Frostbiting and Laser Regatta Recaps

It might feel odd to read about Frostbiting in the middle of summer, but given that our season runs almost half of the year, we actually sail some warm, sunny days too. Still, “frostbiting” sounds so dramatic, doesn’t it? Before we know it, we’ll be in a new season so it’s worth taking stock of our last one.

2023-24 was another season of growth, with both the Lasers and Cook11s extremely active on the water. The Lasers (also known these days as the “ILCA”) saw 52 different sailors hit the starting line, with 17 qualifiers for the entire season. The Cook11s has 18 sailors, with 9 qualifiers of the entire season. Our peak day, no surprise, was Dave Perry Coach Day with 45 boats racing.

The racers saw a full range of conditions, from blasting wind to barely a puff. And while there was one day where we had to manage snow on the launch ramp, for the most part it was a mild winter and we never had to deal with major ice in the harbor. 

Both fleets owe a great deal of gratitude to our stalwart race committee, anchored by Donald Weld, Donald Dowd, and Sandy Weil, as well as our support team led by Kevin Broome, TJ Danilek, and the high schoolers Kevin somehow ropes into setting marks and keeping a watchful eye over us.

For the Lasers, the season was won by Walter Florio (two years in a row), with Andy Giglia in second and Jean-Yves Fillion in third. For the Cook11s, the season was won by Paul LaBossiere (thus the winner of the Malcolm D. Clarke, Jr. Trophy), followed by Carolyn Russell in second and Dan Smith in third. We also want to highlight and thank this year’s winner of the Stieglitz award for service to the frostbiting fleet, which went to Tom Young.

We followed the Frostbiting season immediately with a 3-day series, the Cold Shoulder. 22 Laser participated in the event and the competition was tight. Andy Giglia took first, followed by Leo Brandl in second and Rob Fear in third (results).

We've now shifted into more casual summer sailing with Thursday night racing and Weekend One Design, where we join the K6 fleet in the Sound. You can find the full schedule here. If you've toyed with joining the Laser fleet, summer is a great time to learn by taking a clinic at AYC or grabbing a lesson from one of the coaches.

It's also worth noting that we're going to host a 2-day Laser regatta on October 12th and 13th, and we might organize a long distance race in September. The Halloween Howl will be October 27th.

Going into the next Frostbiting season this November, it’s worth reminding everyone who’s toyed with the notion of sailing with us: (1) it’s not actually that cold in our drysuits, (2) we welcome sailors of all levels, and (3) if you join us, we promise fun, great sailing, and true camaraderie.

If you're interested in our fleet or general Laser information at AYC, check out our website.

Special thank you to Don Weld and Tom Young for the photos of the fleet.