Peter Vakhutinsky and Andy Houlding discuss the 2025 Corsair Nationals and Buzzards Bay Multihull Re
by David Schmidt 16 Jul 08:00 PDT
July 25-27, 2025
Racecourse action at the 2023 Corsair Nationals, which was hosted by the Beverly Yacht Club and organized by the New England Multihull Association © Images BBMR/NEMA
If you race, sail, or love multihulls and live in New England (or the Northeast), the Corsair Nationals and Buzzards Bay Multihull Regatta should be on your radar. This event, which is being hosted by the Beverly Yacht Club, in Beverly, Massachusetts and organized by the New England Multihull Association (NEMA) will unfurl on the waters of northeastern Buzzards Bay from July 25-27. The regatta is open to trimarans that measure between 19' and 41'; Corsair-built boats will compete for the Corsair National trophy, while series prizes will be awarded to the three fastest boats in each class of five or more boats.
All competing boats must hold a valid 2025 New England Multihull Association (NEMA) CN-BBMR rating of 105 or less that was issued for use at this event, and each class must consist of five paid entries of a similar design.
The regatta will offer one day of distance racing and two days of buoy racing. Interestingly, the event's distance race, which will be contested on Friday, July 25, will count as two races within the regatta series, thus placing extra value on this result.
While racing will unfurl on Buzzards Bay's northeast flank south of Sippican Harbor, the Corsair Nationals and Buzzards Bay Multihull Regatta is part of the greater New England Multihull Association Triple Crown series, which also includes the Black Dog Dash (July 19) and the Newport Unlimited (August 10-11).
I checked in with Peter Vakhutinsky and Andy Houlding, who serve as regatta chair and NEMA vice commodore and NEMA's commodore (respectively), via email, to learn more about this exciting multihull event.
Can you please give us a bit of history on the Corsair Nationals and Buzzards Bay Multihull Regatta?
The Corsair Nationals is the premier racing event for owners and enthusiasts of Corsair and Farrier trimarans.
The Corsair fleet began with Ian Farrier's F-27—which was inducted into the American Sailboat Hall of Fame in 2004. The range of Corsair trimarans has been extended over the years to include the Corsair 24, the 28, 31, and the Corsair 37, and more recently with the Corsair 760, 880, and 970 (the numbers have gone metric).
Since all of the boats are trailerable, the Nationals typically bring together a competitive fleet of sailors from various parts of North America, offering tight racing and strong camaraderie. Racers compete in classes based on size. The Corsair Nationals events have been held at multiple locations around the country, from California to Florida, the Great Lakes and the Northeast, reflecting the broad geographic spread of Corsair owners.
The regatta usually spans several days and includes a mix of buoy races and longer-distance courses. The format is designed to test both boat handling and tactical navigation. Beyond the racing, the Corsair Nationals are a celebration of the Corsair/Farrier community, with dockside gatherings, technical sessions, and social events. Although the regatta will award a Corsair Nationals Trophy to a Corsair/Farrier trimaran, the regatta is open to all trimarans from 19 to 40 feet, and we will have trophies for all recognized classes.
The most recent Corsair Nationals was in 2023, hosted by the Beverly Yacht Club in Marion, Mass, held on Buzzards Bay, and organized by NEMA. The 2025 Corsair Nationals, to be held again in Buzzards Bay and organized by NEMA, is the first of a four-year series of Nationals sponsored by Corsair Marine.
In 2026 the event will move to California, then in 2027 to the Great Lakes, and in 2028 back to Florida. Mike Rees, Corsair's international marketing director, said that Corsair is "pleased to support the North American Corsair Nationals Series and the trimaran sailing community."
The Buzzards Bay Multihull Regatta (BBMR) grew from the ashes of the Buzzards Bay Regatta (BBR), which had alternated for many years between the New Bedford and the Beverly Yacht Clubs, and attracted as many as 400 sailboats racing in multiple classes over three days on the first weekend of August. It always included an event open to multihulls. The BBR died, a victim of the Covid pandemic, in 2022. NEMA decided to replace the BBR with the BBMR and added the Corsair Nationals in 2023. That event drew more than 20 Corsair and Farrier trimarans to three days of racing. Sailors from Florida and upstate New York came and took home the trophies that year.
What's the scene like at the regatta?
The first day, in a tradition that harkens back to the BBR, is a distance race around Buzzards Bay, using government marks after a start near the host Beverly Yacht Club. Saturday and Sunday are upwind-downwind buoy races of various lengths as wind and weather conditions permit.
Buzzards Bay typically delivers challenging, rewarding sailing—often 12-18 knots, with waves that demand good boathandling. We've sailed with a reef in heavy air, and we've watched for cats' paws on the water waiting for the breeze to fill in.
When the breeze fills in, the starting line can be hair-raising, with trimarans reaching at double-digit speeds and dodging each other while watching the seconds tick down to the gun.
Onshore, the Beverly Yacht Club offers a friendly and comfortable venue with plenty of moorings, a tent for gatherings, meals and awards, a well-stocked bar; showers for salty sailors; and a host of volunteers who love to sail and who support sailboat racing. And the food is excellent!
What kind of entry numbers are you seeing ahead of this year's event? Also, how do these numbers compare with recent editions of the Buzzards Bay Multihull Regatta?
Our sailors are notoriously slow to commit but we expect about 20 sailboats on the starting line July 25. We have commitments from several boats coming from upstate New York and as far away as Georgia and Ohio.
I realize that crystal balls are in short supply, but what kind of conditions can sailors generally expect to encounter at the 2025 Corsair Nationals and Buzzards Bay Multihull Regatta? Also, what are the best-case and worst-case scenarios?
Buzzards Bay is known for its dependable southwest sea breeze. On most afternoons, you can count on 12-18 knots with a lively chop—perfect for multihull sailing.
Best-case scenario? A solid mid-teens breeze and blue skies. Worst case? A flat calm or a shifty northeast wind. Those are rare, but they do require more patience and tactical awareness.
In the ideal world, how many races are you and the other event organizers hoping to score over the three days of racing? Also, what kind of course shapes do you envision using for this multihull event?
The Friday July 25 Distance Race counts as two races. The Distance Race typically includes long upwind and downwind legs with some significant reaching legs where multihulls really show off their speed.
Saturday will be a full day of buoy racing with as many as five separate races—typically about 1.5 miles in each direction, sometimes twice around if conditions are good.
Sunday we expect to get three races in, with an early afternoon end and an awards ceremony back at the Beverly Yacht Club.
Do you see local knowledge playing a big or small role in the regatta's outcome? Can you please explain?
Local knowledge helps, especially in distance races. Knowing where current can pinch or where the breeze typically builds is valuable.
But the 2023 Corsair Nationals winners had never previously sailed on Buzzards Bay, proving that local knowledge was not a determinant.
If you could offer one piece of advice to visiting (and local) sailors, what would it be?
Prepare your boat well and practice with your crew. Stay flexible and be ready to adapt. The breeze can shift from zero to full throttle in a matter of hours.
Is there anything else about the 2025 Corsair Nationals and Buzzards Bay Multihull Regatta that you'd like to add for the record?
Just that this event is more than just racing. It's a celebration of multihull sailing—great competition on the water, great camaraderie on shore. Lots of tech talk and even more tall stories and lessons learned from mistakes. From the beer party on Friday to the awards and dinner on Saturday, it's a full experience. Whether you're racing for hardware or just for the thrill, you'll be part of something special.