2023 SPYC John Jennings Regatta

Regatta report by TJ O’Brien

What better way to start off the year with some 505 sailing! The St Petersburg 505 fleet was invited to join the John Jennings Memorial Regatta, and after a few boats scrambling to find crew on short notice (myself included) 5 boats made it to the start line. The story of the weekend was to get the races off early. Both days started off with a light to moderate breeze that quickly faded over the course of the first race each day.

In total, 3 races were completed, 2 on Saturday and one on Sunday. The race committee was very patient with the challenging conditions and was able to get the second race off on Saturday after a long delay. The delay gave a few sailors time to reconsider their decision to don wetsuits, after all it is quite warm down here in sunny Florida (hint, hint – Midwinters is right around the corner and we have our second Clearwater event in February). The second race was completed in very light conditions late in the afternoon. The start time for Sunday was moved up to try to catch the morning breeze, and it’s a good thing it was! After a start in decent conditions, with a few crews on the wire in puffs, the wind almost completely shut down on the second upwind. After searching for zephyrs for a little, and several position changes between Nathaniel and I as we each found breeze the other didn’t have, the breeze filled in enough to finish us on a shortened course. Race committee was willing to wait for a sea breeze, but the 505s decided to head in and start getting to boats ready to go to Clearwater for Midwinters (another hint – hey here’s the registration page for Midwinters: https://www.regattanetwork.com/event/25578)

The challenging conditions gave us plenty to talk about in our debriefs. Class newcomers and rookies learned a thing or two from the old guard, and as is usual at 505 regattas there was the sound of a drill in the parking lot as someone was making some modifications to their boat.

Results:

1. Ethan and Andrew 1-1-1

2. Lin and James 2-2-2

3. Nathaniel and Eric 3-3-4

4. TJ and Mike 4-4-3

5. Charlie and Ben 5-DNC-5

Listing Category	Description	Typical Price Point (USD)
1	Pre- 1980’s boat of uncared or partially cored construction. Typically polyester or vinyl ester resin and outdated rigging. Suitable for day sailing, beach sailing, or an occasional local race or Portsmouth Yardstick regatta.	$0 - $2,000
2	1980’s or newer boat of fully cored hull construction. Could be competitive at the local and regional level in the right hands. Usually has some major issue preventing the boat from being truly completive such as being significantly over the minimum weight. May require significant rigging work to get racing but not worth duping too much money into.	$2,000 - $5,000
3	1980’s or newer boat of epoxy resin and fully cored construction. Some older and well-cared-for Lindsays and Hamlins could also be considered a Category 3 boat. Could be competitive at the local, regional, and national level in the right hands. Typically requires some significant amount of rigging work to be competitive at the regional and national level. May not have the latest mast, foils, or sails which would set it apart from a Category 4 boat.	$5,000 - $9,000
4	1990’s or newer boat of epoxy resin and fully cored construction. Some older and well-cared-for Waterats could also be considered a Category 4 boat. Ready to race at the regional or national level with only minor rigging work or upgrades. Could be competitive at a Worlds with some work and in the right hands. Typically includes modern high-aspect ration foils, newer racing sails, and all the latest systems.	$9,000 - $15,000
5	2000’s or newer boat of epoxy resin and fully cored construction. Typically carbon fiber construction. Turn-key and ready to race at the national or international level. Includes modern high-aspect ration foils, newer racing sails, and all the latest systems.	$15,000+

Listing Category	Description	Typical Price Point (USD)
1	Pre- 1980’s boat of uncared or partially cored construction. Typically polyester or vinyl ester resin and outdated rigging. Suitable for day sailing, beach sailing, or an occasional local race or Portsmouth Yardstick regatta.	$0 - $2,000
2	1980’s or newer boat of fully cored hull construction. Could be competitive at the local and regional level in the right hands. Usually has some major issue preventing the boat from being truly completive such as being significantly over the minimum weight. May require significant rigging work to get racing but not worth duping too much money into.	$2,000 - $5,000
3	1980’s or newer boat of epoxy resin and fully cored construction. Some older and well-cared-for Lindsays and Hamlins could also be considered a Category 3 boat. Could be competitive at the local, regional, and national level in the right hands. Typically requires some significant amount of rigging work to be competitive at the regional and national level. May not have the latest mast, foils, or sails which would set it apart from a Category 4 boat.	$5,000 - $9,000
4	1990’s or newer boat of epoxy resin and fully cored construction. Some older and well-cared-for Waterats could also be considered a Category 4 boat. Ready to race at the regional or national level with only minor rigging work or upgrades. Could be competitive at a Worlds with some work and in the right hands. Typically includes modern high-aspect ration foils, newer racing sails, and all the latest systems.	$9,000 - $15,000
5	2000’s or newer boat of epoxy resin and fully cored construction. Typically carbon fiber construction. Turn-key and ready to race at the national or international level. Includes modern high-aspect ration foils, newer racing sails, and all the latest systems.	$15,000+

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