What Will it Be Like At the Women, Juniors, and Masters? 

The Potomac River Sailing Association and Lightning Fleet 50 are excited about hosting the Women, Juniors, and Masters Championships this August 15-18.   We’ve pushed the regatta onto Saturday and reduced the measurement & registration time to one day to economize on your vacation time.  We hope you can make room in your schedule to come.   

The sailing is on the Potomac River off of Leesylvania State Park about 30 miles downriver from the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials.  Fleet 50 has held its annual Doc Gilbert Potomac Cup Regatta here during the first week of May since the park opened in 1992. 

The river is almost 2.5 miles wide at this point so there is no problem setting up good racing courses.  Racing here isn’t just about straight-line boat speed.   Paying attention to current is important, because the venue is in the tidal part of the Potomac and the tidal current adds to the usual lazy river current.  Also, the hills on the Virginia side of the river can create some funneling and wind shifts depending on the direction of the winds.   It is always a challenge to do well here, but that’s what makes it fun!

Summer can be hot around here, but August often has some surprisingly nice breezes.   I’ve talked to two sailing schools that run classes everyday on the river and they confirm this.  Also, with the sailing venue so close, we can get a race in at 11:00 with the morning breeze, and, if it dies, go in and then come back out later in the afternoon when it kicks up again.

Launch facilities include 2 cranes and a triple wide ramp, so getting in and out of the water is pretty quick.   There is ample space for up to 80 boats in the parking lot.  And you can keep you car with your boat & trailer. 

The center of social activity will be under a Pavilion in the shady wooded area to the north of the launch area.   Anyone who wants to pitch a tent nearby is welcome to do so.  Bathroom are available behind the Pavilion.  Showers and a small store are available in a lot to the south of the launch area. 

If camping is not your style, there are inexpensive motels nearby.  Also, some local Fleet 50 families will host some sailors, but these accommodations are typically 40 or more minutes away to the west and north of DC.

Included in the registration fee, is what we believe will be a delectable summer BBQ provided by Famous Dave (Friday evening).   Volunteers will make lunches for sale for a small fee, but they will also be available from the park store and a couple of nearby groceries.

This is a historic area.  Leesylvania itself was a plantation during the colonial period.  Henry Lee III (Light Horse Harry), the revolutionary war hero and father of Robert E. Lee of the civil war, was born here.   During your time off, you can visit Mount Vernon, the home of George and Martha Washington.  An impressive new educational center was recently opened at Mount Vernon so even if you’ve visited it in the past, it is worth another one.  Also, nearby is the new Marine Corps Museum at Quantico.  If shopping is your thing, the Potomac Mills Mall is well known in the area for providing a bewildering variety of stores, outlets, and more.    We will provide sign-ups to get people together to car pools to these places on Wednesday and Thursday evenings.

We have the capacity to host a large regatta.  So help us make or break previous records.  In particular, Juniors are our future, so help sponsor a junior boat or two and lets get 20 or more of them competing.   

Call or email me if you need help or information: Nabeel.Alsalam@gmail.com or 703 786-1967.