{"id":80826,"date":"2025-02-11T12:23:55","date_gmt":"2025-02-11T17:23:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/?p=80826"},"modified":"2025-02-19T10:44:54","modified_gmt":"2025-02-19T15:44:54","slug":"regatta-series-sails-into-st-pete","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/regatta-series\/regatta-series-sails-into-st-pete\/","title":{"rendered":"Regatta Series Sails Into St. Pete"},"content":{"rendered":"\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/02172024_SWRS_StPete-1193-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image\" alt=\"Melges 24s at the 2024 St Pete Regatta\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/02172024_SWRS_StPete-1193-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/02172024_SWRS_StPete-1193-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/02172024_SWRS_StPete-1193-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/02172024_SWRS_StPete-1193-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">Melges 24s charge upwind in St. Petersburg in 2024. The 2025 edition will serve as the Midwinter Championship and National Sailing Series Qualifer.<\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Walter Cooper<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n<p>Blink, and the season is over. Blink again and the new season is underway and full speed ahead. We are, of course, talking about the <a href=\"\/regatta-series-st-petersburg\/\">Helly Hansen Sailing World Regatta Series<\/a>, which kicks off its 37th year this week in St. Petersburg, Florida, with nearly 200 boats across 11 one-design classes, a strong ORC division, and two days of distance races for Tampa Bay\u2019s avid PHRF sailors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<iframe id=\"x8aa2rgac1\" src=\"https:\/\/Sailingworld.dragonforms.com\/x8aa2rgac1\" scrolling=\"no\" style=\"width:100%;height:165px;border:none;overflow:hidden;\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<p>Six of the regatta\u2019s one-design classes will be racing for coveted championship trophies, including the L30s for their North American Championship. Sailors of the Hobie 33, S2 7.9, Sonar, Windmill and Melges 24 classes will vie for their midwinter titles. The regatta will also serve as a North American Sailing Series qualifier for the Melges 24 class, which continues to enjoy a resurgence as one-design sailing\u2019s most exciting keelboat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/02162024_SWRS_StPete-1374-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image\" alt=\"2025 ORC fleet\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/02162024_SWRS_StPete-1374-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/02162024_SWRS_StPete-1374-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/02162024_SWRS_StPete-1374-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/02162024_SWRS_StPete-1374-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">Sportboats new and old  make up the 2025 ORC fleet for the 2025 Helly Hansen Sailing World Regatta Series in St. Peterburg.<\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Walter Cooper<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n<p>As Tampa Bay continues to be an emergent American hotspot for handicap racing, the budding ORC fleet has been growing its ranks with new owners embracing the international measurement rule. Nine entries ranging in size from Bob Harkrider\u2019s Aerodyne 38 to John Cooper\u2019s Cape 31 showcase the diversity of the boats in this exciting fleet. Harkrider\u2019s <em>Shark Rider<\/em> was the top PHRF team in St. Pete in 2024 and they\u2019ve made the switch to this more competitive environment where they\u2019ll be facing, among many others, Ian Hill\u2019s team on the Melges 32 <em>Sitella<\/em>, which has recently returned from racing in Europe and is on top form.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While the regatta\u2019s ORC entries will enjoy three days of buoy racing, PHRF teams\u2014divided into Spinnaker and Cruiser\/Racer fleets\u2014will be challenged on Saturday and Sunday with a long course that takes them to various turning marks on Tampa Bay. These fleets will start near the St. Pete Pier each morning before finishing much later the day, in time for the evening parties at St. Petersburg YC, the regatta\u2019s longtime host, which has opened its doors and docks for hundreds of visiting sailors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While larger keelboat boats have long been the core of this St. Petersburg winter classic, organizers have progressively included a handful of popular dinghy classes that now deliver the excitement and vibe of small-boat sailing in larger numbers. The <strong>Melges 15<\/strong>, only a few years old, but the hottest two-person dinghy in the US, has been enjoying 100-boat regattas on Florida\u2019s east coast at the new Melges Watersports Center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"566\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/02162024_SWRS_StPete-0323-1024x725.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image\" alt=\"Melges 15s in St. Pete\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/02162024_SWRS_StPete-0323-1024x725.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/02162024_SWRS_StPete-0323-300x212.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/02162024_SWRS_StPete-0323-768x544.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/02162024_SWRS_StPete-0323-1536x1088.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/02162024_SWRS_StPete-0323-2048x1450.jpg 2048w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">Melges 15s enjoyed a full card of races in 2024 and an early promising forecast, should expect the same.<\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Walter Cooper<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n<p>The Regatta Series\u2019 first event is also a prelude for the <strong>Lightning<\/strong> class\u2019s winter Southern Circuit, which steps off in St. Pete in mid-March before the sailors hitch up their boats and move to Savannah the following week. Progressive growth initiatives over the past several years to attract young sailors to the class will be evident at the regatta this weekend in St. Pete, with many teams made up of post-collegiate sailors that are driving the class\u2019 \u201cU32\u201d movement. Jenna Probst, recognized last week by US Sailing for her and teammate Maya Weber\u2019s organization of the U32 Lightning Class Invitational Regatta in Ontario, Canada, last summer, will be one of them, racing in St. Pete against many of the class\u2019s longtime legends and mentors, including past world champion David Starck and Hall of Fame inductee Augie Diaz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With 25 entries at press time, the Lightning contingent is now the largest fleet at the SWRS St. Petersburg regatta, and the class will rejoin the series in Annapolis in May and Marblehead in July.