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News

Summer Update: Bylaws Revisions, Fall Series, PRSA Awards, and More!

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Greetings PRSA Sailors,

We are just a few weeks away from the start of the Fall Series!  On behalf of your PRSA Executive Committee, I have some important announcements to share as well as some important reminders for the Fall Series.   

Fall Series RC Signup: please take a moment to select your RC duties as per Tyler’s 20 August email.

Fall Series #1: show up and race on Sunday, Sept. 7, to kick off the Fall Series.  Then, make sure to stick around for the BYO food/beverage BBQ afterwards.  I’m out of town on the 7th but Mike Scardaville has agreed to serve as grill master (thanks Mike!).  Invite your friends and family to join us, even if they’re not sailing, so that they can meet folks!

President’s Cup: register now for our signature Fall Regatta!

Bylaws Revisions: our current set of Bylaws mandated a review of the dues structure in 2025.  With thanks to the PRSA Executive Committee – and to Ed (current PRSA Secretary) and Melissa (prior Secretary, Social Director and Outreach Director) in particular for lots of organizational and legal sleuthing to help us restore PRSA’s official incorporation status and to modernize our bylaws – we have an updated set of PRSA Bylaws for consideration, and a vote, for the 2025 AGM.  Our revised Bylaws, which include an updated dues structure as well as revised and updated Executive Committee and ExecCom Support Roles – modernize and streamline PRSA.  We have done our best to balance the dues structure with very concrete realities – declining (but stabilized) membership levels accompanied by steady increases in costs – and to update the various roles required to run the organization to meet current and future needs.  Please review the proposed bylaws carefully and make a plan, now, to attend our 2025 Annual General Meeting and Awards Ceremony on Saturday, Nov. 15 (exact time and place TBA) to consider and vote on the revised Bylaws.  Please note that at the AGM we will hold just one vote on the adoption of the revised Bylaws (we will not be entertaining motions to amend or adjust the revised Bylaws). If passed, the incoming board can amend and improve upon the bylaws later. 

Bylaws Revisions: Why We’re Updating

Our current bylaws mandated a review of the dues structure in 2025. With thanks to the PRSA Executive Committee – with extra special thanks to Ed (current PRSA Secretary) and Melissa (former Secretary, Social Chair, and Outreach Director) for their extensive organizational and legal research – we have not only reviewed dues, but also undertaken a broader modernization of PRSA’s bylaws. This process has helped us restore PRSA’s official incorporation status and align our bylaws with current best practices for member-run associations. If passed, the incoming board can amend and improve upon the bylaws later if needed.

The revised bylaws we will vote on at the 2025 AGM include:

  • Updated dues structure: Adjusted to reflect today’s economic realities, with a model that accounts for both stabilized membership levels and rising operating costs. This ensures we can sustain high-quality racing, regattas, and social activities without overburdening members.

  • Modernized officer and committee roles: Clarified responsibilities, added a Communications Director, and streamlined committee duties to reflect the way PRSA operates today (including website, outreach, regatta logistics, and social activities). These updates help distribute the workload more fairly and position us to meet future organizational needs.

  • Improved governance: Bylaws now provide more flexibility and transparency in how decisions are made (e.g., Executive Committee authority, voting rules), making PRSA more nimble and resilient.

In short: these revisions modernize and streamline PRSA, balancing fairness to members with the practical needs of running our sailing association.  We had some fun with technology in summarizing all of this, so for a non-official summary of key changes, please see below for a ChatGPT-generated summary (edited by Tyler and Aaron; note that this is neither an official version of the Bylaws nor an official record of the proposed changes, but it provides a pretty good summary).

Above all, please review the proposed bylaws carefully and plan to attend the 2025 Annual General Meeting and Awards Ceremony on Saturday, Nov. 15 (exact time and place TBA) to vote on their adoption.  Note: The AGM will include a single vote on the revised bylaws as a whole. We will not be entertaining motions to amend or adjust the language at the meeting.

