Category: No Quarter Sailing

Chronicles of sailing and racing big and small sailboats on the Chesapeake Bay and beyond. Follow here and on your favorite service: YouTube, Instagram, Threads, BlueSky and TikTok

Friday

I made the trip to Erie, Pennsylvania for a weekend of ILCA masters racing at Erie Yacht Club. I arrived just after noon on Friday, unloaded the boat, rigged, and headed out to see what Lake Erie had to offer before racing began.

There wasn’t much wind in the bay, but the larger boats out sailing looked to be moving, so I sailed down the bay and through the cut into the lake. About an hour later I reached open water where the breeze was a little better, giving me another hour of worthwhile practice before turning back.

By then the wind had faded again. The evening parade of powerboats heading home for dinner turned the cut into a washing machine, and without much breeze it became a slow battle just to make progress. I eventually made it through and continued drifting back toward the yacht club in almost no wind. I probably would have made it eventually, but Gavin came out in a powerboat and spared me the last part of the journey with a tow back to the dock.

Saturday

Saturday brought the first day of racing with 30 boats entered. The forecast wasn’t especially promising, and after everyone rigged we spent about an hour and a half postponed ashore waiting for enough wind to fill across Presque Isle Bay. Eventually a light northerly settled in, we launched down the single-lane ramp, and headed to the race course.

The first race was about as light as they come. I won the pin-end start and worked left, but the pressure never materialized where I expected it. By the time I crossed back, the left side had finally filled and I had dug myself a deep hole. The race was long, slow, and eventually shortened, and I held position to finish 16th.

By the second race the breeze had built into the 5-8 knot range. It was still light, but it was at least becoming a sailing race instead of a guessing contest. I again started well at the pin and worked left before finding myself farther back than I wanted around the first mark. The downwind leg was respectable, but the biggest improvement came on the second beat. With steadier pressure I could simply focus on boat speed instead of chasing every puff, and the boat felt great upwind. I picked off five boats on that leg and climbed to ninth.

The final race Saturday featured another solid start, this time from the middle of the line. I rounded the first mark around 12th or 13th and continued to feel fast upwind. After a course change on the second beat, I found good pressure on the right side and picked up a couple more boats to finish eighth.

Sunday

Sunday greeted us with more breeze, generally in the upper single digits to low teens, and three more races.

The first race of the day was my strongest of the weekend. I had an excellent start near the pin and rounded the first mark in the top five after keeping the maneuvers to a minimum and focusing on staying in phase. A crowded downwind leg cost me a couple of places, and another boat squeezed by at the final leeward mark to leave me with another eighth-place finish. Even so, it was satisfying to spend most of the race mixing it up near the front of the fleet.

The next race was another lesson in staying patient. The right side paid early, leaving me around 15th at the first mark, but I found some nice shifts on the second beat as the breeze began to soften again. Picking through the fleet, I worked back to an 11th-place finish.

With one race left, the overcast skies continued to threaten without ever delivering rain, and we still had enough wind for one more good race.

For the final start I committed to the boat end, but in trying to hold a couple of boats out I stalled myself and watched the fleet sail away. After tacking immediately to the right, I focused on keeping the boat moving, minimizing maneuvers, and looking for pressure rather than chasing every shift. That patience paid off on the second beat when a left shift and stronger pressure allowed me to pass at least ten boats and climb back into the top ten, finishing tenth after what looked like a very difficult opening lap.

Considering the forecast, the weekend turned out far better than expected. Aside from the closing part of the first race, we had enough breeze to complete a full six-race series and enjoy some competitive sailing.

A big thank you to Gavin and Holli for organizing another great event. Erie Yacht Club put together an enjoyable regatta, and it was well worth the trip to Lake Erie.

RESULTS | PICTURES | VIDEO

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After leaving behind snow and sub‑freezing temperatures in Richmond – and a car battery that objected to the early‑morning cold – the trip south to the 2026 ILCA US Masters Midwinters East began with more drama on land than on the water. A well‑timed departure allowed a clean escape from the winter storm sweeping across the Carolinas, and by the time Florida came into view, the forecast made it clear that Sunday and Monday would be better suited for shore‑side activities than training. A visit to the Kennedy Space Center and a day of errands and rest filled the gap.

VW Atlas with ILCA on top and snow in the yard.

