All posts by Aaron

News

Racing Rules Seminar with U.S. Sailing Judge Mike Brownlee

PRSA will be hosting a Racing Rules Seminar on Thursday, May 15, beginning at 7:00 pm.  The seminar will be conducted by Mike Brownlee, a U.S. Sailing certified judge.  Mike has extensive sailing experience, including several years as a volunteer offshore racing coach with the U.S. Naval Academy.

The seminar will be held in the Charleston Room at Indigo Landing Restaurant at the Washington Sailing Marina.  Sailors are encourage to come a little early, grab a drink and appetizer at the bar and socialize with other sailors.

We hope to see you there!

News

May 8: Local Knowledge Seminar w/ Barney Harris

Barney Harris will conduct a Local Knowledge Seminar on May 8, 7:00-9:00 pm in the Charleston Room at Indigo Landing Restaurant (WSM).  Come and learn the ins and outs of sailing on the Potomac from one of the masters!  This event is free, and you should feel free to invite others to attend this event.
Please note that since this seminar is held in the Indigo Landing Restaurant, you may not bring any outside alcoholic beverages into the Charleston Room, but you can purchase beverages at the bar and bring those into the seminar.
News

Season Kickoff!

We’re just one week away from the start of our spring racing season!  Join us on April 6 for the start of our spring series and for a chili-fest provided by PRSA after the racing.  We’ll kick off the season on April 6 with our regular racing program: 10:00 am skipper’s meeting by the cranes and 11:25 first warning signal on the upper course.  The Sailing Instructions for our Sunday Series racing can be found on the PRSA Website at http://potomacriversailing.org/nors-sis/

Make sure to stick around for the post-race festivities on April 6 as well.  PRSA will provide chili (both meat and vegetarian variants), side dishes, and beverages.  No need to bring anything for this first week–just come hungry and enjoy some food, drink, and good cheer after the racing!

As you get organized for the start of racing, please remember to pay your PRSA dues and sign up for Race Committee duty if you haven’t already done so.  Timely dues payments are essential for the maintenance of our equipment, and we all need to take our turn on RC so that we all can also have fun racing on the water.  You can find all the relevant forms and links on our PRSA Dues & RC Duty webpage: http://potomacriversailing.org/dues-rc-duty/

Finally, we have organized a series of training events for the spring season.  Please mark the following dates on your calendar.  We will send additional information along as each training event approaches.

  • April 5: Skiff Management Training hosted by Nabeel Alsalam (time TBA, at WSM)
  • May 15: Racing Rules Seminar hosted by Jeff Neurater and Aaron Boesenecker (7-9 pm, Charleston Room inside of Indigo Landing restaurant)
  • Date TBA: Local Knowledge Seminar hosted by Barney Harris

I look forward to seeing everybody out on the water soon!

News

Get Ready for the 2014 Sailing Season!

We might still be in the grip of winter, but it is not too soon to think about our upcoming sailing season!  The 2014 PRSA racing calendar has been posted, and now is the perfect time to take care of your PRSA dues and sign up for RC duty for the year so you are all set to go once the season starts.  You can sign up for RC duty and renew your PRSA skipper and associate memberships on the right on the Dues & RC Duty page.  Skippers who have not signed up for RC duty by March 15 will be contacted by their respective fleet captains to help fill first our remaining PRO slots, and then the other slots on the RC schedule.  Skippers, please remember to remind your crews to pay associate dues as well…or, better yet, gift them an associate membership for the year at only $25 as an advance “thank you” for all of the hard work they’ll do on your boat this year!  Pay your dues now and you’re set for the season!

Also, don’t forget to “like” PRSA’s group page if you are on facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/345661598808307/).  We’ll be using that facebook group to post announcements and photos throughout the year along with the PRSA webpage and Yahoo! listserv.  Stay tuned for more information on the upcoming season!

News

PRSA AGM Highlights

We enjoyed a fantastic pasta dinner at the 2013 PRSA Annual General Meeting (thanks Michelle and Lee) as we handed out awards for the 2013 racing season and discussed several business items.  I’ve provided a summary of the award winners and key discussion points below.  Congratulations to the 2013 award winners and to our new slate of officers!