Potomac River Safety/Exclusion Zone: Tyler has confirmed with the DC Harbor Patrol via phone that the zone from last Spring has been removed.  Hurray!

Awards Nominations: now is a good time to start to think about nominating PRSA Sailors for our Perpetual Awards!  The nomination form (with awards descriptions) is available here and will be open through Friday, November 7.

Officer & Supporting Role Nominations: looking ahead to next year, we need some volunteers to fill some roles.  Both Tyler’s term and my term end this fall (without renewal options).  Please consider running for the Commodore and the Vice-Commodore positions!  We need a complete Executive Committee to run our day-to-day operations and, in turn, ensure safe and fun racing.  We will also be looking for a new ExecCom Officer: Communications Director (in charge of outreach, communications, social media, etc.).  Finally, we will need volunteers to serve in the Scorer role as well as Spring Regatta Regatta Chair and President’s Cup Regatta Chair for 2026.  

As always, please feel free to email us (prsaboard@gmail.com) if you have any questions.  I look forward to seeing you all out on the water soon!

PRSA Bylaws Revisions 2025 FINAL

***********************************************************

Summary of Changes to the PRSA Bylaws*

Things That Stay the Same

  • Name & Purpose: PRSA name, black swan pennant, and mission statement remain unchanged.
  • Membership categories: Active, Associate, Junior, Honorary, and Life memberships remain in place with the same general rights (skippering, voting, committees, etc., depending on class).
  • Race framework: PRSA continues Spring, Fall, and Frostbite Series..
  • Fleet requirement: A fleet needs 5+ members to qualify as an active one-design fleet.

Key Changes in Membership (Article III)

  • Junior membership age: changed from under 18 to under 25.
  • Associate members: previously required to perform Race Committee (RC) duties; this duty has been removed.
  • Dues:
    • Current Bylaws: Fixed dues schedule (e.g. $130 Active multi-person, $100 single, $45 Associate, $40 Junior) with periodic increases every 3 years (+$10 for Active, +$5 for Associate/Junior).
    • Proposed November 2025 Bylaws: New dues schedule for 2026 ($150 Active multi-person, $100 single, $50 Associate, $40 Junior) with annual 4% increases (rounded).

Key Changes in Officers & Governance (Article IV–VI)

  • Board Size: Increased from 5 officers to 6 officers.
  • New Officer Role: Communications Director added, responsible for public-facing outreach, social media, website, and chairing the Social Committee.
  • Secretary duties expanded: Now responsible for official filings and maintaining organization good standing.
  • Executive Committee composition:
    • Jan 2025: Officers + Fleet Representatives (all voting).
    • Nov 2025: Only officers are voting members; Fleet Representatives serve in an advisory role.
  • Voting thresholds: Most votes now explicitly require a simple majority (50%+1) at both membership and Executive Committee levels (clarified in Nov 2025).

Key Changes in Committees (Article VII)

  • Outreach Committee (Secretary-led) removed; duties reassigned to Communications Director portfolio..
  • Social Committee: Now run by Communications Director instead of appointed Social Chair.
  • Regatta Chairs: New role added — Rear Commodore appoints a Regatta Chair for each event, responsible for budget, logistics, NOR, SIs, and food/beverage.
  • Auditing Committee: Present in Jan 2025 bylaws; removed in Nov 2025 version.

Key Changes in Amendments (Article X)

  • Jan 2025: Amendments required a 2/3 vote of the membership at Annual Meeting (with 15 days’ notice).
  • Nov 2025: Amendments can be passed in two ways:
    1. By a 2/3 super-majority of the Executive Committee.
    2. By 2/3 of the membership at the Annual Meeting (with 15 days’ notice).

Summary for Members

  • Membership: Junior age expanded; dues structure shifted from flat 3-year increases to annual 4% increases.
  • Governance: Expanded Board (6 officers), new Communications Director, clarified voting rules, and Fleet Reps moved to advisory status.  
  • Committees: Outreach eliminated, Social under Communications, Race Program expanded, new Regatta Chair role, Auditing removed.
  • Amendments: Executive Committee now has the power to amend bylaws by super-majority, in addition to membership votes at AGM.

