March 2026

 

On the Line March 2026 View this email in your browser

Click here for the D7 website to see the season schedule and find a fleet near you Upcoming Regattas and Announcements   Welcome to the 2026 season. I think I'll get my laser ready. I left it in the backyard. Okay, maybe it will be a while before I get my beater boat out! It's somewhere under that snowbank. Yeah, that was a real winter, but the weatherman says it might reach 60 degrees tomorrow, so spring is almost here.  Now let's talk about some really exciting early season events:  D7's Frostbiting Cup Freezeth Over The best way to spend a winter weekend is on the water. Nothing makes a bowl of chili taste better than a few hours of racing with your buddies in the fresh, spring air. Luckily, there are lots of opportunities to chip ice out of your cockpit across the D7 states: Cottage Park Frostbiting in Winthrop, MA has been going all winter and will continue through April.  After their perennial winter break, Fleet 413 is putting a bunch of boat on the line Cedar Point YC in Westport, CT is also a deep winter, big fleet, and was home of the 2025 D7 Championship. Essex Ct Frostbiting runs Sunday March 1st thru Sunday April 26, except for Saturday April 4th. 1300 -1530, awards & food after. Contact Matt Flood @ matt.flood@sbcglobal.net Barrington RI is cranking up March 8th. Contact fxh0649@gmail.com  Marblehead spring frostbiting starts with the Under the Rope Regatta on April 4th. Hosted at  Eastern Yacht Club – 47 Foster Street Marblehead. 1100: Good time to show up, 1200: Introductions & Skippers Meeting, 1PM: First race, Post Race Pizza party: friends and family welcome – you don’t have to sail to join in - All are welcome! Let's go spring frostbiters!  Early Spring Regattas: Atlantic Coast Masters, May 16-17, Niantic Bay YC   Niantic Bay Yacht Club is a small but active, sailing-focused club located on the Connecticut coast between the Connecticut River in Old Saybrook and the Thames River in New London. The club has developed many colligate and one design champions in classes like Lightnings, Atlantics, and 420s. The club has extensive experience in hosting regattas of classes that wish to sail at this convenient location. We’ve hosted major events for Lightnings, Atlantics, Ensign, Thistles, Sunfish, and Buccaneers. Located on the west side of Niantic Bay the club offers easy access to the race venue and with a floating ramp large enough for five boats. Launching and landing is straight forward and there’s always a beach launch option.   The ILCA fleet at NBYC is growing, and we believe that supporting class events is a way to grow interest in the fleet and this great area to sail. We also believe in supporting other clubs in sustaining interest in the class and work with the Essex Frostbite Fleet, and Duck Island Yacht Club. In September of 2025 we hosted a District 7/ILCA Grand Prix Points regatta. Conditions were light to medium but the event drew 19 boats from Maine, Rhode Island, and Connecticut.  The ILCA North America approached NBYC to host the Masters ACCs, and the membership of NBYC have stepped up to the challenge. In May the water in the bay will be chilly but tolerable and the wind/wave conditions can vary but are typically moderate (10-15kts). Northerlies will typically bring shifty winds while the typical southerlies are steadier. Kick off your summer sailing season and join us at NBYC for a weekend of great sailing and food. Register now for this great early season event at an enthusiastic fleet  Wickford Regatta June 6-7, Wickford YC From the famous and much appreciated Skip Whyte, Regatta Chairman: Wickford Regatta 2026 Wicked Deal Registration starts on Sunday, March 1st for 20 days only. The snow is melting and it’s time to make plans. Save a few bucks and register today at www.wickfordregatta.com !   District 7 Championship, June 13-14, Portland YC, Falmouth, ME We are starting the spring off with a bang! The District Championship will be sailed in beautiful Casco Bay. Picture scenic Maine Islands and lobster boats hauling traps.  PYC is a great club with a good ramp, beautiful facility and wonderful membership.  