North Regional Regatta @Bham Oct 3-4 Logistics

Good evening everyone,

We are excited to host North Regionals this weekend as our first normal-season event of the fall! We will have 12 teams from around northwest Washington joining us to compete against our four high schools.

Sailors - Adrianna, Ajax, Elliot, Bentley, Brynn, Dylan, Emmett, Enrico, Ezra, Finn, Graydon, Hazel, Jack, Jonah, Kaden, Laith, Marin, Max, Nathan, Patrick, Sam, Sawyer, and Sotiri (23 Sailors). Woohoo!

The regatta signup officially closed on Friday night, but it's not too late to be added to the regatta since this is a home event and not a qualifier. Some events later in the season will have a much harder deadline. Please email us ASAP with any late registrations by the start of practice tomorrow, Tuesday Sep 29th.

 

Costs - $10/sailors entry fee

Food - The Neuman family is making burgers and brats for lunch on Saturday. Sailors should bring their own water bottle and snacks both days, and lunch for Sunday. 

Waiver - None since this is a home event.

Annual NWISA Eligibility Form - Required!***

***Please note - All sailors must complete their annual competitive sailor registration with Northwest Interscholastic Sailing Association (NWISA) by Tuesday in order to be allowed to compete at regionals: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe2HCYwpXK2U1LmRvVFYdD1GqG6V4f6EedLcrvXXxYGOxcW-g/viewform?usp=dialog. ***NWISA is our governing body for the sport, since sailing is not under the Washington Interscholastic Athletics Association (WIAA).

Schedule 
Saturday, October 3rd, 2026

0945 Report Time for our team- sailors should be at Zuanich Park with everything

1030 Team Meeting

1045 Competitors Meeting -all sailors from all teams attend this short meeting

1130 First Warning* - Racing will continue throughout the day

*Sailors will rotate through races, sailing 2 races back-to-back, then rotating ashore. There is not an official lunch break; sailors each lunch during their off rotations.

~1700 Estimated last warning**

~1800 Estimated end of racing; put away boats and clean up

~1830 Estimated end time

**Since this is a two-day event and sailing is a very weather dependent sport, there is no official end time on Saturday. I have included estimated times below, but they are NOT confirmed. Our only guaranteed end time is sunset at 6:44pm! I know Sehome has homecoming this weekend, so I included the estimates to give everyone a sense of the latest I expect us to sail. We may end earlier depending on the weekend's weather.

Sunday, October 4th, 2026

0900 Report Time

1015 First Warning

Sailors eat lunch during off rotations

1500 No Starts After

1530 Awards

1400 Put boats away and clean up

Notice of Race (NOR) - Linked here. Please read; it includes important information about where sailors are racing and the competition schedule. The Sailing Instructions, which includes a diagram of the race course, will be shared on Thursday or Friday of this week.

If any parents want to help with hosting the event, please let us know. We would love some day-of help setting up our team tent, supporting our sailors during rotations, and assisting visiting teams with directions. 

Please let us know if you have any questions. Have a great week!

Best,

Anna

Updates + Eligibility Form due next Tuesday 9/29

Good evening all,

Congratulations to our WINB sailors Adrianna, Hazel, and Marin, who did well in tough light wind and finished 4th overall in a combined team last weekend! :) 

Below are some updates about practice and upcoming events:

Late Arrivals to Practice:

Sailors who are not at practice after 15 minutes will be marked absent unless we have a note or email saying otherwise. Today we had a train that blocked a lot of students from arriving on time. Those students were marked absent after 15 minutes, which sends an email to parents via Final Forms. Sailors that arrived after 4:00pm did have their absence changed once they arrived, but that does not send an update to parents. I apologize for any confusion this caused! Sailors- if a train (or other event) is going to make you more than 15 minutes late, please Remind message or email the coaches so we know to expect you. 

NWISA Eligibility Form:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe2HCYwpXK2U1LmRvVFYdD1GqG6V4f6EedLcrvXXxYGOxcW-g/viewform

All sailors must complete this form by next Tuesday, September 29th in order to compete at North Regionals Oct. 3-4. Sailors competing in Singlehand Champs THIS WEEKEND (you know who you are) must complete it tonight, Tuesday 9/22, if they have not already (I think most have)! This form is to prove you go to a certain high school, and is required by our governing body, InterScholastic Sailing Association (ISSA) before students compete at an event. Thank you to the sailors who have already submitted the form for this school year- you rock! 

