Getting involved with PRSA is easy! Just click the “About Us” link on the upper right menu bar to learn about our activities, sign up for our email list, see our schedule of events and more! Over the summer we hold a very informal sailing series off of the docks at Washington Sailing Marina (near the launch cranes), starting at about 5:30 pm on Wednesday evenings. Please feel free to drop by and introduce yourself!
All posts by Aaron
Fantastic Fun at the PRSA Rookie Regatta!
We had a great turnout for the 2016 Rookie Regatta, with 15 boats on the water and new sailors or crew in new positions on almost all of them! The wind was a bit tricky, but we still managed to run 4 races. There was plenty of time left afterward to enjoy a beautiful sunny afternoon on shore with some BBQ & beer as we all chatted about the racing and celebrated the rookies! Thanks to all who volunteered and — especially — to all the rookies who came out to give things a try. We hope to see you out on the water again soon!
Congratulations to the following teams for winning their respective classes in the 2016 PRSA Rookie Regatta:
- Albacores: Michael Heinsdorf & “Rookie Pam” (who drove at least 2 of the 4 races!)
- Buccaneers: Jeff Neurauter & “Rookie Adam”
- I-20s: Molly Houston (Rookie Skipper!!) sailing with Rick Loheed
- Lightnings: Brint (Rookie Skipper!!), Kendra (Rookie Crew!!), and Will, providing tutelage to two rookies on his boat and guiding them to a win in the class with two bullets in four races!
PRSA Rookie Regatta: Rescheduled for June 26!
We have rescheduled the PRSA Rookie Regatta for June 26 after our first attempt earlier this spring was foiled by inclement weather. This is a special stand-alone one day regatta with the purpose of encouraging you all to bring new crew out to sail, to turn the helm over to your crew, or to do other creative things that might help involve new people in sailing. The scoring system will be a bit different for this one day as there will be bonuses involved for bringing new people. All of the relevant information, including the NOR and the Sailing Instructions, has been posted to the PRSA Rookie Regatta page: http://potomacriversailing.org/nors-sis/prsa-rookie-regatta/ Please note that in accordance with our PRSA Sustainability initiative we will not be providing hard copies of the SIs on Sunday.
Aaron will be PRO for the day. It would be helpful if you could you let us know whether you will be sailing on June 26 and, importantly, whether you are bringing more than a few “rookies” for the day. We can accommodate extra folks on the RC boats to switch in and out of various boats if we know how many people to expect. So please email Aaron (apb99@mac.com) once you’ve thought about your lineup for the Rookie Regatta. Let’s get some new sailors on the water!
PRSA Distance Race: June 12
On June 12 we have a special event: the resurrection of the PRSA Distance Race! This one-day, one-race regatta will pit all boats in all classes against one another in a distance race around government marks on the Potomac. Portsmouth Yard Stick scoring will be used to determine the fastest PRSA boat on the course. The NOR iand SIs with course options are posted below. Organize your crew and get ready for the fun!
2016 Spring Series #8 Wrap-Up
A handful of Lightnings and one hearty Buccaneer came out Sunday for what turned out to be a beautiful day of sailing. The forecast was for high winds and possible thunderstorms, but despite a few gusts early in the and some grey clouds it ended up being a wonderful day on the water. PRO Kyra Tallon and her crew got us 4 beautiful races in a steady southerly breeze. The wind filled in over the course of the day such that the gusts diminished and the overall velocity became more consistent in the 12-15 range. There were a few shifts on the day, notably a big lefty in race 3 that ran counter to the overall advantage one gained by sailing right (west) to find breeze and some shifts. It was a great day to work on boat balance, trim, and downwind angles in a bit of breeze (but not too much). Fun was had by all and we were back to the dock by 2:30 thanks to a high tide that allowed us to sail just outside the airport pier (though I did dig my centerboard into the mud a few times later in the day). Overall it was a great way to round out the Spring Series racing!
Related Links:
- Results – 2016 Spring Series #8 – Lightnings
- Amazing photos taken by Nic Bogren on the mark boat.
- Check the PRSA Facebook page for some more photos from Dan Dunham taken from the signal boat.
PRSA Spring Regatta Results
What a fantastic weekend! The weather cooperated, and our excellent race committees (headed by Rolf on the upper course and Stephanie on the lower course) did a fantastic job of getting us a lot of great racing. The lower course boats completed 7 races on Saturday and the upper course boats completed 8 races over two days. We had 47 boats and nearly 100 sailors competing overall, which is a fantastic turnout!
Final results have been posted to the Regatta Website and you can see some great photos from Day 2 taken by Lindsay Bach here. I also want to extent a huge thank you to Heather, Melissa, and Lisa-Marie for all of the time and effort that they spent organizing food and beverages (the BBQ was amazing and the drink selection was phenomenal!) and for managing our PRSA merchandise. A lot of folks now have fantastic PRSA bling to sport on the water! Overall I’m very thankful to all of the dozens of people who volunteered to help make this such a fantastic regatta.
2016 Spring Series #7: March Weather in May
On the one hand it is crazy that we had cold rain and temps in the 50s today. On the other hand, it is also crazy that this might have been one of the best days we have had all spring! The weather certainly has been crazy, and once again a group of intrepid sailors made the best of it for a day of river racing. We had 5 Lightnings, 5 or 6 Albacores, 3 I-20s, a Buc, and a couple of Lasers out on the race course. PRO Bob Gotthardt and his RC crew did a good job to get us 4 races in a shifty, spotty NE breeze.
I was especially pleased to have my parents out on the race course despite the dreary weather. My Dad sailed with me on #14592 and my Mom took some great photos from the RC boat! Scores are posted below, and you can keep reading for some details from my vantage point on Lightning #14592.
Continue reading 2016 Spring Series #7: March Weather in May
PRSA Merchandise!
Tired of this rainy weather? Stock up on colorful and functional PRSA gear now so you’re set to go once the sun comes back! Click the “PRSA Merchandise” menu item at the top right on the PRSA homepage to view the options and place your orders.
PRSA Spring Regatta: May 28-29
The NOR for the PRSA Spring Regatta (May 28-29) has been posted and registration is now open. Visit the regatta website and register by May 20 to take advantage of the early registration discount. Once you’ve registered, help us spread the word about the regatta!
We have partnered with DC Sail once again to organize a spectator cruise aboard the American Spirit on Saturday of the Spring Regatta. Spectator cruise tickets are $20/person (or $25 for a combined cruise and Saturday dinner ticket). Tickets can be purchased via the regatta website. We have also posted complete details on the cruise in the “race documents” area on the regatta website.
PRSA Rookie Regatta Rained Out
A few hardy sailors showed up this morning for the PRSA Rookie Regatta, including one true Rookie — Lizzie Ellis! Unfortunately the conditions did not cooperate with our plans to race and the regatta was cancelled due to rain and a lack of wind. Congratulations to Rookie Lizzie (under the umbrella) for winning the regatta by showing up and looking for a ride! We love the enthusiasm, Lizzie, and we’ll be sure to get you on a boat next week! We will also try to reschedule this event for after the end of our PRSA Spring Series, so stay tuned for more info.
