Another Quaranteam Regatta in the books
by Oakcliff Sailing 24 Jun 2020 06:20 PDT
Another Quaranteam Regatta in the books © Lexi Pline
This weekend Oakcliff hosted a Grade 5 Match Race regatta following our established "Quaranteam Regatta" protocol.
Wednesday Night Fleet Racing resumes for Supporters and their bubbles. What a great, low pressure way to get your family on the water! Join Oakcliff and Sagamore Yacht Club for a fun evening of one design racing on the Match 40s. Unlike usual season, there will be no Oakcliff coaches on board. You must also sign a waiver provided by Sagamore Yacht Club. You can sign up and download the waiver on online calendar.
Meanwhile, our first Acorn and Sapling of the summer have been busy learning all they can about the 49er and the Nacra 17, starting with land drills and videos briefs and progressing to full downwind foiling in just a week.
This summer is really unique for our trainees because they basically get to come whenever they are able to and receive customized training based on their interests. Contact the Training Program Director Ethan Johnson at for more information on how to get training this summer.
Our supporter free sails are happening every Friday and Saturday from 12 to 5 pm. Sign up to choose from a Laser, Sunfish, Match 40 or Classic boat and receive on the water coaching from a member of our experienced staff.
Webster cinches win at June Grade 5
The five teams that raced Match 40s in Oakcliff's June Grade 5 Regatta were served a mixed bag of conditions this Saturday. The regatta started in a shifty 4 knot Northerly that swung and built to a gusty 10-12 knot Southerly. At the end of the round robin, Derek Webster and Doug Shannon were tied with three points each but Derek (pictured above steering) took the top spot in the tiebreaker, which was determined by their match in the round robin. Oakcliff Boat Captain, Ariel Nechemia, took third place.
"I'd say good communication throughout the day was the winning strategy for us," Webster commented. "The wind was really up and down and then there were a lot of shifts on the race course. We talked a lot and tried to anticipate our moves before we made them so everyone could be prepared and it worked out great."
Webster, who has his second child due in two weeks, had planned on racing the Taylor Trophy next weekend (until it was cancelled) and then spending most of the summer with his family. He and his understanding wife are contemplating another appearance at Oakcliff towards the end of the season.
Read the recap and see full results here.
Wednesday Night Sailing returns
Summer sailing is back in full swing with the start of our Wednesday night racing on the Match 40s. Like past summers, supporters will be able to take an Oakcliff Match 40 to compete in a one-design fleet race.
Due to COVID-19, however, each supporter is encouraged to bring their own Quaranteam. Oakcliff will not be able to provide team members for on-board coaching, but will have coaches on the water in power boats. Sagamore Yacht Club is also requiring any competitors interested in sailing to sign a waiver. Competitors should report to Oyster Bay Marine Center's eastern dock at 5:30 pm with their teams, wearing their face coverings (buy one here). Oakcliff's Protectors will shuttle each team to their Match 40.
Find more information and register online here.
A real Midwest Yacht Club experience
We are turning our high performance beach into a good old-fashioned Midwest Yacht Club (or something like it) for our Supporters to have some summer fun. We are running open sails on Lasers, a Sunfish, and our paddleboard every Friday and Saturday 12-5pm. We are adding picnic tables and a BBQ to the beach to create a nice space for hanging out.
Pulling from our historically strong Midwest team (Dawn, Firefly, Greg Adams, Chris Kennedy, Tim Kent, etc) we decided to do a COVID pivot and create a bit of a casual outdoor safe meet-up place for our Supporters.
You can sign up for a sail or a picnic on online calendar. There is also Laser racing every Saturday at 1pm.
Contact the Development Manager Francis George at with questions or requests.
Acorns go full send at sunset
This summer's first trainees have been hard at work this week learning the ins and outs of some of Oakcliff's Olympic class boats: the 49er and Nacra 17, along with some other fun extras like cross-training on a wake foilboard. Coaches Nate Housberg and Andres Guerra have been running land drills and video debriefs in the morning and then hitting the water in the afternoon and evening to take advantage of Oyster Bay's beautiful cocktail breeze.
"We're pushing ourselves really hard, but I've been learning a lot," said Acorn Harry Prager, who is training at Oakcliff for the fourth summer in a row.
They also got the chance to try their hand at match racing, competing with the Oakcliff team in Saturday's Grade 5 regatta.
Acorn programs this year are going to be on a rolling basis which means that you get to customize your program when you get here. Oakcliff is offering unique opportunities to get as many kids and adults sailing as possible. Contact the Training Program Director Ethan Johnson at to find out how you can get involved this summer.