It was one of those days that rewarded individuals who went outside to enjoy it! Winds were steady in the low teens and we had glimpses of sunlight throughout racing. We were able to get in three to four races per fleet, and what was best was the Lightnings, I-20s, and Albacores – and one ILCA! – all showing up. In fact, the Albacore fleet grew throughout the day! We’ll do it again next weekend!
Kaitlyn
Spring 1 started the morning with gusts to 40+ Driving to the marina I seriously doubted we’d launch any boats. A couple of minutes before the skippers meeting the rain began. We had five Albacores that wanted to try to race, so we opted for a 1 hr. On shore post postponement.
Winds moderated, still raining, but at 11 the committee left the dock, and about 12:15 the first of 3 races started. As predicted the rain stopped about noon. I knew I wanted to be in by 3, as the winds were forecast to crank up again. But that was enough of a window to get in 3 races. At the second competitors meeting we discussed the lower course and off the landing lights, however opted for our regular Hains Point venue.
As you can the part of the day we actually sailed winds were 10 to 13 with some gusts hitting 20. “Sporty” for an Albacore. One boat did flip, PRSA rescue boat (Mike Scardsville (Albacore) and Justin Harler (I-20) were right there, but not needed, Other assistant today on the RC was John Hart (Lightning)
Again, early in the morning I figured the first day of the PRSA season was going to be a disaster. In the end it was a ½ decent day for racing sailboats.
We do it again next Sunday, hope to see all there.
– Bob Astrove
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.
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!
Nabeel Alsalam, Maryann Gallagher, Eva Hogan, and Kaitlyn Lucey was your RC. The winds were light and from the north or northwest. Being optimistic, we set up a pretty long course for the first race, but the wind was light and it took almost an hour and a half for all the sailor to complete the course. We pulled in the windward mark for the second race but the winds fell to almost nothing. So we shortened the race at the 2nd windward mark.
After the racing, the sailors congregated in the grove. Lee Mullins brought chilli and hot dogs were plentiful on the grill. It was a pleasant afternoon and, of course, the breeze seemed to pick up.
