The 2025 season is upon us, and it's going to be a great one.
Spring Frostbiting: cold toes, warm hearts
Stonington Harbor Spring Series, Stonington, CT
SHYC is cranking up its spring series with Saturday racing from April 12th through June 14th. Check out the NOR at this link. You can register on Clubspot at this link.
Cedar Point YC, Westport, CT
CPYC Frostbiting has opened its spring season. Enjoy racing every Sunday, culminating in their Spring Regatta on Saturday, May 10th. CPYC is hosting the 2025 D7 Championship in October, so don't miss your early season opportunity to scope out the venue.
Fleet 413, Newport, RI
Fleet 413 always puts on a good show, and this spring is no exception. Sunday, March 23rd saw a 13 boat fleet complete six races in challenging conditions: whitecaps, lulls, and 20 degree shifts. Join the fun next week. The fleet is sure to grow to 30 plus boats as conditions improve. Details here.
Marblehead Laser Fleet, Eastern YC in Marblehead, MA
The Marblehead Laser Fleet draws 20 to 30 boats for Sunday Frosting from early April through the end of May. (This spring may include some creative events like the "Chicken Slalom" It's a wild, zig-zag, up and back, single-elimination, head banging, bragging rights, and steak knives rodeo. Stay tuned for possible dates.) Opening day is April 6th. First gun is usually 13:00, but 12:00 for the opening day Under the Rope Regatta. Prizes, beer, and pizza after sailing. Contact fleet captain Tom Dailey: tomdailey15@gmail.com or just show up with a little cash. Bitcoin accepted. Students sail for free. You can store your boat for the season.
Casco Bay Laser Fleet, Falmouth, ME
The Casco Bay Laser Fleet will be hosting our Spring Laser Series at PYC on the following Saturdays and Sundays:
Sunday, 4/27
Saturday, 5/3 (Dave Perry rules seminar at PYC on Sunday, 5/4)
Saturday, 5/10 (PYC Mothers’ Day Brunch on Sunday, 5/11)
Sunday, 5/18
No racing Sunday, 5/25 (Memorial Day Weekend)
Sunday, 6/1
No racing Sunday, 6/8 (Wickford Regatta)
Sunday, 6/15
Saturday, 6/21 PYC Laser Regatta - Laser District 7 Grand Prix event
Skippers’ meetings will be at 1300, first race at 1400, and no race will start after 1600. Please plan to have your boats rigged before the skippers’ meeting so we can launch afterwards. There will be food provided after racing.
The cost will be $10 per day or $50 for the first six days of the series, and $25 for the PYC Laser Regatta ($75 for the entire series). Please send funds to Harrison Barfield by Venmo to @Harrison-Barfield or bring cash to race days to give Harrison in person. Guests are welcome to store Lasers at PYC for the duration of the series, provided they do not leave trailers at the club and remove their boats after racing on 6/20.
For more information please contact Justice Pollard at jbqpollard@gmail.com or 207-776-5711.
April Regattas
Under the Rope Regatta, Eastern YC, Marblehead MA, April 6th
This is the season opener for the Marblehead spring series. First gun is at 12:00 (not the usual 13:00) Don't miss the special prizes. Just show up. Students sail for free, and if you like you can store your boat at EYC for the entire spring season.
Peter Milnes Regatta
This annual event is in honor of a great sailor to whom we all owe a debt of gratitude. By the time it rolls around, the spring 413 fleet is hopping with 30 plus boats. Don't miss it. More information here. |
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District News
D7 Grand Prix will kick off with the classic Wickford Regatta
The D7 Grand Prix is back with a top prize of a free tuition to the International Sailing Academy, a $2,600 value!!! Each D7 state hosts one Grand Prix event, and the final event is the D7 Championship, October 4th and 5th at the Cedar Point YC in lovely Westport, CT. This is all about participation and hitting the road to sail in new places with new people and old friends. Sailors win points by attending as many events as possible. Your regatta results are converted into percentage placements. (100% for first place, etc.) This year, we will nuance scoring a bit by weighting results according to fleet size. Don't worry. We're committed to transparency. I promise the scoring formula will be posted on the refrigerator at my house. Come by any time, (Beware of dog) Just kidding, By the June newsletter, we'll reveal the math (Not my strong suite.) If you attend any of these events, you will be automatically entered in the Grand Prix at no charge.
Most importantly, here is the line-up: (See schedule below for all available registration links)
1. Wickford Regatta, June 7-8: Okay I'm bias. This is one of my favorite annual regattas. Skip and Barbara put on a great show, and hanging out post-sailing at WYC is not to be missed. Plus, at this multi-fleet event, there is usually a 6'4" Finn guy nicked-named Moose lurking around the beach to help you get your boat up the ramp, and if you want to tech-out, the 505 crew is around sanding their boats with Kleenex. It's great multi-fleet fun. The ILCA fleet is, of course, the main attraction. (Just kidding, Moose)
2. Portland YC Regatta, June 21: If you have never sailed at the Portland YC, don't miss the opportunity to bomb around pristine Maine islands. It's a great club in beautiful Falmouth, ME, and two years ago this event was a huge success as part of the 2023 Grand Prix.
