Week 4 of Summer 2024

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This week’s weather has been beyond perfect, and our sailors have been soaking up every second of it. It's hard to believe KSEA is almost halfway over. Time flies! 


Harbor seals have been exploring the islands and beaches, and learning all about the wind and the water. Opti A sailors have taken on the entire fleet of yellow prams and are learning how to sail upwind. Opti B sailors or “sail solo kids” have been cruising the harbor solo and have gotten the chance to do a little long distance adventure sail. 420 Cruisers are enjoying the medium winds and sunshine for trips out and around the bay. Our 420 Race Team had a successful week last week in Boothbay Harbor, and started racing to day at Harraseeket YC for their annual youth regatta. Our Opti Race Team travelled to Southwest Harbor on Friday to compete in the Junior Hospice of Maine Regatta hosted by MDI Community Sailing. This was a wonderful event and our sailors really enjoyed the challenge and reward of sailing RS Terras–a boat almost completely  new to them. Maxwell Pultitzer came in 2nd in this event and all of our sailors had individual race finishes in the top 5. Congratulations, Max, and the KSEA team! 

Boothbay scores can be found here.

https://www.regattaman.com/results.php?yr=2024&race_id=1031&rnum=99&eid=1031&sort=1&ssort=5&sdir=true&ssdir=true

Harraseeket scores can be found here. 

https://www.regattaman.com/results.php?yr=2024&race_id=1025&rnum=0&eid=1025&sort=0&ssort=4&sdir=true&ssdir=true


KSEA Race Day 3 

KYC Cup 

420 Race Team 

1 Ben Baldwin and Emi Rodes

2 Campbell Ardrey and Oona McPhearson

3 Buckley Wiley and Molly Pile 


Opti Race Team 

1 Finn Wootten

2 Maxwell Pulitzer

3 Ingrid Hagenbuch 


On Thursday, parents are invited to come at 11:15 to celebrate the last day of Session 2 and their sailors’ achievements! Certificates will be given to sailors who wrap up their summer with us this week, and popsicles for all! 

LONG ISLAND PICNIC is this Friday, July 19th. All KSEA sailors and their families are invited to attend. Sailors will arrive at KSEA at 10:00am on this day, and be ready to be picked up at 2:00pm. 

If your family would like to attend, please fill out the options on this SignUpGenius page. You do not need to RSVP for your sailor, but you do need to for any other adults or kids that would like to go. All are welcome. 

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050A44ADA929A20-50281492-rsvp#/


Looking ahead…

July 18th - Race Day 4 followed by race tea @ KYC 

July 19th - Long Island Picnic–no regular classes, see above for details

July 21 - Race Teams depart for Marblehead Youth Race Week

July 22 - First day of Session 3

July 22nd - Coffee in the clubhouse for KSEA sailors’ families, 9:00am 

July 25th - Race Day 5 followed by race tea @ KYC

July 26th - Potluck @ KYC 6:00pm


Sail fast and happy summer, 

-The KSEA Team


Session 2 Successes

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Hello Parents and Sailing 101 Students,


This morning kicked off Session 2 of KSEA sailing and we had a wonderful day out on the water. Our 420 Race Team left bright and early for Boothbay Harbor, where they will be participating in a clinic lead by Frank Pizzo, Bowdoin College Head Coach, and Delany Brown, MMA Dinghy Coach, today, followed by two days of racing on July 9th and 10th. You can follow along and check scores out here.  

https://www.regattaman.com/results.php?race_id=1031


Last week’s 4th of July festivities included lawn games at KYC, an epic game of USA vs Great Britain Capture the Flag on Sand Island, 7 great races among our 420 and Opti sailors, and two different flavors of soft serve ice cream. Racing results are as follows:


C420s

  1. Buckley Wiley and Zoe Pulitzer

  2. Campbell Ardrey and Annika Marshall

  3. Ben Baldwin and Emi Rodes


Optis 

  1. Maxwell Pulitzer

  2. Finn Wootten

  3. Cole Hagenbuch


Racing will continue on Thursday, July 11 with the KYC cup, followed by a race tea. Check out the SignUpGenius to see volunteer opportunities for this day and beyond.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050A44ADA929A20-50071708-ksea#/


The front half of this week looks like beautiful weather and perfect sailing conditions. Rain is forecasted for Thursday and possibly Friday. We will still be holding classes on rainy days. Send your sailor with a rain jacket and an extra change of clothes. We’ll sail if possible, and will learn and play on land if not. 


