Author: Shan McAdoo

Independence Cup / US Para Sailing Championships – Chicago

August 9 – Chicago Il.

Three Challenging days of sailing concluded with two winners. Rudy Trejo won the Independence Cup, and Matt Koblenzar was the US Sailing Para Sailing singlehanded champion. Chris Childers from San Francisco rounded out the podium.

Rudy Trejo sailing on the lovely Chicago waterfront.

The fleet enjoyed one day of light winds, a second day of medium winds with chop, then a third day cancelled due to ongoing thunder storm activity.

The fleet enjoyed some new sailors including Eli Workman.  All of the sailors were treated to amazing hospitality from Peter Goldman, Mike Nolan and their amazing team and the Judd Goldman Adaptive Sailing Foundation.

 

Next up is Canadian Nationals in Toronto. This fleet is looking stacked and should produce some great sailing.

 

 

Mr. Green Builds a Picket Fence

Rockport, MA – July 11, 2022
By: Shan McAdoo
Photos: Michelle Seepe
Ted Green came home to his childhood club and picked up right where he left off, winning. The lovely quaint club house has tons of trophies from days gone by, some of which have Ted’s name on them already.  He added his name to another trophy this weekend
Competitive starts and an amazing venue
Eight 2.4 meters sailed a 3 day clinic/regatta out of Sandy Bay Yacht Club (SBYC).  During the clinic we followed up on Dave Perry’s teachings during the Clagett Regatta with an emphasis on starts. The winds were light and variable starting with a northerly that would eventually give way to a sea breeze. Principle Race Officer Stephen Ouelette  and his on the water team kept working to assure that the 7 races run were fair and competitive.
Overlapped at the finish
The results after racing showed Ted Green’s dominance. He threw out a bullet. Shan McAdoo wound up in second, with John Seepe in third.
Lovely 3D trophies
SBYC and Rockport were amazing  hosts, the club and the sailing venue were as always perfectly suited to 2.4 meter racing.  The shoreside activities included an amazing Surf and Turf dinner, lovely continental breakfast and apres sailing munchies.  Rockport Brewing Company was kind enough to provide a generous sampling of their Whale Cove and Jetty Juice Ales.   Cape Ann Coffees provided great coffee and foods during the event.
Mr. Green gets a first place trophy after building a picket fence
With more than 1/3 of the fleet disabled, the 2.4 meter continues to affirm its utility as the right boat for sailors with disabilities. The second and third placed finishers got out of their boats and back into wheel chairs.
US Class Vice President John Seepe gets a 3rd place trophy
The organizers want to thank Commodore Sarah Wilkinson, Ron Petoff, the staff and members of the Sandy Bay Yacht Club, and the sailors who took the time to travel to our little sea side town. Ted Green came from Newport RI, and John Seepe who came from Senora, NC.
Results here:
Sponsors

Welcome to Rockport – 2.4 meter invitational preview

Winters over…
The Clagett regatta is a great event, but the height of hospitality for summer sailing will be in Rockport, MA this summer. As a part of your registration fee here are some great reasons to join us on July 8-10:
  • Friday tune up clinic
  • Friday night off site dinner (sponsored by CAC Racing and North Shore Adaptive Sailing)
  • Continental breakfast
  • Beer sponsor (Thanks Rockport Brewing Co. Rockport Brewing Company )
  • Saturday night on site dinner
  • Fantastic venue
We will get 6-9 races on amazing Sandy Bay.  If you need long term storage or anything else, reach out. We want you in Rockport this summer
If you have not registered, sign up here: Register Here

Winter Series Finale – Can Am 4&5 – US Nationals

March 28- April 2, 2022 – Port Charlotte FL.
Text by Shan McAdoo
Photos by Tina Weida
With 25 boats on the line for CanAm 5, winter sailing was back with a vengeance in Port Charlotte.  The US – Canada border reopened and our friends from North of the border showed up in force.

Can Am 4

The Can Am 4, a two day series started with light air, but then built over the 2 day series.  After 6 races, Dee Smith emerged victorious followed by Bruce Millar and Allen Liebel. in a 22 boat fleet.  This series was a perfect warmup for the next 3 days of sailing.

Can Am 5 (US Nationals)

This event started out with a howling 25 knot breeze. of the 25 entries 7 sailed the first day. The fleet showed up en-mass for days 2 and 3 of this event. There was a strong mix of Canadians, Americans, new fleet members and experienced sailors. In the end  Canadian Bruce Millar won Can Am 5, followed by Jeff Linton and Allen Liebel bested the 25 entries.
Jeff Linton was crowned US National champion as the top finishing US boat in the fleet followed by Dee Smith and Tony Pocklington

Can Am Series

These events rounded out the winter long Can Am Series. While the early part of the series was hampered by a lack of Canadian competitors, there was no lack of rivalry for the the podium. In the end Dee Smith won, followed by Tony Pocklington and Rudy Trejo.

