Come race at teh VA Gov Cup at Ware River Yacht Club. Can the Albacores be the largest fleet and win the Gov Cup this year?
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Category Archives: 2024 Regattas
Fishing Bay Yacht Club 85th Annual One Design Regatta – July 20-21
The 85th Annual One Design Regatta, hosted by Fishing Bay Yacht Club, is July 20-21. It will consist of two days of racing, fun and camaraderie. There may be multiple courses for eligible one-design classes. A Portsmouth Yardstick handicapped class will be offered for boats who do not have enough boats for a one-design class.
We need 5 boats registered by July 15th to get our own start.
2024 Hampton Annual Regatta – July 6-7
The 2024 Hampton Annual One Design Regatta is July 6-7 at Hampton Yacht Club. This is a great opportunity to sail at the next venue for Albacore Internationals.
2024 Ontario Championship Regatta – June 15-16
The Canadian Albacore Association is responsible for organizing the annual Ontario Championship Regatta. Responsibility for hosting this event is given to different clubs around the province, as chosen by the CAA.
Date: June 15 – 16
Location: Peterborough Sailing Club, 3121 Cottage Ln, Lakefield, ON K0L 2H0
Club Website: peterboroughsailingclub.org
Notice of Race: 2024 Ontario Championship NOR
Registration: 2024 Ontario Championship Registration
Rock Hall Summer Regatta June 15-16
The Rock Hall Yacht Club will host the 2024 Summer One-Design Regatta as a two-day event on Saturday June 15th and Sunday June 16th, following Friday’s Annual Down River Race. The One-Design Regatta is the cornerstone of the summer for the RHYC, so we are excited to continue the tradition, while providing a safe and fun regatta experience for our racers and volunteers! We again expect to host all monohull and multihull classes on one single course, with an extended windward mark for the multihulls. We also are excited to host the Windmill Districts and the Fireball Nationals as part of the regatta!
PRSA Spring Regatta 3rd Place Writeup
Greetings from 3rd place in the PRSA Spring Regatta! With 17 Albacore registered, and more than a few new faces (Dave in his new to him Albacore; Gretchen, Sidney, and Cam crewing). This turned out to be a great Albacore event and a good way to kick off the summer regatta season. Despite abysmal forecasts going into the weekend we were able to get 6 races off and even had whitecaps on Saturday. Retired Albacore sailor Jim Graham was our PRO, and he and his RC Team did a great job getting the races off. We got to see a change mark and due to a few general recalls, because of the tide, the Albacores wound up starting all 6 races under the i flag. Also hats off to Kaitlyn Lucey, the regatta chair, for helping get some great food (Mission BBQ) and everyone that helped volunteer for setup and cleanup and any other jobs with the event.
For my boat, this was Celeste and my first time sailing together since having a child. So it feels really nice to have been able to place 3rd despite some rust and other adversities encountered. Now some of this probably comes down to luck as we were not the only boat to encounter adversities. Both Michael in 8125 and Stephen in 8199 had equipment malfunctions and missed 2 races on Saturday. Celeste and I also had an equipment failure of a brand “new” tiller extension universal breaking in the middle of the second race. I learned two lessons this weekend.
- Always sail with a full roll of electrical tape. When in a pinch, one can use about a quarter roll to replace the tiller extension universal. Just don’t drop the tiller extension and let it hit the water as the tape will fail. Thank you to everyone that had to avoid me at the leeward mark rounding.
- A “new” tiller extension that has been in your equipment box in your car for 5 years may not be a reliable replacement part.
It was great to be out on the water again and compete with so many Albacores again. Glad to see Scott Snyder back after a hiatus and our way out of towners Chris Gorton and Jeff Krause. We look forward to more regattas!
Farley
2024 North Americans Championship Results Are In
Harris/Byron edge Koby/Mah in Annapolis for North Americans; Clifford/Brandt close behind
Conveniently for mid-atlantic USA Albacore sailors, the Canadian Albacore Association chose the prestigious Helly Hansen / Sailing World NOOD regatta in Annapolis as the site of the Canada-hosted 2024 Albacore North American Championship regatta. The Friday-Saturday-Sunday format meant that not everyone could take time off, but 11 USA boats still participated. Canada sent 8 more teams, bringing registrations to 19. This strong showing made for good visibility for the Albacore class – although the majority of the 220 boats in 17 classes were one-design keelboats, Albacores were seen in the company of popular modern dinghies like Viper 640’s, Melges 15’s and the single-handed foiling Waspz’s. Four courses were set-up across the Bay; Albacores were grouped with one large fleet (J22’s) and two small fleets (J24’s and Alberg 30’s). We were directed to the north course situated almost to mid-bay, not far south of the Bay Bridge.
