Another gorgeous day to be sailing. The wind swung around to the south and was in the low teens. Rob (Albacore sailor from Toronto), Barney, Laura A., and Jim Schuster ran the races and kept on giving us races until the cut-off time was reached – six races for a total of 12 for the regatta.
Laura W. and Steen were back grilling and setting out food for our after racing chattering.
It was a glorious day. It started off very blustery but settled down later. The race committee of Jim Schuster, Barney Harris, and Laura Albert gave the racers 6 fun races.
Afterwards, a team of volunteers headed by Laura Windecker and Steen Byskov gave the racers and race committee a great cookout dinner.
DC, VA, and MD have assessed that the Potomac is safe for boating, so we are proceeding with plans to hold the regatta. We will continue to monitor the water quality measurements and assessments made by those and other organizations and adjust plans accordingly.
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The regatta is open to ILCA7 (full-rig) and ILCA6 (radial rig) boats. We will have two fleets and separate starts if we get 8 or more entries in each fleet. Competitors can change their fleet choice up to the skipper’s meeting on Saturday. Otherwise, the ILCA6s and ILCA7s will sail together as a single fleet.
We would really like to have two fleets, so please encourage your lightweight sailor friends to register.
The weather is warming and so thoughts of sailing are sprouting in my mind. It’s time for me to give some attention to my boat and the repairs and improvements that I put off at the end of last season.
Here are the current PRSA plans that I know of (I’ll post adjustments as needed):
Capital City ILCA (Laser) Regatta on April 11 and 12.
Sunday Spring Series begins on April 12 19 (10 am skipper’s meeting, first warning signal at 11:30 up near Haines Point). The series will continue for eight Sundays through June 15 (skipping over memorial day Sunday).
Spring Regatta on May 23 and 24 (memorial day weekend)
Doc Gilbert and Jim Dillard Potomac Cup (Lightning) Regatta on May 30 and 31 at Leesylvania State Park 20 miles down river.
2/13/2026
Many of you sailors may have heard of the massive sewage spill into the Potomac upstream from Georgetown. It is more or less contained, though repairs may involve additional sewage release(s). Repairs are reported to take 4-6 weeks. The level of pollution reported varies by reporting source.
In an abundance of caution faced with very limited current information, the PRSA board has decided to suspend use of the committee boats, which also means the suspension of the Laser Frostbite Series. We will be reviewing this suspension as frequently as we get new and reassuring information. We regret the lack of sailing opportunities in the meantime.
We are basing our decision on the information provided in the Potomac Riverkeeper webinar on February 11th. During the webinar, the Riverkeeper, a watchdog group, shared data collected in partnership with the University of Maryland showing elevated E. coli levels near the spill site (up to ~4,000 times safe levels) and several miles downriver. They also found Staph and MRSA (antibiotic-resistant Staph) near the spill site and Staph at several stations downriver. As of last week, the area off WSM appears to be within EPA safe limits for E. coli.
However, the Riverkeeper emphasized that the spill situation is very much in flux: additional releases are possible as DC Water continues to make repairs over the next 4-6 weeks, and there are many uncertainties related to how melting ice and increasing temperatures will impact water quality in the river, especially downstream. Critically, there are no public agencies regularly sampling the water (e.g., daily) at multiple locations downriver, nor are any state or federal entities (with the exception of MD) stepping up to issue public health advisories. Without trusted data and information available on a regular basis, it is impossible to be confident that our sailing area is safe on a given Sunday. This shouldn’t be the case, but unfortunately, it is.
There is much more to this story as noted in the attached summary, which also includes a link to the recording.
If you would like to support spill-related efforts, consider donating to the Riverkeeper and signing an advocacy letter pushing for health advisories from local agencies.
Ed Ryan
Secretary PRSA
It was cold – air below freezing and water just above freezing. And the wind was gusty and shifty from the northwest. Nevertheless, 12 sailors rigged and launched their ILCA dinghies.
The first thing they and the race committee noticed was that there was very little water. The race committee (Nabeel & Barney) had to hunt for an area with enough water for the centerboards. It wasn’t easy.
The second thing the sailors noticed was that their control lines seemed very slippery and the cleats were not holding. A sheet of water was freezing on all the control lines. The sailors adapted. If the vang cleat was not holding, one solution was to bring it back to the mainsheet cleat. Outhauls were left in whatever position they froze in.
The third thing the sailors had to contend with is very shifty breezes which not infrequently resulted in a capsize.
Despite the challenges the sailors did their best and nine completed the four races.
Three members of the Jacob family were there: James, Alex, and Erin. It was good to see them all.
Mark Sanford came down from Pennsylvania. Thanks, Mark.
After sailing and after the boats were put away, we fired up a vintage Coleman gas camp stove and heated up a gallon and a half of cider. Mount Gay rum was available to those who wanted a dollup.
The top two finishers – Alex and James – finished every race in those positions. It was a contest for third place and Skeen captured that.
Finally, thanks to Jacob D. and Dan M. for volunteering for RC, helping get the boats and marks ready to go, and helping sailors get launched.
Greetings Sailors,
The Potomac River Sailing Association held its Annual General Meeting and Awards Ceremony on Saturday, November 15, at Alexandria Bier Garden. We had a wonderful time celebrating the 2025 racing year and planning for 2026 (things are always more fun with Bier, Bratwurst, and Spätzle!). Many, many thanks to our PRSA Social Chair, Natalie Rehberger, for all of the work that she did to organize a fantastic event!
You can read a summary of the meeting proceedings here. You’ll also find some fantastic photos taken by Kaitlyn on Facebook. Final racing results from 2025 & racing awards were also presented. I’m grateful for all of the people who stepped up to volunteer time, effort, and knowledge this year and am grateful for those who have stepped up for the coming year. Here are a few highlights from the meeting:
Perpetual Trophy Awardees
Your 2026 PRSA Executive Committee
Good luck to all of our frostbite sailors as the frostbite season starts. Please keep an eye on your email and on this website for more updates from PRSA!
Greetings PRSA Sailors,
Our 2025 PRSA Annual General Meeting (AGM) & Awards Ceremony will be held on November 15, 12:00-3:00 pm, at Alexandria Beer Garden (710 King Street, Alexandria VA, 22314).
PRSA will cover the German buffet (Brats, Spätzle, Vegan Wurst, Schnitzel, Potato Salad, German Chocolate Cake, Apple Pie, and more) — there is no door charge this year! Beverages are not included in the buffet, but a nice selection of German (and other) beers as well as non-alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase.
Please RSVP using this form so we know how many people are coming! More importantly–please attend! We need a quorum of voting (skipper) members to approve our updated PRSA Bylaws to put PRSA on solid organizational and financial ground for the coming years. We will also elect a new slate of PRSA Officers and, of course, celebrate the racing year with awards and lots of good cheer!
John Van Voorhis, Nic Bogren, Kyra Tallon, and Nick Allen ran the races. The wind was light which could have resulted in no races or few races, which plagued the earlier fall series, but they were able to get off four races — good for them!
