Vicki Palmer, Windward Leg Editor

windwardlegeditor@gmail.com

Please check your email for an important update issued on February 19, 2025. Full Article [Article: ISCA NEWS 20250219]

Those sailors that have qualified will receive an email from the ISCA Class Administrator in February with details including the Notice of Race and other important information. To see a list of those sailors that have qualified for 2025, CLICK HERE. If you are interested in being placed on the 2025 Waitlist, please email the Class Administrator. 

Congratulations to Rush Creek Yacht Club for being recognized by US Sailing as the One-Design Regatta Award Winner for 2024 for hosting the ISCA World Championship. Top notch regatta on and off the water because of the amazing volunteers that worked 10 days to make it Texas awesome! 

March 15-22, 2025, Bay-Waveland Yacht Club, Bay Saint Louis, MS

The greatest week in sports is almost upon us. So says Gene Schmitt, Event Chair, and he should know!  The Sunfish Nationals at Midwinters, Team Race Extravaganza, and International Masters will take place at The Bay Waveland Yacht Club.  Gene and his committee have a packed sailing and social schedule where everyone can sail hard and party like rockstars!  Here’s the link to register as early as now! 

https://www.regattanetwork.com/html/calendar.php?state%5B%5D=MS

A full schedule is as follows: 

• Sat - 3/15 Nationals @MW Check-in & Practice Race Day
• Sun - 3/16 Nationals @MW Race Day 1
• Mon -3/17 Nationals @MW Race Day 2
• Tues - 3/18 Nationals @MW Race Day 3 & Trophies
• Wed - 3/19 Team Extravaganza Racing
• Thur - 3/20 Int'l Master Race Day 1
• Fri - 3/21 Int'l Master Race Day 2
• Sat - 3/22 Int'l Masters Race Day 3 & Trophies

The Nationals at Midwinters

• Registration is live.  https://www.regattanetwork.com/event/29126#_docs
• According to Gene, activity always begets activity so please register early. Arriving at the event early is encouraged. Some OTW practice sessions can be formalized as the event nears. Find Todd Edwards who will tell you where to put your yacht if you show up early. 

Team Racing Extravaganza

• This is going to be a little more informal (aka fun).  The PA system will be set up on the top deck of the club and there will be some celebrity commentators call the races which will be right off the pier. Plan to organize some teams toward the end of the Midwinters and get in some good battles for Wednesday. Gene will sponsor the keg!

International Masters

• Registration is live!   https://www.regattanetwork.com/event/29134#_registration+current
• Again, register early.  This event is often larger than the Midwinters. 

Special Lodging Accommodations 

• Driftwood Motel Lodging
• Gene Schmitt’s company recently renovated a retro hotel in Bay St. Louis for those looking to crash for the Nationals/Team Race/International Masters. The Driftwood Motel is 1.5 miles from the Bay Waveland Yacht Club, has a heated pool and FREE BEER. There is a discount code in the NOR. Make sure to use this discount code when booking at www.DriftwoodMotelBSL.com.

Our Regional Reps are hard at work putting together a racing schedule with help from Elaine Parshall, our Regatta Coordinator. As of publication time, Elaine has added the following events to the 2025 Regatta Schedule: 

• Gulf Coast - April 26-27
• Mid-Atlantic I - May 3-4
• Southeast I - May 16-18
• New England I – May 31-June 1
• Mid-Atlantic II - June 7-8
• Southeast II - July 12-16
• New England II - July 19-20
• West - August 16-17
• NY Upstate - August 16-17
• Southwest - Sept 6-7
• Midwest - September 13-14
• Florida I - October 18-19

Columbia Sailing Club, in the SE Region, has scheduled their first long-distance race – the Bomb Island Regatta– for April 26. So, stay tuned as more events like this one get scheduled! Long Distance Race Schedule

Scheduling for the following six Regions is still needed:

• Florida - 1 events
• Mid- Atlantic - 1 events
• Midwest - 1 events
• New York - 1 event 

Please contact your Regional Representative with scheduled dates as quickly as you can. Our members are already planning their 2025 sailing adventures! 

With more than 100 attendees at this highly anticipated Zoom meeting, Dave Perry didn’t disappoint!

