“Love the little trade which thou hast learned, and be content there with.” — Marcus Aurelius

It was hardly a little trade Tony Parker was practicing at the helm of an America’s Cup 12 Metre in the summer of 1978 off Newport, R.I.

He’d been asked by Baron Marcel Bich to skipper the French trial horse in training for the next Cup, and was doing so well against the A team, by his own account, that its helmsman Bruno Troublé took him aside at one point and beseeched him to lighten up.

The Cup was on the verge of taking the sports world by storm with Dennis Conner, Australia II, the winged keel, ESPN and Fremantle in the wings. Parker, having finished second in three straight Congressional Cups and with a gold-plated resume from Harvard sailing, was a match-racing star in position to play a big role on yachting’s biggest stage.

But something little caught his eye across the dappled waters of Rhode Island Sound that day and changed the arc of his life.

“I saw fifty J/24s out there racing in their first national championships,” Parker says. “The class was brand new and it was exploding. All the best sailors were there. It was so competitive they couldn’t get a start off. There were no black flags or U flags back then. Everyone was over early.”

Parker couldn’t wait to get a piece of that mayhem. “I’m really, really good at infighting,” he says. So off he went to buy his first J/24 and set the stage for the next 47 years, when he’d get his jollies banging away at the top of the fleet in the quirky turtle boats.

All of it came to fruition this fall in a gutsy performance in another fleet of 50, this time at the J/24 World Championships in Plymouth, U.K., where the wind blew the oysters off the rocks. When they sorted out the wreckage after five days at 20-plus knots, Parker’s Bangor Packet stood a stunning second. It marked the fourth time he’d made the podium at the Worlds over the decades, with two thirds and two seconds, but not yet the gold.

The dean of the class, however, was able to mount the stage and accept his trophy just three days shy of his 80th birthday. Parker and his teammates on Bangor Packet finished 7 points behind Headcase, whose Irish skipper Cillian Dickson is Parker’s junior by 47 years.

“It’s absolutely remarkable that he’s stuck with it and does that well at his age,” says one of Parker’s contemporaries, Scott Allen, an ex-Olympian who raced with and against him for years and now lives across the creek from his old rival in Annapolis.

“I think he just really likes the boat, he knows it and he’s comfortable with it,” says Will Welles, of North Sails, who sailed with Parker in all the major events leading up to the Plymouth worlds. “He’s been at it so long, and at the top the fleet, that he does a bit of a legend status. He keeps a young crew to keep him excited, he just loves the sport—he loves to talk about it and thinks about it all the time.

“But what’s really amazing is that he has this drive to keep getting better, and he has no ego whatsoever.”

Of course, the J/24 Worlds no longer attracts the hottest sailors on the planet. Still, Parker’s achievement had the racing crowd back home on edge, monitoring the internet as the regatta wound to a windy conclusion. He was in range of winning till the very end, 4 points back on the last day, when he finished 3-2 to Dickson’s 2-1, with a Japanese team 20 points back in third overall.

By all accounts the regatta was a daily grind, with winds of 20 to 30 and foaming grey seas breaking all around. In one race, Dickson’s boat, well ahead, broached so badly on the last downwind run that the spreaders hit the water, yet the crew managed to get the mess cleared up before the fleet caught up, and they still won the race. “How often do you see that in a world championship?” Parker marvels.

He, by contrast, is a light-to-moderate air specialist, as befits a denizen of the Chesapeake. He attributes his success at Plymouth to a young, athletic crew of sailing pros and a week of practice onsite before the festivities began. “We were lucky that it blew just as hard for practice as it did for the racing,” he says.

He had a veteran team—Emmett Todd, James Niblock and Will Bomar working the front half of the boat and Welles calling tactics.

Still, it was unfamiliar territory. “Sometimes I was steering with both hands on the tiller,” he says. “Six of the (nine) races we had to use the little jib, which we hadn’t had out in five years.”

At least the boat is familiar. He’s had the same Bangor Packet, J/24, Hull No. 58, since 2003 when he bought a steady winner from Andy Horton. Even in one-design racing, he says, some boats come off the factory line inherently faster. He’d been through two that didn’t make the cut before he got his current steed.

Welles, a two-time J/24 world champion himself, acknowledges that Parker has always been committed to having the boat immaculately race-ready. “He puts money into the boat, and that’s why he ships it to the worlds instead of chartering. He values his boat. It’s top notch, the sails are top-notch sails and he treats his crew well so they want to be there and work hard.”

To keep the boat current, Parker sends it “to the spa” at great expense every couple of years for a full treatment at the best boatyard he can find, and lets the experts do their thing. “I’m not the guy you’ll find under the boat sanding the keel,” he says.

Not that he couldn’t. His father owned and ran the marina at the mouth of the Harraseeket River in Maine that’s still in business as Brewers South Freeport Marine. He and his two brothers and sister grew up there, and all were Maine junior champions in one class or another. But by the time his shot at the America’s Cup and sailing’s big tent came along, he says, “life had intervened.” Marriage, a child, law school, a successful business career and eight years in politics as treasurer of the Republican National Committee were to follow, and it all kept him busy.

As for the elusive gold medal he has yet to claim, Parker seems none too bothered. The next J/24 Worlds are in Australia, but “I’m not going to Melbourne,” he said. “That would take a month.”

So, his next shot is October 2027, in Rochester, New York, just down the road. He’ll be 82. Don’t bet against it.

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In our previous column in these pages, outlining the extensive refit project of my father and his boat partner’s 1990s-vintage Melges 30, we went in depth about the deck hardware and running rigging choices we made with the help of Harken and Marlow. The next and final phase involved slightly more sophisticated steps: the electronics and then the deck detailing, which brought the boat to its current status as one fine handicap race yacht.

We decided not to invest in the older instruments that came with the boat. It was an opportunity for new technology.  Not an inexpensive proposition but a necessary one. Our goal as a 30-foot sportboat is mainly local PHRF racing with some traveling in the future. As such, we wanted good instruments, but we didn’t need a TP52 set up. Matt Fries, the go-to at B&G and Navico instruments worked with us closely to help develop a system that provided the information we wanted without breaking the bank.