If you or your sailor aren't sure if you have submitted this already, you can review the list of submissions here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1d8JVWGJgowFEVdnQuf28n8AX4qazjPRX3uOX3ONYKz4/edit?gid=0#gid=0

All of these sort of links are available on the North West Interscholastic Sailing Association Website under Resources: https://nwisa.hssailing.org/about/resources

Grade Checks:

The first Grade Check for Fall Athletes is tomorrow, Wednesday 9/23.  Student Athletes need to be passing all classes to be eligible to compete in regattas. If a student has No Credit in one or more classes, the student, coach & family will be notified by email from Final Forms when status is changed to Limited Eligibility. Student athletes have a few days to turn in missing assignments, take tests or get an academic plan in place before the following Monday. During this time, student athletes are still eligible to compete and should attend practices. Student athletes will be marked ineligible on Monday 9/28 if they have not taken care of steps to be cleared after receiving a Grade Check Notification. IF marked ineligible, they should still attend practices, but are ineligible to compete or travel with the team until Grade Check Form is signed and turned in.

Thank you all for a great practice today in perfect learning conditions. We appreciate the positive learning mindset you brought. We will see you all at 2:45pm on Thursday for practice- No team meeting this Wednesday.

Please let us know if you have any questions! 

Best,

Anna

Practice Today + Goals/Pairs Form + Team Gear Orders DUE TOMORROW

Good morning,

Our first dryland practice is today! We will be meeting at the Bellingham Yacht Club from 3:45pm-5:30pm. Sailors do NOT need to bring sailing gear, but should always bring a jacket or extra layer to stay warm in case we go outside.

Thank you to everyone who has filled out the Regatta Sign Up sheet so far.

Sailors will have time today at practice to complete the Goal/Pairs form. 

Whatcom Sailing Gear Orders are due tomorrow at noon, Thursday 9/17: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1qxkjrijxtQsvLmD1UagUDeuK7_GIqOOLPR7XlGoKD10/edit?usp=sharing 

Thank you to those that have filled out the form already. We will be reminding sailors at practice today. Please contact Jayna Neuman 360-393-5020 with team gear questions.

Best,

Anna & Cooper

Meeting tonight 7pm on Google Meet

Good evening,

Just a quick reminder that the All-Parents All-Sailors meeting is tonight at 7:00pm on Google Meet! The online meeting link is available here: https://meet.google.com/yes-zhfn-qtp

Or dial: ‪(US) +1 909-451-9659‬ PIN: ‪727 641 219‬#

More phone numbers: https://tel.meet/yes-zhfn-qtp?pin=4777144883423

Please make sure to be there. We will be discussing the regatta schedule, fundraising, team gear, and more! 

Best,

Anna

All-Parents All-Sailors Meeting Monday 7:00pm Online

Good afternoon sailors and families,

I hope everyone is enjoying the long weekend! Thank you all for a lovely first sailing practice on the water on Thursday. 

To allow all families to attend from home easily, the mandatory All-Parent All-Sailor Meeting will be online, NOT at the Bellingham Yacht Club! The online meeting info is here:

All Parent All-Sailor Meeting: Monday, September 7th from 7:00-8:00pm on Google Meet.

Video call link: https://meet.google.com/yes-zhfn-qtp

Or dial: ‪(US) +1 909-451-9659‬ PIN: ‪727 641 219‬#

More phone numbers: https://tel.meet/yes-zhfn-qtp?pin=4777144883423

We will be discussing 4 main things for the fall season at this meeting:

1. Weekend Regatta Schedule and Regatta Signup Sheet

Please have an idea of your fall weekend availability before this meeting to help inform which events you / your sailor will be at.

2. Carpools

We will be using this meeting to allow families to connect about carpools from school to practice in the afternoons. Sailors are not required to participate in carpools.

3. Bellingham Sailing Foundation Fundraiser Oct. 17
Bellingham Sailing Foundation, a nonprofit that supports both Bellingham Yacht Club sailing and our program Whatcom Sailing, is having a fundraiser dinner and auction.

4. Team Gear- Sweatshirts, Hats, Long Sleeves

We will be also sharing optional team gear orders for students and families, organized by Squalicum sailing parent Jayna Neuman (thank you Jayna!!). She has Whatcom Sailing - branded sweatshirts, hats, and long sleeve quick dry shirts and will be making an order for fall season.

We look forward to seeing you all on Monday!

Please email us at coaches@whatcomsailing.com if you have any questions.