You can review the recorded meeting here:  Arizona Yacht Club webinar, January 14, 2025.mp4 - Google Drive

A copy of The Racing Rules of Sailing 2025-2028 is available at: The Racing Rules of Sailing 2025-2028 - US Sailing

There's something about the Sunfish®. It's like a beautiful musical instrument. When it's played just right, the results are simply phenomenal. It's infectious. It grabs a hold of you and keeps on delivering. What a boat. 

The Sunfish® is alive and well in Gulfport Florida at Boca Ciega Yacht Club. There's a nice little beach on a protected bay, and the Club owns 12 Sunfish®. Forming a Fleet was a given; the only mystery was when it would happen. That was solved late in 2024. Hello, Sunfish Class. BCYC is on the scene. 

I got back into Sunfish® sailing in 2023 after kicking a really nasty PHRF habit that lasted 20 years. I didn't even know if my old back could take it, what to expect in the Class, or if I would even be competitive. On each count I have been amazed. The boat seems to be part fitness machine, part fountain of youth, and part magical mystery tour. 

I found the Class as strong as ever (thank you everyone who has been a part of that), my back is stronger for sailing 'Fish again, and I was competitive enough to get into the Worlds. Wow! I am amazed. When I coax my 70-something body into my Cheap Thrill (because that's what a Sunfish® is) I feel like I'm 12 again. Cares and worries vanish; it's just pure fun. 

The people of the Sunfish Class are awesome. I reconnected with old friends and made new ones. The camper trailer I got for my PHRF boat elevated me to that special group within the Class of Camping Sunfish® Sailors. There were 12 camping competitors in the Worlds nestled in the heart of the Texas energy at Rush Creek Yacht Club. Staying at an event 24-7 is an exquisitely surreal memory to be cherished. Thank you, RCYC. 

We enjoyed group dinners, photo-worthy sunsets, and special tactical sessions only possible in that very relaxed setting. My Club followed my exploits and promptly decided I should run things. They marveled at the huge pic of me getting a 7th place in the final race of the Worlds in the Sailing World article. They made me the Race Chair and Captain of Fleet 756. 

We race on Saturdays. Saturday 12-28-24 was cool and breezy on Boca Ciega Bay. Nine Sunfish® ventured out. We carried two marks. An anchored live-aboard boat was selected as the “RC Boat.” A mark was dropped nearby and another to windward. A whistle was blown and the countdown began. Three minutes to go. Racing commenced! 

The first race had to be scrubbed due to a failure to correctly communicate the course to all competitors. Visitor Bob Findlay was winning, a portent of things to come. I secretly vowed to enlist a real RC the next time. Bob proved he still has staying power despite letting me, Fauss Hull and Rick Prieto slip by him in the second race after opting to go for a bit of pressure that vanished when he got there. 

Boca Ciega Bay on an East wind can be a bit like lake sailing. Good training for staying in sync with shifty winds. Janet Kreutzer got it together with an impressive 3rd in Race 4. I learned after the race I had fouled someone, so I took a 9th. Recent Sunfish® owner Dave Lattie won that race - good job, Dave. Bob Findlay showed that conservative sailing and consistency prevails in the end for the overall win. 

Back on shore the sailors reveled in the beauty of the Sunfish as refreshments were quaffed. It was agreed it's quite impossible to get enough of this, and vows were renewed that the ageless Class is only just beginning to sail. 

Fleet 756 not only races but conducts instruction and fun sail days for new Sunfish® sailors. New memberships are gladly being accepted at www.SailBCYC .org.

Fleet 756 -- January 15, 2025

Please take the time to visit our Class website to join or renew your Class membership.

2025 MEMBERSHIP USSCA

Please follow these membership steps:

IF RENEWING Go to the website www.sunfishclass.org 

1. Login to your account using your email address. 
2. Review & update your membership contact information. 
3. Directory preferences select which data you want visible in the member-only online directory. 
4. Select NEW FORMS- 2025 USSCA Membership Order Form
5. Check out with: Individual, Youth, Family 2, Family 3, Family 4 Membership levels. 

