Saturday and Sunday of Memorial Day Weekend Annually
Potomac River Sailing Association
Washington Sailing Marina, Alexandria VA
Register Here: https://nextsailor.com/regatta/PRSASpringRegatta2025
Photo Credit: Nic Bogren
Hello PRSA Sailors,
Greetings Sailors,
The Potomac River Sailing Association held its Annual General Meeting and Awards Ceremony on Saturday, November 16, at Alexandria Bier Garden. We had a wonderful time celebrating the 2024 racing year and planning for 2025 (things are always more fun with Bier and Bratwurst!). Many, many thanks to our PRSA Social Chair, Natalie Rehberger, and our PRSA Secretary, Melissa Morgan, for all of the work that they 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 2024 are posted on our results page. 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 2025 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!
The Potomac River Sailing Association Annual General Meeting (AGM) & Awards Ceremony will be held on Saturday, November 16, 12:00-3:00 pm, at the Alexandria Bier Garden (710 King Street, Alexandria VA, 22314). Please RSVP if you have not already done so using this link – https://forms.gle/AzjqNR4UQSq3a2tf7 – so that we can scale the food order appropriately. The cost is $30/person, which covers the buffet. Beverages (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) may be purchased at the bar. We will have great food, awards, some nice and well-deserved recognitions, and more! Children are welcome. Please do RSVP ASAP, though, to help us out as we plan the event!
PRSA Sailors,
We are seeking nominations for vacant and soon-to-be vacant Executive Committee positions. Specifically, Vice Commodore and Secretary. You can read the position descriptions in Article IV of our PRSA Bylaws at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hTChVfws3VvGSUgKhIOBLU5gaqIOs2Xr/view?usp=sharing.
As an all-volunteer organization we rely on the idea that everybody steps up to take a turn at volunteering for our various positions so that we can spread these service obligations around, learn from new people in new roles, and not be reliant on the same small cast of individuals each year. Without folks willing to donate a bit of time and effort, we would not exist. Please let us know if you are interested.
The election for ExCom positions will be held at our Annual General Meeting & Awards Ceremony (November 16; precise location and time TBD))
We are just one week away from the start of our Fall Series! Please make sure that you are registered for the series and that you’ve signed up for RC duty, using the links provided below. In addition, we will be holding a “Running Races at PRSA” Webinar on September 5 (details below). Finally, make sure to sign up for the PRSA President’s Cup, our signature fall 2-day regatta. Keep reading for all the links and details!
Prior to the start of the Fall Series, we will hold a Running Races at PRSA Webinar on Thursday, September 5, 7:30 pm (on Zoom: https://american.zoom.us/j/99437900322?pwd=EQCvuR2F7Ml6whtDdoR2qZORelIGHb.1). No matter whether you have extensive experience running races or are just learning, this is a good opportunity to review our procedures at PRSA so that we can have safe, fast, and smooth racing each Sunday.
Fall Series#1: with hopes of good weather, we are planning on grilling out after the racing. I’ll bring some extra brats and beverages. Please make sure to bring something for your crew and feel free to invite friends and family for the post-race fun!
PRSA Fall Series: Our PRSA Fall Season starts on Sunday, September 8. Please keep the following in mind as you prepare for the series:
PRSA President’s Cup: our signature fall 2-day regatta will be held September 21-22, and registration for the President’s Cup is open! Visit https://nextsailor.com/regatta/PRSAPresidentsCup2024 to register. Mark your calendars, organize your boats and crew, and spread the word to sailors you know at other clubs! We’d love to welcome visiting boats in all of our classes for a great regatta. Many thanks to Tyler, who will be serving as Regatta Chair. Finally, if you’re interested in some President’s Cup history, check out this Regatta Program from the 1955 President’s Cup: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2wMQVqjmo-XODh0Z1NHWEVYUTQ/view?usp=sharing&resourcekey=0-iYyMWIjUUpp4oDwrGCC7Kw (this booklet was spotted in a secondhand bookstore by Bobby Astrove’s son several years ago—a great find!).
Greetings PRSA Sailors!
I hope everybody has had a relaxing summer and has also hat the chance to do some sailing. For me, I enjoyed racing in a very competitive Lightning District Championship Regatta down at Leesylvania State Park (a beautiful venue) and I also enjoyed a wonderful 4th of July weekend cruise aboard a Dufour 430 with some PRSA and SSA Friends. I’m writing now to share some summer updates as we head towards the start of the fall sailing season.