PRSA Spring Series Awards

Albacores

  1. Barney Harris
  2. Nich Allen

Buccaneers

  1. Jeff Neurater

Catamarans

  1. Ben Arthur
  2. Jim Antonovich

Lightnings

  1. Bobby Astrove
  2. Chris Kozel
  3. Lindsay Bach

PRSA Fall Series Awards

Albacores

  1. Nich Allen
  2. Barney Harris

Buccaneers

  1. Jeff Neurater

Catamarans

  1. Ben Arthur
  2. Jim Antonovich

Lightnings

  1. Rick Welch / Aaron Boesenecker
  2. Nabeel Alsalam
  3. Bob Gotthardt

Founders Award: Aaron Boesenecker

Fleet Captain’s Award: Keith Barron, Steve Parsons, Bruce Heida

Key Business Items

  • Membership is dangerously low, now less than 100 people.
  • The Bayliner has been sold, and we made a small profit!  Thanks to Jeff Neurauter for arranging the sale!
  • The Executive Board  needs to make a decision on if we can afford or need another RC boat.  If you have an opinion or thoughts please contact your Fleet Captain or an Executive Board member.

2014 PRSA Executive Board

  • Commodore: Aaron Boesenecker
  • Vice Commodore: Nabeel Alsalam
  • Rear Commodore: Farley Will
  • Treasurer: Yates Dowell
  • Member At Large: Jim Graham
  • Secretary: Nich Allen
  • Social/Membership Chairs: Lee Saysithsena/Michelle Greenhalgh
News

2013 President’s/Leukemia Cup: Great Wind, Great Racing, and a Great Celebration!

What a fantastic weekend!  We were pleasantly surprised with great breeze on both Saturday and Sunday, we had tight racing on both the upper and the lower courses, and we had great celebrations after the racing on both Saturday and Sunday.  The folks on the lower course got 6 races on Saturday, and on the upper course we had 4 races on Saturday and 3 more on Sunday.  All told there were 61 boats on our PRSA one design courses (14 Lightnings, 12 Albacores, 10 Cats/Scows, 7 Bucs, 7 El Toros, 4 Flying Scots, 4 Lasers, and 3 Penguins).  You can’t ask for anything more in a regatta!

Many PRSA sailors also supported the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society through fundraising efforts and through their own contributions.  As we went into the regatta weekend the fundraising total was trending towards $160,000+ and many sailors made generous donations at registration over the weekend.  I’ll be sure to send along the final totals on the fundraising efforts once those figures are available from the LLS.  In the meanwhile, a huge “thank you” on behalf of the LLS to all of you who contributed to the fundraising effort.

Keep reading for links to scores as well as for some of my observations from the upper course.  Be sure to add in your own comments and recollections as well!

Continue reading 2013 President’s/Leukemia Cup: Great Wind, Great Racing, and a Great Celebration! →

News

Olivia Constants Foundation Team Racing Fundraiser

On August 24-25 the Olivia Constants Foundation (OCF) will be holding a Team Race Regatta & Fundraiser up at the Severn Sailing Association (SSA) in Annapolis.  Many of us in PRSA (especially the Lightning Fleet) know the Constants family and the tragic story of Olivia’s death two years ago.  This event is a great opportunity to try your hand at team racing (a clinic is included!), raise some funds for a great cause, and celebrate the spirit of Olivia through sailing and camaraderie.

Those of us in the Lightning fleet have a District regatta up in Havre de Grace, MD, on the 24th and 25th, so most of us won’t be able to make the team race event.  But don’t let that deter you — boats and training are provided, the racing will be great and the celebrations after the racing will be even better!  The folks up at SSA are an awesome bunch, and the weekend will surely be a fun time.  All you need to do is bring a skipper/crew pair and a great attitude!

I’ve posted the regatta announcement and the NOR below, as well as a link to the OCF itself in case you would like more information about Olivia’s story and the work of the Foundation.  You can also find the NOR and registration information on the SSA website.

Regatta Announcement

Notice of Race

Olivia Constants Foundation

 

Announcements

Register Now for the 2013 President’s/Leukemia Cup!

Registration is now open for the 2013 President’s/Leukemia Cup Regatta.  You can register for the regatta and sign up to raise funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (optional, but encouraged!) using the registration form on the PRSA President’s/Leukemia Cup Regatta Webpage.  The NOR as well as information on prizes and fundraising incentives from the LLS, has also been posted to the regatta webpage.

Early registration is a huge help for the regatta planners, so sign up now!  Any boat that raises $100 before the regatta will be eligible for LLS racing awards based on your Saturday finishes as well as additional prizes and incentives from the LLS.  Raise more than $100 and you’ll receive additional prizes and goodies from the LLS.  You can request a fundraising webpage from the LLS right on the PRSA registration form, or you can bring cash/check donations to the regatta and turn them in at on-site registration.

Please contact your PRSA Liaison to the LLS, Aaron Boesenecker, with any questions (apb99@mac.com).