annapolis yacht club frostbite

Sailing through the snow: Frostbite racing…

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Sailing through the snow: frostbite racing offers annapolis boating enthusiasts a chance to let go.

Kenneth K. Lam/Baltimore Sun

A J-105 crew races in the first race of the "Frostbite Sailing" series. Race participants will pilot their boats through the cold and snow during the cold months.

Race committee at the start of the first race of the "Frostbite Sailing" series.

A US Naval Academy crew pilots their J-105 boat in the first race of the "Frostbite Sailing" series.

J-105 boats pick up speed after the start of first race of the "Frostbite Sailing" series.

First race of the "Frostbite Sailing" series.

A crew maneuvers their boat for the turn during the first race of the "Frostbite Sailing" series.

A line of J-22 boats start in the first race of the Frostbite sailing series. Race participants will pilot their boats through the cold and snow instead of sitting at home in front of the fire and watching Ravens games.

He doesn’t see how that cozy and comfy Baltimore tradition could possibly compare to the pleasures of piloting a sailboat through water skimmed with ice in the bone-numbing chill while being buffeted by 30-mph winds and occasionally getting dunked in the harbor.

“The water is cold, for sure, and you can feel it through a wet suit or a drysuit,” said Williamson, 44, of Pasadena who captains a fleet of Laser sailboats for the Severn Sailing Association.

“My limit is that I can capsize and be in the water five times on a really cold day. After that, I have to go back to the dock.”

Williamson is among nearly 200 gluttons for punishment … err … Maryland boating enthusiasts who participate each year in two series of sailboat competitions, dubbed Frostbite racing, that run Sunday afternoons between November and March on the Severn River and in the harbor in front of the U.S. Naval Academy. One series is run by the Severn Sailing Association, and the second, by the Annapolis Yacht Club.

Joking aside, these athletes have found sailing to be so deeply rewarding that they can’t bear to give the sport up during the cold weather months.

“A lot of people would say, ‘This is crazy.’ I would rather be watching football,'” said Williamson, a middle school teacher and the father of four sons. “Winter sailing is not for everyone. But I find that most adults need some form of release. For anyone who participates in amateur sports, part of the enjoyment is that it allows you to let go of things that bring you stress. When I’m sailing a small boat, I’m hyper-focused. Nothing can distract me and that is a wonderful feeling.”

The tradition of Frostbite sailing in the U.S. appears to date back at least to Jan. 1, 1932 and began with a boast and a dare, according to accounts of a race in Long Island’s Manhasset Bay from The New York Times and other publications. The sport caught on and spread throughout the country. Now, yacht clubs from Seattle, Washington, to Newport, Rhode Island and Charleston, South Carolina, schedule Frostbite races.

The Annapolis Yacht Club has offered a Frostbite series continually since the winter of 1962-63, said Linda Ambrose, the club’s harborside director, and the Severn Sailing Association has operated its winter races since 1975. About 90 sailors have registered to participate in the yacht club’s Frostbite races, and about the same number have signed up for the Severn Sailing series.

“Even when the club burned down [on Dec. 12, 2015] we ran a race the next day,” said Bobby Frey, 68, of Annapolis, the yacht club’s principal race officer. “We didn’t even break during the pandemic.”

Which series sailors participate in depends on the type of boat they own.

The Severn club specializes in races between Laser sailboats — 14-foot, one-person crafts that television viewers may have spotted competing in the Summer Olympics. Lasers are small, light, speedy and, Williamson added, “wet,” meaning that if you’re aboard one, you will be too.

The Annapolis Yacht Club has run its Frostbite series continually since the winter of 1962-63 for keel boats ranging in size from 20 feet long, to boats with 40-foot-plus hulls.

Larger and more stable keel boats are known as “dry” boats because they provide more protection from the elements.

Frey said that race rules require that these larger crafts have at least three crew members weighing at least 100 pounds aboard each boat for safety reasons. If someone falls overboard, that leaves a second person to steer the boat and a third person to pull in the surprised swimmer.

Skippering the different boats requires mastering different skills.

There’s nothing like being capsized to teach people to never underestimate Mother Nature. And while that rule also applies to the crews of keel boats, it’s a lesson that people who sail the ultra-responsive — and tippy — Lasers tend to learn extra-quickly.

“You learn to respect the water immensely, and you learn to respect the environment you are in” said Jonathan Bartlett, 62, of Annapolis, who was commodore of the yacht club in 2020 and 2021.

“A storm on land is not a big deal compared to a storm on the water. You have to be aware of the elements, and you have to be aware of the people who are on your boat and other boats. If you have learned to be safe on the water, you are probably also safer on land, because you are always watching where you are.”

