SailGP Formula 50 foiling catamaran regatta/racing news...
Racing just took place in Valencia Spain. Like always it was great racing and if you're an American the result was perfect. Team USA in this series, before the final had the following results: One 2nd and two 3rd place finishes, and one first place in the last race of the series. These results put them into 3rd place overall allowing them to be in the series final. It's all about consistency.
In the finally it was Australia, Italy, and America. In the end via some great tactics team USA was able to squeak out the win. Watch the Final below versus me boring about it.
For sailors wanting to learn the rules... Watching this type of racing helps one learn the rules of sailing, while having some fun doing so. SailGP is actually the only sailboat racing that is consistently viewed worldwide. Learn why its popular by watching it yourself...
Well, well the SailGP Team USA finally did it, they won the
racing series championships in Australia by being consistent on both days of
racing. Seem the USA athletes and teams are winning a lot lately. In the Winter
Olympics Team USA won the women’s and men’s Hockey Gold, among many other wins.
It was another Miracle on Ice for men’s Hockey. And now a great win for SailGP Team USA.
This was not the SailGP racing series grand prix final for
the season, but was a series win in Australia. This is a big win on their way
to a more consistent season than in 2025, which was quite disastrous for them. They now sit 3rd on the leader board out of 12 teams. Seems
the growing pains for this new team have molded them into a winning team. Congratulations Team USA!
The wind in Australia was very inconsistent on the 2nd day of racing, but SailGP Team
USA was masterful, particularly in the final with a great start and with masterful
tactics. They were able to create a
significant lead over the two other boats in the final, Great Britian 2nd
and Spain 3d place.
Skipper Miles Moore of FunToSAIL.com will be racing in the 2027 WA360 that take place June 26th. A race around the Puget Sound from Port Townsend WA, past Seattle, to the Canadian border, through or by the San Juan Islands, across the Strait of Juan De Fuca and back to Port Townsend. Approximately a 360-mile round trip adventure that does not allow gas or electric motors, only sail and/or muscle power.
We are posting about this race well in advance in the hopes of securing sponsors/donors, to help with the race and to acquire funding for our accessibility work and suicide prevention.
With this race will be the start of the FunToSAIL.com video and article series about small boat adventure sailing, types of safety and general gear used, Float Plans, etc.
Miles is dedicating this race to suicide prevention. As one who has delt with depression all his life, this effort to expand awareness of resources to help prevent suicide is particularly important to him. Click here for resources.
It's also his goal to stream some parts of this event so those with disAbilities and others following the race can ask him questions live and some of the racing directly from his boat. Miles has a special part of his heart reserved for those with disAbilities due to his own challenges and seeing others struggle but prevail in life. He has been doing accessible and therapeutic sailing for 30+ years. In addition, has been developing an Inland NW marine access guide so those with disAbilities can find access to the water. Click here!
Miles has taught sailing for 40+ years via his sailing school here at FunToSAIL. He is a Recreational Therapist and previously worked for the state of Idaho as a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor. Before going to college, he worked in the fishing industry in Westport WA.
Click the donation button above if you would like to support FunToSAIL's efforts.
RESULTS...Feb 18-19, 2025, Sydney Harbor Australia
With 2 days of racing team Australia was set to win it all with 2 wins on the first day of racing, and with a series of top finishes on day 2, however due to penalty at the start of the final, they did not recover, coming in 3rd out of 3 teams. Team Britian had great finishes on both days of racing, they won it all in the end, with Canada coming in second.
It appears to me that the new forward T-Foils that replaced the L-Foils used for the first time in this race series seemed to perform well in all conditions, particularly in the strong winds over previous racing all the teams seemed to have better control. The T-Foils also produced better tops speeds.
The bad news is team USA continues to underperform. They outdid their previous horrible performances by not even being able to race due to capsizing on a practice day while not sailing, that is right, they were not even racing or practice sailing in any capacity. They were being towed and one of their idiot crew members allowed the wing to power up and not only capsize but to significantly damage the wing. So, they are the first team to get the Darwin award. On top of that SailGP penalized them 8 points for their stupidity because the capsize was avoidable (read the full story here). If I sound annoyed, that is an understatement. My official position is to cancel this whole team and start new. There is no reason team USA cannot be a top team, but they need to get the right team, like get some sailors who know how to sail a high-performance multihull, not employ a bunch of so slow mo monohull sailors. So, stay tuned, who knows maybe they can get their act together, but at this point I do not have much hope. I should note they did place 3rd in the first racing series of the year, so maybe there is hope.
