The WRAFteR - Ware River Albacore Fleet Report
Clever title, eh? Thanks to Dave Huber, WRYC Albacore Sailor, for these Albacore Fleet Updates from across the country:
19-20 Sept 2026 PRSA President’s Cup Regatta
This past weekend 18 Albacores raced on the Potomac River for the PRSA President’s Cup Regatta. They were joined by three Lightning’s, four Flying Scot’s and five I-20’s. Saturday had very light and very shifty winds. Only two races were run in the challenging conditions. The wind shifted over 100 degrees within a few minutes multiple times throughout the day and the velocity never got above 4 knots. Skippers had to constantly monitor the tell tails and adapt to the changes. The current also played a large factor. Competitors were happy to see the shortened course flag on the second race!
The specialty pizza dinner and plenty of beer (supplied by HAPCO Marine’s Barney Harris) was enjoyed by everyone and we commiserated over the lack of wind.
Sunday morning was significantly different. The winds were much stronger and steadier. The race committee was able to run four Windward Leeward with longer legs than the previous day. The very competitive Albacore Fleet pushed hard on the starts. After a General Recall the experienced PRO (and former Albacore skipper Jim Graham) brought out the “I” flag for the remaining races. That kept the fleet under control for the starts, but there was still a lot of “strong discussion” at the tight mark roundings. Many finishes were within a few seconds of each other.
The final Albacore results were Ian & Stephen Duncan in third with 17 points, Barney Harris and Emily Gentile in second with 14 points and Marty Minot & son Jordan in first with 13 points. Next up for the US Albacore fleet will be the US Nationals right here at Ware River during Columbus Day weekend (10-12 October).
To learn more about the Ware River Albacore Fleet contact Dave Huber (David.L.Huber@gmail.com).
The inaugural 2026 Sunday (test) Series got off to a good start on Sept 27. The weather was a little questionable since we were still feeling the effects of the North Easter. The winds were about 14 knots with gusts to the low 20s and it was out of the WNW. Two Albacores launched around 12:30 to run a few practice races. Scott Titus and regular crew Jack took out one of the boats while Dave Huber and Brooke Bertrand sailed the other. They set marks for a short windward/leeward course while Joe Morgan and Tom Bernard ran the 5 minute starts from the dock. The additional water from the North Easter allowed the boats to approach the starting line off the dock without running aground, but the wind direction became challenging since it was coming from the tree line north west of the club. All in all it was a good test of the process and great practice for the sailors.
If you are interested in joining us either in an Albacore or another dinghy (any Laser sailors?), reach out to Dave Huber (David.L.Huber@gmail.com) and join in the fun of racing!