Session 1 photos can be found in this Google Folders link. 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Sfg4yh44qrimnzVu7


Session 2 photos will pop up over the next two weeks. 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/phfmwEQHCkFYDBx76


We will have a movie night on July 12th from 7:30pm to 9:30pm. Sailors are invited to join us at the KYC clubhouse for a G-rated movie night. Bring popcorn or a dessert to share potluck style. Parents are welcome to come and mingle, or are free to drop their kids off and have a night out to themselves. Please note, siblings who are not enrolled in KSEA classes are invited to join us while their parents are on-site. Otherwise, attendance is limited to sailors enrolled in a KESA class for the present session. 

Sign up to bring a potluck item on the SignUpGenius. 

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050A44ADA929A20-50071708-ksea#/


Rounding out Session 2:

July 9-10th 420 Race Team @ Boothbay Harbor YC 

July 11th KYC Cup @ KSEA

July 12th Movie Night @ KSEA 7:30-9:30pm 

July 16th Safety at Sea Seminar @ MMA (Sailors age 14+), more details to come

July 16-17th Opti & 420 Race Teams @ Harraseeket YC 


KSEA KICKING OFF 2024 SEASON

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Last week was a big week around KSEA–first day of classes, first race day of the season, and first potluck. The summer has officially kicked off and we’re feeling good and sailing fast. 


On Thursday, our race teams and adventure sailors competed out in the bay for our first local race day of the year. Wind was a typical northwesterly–variable and shifty as it rolled over town. We completed a total of 5 races-three in the 420 class and two in the Opti class. 


Race Day 1 Results:
C420s

  1. Ben Baldwin and Emi Rodes

  2. Buckley Wiley and Zoe Pulitzer

  3. Campbell Ardrey and Oona McPhearson

Opti 

  1. Maxwell Pulitzer

  2. Shepard Norgang 

  3. Asa Baldwin


Looking ahead at next week, we have a race day followed by a race tea on Thursday afternoon. Check out the SignUpGenius to see volunteer opportunities for this day and beyond.


Beyond racing, our Harbor Seals class made a few trips out to Sand Island, and learned all about charts–ask them what a compass rose is! Opti A class has learned how to rig their boats, how to ‘ship shape’ them, and has started to work on sailing upwind after plenty of figure 8s and ‘hot dog’ drills. Opti B made a quick start and has started to fine tune their upwind sailing, focusing on efficiency. Beginner 420s have had the chance to learn about all of the points of sail–ask them what a wind clock looks like! We encourage you to chat with your young sailors about what they’ve been working on over the past few days. If you're not a sailor yourself, I have a feeling your kid would be excited to teach you something they’ve learned! 


Classes will run as usual on July 4th. Send your sailor in their best red, white, and blue. We’ll show homage to the holiday, and there may even be a prize for the sailor with the most patriotic apparel.  


Rounding out Session 2:
July 8th First Day of Session 2

July 8th Coffee @ KYC Clubhouse, 9:00am 

July 9-10th 420 Race Team @ Boothbay Harbor YC 

July 11th KYC Cup @ KSEA

July 16th Safety at Sea Seminar @ MMA (Sailors age 14+), more details to come

July 16-17th Opti & 420 Race Teams @ Harraseeket YC 


Thanks,

-The KSEA Team


Photos from Session 4

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KSEA Sailors Win 420 Maine States Regatta

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Huge congrats to Jack Guinness & Milo Fleming for winning the 2023 Maine State 420 Championship Regatta in Boothbay! With 38 boats on the line, the competition was fierce with sailors coming from up & down the Maine coast.

KSEA will now have the honor of hosting the 2024 Maine State Championship. That’s going to be a lot of boats in our little harbor but there is no doubt that the KSEA team will pull it off in grand fashion:)

Well done Jack & Milo!

Photos from Session 3

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KSEA Represents at Marblehead Junior Race Week

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Every year, Pleon Yacht Club pulls off the event of the regatta season with hundreds of junior sailors showing up to race. This year was no different. With over 50 boats on both the 420 and Opti starting lines, our KSEA racers were up against some steep competition. And they were amazing! KSEA had two 420s finish in the top 10 - Jack Guinness & Molly Pile in 6th, Milo Fleming & Oona McPhearson in 9th. Finn Wooten took 10th place in the Opti Green Fleet and Max Pulitzer got 1st in the Opti White Fleet. Well done KSEA racers!

