HELLY HANSEN CHESTER RACE WEEK

Chester Race Week 2024 is here!

For many of us, this is a special time of year when friends, family, and competitors get together in one of the most visually stunning parts of our province for a four-day event in the hope of taking home a coveted award or trophy.

I would like to thank all our competitors for making this one of our largest Chester Race Weeks in the last decade. We currently have 132 boats registered, with 135 within our grasp. What an incredible turnout from our community. This year, we are hosting the J70 Canadian Championships, a growing pursuit course (Spinnaker, White Sail, and Classics), large PHRF fleets, and One Design fleets, which include a growing J105 class.

I’d also like to thank all our volunteers, who dedicate a lot of time to ensuring the event is fun, safe, and competitive for all. We could not do it without your hard work.

While the forecast looks light this week, I hope you all find clean space on the start line, clean air up the course, smooth gybes downwind, and, most importantly, an enjoyable race week. Please tag us in all your fun throughout the week so we can all enjoy the spirit of Chester Race Week.

Sincerely,

Dan Conrod

On-Water Chair

Dinghy Delta Ditch Run

A small boat regatta beginning at Rio Vista, follows the Sacramento River Deep Water Ship Channel, and finishes at Lake Washington,West Sacramento, California. This is the only long distance, downwind small boat and dinghy race in the whole USA! lwsailing.org

The Lake Washington Sailing Club welcomes you to the 15th annual Dinghy Delta Ditch Race and Cruisers’ Rally from Rio Vista to Sacramento down the deep water shipping channel. This downwind drag race on a flood current pushes boats up-river to the LWSC clubhouse.

The course is approximately thirty miles long and will take an average dinghy about six hours to complete in light to normal conditions. After-race dinner, music, and awards will follow at the clubhouse.

The race is open to any centerboard sailboat or pre-approved keelboat. A limited number of large cruising boats are invited to anchor in the lake and a water taxi to shore is provided.

Our facilities include a clubhouse with large deck, restrooms, a launch ramp for up to 21-ft / 3500-lb boats, a two-acre boat storage yard, and a 2000-lb capacity hoist.

Swallows & Amazons – Open Boat Event

Our premier open boat event for everyone, now in its 25th year! Join us once again at the Walton & Frinton Yacht Club to race around the Island, and explore the backwaters.

This year we are extending the event to three days. High tides are: Friday 13:08, Saturday 13:51, Sunday 14:51. Sailing will start on the Friday for those that can make it, with a race round Horsey Island on Saturday, weather permitting. On the Friday or Sunday, again weather permitting, we might creep up Bramble Creek to say a quiet hello to the seals. Join on Thursday evening to make the most of the three days!

To mark our 25th year, Tessa Hodgkinson has written a lovely history and description of the event as it has evolved over the years:

The annual Swallows and Amazons Race is a delightful celebration of the diversity found in small Gaffers, the sailing adventures of the Walker & Blackett children, the wonderful back drop of the Walton Backwaters and of course, the ever forgiving, ever clinging Essex mud.

It all started some 35 years ago when Jon Wainwright and Brian Hammett started a “race around the island” for the smaller boats and dinghies at the Shotley Classic Boat Festival in 1989. It proved very popular with all the open boats and even some smaller cruisers, so eventually it broke away to form its own weekend event. The title of the weekend seemed an obvious choice, paying homage to Arthur Ransome and his inspirational books about the youngsters, delighting in their adventures and their freedom with their small gaffers in these very waters.

In the early 2000s we were regularly hosting 40 to 50 small boats at Swallows and Amazons, it was often the largest East Coast event. The boats were a wonderful collection, including real classics over 100yrs old, ex fishing boats including Lune whammels, winkle brigs, smacks boats, barge boats, whalers, also racing dinghies, 1920s one designs, dinghies and self-built boats, and they came from all over England and Wales in a spirit of goodwill and fun.

Saturday was race around Horsey Island, launch as soon as there is water and try to get back before the mud reappears. There were always adventures and spills, dinghies full of families and dogs, some definitely had pirates aboard, some pausing to seal watch and others offering tows to those becalmed without an outboard and needing a helping hand home.

Being a race, of course, there are prizes, but having such an eclectic fleet, handicapping is virtually impossible, so we made many classes, many prizes and a rule that each boat could only be awarded one prize, to share them around as much as possible and encourage all.