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* Summary generated by ChatGPT; edited by Tyler and Aaron.  Note that this is an AI/LLM-generated summary, not an official version of the Bylaws nor the official record of the revisions.

News, Results

Spring Regatta Results

The 2025 PRSA Spring Regatta was held May 24-25 in some great sailing conditions.  15 Albacores, 3 Flying Scots, and a Laser participated in the racing.  Saturday saw gusty conditions with NW breezes in the hight teens, gusting into the high 20s at times.  PRO Aaron Boesenecker and his RC crew (Dana Howe, Jim Graham and Dave McCaskill on Saturday; Jim Greenley, Jim Graham, and John Hart on Sunday) were able to get the Albacores 7 T-2 races (!) on Saturday.  Sunday  saw NW breezes but warmer temps and diminished wind velocity.  The RC got the Albacores 6 more races (the Laser joined in for a few) and the Flying Scots 5 races.

2025 PRSA Spring Regatta Full Results

Regattas, Announcements

Spring Regatta Registration Open

PRSA Spring Regatta – 05/24/2025 – 05/25/2025

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

Announcements

Potomac River Safety Zone Update

Hello PRSA Sailors,

This notification contains important information about the current restrictions on the Potomac River.  The current Safety Zone is adjacent to National Airport, extending E-W from the airport shore to the navigation channel and N-S (roughly) from the end of Runway 33 (the gravel “bump out” in the river) to the southern tip of the airport.  Please see the attached diagrams for reference (the zone is denoted by the “box” diagram on chart #1 and by the pink “T” symbols demarcating a box on chart #2, which is the current NOAA ECR Chart).  
 
Entering the Safety Zone is prohibited.  We have been in touch with The Captain of the Port (COTP) Maryland-National Capital Region and received the following information:
  • There are no exceptions to the Safety Zone prohibitions. Being a sailboat needing to traverse the area does not exempt you from the exclusion zone rule.
  • Entering the safety zone to avoid traffic in the channel is prohibited.
For the time being, please keep in mind that all river traffic will be using the marked channel on the east side of the river in this area.  At PRSA, we are assessing what this might mean for our Spring Series and we are in contact with local officials.  We will update you if/when we receive new information.
Frostbite, Lasers, Lasers, News

2024-2025 ILCA Frostbite #3

Frostbite, Lasers, Lasers, News, Results

2024-2025 ILCA Frostbite #2

Well today was a tough day.  We had a mostly westerly that seemed to have oscillating directions of about +/-45 degrees at times and velocity chances from 2 to 10.  Generally speaking the breeze was out of the west at about 5 knots I would guess though.  The shifty conditions made racing tough with lots of position changes throughout the race and no one really owning the day.

Eva and Dan did a nice job running races and were able to get 4 races off in the tough conditions.  They adjusted the windward mark and line after the first race which made things a bit more even for the shifts.
I do not really have any great tips for the day but would like to highlight a decision that Tom Hutton made in the last race.  There were several of us stacked up at the leeward mark rounding and Tom and I rounded in 4th and 5th with 3 boats ahead of us.  I had a nice tight rounding and managed to not be getting bad air from the 3 boats stacked in front of us and Tom was outside of me on the rounding.  He chose to foot off some and get to clear air for the “upwind” beat which was mostly just point at the mark and get there.  Several lifts occurred on the leg and I eventually found myself in bad air from the 3 boats ahead of me.  Tom on the other hand had clear air all the way to the mark and won the leg and race due to his choice at the leeward mark.  Just a reminder that pointing high and being inside at the mark is not always the best choice!
I hope that everyone has a safe and happy Thanksgiving and look forward to seeing who shows up on Sunday for Series #3!
Farley
Frostbite, Series, Lasers, Frostbite, Fleets, Lasers, Results