102 kph, watch the video
In San Fransico Bay on November 15, 2024 SailGP engineers and support crew tested the new T-Foils with the help of team Canada on their F50, they hit for the first time 100+ kph (101.98 or basically 102 kph / 55 knots / 63 mph). Previously Team New Zealand hit 97.2 / 52 knots / 60 mph on Jan 13 in Waitematā Harbour in Auckland. It will be curious to see which SailGP team hits 100 kph / 54 knots / 62 mph during actual racing. We will report it here when it happens.
It is with great excitement we announce that FunToSAIL.com is now the official producer of the Malbec18 sportboat. Learn more about the Malbec18 specifically by visiting its official page Click Here
We have made some changes to the boat to improve its user experience, such as…
1. New wireless navigation lights system.
2. New standard furling jib with no extrusion common with CDI furlers that make trailering and luff shape difficult. Has leach UV protection when furled.
3. New Mainsheet system.
4. New cabin seat hatches.
5. New Bimini option specifically designed for the Malabec18
6. And some improvements to the building process to improve build time and features.
7. No more blue or other colored hull boats. We have one blue hulled boat left to sell, going forward all boats will be white.
Centerboard work
Stay tuned on this site for updates about this boat and other topics.
Watch us race our Malbec18 in the upcoming distance race/regatta, the WA360, a race about the Puget Sound to the Canadian Border and back. Learn more by Clicking Here.
Hello fellow sailors, its time again for the Race 2 Alaska (R2AK) 2024, actually I am posting a bit late as some teams have already arrived in Ketichan Alaska, the big fast boats. I actually don't really follow the big boats but the small boats, boats 20' and under, kayaks, paddleboards, small day sailor dinghies, and Hobie cats.
This year I went to watch the start of the race, actually I arrived the day before to attend the pre race party and check out many of the boats and their gear (pics and more info coming soon). I was able to talk to many of the racers. They all seemed to be down to earth, regular people who have a desire for adventure and to test their abilities, yet none of them took lightly the challenge ahead.
I will be posting pics and boat and gear details via more post shortly.
The race started at 5:am on Sunday June 6. Many of the participants were up and getting their boats ready to go at 3:am, or earlier. I got up at 3:am and about half the racers were already at their boats.
The racers I was most interested in is Team Spirit of Nevetz skipper by Ohad Shafrir from Israel aboard his 16' catamaran (X Cat); Team Tips Up skippered by John Ped & Kaila Pfrang from Colorado USA aboard their 16' Hobie catamaran; Team X skippers by Xia Huang from USA/Singapore/China aboard his Hobie Mirage Tandem Island; Team Willy Wild Cat skippered by Adam Cove from Maine USA aboard his cat boat monohull; I was going to mention a few other teams but by this writing, sadly they have all ended their attempts, Did Not Finish.
We are proud to announce the 1st annual Historical Lake Coeur d'Alene (CdA) Cardboard Boat Race.
The theme of this event is to commemorate our rich Historical Lake CdA Steamboats history.
Our goal for this event is simple, to bring the community together to laugh and cheer on the participants. This event is for both the racers and spectators.
Many of the participants are taking great care to build their boats, others not so much :)
There is a $10 non refundable fee to insure participants are serious about competing and to cover a bit of our expenses. By paying the fee you are then signed up to participate. Click here to sign up and please read the rules.
Racing starts at 10:AM, July 19th, 2025 at Independence Point in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho USA.
To learn more about about our steamboat history please visit the Museum of North Idaho and Historical Lake Coeur d'Alene (coming soon).
After a couple of challenging years, it's time to get our Inland NW Hobie Cat and Small Boat Sailor club going again. This is our first event of 2024 that will include a fun Saturday distance maze race through the sand islands of the Potholes Reservoir just below Moses Lake, WA. in Eastern WA. Prizes given! In the evening we will have a beach party.
Bring your kites. This area has amazing winds.
