Here is the reaction from the law makers in Maine after the wonderful response from our loyal readers and fellow sail boat racers. I guess the state does have better things to do than to police our pfd wearing.

Hello, and thanks for writing –

LD 164 has been withdrawn and will not be proposed this session. The bill was not drafted the way I and the other sponsors wanted – we were concerned primarily with the 15 deaths suffered last season, mostly due to lack of PFDs being used on canoes and kayaks -

In any event, the bill will not proceed further – thanks again for writing, and please do so anytime.

Thom Watson

Rep. House District 62 (Bath)

trwatson@street-law.com

The state web site hasn’t been updated as of yet but I am told it will be updated soon. Things sometimes move a bit slow up there in Augusta.

Please be aware there is currently a bill sponsored by Rep. Tom Watson for everyone on a boat in water to wear a coastguard approved life jacket.
I am strongly against this type of legislation for the following reasons:

1.    I don’t believe in government legislating our lives!
2.    I don’t believe this law can be enforced.
3.    These life jackets can be uncomfortable and on a clear, calm day they just aren’t necessary.
4.    I believe its everyone’s personal responsibility to determine whether they should or should not wear a life jacket.
5.    The exceptions in this law are much more dangerous than some other types of boating.  For example you won’t have to wear a lifejacket when going to your mooring in a small zodiac  or while in a canoe owned by a children’s summer camp?!
6.    What are the legal effects of this law on the regatta events and boat owners if a person is found not wearing a life jacket? (can’t control everyone’s actions all the time)
7.    The requirement to wear a life jacket will be another barrier to our sport as it will increase costs and possibly turn people away.
8.    Our sport sailing on the ocean has resulted in very few injuries or deaths from accidents involving people not wearing a life jacket.
9.    Many more people who aren’t familiar with the boating on lakes are impacted each year, usually due to the sea worthiness of the boat and the knowledge of the operator.  Not the use or lack of use of a life jacket.
10.    With the economy the way it is right now is this what we want our legislators focused on?  Don’t they have some better things to do like finding a way to attract more business, tourism, etc….

There are probably plenty more reasons to be against this legislation.

If you agree with my thoughts or oppose this legislation please contact Rep. Tom Watson and your local Maine Rep. to communicate your dissent.

To keep up to date on the status click this link here.

To read the proposed legislation click this link here.

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!

The Windy city lived up to it’s name on the first day of the event Friday. The Etchells were held on shore waiting for a pending thunderstorm to pass through. The final decision made by the race committee was to cancel sailing for the day due to weather. There were many that decided to go out for a practice sail Friday, as a tune up for the Worlds. Ironically, the storms that were expected, never came through. Our team decided against sailing and went on tour in Chicago. We visited Wrigley Stadium and walked Michigan Avenue admiring all of the glam and glitz the storefront windows had to offer.

Saturday was another day for racing, and the whole fleet was ready to get some racing in. The wind was shifty and the pressure was up and down. In the first race, we went to the left side and found that the city skyline affected our wind direction greatly. We rounded in last place around the windward mark and dug out to finish ahead of 14 boats. There were two other races Saturday and if you look at the results, you can see that the fleet was up and down.

Sunday was the final day of racing, and the racers were greeted with yet another thunderstorm. As we waited in postponement, there were many that decided to get an early start on hauling their boats out of the water. A surprise to many, the RC decided to send us out for a final race as the radar looked clear. We went out and sailed one race in about 18 knots and very disturbed, choppy waves.

There were a handful of boats that had breakdowns & holes punched in the hull and will spend this week making repairs so that their boats are ready for the Worlds starting this Sunday. The RC did a great job setting our courses for the NOOD, especially considering the tricky conditions. It was worth it for us to be there and get a taste of what Chicago sailing is all about! We look forward to heading back again at the end of this week for the Worlds. We will keep you posted on our progress throughout the regatta.

Pilot Regatta just 1 Week Away!

There are already 24 boats registered for the Pilot Regatta, why not add your boat to the growing list? The $25 late fee will begin next Monday, so get signed up before you get stuck with the late fee. Register here today!

Click below to see who has signed up for the Pilot Regatta

• June 21st & 22nd
  Pilot Regatta

2008 Pilot Regatta Highlights

• Pilot Regatta Tee Shirts now available ONLINE Order now before they all run out!
• Custom Pilot Skipper Bag- Each entrant receives a custom Pilot Regatta Skipper bag
• $50 Henri Lloyd Gift Certificates – These will be given out to the racers chosen at random
• Yale Cordage Sheets – Winners will get a certificate for new genoa or spinnaker sheets with your trophies on Sunday provided by Maloney Marine Rigging and Yale Cordage
• Live Music with “Punch Buggy” playing classic & contemporary rock at the club after racing
• Maine Sailing Partners Gear – Free Maine Sailing Partners hats & shirts given away at random
• Be a part of Summer Sailstice – Celebrate the longest day of the year by getting on the water
• This year the PILOT REGATTA has a little SOMETHING for EVERYONE!!!

Leavitt & Sons Market to Offer Discounts on Sandwiches, Beer and Ice for Regattas

Our PYC Race Series sponsor, Leavitt & Sons Market, located on Rt 1in Falmouth (next to the NEW Rite Aid), will be offering discounts for all regatta participants. There is a full deli with delicious sandwiches, as well as cold beer and ice for purchase. And coming soon a SKIPPER MENU with less expensive boat appropriate crew sandwiches. Stop in and tell them we sent you!

Pilot Regatta History

This year will be the 42nd Annual Pilot Regatta. In the beginning, the Pilot Race was begun as a race for the Hinckley Pilot. It wasn’t until the late 70′s that the race took the format we know today; two days of racing in and around Casco Bay, and open to any type of boat which has increased participation. The Pilot Race was one of the original races in the group that was the basis for the creation of the Gulf of Maine Ocean Racing Circuit years ago. We hope that you will be a part of history and join us for the first of the PYC races this summer.

Much more information is Available:

Go Directly to the 2008 Portland Yacht Club Race Series site to get the scoop on all the racing, parties, bands, registration, entries, race series gear and more!

Go to www.portlandyachtlcub.com any time for a link to this race site or any other PYC information.

This photo is the racing venue for the J-24 Worlds in Italy, taking place right now. There are four boats representing USA. The top American with two races under his belt is Mark Hillman, who sails out of Annapolis, MD, in 9th place. The leader is Francisco Campero, of Argentina, with a mere 7 points. The 2007 World Champion, Mauricio Santa Cruz of Brazil, is not far behind the leader in 2nd place with just 11 points. There are still many more races to come so we will have to wait and see how it finishes up. You can see complete results by clicking here.

Georgetown University took the lead from Boston College and ended up with a strong finish to sweep the National title. Chris Behm ’08, Georgetown was awarded with the College Sailor of the Year for his performance for the Hoyas. In the last three races, he scored a near perfect 1, 2, 2. I am sure that Georgetown wanted to get BC in the final races, as they finished a close second to BC in the Team Racing Championships. Next year will be exciting, as many of the sailors on these teams are young and will be back another season. Congratulations to Georgetown and all of the sailors recognized as All-Americans. To see full results, click here.