There will be a dinner on Saturday night and two great days of racing. A special email will go out with the registration link once available. Winnipesaukee Spring Laser Regatta, June 13, Winnipesaukee YC, Gilford, NH For a second year, WYC will be hosting a laser regatta. We a so excited to have this NH race become a part of D7's calendar. For more information, contact jarabinowitz@gmail.com  North American Masters, July 17-19, Hyannis YC, Hyannis, MA Okay, this is not an early season regatta but I want to get the word out there as this is a major national event every D7 master should consider.  From Sarah Yuskaitis at HYC: HYC is hosting ILCA North American Masters July 17th, 18th, and 19th. This regatta will be run in parallel with HYC's Annual Regatta. Please note that the HYC Annual Regatta will run a separate, non-Master ILCA line inside the bay on July 18th and 19th. This "inside the bay line" will be an open ILCA line (i.e., not restrictive on age).  Registration for ILCA NA Masters is now available on ClubSpot. Found here: https://theclubspot.com/regatta/IS2TL5gCoB  Registration for HYC's Annual Regatta will be forthcoming. Per the NOR, HYC is capping the number of boats at ILCA NA Masters to 60 ILCA 6s and 60 ILCA 7s for a total of 120 boats. If you are sailing the Masters event, consider registering early!   District News Celebrating Fleet Captains Regular series and regattas don't happen without special people working behind the scenes. This season, I hope to recognize a few of the many great regatta organizers and fleet captains who make things happen. If you would like to see someone recognized in the newsletter, please reach out to me @ laserd7@gmail.com  Fleet Captain Nat Coughlin, American YC, Newburyport, MA. The other day, an email hit my inbox from Fleet Captain Nat Coughlin announcing the 2026 season at AYC. Just a few years ago, this fleet didn't even exist. Now Nat is putting over 10 boats on the line and encouraging his crew to hit the road for D7 events. He's assembled multiple fleet boats to bring in additional sailors and generally keeps the blood pumping through the fleet. Go Nat!! 2026 District 7 Regattas as of 11/15/25 Date Counts towards D7 Gran Prix? Notes Under the Rope April 4   Eastern YC, Marblehead, MA Show up at 11 AM & register on site. Prizes and party afterwards. Contact tomdailey15@gmail.com Peter Milnes Regatta TBD   Fleet 413, Newport, RI Atlantic Coast Masters May 16-17   Niantic Bay YC, Niantic, CT Cedar Point YC Vice Commodore’s Cup TBD   Cedar Point YC, Westport, CT First warning is 14:00, Contact cpylaser@gmail.com  Wickford Regatta June 6-7   Wickford YC, Wickford, RI D7 Championship June 13-14 Y Portland YC, Falmouth, ME Winnipesaukee Spring Laser Regatta June 13   Winnipesaukee YC, Gilford, NH Contact jarabinowitz@gmail.com  John Bentley Regatta June 27 Y New Bedford YC, South Dartmouth, MA Cedar Point YC Commodore’s Cup TBD   Cedar Point YC, Westport, CT First warning is 14:00, Contact cpylaser@gmail.com  Taylor Pond ILCA Invitational TBD   Taylor Pond YC, Auburn ME. Contact petergarcia207@gmail.com Spencer True Blue Regatta TBD Second weekend in July?   Kollegewidgwok YC, Blue Hill, ME North American Masters July 17-19   Hyannis YC, Hyannis, MA  Helly Hansen Marblehead Race Week July 25-26   Eastern YC, Marblehead, MA Stone Horse ILCA Clinic July 31 -  Aug 1   Stone Horse YC, Harwich, MA, open clinic, Contact jnicol12211@yahoo.com  Buzzards Bay ILCA Masters Championship Aug 8-9   New Bedford YC, New Bedford, MA Stone Horse ILCA Regatta August 9th   Stone Horse YC, Harwich, MA (Follows clinic on Aug 1) Malletts Bay Boat Club Regatta TBD   Colchester, VT Lake Sunapee Yacht Club Open Regatta 8/29-30 Y Sunapee, NH Cedar Point YC Rear Commodore’s Cup TBD   Cedar Point YC, Westport, CT First warning is 14:00, Contact cpylaser@gmail.com  Massapoag 75th Annual Small Boats Regatta TBD   Sharon, MA New England Masters Sept. 12-13   Wickford YC, Wickford, RI CT D7 Grand Prix October 3rd Y Duck Island YC, Westbrook, CT Ponce De Leon Regatta TBD   Eastern YC, Marblehead, MA. Show up at 11 AM & register on site. Prizes and party afterwards. Contact tomdailey15@gmail.com Cedar Point YC Fall One Design Regatta TBD   Cedar Point YC, Westport, CT Times to be announced. This is a great warm-up for the D7 Championship the following week!, Contact cpylaser@gmail.com  Hyannis YC Oktoberfest Regatta 2025 TBD   Hyannis YC, Hyannis, MA Great annual event! Turkey Bowl TBD   Eastern YC, Marblehead, MA Show up at 11 AM & register on site. Prizes and party afterwards. Contact tomdailey15@gmail.com Fat Boys TBD Y Fleet 413, Newport, CT Green highlighting means the regatta counts towards the 2026 D7 Grand Prix

