This weekend saw the fourth annual Northeast Ocean Racing Symposium (NORS), held at Bentley University in Waltham, Massachusetts. The day of technical lectures and networking has quickly become a preeminent event for serious sailors and the unofficial kick off of the spring pre-season in New England. 

First up was Joe Cooper, a coach and consultant well known in the offshore racing world, who discussed downwind sail selection for racing. The deep dive covered decoding the nomenclature around sails as well as the spectrum of materials, shapes, and costs, and the pros and cons of each.

Then Chelsea Freas, founder of Sea Tactics, discussed weather patterns with a focus on the region that the Northeast offshore races cover, from large-scale climate patterns down to taking advantage of daily shifts. Freas is a degreed meteorologist who blends weather science and racing strategy to advise sailors, with clients ranging from Cole Brauer to the US Olympic program. 

Damian Foxall, Volvo Ocean Race veteran and managing director of Foxall Munro Ltd, discussed marine megafauna interactions and the ways that data and technology are being used to advise racing communities and keep sailors out of dangerous situations. He also shared practical tips and reporting resources. 

Keynote speaker and offshore solo sailor Ronnie Simpson then took the floor to tell the harrowing story of his 2024 Global Solo Challenge campaign, during which he was forced to abandon his boat in the final Atlantic stretch after dismasting. Simpson now has set his sights on the 2027 edition of the race. 

After a break for lunch, father and son duo Rufus and Rogan Van Gruisen of Cay Electronics dove deep in on Lithium-ion batteries, covering everything from best practices to off season maintenance, plus preferred upgrades and monitoring systems. 

Lena Weisskichel of the Magenta Project then led a session on leadership and teamwork at sea. She discussed how to get the best results when things go wrong in the closed environment of a boat offshore, highlighting a five-point approach to good communication and leadership, and what skippers can be doing in the offseason to start fostering these relationships now.

After engine troubles were a component of two sinkings in the last Newport Bermuda Race, Fred Knowles of XRT Power Systems and Hansen Marine shared about preparing an engine before going offshore. In addition to more than a few amusing anecdotes, he spoke about preventive maintenance, essential spares, and maintenance while underway. 

Finally, 2024 OSTAR winner David Southwell gave a presentation on handling heavy weather offshore, with plenty of lessons learned from his own miles at sea and pithy advice like “a broach is not an emergency.” If it feels like one, you should be practicing it more often. 

All in all, it was another successful year for the event with entertaining, informative sessions providing a deep and technical perspective that you just don’t get anywhere else. The symposium is co-sponsored by the four major offshore races out of New England—The Newport-Bermuda, Marblehead-Halifax, Bermuda One-Two, and Marion-Bermuda races. 

For more on the event, click here.