2023 - The year we celebrate 100 years of E Scows

Click here to see 100 YEAR PARTY PHOTOS!

Grand Lake Shootout Regatta Report

June 24, 25 at Grand Lake, CO

21 E Scows with 5 races completed

June 24: 12-22 mph wind with gusts over 30 mph

June 25: 5-12mph wind with gusts in the low 20s

Top 5 finishers:
1st  - I-66: Eddie Cox
2nd - V-62: Nicholas Clemence
3rd - KG-111: Will Crary
4th - GL-11: Doug Wilhelm
5th - V-92: Matt Schmidt

21 teams converged on the Grand Lake Yacht Club on June 24th and 25th for the GLYC E Scow Western Shootout Regatta. We were all treated with an abundance of camaraderie, blue skies and plenty of wind. Jim Campbell summed the weekend up perfectly by stating, “It is as if we are sailing on the inside of a postcard”!

We kicked off the 100-year celebration weekend with a progressive cocktail party hosted by Jeff Eldridge and Sean Waters. Guests were transported by a barge in a white capping west wind. The food was delicious, the drinks were cold, and it was the perfect evening to catch up with everyone before the regatta.

The winds that night carried over to Saturday morning for race 1. We had 18-22 mph winds and gusts over 30 while boats were finishing – of the 20 boats that started only 11 boats finished. E boats and their crews were pushed to the limit. Will Crary and his team aboard KG111 won race 1 followed by GL-7 and V-62. We had an AP on shore to see what the wind wanted to do. After an hour and a half we were blessed with a rare west wind of 12-20 mph allowing PRO, Mark DeGuire, to run races 2 and 3 down the full length of Grand Lake. Eddie Cox and his team on I-66 won both races while V-92 and GL-7 placed in race 2 followed by M-53 and V-62 in race 3.

Saturday night competitors were able to kick back and enjoy a dinner with Wylie & the Wild West at the newly remodeled Grand Lake Yacht Club. It was fun to hear everyone’s stories from the day. Sunday was more typical for Grand Lake. Wind came from all directions, but predominantly from the southeast, at 5-12 mph winds and gusts in the low 20s. It was challenging conditions for all and even gave new looks to some of us locals. I-66 ended the day with 2 more race wins while V-59 and V-62 placed in race 4 and GL-11 and KG-111 placed in race 5.

The weekend ended with regatta winners Eddie Cox, Kate Cox, Molly Ziegler and Nina Lubchenco firing the shotgun along with Nicholas Clemence and his crew on V-62 who took 2nd and will Crary and his crew on KG-111 who took 3rd place in the regatta.

Looking forward to hosting this again in 4 years, if not sooner!

Thanks to PRO, Mark DeGuire and team as well as regatta organizers, Tom and Jennie Coulthurst.

Wawasee Regatta Report

June 10-11 at Lake Wawasee, IN

30 E Scows with 3 races completed

Wind pressure: Sat 5-15, Sun no wind

Top 5 finishers:

1st       CH-2       Chadwick Hough, Olivia Windemuller, Nic Seifert

2nd      WH-77    Tom Munroe, Tom Munroe Jr, Spencer McCormick

3rd       CR-7       Mike Dow, Stephanie Dow, Kent Sisk, Heather Sisk

4th       WA-47     Bob Herdrich, Bill Pipp, Bryan Sarber

5th       H-11         Lance Puccio, Lon Schoor, Paul Haviland, Kelsey Kierstad

On a sunny Saturday morning, the race committee set out to assess the wind conditions and chart a course for the 30 E boat sailors. Despite shifting winds, the first race proceeded smoothly, with CR-66 and Rob Terry's pirate crew securing the top spot. The second race faced challenges with wind shifts, resulting in general recalls, but eventually started with Chad Hough winning. After a lunch break, the lighter winds of the third race saw Chad Hough securing another victory. The fourth race had unpredictable winds, leading to its abandonment. On Sunday morning, the event concluded due to calm conditions. The race committee expresses gratitude to the sailors, Wawasee personnel, and others involved for their understanding and support.  Said Chad Hough “Honor to win Wawasee. The people of Wawasee are what make this event one of the best regattas of the year. There is nothing better than sailing against my friends with my best friends crewing for me at Wawasee”.

Submitted by A.J. Schweda, PRO

This marked the 38^th edition of the Wawasee E Scow Open and as always, WYC members gladly hosted all 16 of our out-of-town teams.  Our 30 boats were represented by teams from 8 different yacht clubs. The Saturday night dinner was followed by a short program which included E100 promotion and cake, giveaways, and recognition of 2 of Wawasee’s original E sailors – George Snook and Dick Newcomer. 

Many thanks to our PRO A.J. Schweda and his team.