Tuesday

By Tuesday, the US Sailing Center Martin County was buzzing as 77 sailors checked in for the championship with 47 in the ILCA 7 and just three competitors in the ILCA 7 Apprentice Masters sub-division.

ILCA rigged at the US Sailing Center Martin County before racing on Tuesday.

The opening day delivered crisp, cold conditions with 8-12 knots and a chill that had sailors bundled in full winter layers. The first race served as a shake‑off‑the‑rust effort, ending with a mid‑fleet finish. The second race brought one of the day’s highlights: a near‑disastrous boat‑end start turned into a perfect one when two boats ahead tangled, leaving a clean lane. That jump off the line allowed me to hang with the leaders while I slowly drifted back to a 16th place finish.

The breeze softened and shifted for Race 3, turning the course into a pressure‑hunting exercise. Without a solid read on the pressure – especially downwind – I could only manage a mid-30’s finish.

Wednesday

With a dying forecast for day 2, the race committee attempted an early start, but the breeze never stabilized. After a brief attempt at a sequence, the wind collapsed entirely, and racing was abandoned for the day. A group of sailors, including Mike, Nabeel, Keith, and myself, made the most of the afternoon, logging a 13‑mile bike ride along North East Ocean Boulevard with a stop at Jensen Beach.

Thursday

Thursday’s schedule was moved earlier in hopes of beating approaching storms, but the weather arrived ahead of plan, forcing a long postponement until mid‑afternoon. Once on the water, the fleet started the first race in 10-12 knots and intermittent sprinkles; by the third, gusts were well into the 20s.

A standout moment came in Race 2 with a clean pin‑end start, hitting the left side on the first beat, and staying just outside of the top 10 most of the way around the course. The final race, however, was pure survival. Two capsizes and heavy upwind slogs – including an upwind finish – made for a physically punishing end to the day, though a 16th‑place finish held up well in the conditions.

Friday

Friday brought another early start and three more races in moderate breeze. Speed and strategy proved elusive, and much of the day was spent simply staying in phase with the leaders to avoid major losses. With the Apprentice title on the line, the focus shifted to covering the closest rival – a strategy that paid off with finishes ahead in two of the three races, securing the division win by a narrow margin.

Despite the weather curveballs and demanding conditions, the Midwinters delivered the February sailing fix that draws Masters sailors from across the country. And evenings at the shared house were fun with camaraderie, food and some informal “film study” sessions. I was able to extend the week by heading to Sarasota for a weekend of sailing in the Viper Winter Series.

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We couldn’t have asked for a better day to wrap up the ILCA season – a beautiful fall afternoon with light, shifty winds out of the north to northeast. The race committee set a short course in Fishing Bay, close to the dock, where a few Flying Scots and Melges 15s joined the fun.

Seven ILCA sailors turned out for the Frostbite Regatta, and my day started off with a bang – literally. Just minutes before the first start, while tuning up near the line, I heard a loud pop, and suddenly the boat was rolling to weather over top of me. My top mast section had snapped clean through before I even made it to the first race. To make matters worse, it was the second mast I’d broken this year.

I got a quick tow back to shore, borrowed an upper mast, and swapped to a sail without a hole. By some miracle, I only missed the first race.

The rest of the day brought tight, tactical racing. I had a few great starts and rounded the first mark in the lead a couple of times, but Mike or Len always seemed to find another gear – especially on the second laps when the wind turned fickle near the top mark. One wrong tack could leave a boat parked while the other slipped by.

In the end, Len Guenther took the day’s honors, Mike Moore finished second (and clinched the overall ILCA Series), and I managed third overall despite missing the opener. Holly was right on our heels in fourth.

A big thanks to Gene Kendall and his crew for running great races and keeping the course fair in the shifting breeze. A perfect way to close out the season at Fishing Bay Yacht Club.

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The 44th Chesapeake Bay ILCA Masters Championship wrapped up this weekend with three races on Saturday — the only races we managed to fit in before the wind completely disappeared.

As the event chairman, my regatta began weeks earlier: coordinating volunteers, designing t-shirts, getting registration open, and finally pulling together all the last-minute details that make the weekend run smoothly. By Thursday evening, I was at the club unloading gear and taking in a spectacular sunset over Fishing Bay – a calm start to what would turn out to be a very light-air weekend.

