Upcoming Regattas and Announcements
June was a great month for D7 events. More on that below. July is even busier with five major events on top of all the local summer racing. (See the schedule at the bottom of the newsletter for registration links to major regattas, and if you are looking for local sailing, check out the D7 fleet page.)
Cedar Point YC Commodores, Westport, CT. July 5th
Cedar Point YC will be hosting the D7 Championship on October and here's yet another chance to scope out the venue. So burn off a few 4th of July BBQ calories and join the highly competitive ILCA fleet for holiday fun.
Taylor Pond ILCA Invitational, Auburn, ME. July 12th
I love Taylor Pond Yacht Club! Sail on a beautiful Maine lake just west of Lewiston, an easy drive from Boston and a hop, skip, and a jump from Portland. I'm thinking of all those Boston sailors from Tufts, BU, and MIT who know a thing or two about lake sailing. This is a regatta for you. Cost, you ask? How about FREE. I know that's a lot for Yankees, but maybe just this once you could chip in nothing for something awesome.
Register at this link Questions may be sent to PeterGarcia207@gmail.com
Schedule:
1100 Competitor's meeting
1300 first race warning signal
1600 no starts after this time
1730 Awards, food and refreshments on the deck
2025 ILCA Atlantic Coast Masters, Kollegewidgwok YC, Blue Hill, ME. July 19-20
Hear ye, Hear ye, all you Aleve-popping, waking-up-sore, weekend-warrior, too-stiff-to-get-under-the-boom, old-enough-to-know-better master's sailors. (I'm speaking loudly so you can hear me.) This is a fabulous national masters event in our own D7 great state of Maine. Seals will be calling the line while you cruise between Maine Islands on waters bluer than blueberry pie. So put the boat on the trailer/roof/whatever and head Downeast, past antique shops and ice-cream stands, through the pine forests until you get to one of the prettiest harbors this side of anywhere. KYC puts on an awesome event, and this will spectacular. Thirty-six boats have already signed up! If you don't believe me, finder your readers and check out the link below.
81st Hyannis Yacht Club Regatta, Hyannis, MA July 26-27
Math quiz: Summer sailing on the Cape = ?
Answer: 15-20 knots of sea breeze. Hike baby, hike! Then surf down a nice set before you do it all over again. HYC is one of the great New England racing venues with a prestigious history of national events. This 81st annual event will be a highly competitive and fun summer outing.
2025 Helley Hansen Marblehead Race Week. July 26-27
Marblehead race week is an iconic event. Enjoy everything this great sailing town has to offer both on and off the water. As always, the ILCA crew will be there in force. Like last year, your PRO will be the ever dynamic Franny Charles. Franny gets in a race no matter what. Last year at the ILCA US Masters, he sent the fleet out in 25-30 and 6 foot seas (Yep, my boat almost lifted off in the dry sail area.) Last Race Week, he got creative in the harbor. This year? You'll just have to sign up to see. After good competition on the water, all the fleets will be living it up on shore at the Boston YC.
American Yacht Club, Newburyport, MA has a growing fleet!
American Yacht Club Laser racing kicked off in May and June with some very windy days already in the books. Upcoming ILCA races here on Joppa Flats in Newburyport are June 15 and 29, July 13 and 27, and August 10 and 24. We typically are putting 8-15 boats on the line and many of our racers are guests. We've been fortunate to have a lot of participation from high school and college sailors, many of whom take advantage of our loaners. Start times vary each date due to the tide cycle on the Merrimac, so interested racers can see the schedule here or email regatta@americanyachtclub.org
Malletts Bay Boat Club Regatta, August 16-17, Colchester, VT
Malletts Bay Boat Club (MBBC) is hosting the Vermont leg of the District 7 Laser Gran Prix Regatta series on August 16 & 17. MBBC is located on Lake Champlain just north of Burlington, Vermont. It's a beautiful regatta venue with sailing on Malletts Bay, protected from large waves yet unobstructed breezes. The Club has a long history of hosting large regattas including the Lightning Worlds and J24 and Laser National Championships
MBBC will provide a Saturday evening Burger Burn and coffee & bagel breakfasts on Saturday and Sunday. Limited housing is available on a first come basis.
