Category Archives: News

SPSA June Update

Hello Sailors,
Summer is upon us. The temps are starting to climb and afternoon storms are starting their daily cycle (we do need the rain though). But there are still good sailing opportunities for all of us. The SPYC Friday night Twilight racing is underway, full moon sailing opportunities and of course the King of the Bay.
Your Board of Directors are busy planning for next season. We are working with the other Tampa Bay clubs to develop a schedule that optimizes opportunities for racing and cruising. SPSA's final schedule should be out soon.
We are also seeking sponsors to advertise in our annual Membership Directory.  If you are interested in placing an ad email secretary@spsa.us. 
Do you want to be more involved in the St. Petersburg Sailing Association? Now is the time to find out how you can help out. Attend our next board meeting on Tuesday June 4th at 6:00pm at the Sailing Center or reach out to any existing Board member or send  an email to commodore@spsa.us and we can discuss opportunities for you to be involved. Here are some ways you can be involved:
  • Board Member – we do have a couple of board position open for our upcoming season
  • Race Committee – we are seeking to establish a group of members to learn the skills needed to assist with Race Committee for our races. Not for every race necessarily, but when needed. 
  • Event volunteer – work with our Rear Commodores to assist with SPSA event planning and set-up.
SPSA, established in 1972 has only been successful because of its volunteers. Let's keep the tradition going to continue being a strong sailing club.
***Last important item for this email blast:
Due to rising costs, your Board made the hard decision to raise the membership dues for SPSA. Beginning July 1st, the beginning of our 2024-25 fiscal year, membership dues will be $55 for the year. You can save $6 by renewing now (before July 1st). 
As always if you have any questions or ideas you send me an email – commodore@spsa.us.
See you out on the Bay

SPSA – Couples/Double-Handed Race and Other Updates

Hello Sailors,
  • This Saturday, May 4th is our Couples/Double-handed race. Open to all members – any combination of two sailors. It is a pursuit race – 1100 first start. All start times will be posted by Friday afternoon, 4/3. Post-race celebration at the Sailing Center with awards and a light meal with a Cinco-de-Mayo theme will be provided to all racers. Please RSVP to by replying to this email or secretary@spsa.us by Friday morning. * If you're not racing on Saturday and would like to volunteer to help with the post race event please let me know. We could use one or two folks to help out.*
  • Update to the scoring/order of finish for our last Spring Series race on April 13th. 
            Spinnaker – 1st is Tack Tick
                                2nd – Gimmie Shelter
                                3rd – Mojo
            Cruising w/Spin (no change) – 1st – Charisma
                                                             2nd – Legacy
            Cruising – change to the order of finish do to a scoring input error
                     1st place is Slow Bell
                     2nd – Cayennita III
                     3rd – Desiderata
            Sonar (non-spin) – 1st is Sonar Burney skippered by Wendy Reeve
                                           2nd – Sonar Hare
  • Thanks everyone for a great season! Keep sailing through the summer – the best way to keep your boat and crew tuned is by running the KOB – don't forget to report the times to commodore@spsa.us.
  • Our next Board of Directors meeting is Tuesday May 7, 6:00PM at the Sailing Center. Our meetings are open to all members, please let me know if you plan to attend.  If you are interested in participating in the leadership of SPSA this would be a good meeting to attend or you can reach out to me and I can provide more information.

See you out on the Bay!

April 2024 Update

  • King of the Bay – We had 5 reports of KOB sailings in March. The winner, by just 46 seconds, is Sonar Burney. On the blustery morning of March 26, Wendy Reeve and Greg Burney along with crew Rich McNichols and Jerry Plummer, skippered Sonar #2 (non-spin) to March's winning corrected time of 00:47:13. With wind blowing 15-20kts and some healthy gusts, they started at G1 and rounded the course counterclockwise. Wendy reported the chop as being moderate, Greg vehemently disagreed! 🥴. Congratulations skippers & crew! It's a new month and plenty of days left to attempt to take the KOB flag in April! Report your times to commodore@spsa.us.
  • SPSA Series Races 15 & 16, Saturday April 13 start time 1100. RC will be Jeff Janus and his boat Shiva, an S-2 6.7. This will be our final series race for the 2023-24 season. There is some close competition, especially in the Cruising Spin class, that will be decided in this race. Don't miss out! Jeff on Shiva is requesting some assistance from someone experienced with Race Committee proceedings. If you are available to help out please email commodore@spsa.us

  • Speaking of Race Committee: Just a reminder that prior to the start of the race per our sailing instructions;     The Race Committee boat will display an “L” flag (Come Within Hail, see attached) when it is prepared to check in competitors. Checking in with the race committee is mandatory. Each competitor shall communicate the boat name, sail number, class and any modifications to the boat’s normal rating. 

SPSA Flags.jpeg

  • Our Couple's/Doublehanded Race will be on Saturday May 4th. This is a pursuit race with the first start time set at 1100. If you haven't registered yet, what are you waiting for? Find a partner – the love of your life, your bestie, or a loyal crew member –  and prepare for a fun (and maybe challenging) day on the Bay! Participants are invited to a post race celebration at the Sailing Center – details to follow.
  • Sunday May 26 Raft-up on Boca Ciega Bay. Thanks to SPSA and BCYC member Lezlee Kramer, Boca Ciega Yacht Club has extended an invitation to SPSA members to participate in their Raft-Up in May. Additional details can be found in the attached flyer. This is a great opportunity to explore other waters around our area, meet some new sailors, and exchange stories and ideas with another active sailing club. Thank you BCYC!
See you all out on the Bay


