Last weekend, 52 skippers from all over America and beyond gathered in Hobe Sound, Florida. The regatta was set for four days, with sunny weather and temperatures in the 70s, although the breeze was a bit light and variable.

We had four fleets and managed to complete 18 rounds of racing by the end of the event. There was a nice mix of IOM designs on display, including two wooden boats: my own 'Gillette' and a beautifully crafted 'Alternative.' One thing, I want to share is that sometimes, unexpected scenarios happen during a race that skippers can’t control. The top skippers seem to find a way to navigate those fine margins to achieve success, a quality I am missing.

A big shoutout to Peter Feldman, who raced consistently throughout the regatta and took home the win! When I chatted with Peter, he mentioned he’s aiming to compete in the UK Championship this April. As for me, I’ll be heading back to the UK soon and I’m looking forward to racing with friends, both in the championship and the West Lancashire Ranking race in March. Those who follow You Tube, will know there is a lot of video footage of the regatta online provided by Dan Shier, so I invite you to browse at your leisure.

Regards

JT

Gillette

Alternative

Alioth Version 4

K2

Proteus

Solaris / Polaris

V12

Venti

VISS

Skippers

Nice one John,

we're all looking forward to seeing you in March.

Video footage available from the recent US (IOM) Championships at Hobe Sound. My boat was sail number 28, a chance to see where I made mistakes or was very lucky at times

Video Footage Link

Edited January 14Jan 14 by John Taylor