Friday was all about setup and organization. Competitors started rolling in by afternoon, and I spent much of the day helping sailors unload and get settled. That evening, I helped make race committee lunches and run through a few “what if” plans with the PRO – particularly what we’d do if Saturday morning brought the forecasted calm.

Sure enough, Saturday morning delivered exactly what we expected: no wind. Working with our PRO, we made an early call to postpone racing before the skippers’ meeting so no one had to rush to rig up. The forecast hinted at a late-afternoon breeze, so we mapped out the latest possible start time that would still get everyone home before dark.

Luck was on our side — around 1:30 p.m., a light easterly began to fill in. We dropped the postponement flag and got the first race off at 2:30. It wasn’t perfect breeze, but it was steady enough to race without a guessing game over wind direction.

The first race was a one-lap, modified windward-leeward. I didn’t get off the line well – squeezed out mid-line – but found clear air to the right and salvaged a mid-fleet finish in 16th. Up front, Dave Chapin, Alex Jacob, and Rob Whittemore showed great pace in the tricky conditions.

Race two started with more pressure and tighter racing. I got off cleanly about two-thirds down the line, tacked back to the right early, and rounded the top mark in fourth. I lost a few boats upwind after sailing into a patch of nothing, but clawed back one or two on the final downwind to finish ninth. Mike C and Laura were right in the mix – it was great, close racing all around.

For the third and final race, the course shifted slightly right. I went hard right on the beat, but couldn’t quite make it pay off. Rob W nailed this one, sailing a textbook race to take the win. With daylight fading, that was it for the day – three solid races in the books.

Back ashore, Alain and his team served up a fantastic dinner that evening. Alain’s longtime friend Michel shared stories of how he first got Alain into sailing decades ago ago. We lingered over good food and conversation before heading to the camping area to unwind under clear skies.

Sunday morning dawned calm once again. We postponed and waited, but it soon became clear the breeze wasn’t coming. Racing was abandoned, and Saturday’s results stood – putting me as the top Apprentice Master in the ILCA 7 fleet.

Huge thanks to Rick and the race committee for making the most of the conditions and running great races when we had the chance. Thanks also to Alain, Michel, John G., Janice, Jess, Sabri, Britt, and everyone else who made things run smoothly off the water.

Even with the light winds, the 44th Chesapeake Bay ILCA Masters Championship was a success – a weekend of good sailing, good food, and even better company.

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Rain cleared the way for a nice sailing day – albeit a cloudy one with some puffy conditions. Four ILCA sailors made it out for what would be 3 races before rain chased everyone off the course.

The first race started with winds in the low teens out of the East with a course set just south west of Stove Point on the Piankatank River. I had a great start at the boat. Len had a better first leg out to the left side of the course and lead at the first windward mark. As we were coming to the final hundred yards of the downwind leg I set a course to intersect with Len while on Leeward pushing him out to the right and once we neared the 3-length circle and went for the finish, I was able to blanket him just enough to finish ahead by a foot or so. Mike was not far behind as was Holly.

By the second race the wind eased a bit with 10-12 knots out of the same direction. Len had a better start at the boat and just stayed ahead the entire upwind. Downwind he caught a nice puff on the right and took that to the finish without any challenge from me.

In the 3rd race I started mid-line with Len just below me. Seeing I wasn’t going to get by him, I tacked to the right out into the river where I found more pressure. I carried that into the top mark with a nice lead and then went the same way Len did downwind to catch the wind/wave angle and took off to finish 1st.

All throughout the afternoon rain threatened and we could even see i 2-3 miles west of us raining on the Piankatank and we only got a few sprinkles where we were. But after 3 races we weren’t going to try our luck with more rain and were safely ashore and packed up as the rain did eventually come. Thanks to Donna and crew for running our races!

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The Summer ILCA Regatta at Fishing Bay Yacht Club delivered exactly what mid-summer river racing so often does: light air, close boats, and races decided by pressure bands and timing rather than pure speed. Seven ILCAs made it to the line just west of Stove Point on the Piankatank River, with a soft 5-8 knots filling from the southwest. The big question of the day was whether the sea breeze would hold long enough to keep things sailable.

