Fuel the Fleet Fundraiser October 17th

Hi team, 

Fuel the Fleet Fundraiser with Bellingham Sailing Foundation is coming up and we need your help. Bellingham Sailing Foundation is a nonprofit that supports scholarships and equipment for both Whatcom Sailing and Bellingham Yacht Club Youth Sailing. They are hosting a silent auction and pasta dinner on October 17th at the Bellingham Yacht Club Marina room at 5PM. Anna and I will be there and we hope to see many of you there as well! Here are a couple of different ways to help support the fundraiser, both in-person and from afar:

1. Sell fundraiser tickets: Share the event with friends, family, neighbours, and anyone else who might want to support youth sailing in Bellingham. Buy tickets here.

2. Donate an auction item: We're looking for items, experiences, gift cards, services, or anything else that could be included in the silent auction. Item donation form here.

3. Volunteer at the fundraiser day-of: We'll need help setting up, running the event, checking people in, and cleaning up. These volunteer roles are split up into 2-hour-ish jobs. You can sign for one or multiple. Volunteer signup here.

4. Bake for the Dessert Dash - Bring a favorite dessert for the Dessert Dash, a mini-fundraiser within the evening's event where desserts are sold to the highest bidding table. Respond to this email if you are planning on bringing a dessert!

Every contribution helps us raise money to support youth sailing in Bellingham. This year the focus is to grow our scholarship and maintenance funds. We only have one big fundraiser a year, so please help out in whatever way you can. We do not have a regatta the weekend of the event.

Thanks,

Cooper 

Cascadia Cup Oct 10-11 Logistics

Good evening all,

I am excited to see you at the Cascadia Cup next weekend, October 10-11th! Cascadia Cup is a college-combined event. Juniors and seniors, this is a good opportunity to get an idea of what local college sailing teams are like, and ask any questions you may have! There will be a college sailing forum Saturday evening.

Sailors - Adrianna, Ajax, Dylan, Elliot, Emmett, Enrico, Errol, Ezra, Finn, Graydon, Hazel, Jack, Jonah, Kaden, Laith, Marin, Max, Nathan, Patrick, Silas, Sotiri (21 sailors)

Please let us know if things have changed from what is on the regatta signup sheet.

Drivers Saturday - Marin's family (1), Jonah's family (5), Ajax's family (1), Dylan's family (3?), Jack's family (3) = 13 seats out of 21 needed

Drivers Sunday - Marin's family (3), Ajax's family (1), Dylan's family (3?), Jack's family (3), Enrico's family? = 10ish seats out of 21 needed

If any other parents can drive sailors either day, please let us know! I have edited the regatta signup sheet to include both Saturday and Sunday. If any parents can drive only one day, please update the sheet to include how many sailors you can drive.

Trailers/towing - Since this is an away event, we will be trailering our boats. We will be bringing both our 3 boat trailer (~1,000 lbs) and our one boat trailer (~400 lbs). We are planning on Jack's family and Ajax's family towing. Coaches can also tow if needed, please let us know if you'd prefer not to tow!

Cost - $10 per sailor for registration fee. Additional $ for carpool gas money and team food TBD.

Waiver - Linked here and in the Notice of Race. Please fill out before Saturday.

What to bring - Lots of warm clothes and layers, wetsuit, snacks, water bottle, and a towel!! We have this "what to wear" list that can help inform packing for the weekend.

Sailors please do not forget a change of clothes for after, as well as any homework or things you may want to work on in case racing is postponed for weather.

Schedule -

Saturday, October 10th, 2026

0715 Meet at Sehome Haggens for carpools, drive 1.5 hrs to Sail Sand Point: 7861 62nd Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98115

0845 Report Time for our team- sailors will start unloading our boats from trailers

1000 Team Meeting 

1015 Competitors Meeting -all sailors from all teams attend this short meeting

1100 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.

1600 College sailing forum

~1700 Head home, driving 1.5 hours to Sehome Haggens

~1830 Estimated return to Bellingham**

**I know Bellingham HS has homecoming this weekend. Sailors, if you have a homecoming time conflict, please let Cooper and I know ASAP if you have not already!