First, the hidden items. We chose the Triton Edge Sailing processor. This unit is small and light, but more importantly it quickly and accurately processes input from multiple components. And there are plenty of other components feeding into it and the ‘backbone’. One thing I like about these new systems is the NMEA 2000 connections. It makes it very easy to add components or change out parts.

First into the backbone is the knot meter. We chose the DST-810. This is a wired paddlewheel with depth built in. As we sail in shallow water often, we thought depth would be very helpful. It is a “triducer,” meaning it is a paddle wheel, depth sensor and temperature sensor all in one. It saves us another hole in the bottom of the boat.

Second is the wind. We opted for the WS710 Wind Sensor package. We chose a wired set up as I thought it would be less prone to issues on a rig that was rarely taken down. It’s on a vertical carbon wand to get the instrument above the upwash of the rig. Along with this package you need the WS700 Wired interface. This small box converts wind data coming down from the wand into NMEA2000 so it can be plugged into the backbone.

Third is the GPS. Just as I use on the J/70, the ZG100 GPS feeds all of our GPS info to the system. It also has a compass and can provide heel and trim. However, there is an upgraded compass that I also use on the J/70 and that brings us to the fourth item into the backbone. The Precision 9 Compass is more accurate and faster than the compass that is in the ZG100. We’ve mounted both of these low in the boat under the cockpit. We’ve also tried to keep them away from any metals or magnetic items.

Also plugged into the backbone are three displays. Down below we have a chart plotter. We needed something small and chose the Zeus 7 Chartplotter. With a 7-inch color display it does everything we need. I had some issues getting the charts to populate but Paul Wilson at B&G got me sorted and up and running.

Outside on the mast we chose two different displays. The first is an amazing bright display that will show just about anything in any color that we want. It is the Nemesis 9 Sailing Display. We’ve set it up with bigger numbers that are visible from the back of the boat. Boatspeed, heading, and true wind direction, along with true wind angle and heel is our current pick. But we can set up pages with various information that is easily toggled through. This display is so customizable, I can even set the displayed numbers to change colors if they get to a certain number. For example, I can set the heel number as green and have it turn red if the boat heels more than 24 degrees.

Underneath the Nemesis 9 display is the H5000 Graphic display. This has many functions as well. We can display navigational information, set the start timer, ping the start line ends, see distance to the line. We can display all wind information, cross track info, and a graphic display of true wind angles, apparent wind angles and see set and drift which is helpful on areas of current. I find this unit intuitive and easy to learn.

As is the case with all instruments, good input equals good output. In order to calibrate them we took the time to find a place with flat water and little to no wind or current. First is the compass swing, which consists of around a 400-degree turn, not exceeding 3.5 degrees per second. Second is the boatspeed calibration. We do multiple runs and fine tune the boatspeed to match the speed over ground from the GPS. We do this in two opposite directions to ensure that there is no current impacting the calibration. Once we are happy with the boatspeed we make sure that the compass offset is matching the Course over Ground. Often, the heading needs to be offset a few degrees to make up for small installation errors. Later, we had to go in and adjust the angle of the wind instrument for similar reasons. All in all, however, it’s a robust package with seemingly endless options and possibilities.

The next item I love is the soft deck. We use these on the cockpit floors of nearly every boat I sail. Maybe I am lucky to sail in warmer climates, but I sail the small boats like the J/70 barefoot when I can. For the Melges 30, Dan Kaseler and our friends at Raptor Deck up in the Pacific Northwest helped us out. As there was no template for a Melges 30 cockpit, we had to improvise. They sent us a mylar template from a Melges 32 and I was able to cut it and tape it back together in the pattern we desired. Raptor Deck then took the template and scanned it. Voila, they were able to cut us a beautiful soft deck that matched the nonskid color of the deck above it. And if that wasn’t helpful enough, I was able to make a template of our damaged keel plate under the hull and they were able to scan it and create a proper Delrin keel plate.

For our metal work, we are blessed to have Steve Harrison in San Diego. When in need of high-end custom metal work on a racing sailboat, Harrison is a friend indeed. We wanted to beef up the stern pulpits with more support connecting to the cockpit floor like the Melges 32s. Steve was able modify them so they feel very strong when you grab them our hike against them. We also added knees to the stanchions to keep them from bending and flexing.

My father and his boat partner, Robert Plant, have had a long relationship with the folks at Ullman Sails Newport Beach. Kenny Cooper who runs the plotter at the loft also sails with them regularly as the primary upwind trimmer so it made sense to get a couple of sails from Ullman. The boat came with a new running kite but the reaching kites needed to be replaced. We got a 1.5A for light air VMG sailing and a 3A for the windier reaching. In addition, we got a couple of staysails to help that random leg reach speed.

Another area with a lot of clever thinking was the outboard storage. Like many small raceboats, we have an outboard that needs to be stored below when not on the transom. We didn’t like the idea of cutting a hole on the cockpit floor and adding a hatch. The solution was to splice a Dyneema bridle around the engine so we could hook a halyard to it and pick the engine up off the stern. This system also makes it incredibly easy to lower the outboard into the interior. My father and his partner also built a trolley of sorts under the companionway that the outboard lays on. Recycling boat parts is a favorite pastime of my father, so the trolley consists of a pair of old Harken sheaves from an old IOR 50-footer. When stowing the outboard, the halyard is eased until the head of the engine rests in a mesh basket. The system works well and saves the crew from that back breaking agony of moving a 40-pound engine around down below.