Race 1 got off cleaning and wrapped up quickly, finishing in about 25 minutes. I had a solid start at the boat end while most of the fleet lined up farther down the line. Heading left on the first beat paid off, and I rounded the weather mark in first with Rob close behind. He found better pressure downwind to the north and managed to slip past me on the run. We split again on the final upwind, and Rob edged me out by a bout a boat length at the finish. With the breeze sitting in the 5-6 knot range, it was light but still workable.

In race 2, the race committee shortened the line slightly but kept the same course. I arrived at the start a bit too quickly and in traffic, so I ended up bailing out and wrapping behind the fleet to start on port. I quickly got back onto starboard, setting up as the right-most boat. That decision paid off immediately – the pressure on the right was noticeably stronger, and I was able to stretch away upwind. I was on the lay line without having to tack while the rest of the fleet coming from the left had to tack to fetch it. I had a clear lead at the top mark with Rob behind me the rest of the way to the finish.

With the scores tied going into Race 3, the pressure was on. I went all-in at the pin, but arrive a little too early and was OCS. After being called back, I rounded the pin and got to work grinding upwind, hunting for puffs. A few lifts brought me back into contention, and I wasn’t far behind Mike Moore at the top mark. I followed him downwind and briefly thought I might reel him in, but he found a solid puff and extended again. On the second upwind I couldn’t quite match the pace and Rob slipped past me. I finished in third, putting me second overall, one point behind Rob, with Mike M just one point behind me.

Race 4 was pure start-line chaos. A big left shift hit just before the gun, and Mike Moore pinned Rob and Ron at the pin, leaving them unable to tack out. The rest of the fleet escaped to the right with good pressure, including Mike Colbert, John Gilmour and Holly. I was a bit late off the line while trying to protect clear air and initially found myself being Mike C. Eventually Mike Moore crossed and forced me to tack, but I worked back to the right in to a nice lane of pressure. I stayed ahead of Rob, got around John and slowly reeled in both Mikes upwind. Downwind, though, I couldn’t quite close the gap and Mike and Mike finished ahead.

Mike Moore sailed a strong final race to win the regatta by a couple points ahead of Rob and me – congrats Mike. Thanks to David Clark and crew for running races today.

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The 86th Annual One Design Regatta at Fishing Bay Yacht Club began under light and challenging conditions on Saturday. With little wind at the scheduled start time, racing was postponed for about an hour before the race committee was able to get one race underway in the Piankatank River. Even then, the breeze faded significantly as the final fleets were finishing. After waiting on the water for another two hours with no wind in sight, the remainder of the day’s racing was abandoned and competitors were towed back to shore.

The ILCA fleet saw 10 boats on the line. James and David established an early lead in the opening race and maintained their advantage throughout. Conditions proved difficult, and I struggled to stay in the breeze and find favorable shifts, finishing 8th.

Sunday brought a much-improved forecast and racing began an hour earlier. I launched early and had time for a short practice lap before the first start. The fleet completed a short H3 course before waiting for the other classes to finish and for the course to be adjusted as the wind shifted right.

Throughout the day, I began to feel more comfortable in the boat. Early races were marked by inconsistent decisions and sailing out of phase, but by the final race, things began to click. I had a strong start and was first to the weather mark, though Dave passed on the reach and maintained his lead. On the final downwind leg, James caught up and edged ahead at the finish.

Despite the ups and downs, I finished 4th overall, narrowly securing the position. Thanks to Rick, Holly, Mason, Craig, and the entire race committee team for making the regatta possible.

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Twenty-four boats, including two Lasers, lined up under sunny skies and light winds for a distance race on the Piankatank this July 4th at Fishing Bay Yacht Club. With breeze holding steady around 5–6 knots from the NNE, the fleet saw a short postponement before starting under a single unified start. The course (#4) would take the fleet from Godfrey Bay – out around Stove Point and back.

After the start I favored the left side of the course sailing toward Stove Point and picking up a bit more pressure. However, once past the point, an adverse current set in and allowed boats on the right to gain an advantage by the time we reached the Piankatank 8 mark.

The leg to mark B was a close reach, where I managed to close the gap on Scuba Cat. On the return leg, the Flying Scots began to reel me in and momentarily pulled ahead.

The final two legs from Piankatank 8 to the finish were broad reaches in continued light air. I was able to regain ground on the Flying Scots and ultimately pull back in front of Scuba Cat.