Sunday, October 11th, 2026

0730 Meet at Sehome Haggens for carpools, drive 1.5 hrs to Sail Sand Point.

0900 Report Time- sailors should start rigging and prepping their team's boats

0930 Team Meeting- 

1015 First Warning

Sailors eat lunch during off rotations

1500 No Starts After - sailors load boats on trailer

1600 Awards

~1630 Head home, driving 1.5 hours to Sehome Haggens

~1800 Estimated return to Bellingham**

Here is the Cascadia Cup Notice of Race, which has all of the general information and venue information on it.

Parents have created a Whatsapp group chat to help organize carpools and team food.

If any parents are interested in supporting group food, feel free to communicate amongst yourselves and put final details in the spreadsheet!

Team Food Saturday: Neuman's bringing both beef and vegetarian chili, need support with sides and snacks.

Team Food Sunday: Not organized yet. If any parents are interested in doing team food for Sunday, please let me know!

Thank you to Ajax's family for burgers, brats, and snacks last Saturday, Elliot's family for donuts Sunday morning, and Jonah's family for pizza Sunday!

Please let me know if you have any questions. We will update with final details and sailing instructions later this week.

Best,

Anna & Cooper

Regatta Debrief Form

Hi team,

Great work at the regatta this weekend! Here is the link to the scores. 

This season we are trying out a regatta debrief form. It is designed to only take 5 minutes. It is due before practice on Tuesday. I recommend filling it out ASAP while everything from the weekend is fresh. Sailors that complete it before Tuesday's practice will get a treat.   

Thanks,

Cooper

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

Swim Test Tonight, Practice Next Week

Hi everyone, 

We are excited for the fall season to start! 

Thank you to the new parents and sailors who were able to make the info meeting on Monday. For those that could not, the Info Meeting Slides are attached to this email.

Swim Test is tonight, August 26 at 7PM at Arne Hanna Aquatic Center.

Anna will be in the front room, please check in with her before entering. The swim test is relatively short, we are squeezing in between swim practice ending and lap swim starting so expect to be there and ready to swim or swimming for only 10-15 minutes, plus time to change on either end. If you cannot make it, please let us know.

Registration for Whatcom Sailing Fall 2026 is Now Open!

BHS, SHS, and SQHS students make sure you are also cleared in Final Forms.  

https://www.whatcomsailing.com/registration

Scholarship requests here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeuUEQ_0m5KXttSPMyB3Kso0yyRR_X3IcezpGeOXaQhPlvGEA/viewform?usp=publish-editor

NWISA (Northwest Interscholastic Sailing) Eligibility Form

All students must complete this form by September 9th in order to be eligible to compete. This form requires your name, graduation year, and school name all in one photo. Once completed and approved, students are good for the school year.

For homeschooled and Options High School or other Alternative Learning (ALE) students, there is an additional form that must be submitted by September 2nd. Once completed and approved, students are good indefinitely- as long as they complete the NWISA Eligibility form annually!

Schedule Changes 

Regattas are now confirmed and updated on the website:

September 19-20 WINB Quals Olympia* 

September 26-27 Laser Quals Seattle

October 3-4 North Regional Bellingham*

October 3-4 Keelboat Quals Bainbridge

October 10-11 Cascadia Cup Seattle  

October 17-18 PCISA WINB San Diego 

October 24-25 Fall Champs Oak Harbor

October 1 - November 1 Trick or Treat Team Race Seattle 

*Please note that WINB quals and North Regionals have switched weekends

Tryouts

Tryouts are a time for new and returning sailors to see what the team is like. Sailors are trying out the team just as much as coaches are seeing if sailors will be a good fit for the team.

Tuesday, September 1st 3:45 - 6:30 at Zuanich Point Park Youth Sailing Dock

Wednesday, September 2nd 3:45 - 6:30 at Zuanich Point Park Youth Sailing Dock

Thursday, September 3rd 3:45 - 6:30 at Zuanich Point Park Youth Sailing Dock

What we do each day is dependent on the weather. We plan on covering the items below:

• Introductions
• High School Sailing overview
• Rigging (setting up sailboat)
• Sailing knowledge test
• Drills overview 
• Basic windward/leeward racing
• Lots of sailing 

Please bring the following items:

• Sailing gear (no cotton)
• Life Jacket (let us know if you need to borrow one)
• Wetsuit  (let us know if you need to borrow one)
• Towel
• Change of clothes

Please let us know if you have any questions! We look forward to seeing everyone soon.