In contrast, bigger boats teach pilots to rely on their instincts.

“Small boats respond to everything you do,” Williamson said. “When you are in a big boat, you can’t really feel what’s going on in the same way that you can in a dinghy. You learn to make decisions based on what you know to be true.”

And, if the small boats are useful for sharpening the technical skills of sailing, keel boats might do a better job of teaching some critical social skills.

“When I was growing up, there was a philosophy that the skipper of the boat made all the decisions,” said Tim Libby, 45, of Annapolis, whose family has been sailing at the yacht club for four generations.

“But when I was sailing at the University of Rhode Island, where I went to college, I got away from that philosophy. I learned how to start trusting people and assigning them different duties and responsibilities: one person might sail the boat, another might call the tactics, and another person might control the crew.

“I think that’s a microcosm for life, really. In this day and age we need to trust and depend on people more than ever,” Libby explained.

When Bartlett observes a boat in a Frostbite race break away from the pack and begin sailing in a circle, something in his heart lifts. It means that the boat’s crew has acknowledged that it has sailed too near another craft and is voluntarily taking a penalty lap.

Those laps tell Bartlett that the sailboat’s crew has conquered one of life’s most difficult lessons: they admitted that they made a mistake and accepted the consequences.

“Sailing is all about honor and dignity and self-policing,” Bartlett said. “It’s about doing the right thing.”

Frostbite sailing is also about the clubhouse and the camaraderie. After the races there’s food, drink, laughter and trading tips.

But it’s also about keeping the tools that sailors are born with in top working order. The more you use your working parts, the better they will function over time.

“The Laser is a physical boat,” Williamson said, adding that one of the best sailors he knows is 84.

Bodies were meant to move, Frey thinks. Arms were made to pull, and legs and the torso were meant to brace yourself and keep your balance.

“Frostbite sailing isn’t for everyone,” Frey said. “But, it’s something that for some people gets into your blood.

“Why would anyone want to sit inside and watch someone play football on TV when they could always go outside and get on a boat?”

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'Tis the Season for Frostbite Sailing

Want to know who I admire? Those crazy sailors who brave the winter wind to follow their passion for sailing—even in February! It’s the season for the annual frostbite series sailboat races that take place in Annapolis and other seaside towns in December, January, and February.

While we ordinary folks huddle on dry land with a hot mug, frostbite sailors are actually out there living and breathing. They will tell you it’s exhilarating, daunting, mind bending, soul stretching. I believe it. And I think just maybe they’re not so crazy after all.

Sailboat racers want to race in the winter, and many will travel to Florida or the Caribbean to compete. To satisfy the desire here in the Annapolis, the Severn Sailing Association and the Annapolis Yacht Club host regular winter weekend races, labeled the “frostbite” series for a very good reason. Each race lasts about 45 minutes, usually running a triangular course marked for the day with anchored inflatable buoys. Most frostbite races are one-design sailing races, which means that each boat in a particular race is of the same design, maybe a Laser, a Harbor 20, or a J boat design, and the first boat to finish wins.

Other race divisions might be PHRF rather than one design. Performance Handicap Racing Fleet is a yacht racing handicapping system that allows different sailboat classes to race against each other in the same race. The scoring system accounts for and cancels out the inherent advantages and disadvantages of each class of boats. The idea is that the score should reflect the skill of the crew rather than the effects of the boat’s particular design and equipment.

Boat skippers and crew can enter a racing series via the sponsoring organization’s website. There are special frostbite rules. Sailors must wear the right gear, meaning a life vest over a wetsuit or drysuit with booties and gloves. Hypothermia from falling in the water is a serious danger. The Annapolis Yacht Club requires at least three sailors per boat so that if a crewmember goes overboard, the helmsman can steer while the second crew member rescues the third from the water. No spinnaker finishes and no hiking out are allowed.

There is always a race committee or chase boat with engine power on hand for rescues and for setting the racecourse. And the races are always cancelled if conditions are too extreme. (A typical AYC race cancellation notice: “With the wind, rain, temps, etc., reflecting the makings of a miserable day (direction isn't too favorable let alone plenty of yellow on the radar) we are cancelling Frostbite racing for today.”

My own time on the water is devoted to cruising and exploring, and not to sailboat racing, but I can feel the allure of racing. Being on the water gives you perspective—about life, about sublime beauty, about our place on this planet. Add intense risk and discomfort from cold, then mix in fellowship and competition among racers, and follow it up with camaraderie and a hot bowl of chili in the clubhouse, and you have the formula that gets these sailors out there on a cold winter afternoon. I can see why they do it.

