Racing…cruising…learning to sail…
Whatever your priority, the Albacore is the right choice for you!
With over 8,000 boats worldwide the Albacore is clearly one of the most popular dinghies available today. Loaded with features, the Albacore boasts quality workmanship and strong class association support. Few centerboard sailboats available today are as versatile as the Albacore.
Yacht clubs, sailing schools and community sailing clubs have long chosen the Albacore for their junior and adult training programs. In fact, many of the top sailors in North America learned to sail in an Albacore.
The United States Albacore Association supports Albacore Fleets and activities throughout the country. The largest fleets are found on the east coast. Sanctioned events run from March until October. The class association provides a lot of benefits including a regularly published newsletter, seminars, regattas (including regional, national, North American, and international championships), and support of local fleets. Another benefit of a strong class associations is a strong market for used boats. The United States Albacore Association is dedicated to keeping the Albacore sailing fun and affordable.
You may be asking yourself, the Canadians are hosting North Americans in Annapolis, MD this year? Well you heard it correctly and it could not be a more convenient location for the US Albacores!
Albacore North American Championship for 2024 will be hosted in conjunction with the Helly Hanson NOODS in Annapolis this year May 3-5. There are 12 Albacores registered as of the end of March. Regatta fee increases April 15.
Launching notes say that the Albacores (dolly only) will be launching from Annapolis Yacht Club, probably from the junior sailing area.
One year from this October (October 11-17, 2025 to be precise), Albacore sailors from the UK, Canada and the US will gather in Hampton Roads, Virginia for an event that happens in the U.S. only once every eight years — the Albacore World Championships. Not only will this site be convenient for air travelers and boat shippers — just 29 minutes from Norfolk International Airport and 19 minutes from the Norfolk International Marine terminal — we will be supported by the Hampton Yacht Club, a full-service club with a pedigree for one design racing and a strong record of running major dinghy regattas. The club has facilities for both both dolly and crane launching; plenty of parking; a full-service grill / restaurant with glass walls overlooking a beautiful marina; and a membership that enthusiastically embraces the role of host. A world class maritime museum that houses the historic USS Monitor ironclad is just minutes away in Newport News (https://www.marinersmuseum.org/). For travelers with some extra time, Virginia and North Carolina beach resorts are nearby to the south. To the north, the Washington D.C. region is just three hours away (which also makes this site reasonably accessible for the majority of US and Canadian sailors).
As for racing conditions, the racing area is wide open and, when winds are medium or light, is known for great tactical racing for sailors of all ages and abilities (yes, everyone is invited to come and race). Windy fronts sometimes come through in October that will provide wild rides for those eager for it. However, if the wind is blowin’ the oysters off the rocks and the no-racing threshold is reached, we are planning a regatta-within-a-regatta whereby the heartiest-among-us can join together into super crews and race for bragging rights and the best bottle of Scotch we can provide (while the rest of us cheer from a calmer setting like a spectator boat or the shore 🙂
The precise dates are October 11-17, 2025, so start planning now to save up your vacation time — we think you will want to be there!
The Chesapeake Yacht Racing Association (CBYRA) has resumed awarding an overall High Point Awards for One Design Dinghy racing. 2024 will be the second year in a row for the Albacore class that the regattas held by CBYRA member clubs will count as part of an overall circuit. Last year 9 Albacore class members participated with Barney Harris, Michael Heinsdorf and Greg Jordan securing the top 3 slots.
This year we will join 14 other classes in seeing who the best dinghy racers are on the bay. Details on what events count as High Point events and the specific rules for CBYRA One Design and High Point events can be found in the CBYRA Blue Book. CBYRA membership is required to participate in the series so please join or renew your membership today! CBYRA members should also expect registration discounts at most if not all eligible regattas.
Tyler Phillips
CBYRA Albacore Representative & One Design Division Chair
Don’t let your sailing schedule be slowed down this year!