Best,

Coaches Cooper and Anna

 

New Parents / Sailors Meeting Tonight, 7pm

Bellingham Schools
via FinalForms

Good afternoon,

Our New Parents and Sailors Info Meeting is tonight, 7:00pm at Bellingham Yacht Club (BYC). The yacht club is located at 2625 S Harbor Loop Dr, Bellingham, WA. The meeting will be downstairs in the BYC Ward Room. Please reach out if you have any questions or are a new parent or sailor unable to make tonight's meeting!

Returning students and parents do not need to attend this meeting- although they are welcome! We will have another meeting in February for spring sailing students and parents who are unable to make tonight's meeting.

Best,
Anna

Whatcom Sailing

whatcomsailing.com

Thank you,
Anna Morrow
Bellingham Schools Athletics

Click here to access FinalForms

Sailing Team Club Sport- Meeting Monday, August 24th

Bellingham Schools
via FinalForms

Good afternoon! 

We are excited to have your student join us for sailing this school year. Since sailing is a club sport that practices offsite, it works a little differently. We will be starting our season with a New Parents + New Sailors Info Meeting on Monday, August 24th, at 7:00pm in the basement of the Bellingham Yacht Club. This meeting is for both parents and students who plan to be on the team and may have questions. Students who have been on the team before are not expected to attend this meeting. Please encourage anyone interested to be there; the Whatcom Sailing team is open to all high school students in Whatcom County. Please reach out if you have questions or are a new parent or student unable to make this meeting. 

 

The Fall 2026 Sailing Schedule is posted on the website: https://www.whatcomsailing.com/schedule

The two most important upcoming dates are below:

Swim Test will be Wednesday, August 26th @ 7:00pm at Arne Hanna Aquatic Center. All students must be able to swim 50 yards and tread water for 3 minutes. 

 

First sailing practice is Tuesday, September 1st @ 3:45 at the Zuanich Point Park Youth Sailing Dock. All practices will meet either at Bellingham Yacht Club or Zuanich Point Park- they are a 5-10 minute walk apart from each other.

 

REGISTRATION & TEAM FEES

Bellingham Public Schools does not charge for high school sports, but the sailing team operates as a club sport and therefore charges dues. Dues are usually $400-450 per season to Whatcom Community Sailing, the nonprofit that runs high school sailing for all students in Whatcom County. This comes out to are $3.50 per student per hour, and is below what it costs to run our programs- but we do NOT want this cost to be a barrier for students; we have both partial and full scholarships available through Whatcom Sailing and another local nonprofit which together fundraise to support this cause. 

 

Fall Sailing registration through Whatcom Sailing will be available on the Whatcom Sailing website on August 24th. 

 

You are receiving this email because you or your student is registered for fall or spring sailing at their high school, but please make sure that all requirements are complete and school forms are signed, and that students are cleared to participate in sports through Final Forms.

 

A sports physical is required, so please get that scheduled ASAP if you do not have a current physical on file with your high school.  

 

Registration and school clearance is required before you can sail at our first day of tryouts on September 1st. For a list of everything that is required, see the Join Page of our website.  

 

Tryouts

The fall sailing team tryout period will be Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday the first week of school, September 1-3. Tryouts are intended to be an introduction to the team and to sailing before we get into more competitive practices and higher expectations. It is an opportunity for students to see if they like the team as much as it is for coaches to see if it's a good fit. Students are not required to know how to sail in order to join the team, but must be ready to learn, move, get wet, and try a new sport! Students must complete registration and the swim test in order to participate in tryouts. We do not cut students unless we have more students than available spaces at tryouts. If cuts must be made, they will not necessarily be made on sailing skills but on attitude- so please bring your best! Sailors who do not remain on the team at the end of tryout week will be refunded their dues.

 

We will go over all this in more detail at the meeting next week, but feel free to contact us if you have questions.

 

Hope to see you and your sailor at the New Parents and Sailors Meeting on August 24th, 7:00pm at Bellingham Yacht Club!

 

 

Best,

 

High School Sailing Coaches Anna and Cooper

Thank you,
Anna Morrow
Bellingham Schools Athletics

Click here to access FinalForms

Fall Sailing 2026!

Good afternoon,

Here is our schedule for fall 2026 of the sailing team! If you all have any friends or family you think would be interested, please send them our way. 

**For our graduated seniors**: please give us updated contact info if you would like to stay in touch for alumni events! We will soon be updating this mailing list to include only current sailors and parents.