You can come for the day's events or stay longer and camp with us. We will camp for free on the northeast side of the reservoir.
Event takes place July 27, Saturday. Camping over the weekend.
Learn more about the Potholes Reservoir by Click Here!
Racing series for SailGP and their F50 foiling catamaran happens almost via monthly events. Watch live on Youtube or at SailGP.com website. Amazing to watch, support your team, gain a fun new sport to watch, and/or learn about sailboat racing/regattas. Visit SailGP.com
Team USA pulled off the victory in the series over the weekend (Oct 14-15) in Andalucia-Cadiz Spain. Team USA was very consistent over each race on Saturday and Sunday that result in them being in the final on Sunday with the teams Demark and Australia. Team USA did not have a great start in the final but then outsailed the other two teams giving them a big lead through much of the race.
Next racing series takes place in Dubai Dec 9-10, 2023.
Team Bella Bella and Beyond (Stuart Sugden) and Team Sporting Chance (Scott Macdonald) just finished the race at 10:09am. They could have made it to the finish line late last night but chose instead to camp one more time. These 2 paddlers have been paddling together since day 3 of the race, they did not know each other before the race. I like the fact in the finishing video they called them the Final Winners as anyone that finishes this race is a winner, actually anyone that makes it to Victoria and beyond is a winner.
It has been incredible to watch these racers via the tracker and the few videos that came out. Doing this has certainly made me more excited to do the race next year as Team FunToSAIL.com . I will start a new post thread showing my friend and I preparation for this race. So stay tuned.
Also, I will add to this R2AK post thread with videos and others news about the racers when the R2AK officials do so.
UPDATE 6-27-23
Team Toybox finished the race at 11:pm on 6-26-23 (last night while most of us were asleep). 2 solo paddlers remain and barring any incidents will arrive today. Let's cheer them on by going to the R2AK Facebook page.
UPDATE 6-26-23
All remaining boats in the race are now in Alaskan waters. Sea Smoke will finish today with the other 3 finishing likely tomorrow. The 3 remain boats are now clustered together.
UPDATE 6-25-23
I am back and a lot has happened in the R2AK since the last post. All but 4 boats remain. Team Sea Smoke aboard an solo 18' sea kayak (no sail) is just a few miles from the finish and the other three boats are not far from Alaskan waters.
Something I did not note previously as noted on the R2AK Facebook page "Ken Deem, aka Wave Forager, becomes the first solo rower finisher of Race To Alaska - (rowboat) rowing 22 hours straight his final day. AND he took home both of the Side Bets: The Oaracle Blister Prize for human-power teams and the Duckworks Under 20’ for small boats. Even worse, he seems like a genuinely nice person." He finished in 11th place, super impressive.
Team Solveig aboard their double rowboat with small sail that I have been following closely finished on 6-23-23, in 23th place. The other 3 boats Team Bella Bella & Beyond aboard a solo surf ski kayak and Team Sporting Chance aboard a solo sea kayak are in opens waters so no sleep tonight as it seems they are dedicated to finishing. They are sticking together, looking to finish together. Toybox aboard their Hobie Mirage Tandem Island/18' sail yak with pedal system is the furthest away from the finish but close to the other boats soon to enter Alaskan waters, also in open waters.
Out of the 29 boats that made it to Victoria CAN it looks like 18 will finish, I say looks like because in particular the 3 boats still have to make it to Alaskan waters, and anything can happen. I am rooting for them to have a safe remaining voyage into Ketchikan.
Sadly, the only Paddle Board in the race, Peter Allen from Vancouver CAN, Team Sup N Irish chose to exit the race a day after leaving Bella Bella CAN. Very impressive attempt.
The event officials have not posted much on their YouTube channel as so far almost all videos are on their Facebook page. When all the boats have finished and they have posted more videos we will post them here, so stay tuned.
UPDATE 6-18-23
Sorry to say we will not be able to do an update after today on the R2AK until this Sunday (6/25). Currently all the boats are progressing toward Alaska at a nice pace All except Lillians Vacation has made it to the Bella Bella check point. Team Toybox seemed to not be moving at all over the last 2 days but found out their tracker was not working, but now is. 2 sailboats remain to enter Alaskan waters, the rest of the boats behind these 2 sailboats are row/paddle only with a few including small sails.