“Another Marblehead, come and gone. It's been a big experience for everyone, especially new racers and first-timers to this particular venue. Each sailor should be proud of their accomplishments and growth this week for sure!”

~ Sachi Rodes, KSEA board member & (tireless) parent volunteer

Opti Racers Mix It Up In Castine

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This past Friday— breaking away from the festivities at the Long Island Picnic— some of our Opti sailors traveled to Castine alongside the 420 Race Team to compete against the CYU Opti fleet.

Before racing, the sailors hung out with the Castine team, eating burgers, skipping rocks, and playing ping pong– rules being that the play didn’t end until the ball fully stopped bouncing. (This led to chaos.)

After about 45 minutes, Castine led the skippers meeting, where the sailors (420 and Opti alike) learned that they would be racing a windward leeward with a gate. The Castine instructors were incredibly helpful in instructing the KSEA sailors on where to go, and how to navigate their harbor.

On the water– it was great to hear the more novice racers asserting themselves and their rights toward their unfamiliar competition. Though by the end of the day, all of the sailors knew each other by name and were goofing around like there hadn’t been a competition at all.

We are extremely proud of Max, Finn and Shep for placing first, third and fourth. Great work everyone!

~ Brin Huseby, Opti/Rowing Fleet Captain

Perfect Day of Racing for the Becton Cup

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Each year, KSEA holds the Becton Cup - a one-day regatta in honor of Jean & Henry Becton. As two of the earliest and most passionate advocates for junior sailing at KYC, the annual event is a “tip of the hat” to Mr. & Mrs. Becton and their lasting legacy of youth sailing on Blue Hill Bay.

As in past years, the post-race tea was hosted by the extended Becton family with a few words of Becton sailing lore shared by Henry Becton. Thanks to all the Bectons for the delicious tea (which was devoured by our hungry racers) and their ongoing support of KSEA.

Optis

  1. Henry Armstrong

  2. Max Pulitzer

  3. Finn Wooten

420s

  1. Jack Guinness & Molly Pile

  2. Ben Baldwin & Zoe Pulitzer

  3. Campbell Ardrey & Buckley Wiley

Photos from Session 2

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KSEA Sailors Win Battle of the Bay

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Boothbay Yacht Club hosted the Battle of the Bay Regatta earlier this week, running six races over two days for forty-two 420s and 17 Optimists. KSEA was well represented in both fleets with eight of our 420 racers and two of our Opti racers competing against sailors from Portland YC, Harraseeket YC, SailMaine and others.

A huge shout out to KSEA racers Jack Guinness & Molly Pile for taking 1st place in the 420 fleet! Amazing! And a congrats to all our racers for a job well done. Next stop… Marblehead Junior Race Week starting July 24th.

Adult Sailing Lessons at KSEA

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When we added the first Bullseye to the KSEA fleet five years ago, we were far from certain on whether a new boat (a keelboat, no less) would be well received. How would it fit in with our Opti & 420 program? Would there be interest among the KSEA & KYC families in a bigger, sturdier boat?

Fast forward to today, we have added a second KSEA Bullseye and successfully introduced a Sailing 101 class, designed specifically for adult sailors who are interested in learning the fundamentals of sailing. Classes are held in the morning, Monday - Friday as part of our two-week sessions. Since the start of the summer, our Sailing 101 classes have been full, with sailors ranging in age from 13 to 71 years old, learning basic boat handling, on-the-water safety and seamanship.

For those who are interested in learning to sail or just want to build your confidence on the water, please come join our Sailing 101 class. We have a few spots left in our Sessions 3 & 4. For more info, click here >>

KSEA Racers Kick of the 2023 Season

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The KSEA race teams took advantage of last Thursday’s break in the rainy weather to run their first cup race of the season. The annual KYC Cup included 3 races for both the 420 and Optimist fleets. With eight 420s and 6 Optis on the line, we enjoyed an exciting day of racing. The final results were:

Optimists

  1. Max Pulitzer

  2. Fraser Wiley

  3. Finn Wooten

420s

  1. Buckley Wiley & Zoe Pulitzer

  2. Jack Guinness & Molly Pile

  3. Milo Fleming & Emi Rodes

Lots more racing to Come

The KSEA race calendar is full with the Founder’s Cup being held this week. Check out the schedule below and come and join us out on the bay for an afternoon of racing.

