Checking In

By Tom Darling Planning for post-Covid racing has been a major challenge in the current period of mask-wearing and social distancing. One direction that sailors have taken is model boat racing, radio-controlled. One-design and offshore sailor Carolyn Grant Zarella’s brainstorm for Nantucket Race Week was to gather as many as a dozen new model racers from among the sponsors and supporters of Race Week, put them into a 950mm plastic model yacht, and see where it led….

By Ron Weiss, Chairman, Storm Trysail Club Communications and Sponsorship Committee The 4th Annual Storm Trysail Club Ted Hood Regatta (named after famed Marblehead, MA hero, America’s Cup winner, National Sailing Hall of Fame Inductee, and STC member) Ted Hood, is scheduled for August 21 – 23. While we are hopeful, as befitting an organization very much focused on safety, we will also be cautious, vigilant, and closely following the Massachusetts COVID-19 guidelines. The NOR and race information can be…

Our friends at Stamford Yacht Club in Stamford, CT are pleased to announce that the 86th running of the Vineyard Race is scheduled to start on Friday, September 4. This Labor Day Weekend classic offers a choice of three courses. The Vineyard Course covers 238 nautical miles from Stamford around Buzzards Bay Light Tower and back. The Seaflower Reef Course logs 143 nm, and the Cornfield Point Course is 116 nm.   The Vineyard Race has divisions…

The National Sailing Hall of Fame and Herreshoff Marine Museum & America’s Cup Hall of Fame have announced at partnership to open an America’s Cup Hall of Fame location in Newport, RI. Every sport has its legends, comprised of people who provide inspiration to take on new challenges and achieve new heights. Sailing is no different, and the accomplishments of inductees to these halls of fame illustrate the breadth of talents and contributions that have shaped the…

It is with great sadness that we report that our friend Howard McMichael, Jr. died at the age of 82 on Tuesday, June 2. Howie, as he was known to family and friends, suffered a stroke on Thursday, May 28, from which he never recovered. Howard McMichael, Jr. was the longtime leader of and inspiration for McMichael Yacht Yards & Brokers, having taken over the company from his father, Howard McMichael, Sr., upon Howie’s return from serving…

The recent passing of world-class sailor and boatbuilder Harry Sindle (1929 – 2020) brought to mind the article below, written by Harry about the Buccaneer, an 18-foot daysailer/racer designed in 1966 by Rod Macalpine-Downie and Dick Gibbs. Buccaneers are currently built by Nickels Boat Works in Flint, MI, a company perhaps best known for their excellent Lightnings. Born in Little Falls, NJ, Harry Sindle won major titles in the Lightning, Thistle and Comet classes, and a gold…

Monday, May 11 marked the date for the rollout of “Conversations with Classic Boats,” the website and podcast created by Tom Darling, a longtime WindCheck friend and contributor, featuring a unique look at what Tom calls “classic” boats. “A classic boat doesn’t have to be wood, and it doesn’t necessarily have to be a yacht,” Darling explained. “It could be fiberglass – think of a Dyer Dhow – but everyone agrees that Bolero and Dorade are classics.”…

Our friends at the Storm Trysail Club have announced that the 75th running of their Block Island Race, which had been tentatively bumped from its original starting date of May 22 to June 19, is now postponed until May 28, 2021. “The timing of this decision is driven by a variety of health and safety, logistical, and practical factors,” said Ron Weiss, Chair of the Storm Trysail Club Sponsorship and Communications Committee. “Although nothing is certain in…

Due to unforeseen developments, we regretfully announce the cancellation of this year’s edition of the Sail Black Rock/Oakcliff Sailing/WindCheck Youth Essay Contest. The contest had an excellent topic (“Why I Want to Push My Limits and Sail Offshore”) and a truly fantastic prize package through the generosity of Oakcliff Sailing Executive Director Dawn Riley, Storm Trysail Foundation Chairman Rich du Moulin, and our friends at Gill North America. Unfortunately, circumstance has forced our hand and we’ve hoisted…

Proceeds from the sale of a new book, Huntington Harbor Lighthouse by Antonia S. Mattheou and Nancy Y. Moran, will the help fund the Huntington Lighthouse Preservation Society’s ongoing efforts to restore, preserve and maintain the historic beacon, which is listed in the National Historic Register. “We are honored to have a book published about our beloved lighthouse and its predecessor,” said Pamela Setchell, President of the Huntington Lighthouse Preservation Society. “We are incredibly proud of co-authors…