PRSA President’s Cup

prsa logo triangle2 The 2015 PRSA President’s Cup Regatta, sponsored by Annapolis Performance Sailing, will be held September 19 & 20 at Washington Sailing Marina, continuing the long tradition of competitive one-design racing started by the President’s Cup in 1934.  The regatta will be sailed on the Potomac River on two courses.  One-person dinghies (Lasers, El Toros, Penguins) will race on Saturday in the cove near Washington Sailing Marina (WSM) or off of the power plant just south of WSM.  Other classes (Albacores, Buccaneers, Catamarans, Flying Scots, Lightnings, I-20s, etc.) will race Saturday and Sunday on the north course between Hains Point and Gravelly Point (with the Capitol and national monuments as a backdrop).   Register now for the 2015 President’s Cup and view the NOR and other race information.  Registration fees increase after September 12, so make sure to register and pay online before September 12 to save yourself a bit of cash!

APS-Logo-OrangenoText                          DC Sail

Special thanks to Annapolis Performance Sailing for sponsoring the regatta and providing some additional prizes.  This year we will also have a spectator boat – the schooner American Spirit – thanks to the generosity of DC Sail and the National Maritime Heritage Foundation!  Make sure to tell your friends and family about this fantastic opportunity to view the sailing from the water on Sunday, Sept. 20.

 

Important Fall Schedule Information

I’m writing with a couple of important announcements about our fall racing schedule:

  1. We need to staff our Race Committee for the fall!  Please Sign up now if you have not already done so.
  2. We have decided to move the President’s Cup to Sept. 19-20 (a weekend different than the LLS Fundraiser).   More details are provided below.
  3. The PRSA Dinghy Open is back by popular demand, and will be held on October 4.

I’ve posted more details on these important changes below.  Please don’t hesitate to contact your Executive Board if you have any questions.

Continue reading Important Fall Schedule Information

PRSA Photo Contest

PRSA is once again partnering with CalendarLink (http://www.calendarlink.org/prsa/home.html) to produce a 2016 tide calendar.  These calendars show the actual tides predicted for the Potomac River at Washington National Airport on the Potomac River!  

This year we are having a photo contest to select photos to include in the calendar.  All PRSA members are encouraged to enter their very best photo.  Each PRSA member may submit one photo for consideration.  The winning photo will become the cover photo for the calendar and the winner will receive a FREE 2016 PRSA Calendar. 

 Here are the requirements for calendar photo submissions:

  • Photos must be horizontal images from digital cameras. 
  • Photos must be a minimum of 300 DPI width of 10.3 inches, height 8 inches or 3100 x 2400 pixels or a 1.3 to 1 ratio.
  • Photos may be submitted in JPEG, GIF, or PNG format.
  • Photos need not be from the current calendar year.

So get out there and start taking pictures!  Then, figure out which one is your best picture and enter it into the contest.  Email your photo to Jeff Neurauter (jmnsailor@yahoo.com) no later than November 1, 2015. 

Summer is Wednesday Night Sailing Season!

It is summer, so that means that it is Wednesday Night Sailing Season!  Stroll down to Washington Sailing Marina and look for our PRSA sailors in the dock/crane area around 5:30 each Wednesday.  If you’re new,  simply introduce yourself!  Wednesday night sailing is very informal, with short races in the cove and lots of fun/practice sailing.  We rotate people in and out of boats right off the dock, so everybody gets to take a turn!

Wednesday Night Sailing 24 June 2015
Wednesday Night Sailing 24 June 2015

Replica French Tall Ship Hermione in Alexandra, VA on Wednesday, June 10 – Friday June 12

If you are interested in seeing an authentic replica of an 18th century tall ship the French frigate Hermione will be in Alexandra Virginia at the Alexandria Marina behind the Torpedo Factory from Wednesday June 10 – Friday June 12, 2015. She will also be in Annapolis, MD, from Tuesday June 16 – Wednesday June 17, 2015 before making her way further up the eastern seaboard.

The vessel on displa is a reconstructed replica of the 18th century French frigate Hermione (Air-mee-on).  The original Hermione brought Gilbert du Motier the Marquis de Lafayette to George Washington with news of French military aid in 1780 during the American Revolutionary War. It was a Concorde class 32 gun frigate that participated in the naval blockade of the British contributing to the defeat of General Cornwallis by Washington and Rochambeau in the siege of Yorktown, Virginia.

The British captured the Hermione’s sister ship, La Concorde in 1783.  Before putting it into their service they made a study of the La Concorde including making drawings and plans. These plans were preserved and formed the basis for the Hermione replica. Construction on the replica ship began in 1997.  The ship has sailed from France and is expected in Yorktown, VA on Friday June 5.

Tickets are no longer available to reserve in advance for the tour in Alexandria but some tickets will be available to the public at 8:30 AM and 12 noon each day. Other events will be occurring pier-side 9 AM to 7 PM Wednesday through Friday.

Learn more at:

http://hermione2015.com/voyage2015/alexandria

http://www.visitalexandriava.com/calendar-of-events/hermione-in-alexandria/

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-32350305

Capital City Laser Regatta 2015 – Results

Chris Bolton with the help of Lindsay Bach ran the line boat while Bill Kleysteuber & Frank Gallagher ran the mark boat.  The water was so low in the river from the previous two days of strong northerly winds that Chris was forced to set us up in the cove.  The wind was very patchy and  could switch 180 degrees between the windward and leeward mark.  The lead boat around the leeward mark often lossed that lead on the short beat to the finish as a result of big wind shifts that would lift the 2nd boat to the finish while leaving the lead boat stranded.

Len Guenther managed the conditions with patience and won the regatta.

Capital City Laser Regatta – Series Standing

Pictures from the mark boat by Lindsay Bach

2015 Spring Series #6 on May 30

We had a beautiful day on the river with a 10-12 kt. southerly blowing steadily all day long.  Will Phillippe and his RC crew set a nice long racecourse and gave the various classes a mixture of “T” and “W” courses.  The great breeze meant that we finished 4 races in no time and I think most sailors were happy to head to shore to relax, stretch out, and enjoy a beverage with some BBQ after a great (but exhausting) day of sailing.

2015 Spring Series 6 – Buccaneers

2015 Spring Series 6 – Lightnings

2015 Spring Series 6 – Multihulls

May 31 Wind Observations