Annapolis Yacht Club’s Sailing Center in Eastport was the center of ceremony & festivities, as well as the assigned home of the Albacore fleet. Cars were banned from the parking lot, affording us plenty of space for our base of operations (street parking in the nearby neighborhoods turned out to be not much of an issue, either). Crane and dolly launching were both available; however, the latter turned out to be a challenge because just one boat at a time could fit on the float (unusually, people who brought their crane slings were sometimes able to jump the dolly queue and get launched more quickly).
Most contestants were able to arrive and set up by Thursday evening. The Canadian contingent rented an Airbnb down the street, which, predictably, became the local Albacore social center. Barney Harris positioned his Keelbnb on a mooring ball nearby in the harbor, so we all could admire it while sailing by twice a day.
We had wind all three days, although temperatures were on the cool side – wetsuits were mostly worn Friday and Saturday. The air was 60 degrees with a few showers and 15 knots on Friday; it was about 5 degrees colder on Saturday, with 10-15 knot winds, rain and fog. Some forecasts Sunday morning were dire, calling for unpredictable waves of nastiness. This convinced some of us to pack boats and take refuge in nearby coffee shops. However, the weather system actually delivered only light and relatively warm winds all day (5-8 mph), eventually climbing to 68 degrees.
As far as notable participants, the Byron family was the most strongly represented: David flew in from the west coast to race with Barney all three days; Optimist stand-out Jake Beaver raced with Grandmother Daphne on Friday; and Mom Joanna took his place for Saturday and Sunday. Chris Maslowski completed all races Friday even though it was his birthday; and Henry Pedro earned the travel award (had one been given) for trekking down from Nova Scotia. Mike Scardaville’s adventure turned unhappy during the 2nd race on Friday when a J-22 sailing blind on port tack delivered a taco-crunch blow to his port gunwale. The wound may prove to be fatal for 7104, but Mike — with a check-in-hand from the offending J-22 — took it in stride while packing up, sounding determined to try again on another day.
Eventual winners Barney Harris and David Byron were as fast as anyone on the water (or very slightly faster most of the time, in the opinion of some observers), while doing their usual job of consistently picking smart routes up the beats — this made it hard work for anyone in the fleet to keep up. Still, although they won all three races Friday when the chop was most difficult, the fleet got faster and more compact on the weekend. Raines Koby and Stephanie Mah were consistent all three days, and especially strong while mastering the patchy winds on Sunday to win 2 of the 3 races (and 3 of the last 5 overall). In the end they finished just four points behind Barney and David. Paul Clifford and Mia Brandt posted high finishes in all races and won one, finishing close behind in 3rd place. JJ and Tracy Hall also had a terrific series, locking in 4th place after having won one race and finishing just once out of the top 5 (not counting the last race, which was optional for them by that point). Henry Pedro and Chris Gorton rounded out the top five, having perfected the art of footing for speed and hanging it out there for leverage at just the right times. Notable also on Saturday: Tyler Philips and Eliza Pearce had a strong 3-race string of 5-6-6. Also notable on Sunday: Mike Heinsdorf and Jill Williamson wrapped up with a 2-5-5 – without a broken jib car on Saturday, they would have been strong contenders for a top-five finish.
Photo below: Albacore race leaders Gale Warning and Fire and Ice were fast enough to have to duel with a tight pack of J-24’s at the windward mark on Saturday, as captured by the official drone video footage shown during the evening social events (highlights from all three days can be found on YouTube, and are highly recommended)
So congratulations to Barney and David for holding off Raines and Stephanie to become the 2024 North American Champions (and earning a slot in Sailing World’s championship regatta in the Caribbean later this year). Thanks also to AYC and the Helly Hansen / Sailing World organizers for running the most ambitious of regattas. Everyone there was encouraging us to come back next year; hopefully we will be able to swing it and make another strong showing!
– Greg Jordan
Harris and Koci win 2024 Midwinters Championship in Clearwater
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)
2024 Racing Schedule Released!
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
8/3-8/4: 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