Our New Parent/Sailor Interest meeting will be next Monday, August 24th, at 7:00pm at Bellingham Yacht Club- NOT August 17th as was incorrectly on the website.

The Whatcom Sailing website is now updated with the Fall 2026 schedule:

Practice: Tuesdays & Thursdays*, 3:45-6:30pm

On land practice aka Team meetings every other Wednesday

Where: Zuanich Park Youth Sailing Dock (or Bellingham Yacht Club (BYC) basement in inclement weather, we will message on Remind if that is the case)

New Sailor/Parent Meeting - Monday, Aug 24, 7:00pm at Bellingham Yacht Club
Swim Test - Wednesday, Aug 26th at 7:00pm at Arne Hanna Aquatic Center
Tryouts: On Water and On Land Practice - Sep 1, 2, 3, 3:45pm-6:30pm each day ‍All Parents + Sailors Meeting - Monday, Sep 7th, 7:00pm at BYC basement
Normal Tues/Thurs Practice Schedule Starts Sep 8th
First Regatta - Sep 19 / 20
Last Regatta - Oct 31 / Nov 1Last Regatta - Oct 31 / Nov 1
Last Practice - Nov 5
End of Season Party - TBD, early November

*On high school early release Thursdays we may practice starting at 2:45pm- more details to follow at the new parent meeting and all parents and sailors meetings

Fall Registration through Whatcom Sailing website will go live on Monday, August 24th!

Please let us know if you have any questions in the time until then. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Best,

Anna

Summer ILCA (Laser) Racing

Hi everyone,

This summer, I'll be coaching an ILCA (Laser) Team out of CBC. ILCAs are performance single-handed boats that are sailed from learn-to-sail programs to the olympics. They are a very popular sailboat for youth sailing as they have multiple different sail sizes depending on size of sailor. They are highly tunable boats that push sailors both mentally and physically. 

We will be attending regattas in the Northwest Youth Racing Circuit (NWYRC) summer series. It is a series of big regattas with 150+ sailors across 5 different kinds of boats and is great competitive racing. The ILCA fleets are huge, usually with 20 to 25 boats at regattas.

The summer season runs from June 24th to August 28th. We have two practices and one race night each week. The team will attend four NWYRC regattas and two local smaller regattas. More info linked here.

Summer Sailing is different from High School sailing in a couple of ways. The biggest is there is no rotating at regattas. Each sailor will race all day and be supported by me on a coach boat. Food/water/coaching between each race. This allows for each sailor to get more on the water time and more racing! Because of this, the race team is limited to 10 sailors.

The Community Boating Center offers both full and partial scholarships for programs including the race team. We do not want cost to be a reason for not joining; If you are a sailor looking to improve and compete, let's get you on the water! Please fill out the online Scholarship form if needed. Let me know if you have any questions about scholarships. 

ILCAs are incredibly fun boats to sail in Bellingham breeze. Summer racing offers high level regattas with amazing weather. ILCA sailing is the best way to grow racing skills and confidence. I find that it transfers back to FJ sailing for high school racing. I recommend talking with seniors Avery or Bella about what the team is like from the sailor's perspective tomorrow at the end of season party. They are both captains on the high school team and raced ILCAs for multiple summers.

I know that summer is a busy time. If you are interested in summer racing but worried about it being too big of a commitment or missing practices or regattas, please let me know and we can discuss options. The goal is to get sailors on the water and racing at a high level, let's make it happen!

Let me know if you are interested in learning more. I'll be happy to discuss more at the end of season party tomorrow.

Thanks,

Cooper   

End-of-Season Party, Awards, Potluck, Swimming

Good morning everyone,

Thank you for an awesome season of sailing! 

We are excited to see you all at the end-of-season party tomorrow, Thursday, May 28th from 4-7pm at the Andress' families house. Their address is 2786 Northshore Rd. This is the same location as last spring. Please carpool- parking is limited! 

For those that haven't been there before, it is an awesome spot on the shore of Lake Whatcom with swimming and possibly even some sailing if the weather allows. Please bring a swimsuit or PFD if you plan to swim or sail. 

This will be a potluck so please bring something to share. RSVP by signing up your name, a dish to share, or any allergies etc. on this spreadsheet: 

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1E7huMOdd_oM3ytKfyIjKE0SFA9--c3YB7qGQXOLIp1E/edit?usp=sharing

Captains and coaches will be giving out end-of-the-year awards at the party. If anyone cannot make it, please let us know. 

