September 2025

 

On the Line September 2025 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   Can you hear it? The fall breeze is rustling leaves and crispy new sails purchased for some of the season's biggest events. Yep, it's September: water temperatures at their peak, good wind, and good times.  We have a autumn lineup with major events in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. And there's more: The highlight of the season is the D7 Championship, October 4-5 at Cedar Point YC. It is so big, it's bleeding over into September announcements!!!!! (To get more information and register for the following events, see the schedule at the bottom of the newsletter for registration links to major regattas. If you are looking for local club sailing, check out the D7 fleet page. New England Masters, September 6-7, Warwick RI This is a beloved seasonal event for those of us losing muscle mass and gaining wisdom. Barbara and Skip are top contributors to the ILCA racing scene in New England and, as always, will put on a wonderful event, including fun at the Wickford YC on Saturday night. It's easy beach launching with sailing just off shore. There are already 20 boats signed up, and we know how ILCA folks roll #I'llRegisterTomorrow.  I predict 30 boats and very stiff competition, like take an Aleve before Sunday stiff.   Massapoag Small Boats Regatta, September 5-7, Sharon, MA  Oh yeah, a fresh water three-day extravaganza. Lots of fun on this beautiful lake convenient to Boston.    Ponce De Leon Regatta, September 14, Eastern YC, Marblehead, MA and the Marblehead Frostbite Season This regatta always falls in the first week or so or the Marblehead Frostbite season. There are often 30 boats on the line and you can store your boat for the season. Here are the details which apply to the Ponce De Leon Regatta and the ongoing Marblehead fall series:   Schedule Sail every Sunday Except Sunday 21 SEP when EYC hosts the J70 REGATTA First Race Day: 7 September Ponce de Leon Regatta: 14 SEP (same schedule – 1pm start etc) Sunday Schedule: 1100: good time to show up 1200: Introductions & Skippers Meeting 1PM: First race 3PM: Last race 4PM: Post Race Pizza party:  friends and family welcome – you don’t have to sail to join in - All are welcome! Last Race Day: 24 November - all boats must leave  Other Info   Volunteer for race committee! https://chat.whatsapp.com/LQQ7gZ12wUnAKU6UauqbJG Sailors who volunteer can get qualification credits for the # races that day (one day limit) Boat Storage: If you’d like to store your Laser at EYC during the season – fill out a form on-site Boat Loaners: nominal fee; ask on the whatsapp chat - thank you Rick for organizing  Season Scoring: 50% of races (races sailed, not race days) to qualify; throw-outs for attendance >60% Fall Fleet Party: chez Dailey, date tbd Best Way to Keep In Touch with the Fleet from your phone/app or computer/url: WhatsApp: https://chat.whatsapp.com/BeMm8pZ0JzB0D7zVH2yMIO Connecticut D7 Grand Prix Regatta, September 20, Niantic, CT I was so excited when the folks at NYC called me in the spring and said they wanted to run a D7 event, so I've made this the Grand Prix event for CT. This is a great warm up for the Cedar Point  Cedar Point YC Fall One Design Regatta, September 27-28, Westport, CT This is a fantastic warm up to the D7 championship the following weekend, and sailors participating in both events can store their boats for free at CPYC during the intervening week.  D7 2025 Championship, October 4-5, with pre-regatta clinic by the International Sailing Academy, October 1-2, Cedar Point YC, Westport, CT (Did you see how I did that with the big font? Yes this is BIG. Yes, you are GOING.) Cedar Point Yacht Club will be hosting the District 7 Championship, Oct. 4-5, and is putting on nearly a week of racing. The racing kicks off Oct 27-28 with CPYC’s Annual One Design Regatta which always attracts top District 7 racers and local talent. Then, Oct 1-2 three-time Olympic Coach Vaughn Harrison will conduct a two-day intensive clinic. Each day will begin with a detailed technical briefing, boat tuneups and on shore drills, followed by a full training session on the water and a complete video debrief afterwards. On the water session will include dynamic deliberate practice drills, on-the-fly direct feedback, and racing practice. Vaughn promises to make game changing speed tweaks and offer race winning perspectives for all participants regardless of their current capability. The clinic also includes one month free access to ISA Online and ISA Virtual Coaching. Vaughn will also conduct a one-day starting clinic on Oct 3. The two training sessions are open to those competing in the District 7 Championship, and places are limited.   