Submitted by Dave Newcomer, Regatta Chair

Geneva E Spring Regatta Report

May 20-21 in Fontana, WI

33 E Scows with 3 races completed

Wind pressure each day: Sat 8-15, Sun no wind

Top 5 finishers:

I-66 Eddie Cox LGYC 7pts
M-87 Derek Packard MYC 13pts
KG-111 Will Crary LKSC 15pts
V-39 Jonathan Bailey PYC 18pts
I-49 Brian Porter LGYC 19pts

Saturday, the wind velocity was up and down, from 8-15mph, and crews saw some great downwind rides with everyone hiking. The first race was an L3 with Vincent Porter driving Pat Heaney boat taking the bullet. Race 2 got off clean and Eddie Cox had a great last downwind to come from behind for the win. The RC moved the course before the 3rd race due to a wind shift to the right and Brian Porter grabbed the win, with a substantial lead of over 2 minutes.
Saturday night the LGYC provided a great dinner with a band and a 100 Year Celebration cake. David Lubchenco spoke about the E scow class and the summer plans to celebrate, culminating with the NCESA Championship regatta in Madison. Tom Freytag gave a wonderful toast to Buddy Melges, and everyone raised their glass in his honor. The cake was enjoyed by all and of course the LGYC bar saw lots of traffic. Chucks was the bar of choice later that evening!
Sunday races were abandoned at 11:30am and trophies followed, MC’ed by the always entertaining Vakaros representative Will Huerth. Casey Call, Ed Cox and Pat Heaney plugged the upcoming Wawasee, ILYA Invite and National regattas. Thanks to PRO Terry Blanchard and his team. The staff at LGYC, especially Mike Moore, did a great job over the weekend! Thanks to them as well.

Lake Hopatcong Icebreaker Regatta Report

May 20 and 21 at Lake Hopatcong, NJ

14 E Scows with 5 races completed

Wind pressure each day: First day was light, puffy and shifty in fog, mist, and rain. Day 2 was sunny and blew from 8-20mph with massive puffs and huge shifts.

Top 5 finishers:

1 SS-37 John Brown

2 LA-99 Dave Magno

3 KU-1 George Welch

4 HO-59 James Byrne

5 KU-3 Chris Hawk

This was the most boats we have had in recent memory at this regatta, possibly ever! Joe Meade (KU-25) was the MVP of the weekend, having recruited six Lake Keuka boats to make the trek! From the Hopatcong fleet, we had two new faces on the line this season: Jack Lenox and Dickie Hoff. Jack has just hopped over from the Thistle fleet to return to the e scows after a couple decades away. Jack steered this event, but plans to crew this summer for his dad, Dean Lennox, who has sailed e scow for decades but has been devoted to the A-Class catamarans for most of the 2000s! Dickie Hoff is from a family with rich history of E Scow sailing and has returned to grace us with a humor unmatched by others! Having Dickie on the line as a skipper will surely make this a memorable season at Hopatcong!

The club looked gorgeous, as always, and the local staff put on a great event. Sailors arrived on Friday to be welcomed by a 40th birthday party for Jessica Murphy—the food and band was excellent but most sailors decided to call it an early evening. There was some confusion Saturday morning after we realized that regatta organizer (myself) had botched the times in the NOR. The Thistle class ended up getting an hour head start on the e scows for the day, but it definitely limited the logistically challenges of dropping 30 boats in the water at once! Day 1 was chilly, rainy, misty, foggy, shifty and puffy!! Three competitive races were had and the fleet was ready to get into warm dry clothes once off the water. Sunday was a beautiful sunny Spring day with temperatures in the 60s. There were huge cannonball puffs dropping on the race course by race 2, with massive shifts and big velocity changes. John Brown consistently put the hammer down, racing as Buddy Melges used to say: “Start in first and grow your lead!”. Boats were out of the water by 12:30 and awards were issued and the handful of stragglers stayed behind to polish off the remainder of the keg! Hopatcong was once again noteworthy this year for literally crawling with children—I think there are nearly 20 kids under the age of 10 this weekend!

Thank you race committee team Brian Murphy, Cindy Demelio, Marie Raser, Caryle Steggall, and Jill and George Malanga.

Carolina Yacht Club Spring Invitational Report

April 28-30 in Charleston Harbor, SC

13 E Scows with 7 races completed

Wind pressure each day: Friday 8-15 knots, Saturday 10-20 knots, Sunday blow out (no racing)

Top 5 finishers:

1st-Eddie Cox- I66, Adam Biwer, Finn Burdick

2nd-Kevin Jewett- SC7, Carolina Jewett, Hunter Stunzi, Ben Lynch

3rd-John Brown- SS37, George Demand, Will Demand, Natasha Morton

4th -Robby Wilkins- SC55, Mac McKenzie, Jonny Goldsberry, David O’Reilly

5th-Jim Campbell- Mystery Guest Sail, Peet Must

We had very close racing with beautiful weather for Friday and Saturday.  The Lyon brothers made their yearly trek back to Charleston with families in tow.  David and Hollie Lubchenco made the LONG trip from Grand Lake including snow covered roads.  Chrisy Hughes and Toby Sutherland flew in and sailed a chartered boat.  Jim Campbell and crew were back in town for the first time since 2018.  Eddie Cox and crew came from Zenda with the new 2023 version.  We had a new boat to the area, John Polek-LN3, from Lake Norman came for the first time.  As always it is great to see our friends from Augusta, Cliff Russell-GA27.

