An interview with Ashli Slawter and John Howell on the 2023 Thistle Nationals
by David Schmidt 12 Jul 2023 08:00 PDT
July 14-21, 2023
The Thistle class, which has more than 50 active fleets across the US, worked with Sailors for the Sea to develop and pilot the Clean Class initiative © Thistle Class
When most people thing of flying over "water" in Montana, it's possible that they are thinking the freshwater and frozen variety that's found at world-class ski areas such as Big Sky. Here, however, most people would be missing the great sailing that regularly unfurls on the waters of Montana's Flathead Lake, where the 2023 Thistle Nations (July 14-21) will be hosted by the North Flathead Yacht Club (NFYC), the latter of which is situated in the town of Somers.
If you're envisioning nearby jagged and sometimes snow-covered mountains, you're on the right tack. (N.B., Glacier National Park is only about 30 miles away, so out-of-town sailors are advised to plan their pre- or post-regatta time accordingly.)
Impressively, this will be the Thistle class's 77th national championship title, and the third time that this popular One Design class has held this event on this beautiful mountain lake, which sits roughly half a mile above sea level.
I checked in with Ashli Slawter and John Howell, who serve as regatta chair and Thistle class president (respectively), via email, ahead of this exciting One Design regatta.
The Thistle is a great design, but it's not new. Can you please tell us a bit about the state of the class, its current culture, and its competition levels?
JH: [The] Thistle class is a family-oriented organization that values our social time as much as we value competitive racing. Many of our top sailors are national and world champions in many classes but [they] choose to sail Thistles for the fun of it. The boat combines performance in light wind and heavy air alike, and [it] responds to fine-tuning and boat-handling skills.
What kind of fleet numbers are you seeing ahead of this year's Thistle Nationals, compared to recent years?
AS: We currently have more than 90 boats registered, which is huge. Typical nationals have between 60-70 boats. NFYC hosted [the Thistle] Nationals in 1983 and 1988, which have become legendary within the fleet. They waited 35 years to return to NFYC, so there is a lot of excitement brewing.
How many boats, in total, are you expecting? Also, are you seeing certain geographic hot spots, or are most entrants locals?
AS: We anticipate 90+ boats. They are coming from all corners of the country. It is amazing!
One thing I have noticed are families coming with multiple boats and also crewing together. Thistle sailors are very family-oriented group.
Generally speaking, what kinds of conditions can sailors expect on Flathead Lake in mid-to-late-July?
AS: Winds at the north end of Flathead Lake during the summer months are thermals from the mountains and typically [arrive] like clockwork. In the morning, [we usually see] a nice northerly, then in the afternoon a southerly, and finally a nice west[erly] wind when the sun sets.
We anticipate racing on the morning wind.
What kind of influence on the wind do the nearby mountains have on the lake? Building on that, what kind of role—if any—do you see local knowledge playing?
AS: The lake is big enough and the winds consistent enough that local knowledge shouldn't have a big impact on success. The morning thermal generally starts [from] the north, clocks to the east, and dies by lunch time.
I realize that these are still early days, but do you have any entries that you're eyeing for podium finishes? What about any dark horses who you think could prove to be fast, once the starting guns begin sounding?
AS: There are some younger sailors [who are] expected to make the podium, watch for Grant Gridley.
What kind of onshore entertainment can sailors look forward to once the finishing guns have gone silent each day?
AS: We are planning a Wild West Night and Skit Night to entertain the sailors throughout the week. We have club members and local musician[s] providing live music, local restaurants doing food, and local breweries, wineries, and distilleries providing the spirits.
We are doing before- and after-racing socials with coffee and continental breakfast to start and beer and snacks to end.
Can you please tell us about any efforts that the club has made to green-up the regatta and generally lower its environmental wake?
AS: The regatta is registered with Sailors for the Sea, and we are very focused on minimizing waste, using compostable items, re-usable tumblers, etc.
Protecting our lake is hugely important. Please see below information that has gone out to the registered boats.
JH: Under the leadership of Mike Ingham, and a team of Thistle sailors, the class has piloted the Clean Class initiative with Sailors for the Sea. This program has just been launched national in early 2023.
Is there anything else that you'd like to add, for the record?
AS: This is a link to the most recent email that went out to the fleet. You can glean a bit more information here:
docs.google.com/document/d/19RiETNSzwWOxLohC2YIxrMBCluX5ZOR_GsbLaBo6n4Y/edit
This is a link to another article I recently put together for a local periodical.
docs.google.com/document/d/1h72ct-9ZYMt88_sbuR-Z4yH8LXEo9lEaslkk8E-tcQs/edit?usp=sharing