Just a quick update Solveig has moved up to 15th place out of 20 boats left in the race (who have finished or not) and Team Toybox aboard their Hobie Tandem Island seems to not be moving and is lagging way behind, and team Unsalted Nuts is now entering Alaskan waters. Team Wave Forager is still in first place in the muscle only watercraft category. So far no videos are being posted on YouTube, it's all being done live on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/racetoalaska/
UPDATE 6-18-23
6 More boats finished the race, with team Budgie Smugglers taking the much-
coveted Stake Knives (2nd place). Boats that have finished and are still in the race total 20 out of 29 boats. 2 boats currently are nearing Alaskan waters. Team Wave Forager, a solo kayaker just left the one check point of Bella Bella Canada. Impressive how well he is doing and in front of 2 sailboats. He is in first place of the muscle only powered craft.
Team Solveig from Boise Idaho is in 18th place and team Toybox 19th place aboard their Hobie Mirage Tandem Island. They are both now working their way to Bella Bella, likely getting their tomorrow (6/19/23). Team Lillian's Adventure (20th place, last place) a female rower who got a late start is impressively working who way north, is way behind but is steady working her way to Alaska.
Team Dogsmile members are now by home in Idaho, but their boat is still in Canada waiting to be transported and then fixed in Idaho. It was great that they are all arrived safe and sound. No word if they will try again next year.
And to all the men who have children from their loins or adopted, Happy Father's Day!
UPDATE 6-12-23
Just a quick update... All the boats in the race are now all moving north. The storm has finally passed. Team Budgie Smugglers is now in open waters nearing Alaska with a large lead over the 3rd place boat. Teams Toybox (Hobie Tandem Island) and Solveig (two-person rowboat with small sail) are finally on the move after a 2 day lay over waiting for the storm to pass.Check out the live tracker at this link... https://r2ak2023.maprogress.com/
UPDATE 6-12-23
I am saddened to report that Team Dogsmile had structural issues with their boat as they neared Alaska. They had to turn back to Bella Bella CAN. Sounds like they will not be re-entering the race. They were in 2nd place. I will give an update as soon as I get word how things are going for them.
Team We Break for Whales has won with a finish this morning in Ketchikan AK around 7:am, took them 5 days, 18 hours, 59 minutes. They had no break downs and actually baked to make some cookies, while others ate all kinds of condensed food. Seemed they had a pretty enjoyable journey but like all the teams they had to deal with very strong currents, strong wind, etc. Fabulous job Team We Break for Whales. See Team We Break for Whales finish video on Facebook at this link https://fb.watch/ladPwvXM_x/
Many of the teams have been anchored or on shore in various locations waiting out a storm with 40-50 knot winds. Snow was predicated, yes in June. The human only powered teams are still less than halfway to Alaska, most have been parked for 2 days. Team Budgie Smugglers from British Columbia, CAN aboard a Shaw 34 catamaran is now in 2nd place. There are 24 teams still in the race. The sole Idaho team from Boise is in 2nd to last place. More updates coming soon.
UPDATE 6-12-23
It's now the 6th day of the Race 2 Alaska and a lot has happened. Some teams have dropped out but others preserver on. This is a race of endurance on the body and mind, and boat.
During the race there seemed to be 3 clusters of boats, a lead group, a mid-stretched out group, and a rear group primarily made up of human/muscle powered watercrafts. This seems to be the pattern throughout the race and continues today. The race started with 40 boats and is now down to 25, with sadly a few more I expect to drop out. I am following all the boats in the race but as noted on 6-6-23, I am particularly interested in the Idaho teams and the one team using a Hobie Tandem Island. Team Dogsmile from Idaho has been in first place then down to 6th place and is now at 2nd place. Team Solveig from Idaho has pretty much stayed in 20th place through much of the race.
The key of any endurance race is to stay consistent, just push on through whatever challenge comes your way. All the remaining teams have been examples of this. Some boats have had to stop for repairs, some with single or few crew members have had to stop to rest due to fatigue, and so on. The big challenge through most of the race have been dealing with vary strong currents.
