March 2021

Having just finished editing the first proof of the March 2021 issue, Zep (Editor-in-Chief) pointed out with great pride that we’d created our very own “women in sailing” issue. After all, four out of five of our feature stories are about women in the sport, the subject of our On Watch article is a woman, and Coop’s Corner is (partially) about a woman as well. That is six stories in one issue. I confess, during the gathering…

Ho Sailors! I picked up WindCheck in Belfast, Maine this fall and am still amazed by the range and variety of your articles. Fascinating stuff, even for someone with limited sailing experience. Keep it up! Jackie Barchilon, via email Jackie – Thank you for the kind words. It’s our goal to deliver engaging a read to all those who enjoy the waters of the Northeast, and our crew strives to make each issue better than the one before. —…

Our friends at Safe Harbor Marinas are presenting the inaugural Safe Harbor Race Weekend, a three-day sailing regatta in and around Narragansett Bay, on the weekend of August 13-15. With shoreside activities hosted by Safe Harbor Marinas in Newport, Portsmouth, and Jamestown, Rhode Island, this event is geared toward the enjoyment of boat owners, families, and crew.     “We hope you’ll join us this summer for some exciting racing, live entertainment, tasty food and plenty of…

  The 17th edition of the Ida Lewis Distance Race starts Thursday, August 19, 2021 and will keep its expanded format from last year to give competitors more options. The schedule consists of: • Registration and Skippers Meeting conducted by host Ida Lewis Yacht Club in Newport, RI on Thursday, August 19. • Offshore Distance Race (Between 112 and 169 nm) for ORC, PHRF (Aloha and Coronet divisions), ORC DoubleHanded and PHRF Cruising Spinnaker classes starting Friday, August 20….

Our friends at Oakcliff in Oyster Bay, NY have announced their 2021 match racing schedule. The season includes something for racers of all levels as Oakcliff continues to support the pathway from sailor to seasoned match racer in a COVID-safe sailing environment. When it comes to training the next generation of match racers, Oakcliff has been at the forefront, making this discipline available to all. Oakcliff is expanding and turning their series of one-day Grade 5 regattas…

One of the oldest continually active one-design fleets in the country, the Shields Class organization positions itself as a sustainable racing class with a thoughtful and realistic look at its future and the future of one-design racing. Since its inception in the early 1960s by Cornelius Shields, it has always been guided by an enthusiastic group of sailors serious about racing and their boats. It is not an accident that they are still active, with nine fleets…

Submitted by U.S. Power Squadron Past District Commander Susan Ryan JN of Old Greenwich, CT   Every week or so in summer there seems to be a boating accident of some kind – many of which can be avoided if safe boating tenets were adhered to. Each year the statistics on boating accidents and fatalities tell the same story about the thousands of accidents nationwide. The four most striking similarities are: ° Most accidents involve open boats…

It’s a long way from Fishers Island Sound to the Diamond Head Buoy off Honolulu, Hawaii. Four young women from Connecticut are getting ready to make the leap to compete in the 51st edition of the iconic Transpacific Yacht Race. By Lindsay Gimple   It felt impossibly far, the first time I pushed off from Stonington Harbor bound for Block Island. Sixteen nautical miles is a grand ocean-crossing voyage to a gaggle of teenagers on a J/24, provisioned…

By Barbara “Basia” A. Karpinska   When the idea of a modern Olympics emerged towards the end of the 19th century, the organizers were looking for a good popularizing event to connect the spectators to the glory of ancient Greece. In honor of the run from Marathon to Athens, a “marathon race” was envisioned to be featured in the first modern Olympic Games in 1896, an ultimate test of strength and endurance. The marathon quickly became an integral part of the…

  This April, Charleston Race Week will celebrate its 25th anniversary. The event will actually be a reprise because like so many regattas last year, the actual anniversary – Race Week 2020 – was cancelled due to the Coronavirus pandemic. With safety paramount in their planning, the organizers in Charleston, SC are forging ahead and making plans for a special edition of this annual sailing extravaganza, one befitting a silver anniversary. According to Randy Draftz, the longtime…