IF NEW MEMBER in 2025 CLICK HERE

1. Create an NEW account using your email address
2. Verify the email
3. Login to the website
4. Review & update your membership contact information
5. Directory preferences select which data you want visible in the member-only directory. 
6. Select NEW FORMS- 2025 USSCA Membership Order Form
7. Check out with: Individual, Youth, Family 2, Family 3, Family 4 Membership levels.

OR if you want to renew by CHECK - 2025 Membership PDF

Once you join, please be on the lookout for an email confirmation of your membership with details on how to get your membership cards electronically and links to many important sections of the class website. 

If you have any problems, please reach out to the class office at sunfishoff@gmail.com or 404-451-7743 

Sunfish® junior sailors had a great season participating in the 2024 SAYRA Jr Grand Prix series. 9 regattas over 3 states, salt water/freshwater participation requirements over 6 months counted for ‘series’ points calculated on a high point system. This event is successful because it encourages juniors to travel off their home waters and awards are supported by the Regional Sailing Association – SAYRA (Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina). 

2024 was a record year for the Sunfish®/ISCA fleet - 19 junior sailors participated in the series, 9 qualified and the top finishers 2024 – Jacob Folk, Sea Island YC 1^st place, Whit Parnell Hobcaw YC 2^nd place, Jack Sheerer Hobcaw YC 3^rd place.  Congratulations to these sailors.

Photo of the Jr Grand Prix winners (44 total) for 2025 fleets include were ILCA4/6/7, ISCA, Open Skiff, C420 and Optimist. More information on the series CLICK HERE.

Daniel Buren’s Voile/Toile–Toile/Voile (Sail/Canvas–Canvas/Sail) exhibition performed on Dec. 2, 2024 in Sunfish sailboats in Miami as part of the Art Basel - Miami Art Week.

Emmet Moore, a Miami local artist, set an event known as the Daniel Buren’s Voile/Toile–Toile/Voile (Sail/Canvas–Canvas/Sail). He chose the Sunfish® Class to do it.  In between the Coconut Grove Sailing Club and the Miami Yacht Club and some mates from the Class, Emmet was able to get nine Sunfish to make this event happen in front of the Perez Art Museum Miami. 

“It was great!, reported Emmet. There was a mix of different sailors from different levels, different sailing classes and backgrounds. From Olympic sailors to artists who are also sailors, we were all together taking the same start to give an incredible show to the big crowd along the shoreline from the Museum enjoying the performance. We felt like sail GP sailors! And it was a great opportunity to promote the Sunfish®  Class.”

Here is the YouTube link to the actual Dec. 2 Sunfish® race in Miami. This exhibition of striped sails is artistry in motion!

Daniel Buren: Voile/Toile - Toile/Voile / Art&Newport at Pérez Art Museum Miami - YouTube

Fair winds, Emmet

by Sam Patterson, Regatta Report & Rooster Gear Guide 

When I signed up for 2024 Sunfish® North Americans an hour before registration closed, I was definitely picturing a fun, challenging weekend of racing on Barnegat Bay, NJ, surrounded by great people who remember that, at the end of the day, sailboat racing is our recreation. 

What I hadn’t quite imagined was three days of hanging on for dear life in 18+, getting absolutely humbled regarding my fitness level, and falling in love with the Sunfish® all over again. 

I was fortunate enough to get a Sunfish® for my 14th birthday which kickstarted my love of sailing. However, that particular boat was never raced, and I haven’t been in a Sunfish® for about a decade (aside from one short race in 2022 where I retired after a few legs with a slowly sinking hull). 

My North Americans campaign officially began 13 days before the event with a message to Sunfish® Superstar Amanda Callahan to see if I could borrow a boat. She happily let me use her 2023 hull and a great sail. All I had to do is provide a mainsheet and sail ties. My workout plan was simple: continue to walk my dog every morning and do nothing at all to prepare physically for international-level competition. 

I’m super grateful for the work that Lee Montes has done to provide the Sunfish® sailing community with educational content surrounding the boat. Without a few hours of watching his videos, I would not have felt nearly as comfortable hopping into the boat for the event. My only real goals for the event were to learn as much as possible about the boat and to try to be above mid-fleet in the process.

