May 2024

We just wrapped up the 8th CT Spring Boat Show at Safe Harbor Essex Island in Essex, Connecticut April 26-28. At WindCheck, we tend to steer away from reviewing events. We prefer to preview events and let the rest of the media world fill you in on the Monday after. But even though this was our eighth go at this, it really was our third. While 2019 was nice with sixty-eight boats and twenty-two exhibitors, 2020 was…

We are saddened to report the passing of Allegra (“Leggie”) Mertz Torrey on April 13, 2024 in her beloved Newport, Rhode Island. Daughter of James M. Mertz and Allegra K. Mertz, Leggie was born on February 5, 1944 and spent her childhood in Rye, New York. Leggie sailed Blue Jays (notably #94 Rosy Future) in the sailing program at American Yacht Club. After graduating from Rye High School in 1962, she attended Vassar College before moving to…

Our friends at Hudson River Community Sailing (HRCS), a leading nonprofit youth development and community sailing organization headquartered in New York, NY, have announced a partnership with the United States SailGP Team, one of ten national squads competing in the fourth season of SailGP’s global racing league.   New York-based Mike Buckley, U.S. SailGP Team CEO, has long been a passionate supporter of HRCS and looks forward to introducing the next generation of athletes to high performance…

What started as a Shields-only regatta in 1984 has grown to become a keynote annual event on every sailor’s “must-do” list. Every July, our friends at Sail Newport gather an average of a dozen one-design classes on four circles of racing in the waters off Newport, RI.   Invited classes include IC37, Etchells, 5O5, 12 Metre, Thistle (Atlantic Coast Championship), VX One, F-18, ILCA, J/70, J/80, Ensign (Regional Championship), Shields, Snipe, Sunfish, S Boat and Melges 15. If…

Sails Up 4 Cancer (SU4C), based in Mystic, CT and founded in May of 2011 is a 501(c) 3 charity organization “dedicated to funding education, prevention, care, and cure for all types of cancer through the art and enjoyment of sailing.” SU4C has partnered with organizations including Holmgren Subaru, WindCheck Magazine, CT River One Design Regatta Group, CT Spring Boat Show, Coastal CT Cornhole, and River Jam, to raise awareness and facilitate fundraising efforts. SU4C has assisted…

By Courtney Moore, CMB Creative Group For over thirty years, the Mystic River Mudhead Sailing Association has raised funds and awareness for worthy charities. We are proud to partner with Always Home for the third year for the 2024 event.   Always Home has pursued a single mission of preventing family homelessness for more than twenty-five years, keeping folks housed and helping parents create lasting stability for their children. Always Home focuses exclusively on serving Eastern Connecticut families with…

The 3rd Annual CT Sea Music Festival will ring out along the banks of the Connecticut River and throughout downtown Essex, CT the weekend of June 7-10. Festivities begin on Friday with a scholarly Symposium on the Music of the Sea, held from 9am – 4pm at the Essex Town Hall, an evening concert (ticketed) at the Connecticut River Museum, and late-night sings at the historic Griswold Inn and the Corinthian Club.   Saturday kicks off with a…

By Bill Lynn, Herreshoff Marine Museum President & Executive Director The Herreshoff Marine Museum and America’s Cup Hall of Fame in Bristol, RI celebrates the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company and its founders Nat and JB Herreshoff. For over sixty years, HMCo. worked at the cutting edge of ground-breaking design, world-class engineering, and disruptive innovation while building over 2,000 boats, both power and sail. During that time, HMCo. played a role in winning eight straight America’s Cups, two world…

This month I’m diverging from the usual Women on the Water story line. There’s a young woman on The Prout School Sailing Team, Madeline (Maddie) Ammatuna, known almost universally as Tuna. I discovered an interesting dichotomy between Tuna and her Mum, Kate Ammatuna. Tuna loves sailing and Kate does not. Interestingly, both attitudes stem from early experiences. I recently sat with them after practice. Coop: Ladies, thanks for staying after school as it were. Both: (Chuckles) We’re…

By Ted Corning On Saturday, April 6, The Corinthians held their annual Frostbite Regatta at the Mystic Seaport Museum’s Sailing Center in Mystic, CT. This one-day regatta, raced in the Seaport’s fleet of 9’ Dyer Dhows, was revived in 1993. The impressive trophy includes a scale model of the Mystic Fleet founding member Ed Colie’s dinghy “Puddy” mounted on a large curved mahogany base. The trophy was presented to The Corinthians by Fran Colie in 1995 and…