Demonstrating once more that the Pacific Coast can turnout winning sail craft as well as victorious rowing crews and football teams, the "R'' class sloop Pirate was sailed to victory by Captain Matt J. Walsh of the California Yacht Club during the Larchmot (N.Y.) Yacht Club's regatta held July, 20 to 27.
The Pirate, owned by O. K. Hunsaker, also of the California Yacht Club, and Commodore of the Southerrn California Outboard Association, won the series by one point, her nearest competitors, the Yankee and Doress, being tied at 24 points each.
Under Capt. Walsh's splendid handling, the Pirate sailed away to a fine start at the windward end of the line, and tacking three times, made the beat to the buoy marker off Scotch Caps. It was on this leg that the Pirate outdistanced rivals.
The Pirate's victorious venture in eastern waters marks the first time in the history of yacht racing that a western built and designed sail boat has compeated in an eastern regatta, and the victory. earned over some of the east's fastest sloops and cleverest Long Island Sound yachtsmen. attaches added importance to the event.
Another angle of significance which should be considered is the fact that the Pirate is a heavy weather boat - bowling along at her best clip in a breeze of about 18 knots - and the eastern races were won in light winds of approximately 8 knots, and along Long Island shore the breeze was spotty and had many soft spots.
The Pirates fine showing, is a credit to Matt J. Walsh, who skippered her to victory. Walsh is a veteran of Pacific Coast yachting, having sailed various craft on this coast for the past 32 Years. Walsh's crew comprised Fox Case of Los Angeles, Gordon Dykes and Manning Staires both of the Larchmont Yacht Club.
The course was triangular and consisted of nine and one half miles of sailing, this included a beat, a run and a reach home. In winning the race the Pirate not only slipped in ahead of six other sloops, in the "R" class, but loped in to the finish line with several entries rated in divisions above her, sailing gracefully astern.
Ted Geary of Seattle designed the Pirate and the craft was built in the same city in 1926. The sloop has been competing in Pacific Coast regattas for three years and has an excellent record.