Best,

Anna

Practice Plan today- Start @ BYC due to weather

Good afternoon everyone,

Due to the current and forecasted wind, we will be starting and ending our first day of sailing practice at Bellingham Yacht Club. The address is 2625 S Harbor Loop Dr., Bellingham, WA. We will be meeting downstairs in the basement, the same location as the New Parents and Sailors Meeting last week.

We will still be doing some time on the dock and on the water today, including a rigging demo, a make-up swim test for those that did not get to Arne Hanna, and a capsize/recovery practice. All students should still come to practice ready to get wet and get in wetsuits today. We will have more changing rooms and opportunities to try out wetsuits at Bellingham Yacht Club.

The walk between the Bellingham Yacht Club and the Zuanich Point Park Youth Sailing Dock is around 10 minutes, and the team will be doing this walk as a group after everyone has the correct gear fitted. We will likely not sail for any extended period of time due to wind forecasted at 15-20knts, which requires a significantly reduced number of sailboats on the water. 

Similarly, for Wednesday there is a gale warning all day and has wind over 25knts forecasted, which is more wind than we can safely sail in. For tomorrow, we will also plan to meet at BYC, and will NOT be doing any time on the water due to extremely high winds. Practice will still be from 3:45pm-6:30pm, but will be fully on shore. Students should dress to be outside in stormy conditions, but do not need to bring wetsuits to Wednesday's practice.

Thursday's forecast is looking much calmer than Wednesday, and for now we plan to sail on Thursday and meet at Zuanich Point Park as normal. We will update on Remind if that changes.

Please let me know if you have any questions! We look forward to seeing you all shortly.

Best,

Anna

First Fall Practice Tuesday 3:45pm

Good afternoon sailors and families,

We look forward to seeing everyone at our first day of sailing practice tomorrow! 

Please make sure you or your student is fully cleared for school athletics in Final Forms, and has submitted the separate club sport registration at Whatcom Community Sailing. The Whatcom Sailing registration can be found online here: https://www.whatcomsailing.com/registration  Both Final Forms registration and Whatcom Sailing registration must be complete for students to get on the water tomorrow. If you are having issues with either system, please reach out. Thank you to everyone who has completed both so far!

We do not what cost to be a barrier to joining sailing. If you need a full or partial scholarship for Whatcom Sailing fees, please fill out this scholarship request: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeuUEQ_0m5KXttSPMyB3Kso0yyRR_X3IcezpGeOXaQhPlvGEA/viewform?usp=header 

Tryouts practice will be 3:45pm-6:30pm on Tuesday (tomorrow!), September 1st. We will plan to meet at the Zuanich Point Park Youth Sailing dock, our normal practice location. 

In the case of severe inclement weather that requires us to move indoors, we will send out a message via Remind to alert everyone that we will be moving inside to the Bellingham Yacht Club. Please make sure you are on the Whatcom Sailing Remind by texting @sailboats to 81010 or by entering @sailboats on the Remind app.

Tryout week practice schedule- Tuesday 9/1, Wednesday 9/2, and Thursday 9/3

3:45pm Practice starts. Students should be at the Zuanich Point Park Youth Sailing dock in the clothing they plan to sail in by this time.

We will begin practice with introductions, then talk about safety decisions and our plan before getting on the water. Students will work together to rig all boats.

Between 4:15pm and 4:45pm Launch boats and start sailing. Our goal is to be on the water as soon as possible, but in the beginning of the season it takes more time.

Once on the water, we will do races and easy sailing drills, with new students rotating in from the safety boat so they have a chance to both watch and sail.

~6:00pm Return to the dock

Students derig boats, put sails away, and rinse equipment. Then, we review practice on the chalkboard and talk through what we may not have been able to say on the water. Sailors change out of wet clothes if they have time, or change at the end of practice.

6:30pm Practice ends at Zuanich Point Park*

*If we had to move to Bellingham Yacht Club for inclement weather (in which case, that would be sent out on Remind), students end the day there instead.

********After this week of tryouts, Thursdays will start 1 hour earlier at 2:45pm due to early release. We will only meet every other Wednesday for dry land practice.*********

 

Please review our website for what to wear and what to expect at practice. We will have spare PFDs (aka lifejackets) and wetsuits available for students to borrow for the week or the season. If you or your student needs to borrow a PFD or wetsuit, please let us know ASAP and include a shirt size so we can make sure to have enough of the correct sizes tomorrow.

If you have any other questions, please let us know. See you tomorrow!

Best,

Anna