Out of the 23 boats that finished the race, I crossed 14th but placed 7th overall on corrected time. Thanks to Miles, Frank and everyone on the RC for running our race!

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Friday

Last weekend I headed to Annapolis for the ILCA Atlantic Coast Championship at Severn Sailing Association. With over 100 boats across three fleets, it promised competitive racing-and delivered plenty of challenges. Here’s how the weekend went.

I arrived on Friday and after a quick trip through downtown Annapolis, I arrived at SSA, unloaded and got things ready for sailing.

Saturday

Rain swept through the area in the morning, clearing out just in time for rigging. With skies brightening and a west wind building from 10 to 14 knots – and gustier as the day went on – it looked like we were in for a pretty epic day of sailing on the Chesapeake Bay.

After the skippers meeting I grabbed a few drone shots of the rigged boats across the campus as they started to launch. I got myself launched and sailed 2.2nm out to the course.

About 10 minutes before the first start I went to tune up sailing on starboard for a minute or so, I made a few rig adjustments and tacked onto port. About 20 seconds later –crack– I heard a pop, lost all pressure in the sail  As I heard the top of the mast hit the water next to the boat I balanced the boat as I pulled myself back in.  I had broken the top section of the mast just above the collar where it joins with the lower section. There was a gaping hole with now two ends of the mast sticking out of it.

I grabbed my mainsheet to make a tow line and a few minutes later one of the power boats picked me up for the tow in. Back ashore I quickly took the boat apart, retrieved my wallet and a spare sail and bought a carbon fiber top section to go back sailing with. By the time I got back to the course, the fleet was still mid-way through the first race-delayed by a major wind shift that forced them to abandon the initial attempt.

I joined in the second race of the day. The breeze was now a solid 12-14 knots, with some early whitecaps. I started near the committee boat and had a solid first leg, rounding somewhere around 8th or 10th. But I couldn’t hold position. I lost boats on the downwind and struggled on the second beat, eventually finishing 14th.

Race 3 got off to a strange start. As the fleet neared the weather mark, the buoy broke loose and began drifting downwind. A few boats chased it; others correctly rounded the committee boat, which was now flying the M flag. The race was eventually abandoned after sailing another lap.

The second attempt at Race 3 finally got off clean. By now, depowering the rig was a challenge. The breeze was shifty and strong out of the west, tough conditions to find a rhythm. I gave it my best but couldn’t quite stay competitive, finishing 17th.

The sail in was punishing. The wind had continued to build, and the 2-nautical-mile upwind slog back to the harbor was a workout. The weather buoy later confirmed: we’d raced in upper-teen winds with gusts into the 20s.

Sunday

Sunday’s forecast promised even more breeze and it delivered. By the time the fleet was getting ready to launch the weather buoy was already showing winds into the 20s. I knew the fun factor was not going to be there for me in that wind, so I packed up.  Just before the start there was a gust to 35 before it settled down to 18-23 for most of the days racing.

I made the right decision and went to visit the J/42 that I’ll be sailing on for two upcoming distances races out of Annapolis in the coming weekends.

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We had a beautiful day for the first ILCA Regatta at FBYC this year.  8 boats came for some shifty winds out of the NNW and clear sunny skies.

The first race was a short 1 lap H3 course. The pin was favored and I had a great start just up from the pin while a few boats missed the mark and had to restart. I sailed out to the layline and led at the top mark and held that to the finish.

The second race was similar, I had a great start and pulled ahead on the upwind leg. This was two laps and I led until the final leeward rounding where I flubbed the gybe, put the boom in the water, and capsized while Mike M and Mike C sailed by leaving me with 3rd.

The wind continued to be quite shifty. It would go left and come down the river strongly with some whitecaps. Then a few minutes later it would shift back to the right and get light and patchy. At times there were different winds on different sides of the course, but there was no consistency, sometimes the right had wind and sometimes it was the left.

I sailed the next few races about as inconsistently as the wind itself. I would catch some shifts and other times miss them while others caught them.

Mike M had a great day finishing first or second in every race to win the day.  Mike C was just ahead of me overall and I finished in 3rd for the day.  This was a great tune-up for next weekend’s Atlantic Coast Championship in Annapolis.

Thank you to Holly, Mason, Marc, David, Jen and Jen’s brother for being out there and running our races today.

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