With Dogsmile, when they were in 6th place I thought just stay on task as some boats may drop out in front of you or simply sail into no wind areas, etc. One team in 2nd place dropped out due to breakage, and several others anchored for a while to get much needed rest resulting in team Dogsmile moving up to 3rd place. Now that they are in more open water, they passed a monohull that had an advantage in the narrows, they could sail closer to the wind and tack quicker, but thpse advantage is gone and now Dogsmile can stretch their legs and hit higher speeds.
Team We Brake For Whales aboard a 40 foot custom built Lyman Morse monohull has been in the lead pack for the whole race and once they hit the narrows it was obvious, they had the advantage over the other boats with great overall performance and speed. They are the longest boat in the race and with length typically comes higher speeds. Not only do they have the performance, but all reports indicate they are very comfortable, with a note that they baked cookies versus the other teams living off of freeze-dried food. The more comfortable you are, the more enjoyable the trip, the more one's mind can handle the length of the trip/mental fatigue.
My prediction for the rest of the race is that team We Brake For Whales is going to win as they have an insurmountable lead and team Dogsmile will get those much-covenanted 2nd place prize, steak knives, as they have a pretty good lead over the boats behind them. Both of these teams have left the required and only check point at Bella Bella Canada. Two other teams have made it there around 7:am this morning. The human powered boats of Solveig (22nd) and Toybox (19th) are several DAYS away.
The Race 2 Alaska (R2AK) 2023 started on June 5th at 5:00am. The first leg of this approximate 750-mile race starts from Port Townsend WA to Victoria BC (on Vancouver Island) is called the proving grounds, this approximate 35 miles San Juan Straits crossing is key to being in the race. If one does not finish this crossing in the allotted time, then one cannot continue on for the rest of the race ending in Ketchikan Alaska (the second leg... there on only two legs).
There are 40 teams in this year's race, well kind of as two did not start the race and one did not make it across the straights to Victoria. 32 teams made it to Victoria and the real good news is that team Dogsmile finished first aboard their fast F27 trimaran. I am particularly interested in the Idaho teams because I am from Idaho, there are two teams from Idaho. Our home Inland NW team of Dogsmile from Coeur d'Alene Idaho is doing amazing. They have a good chance of winning it. Team Solveig from Boise Idaho aboard a custom Faering rowboat with small sail was the 23rd boat to make it to Victoria. I am also interested in team Toybox Express (from Hamilton, Ontario, CA USA) because they are doing the trip aboard a Hobie Mirage Tandem Island, a boat I use a lot and one I have thought of doing the race on. It was great to see all these teams make it to Victoria.
Watch for updates in this article and visit Race 2 Alaska site at r2ak.com to track daily the racers progress. Videos coming soon.
In the 2024 R2AK myself and a friend (team FunToSAIL.com) will be racing aboard our Malbec18 sportboat.
Great weekend of SailGP Formula 50 racing in Spain just took place on 9/24-25/2022. Very challenging conditions both days but in the end, it came down to a three-way battle between the Americans, Franch, and Australians. France won by just a boat length over the Americans to win the series. This was the closest finish in SailGP history.
Check out both days of racing in the below videos. For quick review check out the highlights vido. Learn more about SailGP racing at SailGP.com.
FINALLY, Team USA won the final in Fance over last weekend. They have been pretty consistent but in several series of recent they came in at the bottom of the fleet. This last weekend they were in the top spots winning several firsts, with a second, and third finish out of 8 boats being their lowest finish. Seems they figured out what issues they were having and fixed it. Congratulations Team USA!
Also, team France hit 62 mph or 99.9 kph, which equals 53.9 knots. The goal for all teams racing these SailGP F50 catamarans is to be the first to hit 54 knots or100 kph. So close! Anyone want to guess who will hit this goal first? I am thinking wither team USA, or Aux, or NZL.
Sorry I was unable to attend the Spud Cup this year, actually I have never attended this regatta as they do not allow small day sailors to race due to logistics and that includes Hobie Cats. However, I plan to attend next year with my Malbec18 sportboat, which is allowed in this regatta.
I am surprised there are no videos of the Spud Cup regatta/racing in Sandpoint Idaho USA. However here are two nice video of Sandpoint and the lake. Next year after attending this regatta I will post some video.
