Bob Ross (Sail Northwest and Seattle Sailing Club) has taken the tack that simply getting people out on the water is good business.
Ross’s companyie are sponsoring the Friday Night Sailfests, free casual racing off Shilsole Bay Marina on the first four Fridays in August. It’s a chance for sailors to enjoy Fridays with friends and family who might not enjoy the more white-knuckle type of racing that often goes on. All boats welcome and there are no ratings to deal with. There are three rules (have fun, no collisions, rules of the road) and three starts (Fast, Not-So-Fast and Dinghies). Between Duck Dodge, the Downtown Sailing Series and Sailfest, a casual sailor can have his/her fill right though August. Be sure to bring the chips. Here’s the website, or call Sail Northwest at (206) 286-1004.
This year Ross also brought back J/Fest after a 7-year hiatus. The event, specifically for J/Boats, light winds Saturday, and lots of socializing. It was a chance for the J/109s to hold their Pacific Northwest Championship, a cruising class and two of the three J/97es to enjoy some one design racing. Click here for results. Here are some photos by Jan Anderson. You can see the rest here.
Kurt grew up racing and cruising in the Midwest, and has raced Lasers since the late 1970s. Currently he is a broker at Swiftsure Yachts. He has been Assistant Editor at Sailing Magazine and a short stint as Editor of Northwest Yachting. Through Meadow Point Publishing he handles various marketing duties for smaller local companies. He currently is partners on a C&C 36 which he cruises throughout the Northwest. He’s married to the amazing Abby and is father to Ian and Gabe.