Thanks again for a great season and we look forward to seeing you all there!

Best,

Anna and Cooper

Mayhem Team Race Regatta Logistics

Hi everyone,

Sailors - Aoife, Ajax, Atticus, Avery, Bella, Dima, Dylan, Emmett, Errol, Finn, Fiona, Hazel, Jade, Marin, Max W, Patrick, Sawyer, Tristan, & Tyce (19)

Drivers - Tamminga (4), Neuman (2 & towing), Mora (5), Meyer (2), Wilcox (4), Morse (3), Baldwin (1) & Cooper (3) 

Schedule - 

Friday, May 15, 2026

1545 Loading boats at Zuanich 

Saturday, May 16, 2026

0730 Meet at Sehome Haggen 

0745 On the road 

0930 Report time 

1015 Competitors meeting 

1100 First warning

1700 No warnings after, Dinner will follow after racing.

Sunday, May 17, 2026

0700 Meet at Sehome Haggen 

0715 On the road 

0900 Report time at public boat ramp

1000 First warning

1530 No warnings after

1615 Awards presentation

Notice of Race - Linked here

Sail Sand Point Address -  7861 62nd Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98115

Lunch - Currently we do not have group food. Plan on bringing lunch from home or buying lunch from Haggen in the morning. 

Dinner - The entry fee includes a Saturday regatta dinner (burgers). 

Costs -  $20 Total ($10 entry fee to Cooper, $5/day gas to your driver) 

Waiver - Linked here

Scores - Techscore 

Coach - Cooper (360) 815-9941 

Thanks,

Cooper 

Open TR "Mayhem" regatta signups close tonight

Hi everyone,

The signup for the Mayhem May 16-17 regatta will close tonight at midnight. Please go through and update the signup sheet. Currently it looks like we could use some more carpool drivers. Everyone will get to go to this regatta and it will be a blast! I will be talking with sailors about it today at practice.

Thanks,

Cooper 

Gold Fleet Race Champs Logistics

Hi everyone,

This is the logistics for the sailors attending champs this weekend. I will be sending out another email about volunteering / supporting this regatta if you are a parent or sailor who is not competing. 

Sailors - Aoife, Avery, Bella, Errol, Finn, Fiona, James, Max W, Tristan, and Tyce.

Drivers - Sailors are allowed to drive themselves.

Schedule -

Friday, May 8, 2026

1600 Meet at public boat ramp to help measure boats

1900 Estimated go home time

Saturday, May 9, 2026

1000 Report time at public boat ramp 

1030 Competitors meeting 

1100 First warning

No end time for Saturday

Sunday, May 10, 2026

0900 Report time at public boat ramp

1000 First warning

1500 No warnings after

1530 Awards presentation at public boat ramp 

Food - Please bring lunch from home. We will be providing a snack table for the regatta like they had at the Silverdale team race regatta.

Entry fee- $20/sailors 

Notice of Race - Please read through the NOR as it has some great info! 

Sailing Instructions - Not available yet.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks,

Cooper 

Youth Sailing Fundraiser May 2nd

Hi everyone,

Below is some info on a fundraiser for Bellingham Sailing Foundation, a nonprofit that supports both Whatcom Sailing and BYC Youth Sailing through scholarships and equipment purchases. We know that the team will be at a regatta on May 2nd, but there are several ways that we can support the fundraiser, listed below. 

If you are able to help, please reach out to BYC youth sailing director Megan Reed at byc.junior.sailing@gmail.com. We've included Megan's email with more details and the event flyer below:

Best,

Cooper and Anna

BYC Youth Sailing, in partnership with Whatcom Sailing & the Bellingham Sailing Foundation, is excited to announce our Spring Fundraising event! We will be participating in the Opening Day Swap Meet, taking place on May 2, 2026 from 7-11 AM., and we need your help! We are looking for marine-related donations of items that we can sell at the swap meet. Have stuff taking up space in your garage? Donate it to a good cause! Additionally we will be accepting donations of baked goods to sell at our table, as well as volunteers to come help with set up, tear down and running the booth on the day of the event. If you would like to help please get in touch with Megan Reed for more details: byc.junior.sailing@gmail.com