November 2025

 

Upcoming Regattas and Announcements   Annual Fat Boys Regatta to open the Fleet 413 frostbite season on November 2nd, Newport RI Fleet 413 in Newport, RI has one of the strongest frostbite fleets in District 7, hosting 20-40 boats each weekend from November through April and producing a juicy newsletter with great race analysis from the daily winners.  On November 2nd, 413 is hosting their annual Fat Boys Regatta with a noon start out of Sail Newport. Here's the signup link on Clubspot: https://theclubspot.com/regatta/BqFaY9Fpih The following Sunday, November 9th, will be the first day of the 2026 Sunday Frostbiting Series with 1pm first starts. Signup through clubspot: https://theclubspot.com/regatta/W6TL5CaOel Marblehead Turkey Bowl, November 23rd, Marblehead, MA This is final crescendo of Marblehead's fall frostbite season out of Eastern YC. Look for 30 plus boats on the line, all battling for a free turkey and Nancy's famous apple pie awarded to the sailor who does the most penalty turns. (Some people just foul to win the coveted pastry.) Be prepared for high-tech racing with Eastern's awesome Robomarks. (Just don't crowd the pin, those orange beasties will attack when tapped.) If you haven't already dropped off your boat at Eastern to enjoy fall, Sunday racing, don't miss this event. Show up at 11 AM & register on site. Prizes and party afterwards. Contact tomdailey15@gmail.com Frostbiting Anyone? All across D7, sailors are ice plunging, going naked in the yard on frosty mornings, and otherwise acting weirdly interested in cold water.  That's because frostbiting rocks!  Great winds, good friends, and the chili after a day on the ocean tastes oh so good. Check out our newly updated Fleet Page to find a frostbite series near you.  Thanks for a great season This is a wrap for the 2025 D7 newsletter. We'll see you in 2026. Thanks to all the sailors, race committees, and regatta chairs for your efforts and good spirits.  District News D7 Championship Report by Allan Freedman, Regatta Chair Sailboat club chatter often turns to the familiar lament that one-design sailing is slipping away. Along much of the U.S. East Coast, mooring fields sway with powerboats, dinghy sailors can count their competitors on one hand, and yacht clubs wrestle with aging and dwindling memberships. But that story doesn’t hold everywhere. At the ILCA District 7 Championship hosted by Cedar Point Yacht Club in Westport, Connecticut, the class showed what vitality looks like. Over the weekend of October 4–5, more than 50 sailors launched across three ILCA fleets, their enthusiasm cutting  through the usual pessimism about the sport’s future. The starting line told the story better than any statistic. Grand masters trimmed in next to high school sailors. Parents and teenagers swapped tips on wind and current. Competitors from Canada mixed French and English over laughter between races. For many, it was proof that community and strong competition keep the sport alive. And the energy began even before the first warning signal, with a two-day intensive clinic led by coach Vaughn Harrison, followed by a focused starting clinic on Friday that drew sailors eager to sharpen their technique and share insights.  In the ILCA 7 class, Kurt Stuebe, a university age sailor, took the overall win, just ahead of his former coach Andrew Scrivan. At the awards ceremony, Scrivan spoke with pride at seeing his onetime student at the top of the results. The wind was fickle, only four races sailed on Saturday, none on Sunday, but despite the light conditions the racing was competitive, the conversation easy, and the sense of belonging unmistakable. We imported an Aussie, Scott Sydney, to take third. (As testament to the fleet strength, Scott is a member of the Aussie team.)  In the ILCA 6 class, Sebastain Sheppard took honors with a total of 8 points over 4 races. Gus van Berkle took second and Win Hudgson rounded out the podium.  Critical to our sport is the young and upcoming.  