THE DASH TO
Photo by Ron Rosenberg.
by Stephanie Arnold and Ken Machtley
SHORTHANDED RACING
I
n 20/20 hindsight (or is that 2020?), one bright spot in the local sailing scene last year was the explosive growth of interest in shorthanded racing. To keep races going during the Covid-19 pandemic, race committees were limiting crew sizes and added new shorthanded divisions. The announcement of the new Mixed Two Person Offshore Keelboat event being added to the 2024 Olympics further contributed to the interest and enthusiasm. Embracing the new norm, both the Southern Sound Series and the North Sound Party Circuit (among others) will now feature
48º NORTH
shorthanded divisions for all 2021 series events. We are new to shorthanded racing—and to each other. We have both sailed for more than 25 years and raced for more than five years. Stephanie campaigned her crewed J/33 Dash to 48° North’s Top 25 Sailboats in 2019. Ken has raced his crewed Martin 242 throughout the North Sound and British Columbia in more than 350 starts over the past five years. Being based on Orcas Island in the San Juans and in Bellingham — well away from population centers — we have each found it challenging to find consistent crew with the flexibility to travel to events.
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MARCH 2021
