Please select your home edition
Edition
A+T Instruments 2024 Leaderboard

Racing sailors set for big season opener at Helly Hansen NOOD Regatta

by Tony Veneziano 28 Apr 2019 00:55 AEST 3-5 May 2019
2019 Helly Hansen NOOD Regatta San Diego © Paul Todd / Outside Images

The Helly Hansen National Offshore One Design (NOOD) Regatta returns to Annapolis, Md., May 3-5. Annapolis Yacht Club will host nearly 180 teams from the Chesapeake Bay region and afar, as they race for top honors in 14 individual classes of boats.

One-design racing is held in identical boats, placing success at the hands of the sailors. As the first major regatta of the Chesapeake's 2019 season, teams returning experienced from southern winter regattas have an advantage.

Ian Hill, a skipper from Chesapeake, Va., in the J/111 fleet, is relatively new to one-design racing, but used the NOOD's Florida event in February to gain more experience. "These NOOD events are a big draw," says Hill. "The last one we did, in St. Petersburg (Fla.), was incredible. And now, having such a big one-design regatta in our home waters means a lot."

Hill's crew consists of college friends, all Chesapeake sailors. "We've been having the time of our lives out here," says Hill. "This series allows us to travel to different venues around the country. It doesn't get much better than this."

Each event, technical sailing apparel company and title sponsor, Helly Hansen, provides for one or two youth team entries. One of this year's teams consists of Josh Becker, Emma Sneed, Lucien Parker, Dylan Saxman, guided by coach Geoff Becker of the Severn Sailing Association and racing in the highly competitive J/70 class.

"These guys are all still in high school, so the learning curve will be high," Becker says. "My goal is to be as much of a spectator as possible. The more the team can handle the boat by themselves, the better."

Josh Becker of Arnold, Md., says he's crewed for his father often, but adds, "It will be fun to be in control of the team and learn the new boat. It's great having the NOOD come to Annapolis because we get to sail against people we know. There's plenty of high school kids in other fleets, so everyone will get a chance to sail." The other Helly Hansen Jr Crew will be racing in the J/80 fleet.

At each of the NOOD series' five regattas, organizers select one overall challenger to compete in the Helly Hansen NOOD Carribean Championship in October. Thomas Kopp, a J/80 class skipper from Detroit, Mich., aims to repeat his championship challenge. "Annapolis is a beautiful place to sail," says Kopp. "It's always fun being in a place with such a high awareness for the sport."

Kopp and his teammates were the second-best J/80 in the 2018 NOOD, so they're looking to win their class this time. "We were very proud of our finish last year. Annapolis has one of the deepest J/80 fleets in the country, and it can get pretty unforgiving out there. So we'll need to pull out everything this year to do well."

The 2019 Helly Hansen NOOD Regatta Series continues in Chicago, June 79, Marblehead, Mass., July 2528, and concludes with the NOOD Caribbean Championship October 27November 1.

For more information on the NOOD events, visit sailingworld.com/nood-regattas.

Related Articles

52 Super Series Porto Cervo practice race
The loss of the last 'dress rehearsal' is something of a disappointment Although there was just enough breeze to execute a couple of meaningful practice starts, the breeze dropped away and thereafter proved insufficient to allow the planned two short official practice races to be sailed today off Porto Cervo. Posted today at 4:42 pm
Materials That Make the Difference
Discover the performance fabrics behind the Henri-Lloyd AW25 collection Discover the performance fabrics behind our AW25 collection. This season, Henri-Lloyd has focused on advanced, responsibly sourced materials designed to thrive in demanding coastal conditions. Posted today at 11:00 am
Teams are go for 2025 Six Metre World Championship
29 boats registered and ready to race Registration is now complete and 29 teams from ten nations are ready to race for the 2025 Six Metre World Championships at the Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club on Long Island Sound. Posted today at 9:06 am
2025 Dutch Water Week overall
From experiment to future The Dutch Water Week concluded today with the pilot finals of the Sailing Grand Slam (SGS). Posted today at 7:49 am
RORC Transatlantic Race 2026 preview
3000 miles, one epic challenge The RORC Transatlantic Race in association with the International Maxi Association and Yacht Club de France will start from Marina Lanzarote on 11th January 2026. Posted today at 7:32 am
Aussies take it on in Geneva
Flying Roos back on top of SailGP season leaderboard after tough racing in Geneva The BONDS Flying Roos have reclaimed their lead in the 2025 Season standings after securing a hard-fought podium finish in “street fight” conditions at the Rolex Switzerland Sail Grand Prix in Geneva. Posted today at 12:14 am
And so, it begins…
Grand Final not run yet, but our Hobart coverage begins with something very cool Maybe a tad earlier than last year, which I think was after the Grand Final, but the 100th entrant seemed like a good place to set things off. Now with that said, Sail-World's Hobart coverage begins. Posted on 21 Sep
ILCA Announcement
Protecting the one-design integrity of the class ILCA's mission is to protect the integrity of strict one-design sailing—the principle that ensures every sailor competes on equal terms. This principle, enshrined in the ILCA Fundamental Rule, has been the foundation of our class's success. Posted on 21 Sep
The Ocean Race Europe 2025: The summer of racing
Biotherm delivered a masterclass - Paprec Arkéa a lesson in consistency This Saturday, after a fiercely contested final race, the second edition of The Ocean Race Europe came to a close. It was a seven-week adventure from Germany to Montenegro, full of twists and turns, resilience, and raw emotion. Posted on 21 Sep
Tornado Open, Mixed and Youth Europeans overall
Czech team dominated the event No more races were possible on the final day of the championship due to lack of wind, leaving the overall tally at five races sailed. Posted on 21 Sep
MarkSetBotSelden 2020 - FOOTERSydney International On-Water Boat Show 2025