2024-2025 ILCA Frostbite #1

On a puff and a shift: First 3rd place write-up of the season

To those who are new to frostbiting, it is our tradition that whoever gets 3rd place circulates a short write-up about the day, and I volunteered to do this first one. It was great to see 18 boats on a day when the forecast wasn’t exactly promising. Also great to see both familiar and new faces. The first gamble of the day was whether to race at all, and we gave it a go. After bobbing around with no wind from changing directions, we ended up with a slowly building southernly light breeze and had three good light-air races. Good on Farley and Tyler for calling when the wind direction stabilized, resetting the course, and getting us going. A few lessons from the sailing today:

Starting well and not early with light breeze and the current pushing us to windward is tricky.  My plan was to stay a bit behind the line and make sure I have space to build up speed before the start. I didn’t execute any of the starts particularly well including being the sole boat across the line in race three – thanks to Farley or Tyler who called out a crisp “405”.

Being fast upwind required staying alert while the boat imitated the motions of a crib lulling you to sleep. I had the vang slightly looser than 2-blocked, a deep curve from the outhaul, and absolutely nowhere near using the cunningham. Finding clear air, doing your best to roll tack, not having to duck others unless really necessary helps. But the big gains were on calling the puffs and the shift.  In my read, the puffs were particularly important, and they’re easier to spot than the shifts.  It’s always a gamble whether you get it right, but you can improve the odds by looking at the water down river and at the boats ahead of you.

Downwind legs felt long with the current against us, but they seemed more predictable to me than the upwind legs. Speed came from keeping the wind flowing across the sail either by the lee or on a broad reach, i.e. avoiding going dead downwind, and keeping that slight windward heel that avoids weather helm. Also, with 18 boats, being on the left side is tactically helpful when you approach the mark.

Racing on the Potomac in light air has a crapshoot element, so take the knocks in your stride – sometimes it really works out.  At the last leeward mark of the last race, I was well behind Jim and Laura.  A strong puff and a nice shift helped me catch up so much that Jim had to yield to me on starboard just before the finish line, and I barely crossed the line ahead of him.  I surely didn’t deserve that one, but it will help me feel better next time the puffs and shifts don’t go my way.

Altogether a nice and easy kick off to the frostbite season, and thanks to Farley and Tyler for running the races today.

Steen

PS: don’t forget to sign up for RC duty!

24-25 Laser Frostbite Series #1

Announcements, News, 2024, Results

PRSA AGM & Awards Banquet Summary

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

  • Founder’s Trophy: Nabeel Alsalam
  • Nabeel Alsalam “More Boats on the Water” Award: Stew Harris & Mike Scardaville
  • Yates Dowell III Award: Aaron Boesenecker
  • Fleet Captains Award: Nelson Pemberton
  • Norman C. Shaller Award: Marty Hublitz
  • Len Penso Award: Barney Harris
  • Katherine Hearst Award: Eva Hogan

Your 2025 PRSA Executive Committee

  • Commodore: Aaron Boesenecker
  • Vice Commodore: Nabeel Alsalam
  • Rear Commodore: Tyler Phillips
  • Treasurer: Mike Scardaville
  • Secretary: Ed Ryan

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!

News

2024 Fall Series #4 Oct 6

With nothing but glass as far as the eye could see, Dana Howe (PRO) postponed for an hour at the dock. At noon he sent the mark boat out to look at the ripples starting to appear to the south. It was still glassy looking north. The sea breeze kicked in, boats put in, and a building southerly carried the fleet up to the race area. At 1315 boats were racing in winds steady from the south at 10 in “it don’t get any better than this” conditions. ”

Many thanks to Gonzalo helping Dana on the signal boat and to Justin and Nic for spectacular mark-boating and boat towing!  Nic also took some great photos–thank you!

Albacore-FS4

I20-FS4

Lightning-FS4

Announcements, News, 2024

Call for Executive Committee Officer Nominations

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))