If you’ve ever stood on your skis at the top of a snow covered mountain, blustery wind in your face and an iced-over lake stretching out in the distance below, you have an inkling of the exhilaration of winter outdoor activity. It sharpens you senses and crystallizes your breath. It makes you feel very alive.

Frostbite sailors will tell you that the harbor in winter gives them ideal sailing conditions—a harbor clear of moored boats and wacky powerboaters and paddlers, with wide open freedom from annoying boat wakes and chop. The wind is theirs alone to see, to predict, to anticipate. Often overhead there are puffy white clouds in a clear blue sky (okay, maybe sometimes a gray blue sky).

They will tell you that the sun’s low light is better in the wintertime, sparkling off the ridges in the water. They speak about seeing the wind gust patterns on the water, sensing the unobstructed wind direction and the tide’s ebb and flow on the surface of an otherwise empty harbor. They know the sound of the air whistling in their boat rigging and snapping against the masts of the slip-bound winterized boats at the launch.

Watch from ashore at City Dock or from the Spa Creek Bridge or an Eastport street end. You’ll see them out there, and you’ll wonder what they could be thinking. But see it through the sailors’ eyes—it’s not about the wind and cold. It’s about the exhilaration, the camaraderie, the gumption, the passion for sailing.

If you like what you see--if you’re smitten--it’s yours for the asking. Learn more about sailing at:

Severn Sailing Association https://www.severnsailing.org/ Annapolis Yacht Club https://www.annapolisyc.com/ Eastport Yacht Club https://www.eastportyc.org/ J World Annapolis http://jworldannapolis.com/

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Why We Race Sailboats in Winter aka “Frostbiting”

Posted January 5, 2022

Outside the Comfort Zone: Why We Frostbite Race as Sailors

To someone who prefers the couch to the cockpit when it’s wintry outside, the only question that makes sense to ask those who race sailboats or “frostbite race” is: “Why do you do it?” Yet, when you ask active frostbiters that question, their answers tend to make so much sense and exude so much enthusiasm that it makes you want to get up off the couch, gear up, and give it a try. 

Harbor 20 sailor Bell Carty has been frostbite racing in the Annapolis Yacht Club (AYC) series since the early 90s. She says, “The appeal of frostbiting is to be on the water. It’s a little outside of the comfort zone, but still fun! Bundling up can be fun—it’s cold but not too bad.”

McGinnis races his 1979 J/30 Blitz, also in Annapolis, and has done so for the past decade. “First and foremost, I appreciate and enjoy the relaxed atmosphere,” he says. “We are all out there to have fun and to try to improve on some aspect of sailing that we can carry over into the next season. I think all of us understand that ‘it’s just frostbite.’ Not that we aren’t competitive! I mean, we are sailors… of course, we are competitive!  

“As a skipper, I really like the two-race format. It gives me an opportunity to really focus on positioning the boat during the start sequence. If I make a mistake, I can get right back on the start line for the second race and try it again.”  

Frist is a little bit newer to the game, having started her frostbite race career aboard her J/30 Suzie Q three or four years ago. She says, “I enjoy frostbiting because my crew and I can focus on fine tuning our basic skills (i.e. timing starts, trimming, and tactics) without having to deal with the spinnaker. We also don’t need as many crew to race in frostbites, so finding crew is a little easier.”

There’s no bad weather, only bad gear Frostbite sailors learn quickly what works best for them in terms of warmth and dryness. Carty wears her “old Musto and Helly Hansen foulies over Patagonia puff jacket and fuzzy pants. Now I wear an Army hat to support my cadet! Always a warm hat! Always gloves. Any kind that keeps your hands warm and fit properly.”

McGinnis says, “With the unseasonably warm temperatures we’ve had lately, this is a hard question to answer! Heck, some days I’ve contemplated sailing in shorts! When the temperatures really drop, I have a pair of Harken neoprene gloves that I really like. I also wear some winter socks by Fox River that I got issued back when I was in the Army. They’re made from some kind of heavyweight wicking material that really does a great job of keeping your feet warm and dry.”

“I love my Dubarry Boots and my fleece ear flap cap from Duluth Trading Company,” says Frist. “I feel like I can withstand the cold temps no matter how low they go by keeping my feet and head warm! Other mainstays are fleece lined leggings, layers of tops, a warm foul weather jacket, full-fingered racing gloves, and good sunglasses.”

