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.
For more information on the Summer Team Racing Series at SailMaine go to:
http://www.sailmaine.org/pages/Racing/TeamRacing.html
~ Sarah
sarah@sailmaine.org
207-650-2085
www.sailmaine.org
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.
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!
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!
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.
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.
Next weekend is the Chicago NOOD Regatta. With the Etchells Worlds being held the following weekend, it is a great tune up for the event. We are headed out there with VooDooToo and our new mast as we hope to tune up our lake sailing for the Worlds. As of today, there are 47 boats registered. This is the biggest one design fleet in the event and many other teams who are competing at the Worlds will also be in attendance. It is a great chance to sail at the venue, try out our new rig and hone in our game plan for the next week. The NOOD website is here if you want to check out results and see other entries.
Reported today at 9:15am on the Fox News channel:
Senator Ted Kennedy is being moved by police escort from Mass General Hospital where he has been held for observation for about a week after suffering a seizure caused by malignant brain tumor. It is said that Kennedy who has participated in many Figawi Races does not want to miss the regatta.
If you haven’t seen Senator Kennedy on his yacht charge through the fleet, let me tell you its certainly a sight to be seen. This iconic figure sitting in a chair behind the wheel of a classic yacht waving to fellow competitors is a odd but at the same time can make you reflect on the patriotic feeling that the image produces on a race that happens during memorial day weekend.
The Figawi Race is one of the Northeast’s largest sailing and boating events with well over 200 sailboat and powerboats participating. The Race isn’t much for competition but the parties are huge and the joke tent is not to be missed. The race is a short dash from Hyannis on Cape Cod to Nantucket Boat Basin.
Check the race out here.
More news as it becomes available.
This year the J-24 US National Championships will be held at Richmond County Yacht Club on Staten Island, NY. It will serve as a World Qualifier for the 2009 Worlds in Annapolis, MD. There should be a great turnout for this event as it is a world qualifier and we will keep you updated with results and more. Our local Fleet 43 will be represented by Mr. Hankey, owned and sailed by Andrew Carey and crew. He will be giving us a regatta report at the end of it, so stay tuned for the first hand scoop. If you would like m0re information on the event and how to sign up, go to J-24 US National Championship.
The Star World Championships are underway as we speak. Coral Reef Yacht Club, in sunny Coconut Grove, FL, is hosting this large scale event. 104 boats are competing for the title of 2008 Star World Champion. There is only one race each day, with long courses and tired abdominal muscles for the sailors that are out there. The Star is a very physical boat and requires long periods of hiking to keep the boat flat and fast. Race 4 will take place today and Friday is reserved, in the case where they miss a race day. There are 26 countries competing and for some, this stands as their country’s Olympic qualifier.
The top boats are in tight competition, and Race 2 gave many top boats a Black Flag Penalty, setting them back in the results. It will be interesting to see if the boats in the top can hold their spots, USA 95 and AUS14 tied right now with 27 points. Check it out if you are interested in seeing the results or reading more about the event.
2008 Star Worlds
Tax time is behind us and it is now time for Charleston Race Week to begin April 17th-20th. This is sure to be a great event, with an impressive entry list of 143 boats already registered. They have a large turnout in fleets of the Melges 24’s, Viper 640’s, J-80’s, J-24’s, J-105’s and Flying Tigers, to name a few. The race organizers expect it to be a record setting year for the number of boats in attendance. This race makes sense for a lot of people that bring their boats north from Miami this time of year, or for those that want this event to kick off the spring season. We will be having a Question and Answer session with some of the racers in attendance next week, so check back for first hand regatta reports.
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