A Newcomers Perspective

As always the 2.4 meter class, and the folks in Port Charlotte are always welcoming new sailors.  Ric Dexter jumped off his J-105 and into a charter 2.4 meter. Here is what he had to say:
” Very competitive and high quality racing.  Club, racers and race committee extremely welcoming, friendly and professional.  Competitors were extra helpful to newbies, lots of tips and tricks shared making event fun for all.
Fleet is well behaved making it very comfortable with tight quarter racing.
My second year, big improvement every day for me personally.”

Links to Results

Upcoming Schedule

The fleet moves north for the Summer. There are no less than 5 great events planned in the US for this summer as well as several in Canada. The upcoming schedule includes:

  • Spring Invitational – Tred Avon Yacht Club, Oxford Maryland – April 30, 2022
  • Claggett Clinic & Regatta – Sail Newport, Newport, RI  – June 21, 2022
  • SBYC invite – Sandy Bay Yacht Club, Rockport, MA – July 8, 2022
  • US Disabled Nationals Independance Cup – Goldman Sailing,  Chicago, IL August 4, 2022

Check the events calendar on our home page for complete details.

CanAm 3 – Edge Midwinters wrap up

Feb 21, 2022
Story by John Seepe
Photos by Tina Weida

Wow, CanAm #3 Regatta (Edge Mid-Winter), at Charlotte Harbor Yacht Club over this last weekend (Feb 19 & 20) did not disappoint!     We finally got out some of the North American top 2.4mR sailors.    Sailors from British Columbia, Seattle, Toronto, Massachusetts, and down the East Coast coming together for the best gathering since the 2020 CanAm Series.   So good to see familiar faces and some new ones.

Fast upwind at Can Am 3 – Edge Midwinters
Upwind and downwind at Can Am 3 / Edge Midwinters

Winds were good, starting off light and shifty, with our first two races being really the worst in that regard, but the rest got better and better.     The shifts were significant enough that we actually had a reaching leg and a downwind leg that turned into a reaching leg.     Sailors just had to work things out and figure their lines going all out for the win.

Two boats competed that were rigged with a Jib Boom versus the normal free-floating jib.    Each found themselves competitive among the standard boats with one being sailed for the first time by a Clagett Boat Grant recipient.    Two Clagett Boats competed in this regatta.

Bruce Millar makes the Jib Boom look good in Port Charlotte

The last day in the Regatta, started off with a larger sailboat running aground, mid-channel, blocking the harbor entrance so the fleet’s start was a few minutes late as each sailor had to sneak by the grounded boat to reach clear water.     By the last race, all the boats were closely matched with all the boats finishing 5 legs within a few minutes of each other.

Sailors faced broken pumps, backstays, and steering so maybe more focus will be placed upon boat maintenance etc.    Some of the competitor’s boat had not been sailed since before the lockdowns so it was awesome to see things returning to normal as more Canadians joined in this event.

Heading to the Leeward gate in Port Charlotte

Even if you didn’t take away any of the prizes you walked away with friendships and maybe a few lessons on what to do or not do in the next races.    1st place went to Dee Smith from Annapolis, 2nd Place Allan Leibel from Toronto, and 3rd Place to Bruce Millar from Victoria, British Columbia with 15 boats on the water!     Got some time on your hands?   Look these guys up on Google and you are competing against some solid sailors, but they are happy to share their knowledge with everyone.

Dee Smith Bio

Allen Leibel Bio

Bruce Millar Bio

The last 2 Regattas in the CanAm Series are at the end of March and should be quite interesting events.   Should have over 20 top sailors battling it out on the water.   If you want to get out in an exciting boat with a friendly fleet where the great sailors are not afraid to answer questions and train up the newer less experienced sailors, then this is the fleet.

Looking for a boat to sail competitively?   Something small needing only one person?    Something inexpensive to campaign?    A sailboat that is easy to tow and which is fun?   One that sails like an America’s Cup boat (non-foiling that is!).    Come check us out and see about getting yourself into one of these to test out.    All are welcome, but this is not a starter boat so must at least know how to sail before jumping into one.    See you on the water in Port Charlotte!

Clagett Regatta

Charlotte Harbor Yacht Club

Complete Results