Here are some wonderful pictures and a video of the SS23 fleet in Bristol Harbor in action. The album is on Flickr, and is shot by fleet sailors Andrew McKeith and his wife Shaween. The album is mostly still photos, and can be viewed sequentially using the arrow button on the right to move the pictures. A video of an evening race start follows.
Andrew And Crew
Here is the video of the start of a Wednesday evening race in Bristol Harbor…
What a beautiful sailing venue. Come join the fun! And send some pics of your own!!!
Our own Sea Sprite Association Commodore Dom Messerli ran the tables and finished first at the Annual Sea Sprite Regatta on July 22, with finishes of 2/2 in two races. Bristol Yacht Club, in Bristol RI, graciously hosted the event, supplying the race committee pro and staff as well as the RC boat.
Dom With His Auld Mug
Bob Rude finished second with Max and Mary Sherman finishing third. The Shermans also won the trophy for the best new skipper(s) finish.
Bob, Dom, Max, and Mary
Dave Guinther , Race Committee PRO, had his hands full laying out courses for the fleet of eight boats. Light air and shifty winds swinging from northwest to southwest meant that his able RC crew of Dave Legrand, Bob Yayalian, Roger Carney, and Flip Meyerson were kept on their toes moving marks and start lines. Two races were finally able to be run with great windward-leeward-windward courses. Thanks, gents.
Off The Start In Light Air
Great courses provided for close racing throughout the day. Lots of tacking on the upwind legs and jibing on the downwind legs kept skippers and crew on their toes. It meant you had to be tactically savvy to prevent getting pushed to the back of the fleet.
Close Racing All Day
Exhausted skippers and crews convened at the Bristol Yacht Club for a festive pizza and beer party, courtesy of the national Sea Sprite Association, after a long day of racing.
The next big event for the Sea Sprite fleet will be the annual Race Around Hog Island, scheduled for Saturday, September 9. The Association invites all Sea Sprite Owners to attend this highly anticipated yearly event. Or, come out in your own boat and watch the action.
Our fleet and the Sea Sprite Association continues to grow. We now have the largest class for the Wednesday night Millard Series. Grab a boat and become part of this growing one-design class. Contact Dom Messerli (Dom.Messerli@me.com) or Bob Rude (Rrude1@me.com) for more information. Or, go online to SeaSpriteAssociation.com.
Racing the SS23 is a joy. Over the years, one design SS23 class racing has centered on Narragansett Bay. Across the country, the bigger sea sprites have found racing in PHRF to be a challenge. Skippers of SS23’s in clubs without a fleet have found PHRF racing a good alternative.
In this section under Racing, you will find years of announcements and forms for racing events on Narragansett Bay stretching back from 2022. For 2023 and beyond, registration forms and announcements will be coordinated by Dom Messerli, Narragansett Bay Racing Fleet Chair. Please contact Dom at dom.messerli@me.com for announcements, S/I’s, NOR’s, and registration process for Narragansett Bay racing events.
