Best at Block

In a fleet packed full of grand-prix programs and designs far more modern, few would have expected a 30-plus-year-old J/29 to bag Boat of the Week at the 2021 edition of Block Island Race Week presented by Margaritaville. But, as has been proven many times before, it’s not the vintage of the boat itself that matters most. It’s the crew, the extra effort and, more often than not, the commitment to the goal. Such was the case for Jack McGuire’s squad on the J/29 Dirty Harry, which emerged as the top boat on Block Island.

KATE SOMERS

“Our win is completely due to the team we had,” says Jack McGuire, a 37-year-old yacht broker from Annapolis, Maryland, who raced with a band of brothers and childhood friends to win the coveted Everett B. Morris Trophy. “The camaraderie was unmatched.” Trimming main and calling tactics was John Mollicone, McGuire’s coach while growing up at Rhode Island’s East Greenwich YC. His brother Josh and his brother-in-law, John von Schwarz, were the boat’s spinnaker and jib trimmers. Three longtime friends, Dave Jurkowski, Nick St. Jean and Doug Nisbet, manned the pit, mast and bow, respectively. His brother Todd helped deliver the boat and prepare it for racing. “It was definitely a family affair both on and off the water, but Block Island Race Week always has been,” McGuire says. “I…

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Sailing World (Digital) - 1 Issue, Fall 2021

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