We know that you all love this time of year when you duck out of the office early to do some racing on week nights. In Casco Bay, each Tuesday, there is Etchells One Design Racing, Wednesday there is J-24 One Design Racing and every Thursday any type of boat is welcome for casual racing. The first gun is at 6pm sharp on all nights and we hope to see you out there!

New Amsterdam Gin has come on board as the Admiral Sponsor of the PYC Race Series. This means that there will be New Amsterdam Gin at all of the PYC Race series events in addition to our beer sponsor, Red Hook on tap. We are excited to share these products with you. As you enjoy them, think of all the fun you will have this summer participating in the PYC Race Series Events!

In addition, our sponsor Henri Lloyd will give away 15 $50 gift certificates to the racers involved in PYC Race Series Events, chosen at random. That’s right, you don’t even have to be a winner on the racecourse to enjoy this added bonus for the PYC Races. Each boat that registers for an event will be in the running for the certificates.

Finally, the Multiple Registration Discount ends May 31st

Time is running out and the discount on registrations of 2 or more events will end May 31st. Don’t delay and sign up today for your favorite events of the summer.

• June 21st & 22nd
  Pilot Regatta
• July 12th & 13th
  PHRF State of Maine Championships & One Design Regatta
• August 8th, 9th & 10th
  Monhegan Island Race
• September 13th, 20th, 27th & October 4th
  Fall Series including the popular Lightship Race

We have a great season of racing and fun lined up for 2008. Come on out and we promise you won’t regret it!

We saw this and thought we would share it with you!

Saturday June 7th, 2008 (Rain Date is June 8th)

11am- 3pm Community Sailing for Maine

*Knot tying demonstrations

*sailing in SailMaine Boats

*Rigging demonstrations

*BBQ

*Apparel for sale

*Newsletters/ Brochures available

Located at the Casco Bay Community Boating Center, past the Ocean Gateway terminal off Thames St on Portland’s waterfront.  For more info check out www.sailmaine.org

I just found two great race boats for sale that have been racing locally in Casco Bay and are for sale in Falmouth, ME. The first is a Taylor 41′, known to many as Sheerness and sailed by the Maine Maritime Academy. The asking price is $79,500. It will be interesting to see what MMA will sail this summer if it sells. Another great race boat for sale is a 43′ Dobroth Sloop, recognized as Revolution IX. The asking price is $129,500. Will this be replaced with a new Revolution X? New Wave Yachts is the listing broker for both options and if you want to see pictures and read more about these great boats, you can find them at Taylor 41′ and Dobroth 43′ .

The annual Points East Crew Match Party will be Wednesday May 7th at 5:30, hosted by Handy Boat in the Falmouth Foreside. This is a great chance for skippers and crew alike to come together and catch up from the long winter. The crew match party is the perfect opportunity to meet and mingle with potential crew and skippers and have some great food and beer to boot. Best of all, it’s FREE! This year’s sponsors are Gritty McDuff’s, Handy Boat, West Marine, Hamilton Marine and Regatta Promotions. Note to all skippers; You can register for PYC Race series events at the party and we will have some cool stuff to give away for those who register.

If that isn’t enough fun for you, there will be another Crew Match Party in Rockland on May 16th, 5:30-7:30, at the new location of the Rockland Yacht Club located at the head of the Public Landing with the Rockland harbormaster. For more information about this Crew Match Party call Doug Pope at Pope Sails for more information. 207-596-7293.

We hope to see you all there!

The first race boat of the season has now splashed into the water. Jon Randall bought a new C&C 115 and it was launched yesterday at Handy Boat. There are plenty of moorings in the water and soon others will start to launch and join Snowbird in the Falmouth anchorage. This proves that it is not too early to start thinking about the boating season ahead of us. Below is a picture, courtsey of Rob Windsor Tartan C&C Yachts Long Island, of Snowbird at the dock. She looks great in the water and will be tough competition in the races this year.

The C&C 115 class will be having their debut of one design sailing in the Annapolis NOOD regatta this weekend. We will give you the updates throughout the event. They have an impressive 9 boats registered for the event and perhaps Snowbird will join them next year.

Most people in Maine are still bundled up in wool sweaters and growling about freezing temperatures. Many are thinking of heading up to Sugarloaf for the weekend or snowmobiling in the woods of their backyard. Who, in Maine, is actually considering going for a sail?

High school sailors in Southern Maine have started sailing in Casco Bay this week. Teams include Cheverus High School, Portland High School. Cape Elizabeth High School, Deering High School, Falmouth High School, and Southern ME High School (conglomerate team). All high school teams sail out of SailMaine located in the Old Port of Portland. The teams sail in the 36 collegiate 420’s owned by SailMaine.

Here are some great shots of the action:

SailMaine is a cool organization that makes sailing accessible to almost anyone. They provide youth and adult sailing lessons all summer long as well as host regattas for high school, college and us sailing events. If you want more information about the high school sailing program or the youth sailing lessens contact Sarah Helming at SailMaine.

For all the action going on at SailMaine check out their web site here!

As spring approaches, with the sun shining and weather warming up, it is time to start thinking about our getting our boats in the water. But before you splash your boat in the water for the season, think about what she has on her bottom. Your paint choice will help to keep her clean through the season and hopefully smooth allowing your boat to travel fast while under sail.

