Tag: FBYC

Fishing Bay Yacht Club

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.

PICTURES | RESULTS | VIDEO

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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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We had a beautiful light air day to sail the first FBYC Offshore Fall race day aboard Battle Rhythm.

We were among the 7 boats in the PHRF-A fleet. The first two races were sailed in 7-10 knots.

By the time we got to the 3rd race the wind was 5-7 – enough to race, but not fast. The current helped everyone to a general recall and after we got a successful start the wind continued to drop and the RC wisely shortened the race at the first leward mark.

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The 3rd Annual Rescue Regatta brought together 30 boats for a day of racing and fundraising off Stingray Point, all in support of the Middlesex County Volunteer Rescue Squad. With sunny skies and steady 7-9 knot winds, conditions were ideal for the pursuit-style race that began at the mouth of the Piankatank River.

Luna firing her cannon as she crosses the starting line.
Luna firing her cannon as she crosses the starting line.

Unlike traditional handicap racing, pursuit races start with the slower-rated boats first and the faster-rated boats later. Finishing order reflects actual placement, eliminating the need for post-race time calculations.

I sailed aboard Battle Rhythm alongside Todd, April, David, Len, Dennis, Dwight, Case, Jen, and Heidi. We were among the last to start, with only one boat –Afterthought– beginning just behind us. Equipped with larger overlapping headsails, Afterthought overtook us early on the first leg.

That first upwind leg stretched more than four miles out into the Chesapeake Bay. As we settled into our pace, we began catching some of the early starters, rounding the first mark just behind a small group of boats.

The second leg-a continued upwind stretch up into the Rappahannock River-gave us a few more opportunities to gain ground. We picked off a handful of boats along the way and ultimately finished in 15th place.

With the race complete, we hoisted the spinnaker for a relaxed sail back around Stingray Point. Back on shore, the day wrapped up with pool time, followed by dinner, a silent auction, awards, and a party at the rescue squad – capping off a great day on the water for a worthy cause.

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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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We had a classic Chesapeake spring day for the Open House Regatta — cool temperatures, clear skies, and a steady breeze out of the northwest at 6–10 knots. Perfect conditions to spend the day racing on the water.

I sailed aboard the J/99 Battle Rhythm with a solid crew: Chris B, Chris R, Todd, David, April, Jon, and Kevin. This was a pursuit race, which meant the slower boats started first, and the faster boats (like us) started later. We ended up starting near the back of the fleet, side-by-side with Orion, another fast-rated boat.

The course took us from Godfrey Bay into the Piankatank River channel, then out toward Gwynn’s Island. We passed east of Stove Point before turning back upriver and finishing in Fishing Bay. It was a fun, tactical sail — plenty of opportunities to chase down boats ahead and make the most of every shift and puff.

After crossing the finish, the fleet gathered for a raft-up with about a dozen boats tying together — a great chance to relax, catch up with friends, and relive the race. We eventually headed back to the dock and capped off the day with a BBQ dinner at the club.

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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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I joined Battle Rhythm for their first race of the 2025 season—a gusty, northwesterly day that tested our teamwork and shook off some winter rust. We hadn’t sailed together since last fall, and the breeze reminded us of it. On the line with us were Nanuq, Orion, and Corryvreckan. We had a solid crew of nine: Todd, Jennifer, Holly, Lauren, Tina, April, Jon, Chris R., and Dennis.

We got a decent start at the pin, staying low and ahead of the fleet. When Nanuq threatened to roll us, we bailed early and tacked out toward the layline near Stingray Point. Most of the fleet went up the Piankatank, but our gamble to the north paid off. As we approached the weather mark tucked near Jackson Creek, we were less than a minute behind Nanuq, with Orion trailing another minute or two back.

We set the kite and started the long run toward Gwynn’s Island. That’s when things got interesting. During the gybe, strong breeze and rusty coordination wrapped the spinnaker around the forestay—briefly, but enough to throw us off. We got it flying again and pressed on, only to tangle it again as we tried a weather take down at the leeward mark. We then missed the mark, had to re-round, and lost some time.

On the final downwind leg, a northward wind shift made for an awkward angle. A delayed gybe and another wrap left us low on the course, forcing us to luff hard and nearly broach just trying to fetch the finish.

With breeze still pushing into the low 20s and with no injuries or broken gear, we decided we’d had our fill of fun and headed in before race two. It wasn’t flawless, but it felt good to be back on the water shaking out the cobwebs.

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Fishing Bay Yacht Club opened the season with a beautiful race day for a 12.5 nm course. After a flag raising and skippers meeting,  the fleet headed out on the water. The crew from our sailboat was the race committee today and I was on the mark boat to set the start/finish line. I also had a front row seat to the start and finish and got to fly my drone around the boats when the wind subsided enough while most boats were finishing.

The three fleets started in sequence, sailing out into the bay near the Rappahannock’s mouth, then turning south before heading back to the finish line in the Piankatank River.

Though I wasn’t racing, it was rewarding to help run a smooth event and capture the action from a unique perspective.

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