After sailing the boat a half-dozen times, it was a relief to not experience any major issues. My father and Robert have really enjoyed getting back out on the water with their friends as well as being competitive. They have enjoyed the process of the rebuild, the creativity required to mess around and develop systems, and the friendship they’ve shared over the years. It certainly helps to have great friends in the industry. We were able to ask a lot of questions and gather ideas from all over. As it was a labor of love, there was no real timeline and time could be taken to “measure twice and cut once.” This is a pace I highly recommend to anyone embarking on an extensive refit. It can be tempting to rush a project in order to be ready for the next season, but it’s better to have it done right come race day than troubleshooting mistakes mid-season.

The icing on the cake was qualifying for and then winning our local 2025 Dana Point Harbor Championships. The boat performed great and all systems worked as designed. Proof again that the hard work is worth the rewards, and more importantly, that old raceboats can definitely enjoy a second life and we have a great industry with all the tools and solutions to make it happen one way or the other.

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US Sailing announced the winners of its 2025 Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year Awards. Paul Cayard was named the Rolex Yachtsman of the Year, while Laura Grondin was named the Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year. These awards recognize their exceptional accomplishments in the sport of sailing over the past calendar year. 

A seasoned veteran on the racing scene, Cayard has no shortage of titles to his name. His mainstay has been the Star Class, where in 2025 he won the World Championship, triumphing over a fleet of 100-plus boats. This championship win is Cayard’s second Star World title – 37 years after his first World’s win in 1988. He also placed third at the Star North American Championship. Outside of Star sailing, Cayard is an accomplished tactician, winning the Voiles des St. Tropez on Twin Soul B. This will be his second Rolex, following his win in 1998. 

Outside his accomplishments in 2025 for which he was awarded the Rolex Yachtsman of the Year, Cayard is one of the most experienced American sailors to date. He has competed in the Olympics, America’s Cup, and Whitbread Round the World Race (now The Ocean Race), winning the Louis Vuitton Cup aboard the Italian Il Moro de Venezia in 1992 and Whitbread aboard EF Language in 1998. He competed in the 2004 Olympics in the Star Class for the United States, placing fifth overall. Since then, Cayard has been involved in the management side of the sport, serving as the Director of America One Racing and President of the International Star Class. 

Grondin proved herself a formidable competitor in the world of sport keelboats in 2025 with her team Dark Energy. Grondin made history as the first female helm to win the J/70 World Championship this past year, with the title coming down to the last moments of the final race. Grondin also finished second at the Melges 24 World Championship, overcoming a collision and two DNFs early in the regatta. This is her first Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year win, although she was named a nominee in 2021 and 2022.

Outside her accomplishments in 2025 for which she was awarded the Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year, Grondin has had prior success in the J/70 fleet, finishing third at the World Championship in 2021 and 2023. She is a former International Melges 24 Class Chair and is one of the class’s most accomplished female owner-drivers, consistently demonstrating competitive excellence and leadership both on and off the water.

“The Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year Awards represent the very highest standard of excellence in our sport,” remarked Charlie Enright, US Sailing CEO. “Having been fortunate enough to receive this honor myself, I know how meaningful it is—not just as recognition of results, but as acknowledgment of the dedication, teamwork, and resilience required to succeed at the highest level of sailing. This year’s winners truly exemplify what makes American sailing world-class.”

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Randy Hecht got the call while racing at the International Knarr Championship, in Copenhagen, Denmark. The good news? His boat had made the 2,600-mile journey from San Francisco to Toronto in time for the 2025 J/105 North Americans. The bad news? The boatyard in Toronto accidentally broke the mast. With barely two weeks to spare before the start of the championship, his two-week Danish regatta swiftly became fraught with faraway logistics.

“I was confronted with both finding a replacement mast—you cannot just go to a store to buy an immediate replacement—and also finding a skilled rigger to get a replacement mast ready for the boat,” Hecht says. “I was close to throwing in the towel and towing the boat and the broken mast home.”

Hecht, however, was on a mission to win his third J/105 North American title with his talent-stacked crew that included Russ Silvestri (tactician and main), Maggie Bacon (pit), Ethan Doyle (trimmer and strategist), David Janinis (mast), and Steve Marsh (bow). In 2022, racing the boat for the first time, Team Niuhi won the J/105 North American title in San Francisco, and did so again in Rye, New York, in 2023. The team did not race the 2024 edition but Hecht was always committed to Toronto for the opportunity to race against Terry McLaughlin, a four-time North American J/105 champion, Canadian Olympic silver medalist and America’s Cup skipper for Canada.

“This was an opportunity to test ourselves against arguably the best J/105 sailor and team ever,” Hecht says. “We also wanted to sail against a completely different fleet of 105s than what we had faced in San Francisco and Rye.”

Team Niuhi got a lucky break; it was able to borrow a good mast from a local youth sailing charity and found a local rigger to fit it to their boat. Niuhi then went on to win its third J/105 North American title in slam-dunk fashion, finishing with a net score of 25 points after 12 races, including six race wins.

In a regatta post-mortem, McLaughlin, a fierce competitor who has been sailing Mandate with his J/105 partner Rob Wilmer for 13 years, shares his observations: “They are fast and I guess they have been fast for years,” he says. “They also have a very good crew; they seem able to get mediocre starts and come out of those better than anyone else.”

Hecht, who resides in the San Francisco Bay Area, got into the class because he wanted to gain more experience starting a keelboat in bigger fleets. He was also looking for a boat to sail in the Rolex Big Boat Series, and he liked the idea of competing in the 2022 J/105 North Americans, which were being held on the Bay. Hecht had never sailed a J/105 before, but he liked it.

“The feeling of crossing the finish line in first, just nipping a group of other boats, the teamwork needed to adapt to a rapidly changing situation, the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat, and whether disaster strikes or disaster is avoided, I’ve found it all in the 105,” he says.

Hecht is the kind of guy who owns the room; he’s a commanding presence with his athletic and towering physique at 6 feet 5 inches. He’s intense and tough, having finessed his sailing skills in his early 20s racing Tempests, including the 1972 Olympic Trials. He’s also a 20-year leukemia survivor so his fight or flight instincts may be stronger than those of most others. Hecht also campaigns a 30-foot Knarr and an 18-foot Mercury, which are both competitive fleets with excellent sailors. All of his boats are aptly named Niuhi—Hawaiian for “large man-eating shark” as aptly illustrated on his J/105 mainsail and spinnaker.