The world famous Spud Cup has roots in the early days of the LPOYC. There used to be a 2-day race on the weekend before Labor Day, called the Challenge Cup. It was patterned after the Chelen Regatta, which several Laser racers used to attend. There was a primary focus on one design, with handicap fleets also. The Chelan Regatta ran 2 Saturday races and 1 Sunday. We wanted more races on a shorter course. Boats that came from Bayview stayed the week and then raced the Labor Day Race from Sandpoint to Bayview. It was well attended for 4 or 5 years until racing died on the north end. After forming SSA, we felt the need to resurrect the Challenge Cup. In looking for an appropriate perpetual trophy, Ron Berg, who designed some of our earlier t-shirts, found (In his yard sale stuff) the now famous spud bowl. We had it mounted on a trophy base with room for lots of winner’s names. We now had a wonderful (spud) trophy, Peter Mico at Spuds Restaurant was providing food, and our regatta was rivaling Idaho’s other top export. It was fate! It had to be named Spud Cup! At the awards following the first Spud Cup, the trophy was sitting on the picnic table. Someone asked to get a picture of the winners. They were all sitting on one side of the table. When they stood, the table tipped, and our wonderful trophy was shattered! Over the following winter, Scott Richardson did an admirable job of gluing it back together. Winning the Spud Cup has become a major accomplishment. After the J24 Districts (In conjunction with Spud Cup), one of the top J24 sailors in the world, Keith Wittemore, was thrilled to have his name added to the cup!
Spud Cup takes place the Saturday and Sunday of Labor Day weekend with registration on Friday. The event includes a dinner, live music and great sailing. Spud Cup 2022 entries included 4 A fleet boats, 10 J24s, 10 Capri 25s and 4 B fleet boats travelled in from the south end of the lake, Montana, Washington and Wyoming. We also hosted the first annual Jr. regatta, aptly named the Tater Tot Cup, on the Friday preceding the event. Boats and Jr.’s travelled over from North Flathead Yacht Club and Coeur d’Alene Youth Sailing Club to compete.
2 months of SailGP racing and team New Zealand has won it all.
On the weekend of July 00-00 for the first time New Zealand won it all, with Australia still doing pretty good with 2nd place. Team USA did average with a 7th place finish out of 9 boats. Seems team USA needs to figure out something to improve their performance.
On August 20 there was only one day of racing due to no wind on Friday Aug 19. Team New Zealand won all the races including the big final against France and Denmark. Australia finished 4th just missing out on the final for the first time in 6 events. Team USA finished better with a 5th finish overall.
SailGP came to Chicago for the first time on June 18-19 and was also the first time the F50's have raced on fresh water. The result was the same as many races before with Tom Slingsby and his all-Australia team winning again. Canada with their Australian skipper/driver Phil Robertson came in 2nd with great results throughout the weekend of racing, followed closely by Great Britain, with it's full British team skippered by Sir Ben Ainslie.
What many are wondering is what in the world is going on with team USA skippered by Jimmy Spithill. They finished 8th overall and never seemed to get good starts or good overall speed, etc. If they cannot get their better results, there certainly will be changes on that team.
Chicago turned out to be an ideal location for racing with its near shore stadium racing and large enthusiastic crowd. SailGP will certainly return in 2023.
The new 2022/23 SailGP season started this last weekend (May 14-15) with a bang. This new season there are 10 boats instead of 8 making starts and mark rounding's certainly more exciting. With ten 50-foot foiling catamarans all trying to hit the start at the same time it made for some interesting viewing.
Team USA is in the top 5, still not keeping pace with the Australian (1st overall) and the top teams. Team Canada skippered by Phil Robertson from New Zealand showed some excellent skill getting 2nd overall, and Team Great Britian 3rd overall. I am always rooting for team USA, but they certainly need to kick it up a notch or two if they are to be seasonal final in 2023.
Here is a high light video. Visit SailGP.com to watch the full racing videos.
Season 2 is done, and team Australia won it all again (2nd time). What is their key to success? 1. They hit the starts of each race typically full speed on their foils and with a few seconds to spare after the start gun goes off, whereas the other teams seem to want to hit the start like a monohull right as the gun goes off not at full speed. 2. Australia's top speed is consistently faster than the other teams, meaning they have their boat dialed in better than the others. Until the other teams do better in these 2 areas Australia will continue to win.