PRSA Fall Series: Our PRSA Fall Season starts on Sunday, September 8. Please keep the following in mind as you prepare for the series:
PRSA President’s Cup: our signature fall 2-day regatta will be held September 21-22, and registration for the President’s Cup is open! Visit https://nextsailor.com/regatta/PRSAPresidentsCup2024 to register. Mark your calendars, organize your boats and crew, and spread the word to sailors you know at other clubs! We’d love to welcome visiting boats in all of our classes for a great regatta. Many thanks to Tyler, who will be serving as Regatta Chair. Finally, if you’re interested in some President’s Cup history, check out this Regatta Program from the 1955 President’s Cup: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2wMQVqjmo-XODh0Z1NHWEVYUTQ/view?usp=sharing&resourcekey=0-iYyMWIjUUpp4oDwrGCC7Kw (this booklet was spotted in a secondhand bookstore by Bobby Astrove’s son several years ago—a great find!).
PRSA Executive Committee Positions: we are seeking individuals interested in serving in the PRSA Vice Commodore and PRSA Secretary positions as members transition out of their service roles. You can read the position descriptions in Article IV of our PRSA Bylaws: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hTChVfws3VvGSUgKhIOBLU5gaqIOs2Xr/view?usp=sharing. As an all-volunteer organization we rely on the idea that everybody steps up to take a turn at volunteering for our various positions so that we can spread these service obligations around, learn from new people in new roles, and not be reliant on the same small cast of individuals each year. Please let us know if you are interested.
PRSA Financial Audit: our bylaws stipulate that we conduct an audit of our books each year. If anybody has relevant expertise and would be willing to volunteer for this task (we think it should be fairly straightforward), please let us know.
PRSA Membership: we have good news to report here! Our membership numbers are up a bit compared to this time last year. In August 2023 we counted 77 total members (skipper, junior, associate, and life members). As of August 2024, we have 84 total members. This modest growth is good news! Keep telling your friends about PRSA (and tell them to tell their friends!) so we can continue this growth.
PRSA Annual General Meeting & Awards Ceremony: save the date, November 16, for our 2024 AGM. Specific information on the exact time of day and location will be sent along as soon as we’ve finalized those details.
Awards Nominations: later this fall we will open up nominations for several of our PRSA Awards: the Founder’s Trophy, the More Boats on the Water Trophy, and the Yates Dowell III Award. I’ve included the award descriptions below. Now is a good time to reflect on the spring season and to keep these awards in mind as we start the fall so that you’re ready when we start collecting nominations. The awards ballot will be circulated a few weeks before the Annual General Meeting (November 16) and the awardees will be announced at the AGM. Here are the award descriptions for the awards that the PRSA membership will vote on prior to the AGM:
Please note that, per consensus among the Fleet Captains, the PRSA Fleet Captain’s Award (for exceptional RC Service) will be decided on by the Fleet Captains (not by a general membership vote, like the other awards). If you have somebody who you’d like to recommend for this award, please talk to your Fleet Captain.
PRSA Merchandise: PRSA has partnered with Lands’ End so that you can choose the items you want and have them embroidered with the PRSA logo. Here’s how you can get the gear of your choice with the PRSA logo on it: Navigate to our PRSA Lands’ End page: https://business.landsend.com/store/potomacriversailing/. Pick out any item you would like to have embroidered with the PRSA logo. (Please note some items require a minimum purchase amount. There is a handy filter on the menu sidebar to get to items that require no minimum purchase quantity). Pick the color and size of the item(s) you wish to purchase. Hit the “Apply Logo” button (usually on the bottom left hand side of the website). The Lands’ End website will allow you to customize the logo and the location of the logo. As of right now we only have one logo but in the future we will add iterations of logos that will highlight classes and items that will present well on different fabrics and colors. Add the item to your cart. The price for the embroidery will be reflected there. Should you have any questions regarding your order please contact Lands’ End directly at https://business.landsend.com/store/potomacriversailing/customerservice/contact-us
As always, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us (prsaboard@gmail.com) if you have any questions. I look forward to seeing you all on the water this fall!
Cheers,
Aaron
Greetings all,
We’ve got 5 dinghies registered for the DISC 3 Bridges Fiasco race this Saturday. Who else is interested? If you need crew, or are looking to crew, don’t forget about the “Crew Connection” (link on our PRSA Homepage). Fleet Captains: please forward this reminder to your Fleet listservs. This is a really fun race and the weather forecast for Saturday looks promising.
The NOR and the registration link are both posted at https://discsailing.org/ (scroll down a bit to the “Upcoming Events/Registration” area. The SIs will be posted soon.
I’m also including here some informaton from DISC Commodore PEte Fanta, who will also run the RC on Saturday. From Pete:
I hope to see you out on the water on Saturday!
Cheers,
Aaron
The PRS Spring Series is underway! Please make sure that you’ve registered for the series, signed up for spring RC dates, and read through the rest of the information included below. Please don’t hesitate to let us know (prsaboard@gmail.com) if you have any questions.
Please feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions. I look forward to seeing everybody on the water and then at the post-race BBQ (along with your friends and family!) on April 14!
Hi sailors,