We were delighted to have two ILCA 4 competitors: Anais Favret, who took honors, and Rupert Angelin. The 2025 D7 Championship at Cedar Point was a reminder of why the ILCA endures. In a sport often divided by technology and cost, this fleet remains accessible, competitive, and connected across generations. From first-time juniors to lifelong racers, they share the same simple equation: one boat, one sail, one start line. That clarity, and the community around it, is what keeps them coming back. D7 Grand Prix wraps up at the D7 Championship This season 125 sailors competed across 7 events, one in every D7 State and an extra Connecticut event with the D7 Championship at Cedar Point YC. To win, you needed a combination of good performance and attendance at multiple regattas. Grayden Mott came in first and won the free tuition to an International Sailing Academy clinic in Mexico, a $2,600 value! Grayden attend four events and did well in all of them, accumulating 118 Grand Prix points. Sean Guinness came in second with 82 points after attending three events, and  David Crawley took third with 72 points after attending three events.  If you didn't come out to play in the Grand Prix this year, be sure to dust off the trailer next season.  Final D7 Grand Prix Standings                             Rank Last Name First Name Wickford ILCA 7 Wickford ILCA 6 Portland Bentley Malletts Bay Lake Sunapee Niantic D7 Ch. ILCA 7 D7 Ch. ILCA 6 D& Ch ILCA 4 Final Totals 1 Mott Grayden 27   33       27 31     118 2 Guinness Sean 23   32         27     82 3 Crawley David 24   28 20             72 4 Jans Stefan 16           25 24     65 5 Beckwith Jeff 18   27         16     61 6 McFadden Ledyard         19 19   22     60 7 Carter Jamie 28   31               59 8 Maya-LeFort Antonio 22             34     56 9 Myerson Flip             24 32     56 10 Craine Paul       25       28     53 11 Terry Chip 21   29               50 12 Bediaga Frederico       26       21     47 13 Dickey Bill             26 18     44 14 Heller Eric             22 20     42 15 Van Berkel Gus   13             29   42 16 Frazier David           20 20       40 17 Freedman Allan 15             25     40 18 Shore Lynne 19     21             40 19 Stuebe Kurt               37     37 20 Scrivan Andrew               36     36 21 Phipps Tom 12   23               35 22 Sydney Scott               35     35 23 Anvari Burke               33     33 24 Henel Avery   10       13 10       33 25 Sheppard Sebastian                 30   30 26 Sitzmann Thomas     30               30 27 Tremblay Cyril               30     30 28 Braverman Stephen               29     29 29 Hodgson Win                 28   28 30 Craine Duncan       27             27 31 Satow Venetia                 27   27 32 Suitor Doug     12     15         27 33 Bateman William                 26   26 34 Coughlin Will     26               26 35 McDermott Mark       13       13     26 36 McGrath Lawrence               26     26 37 Parramore Michael 14     12             26 38 Vessella Peter 26                   26 39 Hughes Britt 25                   25 40 Sakai Ryosuke                 25   25 41 Thorburn Howard     25               25 42 Penfield Dave       24             24 43 Von der Wense Finn                 24   24 44 Whipple Steven     24               24 45 Colantuono Theresa             23       23 46 Dozier Liam                 23   23 47 Hagedorn Charlie       23             23 48 Seidenberg Peter   12   11             23 49 Von der Wense Nicholas               23     23 50 Coughlin Nat     22               22 51 Fillon Jean                 22   22 52 Hart Jeffrey       22             22 53 Moulthrop Michael             21       21 54 Pearlson Jack     21               21 55 Pellicer-Lavoie Kiriam                 21   21 56 Favret Zakary                 20   20 57 Van Doren Alex         20           20 58 Weisman Michael     20               20 59 Wheeler Colley 20                   20 60 Bauman Roger             19       19 61 Nielan Kerry     19               19 62 Radcliffe MICHAEL               19     19 63 Sorensen Betsy                 19   19 64 Spinola Demetry       19             19 65 Cook Nat           18         18 66 Dakers Christopher     18               18 67 Durant Merle       18             18 68 Gavin Michael                 18   18 69 Lerner Andrew         18           18 70 Russell Benjamin             18       18 71 Boyd William         17           17 72 Burgess Aiden               17     17 73 Doherty Matt 17                   17 74 Keogh Tom             17       17 75 Kosacz Stephen     17               17 76 McCarthy Jeremiah           17         17 77 Packard Greg       17             17 78 Von Lehe William                 17   17 79 McKegney Tim         16           16 80 Pollard Justice     16               16 81 Sewall Syd         <td sty

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