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)

Open Sailing put on quite a display at the Strictly Sail Pacific Boat Show in Oakland this year. With a total of 5 boats you couldn’t miss these unique looking race boats especially in the crowd of much larger more cruising orientated sail boats.

The Pogo 2 was definitely the star of the show attracting the most attention at the dock. To the seasoned sailor it was an opportunity to check out a boat that they have only seen in pictures, and to others it was something completely new and exciting, either way the Pogo 2 continued to turn heads and get compliments!

Also on display was the ever popular Open 5.70. The fleet in Northern California has tripled in size since the last years Strictly Sail Boat Show and there are now 11 actively racing Opens on San Francisco Bay. With the Spring Dash just the weekend before there was a lot of buzz around the boat. With one on the trailer, one in the water, and one available to go sailing there was plenty of opportunity to learn everything there is to know about this hot race boat. The season for the fleet has had a strong start already with plenty more events planned – check out the Northern California Racing Calendar and contact the Fleet Captain, Marc Finot at norcal@open570usa.com, for crewing opportunities.

Finally we had the all carbon Open 6.50 on display. This unique clear coated, LA Kings branded racing machine certain caught the eye of everyone passing by. With 3 boats in Southern California this rocket ship of a sailboat has proven to be a lot of fun on the water.

Check out the gallery of pictures below, as well as a larger gallery on Facebook.

“Slapshot”, the LA Kings branded Open 6.50, was recently featured in a silent auction held by the Kings Care Foundation to raise money for the Children’s Cancer Research Fund (CCRF). On auction was a poster of the racing sailboat that had been autographed by the team as well as the chance to actually go out for a sail on “Slapshot” with Team Open Sailing.

The winners of the auction, Fred and Mary, recently visited Open Sailing to go for a sail. It was a perfect Southern California day – sunny, good visibility, and good breeze. Click through for more pictures.

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Open Sailing will strike hard this year at the Strictly Sail Pacific Boat Show with the Open 5.70, the full carbon Open 6.50 and the ultimate offshore Mini Transat Pogo 2 all on display! Don’t miss out and come by for fun and friendly sailing conversations about our unique and amazing boats! For information about our location at the show, our boat show specials, and sailing demos visit our Boatshows Page

Open Sailing was crewing on the Open 6.50 Slapshot last Saturday for the Outlaw Regatta. The race starts near the “H” marker in Marina Del Rey, around Palos Verdes, to finish inside the breakwater near Seal Beach YC. It’s basically a nice inshore race, following the coast with 1/3 on a close-haul/close-reach and 2/3 of off the wind through Hurricane Gulch.

The wind this year was not as high as expected but Slapshot crushed its competition by finishing 20 minutes ahead of the 2nd boat in its class! With some max speed in 13 knots, we averaged just over 10 knots of speed over the course (over 30 miles).

Go KINGS ! Go Open Sailing !

Enjoy the video by clicking the link below:

LA KINGS Open 6.50 – Slapshot

Check out piece about the Open 6.50 in the June issue of Sailing World magazine – available on newsstands now!

As Spring turns into Summer and the days are getting longer the opportunities to go sailing in the evening are increasing. Many Yacht Clubs run beer can races – some are more focused on the racing and some are more focused on the beer – which ever it is they are still a great excuse to go out sailing during the week!

If you’re a die hard sailor you can sail every night of the week if you’re prepared to visit a different marina each time. Open Sailing has been racing the Open 6.50 in California Yacht Clubs Sunset Series on Wednesday nights in Marina del Rey and an Open 5.70 in Seal Beach Yacht Clubs Pop Tops Regatta in Long Beach. If you’d like to join us then don’t hesitate to contact us – we’ll provide the racing, you provide the beer!

At the boat show in Oakland we came across the perfect little navigation light for small boats. With the Border Run looming we needed a quick an easy solution for the 3 Open 6.50s and here it was – the Red / Green Navi light. We bought two for each boat on the spot – one for the bow and one for the stern. Since they have a six light modes they can easily be used as a bow light (red & green), a stern light (white only), a port light (red only), a starboard light (green only). With one low profile magnetic base screwed on the bow and another attached to the traveler at the stern all we needed was six AAA batteries and we would have enough light for 3 nights at sea – not that any of us wanted to spend 3 nights at sea on the Open 6.50!

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Two of the three Open 6.50s racing in the Border Run finished on the podium in the PHRF Light B class. After racing 70 miles “Crash” and “Chupacabra” were involved in a tacking duel to the finish with “Crash” coming out on top to take 2nd place in the class only 41 seconds ahead! This was the first over night race for the Southern California Fleet of Open 6.50s and despite the light winds (none of the boats saw more than 12 knots) all 3 boats were very competitive. You can see the full results on the Border Run website and there are a few galleries of photos from the event here and here. The next race for the Open 6.50s is the Berger #3 on May 8th – a 35 mile windward leeward race to Pt. Dume and back.

Photo by Pat Reynolds

Watch the Open 6.50s race LIVE! from Newport Beach to San Diego in the Border Run! Tune in for the start at 11:35am on Saturday April 24th. The race will then be streamed online on the Kattack website or click through for the embedded player. (more…)