pdf icon SPSA-invite-raftup2024.pdf

March race results and other happenings

Hello Sailors,
Happy first day of Spring 💐!
  • We had a great turn-out for our Spring Series/St. Patrick's Day Races. Hula Girl and crew did a fantastic job as RC and the race courses and distances were perfect for the day's conditions. Fun on the water with Leprechauns and some shenanigans, and a lively post race party at the Big Catch at Salt Creek – Thank you Rear Commodores Connie Riechert and Doug Jones for making all the arrangements.
    • To recap – overall winners for the day:
    • Racing Division, Spinnaker Class – #1 Gimmie Shelter, #2 Mojo, 
    • #3 Tack Tick
    • Cruising Division, Spinnaker Class – #1 Charisma, #2 Legacy, 
    • #3 Koinonia II
    • Cruising Division, Jib & Main – #1 Slow Bell, #2 Cayennita III, #3 Fantasea
    • Cruising Division, Sonar Non-Spin – #1 Sonar Burney, #2 Sonar Hare
  • Congratulations to all the winners and to everyone who came out. Special thanks to Rosann Drust for gifting our winners with beautifully embroidered boat towels commemorating our St. Patrick's Day race. Thank you Roseann.
  • Next up is our Spring Full Moon Pursuit Race this Saturday March 23. First boat started in 1930. Race course details and all start times will be provided by Friday. If you haven't experienced a full moon race don't miss out – they are magical. Post race meet-up at the St. Pete Marina South Dock Pavillion(where the Pier One Yacht Sales office is located).
  • Also on March 23 is the SPYC MOA Race. It's a 60 mile race. There is still time to register. This is a new race for SPYC – bringing back some long distance races.
  • Saturday April 6th is the SPYC 81 Bay/Charlie Morgan Memorial Regatta. Come out and honor a great sailor, designer, boat builder and an all around wonderful man.
  • Our final Series Races for the 2023 – 24 will be on Saturday April 14, start time 1100. RC will be Jeff Janus on Shiva, an S2 6.7 Post Race meet-up details will be announced soon. 
    • In the meantime – don't forget about the King of the Bay. Run the KOB course and take the flag if you can. Report finish times to commodore@spsa.us.
    See you out on the Bay!

    SPSA – February Update and What’s Next!

    Hello Sailors,
    February has been a busy month for sailboat racing. Among the clubs around the bay there were racing opportunities every weekend. We had cooler temps, light winds, brilliant sunny days, heavy winds and rainy conditions – typical Florida winter.
    We started out the month with our second installment of our Spring Series Races – races 11 & 12. It was a light air day. We were only able to get one race off. Thank you Guy Van Doran and Fiddlesticks for being the Race Committee for the day. Winners for the day were Tack Tick in the Racing Division, Legacy in Cruising Spin, Slow Bell – Cruising, and Sonar Burney in the Sonar/Non-Spin Class. Congratulations to all!
    The Helly Hansen – Sailing World Regatta took over the Bay February 16-18. Well over 200 boats participated in this international regatta series race. Friday started out with postponements waiting for the winds to fill in and only one race was completed. Saturday was a "sporty" day with gusts over 20 and Sunday brought a very windy and rainy day, a racing challenge for all. 9 SPSA member boats participated in the PHRF Distance Race with 4 taking the podium – Ray Mannix/Semper Fi, Tony Sampere/Cayennita III, Jeff Lewis/Slow Bell and Dave Roberts/Legacy. Members Lon Ethington and Meg Gimmie sailed their Windmill Pig Headed and took second place in a one design Division Congratulations to everyone, especially the crews that slogged through the conditions on Sunday.
    This past Saturday Tampa Sailing Squadron held its Gasparilla Regatta. Alway gracious hosts, the TSS race brough great weather with healthy winds that made for a fun race and a pirate themed after party with food, a band and dancing and rum all around. Again, 9 SPSA member boats participated. Taking home some pirate treasure were Slow Bell, Hula Girl II, Cayennita and Legacy. Well Done SPSA!
    March Events for SPSA:
    Saturday March 2 is our Commodore's Cup. This is a pursuit race with the first start at 1100. All start times will be posted by Friday afternoon. Post Race Meet-up will be at Localz. Even if you don't get the chance to race try to make it to the post race gathering. If you are new to the club this is a great opportunity to meet other members. 
    Tuesday March 5th is our next Board of Directors meeting, 6:00PM at the Sailing Center. All members are welcome to attend. Attending a meeting is a great way to get a little more involved in the club and find opportunities to offer ideas and volunteer. If you plan to attend please let us know by sending an email to commodore@spsa.us
    Saturday March 16 – Spring Series Races 13 & 14 – Our St. Patrick's Day Race☘️. Start time 1100. Hula Girl II will be RC – expect some leprechaun shenanigans🍀 on the Bay. Details for the Post Race Party are upcoming. For sure there will be awards for the best dressed boat and crew.
    Saturday March 23 is our Spring Full Moon Pursuit Race – start time 1930. All start times will be posted by Friday afternoon. Don't miss out on the magical experience of racing under a full moon. 
    Other Racing Opportunities around the Bay in March:
    March 9 – SPYC Pennington Cup – this is a Gulf Race out of their Pass-a-grille clubhouse. If you want to sail and not deal with the Grand Prix traffic this is a great event. See here for details https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=16458.
    SPYC Twilight Series begins on Friday March 25th. The best way to round out your week is to sail. Go here for registration details.
    March 23 – SPYC MOA Race – this is a 60 nautical mile race. A new race for this year, one of the SPYC Ocean Racing Series Race. It will be a good challenge for boats and crew. Don't miss out. 
    Don't forget you have a few more Days to try to win the King of the Bay for February. Brian Conlin sailing Obsession currently holds the flag as winner for January. His time also put him in the 6th spot for fastest overall time.
    Whew!
    See you all out on the Bay