Category Archives: News

SPSA – Late February Update

Hello Sailors,

  • It has certainly been a great month for sailing with fantastic racing opportunities. The Helly Hansen/Sailing World Regatta was certainly the highlight so far. SPSA members made a great impact to the over 260 boat fleet. Congratulations to Tack Tick and Legacy for their wins.
  • First up: January’s KOB winner is Obsession. Skipper Brian Conlin and crew picked the right day and time to run the course resulting in a #6 position in the top 10 best KOB times. Congratulations Brian! There are two more days to attempt to take the KOB flag for February. Wind’s up get out there.
  • The SPSA Spring Series Races 11&12 brought high winds and a bumpy race course. Blue Chip and Cakewalk sailed to victory in their respective Divisions. Congratulations!
Coming up:
  • March 4th. If Grand Prix racing is not your thing, SPYC’s Pennington Cup is where you should be. This is a Gulf Race out of SPYC Pass-a-Grille location. There is still time to enter.
  • The SPSA Board of Directors meeting will be held on Tuesday March 7th at 6:00PM at the Sailing Center. All members are welcome to attend. If you plan on coming to the meeting, please send me an email commodore@spsa.us. Thanks.
  • SPYC Twilight Racing Series begins Friday March 17th.  The Twilight Racing series runs from the beginning of Daylight Savings Time through to the end of August. Don’t miss out sign up now. Friday night fun!!!
  • SPSA Series Race 13 & 14 is on Saturday March 18th, 1100 start time. SPYC will be the Race Committee. This is our St. Patrick’s Day Race and the post race will celebrate this Irish Holiday. Stay tuned for details.
See you all out there.
 

 

Fwd: Mid January 2023 update

Mid January Update

Hello Sailors,

It's only the middle of January and we've had heavy fog; no wind; gentle breezes; overcast skies; Chamber of Commerce days filled with brilliant sunshine; cold temps and heavy air – with gusts up into the mid-30's. Happily from my view of the Bay boats are getting out weekdays and weekends making the most of our early winter weather. 
We had a great turnout for our New Year's Day race. Fog and little to no wind actually made for an exciting day on the water. And of course the pot luck dinner and White Elephant Gift exchange rounded out the fun day with our fellow SPSA members. 
A number of boats came out for the Full Moon Sail on the 7th. Little to no wind and chilly temps at moonrise may have made a short night for most, but if you stayed out for a bit a nice breeze came up. Moonlight sails are so magical. 
Here's what's coming up next for SPSA:
  • The first race of the 2023 Spring Series is this Saturday, January 21st. Race time is 11:00. SPYC Twilight Race Committee will be RC for this race. Look for the Coast Pilot to be on station for the race start and finish. The race will be followed by our annual Chilli Cookoff at the Sailing Center. See Chilli Cookoff Details on the attached flyer. If you haven't signed up for the Spring Series please do so at SPSA.US
  • The St. Petersburg Boat Show takes place this weekend beginning Thursday 1/19 through Sunday 1/22. Women Who Sail Tampa Bay will be hosting 10 very interesting seminars at the boat show – click here for the seminar schedule. Several of the presenters, Vanessa Goodrum, Jody Kotun and Al Lima are also members of SPSA. I know I am looking forward to attending. The topics are intriguing. 
  • Our 2nd Annual Off the Wall Regatta will be held Sunday, January 29. Start time 11:00. This is a pursuit race geared toward new racers/racing skippers. All racers are welcome though. We have classes for new/novice racers and experienced racers. The race is open to all keel boats and SPSA and non-SPSA members. See attached flyer. If you'd like to assist a new racer on race day, please attend the Skippers meeting on Saturday January 28 at 4:00pm at the Sailing Center. We will review some basic racing rules and the pursuit start. The post race meet-up and awards will take place at Courigan's Irish Pub.
  • Saturday, February 4 is our second Spring Series Race (Series Race 11 & 12). Start time at 1100. We Need a Volunteer for the Race Committee for this race! Reply to this email if you can do RC. 
  • Here's what else is happening in February:
  • Go to  the Master Racing Calendar for the West Coast of Florida for more upcoming racing opportunities. A link to this calendar can also be found at SPSA.US

    • We have an exciting few months of sailing opportunities coming our way. See you all out on the Bay.

    Penny Simone

    SPSA Commodore
    — 

    Late December Update

    Hello Sailors!

    The sun is out. The temperatures are rising. I’m venturing out beyond the space heater and have shed a layer or two of fleece and wool. I’ve missed a few days of getting out for a sail and I’m really looking forward to our upcoming events.

    • January 1, 2023 – New Year’s Day Fun Pursuit Race. Nothing better than starting the new year than a race on the bay followed by a PotLuck Dinner and the now famous (notorious) White Elephant Gift Exchange. Race Start time is 14:00. This is a pursuit race – start times will be posted no later than noon on Saturday 12/31. The Potluck will be held at the Sailing Center following the race. SPSA will be providing ham, Iced tea and water, please bring a dish to share and your favorite post race drinks. And don’t forget to bring a wrapped gift for the White Elephant Gift Exchange. Please RSVP to commodore@spsa.us. Expect to have a riotous good time!
    • Tuesday, January 3 is our next SPSA Board of Directors Meetingt to be held at 6:00pm at the Sailing Center.. As always all members are welcomed to attend. Please let me know if you plan to be there – commodore@spsa.us.
    • Saturday January 21, 2023 is the SPSA Spring Season Kick-off Race followed by the ever competitive and delicious Chili Cook Off at the Sailing Center. Start time is 10:00. Race Committee boat will be announced soon. If you haven’t already, please register for this series on our SPSA Website
    • The Off the Wall Regatta, a race geared toward new and novice racers, will be held on Sunday January 29th. Open to all keel boats 30′ or less and new this year we will add a class of keel boats over 30′. SPSA and non-SPSA members are invited. Additional details to be announced soon.
    • February will be an exciting month for racing in Tampa Bay. See the Master Racing Calendar for the West Coast of Florida for details. A link to this calendar is available on the SPSA website.
    • Lastly – KOB – There are a few more days left to take the flag for King of the Bay for December. Last month we had seven KOB runs reported. Let’s try to beat that this month.