Kevin and Carolina Jewett had a party on Friday night at their house for sushi and fellowship. 

John Brown was the recipient of the FIRST Blue Chip invitation of the year.

Thanks to Sammy Glenn and Tommy Harken and team for great courses and racing.

June 2023

Regatta registration for the 2023 Nationals in Madison is now open. The organizers would really appreciate registering as soon as possible for planning purposes. You do not need to pay at this point to register.

Celebrating E Scows in Sarasota

On December 2-3, 2023, the Sarasota Sailing Squadron will wind up the final regatta for our 100^th anniversary.  E Scows have been present since 1950 and actively racing since 1992.  We have a few boats available for guest skippers and crews including housing.

This regatta is intended to encourage E Scow sailors up north to consider relocating their boats here for year around or seasonal racing.  Nearly all of our fleet members are snow birds, part-time residents and retirees.  Several have flexible jobs where they can live here and up north as part of their work.  There is a nearby airport with many inexpensive Mid-West flights.

Why Sarasota?  Steady winds, warm waters and friendly inexpensive club.  You can race at monthly club regattas on Saturdays, Sundays with Melges 15s, and a few nearby invitationals as well as every Wednesday all season long.  Several owners have Melges 15s and MCs to add more racing opportunities.

Yearly membership is $700 for new, and $550 for renewing members, including monthly option.  Annual E Scow storage is $1010.  So why put your E Scow away for the winter.  Bring her here, sail and race with us.  For details, contact Ted Weihe, fleet captain at Picardy210@gmail.com. Or former E Scow Commodore, Robert Cole at rhcolerjr1@gmail.com .

From Seaside Park on Anniversary Party:  We are pleased to let you know that Seaside Park YC in New Jersey has firmed up plans for holding a 100th birthday party for the E Scow. Date will be Friday June 23rd, 2023. We will be celebrating by holding a screening at our club of the new feature length film about Buddy Melges "Wizard of Zenda". In addition to SPYC membership, we will be inviting all Barnegat Bay E Scow fleet members. Should be a great evening.

100 YEAR CENTENNIAL PARTIES

This year we celebrate 100 years of E Scow racing! There are multiple clubs around the country that have scheduled E scow Centennial celebrations. Some are in conjunction with a regatta, some are stand-alone events – but lots of local E Scow trivia and fleet highlights will be on display. The goal is to bring together all the local people that have been part of your fleet throughout the years, and to have a wonderful time. 

This is a reunion! Reach out to those who are no longer involved in the class, tell them what is planned and invite them to join. The current schedule is shown below, but still in final development. If you have ideas or want to be involved, reach out to your local fleet Ambassador or Chrisy Hughes at hugheschrisy21@gmail.com. 

A Century of Racing E Scows – by Gary Jobson

Gary Jobson has completed A Century of Racing E Scows - and it is a wonderful celebration of the history of our class!This 144-page hard cover coffee table book is a story of how thoughtful sailors spent years improving the boats, learned to sail better, and best of all, connected generations of sailors in the sport of sailing. It is currently available for purchase on the online store for $125. Please note that all proceeds from book sales (and all the other merchandise available) go directly to the E-100 fund.  There are also amazing Centennial E Scow puzzles - with pieces made of wood - also available at the online store.  If you like a really challenging puzzle, this is for you.

1st Annual - No Boat Regatta / Ski Weekend Success!

The E Scow membership kicked off the 2023 season with the 1st Annual - No Boat Regatta / Ski Weekend. The idea was dreamt up by the E100 Committee and led by Tom and Trisha Castle. What better way to catch up with sailing friends than an off season gathering at our favorite winter venues!

100+ members came out to ski and snowboard throughout the US, Canada, and even Switzerland. Each venue featured local experts eager to help everyone make the most of the weekend. A common theme throughout was making new friends and reconnecting with old ones. Conversation was not unlike our regular regatta banter. There were plenty of memories of past races and sharing of some interesting fleet history. It is no surprise we have all found our way to the E Scow and keep coming back for more.

The same sense of camaraderie that is seen in the boat park and on the racecourse was found in the lodge and on the slopes. This included helping friends set up equipment, sharing best deals on a lift ticket, or giving a snowboarder a tow through the flats. Even on a powder day! Tactics remain important. Avoid traffic jams at the lift and keep an eye on the locals as they lead to the best spots.

As I arrive back home, I am thinking, "I can't wait for the next one!" - Kyle Rogachenko, T-76, Check out the photos here!