Checking In

The Boothbay Harbor Yacht Club (BHYC) in West Boothbay Harbor, ME is expanding its 2021 regatta to include four classic yacht divisions, which will sail under the Shipyard Cup Classics Challenge banner. The 47th running of the historic BHYC Regatta takes place the weekend of July 24 & 25, 2021. The Shipyard Cup Classics Challenge was inspired by growing participation in classic yacht races in Maine and evolved out of The Shipyard Cup Regatta, which ran for…

Our friends at North Sails are moving their Milford, CT manufacturing, sales, and service loft to Steelpointe Harbor in Bridgeport, CT.     Located in the former Derecktor Shipyards facility just off Interstate 95 on Seaview Avenue, the 35,000 square foot flagship loft will open on July 1, 2021, bringing several global departments under one roof and serving as the global headquarters for North Technology Group. This location puts North Sails at the heart of an exciting nautical destination…

Our friends at the Herreshoff Marine Museum & America’s Cup Hall of Fame in Bristol, RI have launched their Golden Jubilee year; the 50th anniversary of its founding by Sidney DeWolf Herreshoff and Rebecca Chase Herreshoff in 1971. The museum is now open to the public for this very special season, with events celebrating fifty years of museum collections, preservation, education and inspiration.   June 26: A Celebration of Herreshoff One Design Yachts Hosted by the New…

A new wooden boat restoration shop has opened in Portsmouth, RI, and they’re already busy with projects even though they still haven’t finished unpacking. Padanaram Boatworks, owned by David Strecker and Keith Brown, is dedicated to the restoration and preservation of wooden boats. They offer services for boat owners from seasonal maintenance and repair to full restorations, and all aspects of marine carpentry. At the moment, Strecker and Brown are busy with a number of projects, both…

Our friends at the Herreshoff Marine Museum /America’s Cup Hall of Fame in Bristol, RI have announced that Evelyn Ansel has assumed the role of Museum Curator. Ansel joined the Herreshoff Marine Museum in 2016 as a Collections Specialist working closely with Registrar, Archivist and Librarian Norene Rickson on the digitization of the museum’s collection, a critical strategic initiative geared to capture high-resolution digital images for the dual purposes of preservation and accessibility by the public. Prior to joining HMM,…

  Our friends at the Eastern Connecticut Sailing Association (ECSA) have introduced improvements to the handicap system that make cruising sailboats competitive with racing boats. “If you have ever thought about racing but never tried, there are few ECSA initiatives this year to bring more sailors to Eastern Connecticut events,” said Bob Bruno, PHRF of Eastern Connecticut Chief Handicapper. “Non-Spinnaker boats equipped with Dacron (or similar) cruising sails and furling systems for headsails and mainsails now get…

Our friends at the Women’s Sailing Foundation (WSF) are offering the Sue Corl Youth Sailing Scholarship for young women ages 14 -19. “This scholarship is for applicants who have identified a program that may include but not be limited to an advanced sailing program, a tall ship or live-aboard experience, a marine or marine-related program, such as environmental studies as an example, or a sail racing program,” said WSF board member Linda Newland. “Scholarship funding is up…

Our friends at Cedar Point Yacht Club in Westport, CT have appointed Alicia Martorella Poole as the new Club Manager. “Alicia, a lifelong sailor and racer, has leadership experience both in yacht clubs and community sailing programs, and has been recognized for promoting sailing,” said CPYC Commodore Charlie Kreitler. “She comes to us from SUNY Maritime College, where she is the Assistant Waterfront Director and Director of Waterfront Programs. She has held roles at The WaterFront Center,…

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…

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…