You must register in order to participate in the regatta. Here is a link to our website which contains registration information. SIs and NOR will be posted soon:
https://mbbc-vt.org/regatta/scQmCh74gr
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Ken Grillo
ken.grillo@gmail.com
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District News
Wickford Regatta
Report from regatta winner, Jamie Carter
The 2025 Wickford Regatta did not disappoint. Skip, Barbara, and all the wonderful volunteers put on another great event complete with perfect weather, excellent sailing, and phenomenal food, including a taco bar and ice cream treats to bookend a delicious Saturday evening dinner. Unlike prior years when the conditions suited major heavyweights accustomed to high winds and heavy seas, the conditions this year offered a more moderate range that trended toward the light and fluky by the end of day two. The forecast going into Saturday morning offered enough confidence that conditions would remain light that several stalwart ILCA 6 sailors decided to try their hand in the big rig. This led to a reduced ILCA 6 fleet size (4) and a larger ILCA 7 fleet (19).
The ILCA 6 fleet saw young Gus van Berkel display his dominance winning every race and being forced to throw out his first bullet. ILCA legend Peter Seidenberg remained hot on Gus' heels and finished in a strong second. The ILCA 7 fleet saw a number of different sailors cycling up through the ranks, with five different people claiming the coveted bullet over seven races including Grayden Mott, Sean Guinness, David Crawley, Antonio Maya-LeFort, and Jamie Carter. Peter Vessella and Britt Hughes were consistently in the front, demonstrating their skill and experience getting off the line fast and reading the course.
As is often the case in Wickford, the current was a significant factor. Great gains could be made when sailors correctly interpreted the fastest path through adverse current and variable wind lines. The lighter sailors had an edge in the moderate conditions and were forced to showcase their full-hike form for a few races (Grayden did so in bare feet!) while those of larger stature enjoyed sitting comfortably on the rail. In the end, speed and consistency paid off. Jamie and Grayden were able to splice together a series of five top-three and two top-ten finishes. This combination put them within a point of each other at the top of the ranks, and ultimately Jamie eked out the win with three bullets. This was a great event to start the summer. See you on the water!
Winnipesaukee Spring Laser Regatta
Report from regatta organizer, Jeffrey Rabinowitz
On June 21st, WYC hosted its Spring Laser Regatta. The event attracted nine sailors from across New Hampshire. The weather was perfect. Sunshine, warmth, and a 5 – 10 knot breeze was the order of the day. Under sunny skies, the racers were treated to a total of 8 races. The race course was just around the corner from the WYC and quite a few members came out to watch the action. After racing completed, racers came back to the Club to derig and enjoy grilled hot dogs and the awards ceremony. There were lots of smiles and there is already discussion about next year’s event. In the end, John Tagliamonte was 1st, Nate Henderson was 2nd, and Sally Sharp was 3rd. An enormous thank you to the LWSA and all the individuals who helped plan, run, and donated to the event.
And thoughts from the winner, John Tagliamonte:
Saturday June 21st Winnipesaukee YC in Gilford, New Hampshire hosted its inaugural ILCA regatta. Lake Winnipesaukee, the largest natural, freshwater lake within one state in the USA has been my favorite place since birth. Home of J80 Fleet #1, PHRF racing, and various dinghy classes. We sailed minutes from the club, in open water. Jeff Rabinowitz, organizer extraordinaire and PRO Bob Knowles ran 8 Windward-Leeward races in NNW in 6-12 kts for nine sailors, all with Granite State ties. Class veterans Sally Sharp and Gary Orkney from Lake Mascoma, NH showed great form both finishing in the top 5. Junior Instructors, current college sailors, and recent grads rounded out the fleet. With a little more time to promote and an open spot on the D7 calendar, WYC would love to host 20+ boats next year.
Portland YC Regatta
From the regatta organizer and head of the Casco Bay Laser Fleet, Justice Pollard:
The 2025 Portland Yacht Club Laser Regatta turned out to be a great day of racing, with 24 sailors competing. The breeze was light and shifty from the land in the northwest at the start of the first race. But by the time the fleet made it to the leeward mark the wind had almost stopped completely and then came around almost 180 degrees and turned into a sea breeze from the southeast. The wind then picked up steadily over the day from 6 to 8 knots in the early afternoon to 12 to 15 knots in the last race.