Over the years he and Silvestri have put together a crew of sailors to sail the three boats which are all part of Team Niuhi. “We have a process that we use to select crew,” Hecht explains. “First, someone on the crew has to recommend you for the job needed, and everyone on the team understands what we are looking for. We want crew that are responsible, committed for the long term, team-oriented, skilled at their job, likeable, passionate about racing and improving, and have the ability to perform under pressure. Our objective is to win big regattas as a team and that’s how we attract top talent.”

Doyle, Niuhi’s trimmer and strategist, has sailed with Hecht for eight years and thrives on the competitive environment and team philosophy that Hecht embraces. “We went to Toronto with one objective: to win,” Doyle says. “That all-or-none attitude creates an emotionally high-stakes vibe and it is immensely satisfying to be part of a team that gels and thrives under that competitive pressure. Randy is a leader that has an intense focus on success. That level of competitive intensity is not for everyone but leading by example, he’s done an amazing job of putting together a team that embraces that philosophy.”

While Team Niuhi’s success on the racecourse is seemingly a guarantee while Hecht is behind the wheel with his tight crew, he’s a fan of making sure the balance of work versus fun is in check, whether it is a beer can race at home or one on the road, and part of that is having a mix of younger but very skilled sailors on the boat.

“I love the mix of young and older people and how well that can work on a racing sailboat,” he says. “One of our young sailors started a process of playing music as we leave the dock and now we play music all the way to the racecourse—we found that we would all relax and laugh pre-race when listening to music.”

Since his debut in the J/105 fleet, Hecht has been proactive in helping other teams improve, fully aware that keeping a fleet strong does benefit everyone in it. “We try to be an open book on how we make our boat go fast,” Hecht says. “I will take the time to talk to anyone about J/105 speed questions and I will also invite skippers to sail with us for Friday night beer can racing. Without a doubt, it is also helpful to have a local sailmaker who can spend a lot of time with the fleet and act in a teaching role.”

Hecht also takes immense pleasure in the widespread nature of the J/105 class, which he notes has many fleets in wonderful places, with benefits that include a broader group of sailing friends, learning a new racetrack, and experiencing other competitive fleets. He’s a fan of getting on the road once in a while to mix things up, acknowledging that while the coordination around trailering a bigger boat to a new location can be taxing. But the rewards, he says, are worth the bumps.

“We always rent a house for the entire crew which has become a terrific bonding experience for all of us,” he says, “from making meals together, playing pingpong or spending time in the pool discussing how to improve on the racecourse the next day.”

The J/105 North Americans will be in Seattle next year and Hecht is hopeful that there will be a strong contingent from his Bay Area fleet. And speaking from experience, his recommendation to owners and skippers looking for an economic solution to destination racing with a bigger boat is to charter one that is not being used in the local fleet. “The cost and effort,” he says, “is usually less than taking one’s own boat and it comes with fewer challenges.”

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The deck is still wet with dew as the crew arrives one by one for boat call. The stillness of the sunny morning is broken by sailbags heaved onboard and dragged across the non-skid. Trimmers stroll from bow to stern leading tapered sheets and guys through and blocks. It’s the regular busy work of getting a 12-Metre off the dock and racing and it’s the first day of the 12 Meter North, Americans in Newport, Rhode Island. It’s also Weatherly’s big day.

The boat’s owner Steve Eddleston eventually arrives with the sandwiches. He’s got a cup of coffee and a big smile as he admires all the activity from the aft deck. We’ve never met, and he’s invited me aboard for the day’s races. I’ve got GoPros and microphones, and thankfully, he’s a natural on camera, an animated storyteller who effortlessly rolls from one life yarn to the next. He’s got a strong Yankee accent with a raspy Down Easter twang. But he’s a Kiwi, his wife is Mexican, and now, of all things, he owns a 12 Metre.

Eddleston’s is a wonderful success story. As a young adult he was a hardworking software engineer who traveled the world, selling, building and servicing those big old-school mainframe servers from back in the day. Work took him to Mexico, where he met his wife—another fun story of persistence. He made a name, a family and a fortune, retired, served on boards and then bought a Planet Fitness franchise—covering the entire state of Rhode Island. Somewhere in there he was a hardcore distance runner, too, which is all to safely say he’s got energy, wisdom and vision. Which brings him today to Bristol, Rhode Island, Cap’n Nat country. Somehow in his life story arc, his ownership of a classic 12 Metre makes total sense.

His path to Weatherly’s helm started in Maine, where he taught himself to sail on a Hobie Cat he found in the classifieds. No mentor, no program, no junior sailing instructor—just curiosity and stubbornness. “I can figure this out,” he said when he bought the Hobie. He did figure it out, and it wasn’t pretty, but then came years of solo hotdogging on the Hobie.

Fast forward to 2002. At a corporate planning conference in Newport, the company had chartered Weatherly for an afternoon group outing. Eddleston was the only real sailor among them, so he didn’t hesitate when offered the wheel. “It’s the most incredible feeling,” he says, closing his eyes and reliving the moment. “She’s 30 tons and when she first takes the load of the wind…it’s just incredible.”

In the early days of COVID, when he started looking seriously at classic boats, a surveyor suggested Weatherly to him. He met George Hill, its previous caretaker (Hill’s is also a long and inspiring story), and so it began. “George told me, ‘Steve, this has been my livelihood for 36 years. I’ve made my living with this boat, and I’m ready to retire and move on. I’m looking for another caretaker.’”

When he finally purchased it, he told his wife, “This may be the best thing I ever do or I’ll be trying to sell her in 12 months.”

He was no fool, however. He did calculate his decision with trepidation at first. The risk, the maintenance, the unknowns—they didn’t immediately appeal to his practical side. But the plan was simple: He would keep doing what Hill had done so well. The boat was in good shape and everything worked. He went into it thinking he wouldn’t change much, but after a few years, that philosophy changed.

