{"id":82468,"date":"2025-08-11T14:18:01","date_gmt":"2025-08-11T18:18:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/?p=82468"},"modified":"2025-08-12T12:20:35","modified_gmt":"2025-08-12T16:20:35","slug":"phrf-for-one-design-perfection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/racing\/phrf-for-one-design-perfection\/","title":{"rendered":"PHRF for One-Design Perfection"},"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=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/HHSWRS2025_Annapolis-11973-1024x768.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image disable-lazyload\" alt=\"Helly Hansen Sailing World Regatta Series in Annapolis, Maryland\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" fetchpriority=\"high\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/HHSWRS2025_Annapolis-11973-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/HHSWRS2025_Annapolis-11973-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/HHSWRS2025_Annapolis-11973-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/HHSWRS2025_Annapolis-11973-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/HHSWRS2025_Annapolis-11973.jpg 2000w\" \/>                <\/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\">Sarah Olivieri\u2019s team on the J\/80 <i>Pi<\/i>, PHRF regulars at home in New Jersey, enjoy the one-design action at the Helly Hansen Sailing World Regatta Series in Annapolis, Maryland.<\/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>on a recent archaeological dig through a stack of external hard drives for an elusive photo, I stumble upon an untitled folder dated 10 years ago. Opening an image in the preview window, I know exactly where I\u2019m at: NOOD Regatta; Annapolis, Maryland; 2015.<\/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>That and the rest of the photos look and feel like ages ago. Scrolling them, I expect to see boats that I haven\u2019t seen in a long time, but with each tap of the down arrow key, I\u2019m stuck in a time warp. One by one, they\u2019re all the same boats I\u2019d seen a week earlier at the Helly Hansen Sailing World Regatta in Annapolis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There\u2019s that same dark blue J\/30 <em>Avita <\/em>and <em>Bebop<\/em>, and dozens of the same J\/70s, Alberg 30s (minus the tie-dyes), J\/22s&#8230;and the list goes on. These are the regulars, the local teams who race with us in Annapolis year after year, boats and faces aging in unison.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019ve been working the SWRS-n\u00e9e-NOOD beat for 30 years, so whenever I arrive at the host club, I expect to see many of the same characters committed to their respective classes. The lifers. Considering how long I\u2019ve been at it, I\u2019m pretty good at recognizing and seeking out newcomers. Which is why I intentionally strike up a conversation with Sarah Olivieri and her father, Marshall Borris, wandering through J\/80s on trailers at the Annapolis YC Sailing Center\u2019s circle entrance, bustling with arrivals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<style>.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }<\/style><div class='embed-container'><iframe src='https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/\/HLxTOOn-dt8' frameborder='0' allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>My hunch is correct. They\u2019ve just pulled in from New Jersey and have that look of:<em> What do we do next?<\/em> <em>What\u2019s the launch procedure? Where do we register? Where do we put the trailer?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I lob a softball Olivieri\u2019s way: \u201cWhere are you coming in from?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She and her 78-year-old father have made the short drive from New Jersey without incident. Their J\/80 is the one with stained white gelcoat hull and a large numerical Greek pi decal near the bow (she later explains to me that pi has a value of 80). They\u2019ve owned this particular J\/80 for seven years and have been racing it exclusively in the Hudson River Yacht Racing Association\u2019s PHRF fleet. This regatta will be their first time ever racing <em>Pi<\/em> in a one-design fleet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Olivieri is \u201csuperexcited.\u201d Racing against 22 boats in a new venue, with a lot of experienced teams, is a big deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I agree, leave them to it, wander off, and then later contemplate how exciting it will be for them to no longer be the loners of their hometown PHRF fleet; to check in with the class, play the game differently, and see where they stand on the ol\u2019 level playing field, not to mention a playing field new to them. Trailering and traveling takes a higher commitment, and that\u2019s what makes fast teams fast. Regatta voyaging takes us out of our comfort zone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Olivieri started sailing with her father on a J\/24 at 8 years old. The family J\/35 came in high school, and the J lineage includes a cruising J\/30, a J\/22 and now the J\/80. They are the quintessential J-boat family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When the J\/80 Worlds were contested in Newport, Rhode Island, in 2022, Olivieri convinced her father to charter their boat for the regatta and watch and learn from the sidelines. She used the opportunity to ask questions and check out how other teams rigged their boats. The experience was revealing, she says. \u201cI learned that people in the class are so nice, like nobody\u2019s keeping secrets. They\u2019ll tell you all their tricks, especially if you\u2019re interested,\u201d she says. \u201cIt made me feel really welcomed and that I could do it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI was like, \u2018You know, Dad? We could do that. We could do level racing.\u2019\u201d<br>She raced the Helly Hansen regatta in Annapolis this past year as a crew, and \u201cthis year I was like, I gotta bring my boat. I\u2019m gonna do it\u2014my first regatta, level racing with my own boat.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Saying is one thing, but doing requires commitment. For Olivieri, who\u2019d never towed a big keelboat beyond her own ZIP code, that meant a lot of trailer prep and a new tow vehicle. Then came the discovery of a bottom-paint issue this spring. \u201cI started to work on it, and at a certain point, I had to call it,\u201d Olivieri says. \u201cI\u2019m like, \u2018It\u2019s as good as it\u2019s going to be.