Sunday is fun day (just in case the race was not fun enough) we have had dinghy treasure hunts, sail in company to a picnic spot, visit the actual Swallow Island (by landowner invitation), seal trips and exploration into the furthest, shallowest backwaters.

As the years have gone by Swallows and Amazons has reduced in size, but the spirit of fun and inclusivity remains, prizes for all and never more than one each. There is an increasing fleet of east coast smacks boats that regularly support the event and all small gaffers and assorted classics are very welcome. Come by sea or land, enjoy the secret waters and friendly pirates, watch out for seals and mastodons … they can all be found here.

41st Annual Classic Mariner’s Regatta – Port Townsend Sailing Association

NOTICE OF RACE

1. ORGANIZING AUTHORITY The 41st Annual Classic Mariner’s Regatta is organized by the Port Townsend Sailing Association (PTSA).

2. ELIGIBILITY AND ENTRY The regatta is open to sailboats of all designs and materials. All sailboats are welcome! Boats may enter by completing the entry form and submitting it, together with the required fee, online at Regatta Network: https://www.regattanetwork.com/event/28044

3. ENTRY FEE The entry fee is $ 35 per vessel until May 22nd. Late and day of registration fee is $50.

4. VENUE Port Townsend Bay

5. RULES The event is governed by the Racing Rules of Sailing (2021-2024). More info on the Racing page of the PTSA web site.

6. Sailing Instructions The Sailing Instructions will be available after May 24, 2024 at the event Regatta Network site (see above).

7. CLASSES Separate starts for PHRF, One-design, Cruising, and In-shore boats. Classes will be determined after registration. Provisional ratings will be assigned by the local ratings/ handicap committee for boats without an official PHRF rating (https://phrf-nw.org).

8. PRIZES Prizes will be awarded for each class.

9. MOORAGE Point Hudson Marina has space reserved for CMR participants. You can make a reservation through their website, use the code: CMR2024 and that should allow you access to the available slips. We have 5 slips reserved through May 7. The Boat Haven marina does not accept advanced reservations, but will take reservations the morning of your arrival, if you want to take the chance. If you have any questions, please call Holly Kays at 360-531-0462 so that we can help make your stay in Port Townsend as easy as possible.

10. RISK STATEMENT & PERSONAL CONDUCT 1. Rule 3 states: ‘The responsibility for a boat’s decision to participate in a race or to continue to race is hers alone.’ By participating in this event each competitor agrees and acknowledges that sailing is a potentially dangerous activity with inherent risks. These risks include strong winds and rough seas, sudden changes in weather, failure of equipment, boat handling errors, poor seamanship by other boats, loss of balance on an unstable platform and fatigue resulting in increased risk of injury. Inherent in the sport of sailing is the risk of permanent, catastrophic injury or death by drowning, trauma, hypothermia or other causes. 2. Competitors will accept full responsibility for their actions during any activity related to this event. This includes on-shore activities before, during, and after the regatta.

11. SCHEDULE Saturday, June 1: 10:00 am – Skippers meeting at PTSA Clubhouse near the boat ramp in Boat Haven. 12:00 pm – First start warning. Fleets will race up to 2 triangle course races. One-Design classes (3+ boats) may have other style courses- see Sailing Instructions for details. 6:00 pm – Casual dinner at the PTSA Clubhouse. Cost is $12.00 – you can pay at the same time you register(preferred as this gives us an accurate planning head count!) or with CASH/check at the door. Sunday, June 2: 12:00 pm – Race start warning. The race will be a random leg, reverse (pursuit)* start based on vessel ratings. 4:00 pm – Post race awards gathering at the PTSA Clubhouse. *All boats will be assigned an individual start time based on their rating. Individual boat start times will be posted on Saturday night at the dinner event. The start times will also be posted Sunday morning at the PTSA Clubhouse door. We look forward to your participation in the 41st Annual Classic Mariner’s Regatta!

WaterTribe Everglades Challenge 2024

Tampa Bay To Key Largo In Sea Kayaks, Canoes and Small Boats

The next Everglades Challenge is Saturday, March 1, 2025. There is registration and equipment inspection on Friday, February 28, 2025, prior to starting. Cost is $495.00 for the captain and $495.00 for crew members if any.

Billing starts January 1.
Registration ends January 26 at noon.
Payment Deadline is January 26 at noon.