Add the 2024 Schedule to Your Google Calendar
January
1/19-1/21: Albacore Midwinters, Clearwater, FL
May
5/3-5/5: Helly Hansen Sailing World Regatta Series and Albacore North American Championship – Annapolis, MD
5/25-5/26: Spring Regatta, Potomac River Sailing Association, Alexandria, VA
June
6/1-6/2: Dave Irey, West River Sailing Club, Galesville, MD
6/15-6/16: Summer One Design, Rock Hall Yacht Club, Rock Hall, MD
6/15-6/16: CAA Ontario Albacore Championship, Peterborough Sailing Club, Lakefield, Canada
July
7/6-7/7: Hampton Annual One Design Regatta, Hampton Yacht Club, Hampton, VA
7/20-7/21: 85th Annual One Design Regatta, Fishing Bay Yacht Club, Deltaville, VA
August
8/2-8/4: Governor’s Cup, Ware River Yacht Club and Albacore Mid-Atlantic Championship, Glouchester, VA
8/31-9/1: Bill Heinz Memorial Regatta, West River Sailing Club, Galesville, MD
8/31-9/2: Canadian National Championship, Royal Canadian Yacht Club, Toronto, Canada
September
9/21-9/22: President’s Cup, Potomac River Sailing Association, Alexandria, VA
9/28-9/29: Corsica Annual One Design Regatta, Corsica River Yacht Club, Centerville, MD
October
10/12-10/14: USAA Nationals, Rock Hall Yacht Club, Rock Hall, MD
The Albacore Class tried a new venue for Midwinters this year, the Clearwater Community Sailing Center, and I am happy to report that all who participated seemed delighted with the facilities, regatta staff and race management, and with the raw natural beauty of the area around the Sailing Center. More mixed were our feelings about the air temperature — it struggled to hit 60 degrees formost of the weekend, although that was much warmer than the teens and snow blankets back home (still, a far cry from the mid-70’s of the week before and now the several days since.) In any event, it felt more like Rehoboth in October than what we normally get in Florida during the winter.
Racing on Friday involved only our 8 Albacores, but on Saturday and Sunday we shared the course with two dozen 420’s having their 420 Midwinters Open regatta (complete with four coach boats following along on the water). The winds were about 15-20 knots most of the time on Saturday and Sunday, until gradually easing Sunday afternoon. Gusts and shifts were not extreme, so feeling secure and keeping upright was not a problem (except that boat handling mistakes could still generate capsizes, as three Albacores reminded everyone on various occasions).
DAY ONE Three W-L (x2) races were completed on Friday, in relatively light south breezes (5-10 knots). Races 1 and 2 were highlighted by duels for first place between Barney Harris & Rob Koci (a Toronto Laser sailor) and Paul Clifford & Mia Brandt. They each had three points going into Race 3, when passing light rain showers began to produce squirrelly winds. Soon after the start, Team Barn was right while nice pressure came left, and later they were caught left while a big righty swung through. Paul and Mia rode Fire and Ice to their 2nd bullet of the day, and returned to the clubhouse with the overall regatta lead when the last race of the day was abandoned due to large shifts. Another highlight of Day 1: Team Bear (Bob Bear and Morgan Rathjen) were indefatigable, too, as they cranked out two 3rds in the three races.
DAY TWO With strong but steady north winds early on Saturday (~15 knots), RC decided to send both fleets back into the Gulf, while declaring neoprene mandatory for all sailors. (For a few Albacore sailors who didn’t have neoprene because they had expected to be bathed in Florida sunshine and warmth all weekend, Bob Bear and Dave Huber graciously lent out their extra wetsuits.) Aboard Big Bad, skipper Jeff Kraus had to leave the regatta after Friday’s racing; he was replaced for the duration by another Canadian who flew into Tampa late Friday. This new guy’s name was Darren Monster from Toronto, and he also seemed to know his way pretty well around an Albacore 🙂
For Saturday’s first race, Gale Warning was anxious to make up for its bad luck late on Friday, and in the breeze and 2-foot waves convincingly led Fire and Ice around the first three marks. But then, reminiscent of the Springsteen lyrics ‘…made a wrong turn and just kept go-in‘, they turned for the leeward mark not realizing that the unusual trapezoidal course called for Albacores to plane over to a tight reach mark (this was done to separate the two fleets). Without Gale Warning to show the way, Paul & Mia romped for what was now their 3rd bullet in 4 races. Meanwhile farther back, Darren Monster gave Greg Jordan a lesson in steering through the waves as he slid past for 2nd. Also of note, the Wild Thing team of Dave Huber and Lars Rathjen scored the second of what would become four straight 4th-place finishes.