  • Thurs. 7/6: Founder’s Cup

  • Tues. 7/11 & Wed. 7/12: Battle of the Bay Junior Regatta @ Boothbay Harbor YC

  • Thurs. 7/20: Becton Cup

  • Mon. 7/24 - Wed. 7/26: Marblehead Junior Race Week @ Pleon YC

  • Wed. 8/2 & Thurs. 8/3: Opti Maine States @ Southport YC

  • Fri. 8/4: Hoppin Cup

  • Mon. 8/7 - Thurs. 8/10: 420 Maine States @ Boothbay Harbor YC

Photos from Session 1

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What amazing start to Summer 2023! Thanks to all our fab sailors & Harbor Seals for kicking off the summer in such grand fashion:)

KSEA Makes the Most of the Wet Weather

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Not to be dragged down, KSEA Session 1 sailors are braving the dreary weather, making the most of the rainy days with games, races, knot tying, and most importantly, time spent by the KYC fireplace.

Donning rain jackets (and occasionally just sweatshirts), the morning Opti and 420 students have been exploring the harbor, while continuing to practice their upwind sailing and points of sail. Today Opti B learned about Blue Hill’s currents and channels with a trip up the “Opti treadmill” toward the mouth of the harbor.

Opti Adventurers have been perfecting their upwind sailing, practicing in the stronger winds of the bay. They have been learning about sail controls, telltales, and proper hiking. Today the group headed to Sand Island to skip rocks and hangout with their instructors before heading to the bay to cheer on their race team counterparts as they practiced starts.

Both the 420 and Opti race teams have been hard at work under the careful instruction of coaches Silas Murnik (420’s) and Oliver Lardner (Optis). With one KSEA race day under their belts, the groups seek to refine their boat handling and tactics as they enter the summer regatta season.

Thursday is the second race day of the summer, where both teams will compete amongst themselves and against those who seek to join from Opti Adventurers and Cruising 420’s (who are already crushing their rolltacks.) With no rain forecasted, race day is looking to be a good one, and anyone who wants to come out onto the bay to cheer on their sailors is more than welcome.

~ Brin Huseby, Opti/Rowing Fleet Captain

2023 KSEA Team

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Welcome to Summer 2023!

With so much going on at KSEA this summer, we have decided to share our various adventures through our new KSEA blog. Plan on seeing new posts each week with photos from our time on the bay, results from our Thursday races and KSEA sailor shout-outs!

Our first shout-out goes to our amazing team of KSEA instructors. You will notice LOTS of familiar faces, with each one of our instructors having learned to sail right here on Blue Hill Bay. They had their hands full pulling boats from the shed, getting ready for the busy summer ahead. And there has been no rest for the weary. Our first classes started this week with six Harbor Seals, twenty-two Opti sailors, sixteen 420 sailors and five Bullseye sailors!

Please wander up the hill to say hi. Or join us out on the bay each Thursday at 13:30 for KSEA racing. We can guarantee a fun afternoon of spectating:)

The 2023 KSEA Instructor Team

  • Katie Forrest - Head Instructor - Surry, ME

  • Silas Murnik - 420 Race Coach - Blue Hill, ME

  • Tommy Norgang - 420/Bullseye Fleet Captain - Blue Hill, ME

  • Oliver Lardner - Opti Race Coach - Barcelona, Spain

  • Brin Huseby - Opti/Rowing Fleet Captain - San Francisco, CA

  • Ana Huseby - Instructor - San Francisco, CA

  • Marshall Rodes - Instructor - Cambridge, MA

  • Alex Amado - Instructor - Wilmington, DE

  • Owen van Bever - Instructor - Cambridge, MA

  • Buckley Wiley - Junior Instructor - Atlanta, GA

  • Milo Fleming - Junior Instructor - Blue Hill, ME

  • Emi Rodes - Junior Instructor - Cambridge, MA

  • Jack Guinness - Junior Instructor - Blue Hill, ME

  • Molly Pile - Junior Instructor - Blue Hill, ME