3. John Bentley Regatta, June 28: The New Bedford YC knows a thing or two about running races and being a great host. This regatta will be early summer on Buzzard's Bay. Need I say more? We're excited to have this race join the Grand Prix.
Then we take a mid-summer break for BBQ and fireworks.
4. Malletts Bat Boat Club Regatta, August 16-17: By this time in the season, it's a good idea to dunk your boat in fresh water, and Lake Champlain is the place to do it. This two-day event will be a lot of fun, and you get to hang out in the hip Burlington scene.
5. Lake Sunapee YC Open Regatta, August 23-24: Lake Sunapee YC is fired up to see an invasion from all points of the compass for this event. It's easy driving from NH, VT, MA and ME, so no excuses. This will be a relaxing weekend in a beautiful spot.
6. Niantic Bay Grand Prix, September 20: Niantic Bay YC reached out last fall and said they wanted to get in the Grand Prix game. I said, "Yeah, let's rock it in CT!" I am so excited to have another club jump into the mix. Thanks NYC!. This is the unofficial warm-up for the D7 Championship in Westport. It will be packed.
7. D7 Championship at Cedar Point YC, October 4-5: With one of the strongest ILCA fleets in D7 and close proximity to the NY ILCA districts, I am predicting big numbers for this shindig. In 2023, the D7 Championship had around 50 boats. Last year, Stone Horse topped 60. This year, let's break 100!
Kollegewidgwok YC in Blue Hill, Maine to host the 2025 Atlantic Coast Masters, July 19-20
There is no name calling in ILCA racing except for two important exceptions: First, the port-tack pirates flopping over in the zone deserve an earful, Second, if you miss this event, I'm sorry, but you are a "_os_er." Ask anyone who has attended the KYC True Blue Spencer Regatta. You get to sail in the beautiful Mt Desert Narrows with an audience of seals and classy folks watching you from beautiful wooden yachts. Per the photo below, once you are back on shore, its fine dining al fresco. The KYC crew includes top masters sailors who regularly compete in national events, so they know how to run great races. This is going to be a fantastic midsummer affair, so go ahead and register here. There are already 18 boats signed up!
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2025 District 7 Regattas as of 1/27/25 | Date | Counts towards D7 Gran Prix? | Notes | Under the Rope | April 6 | | Eastern YC, Marblehead, MA Show up at 11 AM & register on site. Prizes and party afterwards. Contact tomdailey15@gmail.com | Peter Milnes Regatta | April 19 | | Fleet 413, Newport, RI | Wickford Regatta | June 7-8 | Y | Wickford YC, Wickford, RI | Portland YC Regatta | June 21 | Y | Portland YC, Falmouth, ME | John Bentley Regatta | June 28 | Y | New Bedford YC, South Dartmouth, MA | Atlantic Coast Masters | July 19-20 | | Kollegewidgwok YC, Blue Hill, ME | Hyannis Yacht Club Regatta | July 26-27 | | Hyannis, MA (assuming ILCA is a class) | Helly Hansen Marblehead Race Week | July 26-27 | | Eastern YC, Marblehead, MA | Buzzards Bay ILCA Masters Championship | August 2-3 | | New Bedford YC, New Bedford, MA | Stone Horse Regatta | August 10 | | Stone Horse YC, Harwich, MA | Malletts Bay Boat Club Regatta | August 16-17 | Y | Colchester, VT | Lake Sunapee Yacht Club Open Regatta | August 23-24 | Y | Sunapee, NH | Massapoag 75th Annual | September 5-7 | | Sharon, MA | Niantic Bay YC | September. 20 | Y | Niantic, CT | Ponce De Leon Regatta | September 7th | | Eastern YC, Marblehead, MA. Show up at 11 AM & register on site. Prizes and party afterwards. Contact tomdailey15@gmail.com | New England Masters | September 6-7 | | Wickford YC, Wickford, RI | Cedar Point Yacht Club D7 Championship | October 4-5 | Y | Cedar Point YC, Westport, CT | Hyannis YC Oktoberfest Regatta 2025 | Oct 12 | | Hyannis YC, Hyannis, MA Great annual event! | Turkey Bowl | November 23 | | Eastern YC, Marblehead, MA Show up at 11 AM & register on site. Prizes and party afterwards. Contact tomdailey15@gmail.com | D7 Gran Prix races in green. Sail as many as you can and win points for great prizes |
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