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"556\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/02162024_SWRS_StPete-0685-1024x712.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image\" alt=\"Lightning Class fleet\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/02162024_SWRS_StPete-0685-1024x712.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/02162024_SWRS_StPete-0685-300x209.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/02162024_SWRS_StPete-0685-768x534.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/02162024_SWRS_StPete-0685-1536x1068.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/02162024_SWRS_StPete-0685-2048x1424.jpg 2048w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">The Lightning Class will be the largest fleet in St. Petersburg, featuring  younger sailors and mentors alike.<\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Walter Cooper<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n<p>Sailing off the beach in Downtown St. Pete will be the A Class catamarans and Windmills. The A Class catamaran, considered to be the most high-performance singlehanded multihull in the world, will have two separate fleets on one course: the foilers and the classics. Among entries in the foilers is past Rolex Yachtsman of the Year and A Class World Champion Ravi Parent, who has been campaigning equally high-performance doublehanded catamarans at international events over the past year. He will no doubt be the one to watch, as will local ace O.H. Rodgers, who won the classic division in 2024 with three race wins in four races\u2014most of those race wins by large margins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"598\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/02162024_SWRS_StPete-2199-1024x765.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image\" alt=\"Mount Gay Rum display\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/02162024_SWRS_StPete-2199-1024x765.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/02162024_SWRS_StPete-2199-300x224.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/02162024_SWRS_StPete-2199-768x574.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/02162024_SWRS_StPete-2199-1536x1148.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/02162024_SWRS_StPete-2199-2048x1530.jpg 2048w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">Following the races, there&#8217;s always a friendly face and a welcome pour at the host St. Petersburg YC.<\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Walter Cooper<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n<p>The J\/70 fleet, with 18 teams currently on the scratch sheet has the greatest geographical spread among its entries, with teams hailing from as far away as Michigan and Minnesota, Missouri and Washington State. The promise of warm water and winds that make Tampa Bay a winter sailing mecca is undoubtedly a strong draw for these teams, but the level of competition is also an easy sell. Among the fleet are many top amateur and professional sailors, including Rolex Yachtsman of the Year nominee and two-time world champion (J\/24 and J\/22) skipper Travis Odenbach, who will be racing with Canadian Kelly Hansen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Odenbach will also be the feature guest at Sailing World\u2019s Speaker Series, immediately following the opening competitors briefing on Thursday evening at St. Petersburg Yacht Club. The club will host the Regatta Series\u2019 legendary parties each evening after racing, with a full agenda of activities for sailors, friends and families.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On Sunday evening, following the conclusion of races and awards, event organizers will select one overall team among class winners to represent St. Petersburg at the Helly Hansen Sailing World Caribbean Championship in the British Virgin Islands in October, where they will face the 2024 champion, and challengers from the four other Series regattas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Blink and we&#8217;ll be in the BVI.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The 2025 Helly Hansen Sailing World Regatta Series brings the action to St. Pete with a jam-packed class championship lineup.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":80859,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"BS_author_type":"BS_author_is_guest","BS_guest_author_name":"Dave Reed","BS_guest_author_url":"","hydra_display_date":"","hydra_display_updated":false,"_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"","_yoast_wpseo_title":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","arc_story_id":"","arc_website_url":"","custom_permalink":"","arc_subtype":"","arc_exclude_from_feeds":false,"sponsored":false,"sponsored_label":"Sponsored Content","sponsored_display_label":false,"sponsored_image":false,"post_right_rail":true,"post_right_rail_ad_1":true,"post_right_rail_ad_2":true,"post_right_rail_ad_3":false,"post_right_rail_ad_4":false,"post_right_rail_recirc":true,"fixed_anchor_ad":true,"post_top_ad":true,"post_off_ramp":true,"post_taboola":false,"labels":true,"apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"footnotes":"","ad_targeting":"","ad_settings_ads_on_this_page":true,"ad_settings_automatic_ad_injection_into_the_content":true,"sponsored_url":"","social_share":true,"alternate_title_newsletter":"","alternate_content_newsletter":""},"categories":[157],"tags":[181,311,2859],"class_list":["post-80826","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-regatta-series","tag-helly-hansen-sailing-world-regatta-series","tag-helly-hansen-sailing-world-regatta-series-st-petersburg","tag-regatta-series"],"acf":[],"apple_news_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80826","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=80826"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80826\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/80859"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=80826"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=80826"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=80826"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}