October 28, 2024 … Sam Patterson at the Sunfish® North American Championship
 at the Lavallette Yacht Club in New Jersey

After a few mishaps involving a forgotten bag and a snapped axle, I arrived at the beautiful Lavallette Yacht Club with two boats in tow – one for me, one for Amanda - a couple of hours after the practice race as the regatta drinks were starting to flow. Racing started the next day, and we were the last boats to arrive. By flashlight, the sail got tied on and the outhaul and Cunningham systems were constructed. The rest was going to have to wait until morning as I had to get to the grocery store before they closed to get snacks and electrolytes!

Day 1 + Gear Guide

A 6:45 a.m. arrival at the venue left plenty of time to purchase some new traveler blocks and rig my 7mm Polilite mainsheet with the 2:1 purchase system that is gaining popularity. Despite my height I’m a bit on the light side and recently had major shoulder surgery, so the extra purchase was incredibly helpful for the weekend. I used 48’ which gave me enough to tie to the hiking strap and was perhaps a foot or two too long. I went ahead with a Jens rig halyard to depower and did a final cleaning of the boat. At this point in the morning, the breeze hadn’t quite built, and it was looking like a Chamber-of-Commerce day.

For the first time in a long time, I pulled on my Rooster Classic Hikers and started to get into race mode. It was quite hot, so I wore a basic long sleeved UV shirt on top and a Rooster Neck Gaiter around my neck. On the first day I only wore the gaiter around my neck but found that wearing it as a full face covering on Days 2 & 3 was great for sun protection and keeping my hat on when boat handling. Rounding out my gear selections were the USCG PFD and Pro Race 2F gloves. Keeping my lunch dry was the new Rooster 3L Dry Bag decked out with RS Fest Miami branding.  I found the 3L to be a perfect size for the Sunfish gear cubby which easily held a day’s food, some ibuprofen and one mini can of Diet Coke.

Race 1 started in 12-14 right out of the south with a nice fetch for the chop to turn into a washing machine in a few spots. 105 Sunfish on the line made for a huge course with the ½-mile starting line creating a lot of opportunity, none of which I successfully claimed. The boat felt light and responsive, and it was quickly apparent that achieving my mid-fleet goal was going to take some work with a 57th place finish. Fouling someone at the leeward mark didn’t help! Upwind legs were set at 1.0 miles to start the event with race time around 1 hour. 

As Race 2 began, breeze built to the steady 18 that we would see for every other race but the last. I was super glad the Jens rig (a lower halyard lift point, to depower) was already set up, but I began to feel overpowered and was envious of the couple folks I saw drop a reef in. Going into maneuvers down-speed in big breeze and chop like that was disastrous and, after a few times in irons, I quickly learned to be more intelligent about my tacking. Downwind was a ton of fun, and the boat’s heritage as a sail board really comes through when surfing downwind. 

Race 3 saw a number of the fleet retire as the breeze continued to build. I was incredibly close to joining them. However, I felt safe and my only reason for going in would have been my incredible lack of fitness leading to me not having an awesome time. So, with nothing else on the calendar for the day I decided to get a workout in and attempt to finish every race of the event no matter the breeze. One more race was run that day and about ½ the total fleet finished the day on the water.

Day 2

I woke up on Day 2 wondering how to get Advil to sponsor the next regatta I hosted. With my quads so tight I could barely get down the stairs at the house. “Yoga for Tired Legs” was searched on YouTube and 26 minutes later, morale was on the upswing. The breeze was still up, and the courses were still long. Another four races were completed and my Sunfish® education advanced another step on the learning curve. Race 2 was when I figured out the gooseneck adjustment and cranked that aft to about 20”. Immediately, the boat balanced out and I felt more in-control than I had all weekend. In conditions like that there was no question that depowering to your own level was fast and that physical fitness is key. 

A lot of my mistakes seemed to be larger strategic decisions that were just boneheaded in retrospect which tracked with how much time (95%) my head was focused in the boat and not on the broader course. I seemed to make up for it on the downwind legs by passing a few folks each time this day. Submarining was a bit of an issue to start the day which I had mild success mitigating with adjustments to daggerboard height. Downwind has never been my strong suit and I’ve spent some time working on it in other classes in the past few years, so this overall felt like a victory. I also managed to finish every race and was beginning to think a little outside the boat by the end of the day.