My hat is off to team USA as they had major challenges this season due to other boats seeming to run into them over and over, which happened again on that last day before the final. Luckily the damage to team USA's boat was repairable before the final.
Team Japan got 2nd in the final race again (3 teams qualify for the big final). They also are a consistent team. Let's hope next year more teams will be dialed in and learn from team Australia.
This year there were 8 teams racing but next year there will be 10, make for even more exiting racing.
Season 3 (2022-23) starts very quickly this May 14-15 (2022) in Bermuda, then in June in Chicago, and so on finishing again in San Francisco on May 6-7, 2023. Learn more by staying tuned here at FunToSAIL.com or for even more information at SailGP.com
As some of you know who live in the Inland NW, FunToSAIL is helping to build the Inland NW Sailors RC sailing fleet. Currently we have a mix of boats owned by our club members but now we are making an effort to build a strong one design fleet around the incredible well designed, high performance, and USA built T37. If you are like me, I have sailed many models of the various RC sailboats with mixed results related to performance and quality. After a ton of research, the T37 has stood out as the boat to build a fleet with.
The T37 RC Racing Sloop is 37 inches long, 5 feet high, and has a total weight of 4 pounds with the keel ballast casting weighing 2 of these pounds. There are more than 3000 (and counting) T37 RC Sailboats sailing today, some in countries as far away as Thailand and New Zealand! There is a large fleet in Washington State. It is a fully sanctioned one design class in the American Model Yachting Association (AMYA). The T37 balances perfectly and sails fast. She tacks effortlessly and will sail in winds gusting up to 20 mph. The heavy ballast casting at the bottom of the keel makes it impossible to tip the sailboat over. All fittings on this RC sailboat are solid brass or high-grade marine 316 stainless steel. The hull is very light and strong, built from 1/8-inch mahogany plywood. The sails are genuine nylon spinnaker cloth; this is the same material that is used on full size sailboat spinnakers. The mast can be removed in less than one minute for easy transport. This is not a plastic toy without the messy easy to brake off pieces, such as fake steering wheels, stanchions, etc. The T37 is sleek and meant to perform at a high level.
The T37 RC Sailboat Kits come with everything you will need to build the boat, including the marine epoxy and all of the RC gear (except for batteries) for sailing the boat. In fact, all you need is paint or varnish and AA batteries! For assembly, it is recommended ages 15 and up, or 12 and up with an adult. For sailing and racing, ideally for ages 8 through adult.
The T37 racing sloop RC sailboat kit is quick to build (around 20 hours building time) and is a great introduction to using epoxy in boat building. No previous building experience is required. Very complete building videos on YouTube detail every step in the building process for the T37. The kit includes:
Hull and deck pieces pre-cut to an accuracy of 1/1000 of an inch from the highest grade of marine Okume plywood
High-quality brass and stainless-steel hardware
Spectra and monofilament rigging lines
Carbon fiber mast and Hardwood booms (wooden mast available on request)
¾ oz. Nylon Spinnaker cloth pre-sewn sails
Marine-grade epoxy, along with epoxy brushes and syringes
Full Radio Control gear, including the transmitter, receiver, battery box, and rudder and sail servos
Keel ballast casting
Excellent, detailed building instructions to guide you through the entire building process
…and more!
Each boat has a unique personality reflecting the builder's preference for paint styles and colors. The T37 is one of only a few Remote-Control sailboats built out of wood, and one of the most elegant RC sailboat kits available. For most sailors, the T37 is an ideal model sailboat; powerful, seaworthy, fast, and just the right size. This RC sailboat will give pleasure for generations of sailors. And an added note, because the hull is made of wood it can be fixed whereas a plastic hull is next to impossible to fix.
Sails come many colors (contact FunToSAIL for details). The standard mainsail colors are white or fluorescent yellow, and the standard jib sail colors are white, dark blue, red, and fluorescent orange. Other colors listed are an additional coast per sail. Non-standard colors are available.
For accessories for the T37 RC Sailboat, include a varnish kit and stands.
Very soon we will have a fleet of T37's sailing throughout the Inland NW. Get yourself a boat from FunToSAIL and join us.
Please text or email funtosail@gmail.com for more info.
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