One paint that is widely used for racing sailboats is VC Offshore, with a healthy amount of thinner added to the mix. Once the bottom is sanded, prepped, washed and dried you are ready for the paint. First, you want to thin the paint out with paint thinner. As you apply the paint with a brush or roller, it dries very quickly, which allows you to apply multiple coats without waiting hours for the paint to dry. Because we like to thin out the paint, 5 to 6 applications should be sufficient. It is recommended that you use 2 to 3, but that is without adding thinner to the mix. The bottom can be finished by wet sanding for an exceptionally smooth finish.

Another option for your bottom is to use the environmentally friendly, copper-free, antifouling bottom paint called E Paint 2000. This would be an easy green option for those that have a clean slate to paint on, as it is not compatible with other existing antifouling paint. It is recommended that you prime with the EP 2000 primer to protect the fiberglass from water and blistering. It seems to work well and now that copper prices have gone up, the price doesn’t look so bad either. The manufacturer says not to apply the paint in temps below 60° F so it looks like until the weather warms up some more, bottom painting will have to take a backseat to your other boat projects for now.

I have been getting the questions; when, where, why and who cares?!

Well here are the answers:

• This Weekend March 14th, 15th and 16th - Thats Friday, Saturday and Sunday
• Times - 10 am to 6pm Friday and Saturday 10am to 4pm Sunday
• 58 Fore Street Portland, Maine at the Portland Company aka Portland Yacht Services
• Its almost Spring! Time to renew sailing friendships, see boats and dream of summer
• This show for anyone who appreciate good craftsmanship, New England ingenuity and Downeast hospitality.
• Regatta Promotions will have free gifts for anyone who stops by our booth. Come check it out!
• Register for another season of fun sailing regattas at the show.
• Free seminars from Lou McNally and other experts in many areas such as weather, boat maintenance, electronics and more…..
• Boat show deals from many marine suppliers….get it before its too late - summers right around the corner

For more details check out the boat show web site here.

This weekend marks the 20th Maine Boatbuilders Show in Portland, Maine. Regatta Promotions will have a booth at the show giving away fun things to people who stop by our booth. On-line registration for most of our events will be “live” by this weekend and we will be encouraging skippers (by giving away fun prizes) to register for their favorite events at the show.

The Maine Boatbuilders Show is at a perfect time for most of us in the northeast, even though it snows every year, it’s still a great time to meet friends and start thinking that the snow and ice will melt and we will be able to enjoy our favorite sport soon enough.

Check out this week’s new Poll Question, “What is the best Sailboat Boat Show in the United States?” We have put up 9 of the most well know shows. There are hundreds of shows throughout the U.S. so if you don’t see your favorite, make sure you add your answer.

Click here for more information about the Maine Boatbuilders Show.

Hasket Hildreth, a friend of mine and the Captain of Frances which sailed the waters of Casco Bay, Maine died this past week. His unique vision and life style pointed to simpler times when sailing vessels were actually “sailed” by people and not electronics, engines and technology. We will miss his presence on the trips around the bay which we had shared with him often. We wish his family and friends our deepest condolences.

Here is the obituary as printed by the Portland Press Herald.

Hasket Derby Hildreth, 48
FALMOUTH — Hasket Derby Hildreth died at his home in Falmouth on Feb. 27, 2008. He was the captain of Maine Sailing Adventures in Portland, and a shareholder and board member of Diversified Communications, also in Portland. He had a degree in engineering from the University of Maine at Orono and completed the program in boatbuilding at the Washington County Vocational Technical Institute in Eastport.

He designed the Frances D and the Frances, two steel sailing vessels of 55 to 60 feet in length, and built them with the help of Wallace Soule of Pownal and Megan Jones of Falmouth. He captained the Frances for three summers in Portland Harbor and Casco Bay, taking out charter parties for day sails and evening cruises with first mate Megan Jones. He also took many nonprofit groups on sails, such as Youth Alternatives, the Naval Sea Scouts, the Special Olympics of Maine, and several local junior yacht clubs.

The Frances is a familiar sight on the Portland waterfront and a sprightly sailor. Although built of steel, Frances’s design and rigging are traditional. Her classic lines are based on mid-1800s fishing schooners.

The vessels were both named for Hasket’s eldest daughter, Frances Derby Hildreth. Frances was a frequent crew member starting at age 11. One of his family’s most memorable sights was of Frances alone on deck and steering under full sail into Seal Bay on Vinalhaven Island while Hasket worked on other things down below.

Hasket sailed his vessels all over the Gulf of Maine and down the east coast to Key West, Fla. He, Hasket DerbyHildreth was not simply a competent seaman; he had an uncanny ability to sail at night in fog with only a compass through difficult waters.

Hasket was complex and talented. His independent thinking was reflected in his innovative approach to boatbuilding and his commitment to a low-environmental- impact lifestyle. He was a musician, draftsman, and artist, who had a heart and sense of humor that matched the length and draft of his boat. Throughout his life, he forged many diverse and lasting friendships. He will be deeply missed by his friends and family.

He celebrated this past New Year’s Eve by producing a robust fireworks show (in Lake Charles, La.) for his two-year-old daughter, Addison, who was delighted by her father’s pyrotechnic creativity.

He is survived by his parents, Alison and Horace Hildreth; his brothers Daniel, Malcolm and Thomas; his daughter Frances and her mother Fawn Hildreth, and his daughter Addison and her mother Melanie Dees.

A memorial service will be held on Monday, March 3, at 3 p.m., at the Portland Company, 58 Fore St., in Portland. A reception will follow. Parking is available at Hamiliton Marine, 100 Fore St.

In lieu of flowers, memorial
contributions may be made to:
SailMaine
58 Fore St.
Portland, Maine 04101