Register for the District 7 Championship. Sign Up for the Annual One Design Regatta Register for the 2-Day Intensive Clinic Register for 1-Day Starting Mini Clinic   US One Design is also offering charter options. You can go directly to the US One Design website or contact  trisha@usonedesign.com. Racers are also free to leave their boats at CPYC between regattas. Feel to contact the regatta organizer Allan Freedman, allanhfreedman@gmail,com, for more information. District News Ideal Breeze, Exciting Racing: SHYC Hosts a Picture Perfect ILCA Regatta Sunday, August 10th delivered a delightful surprise for ILCA regatta participants – and the race committee. Despite a forecast calling for “wind” at 2 mph gusting to 3—the day broke with a steady 8–10 from the southwest, which held for the whole day and contributed to an exceptional Stone Horse ILCA Regatta.  We had 32 boats on the line, including 12 each from SHYC and Hyannis Yacht Club. PRO John King ran a series of I1 and I2 courses with precision and efficiency, supported by Caitlin Robbie and her crack safety team. Both ILCA 7 and ILCA 6 classes started together but were scored separately, with one throw-out allowed. For a fleet that big, starts were surprisingly disciplined, with only one general recall across five races. Stone Horse sailors made a strong showing, claiming three of the six podium spots! Congratulations to Harris, Andrew and Summer. Here’s how the top finishers stacked up: ILCA 7 (Standard) Place Sailor Points Club 1st Mark Bear 6 NBYC 2nd Harris Padegs 9 SHYC 3rd Dave Penfield 10 HYC ILCA 6 (Radial) Place Sailor Points Club 1st Andrew Visco 4 SHYC 2nd Austin Budd 7 HYC 3rd Summer Mills 14 SHYC Malletts Bay Boat Club D7 Regatta August 16-17 Malletts Bay Boat Club put on an exciting two day 2025 VT Grand Prix event with just about every wind condition you could imagine. The first day brought light and variable lake sailing, where getting cleaning off the line was key to success. Day Two saw northwest winds gusting well past 20 knts and insta-chop (sort of like instant mashed potatoes}  Ten boats duked it out over 10 races.  All the way from Europe, where he is ranked as a youth ILCA sailor, Alex Van Doren pretty much schooled us all with 7 bulletts to take first. Ledyard McFadden second and Alex Lerner third.  Many thanks to the Malletts Bay crew and especially Ken Grillo and his spouse Joan Shannon for organizing. This a road trip worth making. Hope to see you there next year. .   Lake Sunapee D7 Regatta August 23-24, Lake Sunapee Yacht Club hosted the New Hampshire D7 Grand Prix regatta. Both Saturday and Sunday provided excellent winds (8-15 knts) for the fleet of 11 lasers. Over 8 races, Dave Frazier proved yet again that he knows a thing or two about laser sailing, including how to wrangle folks into getting his boat of his truck rack. That thing is up there!. Second place to Ledyard McFadden and third to local wonder boy, Nat Cook.  Another great fresh water event. (My boat is so clean.) Stone Horse Laser Clinic SHYC took advantage of the ILCA North America Grant to host a clinic August 8-9. get your club to do the same! Here's the report from Fleet Captain James Nicol:  ILC A Laser Skills Clinic: Two Very Enjoyable Days on the Water and an Opportunity to Improve On Friday and Saturday August 8th and 9th, ten Laser (ILC A) sailors gathered for a two-day Skills Clinic that blended coaching, practice, and ideal summer conditions. With a mix of classroom instruction, rigging support, video review, and—most importantly—on-the-water drills, the clinic offered an opportunity to improve for sailors of any levels. All but one of the participants were from Stone Horse, several of whom went on to have success in the Laser regatta on Sunday. Our instructor was Richard Feeny, from Bristol RI. He grew up sailing Lasers and was a national-caliber Laser sailor in high school and college. He campaigned for the 2000 Olympics and has coached college as well as high school sailing for many years. He was a very effective instructor.  