Day 3

At a certain point in a heavy-air regatta, the hiking just doesn’t hurt anymore. Even the best hiking pants can’t make up for several years of neglecting fitness, and you just have to keep going. Staring upwind at whitecaps as the sequence started for the first race of the day, I just kept reminding myself I only had to finish each race. The breeze had rotated 180 degrees overnight, so the fetch was marginally smaller. But a one mile uphill slog is still one mile uphill. Going into Race 2 of that day the breeze slightly died. I started to get my head outside of the boat and snagged a top-40 finish. Race 3 saw breeze as low as 14, and I started to feel the boat move going upwind. Having spent three days pushing the absolute limits of boat handling and steering, I felt comfortable enough to get my head out of the boat and actually tack on headers reliably for the first time all weekend. The downwinds became much, much harder in the light stuff as I struggled to out-surf folks, but I managed to end the event with a 20th in the last race and a 41st overall.

The 61st Sunfish® North American Championship was a regatta to remember, and I’m quite glad that I had the opportunity to learn about the Class in some challenging conditions. The learning curve was exponential, and I feel insanely grateful to the entire class for being super supportive and helpful from sharing rigging tips to chatting about changing conditions on the water. Amanda Callahan deserves unending thanks for her commitment to grow the Class and willingness to give me a boat and housing for a weekend. Thank you to Lavallette Yacht Club for hosting an excellent event and to USSCA for organizing!

December 27/28 2024 – Miami, FL

by J. Alfredo Sambolin

Eleven boats registered for this event, represented by three countries -- the USA, Venezuela and Argentina. Five races were sailed in variable conditions. Benjamin Galvan was the youngest competitor and had never sailed a Sunfish before until two days before the regatta. He was a quick learner by scoring a 2nd and 1st in the 4th and 5th races respectively. 

Pirate Sailing Team provided five boats to the regatta. We’re hoping that next year, with ample time to publish, we will have more boats registered.

Happy New Year!

Columbia Sailing Club, South Carolina

From a Facebook posting by Mark Kastel on Dec. 29, 2024 

Although Vicki does such a great job with our electronic newsletter, I still like reading some of the very old Windward Leg magazines that I collected over the years - some dating back to the 70’s still available on the Class website:                          https://www.sunfishclass.org/past_issues_windward_leg

The part I always enjoyed, and still do, are the “personal interest” stories. People talking about making the boats go faster or some other very personal experience they’ve had on the regatta circuit or in the Class.

Writing this post came to mind when I was recently cleaning and organizing my basement which I recommend everyone does every 25 years or so. Although I proudly display trophies from my newest iteration as a Sunfish sailor (I think this will be my eighth season after a 45-year hiatus), lots of my old trophies are collecting dust in the basement or out in the barn.

So, I thought I would kick this off with my reminiscence about the histories of two trophies I recently discovered -- the first trophy I ever won in 1969 and, likely, the last trophy I earned in 1973 before I went on to sail Lasers, Thistles, and Stars.

The small loving cup from ‘69 was for ninth place. Being my first trophy, I can tell you that I proudly displayed that in my bedroom as a 14-year-old kid. I had started sailing in the Winnetka Yacht Club Junior Fleet under the tutelage of Sladen and Major Hall.

I paid my dues for a few years. When I first started, we had two kids in each Sunfish just learning how to sail and rig the boat. By ‘69 I pretty much knew how to race. But being in ninth place tells you how deep the competition was. There were likely 30 or 40 boats. There were older kids, as old as 18, who were really good. The Sunfish was THE junior boat on Lake Michigan. There were dozens of senior and junior fleets and, although we had a few Junior regattas, the best kids all raced in the senior fleet on weekends and at senior regattas.

That trophy was from the most important junior regatta of the year, the C&FS (Children and Family Services). It was a fundraiser where the entry fees and extra contributions from our parents went to charity.

As an ex-scoutmaster, I can tell you that we were learning more than just sailing. Sladen and Maj were about the best role models I can think of. And the other adult men in my fleet and on the regatta circuit, including Don Bergman, were kind and thoughtful mentors. And we learned how to be independent. There were no coaches on the regatta circuit, no helicopter parents, and the older kids with driver's licenses would help us get our boats to regattas (or sometimes some of the other adults).