He checked Weatherly into the spa for a 22-month deep-tissue treatment.

“It started with, ‘Let’s paint the deck,’” Eddleston says. Then it went deeper, all the way to a full structural review and a lot of craftsmanship to get it tight and solid. “So yeah, it became a big project.”

The deck came off and they got in under the skin of the boat, into the frames and the structure. The loads are enormous on a 12 Metre, so he and his boat captain agreed it was best to fix for the future. “The powers and the loads on these boats are phenomenal,” Eddleston says, “so it doesn’t do any harm to go in there and triple-check that everything is Bristol.”

Weatherly went into the spa as a 68-year-old and came out as an 18-year-old, he likes to say, “so she’s good for another 60 years for the next caretaker.”

His last word strikes me. We typically refer to raceboat owners as “owners.” I had never thought of caretaker as a term for classic yachties the likes of Eddleston and so many others. But it’s perfect. Weatherly is not just another pretty 12 Metre for sunset sails and the occasional race; the longer she sails, the more souls she touches. The more she sails the larger her community of admirers grows. No one forgets their first sail on Weatherly.

Over the boat’s long career, Eddleston says, “People married aboard her, renewed their vows, and celebrated milestones on her deck.” A surprising number of women in New England bear the name Weatherly, he adds matter-of-factly, because their parents were inspired by the boat’s America’s Cup victory in 1962.

At a recent regatta, Eddleston met one such woman—her mother, pregnant during that Cup summer, felt it was the natural name for her daughter after Weatherly’s win.

In Eddleston’s heart Weatherly is more than a classic racing yacht and relic of the Cup. She is a kind of floating town, with citizens, fans and more than six decades of history that took her to Seattle for the Boy Scouts, through the Panama Canal, and to the bottom of Long Island Sound. US-12 is one of a unique club of the other famous traditional 12’s still sailing in Newport: American Eagle, Intrepid and Columbia. They each have their own loyal population, and it grows with every sailor that steps on a deck or turns a coffee grinder.

The 12 Metre crew scene is a tight-knit one in Newport, and if there was one thing that worried Eddleston initially, it was finding 16 reliable mates every time he wanted to go for a sail. As a solo Hobie guy, his Rolodex was pretty thin. But it didn’t take long to string a starting team together. As soon as word got out that Weatherly had a new owner, experienced sailors began to appear, introducing themselves, offering their services as crew. Within a short time, he says, he found himself with a call list of 50 to 60 people, plenty to staff the boat for racing and events.

For several years, he personally managed the crew boss role—deciding who sailed when, where new sailors should be placed, who might need to step back for a while if they couldn’t reliably make boat-calls. Over time, he began handing that job to others as part of their own development, recognizing that building a racing program means building leaders, not just followers. Spoken like a truly successful franchise owner.

He’s also now the de-facto commodore of the Newport fleet, which itself is so iconic that the city’s manhole covers and public works vehicles now sport a logo of two 12s, hard on the wind. He helped rally enough boats and enthusiasm to stage the 12 Metre Worlds in 2023, drawing 10 boats—five classics and five moderns. It was a sight to behold and one he hopes to recreate again.

Eddleston’s racing plans for the boat include the 12 Metre World Championships in 2028, so he’s got a long way to go, with more boatwork, a better mast, new sails and mechanical upgrades to get the boat around the buoys better. Straight-line speed, perfect sets, dip-pole jibes and douses is what 12 Metre crewwork is all about.

“The power and beauty of these boats when they’re on the wind and the crew is working—it’s like an orchestra,” he says. Everybody knows what they’ve got to do at the right moment. It’s the most enchanting and powerful form of sailing I know.”

Now that Weatherly is properly marinated and the crewwork improving race by race, Eddleston’s aspirations are both pragmatic and idealistic. On the water, he is clear: under his watch, Weatherly is “first and foremost, a racing boat.” Charters still matter because he loves that the general public can experience the same sensation of sailing a 12 Metre that captured him. But the core of the program is competition. The North Americans and local regattas are not for trophies, but as check-ins for the Worlds.

And when the time comes to pass on his caretaker role, he says, he’ll be pleased to have passed on a boat that is better, stronger and faster than when he found her—just as Hill did. He happily imagines Weatherly sailing another half-century and beyond, still racing, still teaching, still thrilling people who have never stepped on a race boat before.

The post The Caretaker and His Classic 12 appeared first on Sailing World.

The New York YC’s American Magic was 0-2 with its America’s Cup challenges, and given its early eliminations from AC36 and AC37, the money burn rate was high and the return on investment low. It’s all par for the course with the America’s Cup. After decamping from Barcelona to the team’s base in Pensacola, Florida, there was plenty of lip service about another go at the Cup in Naples, Italy in 2028, but in October, what was a hard maybe became a hard pass.

They didn’t agree with the final Protocol or the defender’s proposed scheme to take management of the regatta out of the hands of Emirates Team New Zealand and into the hands of a quasi-independent governing body called the “America’s Cup Partnership.” With American Magic’s exit, for the first time in Cup history, there may be no American syndicate.

“After extensive engagement with the Defender, Challenger of Record and fellow teams, we’ve concluded that the present structure does not provide the framework for American Magic to operate a highly competitive and financially sustainable campaign for the 38th America’s Cup,” said Doug DeVos, American Magic owner, in a team statement. “We care deeply about the America’s Cup and what it represents. However, for a team committed to long-term excellence, alignment around financial viability and competitive performance is essential. At this time, we don’t believe those conditions are in place for American Magic to challenge.”

Terry Hutchinson, the team’s sailing director, says American Magic’s exit is more of a “hiatus” that will allow them to instead prioritize building “a sustainable platform for high-performance sailing in the United States.” While winning the America’s Cup was always the goal, Hutchinson says they can now focus on their parallel effort to build what they envision as a pipeline of top-level American sailors, designers, engineers and boatbuilders. The shift in priorities, Hutchinson adds, will also allow them to bolster the underperforming U.S. Olympic sailing program by diverting funds and resources to private organizations supporting athletes, including AmericaOne Racing and the Sailing Foundation of New York.