Competition at the front of the fleet was about as close as it gets, with Grayden Mott taking first place with 16 points, and Sean Guinness winning a tiebreak to take second place over Jamie Carter in third, both with 17 points. Close behind were Tom Sitzmann in fourth place with 19 points and Chip Terry in fifth with 20 points. Big thanks go out to PRO Peter Garcia and race committee volunteers Mik Morrissey and Steve Wallbridge for doing a great job running the races.
And a word from the winner and young hotshot, Grayden Mott (I'm telling you to watch this guy. He's got a great career ahead of him)
It was a great experience to race against so many of you in Portland, Maine earlier this month. The turnout was impressive, with a full starting line and a lot of new faces for me. A big thank you to Portland Yacht Club and all the race officials who helped organize and run the event.
The first race started off light, but by the second race we were sailing in a steady and building breeze with beautiful conditions. The shorter course format emphasized the importance of strong starts and finding a clean lane, especially when heading left. It was a good reminder of how critical consistency is in this type of racing.
With tight pin-end starts and tricky shorelines, every point mattered. The final results were close, with just a few points separating the top finishers. Small gains throughout the day made a big difference in the overall standings.
Thank you again to everyone who came out, to Portland Yacht Club for hosting, and to the race officials for making it all possible. It was great to see such strong participation, and I’m hoping this large showing will continue into the next event.
John Bentley Regatta
Report from competitor Peter Durant
The John Bentley Memorial Regatta, also the Buzzards Bay Championship and the District 7 Grand Prix Event, hosted by the New Bedford Yacht Club saw 19 sailors mix it up under fresh conditions on Buzzards Bay. A southerly breeze ranging from 8-22knots created some beautiful sailing conditions, with a 1-2’ waves allowing for off wind planing conditions.
The PRO, Geoff Marshall, got off 6 excellent races with only one general recall when a 30 degree shift came through during the start.
Excellent and consistently sailing secured the event win for Duncan Craine, second place to Frederico Besiaga, and third place to Paul Craine all from Cedar Point Yacht Club.
Results can be found at:
https://theclubspot.com/regatta/vVBeyTvlYE/results
Hope to see you all at the Buzzards Bay ILCA Masters Championship August 2-3 at NBYC.
D7 Grand Prix Update
June saw three of the our seven 2025 Grand Prix events. A total of 55 sailors have competed in one or more regattas! Participation counts, and that shows in the top ten, but this year's scoring system (see last month's newsletter for details) puts a bit more emphasis on fleet size. Currently leading with attendance at all three events and steady performance with a 5th, 6th and 7th is Dave Crawley, last year's winner. Dave has 72 points. Nipping at his heals is Grayden Mott who attended Wickford and Portland and finished 2nd and 1st respectively. Grayden has 60 points. He is locked in an existential battle with Jamie Carter who won Wickford and was third at Portland. Jamie has 59 points (Squeaker!)
It is very much anyone's game, even if you have yet to attend a Grand Prix event. We still have four Grand Prix events to go, and the culminating D7 championship at Cedar Point YC in October will yield huge points. It's sure to be an exciting finish. Anyone could end up Mexico, so get out there. The next event is Malletts Bay Boat Club, August 16-17.
Scoring: Grand Prix Points per regatta: # of competitors you beat at event plus 10 points for showing up.
