NOOD 2021 adds doublehanded race

With the opening event for the 2021 Helly Hansen NOOD Regatta series in St. Petersburg, FL postponed from February to April, the annual circuit gets underway in San Diego, CA on March 19-21, and this year the NOOD is introducing the North Sails Doublehanded Distance Race.

According to NOOD Regatta event director, Jennifer Davies, the new doublehanded short-distance race will be offered at all five 2021 NOOD events – San Diego, St. Petersburg, Annapolis, Chicago, and Marblehead.

With the NOOD focus typically on one design classes, host San Diego Yacht Club will use velocity prediction program (VPP) based ratings for the newly conceived Saturday-only mid-distance race.

Open for monohull boats 24 to 48 feet long racing with a crew of two, the race will use the Offshore Racing Association (ORA) rating system (ORR) due to its prevalence in the region, utilizing the ORA-1 tool which ORA created as an entry level approach for VPP handicapping.

The ORA-1 certificate ratings will be provided at no charge for boats with ORR or ORR-Ez ratings. For any boats without an ORR certificate, they can apply for a certificate with fees varying dependent on the availability of the boat’s design offset files (click here).

San Diego Yacht Club race manager Jeff Johnson plans to de-emphasize the traditional windward-leeward format and include additional reaching and running legs, setting a course length of 10 to 30 miles depending on wind conditions. ORA certificates allow him to use ratings that match his chosen course configuration as well as the average wind strength of the day.

Because there aren’t many permanent marks on San Diego Bay, Johnson may introduce the use of virtual marks—GPS waypoints—and provide boats with YB Trackers that will add interest to post-race analysis and prove each boat rounded all marks.

The doublehanded format had been given a boost by its selection as a new event in the 2024 Olympic, while the San Diego region shifted in 2020 to shorthanded sailing when local government COVID-19 boating restrictions permitted only same-household crew.

Series information – San Diego details – Facebook

Considered North America’s largest sailing regatta series, the 2021 National Offshore One Design (NOOD) schedule will host five national events and one international championship in the Caribbean.

2021 Schedule
February 12-14 – St. Petersburg, FL (Revised: April 2-4)
March 19-21 – San Diego, CA
April 30-May 2 – Annapolis, MD
June 11-13 – Chicago, IL
July 22-25 – Marblehead, MA
TBD – Caribbean