30th Annual Classic Yacht Regatta

Newport - This year the Classic Yacht Regatta will be the convergence of three events: the New England Huckins rendezvous, the 30th Annual Classic Yacht Regatta (CYR) and host of the 6mR North Americans as they tune up for their big event. The Worlds!

Friday, September 4th
Welcome Party Sponsored by Panerai
Saturday, September 5th
Regatta and Awards dinner
Sunday, September 6th
Classic Yacht Parade - Racing - Awards

Full schedule of events

Current List of Registrants

J/97 Arrives in RI - USA Debut at Newport show

The J/97 will make her boat show debut at the Newport Boat Show on September 17-20. Hull #6 arrived in Bristol, RI and will be launched by September 7th. The J/97 will be available for demos in Newport before and after the Newport Show. If you’re interested contact J/boats.

6mR World Cup update

Newport RI, The 6-Metre World Cup is just around the corner. It starts Monday, Sept 7th and runs all week with events through Saturday the 12th. Here is the week at a glance schedule.

This is their new promotional video.

Jobson to take reins of US Sailing

hometownannapolis.com - Gary Jobson has filled a myriad of roles during his long and illustrious career in sailing - morphing from competitor to author to lecturer to television commentator. However, not even Jobson could have envisioned his next act: serving as president of US Sailing, national governing body of the sport.

“If you had predicted this 20 years ago I would not have believed it,” Jobson said with a chuckle.

Jobson was nominated as US Sailing president during the organization’s annual spring meeting in Denver. He will be formally elected by the Board of Directors at US Sailing’s annual general meeting on Oct. 25 in Houston. While surprised to receive the nod from the Nominating and Governance Committee, he gladly accepted the position. Read on -

Ted Hood on Motorsailers

soundingsonline.com - I decided five years ago that motorsailers could be made to sail as fast as, or faster than, the average sailboat, and motor faster than the average trawler on the market, if it is designed to do so. To begin with, use the racing rating rules, which tell you what makes a boat fast. Since we don’t care about the rating, we can use all of the ideas that make your rating high - and a fast boat - to make a better cruising motorsailer. Read on -

Cruise Ship Time

This is the 935 foot Eurodam entering Newport on Friday morning, 6:15am - 6:40am. Our webcams caught the action and we sped it up a bit. Fall is the time cruise ships really start showing up often. Here is the schedule for the rest of the 2009 season.

The Eurodam carries 2100 passengers and 800 crew! She is scheduled to visit Newport three more times this fall.

Crazy fun

First Look

The Newport for New Products program has long been a highlight of the Newport International Boat Show, and now it has become a highlight of the industry!

The Newport show really is the first chance to see what’s new, not only in New England but on the east coast. If you want you can follow south! From here the boats and products head on to Norwalk, Annapolis sail, Annapolis power and finally to Ft Lauderdale the last weekend in October.

This year, the program is open to all domestic boats and boating products that have been launched since April 1, 2009 and are making their official boat show introduction at the Newport International Boat Show. It is also open to all foreign boats and boating products that have been launched in the U.S. market since April 1, 2009 and are making their official boat show introduction at the Newport Show…though they may have been shown and sold outside the United States prior to April.

This strict criteria legitimizes the awards that are given for “Best New Power Boat”, “Best New Sail Boat”, and “Best New Boating Product”…as judged on the basis of innovation, value to the consumer and aesthetics, as seen by industry experts. Judging of the “Best” will take place on opening day and the winners will be announced and publicized on Friday…to garner even more attention.

Here is this year’s list of nominees. Don’t miss your chance to see the new Hunt 52

Danny

Here we go again. Another weekend of waves!

What’s SUP BILL

We have more video from the Hurricane BILL swell. This is big wave surfer Garrett McNamar from Hawaii riding a Stand Up Paddle board (SUP) at Ruggles – Newport RI, on Sunday.

Catch a Ride as 17th crew

Catch a Ride as 17th crew on a 12 Metre during the Worlds!

