RS Aeros at the Massapoag YC Regatta

In 2005, a friend and I started a Laser fleet at Hunterdon SC on Spruce Run Reservoir in New Jersey.

This is a Laser

Not me sailing it

Not at Hunterdon SC

My friend suggested we should hold a Laser regatta at the club to help get the word out about the new Laser fleet. I recall spending time early in 2005 contacting people I thought I could persuade to come to our regatta. I felt that if we got 10 Lasers at that first regatta I would count it as a success.

In the end we did achieve our target of 10 boats although I wasn't sure we would until the day of the event.

I wrote about it at The Regatta Cast and The Regatta.

11 years on I find myself the fleet captain of a small RS Aero fleet at Massapoag YC in Massachusetts.

This is an RS Aero
Not me sailing it
Not at Massapaog YC

We are having a regatta on June 18 and I have been contacting every RS Aero owner within traveling distance that I know of and other sailors whom I think would sail in the regatta if they could borrow or charter an RS Aero.

There were 21 boats sailing at the RS Aero North Americans in the Columbia River Gorge last year and there have been a few other regattas in North America with around 10 -12 RS Aeros. So once again I have been shooting for 10 boats at our event as a respectable number to aim for. Although it would be great to have a lot more than that.

Of course it's a bit harder trying to round up 10 RS Aero sailors than 10 Laser sailors, simply because there are a lot more Lasers around.

But thanks to some provision of charter boats at favorable rates by both our local dealer, Zim Sailing, and the RS Aero manufacturer, RS Sailing, and some active promotion of our regatta by the RS Aero USA Class Manager, Marc Jacobi - not to mention the modern wonder of online regatta registration - yesterday the 10th sailor signed up for our regatta. And there are still 6 more weeks to go.

Woo hoo!



If you build it they will come.

And my fellow fleet members have some specific ideas on how to put some more "butts in boats" before the regatta.

Who knows how many boats we will have in the end?

I am sure I will be able to concoct some record that we have broken.



So tell me more about this regatta Tillerman, I hear you say.

Well I could put all the details in this post but it is already way too long so please email me tillermeister at gmail dot com if you want all the info.

Or you could just go to the event page.




BREAKING NEWS: Proper Course analysts are now confidently predicting that the 9th Annual Massapoag YC Small Boat Regatta will be the largest RS Aero regatta ever held in North America east of the Rockies and north of the Mason Dixon line on a freshwater lake in a state whose governor is a big fan of the Dropkick Murphys.