Gulf of Maine Ocean Racing Association NEWS!
The local lowdown on sailboat racing in the Gulf of Maine
Join the GMORA Board of Directors at any monthly meeting to discuss racing in the Gulf of Maine. The meetings are open to any GMORA member. Meetings take place every first Tuesday of the month and are currently being held at 6:00pm in the RBC Dain Raucher offices on the Fifth floor of Two Portland Square.
June 25, 2009
The Portland Yacht Club Pilot Regatta this past weekend had 24 boats in four divisions enjoy two long around the bay courses in varing conditions of wind, sun, rain, and fog. A typical early season weekend in Maine provided interesting conditions that were always changing and keeping the boats and their crews on their toes. Winners were Kaos a Frers 41' in Division 1, Seven an Eliott 770 in Division 2, Mr. Hankey a J24 in Division 3 and Rita P a Pearson 30' in Cruising Division. Click here for full results!
The 14, 10 and 7 mile courses for the different divisions on Saturday proved to be tricky for both the race committee and the competitors as the wind was strong at times and also light with shifts of almost 90 degrees at one point. The RC shortened the courses and made sure all divisions were able to finish the race. Calypso Cowboys played great music and the BBQ hit the spot after a chanllenging day on the water on Saturday.
June 15, 2009
A great day this past Saturday at the Centerboard Regatta. We had a fleet of 22 boats racing this year in three clases. We saw a sunny day with winds around 5-10 knots thanks to the sea breeze! The racing took place down the channel to Portland Headlight and back to the Eastern Prom, making for some highly visible racing from the shore. We had two races being held for each class. Winners were Keemah (Racing A), Pit Party (Racing B) and Rita P (Cruising). All boats that placed got a prize from Port Rigging with cordage from Yale Cordage and swag from Ronstan. Results are posted at www.centerboardyachtclub.org/racing
After the race a good time was had by all at the party at Centerboard. The sun was out and the weather was great for folks to enjoy the band For Pete's Sake with a cold Gritty's beer, both back for another year of entertainment. Lots of folks caught up on their fellow sailors winter activities and talked about the summer season ahead of us.
Many thanks to all of those who participated, and especially to Port Rigging and Gritty's, their involvement is greatly appreciated.
We are looking forward to next years event. Also - Wednesday night racing open to anyone all summer and fall. First gun at 6pm near Fort Gorges.
June 11, 2009
June 1, 2009
Summer is finally here and June provides a bunch of great events.
First, on June 6th the SailMaine Regatta which is not scored by GMORA but is sponsored by GMORA will be a great informal event to kick off the season. Tune up your boat and crew and get familiar with the SailMaine and its programs.
Second up is the Centerboard Regatta hosted by Centerboard Yacht Club in South Portland, Maine on June 13th. CYC offers a friendly, casual atmosphere for the first GMORA-scored regatta of the season. Racers cross the starting line off Fort Gorges and sail courses set up at the southern end of Casco Bay, with views of historic forts and three local lighthouses - Bug Light, Spring Point and depending on the course, Portland Head. After the race, there's food, drink and entertainment back at the club - a great way to start the season.
In the heart of June is Portland Yacht Club's two day Pilot Regatta. For over 40 years this regatta has provided exceptional racing for one-design and handicap racers alike. With over 50 plus boats in attendance in the recent past this event has proven to be a favorite on the schedule.
Rounding out the June calendar is the Harraseeket Regatta hosted by Harraseeket Yacht Club in South Freeport, Maine. The race follows a pursuit format, with the smallest and highest-rated boats starting first - less of a crowd at the starting line! When boats sail to their rating, the finish can be exciting as the fast boats catch up to the early starters, and everyone crosses the finish within a few minutes of one another.
April 30th, 2009
Points East Magazine and SailMaine have organized the annual Crew Match Party which will be held at Handy Boat Service in Falmouth, Maine on May 6th. This is a great opportunity for all skipper/owners and potential crew members to meet and matched up for the upcoming season of racing. The party is FREE with refreshments, food and fun door prizes from Hamilton, West Marine and Regatta Promotions. The party starts at 5:30pm and goes to 7:30pm
Points East and Sail Maine hope that you or a representative of your crew will be attending the Crew Match Party on May 6th in the Handy Boat Showroom. In order to make the crew matching portion of the evening more successful we are asking each boat owner/ skipper to put some thought into their crew needs prior to the event.
Please take the time to fill out the attached form and bring it to the Crew Match Party. This document will be displayed for interested crew to view and leave contact information for the boat owner. If you plan on getting to the party late you can email the completed form to Molly White at mollyfrommaine@yahoo.com.
Thank you for taking the time to do this.
April 6th, 2009
All GMORA memberships and applications are now available online!
Want to know whats been happening with GMORA and its members over the winter? Make sure you check out the New Archives which have the Board of Directors meeting minutes and recent past e-newsletters.
April 2nd, 2009
The date and place of the 2009 Annual Awards night has been set. This year's awards night will be on Saturday November 14th and will be held at the Black Point Inn in Scarborough, Maine. For more information about the event please check back to this web site and keep tuned to the GMORA Award Night Web Site.