According to Hutchinson, American Magic’s issues with the Protocol and the America’s Cup Partnership primarily revolved around concerns with the event’s commercial structure and future governance, and specifically, what the team felt was the lack of a clear and sustainable financial model. American Magic sought a structure where investors could reasonably expect to recoup their investments within a couple of cycles, but found the proposed model too risky and not conducive to such a goal. The model, Hutchinson says, would require ongoing support from private individuals and yacht club members rather than evolving into a self-sustaining, profitable sporting entity.

SailGP, he says, has the right model, borrowing many of its elements straight from Formula 1’s playbook. And SailGP may well be in the team’s future.

The focus for American Magic and its skeleton crew of engineers, boat builders and sailors in Pensacola is to now take a measured and strategic approach to winding down its America’s Cup operations and assets. Hutchinson says that process includes evaluating the potential to support another American team, should one step up to fill the void, which is not likely at this point. “We would always be open to supporting another American team if somebody wanted to step forward and take it on,” he says. “But it’s not a small undertaking.”

Still, they’re not rushing to fire sale all of their AC assets either, which include a pair each of AC75 and AC40s, containers full of parts and spares, assorted gear and foil sets, not to mention priceless design and performance data and intellectual property. While now officially out of AC38, Hutchinson says they remain cautious and “prefer not to make hasty decisions that could close doors to future America’s Cup involvement.”

Instead, Hutchinson says, they intend to keep their foot wedged in the America’s Cup door and would conceivably field teams into the planned Women’s and Youth America’s Cup AC40 regattas—should American Magic be invited to race. “We want to be good stewards for the America’s Cup,” he says, so the plan is to wait, observe how the event evolves and keep the possibility open for a future return.

For now however, the Olympics, and custom boatbuilding, take precedence, and for this, there are ample resources at American Magic’s Pensacola base. Hutchinson stresses that the goal is to build on existing Olympic systems already in place with US Sailing and elsewhere, rather than disrupting them.

“I think the first way to make the connection is to not impede progress that is already happening,” he says. “There’s a great system already in place, so our role over the next two and a half years is to learn the system that they have and support it where we can. We should make sure that every US sailor that goes to the Olympics in a boat that is immaculately prepared and perfect.”

The post American Magic Shifts From the Cup to Cultivation appeared first on Sailing World.

There’s one moment from the 2023 Mini Transat Race that is seared into my memory. I was six days into the Atlantic, crossing alone on my 21-footer Terminal Leave. The trade winds were cranking and the boat was surfing along. I remember it vividly—tiller in one hand, mainsheet in the other, appendages humming as the boat accelerated down each wave. Nothing but wave tops and open sea in front of me. For hours everything felt perfectly in flow.

And then, in one explosive moment one of my rudders sheared off the transom. The boat rounded up violently, and I was suddenly in survival mode. Once I discovered that there was no water coming into the boat, I focused on the repair and diverted 300 nautical miles further south to Cabo Verde for a technical stopover. Without a satellite communication link to my shore team, it was on me and my Pilot book to find a port. Fortunately, or maybe through telepathy, I arrived at the correct dock that my girlfriend coordinated to have help available on a Saturday morning.

With the rudder repaired and remounted, I got back to it. Once at sea, alone again, I was reflecting on the previous 48 hours and reminded myself that I was racing for a larger purpose. Sure, getting to the finish was the point, but I was really out there to raise awareness for U.S. Patriot Sailing, the dear-to-my-heart non-profit that supports the veteran community navigate much bigger challenges than I could ever experience in my little boat.

The three years of commitment to that race was one of the most meaningful experiences of my life. I am truly grateful I had the opportunity to race amongst the now and future legends of the French solo offshore racing scene. I am frothing, ready to take it on again. But this time, I’m attacking the race with the most advanced boat I can get my hands on. A focused mindset and a renewed sense of purpose is driving me every day.

The Mini 6.50 fleet used for the race has evolved dramatically from its origin in 1977. Racing across the Atlantic every other year since has led to radical design advancements that eventually make their way to the larger IMOCA 60s of the Vendée Globe. The newest generation of foiling ocean-racing sailboats are rewriting what is known to be possible. Consider this: Nicomatic-Petit Bateau, a foiling Mini 6.50 Proto, broke a new distance record for 352.59 nautical miles in 24 hours during this year’s race. That confirms what many of us already know—the foiling Mini generation is an open invitation to blitz the course.

While I’ve been thinking a lot about what it would mean to participate in this race again from a performance perspective, rather than a mere participant, I’ve also thought about what the race represents for me. After a decade on active duty in the Marine Corps, the last Mini campaign was a bridge that helped me transition back into civilian life. Through that experience, U.S. Patriot Sailing was central to my journey. While my first campaign was about raising awareness for the organization, this next one is about expanding support so more veterans can access the same community that helped me.

When I began exploring what a second campaign might look like, one name kept surfacing: Samuel Manuard. Manuard is one of the most influential and forward-thinking French naval architects today, with a specialty in offshore shorthanded sailing. His designs range from Class40s, to the winning IMOCA in the recent Transat Café L’Or, and even the new generation of planing performance production boats for Beneteau. Simply put: His boats are fast.

In addition to his legendary designs, Manuard is approachable and responsive. Our relationship began with a simple e-mail, in English, and no introduction. From the outset, he believed in me and was transparent about the design process. In November 2024, we finally met in person, on the famous Vendée Globe pontoon next to Charal 2, just days before it was to set off on its non-stop race around the world. From that initial handshake, we were committed to working together. It was a surreal moment as I locked in this incredible yacht designer and knew I would be one day crossing the starting line on the newest generation Classe Mini 6.50.