Due to the extreme commitment for this race late registration and/or late payments will not be allowed. We recommend that you commit to this race early so you have plenty of time for planning, training, and preparation. Pay early in the payment cycle. You can get a full refund up until January 26 at noon. No refunds after that date and time.

All WaterTribe events are dangerous events as defined by Florida law and common sense. You are responsible for your own safety. You must read and understand the warning before you register for this event.

The Everglades Challenge is an unsupported, expedition style adventure race for kayaks, canoes, and small boats. The distance is roughly 300 nautical miles depending on your course selection. There is a time limit of 8 days or less. Your safety and well being are completely up to you.

Unsupported means that there are no safety boats or support crews to help you during the race. You are not allowed to have a support crew follow you or meet you during the race. It is OK to have family or friends meet you at the official checkpoints, but they cannot provide anything other than emotional support. See the official WaterTribe rules for more details.

Expedition style means that you must carry the same type of equipment and supplies that you would carry on a major expedition lasting 4 weeks or more. Camping equipment, food, water, safety, communication, etc. is required. See the Rules and Warning link at the top of this page for the official required equipment list for more details.

Although this is a race, many participants are more interesting in cruising and adventure. Whether you are a cruiser or racer is up to you. Just getting to the starting line is a major accomplishment and only about 40% of starters are able to finish. You should be an expert kayaker and/or sailor before you consider this challenge.

SPECIAL NOTE 1: You can earn an alligator tooth award by completing the entire Everglades Wilderness Waterway between Chokoloskee and Flamingo. There are specific rules for earning that tooth:

You must obey all Everglades National Park rules.
SPOT must be correctly used at all times.
You must complete the entire WW as shown on their official maps. You can exit at Broad River and return via Broad Creek. Using the Harney River from the outside is not allowed.
The Nightmare is an option. Some people say that taking the Nightmare is easier than negotiating Broad Creek from the entrance. The choice is yours.
Once you have reached Whitewater Bay you may follow the marked route or take the Joe River or any other route to cross the bay and enter Tarpon Creek and the Buttonwood Canal.
In some years challengers have taken the Hells Bay Canoe Trail to Tarpon Creek. Since this is marked on the official map, it is also OK.
You must portage your boat a short distance between the fresh water side and the salt water side at Flamingo. You cannot receive assistance from the Race Manager, CP Captain, or bystanders. Challengers participating in the event may assist other challengers (see the note below).

SPECIAL NOTE 2: In some previous years we have provided a boat cart or other assistance for the short portage at Flamingo. As of EC2011 and beyond a boat cart will not be provided and all challengers crossing from the fresh water side to the salt water side must do this short portage without outside assistance. No cart will be provided. You must carry your own if you plan to use one. If bystanders want to help they cannot. However, other WaterTribers who are in the same event can help – see the ad hoc team rule.

The Everglades Challenge follows the SW Florida coast line from Fort Desoto in Tampa Bay, Florida to Key Largo. You will enter Everglades National Park near Everglades City and you will be within their boundries until you get near Key Largo. You must follow all park rules and regulations.

Note that the WaterTribe Marathon runs concurrently with the Everglades Challenge. The schedule mentions both races.

Dorestad Raid NL

The Dorestad raid takes place annually from Wednesday evening to Sunday afternoon in September, each year taking a different route in the Netherlands.

Participants are to complete the entire route without the use of an engine. Playful competition elements are inevitable, but it is not a real competition. The most important thing is that all are enjoying themselves.

Each day there is a stage which all participants should be able to complete, if necessary with some assistance. All however having due regard for the Terms and Conditions and the Safety Points.

In the morning there will be a briefing explaining the stage for the day and what you can encounter along the way.

Each day ends in afternoon at the place of destination, as agreed in the morning briefing. At the place of destination one will find the accompanying mother ship, the accommodation barge the ‘in Dubio’ of Leo and Hannah Versloot.

The price includes the evening meals, breakfasts and packed lunches, coffee and tea. Other drinks must be paid separately. All participants are, in accordance with the cores schedule, to help once during the raid setting and clearing the tables as well as doing the dishes. Please indicate your dietary requirements on the registration form.

For an additional price one can sleep on board the ‘in Dubio’. If so desired, bed linen is offered at an extra charge. Everything is to be specified on the registration form.

Please also note the Terms and Conditions and the Safety Points.

