Individual Race Results.

• August 1, 2026

It couldn’t last.  We finally had our first low wind, low energy group of races on Saturday.  Patience, a good hat, a full water bottle and sunscreen were all required in liberal doses.  

The Race Pro chose a fairly short, 0.69 mile, W2 course.  The “W” means it was a windward finish.  All races have windward starts [into the wind].  But some have windward finishes, and some are “L”, leeward [downwind] finishes.  

Light wind days bring different types of challenges.  A good start means being right at the starting line with good momentum immediately at the flag.  Each of the boats had successes and fails there.  One misjudged time, went over early, and was penalized with a re-start.  Another misjudged and lost valuable time picking up speed and getting over the line while their competitors raced, or more accurately slowly drifted, ahead of them.  

Tacks are also different on light wind days.  Each tack and turn causes a loss of momentum and time, so each tack is a gift to your opponents and must be used wisely.  Also on light wind days it’s more critical than ever to watch for wind patterns on the water, indicating a puff of air one might want to head towards.  In Saturday’s races, while some of those ripples did indeed bring a bump of “fuel” into ones’ sails, others turned out to be false prophets and did nothing to help your speed.  

Selma Rose (Captain Joel Shaw; Ben Stern, crew) bested the other boats in two of the three races.  Shakit (Captain Rob Casper; Jim Downey & Anna Leister crew) won the middle race.  Our other boats were Satori (Captain: Ray Tobias; Christopher Bellonci, crew), and Bobbin’ Along (Captain Jeff Lick; Rich Waldo, crew).  Satori is a new boat to us this week, and races with about the same PHRF [translation: handicap] rating as a Rhodes.  Shakit again brought some newer racing crew onto the course, which we applaud and encourage.

Full results are here.

• July 25, 2026

It was a thrilling day on the water with ENE winds of 14-16 mph!  That’s getting to the edge of comfort for some of us, but not three hearty competitors who headed to the starting line on Saturday.  The first race was a shorter TW2 course, the “T” meaning a triangle, which we haven’t seen that often this year.  Everyone had a good start, but Bobbin’ Along (Captain Jeff Lick, Rich Waldo crew) had a slight advantage, just ever so slight, and made the first pin ahead of the others.  Their lead held, with Selma Rose (Captain Joel Shaw, Frank Matteotti, crew) close on their heels, and Shakit (Captain Rob Casper; Tim Keramis and Jeff O’Neill crew) right behind them.  One boat reported maximum speeds momentarily hitting 7.8 kts in this race!

Bobbin’ Along surrendered the lead with a poor tacking decision at the third pin, and watched the other two quickly take advantage.   Selma Rose eked out first place by ONE second, followed immediately by Shakit.

For the second race, the officials doubled down with two times around on a TW3 course.  This time Bobbin’ Along was not to be deterred.  While the others were close behind, Bobbin’ Along kept her lead.  Even when, nearing the finish line, the boat’s upper windward shroud popped off it’s chain plate, and that force sheared the fitting linking the boom and the mast, Bobbin’ Along held on and crossed the finish line just 4 seconds ahead of Shakit, who took second.  This time Selma Rose moved into third position.  It was quite a day for everyone!  And btw, tip of the hat to Shakit who brought two crew new to racing out on the water.

Full results are here.

Now bear with us here, we’re starting a new segment in this report that will be a bit longer from time to time.  We’ve talked about flags and courses in previous Race Results’ emails and now we’ll dive into another basic.  The Rules of Racing.  

Understanding one’s rights and responsibilities on-the-water is key.  There is often one boat that has a “right-of-way” over another, while the second boat needs to “keep clear”.  Having the right-of-way might help you gain important seconds in a close race, while your competition has to fall behind you, fall off, or otherwise lose some ground.

All of this is laid out in the Racing Rules of Sailing, as established by World Sailing of the U.K.  The rules are updated every four years, as needed, before each Olympics.

You can find a link to the Rules on the PYC website, under Resources for Racers.  You’ll also find a link to a series of YouTube Videos published by SailZing Online Sailing Education.  And no surprise, there is even an app for your phone so you can always have the Rules close at hand.  Do we even need to say that we don’t recommend using it while sailing.

We’ll give you a sample here of a pretty simple rule, Rule 12.  It states, “When boats are on the same tack and not overlapped [one is behind the other], a boat clear astern [behind] shall keep clear of a boat clear ahead.”  So if you are sailing in the same direction, another boat is ahead of you, and you are catching up.  You must keep clear.  It’s that simple.  

Well, of course it’s often NOT that simple on the water, so we’ll give you some more racing rule tips next week.  And our simple summaries here are just that.  The PYC Race Committee and on-the-water Race Pro are the final authorities on these matters.

• July 18, 2026

Due to small craft advisories, there were no races this weekend.

• July 11, 2026

Saturday brought us another exciting race despite forecasts of calm winds.  Breezes clocked from the east(-ish) around 7mph and shifted a bit - but what else is new.  Our intrepid committee boat officials switched it up with a leeward course (L2), as you’ll note with the start and finish line outside the rest of the course.   Two races were held, and while there were spots of calm wind, there were also a few brisk tacks on this course.

