J/POD Sailing Fast in Seattle this Weekend
This summer, sailors from Seattle will be traveling the globe to compete in several high profile events. The best from the Pacific Northwest often take home the trophies with the current Tasar World Champions, the current RS Aero North American Champion (and 2nd and 3rd places), the 2023 and 2022 RS Aero World Champions, and the 2019 and 2023 J/24 World Champions all from our town. We will be cheering on the Pacific Northwest teams right here on YachtRacing.tv.
The Seattle sailing fan does not have to go out of town to watch our top level competitors this weekend however. The Corinthian Yacht Club's Pacific NW One Design (POD) Regatta will be sailed right here on Shilshole Bay. There are now 15 J/70s registered for the event including some of our reigning world title holders along with highly capable, but yet undecorated rising stars. In fact, our J/70 sailors, who call themselves the J/POD, were testing their speed in worldwide events last year. When the 2024 J/70 Corinthian (no pros) World Championships in Denmark last June attracted 109 teams, there were four boats from the USA -- and three of them were from the J/POD. It is safe to say that our J/POD teams are still in the building phase when it comes to J/70 fleet competitiveness, so no hardware yet. In the 12 races contested however, our three teams had a combined 13 single digit finishes, and ended up 11th (Keith Whittemore), 26th (Andrew Lowe), and 43rd (Michael Goldfarb).
Sailboat racing is not won in the gym. It is a highly dynamic sport, contested in a constantly changing environment of wind and water. This complexity makes the process of becoming good enough to win a world title quite elusive. To get fast, sailors must race other sailors. Stopwatches and lap times are for track and field and Formula 1. Sailboat racing is a test of relative speed and the only way to become fast is to have really good sailors to compete against.
In 1961, Seattle’s own Bill Buchan went to San Diego and won his first world championship in the Star class. He won because he had deep talent to compete against right here on Lake Washington. Jonathan and Libby McKee have five Tasar World Championship trophies because sailing against Jay and Lisa Renehan, Carl and Carol Buchan, Anthony Boscolo and Haley Lane, and Dalton and Lindsey Bergan -- all Tasar World Champions — they get faster together. Right here at home.
So if you are interested in following the action at the POD, check CYC POD on the Contact Us form (and we will email you daily updates), or register your boat for the event on Corinthian Yacht Club's website. The J/POD is growing fast with 50 boats in the Pacific Northwest and hundreds of sailors. You too could part of it.