The English Raid – Plymouth Raid V3

The Raid will be based at the Mountbatten Water Sports and Activities Centre in Plymouth as in 2017 and 2015.

The Raid is taking place in school holidays in order to help those Raiders who have children (or Grandchildren) still at school. It is also the only dates that were available

We have booked all of the bedrooms as accommodation for the Raid.

Cars and trailers can be parked at the Centre.

There are spaces for up to 8 camper vans. Plug-in facilities for camper vans are available. All Camper Van users will have 24-hour access to the Centre for showers and WC included within their charge. There are very few camping facilities nearby, although plenty of B&Bs and rental properties.

The boats will be launched, moored and recovered at Mountbatten Centre (MC).

The exact programme needs to remain as flexible as possible and will depend on tidal and weather conditions. Thus, apart from Monday and Thursday evening/Friday morning, everything is fluid.

MONDAY 19th August

Day:

Arrival and registration

Evening:

18.00 Welcome reception

20.00 Supper

DAY A

Breakfast 07.30- 08.30

Briefing 09.00

Sail to Newton Ferrers

Racing on passage to and from Newton Ferrers

Lunch on beach and or pub

Return Mount Batten

Supper 20.00 ( Location TBA )

DAY B

Breakfast 07.30- 08.30

Briefing 09.00

Sail to Cawsand for lunch,

Racing in Harbour

Return Mount Batten

Supper 20.00 ( Location TBA )

DAY C

Breakfast 07.30- 08.30

Briefing 09.00

Sail up the Tamar

Lunch possibly at Saltash Sailing Club

Racing on passage to and from
Saltash Sailing Club

Supper 20.00 ( Location TBA )

Thursday 22nd August EVENING

Some recovery of boats

Supper at Royal Western Yacht Club 20.00

Prize giving after supper

Friday 23rd August

Breakfast 07.30- 08.30

Recover boats/free sailing

ACCOMMODATION:

We have booked all of the bedrooms as accommodation for the Raid. Cars and trailers can be parked at the Centre. Plug-in facilities for up to 8 camper vans are available. All Camper Van users will have 24-hour access to the Centre for showers and WC included within their charge. There are very few camping facilities nearby, although plenty of B&Bs and rental properties.

FOOD:

Breakfast for those with beds in the Mountbatten Centre is included. Camper Van residents and live-aboards can buy breakfasts at the Centre for £8.00 per head per day but these need to be booked the day before.

Packed lunches will be provided on the Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday for all Raiders.

Supper will be provided on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings for all Raiders.

COST:

The cost of participation in the Raid is expected to be £300 per person (this includes 3 packed lunches, 4 dinners, mooring fees and car and trailer parking).

In addition the cost of room-based accommodation in the Mountbatten Centre (including breakfast) is £160 per person (Monday evening to Friday morning). Please note that you may end up sharing a room with crew from another boat as there are only 26 rooms in the Centre. Couples will not be asked to share and will be given their own room.

If you wish to stay in a camper van on the premises the cost is £28 per day per van (including electric hook-up) i.e,£112 for the 4 nights from Monday to Friday. Those in camper vans (or live-aboards) may purchase breakfasts from the Centre at £8.00 per head per day. These breakfasts can be booked in advance or the day before.

There is no charge for children under 5 and children 5 – 12 will be 50% of the adult cost.

To book your place on the Raid please go to Register 2024 and complete the form and send it to us. A booking deposit of £75 per boat will secure your place.

402410 61420933 and Raid England are the details you will need if using online banking

If you are making an overseas transfer you will need to know that HSBC is the bank and that Market Place, Henley-on-Thames, UK is the address together with some or all of the below. I have recently been using a system called Wise (https://wise.com) very successfully with much better exchange rates than most banks but contact me first to discuss the best way of paying. If you insist upon using a traditional bank please can you “pay” the transfer fees as well because UK banks charge us a lot for accepting money from outside the UK.