With up to 20 yachts and crews coming from across the USA and France, and crews from Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, the 12 Metre World Championships September 22 - 27 in Newport, RI will bring back America’s Cup memories and create vivid new ones for those sponsors lucky enough to land a “17th Crew” position on a racing Twelve during the Worlds. (more…)

Competitive Instincts Prevail at The Clagett

Tuesdays report - The first of three days of racing in the seventh annual C. Thomas Clagett Jr. Memorial Regatta, taking place out of Sail Newport, Rhode Island’s public sailing center, saw all four fleets of sailors with disabilities complete four races on Narragansett Bay. Race one was sailed in a dying northerly that faded out and switched direction, forcing several classes to abandon their second race and wait for the wind to settle. Although the southerly breeze managed to fill by 13:00, it never got above eight knots over the rest of the afternoon.

Speaking to the sailors yesterday, noted sailor Gary Jobson (Annapolis, Md.) remarked that The Clagett was “more about what you learn, than what the results are.” However, as evident from the three-way tie for first place in the J/22 class being raced by the visually impaired sailors, it’s hard to squash competitive instincts. Racing for the 2009 U.S. Blind Sailing National Championship title, Mitsuhiro Iwamoto (San Diego, Calif.) and Glenn Boivan (Saugus, Mass.) with Peter Frisch (Swampscott, Mass.) and Lyn Comfort (Newport, R.I.) turned in a 3-3-1-1 to take the lead spot in the fleet. The 2006 IFDS Blind Sailing World Champions JP Creignou (St. Petersburg, Fla.) and Jan Bartleson (Miami, Fla.), racing with sighted guides Diane Fowler (St. Petersburg) and David Bannister (Miami) posted finishes of 2-1-3-2, while 2008 Blind Sailing National Champions Sengil Inkiala (Waltham, Mass.), Nancy Jodoin (Newton, Mass.) and Ken Legler (Reading, Mass.) with Naomi Shwom (Sharon, Mass.) went 1-2-2-3. All three teams have eight points. (more…)

Back in Newport

Image - Scott Whitman (Brick, N.J.) and Julia Dorsett, currently the top-ranked SKUD-18 team in the US, showing their form during the 2008 Clagett Regatta. Credit - Dan Nerney.

Sail Newport, is buzzing with activity as sailors with disabilities and vision impairment gather for the seventh annual C. Thomas Clagett Jr. Memorial Clinic and Regatta.  When Judy McLennan (Portsmouth, R.I.) and daughter Stephanie McLennan (Newport) created the event, their goal was to fulfill the competitive goals of sailors with disabilities while helping to better prepare those sailors whose aspirations included representing the USA at the Paralympic Games.  The one-day clinic, August 24, is the hallmark of “The Clagett” and exposes the sailors to techniques and strategies courtesy of some of the best sailing minds in the world (including noted sailor Gary Jobson of Annapolis, Md.), and is followed by three days of racing, August 25-27, when the sailors can test and strengthen their skills.  It is a formula that has had measurable results.  Last year, 12 sailors who had qualified for the 2008 Paralympic Games (six from the USA and six from Canada) competed in The Clagett, with six of those athletes going on to win medals in China. (more…)

Paid to Surf

I came across a guy named Morgan Crossley shooting video at Ruggles Sunday morning. I asked him if he would send it a long.

This is a clip of professional surfer Ian Walsh surfing BILL at Ruggles. A full length video will be up soon. Thanks Morgan.

Titan Wins Ida Lewis Distance Race

Tom Hill’s (San Juan, Puerto Rico) Titan 15, a new 75-foot Reichel-Pugh design that was launched this year at New England Boatworks in Rhode Island, handily won the IRC Division at this weekend’s fifth Ida Lewis Distance Race

‘It was a hell of a race,’ said Hill, explaining that Titan was ’screaming’ both upwind and downwind in the predominately 16-20 knots of wind. ‘The conditions made for the best sailing we’ve had since putting the boat in the water.’

The 90-foot sloop Rambler and 82-foot Wally yacht Highland Fling both experienced equipment problems. Read the story at Sail-World.com

Titan Photo: Robbie Benjamin

Billy Black images here