KSEA Sailors Win 420 Maine States Regatta
/Huge congrats to Jack Guinness & Milo Fleming for winning the 2023 Maine State 420 Championship Regatta in Boothbay! With 38 boats on the line, the competition was fierce with sailors coming from up & down the Maine coast.
KSEA will now have the honor of hosting the 2024 Maine State Championship. That’s going to be a lot of boats in our little harbor but there is no doubt that the KSEA team will pull it off in grand fashion:)
Well done Jack & Milo!
KSEA Represents at Marblehead Junior Race Week
/Every year, Pleon Yacht Club pulls off the event of the regatta season with hundreds of junior sailors showing up to race. This year was no different. With over 50 boats on both the 420 and Opti starting lines, our KSEA racers were up against some steep competition. And they were amazing! KSEA had two 420s finish in the top 10 - Jack Guinness & Molly Pile in 6th, Milo Fleming & Oona McPhearson in 9th. Finn Wooten took 10th place in the Opti Green Fleet and Max Pulitzer got 1st in the Opti White Fleet. Well done KSEA racers!
“Another Marblehead, come and gone. It's been a big experience for everyone, especially new racers and first-timers to this particular venue. Each sailor should be proud of their accomplishments and growth this week for sure!”
~ Sachi Rodes, KSEA board member & (tireless) parent volunteer
Opti Racers Mix It Up In Castine
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This past Friday— breaking away from the festivities at the Long Island Picnic— some of our Opti sailors traveled to Castine alongside the 420 Race Team to compete against the CYU Opti fleet.
Before racing, the sailors hung out with the Castine team, eating burgers, skipping rocks, and playing ping pong– rules being that the play didn’t end until the ball fully stopped bouncing. (This led to chaos.)
After about 45 minutes, Castine led the skippers meeting, where the sailors (420 and Opti alike) learned that they would be racing a windward leeward with a gate. The Castine instructors were incredibly helpful in instructing the KSEA sailors on where to go, and how to navigate their harbor.
On the water– it was great to hear the more novice racers asserting themselves and their rights toward their unfamiliar competition. Though by the end of the day, all of the sailors knew each other by name and were goofing around like there hadn’t been a competition at all.
We are extremely proud of Max, Finn and Shep for placing first, third and fourth. Great work everyone!
~ Brin Huseby, Opti/Rowing Fleet Captain
Perfect Day of Racing for the Becton Cup
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Each year, KSEA holds the Becton Cup - a one-day regatta in honor of Jean & Henry Becton. As two of the earliest and most passionate advocates for junior sailing at KYC, the annual event is a “tip of the hat” to Mr. & Mrs. Becton and their lasting legacy of youth sailing on Blue Hill Bay.
As in past years, the post-race tea was hosted by the extended Becton family with a few words of Becton sailing lore shared by Henry Becton. Thanks to all the Bectons for the delicious tea (which was devoured by our hungry racers) and their ongoing support of KSEA.
Optis
Henry Armstrong
Max Pulitzer
Finn Wooten
420s
Jack Guinness & Molly Pile
Ben Baldwin & Zoe Pulitzer
Campbell Ardrey & Buckley Wiley
KSEA Sailors Win Battle of the Bay
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Boothbay Yacht Club hosted the Battle of the Bay Regatta earlier this week, running six races over two days for forty-two 420s and 17 Optimists. KSEA was well represented in both fleets with eight of our 420 racers and two of our Opti racers competing against sailors from Portland YC, Harraseeket YC, SailMaine and others.
A huge shout out to KSEA racers Jack Guinness & Molly Pile for taking 1st place in the 420 fleet! Amazing! And a congrats to all our racers for a job well done. Next stop… Marblehead Junior Race Week starting July 24th.
Adult Sailing Lessons at KSEA
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When we added the first Bullseye to the KSEA fleet five years ago, we were far from certain on whether a new boat (a keelboat, no less) would be well received. How would it fit in with our Opti & 420 program? Would there be interest among the KSEA & KYC families in a bigger, sturdier boat?
Fast forward to today, we have added a second KSEA Bullseye and successfully introduced a Sailing 101 class, designed specifically for adult sailors who are interested in learning the fundamentals of sailing. Classes are held in the morning, Monday - Friday as part of our two-week sessions. Since the start of the summer, our Sailing 101 classes have been full, with sailors ranging in age from 13 to 71 years old, learning basic boat handling, on-the-water safety and seamanship.