In the Spring of 2025, my partner, Jane Millman, and I met again with Manuard in France where we spent hours talking through the design options. As he sketched what he thought the boat would look like, we talked through the pros and cons of specific features—and there are many. The campaign is now launched and construction is underway at JPS Production, in La Trinité-sur-Mer. It will be a state-of-the-art carbon flyer. This new prototype is the next evolution of Manuard’s foiling design, with a scow bow, large foils, twin T-foil rudders, a canting keel, rotating wing mast and deck sweeping mainsail.

There were certainly reservations and reflective moments as I committed to this project. A foiling Mini is an entirely different experience from my older RG 650. The learning curve will be steep. Mistakes will be obvious and costly. The speeds will be higher, the loads greater, and everything far more extreme. It’s more boat, more power, and more responsibility. But that’s also what makes this next chapter so exciting. The goal isn’t to simply complete the race; it’s to push the boundaries of design and maximize performance. Ultimately, my new mission is to win the Mini Transat.

The race starts in two years, but the race to get to the starting line began long ago. The build, testing, training, qualification races, preparation, and refinements will be wrapped into a relentless campaign. This time, I understand the process better. I know what weeks at sea alone feels like and how fatigue creeps into decision making. I am far more mature and know how to stay disciplined when the weather doesn’t cooperate or a routing choice doesn’t pan out.

My expectations are high but grounded. I know I will need to adapt to this new foiling platform, refine my boathandling and understand the complex systems on this boat. I’m ready to put in the work as I focus on this campaign full time and bring onboard with me the more than 700 U.S. Patriot Sailing participants across multiple states. With locations on both coasts, and two new teams located in Seattle and Tacoma, Washington, the impact and reach of this organization continues to expand. The organization continues to provide veterans with community and a renewed sense of purpose supporting each other, which often disappears after taking off the uniform. While solo sailing is a lonely challenge, the difficulties faced after returning from combat deployments or transitioning to civilian life are far more isolating for many veterans.

The foiling element is fitting, for this new campaign is an opportunity to give back at a higher level. It is a platform to raise awareness and to increase support. By helping the organization expand programs and create new opportunities for veterans, there is a bright future for the veteran community this team supports. If I have learned anything over the past few years, it’s that purpose is what gets me through tough miles.

The next two years will be demanding, humbling and exhilarating, but all of it will be worth it. While I’m excited for the race to come, I’m more eager to share the highs and lows, and to inspire. In two years, I will be at sea, savoring my victories and facing my failures. I will be alone in my foiler, propelled by wind and a patriot’s purpose.

The post The American Sailor Intent on Foiling Across the Atlantic appeared first on Sailing World.

Versalite ½ Zip Top

Comfort is all about layering, and the midlayer is where magic happens. For climate control to happen inside your foul weather gear, moisture has to have a way to escape, and for this, Parker’s top recommendation is Helly’s new Versalite ½ Zip Top. It’s a technical, long-sleeved top with a waffle weave on the inside and a smooth face on the outside. The deep contours of the waffle, she says, trap air, which improves warmth and breathability so the shirt will never feel clammy against your skin. It’s an all-purpose layer for warm and breezy days, she says, but under foul weather gear it does the heavy breathing. “Think of your foul weather gear as the walls,” Parker says. “And think of this shirt as your thermostat.”

Foil Flyer Smock

For the “walls” that keep you dry, Helly has launched its new Foil Flyer Smock, which is an advancement of its high-tech Foil line. Wear it once and you’ll know why it gets rave reviews The fabric is incredibly lightweight and supple. “Buttery,” is how Parker describes it; it’s nothing like the stiff and crunchy fabrics of yesterday.

The Foil’s Helly Tech Professional fabric is a robust new four-layer construction, featuring a bi-component membrane sandwiched in the middle for even greater waterproofness and prolonged protection. The outer face layer is super stretchy, and the inner scrim, which protects the membrane, is silky smooth. The outer layer’s PFC-free water-repellent coating, used in lieu of banned water-repelling chemicals, effectively sheds water droplets, but it will need to be occasionally reapplied.

There are no shoulder seams, Parker points out, which are common leak points in foul weather gear tops, and the articulated elbow design minimizes fabric bulk in the sleeves. The smock’s high, quarter-zip neck gusset is offset so the zipper doesn’t dig into your chin, and when the gusset is unzipped, it fans open to ventilate. One great feature, Parker says, is the extended back panel with a neoprene and grippy waistband, which helps it stay put when bending over or hiking. There’s plenty of pocket action in this smock as well, with a chest pocket and a kangaroo pouch that’s easily accessible when wearing a PFD.

Helly’s Foil Flyer Salopettes

What pairs best with the Foil Flyer Smock, is Helly’s Foil Flyer Salopettes, which uses the same new four-layer Helly Tech Professional fabric. These awesome salopettes are loaded with features that dinghy and sportboat sailors will especially appreciate.

Start with reinforcements on the knees and seat, which Parker says are durable but not overly stiff. For excellent mobility, the stretchy upper panel does the trick and the knees are articulated to minimize bulk and excessive fabric in the folds behind the knees. Like the Foil Flyer Smock, the front gusset fans open for venting, and adjustable side cinch straps keep the salopettes above the waist. Thigh pockets have drainage and the ankle closures have both elastic and Velcro to get a snug fit around your ankles to avoid the dreaded flush.

Combine the Salopettes with the Smock, Parker says, and you’ve got yourself a legit high-end wet-boat gear setup that, when taken care of, will last many seasons.

Women’s HP Leggings

Now that we have our walls built, let’s take the conversation back to base layers, and here Parker is keen on the Women’s HP Leggings. These are all about fit and comfort, she says, with a high waist design and a half-moon stitch pattern over the backside, which ensures they sit securely on the hips. A polyester and elastomer fabric blend, she adds, has four-way stretch for unhindered movements and a snug fit. Flatlock seams prevent chafing. Parker says these leggings are excellent for warm, sunny conditions, but perfect as a thermal base layer, too. This is her go-to piece for sailing, perfect under shorts or foul weather gear.

