Sailing - Marblehead Current

13 Jul

Standing tall: Marblehead sailor/photographer shares Tall Ships photos

Leigh BlanderSailing, Top Stories

Marblehead sailor, photographer and Current contributor Bruce Durkee snapped these shots of the Tall Ships visit to Boston on July 11.

29 Jun

Thick fog can’t stop sailors from rallying for one of their own

Grey CollinsSailing, Sports, Top Stories

As a thick blanket of fog settled over the harbor Sunday, sailors — many decked out in bright pink — boarded their boats and sailed to the mouth of Marblehead Harbor for the fifth annual Fast Mermaid Pursuit Race. Twenty-four boats from the North and South shores competed to celebrate the remarkable resilience of Marblehead sailor Lindsay Smith and financially support her recovery. The five-mile pursuit race was created to help financially support Smith’s treatment and recovery, after she survived three gunshot wounds to her…

17 Jun

Photo gallery: High winds, high stakes at the IOD Worlds

Leigh BlanderSailing, Sports, Top Stories

It is Day 4 of the IOD Worlds sailing races here in Marblehead. Check out this gorgeous photo gallery by Bruce Durkee. "They have had brisk wind and some great conditions competing off Marblehead," said Current sailing reporter Laurie Fullerton. "Canadian sailor Peter Wickwire and team are in first place with 16 points. Bermuda's Peter Bromby and team are currently in second place with 28 points. Third place so far is Charlie Van Voorhis of Fishers Island, New York, is in third place with 31…

14 Jun

Epic finale in Thayer Trophy National Women’s Team Race in Marblehead

Christina PandapasSailing, Sports

To say this year's National Women's Invitational Team Race for The Thayer Trophy in Marblehead was hard fought doesn't begin to describe the drama that unfolded in the last race of the three-day regatta which saw 2025 winner, Newport Harbor, sail against The Replacements, a scratch team pulled together by Roger Williams Sailing Coach Amanda Callahan just 12 hours before the event started. Every race in the final stage of the Thayer Trophy was a battle royale, but the last race really showed what the…

14 Jun

PHRF New England Championship returns with a splash

Laurie FullertonSailing, Sports

A revived and rejuvenated PHRF New England Championship featured up to 25 boats on the starting line over two days with the Farr 40 HOOLIGAN owned by Nick Mercier and Pike Severance from Kittery Point Yacht Club taking the overall win of both the pursuit race on Friday and the windward leeward racing on Saturday. In an event that brought teams from Maine, New Hampshire, Boston, Nahant and Beverly, a pesky tidal current and very shifty, light air conditions were frustrating factors for all racers…

11 Jun

Nauticals of Marblehead — a second Life

Laurie FullertonArt, Business, Sailing, Top Stories

Taking a tour of the Marblehead Sign Museum in the basement of Abbot Hall is always a reminder of how many beloved small businesses and artisans have lived and worked among us. When a cherished, long-time small business closes in Marblehead, it always feels like the end of an era. Nauticals of Marblehead was once located above the Muffin Shop on Washington Street and was a successful business that offered tables and other creative objects crafted from the hulls of old wooden boats. One of…

08 Jun

June brings the start of a championship summer of sailing to Marblehead waters

Laurie FullertonSailing, Top Stories

June is proving to be a top tier month in the sport of sailing in Marblehead with a world championship, the return of the PHRF New England Championship, the Thayer Cup and more to fill the sailing calendar, not to mention the ongoing summer Marblehead Racing Association weekend and week day evening races. The PHRF New England’s begins this Friday, June 12, and Saturday, June 13, and will revive a regatta that was always a town favorite. Hosted by the Boston Yacht Club, the New…

03 Jun

Temporary repairs to begin this week at Stramski’s Pier after February damage

Leigh BlanderPublic safety, Sailing, Top Stories

Temporary repairs are about to underway at Stramski’s Pier as town officials race to reopen the popular waterfront facility before the height of the summer boating season. The town-owned pier suffered significant structural damage when a sailboat broke free from its mooring during a February blizzard and slammed into the structure. Harbor officials estimate permanent repairs could cost as much as $300,000. The town has already removed damaged materials and is awaiting final approval from the Conservation Commission for emergency repairs. This sailboat crashed into…

12 May

PHRF New England Championship – Coveted Marblehead tradition returns

Laurie FullertonLocal News, Sailing, Sports

This coming June 12-14, the Boston Yacht Club will be hosting the PHRF New England Championship, an event with a long history in Marblehead. The PHRF New Englands was — for decades — the premier big-boat event of the summer. In 2004, 145 boats raced under its banner, with Marblehead’s three major yacht clubs sharing the workload. When participation dipped, the event suffered under new management and was eventually discontinued. However, the PHRF organization has continued to grow throughout North America — issuing roughly 1,000…

06 May

Remembering Ted Turner’s sailing adventures in Marblehead

Leigh BlanderSailing, Top Stories

The global legacy of media titan and sailing champion Ted Turner includes an exciting chapter right here in Marblehead. Turner, who founded CNN in 1980, died today at age 87. Turner trained in Marblehead for the America’s Cup, which he won in 1977. Robbie Doyle (who founded Doyle Sailmakers in Marblehead) was part of Turner’s crew. The two first met in 1966. “I was 17 years old and we were both sailing in a regatta on Long Island,” Doyle told the Current Wednesday just after…