In Race 5, with the wind now in the forecasted 15-20 range and waves building, Team Barn shook off the DNF by scoring what would be the first of 9 wins in 10 remaining races. Fortunes also reversed for Fire and Ice when Paul missed the hiking straps on the 2nd beat (while in 2nd place). He and Mia executed a capsize recovery operation, and then headed home to the warmth of the club for safety and mourning. Greg Jordan and Andrew Scheuermann had been close behind, so they defaulted into 2nd place.
For the last two races on Saturday, Tyler Phillips and Eliza Pearce were flying around the course with perhaps the flattest main on the water. They traded 2nd and 3rd places with Big Bad, while Gale Warning was winning both races.
DAY THREE Sunday dawned at an agonizing 36 degrees, but was forecast to warm quickly with strong sunshine. The RC kept all racing inside the bay on W-L (x2) courses, and this turned into the best racing of the weekend. The water was flat, and winds gusted and oscillated in a regular fashion. Line sights of the starting line were made easy by nearby condos. Each of the 7 races took about 30 minutes; Barney & Rob won six of them in Gale Warning. Greg & Andrew won the other one, Race 9, overlapped at the finish with Big Bad and just feet ahead of Gale Warning. In Race 10, Darren and Colette had a mishap near the weather mark that led to a capsize, and they retired for the day. As the wind eased a little and the day grew warmer, Greg and Andrew dialed into their best relative speed of the weekend, placing 2nd in the last 3 races, each time just ahead of Fire and Ice. Last but not least, the Deplorable team of Jim Schuster and Eva Hogan were alternating at helm and now in the thick of every race; they likely would have won most improved had that been awarded.
Kudos and thanks are due to our local hosts at the Clearwater Community Sailing Center, and congratulations to Barney and Rob for their win. Overall, all who participated seemed to have had a terrific time. The club said they really liked having us there, so it seems likely that we will decide to return again in 2025.
(by Greg Jordan)
Corsica River, Last Race of the year for the Albacores. Without a doubt, this last race was filled with adrenaline. Saturday was a rainy day with little wind. On that day only 4 Albacores of the 5 that were planned ran. Barney with Jim, Dan with Kaityn, Tyler with Eliza and Elvin with Rachel. Lloyd couldn’t run this time. In the first race the results were: 1st place, Dan 2nd place, Barney 3rd place, Elvin and 4th place, Tyler.
For the Second race everything changed. The weather got worse. The rain started intermittently plus the low temperatures, certainly not pleasant for sailing. The RC decided to cancel the races for the rest of the day. The results for the second race were totally different than the first race. This time Barney came in first place, followed by Dan, Tyler took third place and Elvin came in fourth place. By Saturday we are all in the fight. Dan and Barney were tied fighting for first place as were Elvin and Tyler who were also tied fighting for third place.
Sunday, the rain finally went away, but this time we had extreme conditions with a strong wind that reached 25mph at its maximum. It wasn’t very safe to run the boats, any mistake and you could end up in the water in just seconds. Dan and Kaityn made the decision not to race for Sunday. Only 3 Boats remained. Barney, Tyler and Elvin. The three agreed to go sailing. The conditions were extreme sailing upwind, you had to be very careful, the strong wind was changing direction all the time. The most exciting thing was the triangle course. The boats reached impressive speed as we navigated between the Beam Reach and the Broad Reach. The final results were: 1st place for Barney 2nd place for Tayler and 3rd place for Elvin. It was a weekend full of adrenaline and very exciting sailing in such extreme conditions.