Women’s Shine Solen

With a greater awareness of sun protection today, lightweight hoodies have become the fashion-forward statement of smart high-performance sailors. But hoods are often flappy and hard to keep fit on the noggin. With the Women’s Shine Solen half-zip sun hoodie, however, Helly has the ultimate design.

With UPF 50 protection, the elasticized hood on the Solen fits snugly around the face for maximum coverage, and thumb holes in the sleeves keep the cuff over the back of the hands—a common area for sun damage. The Solen’s raglan fabric sleeve material is smooth and less bulky, Parker says, and its shoulder seam design provides better mobility.

Viken SS Shirt

Now let’s take the action from the deck to the dock. For this, Helly has the Viken SS Shirt, which is made with a blend of organic cotton and polyester. Call this one a hybrid. The organic cotton part of the blend, Parker says, is what gives the shirt its soft feel. The polyester’s job is to extend the life of the cotton so it doesn’t wear out as quickly—plus it helps the shirt dry faster. For those who dislike the slippery feel of technical shirts, she adds, you’ll love the cotton touch.

The post Gear to Get, While It’s Hot appeared first on Sailing World.

Hello sailors and welcome to the 2026 season. Our friends at Quantum Sails are on deck to get everyone up to speed—on the water and on the next shift—with a weekend of coaching services and in-depth morning weather briefings with ace meteorologist Shea Gibson. Here are the essentials to take advantage of amazing services for your daily race planning.

Quantum Sails Weather and Coaching

Weather Briefings will be hosted on race-day mornings at 0800. To register for the briefings, Hit the Zoom link to register in advance.

Quantum Coaching Dave Gerber and Carter Cameron, the dynamic duo, will be onsite beginning Wednesday, February 11, working with early-arriving Melges 24 teams alongside Quantum’s Scott Nixon and Peter McClennan’s Team Gamecock for a Melges 24 clinic (see specific Melges 24 details at bottom). All regatta entries are encouraged to participate in Quantum Sails’ Thursday afternoon practice racing sessions with race starts, short courses, and live coaching. It all starts with joining the Quantum Sails St. Pete Coaching WhatsApp Group as a great way to stay connected with the coaches during and after the regatta.

Quantum Coaching Schedule—AVAILABLE TO ALL REGATTA ENTRANTS

Thursday, Feb 12, 2026

1200—Meet the coaches at the St. Petersburg YC Grill 1909 Patio (next to main entrance yard arm) for a pre-practice brief.

1300-1500—Practice Racing with Quantum Sails Coaches, monitoring VHF 72

Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Feb 13 to 15

1000-1100—Individual Coaching by Quantum Sails, coaches monitoring VHF 72. As there are five race circles and more than 200 entries to date, we strongly encourage you to connect with the coaches in advance to let them know you’re interested in having them connect with you on the water. All of Quantum’s event resources are available to all entries, so don’t be shy to reach out and get faster.

QUANTUM SAILS DAILY TROPHIES

Win a race, win a Cup. During the post-race regatta socials, Quantum reps will be on station in the SPYC ballroom to present your hard-earned race-win cup(s). Stop by to collect your hardware, pop a question to the coaches or thank them for their go-fast advice.

OVERNIGHT SAIL REPAIR SERVICE

It happens. But so does the overnight repair service provided by Quantum. On your way in from the racecourse, text ‭+1 (843) 693-9435‬ and let them know you have a repair service request. The sail drop off and pickup location will be just outside the gate to the St. Petersburg YC marina. Look for the sign.

MELGES 24 CLINIC WITH GAMECOCK AND QUANTUM SAILS

All Melges 24 teams are encouraged to take advantage of this session. Teams can expect practical, race-course-focused coaching centered on boat handling, rig tuning, communication, and decision-making—everything needed to get the most out of a Melges 24 on Tampa Bay. This is an ideal opportunity to kick off the Midwinter Championship with structured practice, shared learning, and direct access to some of the class’s most experienced voices in a collaborative, fleet-building environment. The Clinic WhatsApp group is your connection to participate.

Quantum Melges 24 CLINIC SCHEDULE
Wednesday, February 11 (Optional – Early Arrivals)
1:00 PM – Meet on the docks at SPYC with on-water sailing to follow.

Thursday, February 12 (Full Clinic Day)
10:00 AM – Dockside meeting covering rig tuning, setup, and techniques
1:00 PM – Practice Racing begins, led by Quantum Sails, with on-the-water coaching from Dave Gerber and Carter Cameron, followed by dockside briefing.

The post Get Faster with Quantum Sails Coaching and Weather Services in St. Petersburg appeared first on Sailing World.

Heads up Melges 24 and J/70 sailors. This important PSA is for you.

With the support of the US Melges 24 Class Association, which will provide the necessary race committee units, Vakaros RaceSense technology will be used for both the Melges 24 and J/70 fleets at the Helly Hansen Sailing World Regatta Series in St. Petersburg. 

Vakaros Atlas 2 units are required for RaceSense integration. For teams that do not own a unit, Vakaros has rental units available at vakaros.com. Go to the “Event” drop down menu, scroll to the bottom of the list and select “HH SWRS St. Pete 2026.” 

Rental units will be shipped directly to Ed Furry, of Sail22, who will be onsite in St. Petersburg for the duration of the regatta to assist with setup and usage.

Important note: Competitors will need to reserve a rental unit at least 7 days before registration check in on February 12.

Ed Furry will be stationed in the Parkview Room at St. Petersburg YC (second floor, door adjacent to pool and Tiki Bar) during the Regatta registration window (1600 to 1900) on February 12 to assist with RaceSense unit sync, support and tutorials.

For direct contact or questions regarding Vakaros and RaceSense, contact Doug Wake at doug@vakaros.com or Ed Furry at ed@sail22.com

The post Vakaros RaceSense Deployed for St. Pete appeared first on Sailing World.