The bowl trophy from 1973 was from the iconic Lake Geneva, Wisconsin annual fall regatta. By that time, at 17, I was one of the top juniors (having won the 80-boat Junior Midwest Championships that summer) and regularly sailed in the top few boats at senior regattas.

I vividly remember that year. Being in late September, it usually blew hard (unlike summers in the Midwest). Sometimes it was cold as well. That year was blustery as heck. We had a ball out in our little boats!

I can’t remember who finished second, but we were in the “B fleet.” I can remember Bergie “conducting a seminar for us all” (as Ron McHenry called it).

Don ”Bergie” Bergman was big and strong. A lot bigger than me. And as many of you know, Don jogged, did other sports (like racing canoes with wife Jean), and was in great shape in midlife. He was in his element that weekend.

It was a great regatta to say goodbye to the Sunfish Class. I thought Sunfish were a steppingstone. I loved the Thistle (my family had one and I got one of my own at that time). And I describe racing in the Star class as akin to “playing golf with Arnold Palmer.” I also spent decades frostbiting a Penguin.

But then I came back to sailing Sunfish as the number of Laser regattas in the Midwest started to wane and, being isolated on a farm on the West Coast of Wisconsin, I had given up sailing other boats.

I now have to say I’m enjoying this boat and the people in the Class than any other design. And although the competition is tough as heck, very rarely do I encounter anything that could be described as “cutthroat.”

I really appreciate the generosity of the many, many folks who’ve answered my plethora of questions over the last eight years and helped me become competitive again. It’s now up to us to recycle everything we’ve learned and help people in the back and middle of the fleets move up and have even more fun.

Do you have a story about a past regatta? Or a photo with a story to go along with it? Or a story about how you got into the Class? I, for one, would be tickled to death to hear what you have to say.

Mark Kastel’s Tribute to Mike West … It’s with a heavy heart that I inform Mike’s other Sunfish friends that he passed away this past November. His son, Dan, just reached out to let me know. I hadn’t seen him since we had dinner in September.

The photo I received from his son shows Mike at the helm winning the Senior (80+) Senior Master division at the championship in Florida in 2020. I don’t know if he made it out on the water last season, but he came down and kept us company at the regatta. After turning 80, he picked his days. He was a little concerned about heavy weather and the challenge of getting back into the boat if he flipped or fell out.

Ever since I returned to the Class eight years ago, Mike has been one of my best sailing friends. I’ve stayed at his house during the annual Highland Park Regatta on Labor Day weekend, and we would enjoy dinners together while reminiscing about sailing on the North Shore of Chicago.

Although Mike was 14 years older than I am, we had many past competitors in common from the Star and Penguin classes. Mike sailed with some of the best in the 50s, 60s, and 70s, including Richard Stearns, the Star World Champion and Olympic Gold Medalist out of Sheridan Shores Yacht Club in Wilmette. Mike had some fantastic war stories!

Along with being quite a competitor, Mike’s Sunfish legacy includes the rejuvenation of the fleet in Highland Park. He was the go-to man for lessons and knowledge, and he mentored quite a few currently active sailors. Their fleet had close to 20 boats out last fall in the “Summer’s End Regatta” at North Shore Yacht Club.

Mike innovated a handy line, tied to the aft end of the hiking strap, with a loop in it so he could stick his foot in and boost himself back into the boat. I’m not sure that’s technically legal but we should certainly consider approving it. We have lots of folks still competitive in the Sunfish who might appreciate that extra help as they get older (myself included).

Mike was the nicest guy you would ever have wanted to spend time with at a regatta, both on and off the water. 

Gail Turluck’s Tribute to Mike West … Mike was a regular at the Michigan Open Championship at Gull Lake and many other regattas on the Midwest Sunfish circuit. A super kind competitor and good friend who loved sailing and racing. I had been missing him this season. Very sad. I’m very sorry for the family and all his friends. Fair winds, Mike.

David Krausz’s Tribute to Mike West … It’s always great to sail with the Senior Masters. We should all be so lucky to be sailing in our 80’s. RIP, Mike. Fair winds and following seas.

ISCA/USSCA Class Administrator

8070 Willow Tree Way, Alpharetta, GA 30005

www.sunfishclass.org    sunfishoff@gmail.com  404-451-7743