Reading the recent article about the Onion Patch Series puzzled me because the description did not resemble any of the series I had sailed in the past. I participated on “Carina”, “Charisma”. The series in those days the series began with a race starting in Oyster Bay around Buzzards Bay light tower, around Block Island and then finishing at Castle Hill. Once in Newport we sailed three day races before starting the Bermuda Race. The race s were open to all participants but the teams were scored separately, just as the Admiral’s Cup had been sailed in the early days, before the beginning of the end when the Admiral’s Cup was excised from the crowds, but that is a subject for another day.
As I write, I wonder if we as sailors have been our own worst enemies.
You are right. Just like the Admiral’s Cup, the Onion Patch Series has evolved over the years.
Where the Admiral’s Cup allowed the sponsors to demand one-design classes and killed the event, the Onion Patch has continued to be scored on handicap for all three boats. It has also been opened to individual boat competition alongside the team event. The idea has been to give the owners a choice and be more inclusive.
The variety from racing in Rhode Island, the ocean race and racing in the Great Sound is what makes the series special.
Talbot