By Elvin Aponte
Photo Credit to George Linthicum
Big breeze and rain for day one met Canadian and American Albacore sailors at Miles River Yacht Club for the start of the 2023 North American Championships held in St. Michaels, Maryland October 7-9. Six Canadian teams traveled south to compete in the event from Toronto for a total of 19 boats registered. After a short onshore postponement, the race committee headed out to set the course for what would be a fresh and fast three races. The wind increased as the day went on, with the last race seeing a sustained 20+ knots. Double triangles were the course du jour which fed the adrenaline loving sailors of the fleet. Blast reaching and sketchy jibes allowed for a most exciting and tiring day of Albacore sailing. There were several capsizes, which showcased the breezy conditions. Gale Warning (Barney Harris, Ernest Ayukawa) and Strung Out (Darren Monster, Mabel Chan) were in a league of their own sharing first and second in each race. Back on shore sailors warmed up, de-rigged, and headed inside the MRYC clubhouse for a fantastic dinner. During a brief intermission from refueling, a couple of daily awards were handed out. The “Middle of the Pack “award and the “Dumb Decision of the Day” award were given to Dave Tingle and Albert Chau and the DDD award went to Bob Bear and Michael Tellep.
After dinner, the US Albacore Association held its AGM and nominated its executive board. Two board members stepped down allowing for a new Secretary and Vice President to be elected. Greg Jordan was elected secretary and Tyler Philips was elected Vice President.
As the sun rose on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, it became clear another windy day was upon the sailors for day two. Four races were held on Miles River in 14-16 knots. Olympic and Triangle courses were sailed. The race committee did a great job of firing off the races and keeping things moving along. Back on shore sailors gathered at Foxy’s for dinner and Albacore trivia. Leading the trivia was Master of Ceremonies, Ralph Glass. Saturday’s winners of the daily awards were Marty Minot and Jordan Minot. The DDD award went to Stephanie Stalinski and Mr. MC himself, Ralph Glass who did a fantastic job!
There was a lot to play for on Monday as 2nd and 3rd place were still very much up for grabs. An offshore breeze meant the day would be all about connecting the dots, going from one puff to the next. The Albacores, now very much used to ripping across the river, were at times becalmed. Skippers and crews spent a great deal of time searching for the next zephyr to pass a couple of boats before the next mark. Back on land, sailors worked together to de-rig and load up boats onto trailers. After the awards were handed out, Chris Bennett made an incredibly generous offer to the American Albacores. He gave a burgee from J-Town, a sailing club in Toronto, to Eva Hogan and said if she makes it up to the Mecca of North American Albacore sailing and presents the burgee, she would be provided with a boat for three days of racing.
Congratulations to AL 8261 Barney Harris and Ernest Ayukawa on winning the 2023 Albacore North American Championship. Rounding out the podium were Darren Monster and Mabel Chan in AL 7363, and Stephen and Ian Duncan sailing in AL 8199. Top female helm went to Stephanie Stalinski, who sailed in AL 5009 with Ralph Glass.
2023 North Americans Photo Album
Photo Credit to George Linthicum
The 2023 annual 94th Billy Heintz Regatta held at West River Sailing Club was a great event for Albacore class. The regatta brought two days of planned racing from September 2 – 3. Day two of racing was canceled due to a lack of wind. Conditions Saturday were sunny and wind ranged from 4 to 11 knots. The Albacore sailors showed up in force by being the largest fleet with 13 boats competing in the regatta.
The racing was fierce and competitive, with each boat jockeying for position to be where the wind pressure was during the first race of the day raced in 3 to 5 knots. After the first race the postponement flag went up as RC waited for more wind. The fleet moved from the West River into the Chesapeake Bay. This change allowed racing to be held in 7 to 11 knots of wind. The southerly wind direction brought a steady breeze with small wind shifts. A short race course brought congestion at the leeward mark and gaining inside overlap was key to gaining on competitors. There were a few contentious leeward mark roundings with multiple boats involved. Upwind playing the 5 to 7 degree shifts made a difference with the top boats able to extend leads. Downwinds legs saw many boats change positions throughout Saturday with the left side of the course downwind often being favored.
Congratulations to Barney Harris and Ernest Ayukawa in AL 8261 for winning the event. Second place went to Mchael Heinsdorf and Eva Hogan in AL 8125. Third place went to Greg Jordan and Scheuermann in AL 8256. The Billy Heintz Memorial perpetual trophy was awarded Barney Harris and Ernest Ayukawa as the first place finishers in the class with the largest number of registered competitors at the regatta. Hapco Marine Albacores took the top three positions.