On-the-Water Action The heart of the clinic was on the water, where sailors tackled: Collector Drills: A continuous windward/leeward loop to build rhythm and responsiveness Extended Upwind/Downwind Legs: Focused boathandling practice under real conditions Starts, Tacking, Gybing, and Tactical Positioning: With feedback and fleet management tips woven throughout The coaching emphasized practical improvement, with instructor Richard Feeny facilitating discussion on land and offering sharp, supportive insights on the water. “Richard  was terrific,” one participant noted. “He shared great recommendations, and his on-water exercises were excellent.” Stone Horse’s Harris Padegs brought his college sailing lessons to add valuable insights as well, and quickly  demonstrated mastery of the skills being taught on the water. Once again, he could not be beat!  Fleet Spirit and Fun Beyond the drills, the clinic was a lot of fun for the sailors.  “It was a terrific group activity,” said one sailor. Post sail George’s pizza and some Sam Summer capped off day one. Overall, it was a very enjoyable and valuable 2 days spent improving skills and enjoying time on the water, and ashore.   Thanks to Harris Padegs for organizing the clinic. He worked with Richard to develop the curriculum, handled all the registrations and was an immense help during the clinic itself. Thanks, Harris! Current D7 Grand Prix Standings Rank Last Name First Name Wickford ILCA 7 Wickford ILCA 6 Portland Bentley Malletts Bay Lake Sunapee End of August 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 Terry Chip 21 0 29 0     50 6 Beckwith Jeff 18 0 27 0     45 7 Shore Lynne 19 0 0 21     40 8 McFadden Ledyard 0 0 0 0 19 19 38 9 Phipps Tom 12 0 23 0     35 10 Sitzmann Thomas 0 0 30 0     30 11 Craine Duncan 0 0 0 27     27 12 Bediaga Frederico 0 0 0 26     26 13 Coughlin Will 0 0 26 0     26 14 Parramore Michael 14 0 0 12     26 15 Vessella Peter 26 0 0 0     26 16 Craine Paul 0 0 0 25     25 17 Hughes Britt 25 0 0 0     25 18 Thorburn Howard 0 0 25 0     25 19 Penfield Dave 0 0 0 24     24 20 Whipple Steven 0 0 24 0     24 21 Hagedorn Charlie 0 0 0 23     23 22 Henel Avery 0 10 0 0   13 23 23 Seidenberg Peter 0 12 0 11     23 24 Coughlin Nat 0 0 22 0     22 25 Hart Jeffrey 0 0 0 22     22 26 Maya-LeFort Antonio 22 0 0 0     22 27 Pearlson Jack 0 0 21 0     21 28 Frazier David           20 20 29 Van Doren Alex         20   20 30 Weisman Michael 0 0 20 0     20 31 Wheeler Colley 20 0 0 0     20 32 Nielan Kerry 0 0 19 0     19 33 Spinola Demetry 0 0 0 19     19 34 Cook Nat           18 18 35 Dakers Christopher     18 0     18 36 Durant Merle 0 0 0 18     18 37 Lerner Andrew         18   18 38 Boyd William         17   17 39 Doherty Matt 17 0 0 0     17 40 Kosacz Stephen 0 0 17 0     17 41 McCarthy Jeremiah           17 17 42 Packard Greg 0 0 0 17     17 43 jans stefan 16 0 0 0     16 44 McKegney Tim         16   16 45 Pollard Justice 0 0 16 0     16 46 Sharp Sally           16 16 47 Yuskaitis Sarah 0 0 0 16     16 48 Durant Peter 0 0 0 15     15 49 Freedman Allan 15 0 0 0     15 50 Holt Brad 0 0 15 0     15 51 Shannon Joan         15   15 52 Suitor Doug           15 15 53 Auld Doug           14 14 54 Fairfax Will 0 0 0 14     14 55 Grillo Ken         14   14 56 Whittier Frank 0 0 14 0     14 57 Cody Jack 13 0 0 0     13 58 Lord Rob 0 0 13 0     13 59 McDermott Mark 0 0 0 13     13 60 Ouellette Alan         13   13 61 Van Berkel Gus 0 13 0 0     13 62 Hamann Robert         12   12 63 Suitor Doug 0 0 12 0     12 64 Viteri Adrian           12 12 65 Gaynor Jack 0 11 0 0     11 66 Landau Jim 0 0 11 0     11 67 Menon Aditya 11 0 0 0     11 68 Orkney Gary           11 11 69 Timmons Allen         11   11 70 Hamilton Garrett 0 0 0 10     10 71 Hanson Nathan         10   10 72 Kelly Jim           10 10 73 Roedel Reilly 0 0 10 0     10 74 Weiss Robert 10 0 0 0     10 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)