The sailing season is winding down for 2012 and it’s time to look back and remember all the fun we’ve had this year!

The Open 5.70 Class Association likes to recognize those boats who not only finished well at each regatta but put in the best performance overall for the year! The scoring takes into account how many boats were at each regatta and rewards those who participated in all the high point races.

The winners in 2012 are as follows:

Full Results

 Photo courtesy of www.pressure-drop.us

The Great Pumpkin Regatta is the final high point regatta on the Open 5.70 One Design racing calendar for the Northern California Fleet. This event always delivers some unusual Bay conditions and this year was no exception. The regatta has boats racing around buoys on Saturday, followed by a giant Halloween themed party at Richmond Yacht Club, and then a pursuit “race” around San Francisco Bay on Sunday.

The Open 5.70s had 11 entries, making it one of the largest one-design fleets at the event – only the Express 27s and Moore  24s had 12 boats. Since it was the last high point regatta of the year there was a lot at stake with some podium places still up for grabs in the Northern California Overall One Design competition. (more…)

If you’re in Santa Barbara this weekend, October 26th-28th, then send Nick an e-mail (nick@opensailingusa.com) or give him a call (805.708.0702) and go sailing on the Open 5.70!

The Open 5.70 will be competing in Santa Barbara Yacht Club‘s Goblin Regatta on Saturday & Sunday!

3 Open 5.70s and 1 Open 6.50 raced the Frank Guernsey Single-Handed Challenge out of Redondo Beach Yacht Club (results). It was light breeze but good conditions. Close racing in the Open 5.70 fleet although by the end of the 9 mile race there was quite a spread. Jerome was first boat across the line on “Chupacabra” an all carbon Open 6.50 and none of the other boats in the race managed to correct. Nik Vale was the first Open 5.70 to cross the line and finished 2nd overall (Kattack Replay)

There was plenty of action from the Open 5.70 North Americans held in San Francisco. Conditions were perfect – 15 to 18 knots of breeze and a slack/flood giving us relatively smooth water in which to race. With 20 Open 5.70s on the starting line the competition was fierce – in the end only 1 point separated 1st and 2nd place after 9 races.

Highlights of the regatta included a fly-by from the Space Shuttle as it crossed over the Golden Gate Bridge. Then on Friday all the Open 5.70 sailors ended up sharing the race course with the AC45s who were out practicing for their event coming up in October. These AC boats are amazing and it was a real treat to be on the water sailing in such close proximity… there were some close calls but ultimately we managed to stay out of each others way!

Tom Baffico and crew narrowly beat out Tracey Kenney (who had 5 bullets) for the title of “Open 5.70 North American Champion”. Full Results.

The event was heavily photographed from the RC boats, the shore, professional photographers, AC photographers, etc, etc. We’re still getting ourselves organized but there are plenty of photos on display on our Facebook Page, and we have an early article published on Latitude 38.

Stay tuned for more videos & articles…

The 2012 Open 5.70 North American Championship is going to be held in San Francisco, CA at Golden Gate Yacht Club. The regatta will see 20+ Open 5.70s competing for the coveted “Open 5.70 Keel” perpetual trophy. The regatta will take place along the city front in San Francisco – the same venue that the AC45s use for the Americas Cup. This venue is known for it’s great breeze and provides spectators on shore with an up close and intimate perspective of all the action!

Visit the North American Championships page on the Open 5.70 Class Association website or follow the event on Facebook!

“This year’s Sarcoma Cup was my first race as skipper on the Open 5.70 Boracic. We had a lot to live up to, considering that my dad, Nik and I had won the race the year previous on the same boat. But hey, first race driving? What could go wrong?”

continue reading on norcalsailing.com

It has become a tradition for the NorCal Open 5.70 fleet to meet the SoCal fleet for the High Sierra Regatta organized by the Fresno YC on Huntington Lake, Ca. What an amazing place to race on the water and to spend time with the fleet onshore. This year 17 Open 5.70s joined the fun, 11 from the Bay area and 6 from South Cal. This venue is very laid back and many people make a long weekend out of it arriving early and leaving late so as to enjoy the lake and everything it has to offer – even the opportunity to sail with family members.

The final overall results were as tight as they could be with 3 boats tied for first with 9 points! Read more…

There are 17 Open 5.70s registered for the High Sierra Regatta this weekend!

This regatta is always fun. Camping and Sailing in the mountains on a beautiful lake – what can be better. The Open 5.70 fleet has the entire college campsite reserved so it should also be a very social weekend!!

Photo by Bronny Daniels (www.joysailing.com)

What an amazing weekend of racing! Long Beach really delivered in 2012 with 3 cloudless days of sunshine and fantastic breeze in the high teens every single day! This year’s tag line was “Size Matters : LBRWs Biggest Fleet” and the Open 5.70 fleet drove that message home with 21 boats in all – 11 travelling from the San Francisco area and 10 local Southern California boats. This is the 3rd year in a row that the Open 5.70 fleet has been the largest at Long Beach Race Week.

Read more: Long Beach Race Week