Registration is open for the PRSA Spring Regatta! Sign up now and help us spread the word about our signature spring event: https://www.nextsailor.com/app/page/regatta/672.
If you are interested in volunteering to help out with some regatta organization, please let Regatta Chair Kaitlyn Lucey know. This is a great chance to get involved with one of our events, learn more about regatta organization and operation, and help out PRSA!
Updated 29 May: we had a great weekend of racing, with all classes getting 9 or 10 races in a shifty and variable easterly. Results are posted here: https://www.regattanetwork.com/event/26050#_newsroom and we have some fantastic photos from Lindsay Bach (from the mark boat) posted here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/mS7iMjrp9u6yJ3to8
******
Register now for the PRSA Spring Regatta (May 27-28) and enjoy two days of racing on the Potomac River with the monuments and Capitol as a backdrop. Head to the Regatta Network site – https://www.regattanetwork.com/event/26050 – to register and to view the NOR. Additional regatta information will be posted on the Regatta Network site.
A few weeks ago, Barney Harris made Raines an offer to come down and race in the Potomac River Sailing Association’s Spring Regatta. It was one of those offers Raines couldn’t refuse – Barney was providing his Republican red boat, his house, pick up and drop off from the airport, and a lot of beer. Raines asked me to tag along knowing that I wouldn’t be able to resist getting into political arguments with Barney and possibly wind up epoxied to a dock.
The forecast was for light air on Saturday and even less on Sunday – but if you didn’t want to hike (like me), this wasn’t a bad thing. Unfortunately, like pollsters, weather forecasters can be completely wrong with no consequences, and what we actually got on Saturday was a gusty 10-15 knots with a small craft warning in effect.
An albacore is an albacore is an albacore – unless it’s Barney’s, which has about 99% more control lines than what we’re used to. Writing down what some of the lines did was helpful, but that didn’t stop us from falling down a couple of times during tacks and gybes. It seemed like going left was the payoff move, but being Canadian and polite, we went right to stay out of everyone’s way. Eventually, with some skill (from Raines) and luck (being the ant infestation in the boat Barney was using), we got ourselves settled and Barney’s red boat squeaked out a bullet in the last race over Barney’s other boats,
giving us the lead for the day. Dinner was a huge spread of tacos, nachos, salads, cookies, and beer.
Sunday was one of those days where you discovered how cruel or kind the RC was. The wind was looking bleak (except for when the planes were landing), so the only decision was whether they would postpone us on land or make us go out. Fortunately, they went with the former, giving Barney more time to murder ants, and eventually they called the day off to the relief of many. And more tacos and nachos were served!
We got some very nice prizes, but the real champions of this regatta were the volunteers. I understand there was a four(!!!) person regatta committee with many more hands that pitched in to pick up the food, pack it away, set it back out, run the races, get the prizes, get the ice, and the list goes on and on. And it was an amazing event – there was a ton of good food, coolers full of Hapco-sponsored beer (that Raines orbited like a little moon), and lots of helpful and friendly people. It made me feel welcome and made me want to come back. I hope the volunteers all know how much the sailors appreciated the work (and plan to pay it back), and how proud PRSA should be of them.
Again, a huge thanks to everyone for their work on this regatta, and the biggest thanks to Barney for making this happen and for not watching us while we took 40 minutes to de-rig his boat.
Our regular PRSA Spring Series is underway and the PRSA Spring Regatta will be held on May 25-26. Join us for great fun on and off the water!
We had two fantastic days of racing for the PRSA Spring Regatta, with PRO Nabeel Alsalam and his crew getting us 5 races on Saturday and 3 more on Sunday. 37 boats in 5 classes came out for the fun and we all enjoyed spectacular sailing conditions with sunny skies, flat water, and moderate southerly breezes. Results are posted here and you should feel free to add your comments below!
The NOR for the PRSA Spring Regatta (May 26-27) has been posted and registration is now open. Visit the regatta website and register by May 22 to take advantage of the early registration discount. Once you’ve registered, help us spread the word about the regatta!
The NOR for the PRSA Spring Regatta (May 27-28) has been posted and registration is now open. Visit the regatta website and register by May 21 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.
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.
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.
What a fantastic turnout for the PRSA Spring Regatta! We had nearly fifty boats and almost 100 sailors out racing over a fantastic Memorial Day weekend. Even though Saturday’s wind conditions were light and spotty we still got in 3 races on the upper course (and more on the lower course), followed by a wonderful BBQ put together by Lee, Lisa-Marie, and Jim. It was great to see so many friends and family members at the post-race BBQ. Our patience on Saturday was rewarded with a nice 8-10 kt southerly breeze on Sunday. After 3 more fantastic races on Sunday we enjoyed another nice BBQ.
