The PRSA Lightning Fleet had their annual invitational regatta at Leesylvania State Park on May 30 and 31 — the 40th Anniversary of the Dillard-Gilbert Potomac Cup.
The Albacore Fleet ran the races: Jim Graham at PRO, Barney Harris as Mark Boat Captain with assistant Dan Miller on Saturday and Mike Chabala on Sunday. Maryann Gallagher help Jim Graham on the line boat both days. They did a super job.
The weather on Saturday was sporty. The winds were in the mid to high teens with gusts up into the mid 20s. The wind from the north came down a long fetch and set up big waves that were surfable even on a Lightning but also could get the heart pounding. There was only one capsize.
The weather on Sunday was much much calmer, maybe bit too calm. But the RC got off two races for us. So, in a sense, perfect weather for a regatta – a range of wind and waves to test the skills of the sailors.
Trevor Prior from the Susquehanna Yacht Club is the Potomac Cup Champion for 2026. The local team of Nabeel Alsalam (me), Tom Hutton, and Ryan Barone were one point behind after day 1 but had an OCS and fell another point behind on day 2, but was that enough to finish second.
Start and first beat on Saturday