ITEM PHOTO BY OWEN O’ROURKE
Etchells belonging to Paul McLaughlin, Bob Schaefer and Charles Kenahan in the first day of Marblehead Race Week.
BY STEVE KRAUSE
MARBLEHEAD — It was a perfect day for sailing Thursday.
That was the word from Joel White, skipper of one of 187 yachts that sailed at noon for the first day of the Helly Hansen National Offshore One Design (NOOD) Regatta, or, as it is known in these parts, Marblehead Race Week.
The NOODs were conceived 30 years ago by Sailing World Magazine. Sailors from several varieties of yachts race against other boats in their respective classes. Among them are the Etchells 22s, which White is racing this year.
“I chartered it,” he said, as he prepared for the first day of racing in the parking lot of the Boston Yacht Club, whose turn it is this year to host the event.
Race Week rotates among Boston, the Corinthian and Eastern Yacht Clubs.
“I generally race bigger boats,” he said, noting that Etchells are 30 feet long.
Etchells are training boats, used as a platform for sailors racing in different classes to hone their skills, he said.
“But we chartered this boat for this week, and we’ll see how much trouble we can cause out there,” he said.
The boats race out of Marblehead Harbor onto the sea. The time it takes to complete the races is dependent upon weather, especially wind.
“Today is going to be perfect,” he said. “No rain. Brilliant, sunny skies. It’s the type of day when, in the afternoon, there will be a good sea breeze to provide the wind we need.”
Marblehead Race Week is 127 years old. But Sailing World and the NOODs did not adopt the event until about a quarter of a century ago, said Jen Davies of Sailing World.
“This week’s race, with 187 boats in the water, is the second-largest race on the five national events each season,” she said.
The regatta in Annapolis, Md., is the largest, with 194 boats, she added.
Race Week has become a family tradition for many of the participants. White, a Marblehead native, has been involved with the regatta for more than a half-century.
Walter Colsman grew up in Topsfield and has been racing in the regatta since he was 10, which is the same age as his younger son, Matthew, is now.
“My grandfather did this, my father, me and now my sons, (Christopher, 13, and Matthew),” he said.
The boys crewed for their father Thursday on his Rhodes-19 yacht, a boat suitable for cruising. The Rhodes represent the largest fleet of any of the boats in the race, with 35, said Colsman, who lives in Westford and is a member of the Corinthian Yacht Club.
“I like all aspects of this race,” he said. “There are world-class sailors, and then there are guys like me, casual racers. It’s a really enjoyable experience. I want to expose my two boys to it, so they see how much fun it is. It can be a demanding sport physically, especially if the ocean’s rough. But it’s just as tough mentally, because you have to pay attention if there’s weather, or any other things that come up. You always have to be on your guard.”
Boats racing in the regatta are J-24s, IODs (International One-Design), Town Class, Viper 640s, Rhodes-19s, Etchells 22s, J-70s and Laser.
The regatta continues through the weekend and concludes Sunday afternoon.
Steve Krause can be reached at [email protected].