Out of the Starting BLOCK!

Here's a few more shots from Block Island Race Week at the start of the Around the Island Race! Hundreds of boats in the best breeze of the week parading around the whole island! SO amazing to see so many boats all together and racing!

Drifting and Drinking at Block Island Raceweek

Light air at Block Island Raceweek!

3 days on the island so far and not enough wind to go around (though plenty of rum)! Hopefully more coming wind and racing in the next 2 days including the around the island race!

Name That Venue

Can you guess where this photo was taken? What city and/or Yacht Club was this taken at?

How Many Sailors Does it Take to Sink a Boat?

How many kids does it take to sink an opti (assuming the air bags are all functional)?

I count 15 and it's still afloat!

Ever seen a scene like this before at your yacht club? Always a popular no wind activity among the young sailors... and it usually takes them a long time to give up!

How much do you really know about the 49er?

Here’s some fun facts about 49ers that you may not know:

-Boat features: 2 person skiff, double trapeze, asymmetrical spinnaker, new square top sails, fully carbon mast

-Men’s Olympic class since 2000

-Length: 16 ft

-Beam (with wings): 9ft (that’s a long way to cross in a tack!)

-Current world champion: Spain's Iker Martínez & Xabier Fernandez (their 3rd World Title!)

-Where to see 49ers this summer: June: Kiel Week in Germany & Europeans in Finland August: Olympic Test Event in Weymouth & the US Nationals in Oregon (would love to see some SailFast fans getting out to the US Nationals event!)

Photos from 49er Olympic hopefuls Team Storck/Moore (photo credit to Amory Ross)

Sailing for Good

Since it began, SailFast has been dedicated to promoting the sailing lifestyle and helping people have fun on the water. SailFast is equally dedicated to supporting the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society with our 10% FOR A CURE program, which is still going strong. http://www.isailfast.com/10_percent_for_a_cure.php

We encourage you to support both sailing and this good cause this summer by participating in or donating to the Leukemia Cup Regatta. The Leukemia Cup Regatta is a series of sailing events that “combines the joy of boating with the important task of raising money to cure cancer.” Learn how you can use your passion for the water for good at: http://www.leukemiacup.org/

Support a good cause and keep Sailing Fast!

Year of the Ram

Shout out to the URI Lady Rams for winning the school's first women's college national championship ever (and the URI's first national title since 1977). URI came out on top of some really tight racing at the Nationals event at the Gorge in Oregon.

Video from SailGroove: http://www.sailgroove.org/coverage/238795-Sperry-Topsider-Womens-National-Championship-College-Sailing-Nationals/video/492345-2011-Womens-National-Champions-University-of-Rhode-Island

Congrats Rams!

Olympic Hopefuls at the Delta Lloyd

Lots of sailing going on right now in Medemblik at the Delta Lloyd ISAF World Cup event. One of the 7 World Cup events for the Olympic classes, the Delta Lloyd is an important event as we get closer to choosing the US births for the Olympics in the 470 men and women, RS:X men and women, Laser, Laser Radial, Star, Finn & 49er. The US boasts some strong sailors this year in all the classes.

Racing was off to a windy start as evidence by these photos from the Delta Lloyd site, but even card games have come out this morning as sailors wait for wind! Lots more racing on the summer plate for Olympic hopefuls (like Skandia Sail for Gold in Weymouth and Kiel Week in Germany both next month) so make sure to tune into SailFast for updates!

Support the US sailors, watch video and more at: http://www.deltalloydregatta.org/

Here's a starting line from the Melges 24 World Championship in Corpus Christi, TX last week! (Photo by Rick Tomlinson) Big winds, tight racing and lots of hiking challenged all competitors throughout the 12 races. Still amazing to see that much line sag even at such a high level event!

Reigning world champion Lorenzo Bressani from Italy won the event by a convincing margin of 23 points on the boat Uka Uka Racing! Brian Porter from USA 2nd and Nathan Wilmont from Ireland 3rd. More at: http://www.melges24.com/


Here's another great photo from Rick Tomlinson of a wipeout series at the event, showing just how windy it can be in Corpus Christi!

Herman Melville on Sailing

"Some years ago, never mind how long precisely, having little or no money in my purse, and nothing particular to interest me on shore, I thought I would sail about a little and see the watery part of the world." -HM Moby Dick

"As for me, I am tormented with an everlasting itch for things remote. I love to sail forbidden seas, and land on barbarous coasts." -HM in Mazatlan, Mexico

"At sea a fellow comes out. Salt water is like wine, in that respect." -HM