For those who are interested in learning to sail or just want to build your confidence on the water, please come join our Sailing 101 class. We have a few spots left in our Sessions 3 & 4. For more info, click here >>
KSEA Racers Kick of the 2023 Season
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The KSEA race teams took advantage of last Thursday’s break in the rainy weather to run their first cup race of the season. The annual KYC Cup included 3 races for both the 420 and Optimist fleets. With eight 420s and 6 Optis on the line, we enjoyed an exciting day of racing. The final results were:
Optimists
Max Pulitzer
Fraser Wiley
Finn Wooten
420s
Buckley Wiley & Zoe Pulitzer
Jack Guinness & Molly Pile
Milo Fleming & Emi Rodes
Lots more racing to Come
The KSEA race calendar is full with the Founder’s Cup being held this week. Check out the schedule below and come and join us out on the bay for an afternoon of racing.
Thurs. 7/6: Founder’s Cup
Tues. 7/11 & Wed. 7/12: Battle of the Bay Junior Regatta @ Boothbay Harbor YC
Thurs. 7/20: Becton Cup
Mon. 7/24 - Wed. 7/26: Marblehead Junior Race Week @ Pleon YC
Wed. 8/2 & Thurs. 8/3: Opti Maine States @ Southport YC
Fri. 8/4: Hoppin Cup
Mon. 8/7 - Thurs. 8/10: 420 Maine States @ Boothbay Harbor YC
Photos from Session 1
/What amazing start to Summer 2023! Thanks to all our fab sailors & Harbor Seals for kicking off the summer in such grand fashion:)
KSEA Makes the Most of the Wet Weather
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Not to be dragged down, KSEA Session 1 sailors are braving the dreary weather, making the most of the rainy days with games, races, knot tying, and most importantly, time spent by the KYC fireplace.
Donning rain jackets (and occasionally just sweatshirts), the morning Opti and 420 students have been exploring the harbor, while continuing to practice their upwind sailing and points of sail. Today Opti B learned about Blue Hill’s currents and channels with a trip up the “Opti treadmill” toward the mouth of the harbor.
Opti Adventurers have been perfecting their upwind sailing, practicing in the stronger winds of the bay. They have been learning about sail controls, telltales, and proper hiking. Today the group headed to Sand Island to skip rocks and hangout with their instructors before heading to the bay to cheer on their race team counterparts as they practiced starts.
Both the 420 and Opti race teams have been hard at work under the careful instruction of coaches Silas Murnik (420’s) and Oliver Lardner (Optis). With one KSEA race day under their belts, the groups seek to refine their boat handling and tactics as they enter the summer regatta season.
Thursday is the second race day of the summer, where both teams will compete amongst themselves and against those who seek to join from Opti Adventurers and Cruising 420’s (who are already crushing their rolltacks.) With no rain forecasted, race day is looking to be a good one, and anyone who wants to come out onto the bay to cheer on their sailors is more than welcome.
~ Brin Huseby, Opti/Rowing Fleet Captain
2023 KSEA Team
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Welcome to Summer 2023!
With so much going on at KSEA this summer, we have decided to share our various adventures through our new KSEA blog. Plan on seeing new posts each week with photos from our time on the bay, results from our Thursday races and KSEA sailor shout-outs!
Our first shout-out goes to our amazing team of KSEA instructors. You will notice LOTS of familiar faces, with each one of our instructors having learned to sail right here on Blue Hill Bay. They had their hands full pulling boats from the shed, getting ready for the busy summer ahead. And there has been no rest for the weary. Our first classes started this week with six Harbor Seals, twenty-two Opti sailors, sixteen 420 sailors and five Bullseye sailors!
Please wander up the hill to say hi. Or join us out on the bay each Thursday at 13:30 for KSEA racing. We can guarantee a fun afternoon of spectating:)
The 2023 KSEA Instructor Team
Katie Forrest - Head Instructor - Surry, ME
Silas Murnik - 420 Race Coach - Blue Hill, ME
Tommy Norgang - 420/Bullseye Fleet Captain - Blue Hill, ME
Oliver Lardner - Opti Race Coach - Barcelona, Spain
Brin Huseby - Opti/Rowing Fleet Captain - San Francisco, CA
Ana Huseby - Instructor - San Francisco, CA
Marshall Rodes - Instructor - Cambridge, MA
Alex Amado - Instructor - Wilmington, DE
Owen van Bever - Instructor - Cambridge, MA
Buckley Wiley - Junior Instructor - Atlanta, GA
Milo Fleming - Junior Instructor - Blue Hill, ME
Emi Rodes - Junior Instructor - Cambridge, MA
Jack Guinness - Junior Instructor - Blue Hill, ME
Molly Pile - Junior Instructor - Blue Hill, ME
