Outdoors

Many masts descend on Pier

NOOD regatta makes annual stop with strong field in tow. See it all without getting wet.

By Terry Tomalin, Outdoors Editor
Published February 15, 2008

The junior boys, left, and girls teams from the St. Petersburg Yacht Club and partner sailing center venture out for practice on Tampa Bay in their Sonar class boats.
	[Photo by Renee Athey]

ST. PETERSBURG

The city's waterfront will be bustling with activity this weekend as more than 1,000 sailors from across the United States and abroad gather for one of the largest regattas of the year.

The National Offshore One-Design or NOOD as it is called regatta series has a strong and loyal following here and in eight other U.S. cities. The St. Petersburg event comes just a few weeks after Key West's race week, which, next to the America's Cup, sees the most hotly contested battles in the sport.

The NOOD features three days of one-design (a term used to describe boats with identical measurements and specifications) racing on three different courses with easy viewing from the Pier in downtown St. Petersburg.

Organizers are expecting records to fall.

A taste of what you can expect:

Winning streak

Clearwater resident Mike Carroll has competed in the St. Petersburg NOOD five of the last six years. His Melges 32, New Wave, barely missed first place in Key West last month. Carroll and helmsman Marty Kullman of St. Petersburg beat 25 of the 27 boats in the fleet, finishing "First Corinthian," or the best performance by an amateur crew.

"Every year it is getting tougher and tougher," said Carroll, who won his class in Key West in 2003 and 2006. "The competition is so tight. There are a lot of good boats out there."

Carroll and his crew hit all the big regattas - Miami; Annapolis, Md.; Newport, R.I. - but St. Petersburg has a special place in his heart.

"You won't find a better venue in the United States," he said. "Many of the places we race we are so far from land. But here, people are right on top of the action. It is quite a spectacle."

Carroll has won the St. Petersburg NOOD event four times, and he is hoping to add a fifth trophy to his mantel this weekend, which would set a regatta record.

But Brad and Spike Boston of Point Edward, Ontario, will also be looking for a spot in the record books. Brad, an Ultimate 20 sailor, and Spike, who competes in the S2 7.9 class, both have four wins in St. Petersburg as well.

"There were will be three or four races going on at one time," Carroll said. "It is going to be wild."

Woman chases firsts

When St. Petersburg resident Jennifer French hits the water today, she is hoping to become the first female skipper to win the title in the Sonar class. The NOOD has more than 200 boats but fewer than 10 are skippered by women.

If the 36-year-old wins, she may accomplish another first, becoming the first disabled NOOD sailor to win against able-bodied opponents.

"Sailing is a great sport because I leave the wheelchair behind and compete against the able-bodied sailors," French said. "When we are out there racing, they never know the difference."

French suffered a serious spinal cord injury 10 years ago in a snowboard accident. She is now considered a low-level quadriplegic and has had to modify her boat in order to compete.

"Some of the sailors are often taken aback," she said. "But the Sonar class is used to seeing us around, and they never give us a second look."

This will be French's sixth NOOD appearance in St. Petersburg. She has finished in the top 10 in her last three regattas, including a second-place finish in 2005.

"There will be other disabled sailors as well," she said. "On the water, everybody is equal."

Sonar youth

This year's NOOD will also see some of the youngest competitors in the history of the event. Two teams of high schoolers representing the combined effort of the St. Petersburg Yacht Club and the St. Petersburg Sailing Center are entered in the Sonar class.

"We have one team of girls and one team of boys," said Tom Wallace, the yacht club's liaison with the sailing center. "We didn't plan it. It just sort of worked out that way."

Wallace, whose son John will compete, said the teenagers have been sailing together since first grade.

"They all grew up together," he said. "They have traveled all over the country together."

John Wallace, 16, said his friend thought he was crazy when he stopped playing Little League baseball to pursue his passion.

"Our team is called S3," he said. "That stands for surf, sail, skim. You can tell what we like to do."

Wallace said that junior sailors competing in an adult event demonstrates the strength of St. Petersburg's youth sailing programs.

"There is nothing like it anywhere else in the country," he said. "It is really something special."

Terry Tomalin can be reached at tomalin@sptimes.com or (727) 893-8808.

NOOD at a glance

What: National Offshore One-Design (NOOD) Regatta, featuring sailors from the United States, Europe and South America. The overall winner from this regatta is invited to compete in the 2008 NOOD Championship.

When/where: Today through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; St. Petersburg Yacht Club.

Best viewing: The Pier in downtown St. Petersburg. Boats race on three courses, all within sight of land.

[Last modified February 14, 2008, 21:11:12]