the Racing Rules of Sailing, Winning in One-Designs, and Dave Perry’s 100 Best Racing Rules Quizzes. He is a two-time All American sailor, two-time Congressional Cup winner, Silver Medalist in the 1983 Soling Pre-Olympic regatta, 2003 Ideal 18 North American champion, member of the Sailing World Hall of Fame, and recipient of US SAILING's W. Van Alan Clark, Jr. Trophy for Sportsmanship and Captain Joe Prosser Award for Excellence in Sailing Instruction.

He has conducted hundreds of "rules talks" and seminars on the sport, and is best known for his clear, humorous and highly interactive presentations.

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