Da Kine

Down with the scene, we present a look at the International 14 class from SD NOOD winner Brad Ruetenik. Photos courtesy of the lovely Renee. Enjoy.

Well, the San Diego NOOD came and went this past weekend. This is the 5th year the International 14s have participated in the regatta, though the class is definitely not One Design, nor Offshore. This regatta is held during a good time slot in the I-14 race calendar, one month after the SCYA Midwinters, which are sailed out of ABYC in Long Beach, CA. We've created a So. Cal. winter series where the Seattle and San Francisco fleets can get out of the cold dark winter to come south and sail in relatively warm waters and nice breezes. Fourteen boats were registered this year, however a couple last minute changes lead to only 13 boats on the line, this is down from the 15 we've had the last two years, when the West Coast Championships were being contested.

A few of the regulars are currently without boats as they are awaiting delivery of recently purchased boats being shipped from the U.K. Others are waiting for new boat builds here in the states or picking up boats from the Australian market. We are starting to see some building interest in the class after getting the I-14 World championships back to the U.S. in the summer of 2006 out of ABYC. There were some new faces to the fleet and increased interest in getting geared up for the upcoming worlds. The fact that some very competitive used boats are finally coming on the US market will only help build interest in this developmental class.

The Midwinters and NOOD regattas were the warm ups to the 14 season which next goes the Kaneohe Bay, Oahu for the Pacific Rim Championships the end of April. Expecting 30+ boats in Hawaii, as two US containers, one Canadian, one Australian, and one Japanese container will join the building Hawaiian fleet.

Also rumors of some UK sailors making their way to the sun so we can laugh at their 'pasty white skin'. The boats will then come back from HI to the west coast regular summer season which includes trips to the Santa Barbara Skiff festival, Richmond Series, Huntington Lake, then off to the Gorge in early Aug. Many of the boats will then ship to Toronto for the North American Championships in Sept., followed closely afterwards by the US Nationals in Annapolis. Boats will then be shipped back to the west coast for St. Francis Fall Dinghy, Turkey Day at ABYC, and some final training before we're off the Auckland for next worlds Feb '05, this promises to be a great trip for the entire international fleet. This should be a good lead up to the follow up ABYC Worlds out of Long Beach, CA., in Aug/Sept. '06, with the consistent 10-20 kts. and long ocean swells on the outside courses used for all championship racing.

People might wonder how we get around so much! There have been great is about equivalent to a local 30' sport boat staying at home year in and out. The fun factor is highly multiplied vs.
your normal sailing season. These boats aren't for everyone, but if your interested in a great challenge and a perma-smile on your face; it's worth a look.

03/31/2004