Fwd: 2026 proposed racing schedule; and input on July 3 and 4

[Graham Siener]

Hi IOD Fleet,

This year, the 4th of July falls on a Saturday.  And the national holiday is Friday July 3rd.

We've got a draft schedule (link) that needs review from each boat.

The proposed schedule has our first July series racing (for IODs this is the first day of the World Qualifier) on Friday July 3rd.  With the 4th of July Navigator Trophy race (combined this year with the EL Burr Picnic race) on Saturday July 4th.

If we have a strong push to reverse the order of the two days of racing, we'll need to discuss.  Reversing the order will result in our traditional July 4th race occurring on Friday July 3rd and then series racing on the 4th of July.

Are there objections to following the proposed schedule? I think we can start the conversation via email, but if there are major objections we'll need to find time to discuss via meeting.

Thanks,

Graham 

[Michael McNamara]

Hello everyone,

 
I understand the RC’s desire to have the Independence Day race on July 4th when the calendar allows. Some points to weigh while considering these proposed dates:

• Friday, July 3rd is a national federal holiday. This applies primarily to federal government offices and employees. Observing federal holidays is up to the private sector employer; most, but not everyone, may have the full day off. Some teams and crews may not be able to race.
• FIYC will be open on Friday, July 3rd and our sailing classes will be in session that afternoon from 1-4 pm. Consequently, the RC will not have the use of the club’s powerboat fleet for mark boats or the services of our instructors and students as RC support personnel or racing crew.
• Stepping back, this does not have to be a binary choice. I believe the RC has presented what they believe to be the best option, but it’s important to schedule Worlds Qualifiers on dates that, if not on Saturdays, are as reasonably accessible for all teams as Saturdays to ensure maximum participation and fair competition for the series.
• One solution would be keeping the Saturday series as scheduled and designate the winner of that day’s 2-3 races the winner of the IOD Independence Day trophy. The Bullseye fleet could do a longer navigator race if they prefer that format.

It’s going to be a jam-packed weekend; traffic is going to be a nightmare getting to the island on Friday and leaving Sunday. I think we should try to simplify, not add to the holiday weekend calendar, and do what we can to make sure everyone can race. 

Best,

Mike

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[Jonathan Farrar]

Team Zallee 

Has been against WQ races on 4th of July weekend forever.. The weekend and the club , island and families have too many things going on..When I was fleet captain I did my best to have qualifying on the other weekends .. We have a guard rail in our by laws to allow for racing on the first weekend of August.. I suggest we start to re think our approach bc it has not worked for everyone in regards for 4th of July weekend..  I don’t understand why ( or maybe I do ) there is a such a push to cram racing into this weekend every year..This is getting old for me and I am considering not participating moving forward because of these decisions ..The push from last year to get kites only to have them totally different than the rest is another annoying example of forcing moves in the middle of winter that we need to to live with in the summer .. 

I am not a fan of this .. Use August and make it manageable for everyone..

Best 

Jf

Jonathan Farrar

Northeastern University Sailing Team Head Coach

+1.305.720.8572

jft...@gmail.com
Skype: jfacat

Please excuse my brevity. This email is sent from my mobile telephone. 

On Jan 26, 2026, at 9:27 AM, Michael McNamara <mi...@mcnamarastrategy.com> wrote:



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[brad]

I feel badly that the spinnakers did not turn out as expected. That experience may be in part the reason we are moving more slowly on the new main and asking for a prototype sail from the sail maker before making a final commitment. I guess we could have avoided the disappointment with the spinnakers if we had done the same with them, but in fairness to the sail committee, there was a lot of pressure from some fleet members whose sails were being held together with sail tape to move quickly.

I am very grateful for the opportunity to compete with this group of sailors every weekend. I realize it is a time commitment, especially for people with smaller children. I am generally not in the running for off Island regattas so I am out there on weekends for the challenge and pleasure of sailing with all of you. I understand the importance of having the option to sail in August and think we should continue to allow for that. Because I have, for the last ten years, generally raced in the Eggemoggin Reach Reggata which is always the first weekend in August, I would likely not be able to participate in a World Qualifier on that weekend, but that is a choice that I make.

I understand that it is almost impossible to design a schedule that meets everyone's desires and constraints. I am also grateful for everyone who does the heavy lifting to put together as schedule that tries. I am comfortable with whatever the fleet decides on this issue and will be on the line whenever possible.

Brad

[John Burnham]

Hi all,

Input from Norwood as follows:

We think when the 4th of July holiday is on a Saturday or Sunday we should hold a trophy race (or picnic race) but wait until the following weekend to start the July series. If that means the first weekend in August is needed to complete enough races, we would extend the world qualifier accordingly. 

When the 4th is on a weekday, it typically spreads out the events of the holiday weekend, and in those years we would favor regular Saturday racing to begin on that Saturday.

Best,

John

p.s. If anyone wants to scrimmage on July 3rd, let's talk about it after the temps climb above freezing... 😃

John Burnham, PCC
John Burnham Coaching

johnsburnham.com

401-835-2686 

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[Doug Walker]

Hi All,

Thank-you to all who have shared you and your team's thoughts.  Very much appreciated.

Personally, I do appreciate the sentiments from, so far, two of our team's that when the 4th of July is in the middle of the 4th of July weekend, we can consider starting our July series the following weekend.

In other words I, too, like the idea of simplifying July 4th weekend a bit.

As I look at the schedule from this perspective, my next question that the IOD fleet can help me answer is this:

1. Should we plan now on 4 Saturdays for the "IOD July series" (including the 1st Saturday of August) regardless of whether or not we meet the 8 race minimum in July?  or

2. Should we plan on just 3 Saturdays and extend to a 4th Saturday in August only if we get 7 or fewer races in July?

Data:

• We always seem to have always planned for 4 Saturdays for the July series.
• During the summer of '25 our IOD July Series had 12 races.
• During the summer of '24 our IOD July Series has 9 races. 
• During the summer of '23 our IOD July Series had 10 races.
• During the summer of '22 our IOD July Series had 11 races.

Doug

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