Most of the racers began both races on a port tack, i.e. when boats have the wind off their port bow.  While racers typically prefer a starboard tack start in a race, a slight wind shift had made a port tack the “preferred tack” this time around.  A starboard tack is normally preferred since in racing, and in fact in nearly all cases on-the-water, a sailboat on a starboard tack has the right of way.  If an opponent was undertaking a port tack, well, they would have to fall behind the boat on a starboard tack.

Shakit (Captain Rob Casper; guest crew) took the day with two wins.  The rest of the fleet was more competitive, changed position during the race, and ended up in close proximity at the finish.  Summer Om (Captain Steve Stahl; Shari Stahl & Meredith Goff crew) was the standout performer of the day, with their most competitive runs of the season.  Still Bobbin’ Along (Captain Jeff Lick: Christopher Bellonci, crew) managed to eek out two second places.  Selma Rose (Captain Joel Shaw; Frank Matteotti crew) came in at a close third in the first race.

On the water it was notable that almost every captain had difficulty making the “D” marker on the first port tack leg of the race.  In both races - on that leg - almost every boat had to make the difficult choice of making an extra tack OR pinching, i.e. heading too close into the wind to make that marker.  Making that leg of the race successfully, neither pinching nor tacking, was perhaps the key to the win.

Full results are here.

We were pleased to have four boats this week, and continue to seek new entrants.  Tell your friends.  And don’t forget to sign up for a slot on the official committee boat this season.  The signup sheet is online here, or email us at ProvincetownYachtClub@gmail.com

• July 5, 2026

The July 4th weekend had a lot of everything.  Especially heat.  But the PYC racers caught a break on Sunday as the heat wave dissipated and left us with some nice breezes for the Sunday, July 5th races.  Two races, both course W3, were held promptly at 2:00.  You’ll notice in the results that the second course was longer, as the Race Committee moved a buoy, the yellow tetrahedron, for the second race.  Shifting winds made that relocation advisable, but the race took a full 15 minutes longer.

Three boats participated this week, with Bobbin’ Along (Captain Jeff Lick; Rich Waldo, crew) taking the first in both races.  Selma Rose (Captain Joel Shaw; Frank Matteotti, crew) took second in both races.  Summer Om (Captain Steve Stahl; Shari Stahl and Michael Joyce, crew) finished 3rd, and a DNF)

The Committee Boat was led by racing committee member Rob Davis, with Ron Robillard, Betty Zakheim, Joseph So and Mario (guest) assisting.

Full results are here.

• June 27, 2026

The first race of the season was held Saturday, with a light fog that threatened from Truro but never made it as far as Provincetown Harbor.  Three boats turned out, but while small in number it was still a heated rivalry.  Two races followed the same W3 course, which is a simple rounding of two marker buoys, with the start/finish line in the middle.  The competitors start, as always, on a course heading directly into the wind.  That means tacking port and starboard to achieve the first mark.  Generally, in PYC races, all marks must be passed on the port side of the boat.  From there to the second mark is a downwind leg.  One change this season is that the start/finish line is no longer a “closed line” - captains take note.

Getting across the starting line as the flag drops is key to a good race time.  The captain wants to have his speed up and cross that line, on their chosen tack - port or starboard, just as the flag drops.  Too soon, and it’s a foul.  Too late, or with not enough momentum, and it will put you at the back of the pack. This week, everyone had a great start and a competitive upwind first leg.  Summer Om (Captain Steve Stahl; Shari Stahl and Meredith Goff, crew) led the pack around the mark, while throughout the race shifting and gusty winds added to the challenge.  

Then Bobbln’ Along (Captain Jeff Lick; Michael Pettry, crew) and Selma Rose (Captain Joel Shaw; Frank Matteotti and Ben Stern, crew) moved forward and took turns in the lead for the remainder of the race as our captains and crews were honing their skills after a long winter.  At the finish line, it was Bobbin’ Along that came across first with an actual (not adjusted) time of 41’50”, with Selma Rose close behind.  Summer Om closed out the first race in third place.  

One note here.  PYC races are Open Class, meaning open to all boats, and each boat is handicapped according to official standards.  So coming in across the line first is not the same as a first place.  You’ll note adjusted times in the official race results.

The winds picked up and shifted a bit for the second race, enough to make the upwind leg a little easier for our captains.  The boats came in a full 10 minutes faster and crossed the finish line so quickly that our officials had to scramble into position.  Bobbin’ Along took home another first place with an actual time of 30’10”, Selma Rose brought home second place, while Summer Om elected to bow out.

Thanks to our Committee Boat crew this week, Ron Robillard, Betty Zakheim, Christopher Bellonci and Joseph So.  We remind everyone, that we truly need volunteers for the Committee Boat each week.  It’s a great chance to get out on the water, learn about and watch our races, and support your club.  We can’t do it without you.  And if you are considering crewing on a boat during a race, we strongly suggest a couple of outings on the Committee Boat to learn what it’s all about.

Reminder: All boats, members, visitors and residents alike, are welcome to join in up to two races after filling out the Race Registration Form on the Resources for Racers page on our website, and without paying a racing fee.  But only registered, paid racers can qualify for the series.

The club is also planning to have a race this season for larger boats on a longer course.  Please make sure we are aware if you are interested in participating and we will try and choose a date that meets everyone’s schedule.

Full race results here.