\u2019 The big thing, the big win, is getting there, doing it, having a good time. And, you know, we\u2019ll fix whatever we can later.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Olivieri taking full responsibility for <em>Pi<\/em> is a generational passing of the family sailing torch. She grew up \u201cvery much like the sailor\u2019s daughter,\u201d she says. \u201cI was pit early on because he wanted me to be safe, but the most interesting transformation was a couple of years ago, when we started sharing being captain.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Health issues had forced her father to step back from sailing, and with Olivieri on the helm with a new team, they won every single race and their first season. \u201cThat was a big year for me,\u201d she says. \u201cI was excited and scared, and I really had to do well for him. I put a lot of \u00adpressure on myself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As newcomers to J\/80 fleet sailing, there is a new kind of pressure in Annapolis, however, and the first day\u2019s results are what she expected. They didn\u2019t finish last, which is a good thing, but isn\u2019t because of the Chesapeake\u2019s swift and unpredictable currents winds\u2014child\u2019s play compared with Olivieri\u2019s Hudson River training grounds.<\/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=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Pi_Generations-1024x768.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image\" alt=\"Sarah Olivieri with father and her son\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Pi_Generations-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Pi_Generations-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Pi_Generations-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Pi_Generations-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Pi_Generations.jpg 2000w\" \/>                <\/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\">Back home on the Hudson with her father after the \u00adAnnapolis regatta, Sarah Olivieri adds her son, Emiliano, to the \u00adthree-generation J\/80 squad.<\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Courtesy Sarah Olivieri<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n<p>\u201cGrowing up, I used to think everywhere else must be harder, but for me, shifty is more like 180 degrees. There\u2019s 3 knots of current and a lot of obstacles.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All that trained her well for the Annapolis J\/80 scrum. \u201cWhat I\u2019ve learned this weekend driving is that I\u2019m not used to being close-quarters with other boats, except at the starts,\u201d she tells me on the morning of the final day of racing. \u201cI\u2019m used to maneuvering really tight because of other obstacles. I felt very comfortable out there. I was very pleased. I\u2019m like, \u2018Give me 3 inches on each side, and I\u2019m good.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With her father having to return home on the second day, Olivieri picked up a local connection, and they worked through the kinks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cEveryone on the team is experienced,\u201d she says, \u201cbut if we\u2019re not experienced together, it\u2019s gonna hurt a little\u2014it\u2019s all the little things. It\u2019s the dance; it has to be in sync. I knew that coming down here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She also discovered that she\u2019s surprisingly comfortable driving in the high-density fleet. She didn\u2019t find it all the least bit intimidating. \u201cPeople at home say, \u2018Oh, it looks so scary to be with so many boats,\u2019 but it\u2019s not at all because everybody knows what they\u2019re doing,\u201d Olivieri says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Her tactician for the weekend, David Doyle, is an experienced J\/80 owner and racer, and he initially kept their starts on the conservative side. \u201cHe was nervous how I\u2019d feel pushing up in the line, but he quickly learned that I\u2019m very comfortable at very close quarters. So, eventually, we had some decent starts and some races.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On the final day, a cold, windy and raining affair, Olivieri and her crew posted a sixth\u2014a top-10 keeper and their best finish of the regatta. The whole experience was an epiphany of sorts for the one-design first-timer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve realized here that I maybe know how to sail this boat faster than some of the class racers,\u201d she tells me. \u201cAnd that\u2019s because at home we rarely have ideal J\/80 conditions, and we race against boats that sail to their rating.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She admits that she\u2019s not as good\u2014at the moment\u2014with the tactics of being with other like boats, but adds, \u201cI know how to sail it faster because of PHRF racing, where every second counts and you have to pay attention until you cross the line.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Given her enthusiasm and commitment, I\u2019m confident that I will see her again next year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Racing the family J\/80 exclusively in PHRF for years, and then finally checking in at a big one-design regatta, reveals the benefits of both.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":82469,"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_settings_ads_on_this_page":true,"ad_settings_automatic_ad_injection_into_the_content":true,"ad_targeting":"","alternate_title_newsletter":"","alternate_content_newsletter":"","sponsored_url":"","social_share":true},"categories":[159],"tags":[181,309,232,287,3003,177,178],"class_list":["post-82468","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-racing","tag-helly-hansen-sailing-world-regatta-series","tag-helly-hansen-sailing-world-regatta-series-annapolis","tag-one-design","tag-phrf","tag-print-summer-2025","tag-racing","tag-sailboat-racing"],"acf":[],"apple_news_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82468","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\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=82468"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82468\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/82469"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=82468"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=82468"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=82468"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}