Annapolis Sailing Season Start: 2018 Helly Hansen NOOD Regatta

Annapolis sailing season is nearing the horizon! And what better way to kick off a season than a good ol’ regatta, a National Offshore One-Design (NOOD) regatta. Sailors from all over (usually more than 40% hailing from outside the Chesapeake Bay area) are signing up to participate in the Helly Hansen NOOD Annapolis Regatta. Last year in 2017, the race event, organized and operated by Sailing World Magazine, included more than 200 boats in 17 classes.

Despite the unpredictable sailing conditions of the Chesapeake Bay during last year’s event, a New Hampshire-based lake-sailing team came out on top. Captain Conor Hayes along with his crew of dad, Kevin Hayes, and long-time sailing buddies, Dan Joida and Graham Philpot, beat the challenging winds into submission as overall winners aboard their J/80 named More Gostosa, (“gostosa” means delicious in Portuguese). (See video at right.)

Look for this team to defend its crown against top sailing talent in a variety of classes including the Alberg 30, J/30, and Pearson 30. J/70, another sought-after class, is once again anticipated to be the largest NOOD class in Annapolis. This speedster keelboat’s popularity exploded into the most popular one-design class in the US since its introduction in March 2012. The 2017 Annapolis NOOD boasted 42 boats and a slew of professional sailors.

History of National Offshore One-Design

Sailing World magazine founded the National Offshore One-Design Series in 1988. After the Newport-hosted initial event, additional NOOD regattas were established in Chicago, Detroit, and San Diego, then later in St. Petersburg, FL; Marblehead, MA; and Annapolis. February through July each year, these cities organize the massive sail race events to each crown an overall NOOD winning team. The winning teams are invited to compete in the Caribbean NOOD Championship each October. This year’s overall winners from each of the five NOOD city regattas compete will compete October 21-26,2018, in the British Virgin Islands.

The NOOD Series hosts a diverse mix of local, regional, national, andeven international sailors — from amateurs to professional champions. The NOOD format local sailors the unique opportunity to compete against top sailing talent, often in their home waters.

NOOD Annapolis History

The first Annapolis edition of the National Offshore One-Design circuit was held in 1999. The huge event is managed in a cooperative effort among the Annapolis Yacht Club, Eastport Yacht Club, and Severn Sailing Association. Now almost 20 years later, Annapolis typically boasts the largest number of entries of any of the other cities’ NOOD events. “Annapolis is definitely one of the healthiest of the NOOD regattas and is almost near full capacity. That’s not a surprise since it’s a great sailing venue and great sailing town,” said Dave Reed, editor of Sailing World Magazine.
Of course, in the “Sailing Capital of the World,” what else would you expect?!

2018 Helly Hansen NOOD Annapolis Regatta

This year’s Helly Hansen Annapolis NOOD will be held Friday, May 4th, through Sunday, May 6th 2018. Organizers and regatta enthusiasts expect the Chesapeake Bay to teem with more than 1,000 competing sailors across an interesting array of classes: Alberg 30, Beneteau 36.7, C&C 30, Cal 25, Catalina 27, Ensign, Etchells, Farr 280, Farr 30, FT 7.5s, J/22, J/24, J/30, J/35, J/70, J/80, J/105, J/109, J/111, Melges 14, Melges 32, S2 7.9, Soling, Tartan Ten, Viper 640, and and VX One.

North Sails Rally

On May 5th, the popular North Sails Rally race will feature performance and cruising classes in handicap racing in the Chesapeake Bay. The mixed class race sails a distance course around government marks in pursuit fashion with boat starts staggered from fastest to slowest.
This is the third year for the North Sails Rally, which creates the opportunity for bigger boats that do not fit the one-design category to participate in the NOOD regatta.

From Ted Ruegg, working for the publisher of Sailing World since 1987 and living in Annapolis since 1990: “We created the North Sails rally to encourage more participation and get a different group of sailors and boats out on the water. It’s a more casual and fun outing and appeals to owners who aren’t interested in doing three days of racing.”

Ready to Spectate?

Come out to witness the excitement of Spring arriving and sailing teams vying for their place in Chesapeake Bay sailing history and an invitation to compete in the 2018 Caribbean NOOD Championship Regatta.

Sailing enthusiasts, thrill seekers, and families will all enjoy this event. There is fun for everyone. The Annapolis Yacht Club annex hosts post-race parties each day. Title sponsor, Helly Hansen, will display a large variety of its legendary and innovative line of outdoor and workwear merchandise that offer comfort and durability for all types of sailing-related fashion and sporting needs. The AYC will offer a mouth-watering variety of food and beverage options.

Join the fun! Charter one of our late model yachts or a whole flotilla to put yourself up close to the action.