    See you out on the Bay.
    Happy New Year!

    Penny Simone
    SPSA Commodore

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    November Updates

    Hello Sailors,

     
    We hope everyone had a splendid Thanksgiving with time to spend with family and friends and enjoying the cooler weather.
     
    Here is what is coming up at SPSA:
     
    • In case you weren’t aware, Cayennita III won KOB for the month of October. Congratulations Tony and crew. Speaking of KOB there are 2 days left to make a run for November. Don’t forget to report your time to commodore@spsa.us.
    • Several SPSA members participated in the Dolphin Cruising Club’s Fall Event. Thanks to all that participated. I know Saturday was a gorgeous sailing day and Sunday’s return tested the fair weather sailor. Pictures indicate that everyone had a great time.
    • The final race of the Fall Series is this Saturday, December 3rd. Start time is 11:00. Bumbugo will be RC for this event. Post Race meet-up and trophies will be at Courigan’s Irish Pub. 
    • Our next Board of Directors meeting will take place on Tuesday December 6th at 6:00pm at the Sailing Center. All SPSA members are welcomed. Let me know if you are planning to attend. Shoot me an email at commodore@spsa.us.
    • Start the 2023 off right by going sailing. Our New Year’s Fun Pursuit will take place on January 1st. Start time is 14:00. Post race festivities at the Sailing Center will include a potluck dinner with the club providing some traditional southern New Year’s fare and a traditionally boisterous gift exchange. Additional details to come.
    • What do you do with the 3 weeks between our December race and the New Years Pursuit? YOU GO SAILING. Try an attempt to win December KOB, take family out for a sail.  go sailing just because it’s a beautiful day. If you do go out why not post it on our Facebook Members Group and see if you can entice others to leave the dock too. 
    See you all out on the Bay
     

    —

     

    Late October Update

    Hello Sailors,

     

    Can you believe October is almost to an end? Time flies for sure. Here’s the news and upcoming events for SPSA:

    •  In case you haven’t seen them here are the results of the October 15th Series Races 3 and 4.

    1.     In the Spinnaker Division the overall winners were

    §  1st Place – Tack Tick

    §  2nd Place – Warrior

    §  3rd Place – Cake Walk

    2.     In Cruising

    §  1st Place – Legacy

    §  2nd Place – Cayennita III

    §  3rd Place – Sonar Lewis

                  You can view more detail by going to the Regattas Tab on the 

                  SPSA   website , logging in and clicking on Results for the race you 

                  are interested in.   

    • This past weekend SPSA Boats Swept the Cruising Class in Tampa Sailing Squadron’s Rumgatta. Grabbing the top 3 spots were Legacy (Dave Roberts), Cayennita III (Tony Sanpere) and Koinonia II (Garth Reynolds). In the Motherload class Fantasea skippered by SPSA member Robert Calvillocrossed the line first. Congratulations to all the winners and participants. It was a great race and fun post-race party. As always, TSS was a welcoming and gracious club. Can’t wait for their next race.
    • King of the Bay – you have 4 days left to try to take the KOB Flag for October. Report your finish times to commodore@spsa.us. Go for it!
    • The next SPSA Board Meeting is Tuesday November 1st at 6:00 PM. The meeting will take place at the Sailing Center. If you are planning to attend, send an email to commodore@spsa.us .
    • Saturday November 5th is our next Fall Series Race. Race Committee for the day will be Cayennita III. Look for the little blue boat with red sail covers out on the bay somewhere near the pier. Race start time is 11:00 am.  The post-race celebration and awards will take place at Courigan’s Irish Pub. See ya out there!
    • SPSA Commodore’s Cup takes place on Saturday November 12th. This is a pursuit start race. The course and start times will be posted on the SPSA website and may be communicated by email no later than 6:00 PM on the Friday before the race. The first boat starts at 1100. If you haven’t signed up for this fun race yet, please do. The post-race event details will be announced soon. If you would like to help plan the post-race festivities or help please attend the November 1st Board meeting. 
    • To round out November there are two events on the weekend of November 19th.

    1.     The Dolphin Cruising Club of Tampa Bay is hosting their 5th Annual Fall Kickoff Cruise Nov. 19th-20th. Boats will gather off Emerson Point in Bradenton and dinghy into the park for a potluck dinner. Go to the Club’s website for details. This is always a fun event and a good introduction to cruising if you are new to it. The Dolphin cruisers are a very welcoming bunch.

    2.     Davis Island Yacht Club hosts the Egmont Key Race on the 19th. Go to https://diyc.org for details and a link to register. This is a West Florida Boat of the Year series race. A little trivia – the Egmont Key Race is the oldest running race on the west coast of Florida and dates back to 1935. 

     

    Remember that crew looking for a boat or skippers looking for crew can post their request on the SPSA Members Facebook Group or contact our Membership Chair at Membership.Chair@spsa.us.

     

    Wow! Looks like we have a lot of opportunities to be out doing what we love. See you out on the bay.


    Penny Simone

    SPSA Commodore