Regatta Promotions was there for the first annual Leafer’s Last Leg Regatta hosted by SailMaine a non-profit organization that benefits sailing in Maine. We took photos of the regatta which was held in light winds on a somewhat damp but not cold day. 8 teams competed in 420s and Ynglings in a college format regatta for families and individuals that wanted to show there support for SailMaine. There was also an open 420 division for people that wanted to sail but couldn’t put together a whole team. The results are posted here.
Video friday this week is a reflection of the summer sailing season. This video was taken on one of the most popular Portland Yacht Club Thursday nights when there were roughly 60+ boats in attendence.
As Pacino in Scar Face would say “It’s a cream puff, baby!” Thats what this month’s brokerage boat of the month is - a cream puff. This C&C 34 R is a solidly built boat which rates around 81 racing and 93 cruising. Pefect for the the racer that wants a fast boat but not the huge waterline and up keep. Also this is a great cruiser/racer with full ammenities down below including an enclosed head (great for the ladies), full v-berth and a decent size galley and nav. station. At about half the price of a J105, C&C 99, Beneteau 36.7 or a J100 this boat is a great deal, especially since the economy may put a pinch in our pockets over the next few months. Now is the time to buy as there are some great deals out there so take a look at what’s available from our friends and sponsor East Coast Yacht Sales.
Ok, I bet you didn’t know that Regatta Promotions has its own video production crew. Well, we don’t really. Hall Web Marketing of Scarborough, Maine has generously donated their time and expertise to Fleet 43 and the Downeast Regatta to make this quick intro to the fleet. They will also be taking video during the 2008 Downeast Regatta for the sailors to enjoy each evening after racing.
SailMaine has added a new series to Casco Bay racing scene this summer — the 1st annual Summer Team Race Series.
Team racing consists of boats (usually 3 to a team) helping each other to the best combination of finishes against another team of boats. The team with the lowest combined score of all three boats’ finishes wins.
Racing is Monday nights from 5pm 8pm in SailMaine’s fleet of 18 collegiate 420’s. The last two Monday¹s have been fantastic with great breeze and clear skies.
SailMaine encourages anyone with experience in team racing to come sailing.
Many people arrive each Monday without someone to sail with. After a quick assessment of a person¹s experience, pairings are made and teams are made up. Presently we have 4 teams on the water (12 boats/24 people) If there are more than 24 people we rotate crews into the racing.
The group sailing each Monday is impressive. Of the 38 people so far fifteen adults were college sailors with extensive team racing experience. Seven sailors in the series are presently sailing in college at a variety of schools, including URI, Harvard, UVM, and St Mary’s . Many have commented on how “psyched” their coaches are going to be when they hear how much practice they got over the summer. The rest of the people signed up to team race are a part of the High School Sailing Program at SailMaine or experienced sailors.
The Newport Bermuda Race will begin June 20th and there are a few local boats that will be in the mix this year. Derek Ratteray with crew Merle Hallett and others will be sailing in the Cruising division on Alida, an Alden 50. Also in the cruising division will be W. Bradford Willauer in his J-46, Breezing Up. Sponsor of the PYC Race Series, Jonathan D. Knowles, of East Coast Yacht Sales will be racing his J-46 Abracadabra. Fred Maderia will be racing his J-44-WK Resolute. The website for the event is linked here and they do a great job covering the locations of the fleet during the race with iBoat. Good luck to all the Maine sailors and sail fast!
We have to weigh in for the Worlds and the crew weight is not to exceed 628 lbs. We are sailing with four crew on our boat, while most other boats have three big crew members. For this regatta, there will be a weigh in Sunday between 7am and 10am and another on Friday. I have never heard of an event that has a mandatory weigh in TWICE during the event. For those who are close to the mark, the week in Chicago will be spent counting calories, in order not to gain weight for the second weigh in. Often sailors have put on a crash diet to make weight for a regatta; however, after that scale tips the goal weight, a large feast is in fast order. We have been working hard to give ourselves a 5-10 lb cusion under the max weight, so the 2nd weigh in won’t be an issue for us. Hopefully it won’t be an issue. Stay tuned to see if we make it at the end of the week.
US SAILING Board of Directors Withdraws Mandatory Membership Proposal
Portsmouth, R.I. (June 17, 2008) - US SAILING, national governing body for the sport of sailing, has announced today that its Board of Directors last night voted to withdraw a proposal that would require US SAILING membership of racing sailors.
“We have heard from our members and we thank everyone for their input,” said US SAILING President Jim Capron. “Many sailors and sailing organizations have told us that racing sailors should be members, but that their membership should be voluntary. We also appreciate that many of these sailing organizations have indicated their willingness to help grow our membership. We look forward to working with all of you to strengthen both our organization and our sport.”
This seems like a smart move on the part of US Sailing Board. Mandating that all racing sailors become a member of US Sailing did not sit well with many. I think that there are other ways to grow the sport and organization without requiring membership. I applaud the board of directors for listening to their membership and thinking about other ways to reach their goals.
The NO answers are the winners when it comes to National Security. Most of you said that you will NOT be thinking of National Security when you are out on the water this summer. That is great because we want you to be thinking about all of the fun you will have at the regattas planned for this summer. Our next poll asks you which is your favorite GMORA Sanctioned event of the summer. We have some options to choose from or write in an event that is not listed. We want to know, so take the poll today!
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