It has been a busy couple of months since my last newsletter! I apologize for not getting this out sooner, but time has certainly been a commodity for me.

Before I talk about what has happened, I want to let you know what we have coming up. Many of you may have noticed a new marina going in next to the railroad bridge in Bridgeton. Well, the Bridgeton Harbor Marina contacted me and expressed a desire to promote sailboat racing on the Neuse River. They are a major sponsor of the Bridgeton Harbor NYRA Invitational this year, offering free slips to race participants. They are also throwing a cookout for all of the participants and printing up t-shirts. Please help us to pass the word for this great event! The race will be on May 17 and 18, and the NOR can be found here. The next weekend is Memorial Day, and we all know that is when the North Carolina Offshore Championships are run out of Beaufort North Carolina. NYRA took over running this race three years ago, and once again we will be down in Beaufort for a fun weekend of sailing and socializing. This year, we are basing the race out of the North Carolina Maritime Center on Gallants Channel. The first 15 boats to register will get a free slip, so get your registration in early. The NOR can be seen here

The first big event since my last letter was the annual trek down south for great racing and social gatherings, and this year was outstanding. We could almost call it the rum wars as Bald Head is sponsored by Mount Gay Rum while Charleston is sponsored by Gosslings Rum. I have to admit to being partial to a Dark and Stormy after a full day of racing, but I digress.

Almost the entire fleet from NYRA took off for Bald Head Island for three days of racing in the ocean. The weather was forecast to be a bit unsettled, but turned out fantastic. On Friday, racing was to begin at 2:00, but because of exceptional spring tides, the entire fleet was aground when it was time to leave the docks. Mark Brennesholtz made a valiant effort to get out of his slip, and with the cast of thousands watching from shore he tried to power out, but he only managed to make it far enough away from the dock so that they were all stuck on the boat with no where to go. The tide was low enough that the ferry even ran aground in the entrance to the harbor. As the tide began to rise, it was very entertaining to watch as the boats attempted to make it out of the harbor, and every time someone made it out a rousing cheer was raised by those still stuck ashore. Everyone eventually made it out for one race on Friday.

Because of the tide conditions, and with a forecast storm front scheduled to come in at low tide, the RC abandoned racing on Saturday, which was probably the correct decision. The bad news was it was like caddy day in Caddy Shack with 1,000 drunken sailors running around on the island.

Sunday turned out to be the best day of racing, and our friends on Echo turned in an impressive showing, taking third place in the Spinnaker A fleet, behind two Cape Fear 38s loaded with pros. Compass Rose took first place in Spinnaker B. Complete results can be seen here. Once again Rona and the folks at Bald Head Island ran an outstanding race in a beautiful venue.

Next Stop was Charleston Race Week. I wasn't planning on racing as the logistics of getting the boat down and back are a bit much right now, but luckily I got invited to race aboard a J105 out of Texas. The first day of racing for us ended about 1 minute out of the slip when the tide pushed us against some other boats and the skipper got a complimentary trip to the hospital for some sewing lessons on his leg. We thought about taking the boat out and racing by ourselves, but thought the owner might not appreciate it, so we stayed ashore. Other than the ride out to the race course and back in, Charleston is a fantastic racing venue, with consistent winds, southern hospitality and good competition. Speaking of competition, Echo stepped up their game another notch and won their class in Charleston, beating the winning boat from Bald Head Island. Complete results can be seen here. Congratulations to Echo and all of the boats that represented our club so well in these two regattas.

We are now in the thick of the summer racing season, and I hope to see you all out on the river.

See you on the water!