Sailing

Marblehead’s Junior Race Week winners announced; more sailing to come

Marblehead’s Junior Race Week winners announced; more sailing to come

Marblehead’s Junior Race Week is a wrap, with several local winners announced. Nearly 180 young sailors boarded their vessels Monday morning and sailed them out of Marblehead Harbor to face off in the first day of the 2025 regatta. They spent the next few hours sailing in heavy wind, big waves and challenging conditions. But this was just the first of three days of sailing. Junior Race Week took place July 21-23 and included four races per day for 8-to 18-year-old sailors. Many are Marbleheaders,…
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Current sailing reporter is out with her first book. Can you guess what it’s about?

Current sailing reporter is out with her first book. Can you guess what it’s about?

Lifelong Marbleheader Laurie Fullerton has written about sailing for 25 years, including here at the Marblehead Current. Now, she’s out with her first novel, and its fictional location may seem familiar. Laurie Fullerton, who covers sailing for the Current, shows off her first novel, which was released this summer. CURRENT PHOTO / LEIGH BLANDER “I probably made up most of the people, but they’re kind of based on people who you might meet in a small New England town,” she said. Some of the character…
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Huzzah! Race Week has started

Huzzah! Race Week has started

Marblehead’s legendary Race Week has begun! More than 160 young sailors are competing in Junior Race Week. They're racing in three types of boats -- 420s, Lasers and Optis. Senior Race Week starts Thursday. The event was first started in 1889. This year, the main event is being hosted by the Boston Yacht Club, although Marblehead's three major yacht clubs will have race committees on the starting lines. With 11 fleets racing, the event includes North American championships for the Town Class, Viper Class and…
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Marblehead Race Week, Junior Race Week start soon

Marblehead Race Week, Junior Race Week start soon

First established in 1889, Marblehead Race Week is a coveted midsummer event that takes place the last full week of July. It includes Junior Race Week, which begins this Monday, July 21, and Race Week, starting Thursday July 24. This year, the main event will be hosted by the Boston Yacht Club, although all three major yacht clubs will have their race committees out on the starting lines. The Pleon Yacht Club hosts Junior Race Week. "Race Week for me is a special time, starting…
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Record finish at Marblehead to Halifax race

Record finish at Marblehead to Halifax race

There’s been a historic finish to the Marblehead to Halifax sailing race. Temptation/Oakcliff, of Rye, New York, finished in the elapsed time of 28 hours, 02 minutes and 56 seconds, beating the former record of the Mills 68 yacht Prospector in 2017 which completed the 363-nautical mile course in 28 hours, 28 minutes and 50 seconds.  The second boat to earn line honors this year was Boudicca, sailed by Richard Moody of Newport Rhode Island. With a crew of 19 and expert navigation, Temptation sailed a near-flawless…
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And they’re off: Racing to Halifax

And they’re off: Racing to Halifax

The 40th running of the 360-nautical mile Marblehead to Halifax Ocean Race is highlighted by both the youthful teams seeking competition and offshore racing experience and the veterans returning for the third, fourth or fifth time seeking to win their division. Divided into seven divisions, the 46-boat fleet set off Sunday afternoon in a 18- to 20-knot southerly breeze with every competitor knowing that this could be a fast, tightly contested race in all divisions. “This is my favorite race – hands down,” said Dan…
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Marblehead to Halifax Ocean Race set to start Sunday

Marblehead to Halifax Ocean Race set to start Sunday

The Marblehead to Halifax Ocean Race is set to begin at 12:55 p.m. this Sunday, July 6, off Marblehead, marking the 40th biennial running of this premiere ocean racing event. This coveted town tradition is a 361-nautical mile offshore course and is not only a World Sailing category 2 event but is also considered to be one of the pre-eminent ocean races of the North Atlantic. “This is a bucket list race for many competitive sailors, but it also is known as a true navigators’…
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Fast Mermaid Pursuit highlights camaraderie, competition

Fast Mermaid Pursuit highlights camaraderie, competition

Competitive sailors like to race hard and have fun doing it and that sums up the fourth annual Fast Mermaid Pursuit Race fundraiser for Lindsay Smith held Sunday, which featured 28 boats in two classes with all in agreement that the pursuit race format really levels the playing field. With boats ranging in length from 19 to 55 feet, the competitors crossed the finish line quite close to one another after staggered starts had the slowest and smaller boats starting first. The 7-mile course slightly…
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Locals volunteer with Sail Beyond Cancer, offering peace on the water

Locals volunteer with Sail Beyond Cancer, offering peace on the water

When Kim Grad moved to the North Shore to take the job as Abbot Library’s new executive director in July 2021, she was recovering from grueling breast cancer treatment. She moved from Brooklyn, New York, leaving behind friends and family – her support system. Kim Grad, far right, is with other Sail Beyond Cancer North Shore volunteers on board High Tea. COURTESY PHOTOS Grad dove into her work here and gradually began to realize how much her health ordeal had impacted her. That’s when she…
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