There are tough days… About 10 years ago when he first started racing, McGinnis says, “I had a J/24 named SWAG. My crew and I decided to race the Hangover Bowl… Up to that point, my only experience racing was with the standard windward/leeward format during weekend regattas and Thursday nights with J/World. I had absolutely no experience finding my way around government marks. This particular Hangover Bowl, the temps were in the 20s or 30s, and the wind was howling and just brutally cold. Between the strong gusts, the cold air, and not having the first clue where I was on the racecourse, let’s just say our overall performance was less than impressive. We had fun and we learned a lot… but I was happy to get off the water!”

Frist says, “Every frostbite race has the stress of trying to make sure we can see all traffic, especially the tiny boats crossing our path. This is a challenge because we are not allowed to leave the cockpit.”

Carty shares a lighthearted cold-day memory: “When we were rigging the boat, we were scraping ice and snow off of it and launched with snow still in the cockpit. We had snowball fights and were laughing around the racecourse. The tough part that day was keeping your hands warm!”

Making amazing memories 

One memorable day for McGinnis came early in the season. After making a smart decision to start closer to the seawall than the pin, he managed to stay in the pressure, put a substantial distance between his boat and the rest of the fleet, and score the bullet. “We had not had a good season up to that point, so the bullet was a much-needed morale boost, not just for me but for the crew,” he says. It changed the way his crew now approached the wind when it was coming down the Severn. 

“The other thing that was reinforced that day is the value of having a quiet boat. As we were heading back from that win, my main trimmer leaned over and said, ‘Did you notice nobody was yelling?’ He was right. Everyone on the boat knew what they were doing. We were all focused on one thing: making the boat move fast…  Since then, I’ve done my utmost to recreate that environment every time we get on the racecourse. I’ve got a great crew. All I need to do is trust that they know what they are doing, get out of their way, let them do their job, and just drive the boat!”

Advice for would-be frostbite racers What would these sailors recommend to anyone interested in frostbite racing in the future? 

McGinnis says, “I think the best way to get into frostbite racing is to get into Wednesday or Thursday night racing, and the best way to find a boat for Wednesday night or Thursday night racing is to list yourself on the SpinSheet Crew Finder list (spinsheet.com) or attend the SpinSheet Crew Party (in spring). I say this because there simply isn’t much room for extra crew during frostbite races (since) we aren’t using spinnakers and have to keep everyone inside the cockpit.” The idea is that once frostbite season rolls in, you’ll already be an active part of a team.

Frist says, “If someone wanted to get into frostbites as crew, dress warmly, and bring fun boat snacks! As a skipper, don’t use your best racing sails!”

Carty adds, “If you are interested, find someone doing it that can help you out. Go down to the dock, talk to people, and ask!” ~M.W.

Find more racing articles here.   

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Frostbite Racing Series

• Start Sunday, October 01, 2023
• End Sunday, November 19, 2023
• Schedule 8 sessions
• #1. Sunday, October 01, 2023, 12:00 16:00 (EDT)
• #2. Sunday, October 08, 2023, 12:00 16:00 (EDT)
• #3. Sunday, October 15, 2023, 12:00 16:00 (EDT)
• #4. Sunday, October 22, 2023, 12:00 16:00 (EDT)
• #5. Sunday, October 29, 2023, 12:00 16:00 (EDT)
• #6. Sunday, November 05, 2023, 12:00 16:00 (EST)
• #7. Sunday, November 12, 2023, 12:00 16:00 (EST)
• #8. Sunday, November 19, 2023, 12:00 16:00 (EST)
• Location Hartge Yacht Harbor, 4883 Church Ln, Galesville, MD
• Spaces left 0

Registration

• Backup Sailor If you may be available as a backup occasionally.
• Racing Crew – $120.00 Register if you can make most of the 8 sails on the schedule.

Race with ANSA in the Pirates Cove Racing Club Frostbite Series.

Sunday afternoons beginning Oct 1 through Nov 19.

The cost for participating in all 8 races is $120.

If you can only participate occasionally, please register as a Backup sailor, and we will email you if we don't have a full crew for any race.

Races start at 13:00, meet at the boat at 12:00 and leave the dock by 12:30.

You may join an upcoming Wednesday night race to practice with the team:  September 13, 20, 27

© ANSA The Annapolis Naval Sailing Association is a 501 (c) 7 non-profit organization in Maryland and a Chapter of the United States Naval Sailing Assoc

Contact [email protected] if any problems or questions concerning this website.

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Annapolis Yacht Club

annapolisyc.org

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Annapolis , MD 21401

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AYC’s beginnings were in 1886 as an informal canoe club.