| Rank | Last Name | First Name | Wickford ILCA 7 | Wickford ILCA 6 | Portland | Bentley | End of June Totals | | 1 | Crawley | David | 24 | 0 | 28 | 20 | 72 | | 2 | Mott | Grayden | 27 | 0 | 33 | 0 | 60 | | 3 | Carter | Jamie | 28 | 0 | 31 | 0 | 59 | | 4 | Guiness | Sean | 23 | 0 | 32 | 0 | 55 | | 5 | Beckwith | Jeff | 18 | 0 | 27 | 0 | 45 | | 6 | Shore | Lynne | 19 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 40 | | 7 | Phipps | Tom | 12 | 0 | 23 | 0 | 35 | | 8 | Sitzmann | Thomas | 0 | 0 | 30 | 0 | 30 | | 9 | Terry | Chip | 0 | 0 | 29 | 0 | 29 | | 10 | Craine | Duncan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 27 | | 11 | Bediaga | Frederico | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 26 | | 12 | Coughlin | Will | 0 | 0 | 26 | 0 | 26 | | 13 | Parramore | Michael | 14 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 26 | | 14 | Vessella | Peter | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | | 15 | Craine | Paul | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 25 | | 16 | Hughes | Britt | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | | 17 | Thorburn | Howard | 0 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 25 | | 18 | Penfield | Dave | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 24 | | 19 | Whipple | Steven | 0 | 0 | 24 | 0 | 24 | | 20 | Seidenberg | Peter | 0 | 12 | 0 | 11 | 23 | | 21 | Hagedorn | Charlie | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 23 | | 22 | Coughlin | Nat | 0 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 22 | | 23 | Hart | Jeffrey | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 22 | | 24 | Maya-LeFort | Antonio | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | | 25 | Pearlson | Jack | 0 | 0 | 21 | 0 | 21 | | 26 | Terry | Wyllys | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | | 27 | Weisman | Michael | 0 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 20 | | 28 | Wheeler | Colley | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | | 29 | Nielan | Kerry | 0 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 19 | | 30 | Spinola | Demetry | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 19 | | 31 | Dakers | Christopher | | | 18 | 0 | 18 | | 32 | Durant | Merle | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 18 | | 33 | Doherty | Matt | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | | 34 | Kosacz | Stephen | 0 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 17 | | 35 | Packard | Greg | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 17 | | 36 | jans | stefan | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | | 37 | Pollard | Justice | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 16 | | 38 | Yuskaitis | Sarah | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 16 | | 39 | Durant | Peter | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 15 | | 40 | Freedman | Allan | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | | 41 | Holt | Brad | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 15 | | 42 | Fairfax | Will | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 14 | | 43 | Whittier | Frank | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 14 | | 44 | Van Berkel | Gus | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 13 | | 45 | Cody | Jack | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | | 46 | Lord | Rob | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 13 | | 47 | McDermott | Mark | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 13 | | 48 | Suitor | Doug | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 12 | | 49 | Gaynor | Jack | 0 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 11 | | 50 | Landau | Jim | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 11 | | 51 | Menon | Aditya | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | | 52 | Hamilton | Garrett | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 10 | | 53 | Henel | Avery | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 | | 54 | Roedel | Reilly | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 10 | | 55 | Weiss | Robert | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
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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 | Cedar Point YC Vice Commodore’s Cup | May 25th | | Cedar Point YC, Westport, CT First warning is 14:00, Contact cpylaser@gmail.com | Wickford Regatta | June 7-8 | Y | Wickford YC, Wickford, RI | Winnipesaukee Spring Laser Regatta | June 21 | | Winnipesaukee YC, Gilford, NH Contact jarabinowitz@gmail.com | Portland YC Regatta | June 21 | Y | Portland YC, Falmouth, ME Contact jbqpollard@gmail.com | John Bentley Regatta | June 28 | Y | New Bedford YC, South Dartmouth, MA | Cedar Point YC Commodore’s Cup | July 5th | | Cedar Point YC, Westport, CT First warning is 14:00, Contact cpylaser@gmail.com | Taylor Pond ILCA Invitational | July 12 | | Taylor Pond YC, Auburn ME. Great warm-up for Atlantic Coast Masters. Contact petergarcia207@gmail.com | 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 | Cedar Point YC Rear Commodore’s Cup | August 31 | | Cedar Point YC, Westport, CT First warning is 14:00, Contact cpylaser@gmail.com | 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 YC Fall One Design Regatta | September 27-28 | | 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 | Cedar Point Yacht Club D7 Championship | October 4-5 | Y | Cedar Point YC, Westport, CT | Hyannis YC Oktoberfest Regatta 2025 | October 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 | |
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