Regattas

September 15, 2008There’s a saying in sailboat racing that if there’s wind, then everyone is happy. It’s safe to say that the competitors in the Rolex Big Boat Series were ecstatic with today’s conditions of 8-10 knots in the morning, building to 15+ knots by early afternoon for the regatta’s final race – known as the Bay Tour. The St. Francis Yacht Club (StFYC) Race Committee sent the 10

Qingdao, ChinaAs released by US Sailing over the weekend: 2.4 mR sailor John Ruf (Pewaukee, Wis.) added a Bronze Medal to the U.S. Paralympic Team’s medal count today, joining Gold Medalists Nick Scandone (Newport Beach, Calif.) and Maureen McKinnon-Tucker (Marblehead, Mass.) on the podium at the 2008 Paralympic Regatta. Rick Doerr (Clifton, N.J.), Tim Angle

“Grip the wheel a little tighter when you approach those swirls,” offers Sudie Henson, co-skipper of the Tripp 47 Navitae Juvenis, as we near a zone of confused, fast-moving water. The bow pierces a swirl, and the wheel heaves from side to side.I grip harder and the helm settles down. As we skirt the shoreline, Navitae’s rig is dwarfed by British Columbia’s mainland

David Schmidt had an exciting time at the Culebra Heineken International Regatta (“El Dragón,” page 54), but Caribbean regattas aren’t the sole province of locals and sailing journalists. Three big ones—the St. Martin Heineken Regatta (early March), BVI Spring Regatta and Sailing Festival (early April), and Antigua Sailing Week (late April)—have charter (no-spinnaker)

CREEEEEEEEEEK.Five heads snap toward the boom as an eerie sound emanates from the gooseneck on our Freedom 30. There were once four bolts binding the boom to the fitting, but now only two remain, and, judging from the groans of the metal-on-metal joint, this is one marriage that will likely be separated by death. And soon. “Traveler up, main out two inches,” barks Rod

July 27, 2008Canadian David Wright nailed the Laser North American Championship completed today on San Francisco Bay, skipping the final race with a comfortable margin and turning his attention next to the Laser Slalom, a classic that is being revived Monday through Wednesday. The epic Slaloms of decades past were sailed in winds of 25 knots or more over

NEWPORT, R.I. (July 27, 2008) — Diabolical winds made for plenty of exciting stories back at the New York Yacht Club after its sixth biennial Race Week at Newport presented by Rolex concluded today. The four-day competition had started much the same wet, windy way on opening day, but fortunately sunshine followed for two days with fair winds to dry things out. Today, the race committee managed

By Lyn HinesLa Rochelle, FranceLa Solitaire du Figaro, three stages long and 50 boats strong—sailed single handed in purpose-built boats—finally got a start over the weekend after a dreary, windless and rainy postponement. Conditions were opposite to the windy, sunny prologue last week, won by the “Green Giant”, Gildas Morvan, who is a favorite to win again despite