Humble Beginnings In 1904, the first records of meetings indicate a membership of 30. In 1910, the first wharves were built, and the first club manager was hired in 1911 at a salary of $15 a month. Members began to acquire small sailboats and organize club regattas. These were uncomplicated affairs held on Memorial Day and Labor Day. Shell and canoe races started up Spa Creek at Old Woman Cove and ended at the Eastport Bridge. There were also swimming races and diving competitions. The club owned several single and double shells, two four-oared shells, and was given an eight-oared shell in 1911 by the US Naval Academy.

A Post-War Renewal World War I and the depression slowed boating activities until the mid-30s. A hurricane damaged the clubhouse and the wharf was reduced to pilings in 1933, and it was difficult to keep the club’s quota of 100 resident members. By 1936, there seemed to be little interest by members in the club and changes were needed. With renewal in mind, in 1937 the Annapolis Yacht Club was incorporated and the first formal regatta was held that year. The Fall Series’ first year was in 1940 with five boats competing. World War II interrupted organized racing, but in 1946 the Spring Series was started with three classes – 30 Square Meters, Stars, and Chesapeake 20s. By 1948, Moths, Comets, and Hamptons were also taking part. The Annapolis to Newport Race started as Newport to Annapolis in 1947, and has been run every two years since. A dining room was added to the club in the late 1940s, and in 1948, the first Smoking Lamp newsletter appeared as a single page mimeographed sheet.

The Junior Fleet The Junior Fleet started in 1948 with six Dolphin sailboats. In 1953, the first Fleet Trophy was presented to Nancy Scofield, and interest in the Junior Fleet brought hundreds of young sailors onto the water. By the late 1960s, International 420s were replacing the vintage Dolphins, and the Club’s record in the early ’70s included many Chesapeake Bay championships and North American Junior trophies. Members of AYC’s Junior Fleet have gone on to become successful racers.

Wednesday Night Races: An Annapolis Tradition Wednesday Night Races were the brainchild of P/C Gaither Scott. After seeing the Wednesday Night Races at East Greenwich YC in Rhode Island in 1958, Scott inaugurated midweek racing at AYC in 1959. No race committee, no prizes, no scoring, but there was a picnic supper after sailing. “S” boats, H-23s, 5.5 meters, Bermuda One Design, and Rainbows raced, but interest waned in the mid-60s. To correct this, smaller classes of boats were invited, and in 1965, 35 boats entered the series. By 1967, 112 boats were taking part.

Frostbite Racing Frostbite racing began in the winter of 1962-1963. Seven Rainbows were the inaugural class with five short races a day, starting and finishing at the club. Gladiators joined Frostbite racing in the fall of 1963, and MORC made the third class in 1964, when the Board of Governors officially recognized the Frostbite Series as an official event. The first Hangover Bowl (New Year’s Day) was on Jan. 1, 1966.

More than a Club… In December 2015, Annapolis Yacht Club’s Main Clubhouse at 2 Compromise Street suffered a fire. A temporary clubhouse was then opened, where operations continued until the reopening of the Main Clubhouse in September 2018. The Sailing Center, which opened in early 2019, is the new home for the many sailing activities that will define AYC sailing for years to come. Next to open in the summer of 2019 was the Activity Center, complete with swimming pool and full outdoor access for families to enjoy recreational activities that cater to members of all ages. These modern properties will be significant as we continue to expand services, programs, and events for our members and participating yacht clubs with the full support of a fabulous staff and volunteer membership.

Today, AYC is at full membership (1600 regular members) with very active social, racing, and cruising programs. Large international events such as the Star Class World Championship, Rolex International Women’s Keelboat Championship, and many North American championships are hosted every year at AYC. AYC is known worldwide thanks to the members who are prominent in participating in, promoting, and organizing the sport of sailboat racing, as well as those who opt to leisurely cruise the waters of the Chesapeake and beyond.

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Harbor 20 Class Association

Annapolis yacht club’s frostbite series.

Annapolis Yacht Club began the annual Frostbite Series on Sunday, November 6 th with over 90 racing sailboat registered to race through March 25 th . Several local yacht clubs are invited by AYC to participate in the Frostbite Series each winter.  Recognizing the fastest growing fleet in Annapolis, AYC granted the Annapolis Harbor 20 fleet #5 its own starting time.  Under sunny skies, a light breeze and a rising tide thirteen Harbor 20s, each with a 3 man crew, sailed across the starting line toward the first mark.  The lead changed several times and there were some great tactics at the first mark when five boats arrived at the same time.  As we reached for the finish line next to the club house boat speed and jibing skills created more lead changes.  Back at the dock, everyone shared strategy and talked about how we might improve performance next Sunday.

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