IBAN: GB58HBUK40241061420933

Branch BIC (BIC 11): HBUKGB4113V

Bank BIC (BIC8): HBUKGB4B

otherwise please send an old-fashioned cheque made payable to:

Raid England

to
Geoff Probert

60 St. Marks Rd.

Henley-on-Thames,

Oxon

RG9 1LW

Geoff Probert

01491 577220

geoffprobertatgmaildotcom

Peter Chesworth

01209 822054

peteratwillowbridgecottagedotcodotuk

(substitute at & dot with the usual symbols in order to defeat the automated spammers)

Texas 200 Race

The 17 th Annual Texas 200 will be held from June 10-14, 2024. After a number of years doing a 6-day event, this year we’re going to do this thing in 5 days. Our theme this year is “Back to Basics”. Nothing fancy. No gimmicks. No alternative routes. No new camps. Just five solid days of sailing with new friends and old, to a set of tried and true camps that have all been used on this event several times.

The Texas 200 is a “Raid”-type event; that is, it involves a scheduled gathering of small boats traveling more or less in company from Point A to Point B over a period of several days, camping along the way. The Texas 200 goes through the Laguna Madre and the bays of South Texas for five to six days and about 200 miles. Shallow draft boats will have options in terms of routes through the bays, while deeper draft vessels will spend more time in the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW). For any who may be unfamiliar with the ICW, it follows the Atlantic and Gulf coasts from New Jersey to the southern tip of Texas, providing a more or less protected waterway of canals and bays for commercial barge traffic, an alternative to open ocean shipping.

The Texas 200 was established by Chuck Leinweber, founder of the Duckworks website https://www.duckworks.com/. Chuck competed in the Everglades Challenge (EC) several years ago, and wanted to do more of that kind of thing. The Everglades, however, are a long trip from his home in Texas. Chuck thought he could organize a modified version of the EC, right on the Texas gulf coast.

Kim Apel “A Californian Does the Texas 200”

What the Texas 200 is:
• A “rolling messabout” where people bring boats of all shapes and sizes and sail them on the south Texas coast.
• A moving, exhausting, endurance test of boat, captain, and crew.
• A chance to see areas of America rarely visited by man.
• An exercise in planning, preparation, and problem solving.
• A chance to make new friends and legends of the small boat world
Andy Linn “Texas 200: Embrace the Suck”

The 2024 Texas 200 will be held the second full week of June 2024, which means a start date of Monday, June 10th. Additional information including the start point, finish point and all camps, will be published on our website on or about January 1, 2024.

R2AK Race To Alaska

RACE TO ALASKA EXPLAINED

Stage 1 Race start: Sunday, June 9, 2024, 5:00 AM, Port Townsend, Washington
Stage 2 Race start: Wednesday, June 12, 2024, High Noon, Victoria, BC
Application Open: Wednesday, November 15, 2023 at noon
Application deadline: Tax Day baby! April 15

The inside passage to Alaska has been paddled by native canoes since time immemorial, sailing craft for centuries, and after someone found gold in the Klondike the route was jammed with steamboats full of prospectors elbowing each other out of the way for the promise of fortune.

It’s in the spirit of tradition, exploration, and self-reliance that Race to Alaska was born. R2AK is the first of its kind and North America’s longest human and wind powered race, and currently the largest cash prize for a race of its kind.

This isn’t for everyone

It’s like the Iditarod, on a boat, with a chance of drowning, being run down by a freighter, or eaten by a grizzly bear. There are squalls, killer whales, tidal currents that run upwards of 20 miles an hour, and some of the most beautiful scenery on earth.

The hardest kind of simplicity

You, a boat, a starting gun. $10,000 if you finish first, a set of steak knives if you’re second. Cathartic elation if you can simply complete the course. R2AK is a self-supported race with no supply drops and no safety net. Any boat without an engine can enter.

Contact: [email protected]

Seventy 48 Race

WHAT

SEVENTY48 aka 70 miles in 48 hours.
Rules are simple: no motors, no support, and no wind. That’s right. HUMAN POWER ONLY. Pedal, paddle, or row. We don’t care. It’s up to you. (And this is a boat race. Leave your 10 speed-towing-a-canoe idea at home.)

WHEN

Race Start: May 31, 2024
Application Open: November 15, at noon
Application deadline: April 1, April fools day baby
Registration deadline: April 21, 2024
Gun goes off at 7:00 PM, and teams have 30 minutes to cross the start line. (And PM is not a typo. We know what it means and so do you.)

WHERE

Tacoma to Port Townsend
First find Tacoma, Washington. The race starts at Tacoma’s Thea Foss Waterway from The Foss Waterway Seaport. Next find Port Townsend. That’s where you hope to end. Only one checkpoint is required: The Port Townsend Ship Canal. Here’s the route map.