Sail22’s J/70 ripping downwind in Tampa.

2019 has been a busy year with new things and some rejuvenation of the past. We tend to look back on how things went this time of year, and I am happy to say there were many good things that all together made the year a great one. With those good things, I see bigger things ahead that all of our hard work has created. We’re on the edge and have been pushing hard to make the next year THE YEAR when it all comes together.

We started 2019 fairly normal with the DIYC J/70 Winter Series 2. Leaving home on New Years Day meant we didn’t waste any time. Always tough to leave Becky and the kids, especially on a holiday. I am pretty sure Becky will never get used to that, but she knows it’s how things are with regattas not always taking holidays into consideration. I was racing on the J/70, Simply Irresistible and supporting the regattas like we always do at Sail22. Onsite when we can be and bringing orders and spares in when we can’t. Having the Sprinter Van means we can be more mobile and help teams get the parts they need to keep sailing. A new series for 2019 was the Bacardi Invitational. A great new series for J/70’s and Melges 24’s. It’s great to have a winter circuit for the Melges 24’s again and see the class rebuilding. Miami is a great place for them. The Bacardi Invitational is two events added onto the ongoing Bacardi Cup to make a three regatta series. Add in the J/70 Midwinters and Miami was pretty busy.

New for Sail22 and the sailing world is the RS21. Sail22 has partnered with RS Sailing to be the RS21 North American Project Manager. With this new role we spent 2019 running the fleet of 6 RS21’s sailing in the Sailing World NOOD Regattas and Charleston Race Week. We kicked off the tour at the St. Pete NOOD where we had just two of the boats. The full tour began in San Diego where we unpacked the first six pack of boats in North America. We then shipped the RS21’s across the country to Charleston for Charleston Race Week. This was a lot of work, but a great way to show off this awesome new One Design Sailboat! What really sets the RS21 apart from other boats is the option for a a boat to be both a club owned fleet for one design racing as well as individually owned boats. The rules keep things simple and budgets under control for one design racing for everyone. We helped support KO Sailing as they sold and have delivered twelve RS21’s to Lakewood YC in Houston, TX, making it the very first club owned fleet of the boats. Another fleet of six boats makes up the Premiere Sailing League which starts off this winter in Pensacola, Florida, Some sail testing with North Sails and Zim Sailing on Narragansett Bay on the same water as the AC Training Mule for NYYC’s American Magic happened this Summer. I also headed out to San Francisco for demo sails as there is a lot of interest there. Check out the drone shots from our sailing on San Francisco Bay with West Coast Sailing. The RS21 project has kept Sail22 very busy and we anticipate (okay, we already know) it will be much busier in 2020.

Working with Harken on the product launch of the SnubbAir’s now standard on new J/70’s.

The primary goal for Sail22 is supporting one-design racing. We spent lots of time with the J/70 Class and Melges 24 class and for the first time went to J/24 Nationals in Rochester, NY and the J/24 Worlds in Miami. It’s great to see a 40 year old class still very strong. Back to the J/70, we worked very closely over the last year with Harken on improving parts for the J/70 with new Mast Sheaves, Upper Swivel that doubles for the Melges 24 and the SnubbAir winch replacement. I also work very closely with the J/70 Class to make improvements and keep things within class rules, as I am a class measurer and on the J/70 Technical Committee. In the Melges 24 class we supported the 2019 Melges 24 North Americans in Traverse City, MI. What a great club in Grand Traverse YC and they know how to throw a regatta! Competitors learned what great Midwest hospitality is all about and Sail22 appreciated it too as the event found a host us, which allows Sail22 to support more events in the future. Did you know housing is one of our largest business expenses at events? After our time in Traverse City, we were back to working with the J/70 Class at a great North Americans at Edgewater YC in Cleveland, Ohio. Even more Midwest hospitality as the event, with great parties for the sailors and even better sailing with big wind and waves on Lake Erie. We really appreciate that they also found our Sail22 crew housing on a members boat. I hope Tim enjoyed his Tito’s and wears his Sail22 sun hoody often!!

Summers for the Sail22 team mean sticking closer to home. And this year with some hard work from most of the Sail22 team, friends and family as the Maxinkuckee Adventure Sailing program is now a 501 (c) (3). With this designation happening late in the year, we are still proud to say we have received donations already to support this program! We are looking to add a couple more RS Zests and a powerboat for next season and continue to shape our program for the needs of the community water sports and safety needs. We are grateful for lots of support from the Culver Park Department and the Town of Culver as we continue to grow.

Maxinkuckee Adventure Sailing at the Culver Beach.

We wrapped up 2019 on the road again with the winter sailing season in full swing. This year along with the J/70 Davis Island Yacht Club Winter Series and Bacardi Invitational, the RS21 Winter Series at Sarasota Yacht Club was added into the mix. Two events in the books already at Sarasota Yacht Club and a busy 2020 lined up. To get yourself on the water in an RS21 this winter, there are plenty of opportunities. See the schedule and pricing here.

Sail22 Support Trailer and Sprinter Van give us options for supporting events.

As we look forward to 2020 the Sail22 team has sold our beloved J/70 USA 322 - fälē but upgraded to the J/70 USA 1522 - Rodeo, “It’s not our first.” We also purchased the Melges 24 USA 695. We have on the calendar a busy year ahead, including supporting the J/70 Worlds at California Yacht Club in Marina del Rey, CA in late July and the Melges 24 Words in Charleston, SC in early May, it only made sense to do everything we could to support the classes we love most. Look for more news soon on a fun RS21 season after Charleston Race Week. We are also happy to support many other one design classes and have many clients racing J/24’s, Vipers, VXOne’s, Scows and more. There is some talk about supporting the J/80 Worlds in Newport. If you want us to be on site for your class or regatta, just let us know and we will do out best to be there. Look for an updated website soon (the new store is almost done!) and more blog posts in 2020. We have mapped out a schedule for blogs to help sailors get the best information and help to keep you on the water. If you want us to cover anything specific we can fit it in to the schedule, as we made sure to leave room for new topics. If you’d like to be a guest writer for Sail22 to share news about products or events, please feel free to reach out.

The RS21 6Pack at Sail22 HQ between events.

We anticipate being home in Culver, Indiana for much of the summer with weddings at our Lake Max Meadows wedding venue which is really starting to really take off. You can even come stay with us in one of our unique Airbnbs or be married here (we promise, it’s an awesome spot). Becky’s summers include her Always Happy Life Photography studio being at it’s peak for family portrait sessions at Lake Maxinkuckee.

We look forward to seeing many clients who have become our friends over the years in 2020. For some, it’s been far too long and for others who we see often, it’s always great to reconnect. You’ll be seeing our family more as well at events, as we’ve committed to making sure our family is together as much as possible. The kids are growing so quickly and we can now travel much lighter thanks to everyone sleeping in a real bed, walking on their own and being all around great little ones. We wish everyone a wonderful 2020!

Sincerely,

Ed (Becky, Cole, Lucy, Nora + Buoy too)

Reflecting on a Busy 2019 and What is in Store for 2020