Sperry Top-Sider NOOD Regatta in Annapolis - Preview

Spring sailing season opener attracts over 250 boats to Chesapeake Bay

This week, the Sperry Top-Sider National Offshore One Design (N.O.O.D.) Regatta sets sail to Annapolis Yacht Club (AYC) in Annapolis, Md. From April 27-29, competition in 16 one-design classes will take place on the Chesapeake Bay. While most of the 262 boats registered to date are from the greater Annapolis/Baltimore/D.C. region, a total of 24 U.S. states are represented along with Canada and the U.K. The overall winner in Annapolis will receive a Sunsail charter during the 2007 Sperry Top-Sider NOOD Regatta Championship, in the British Virgin Islands, where they will compete against the overall winners from each stop on the nine-regatta Sperry Top-Sider NOOD circuit.

A new partnership with Sailing for Miracles will raise funds for the Johns Hopkins Children’s Hospital, where all NOOD sailors who make a donation of $50 or more will be given an exclusively designed Sailing for Miracles burgee, donated by Sperry Top-Sider and Sailing World.

The largest class is the J/105 class with 44 boats, to date. The 2006 class champion Tom Coates (San Francisco, Calif.) has not yet registered, however the always-exciting class will see plenty of competition with the balance of 2006’s top five finishers returning: Jack Biddle (Chevy Chase, Md.) on Rum Puppy; Jim Konigsberg (Fairfax, Va.) on Inigo; Cedric Lewis & Fredrik Salvesen (Annapolis) on Mirage; and Brian Keene (Weston, Mass.) on Savasana.

The second largest class is the J/22 class with 31 boats currently registered and more expected.

“This year I’ll be sailing with Todd Hiller on his boat and with my long time crew, who was with me last year, Jeff Eiber,” said 2006 overall regatta winner, Greg Fisher (Annapolis), who will return to competition in his J/22 Leading Edge. “My wife Jo Ann will be sailing her own boat with her team so as to gain practice time for the Rolex International Women’s Keelboat Championship this fall. When I sail against her here, for the NOOD, she has promised she won’t beat me up too badly!”

The Annapolis stop has always attracted a strong fleet of sailors. In 2006, 279 teams – or over 3,000 sailors – competed. Additional classes, with numbers of boats registered to date, include: J/24 (16), Melges 24 (15), Melges 32 (14), J/30 (14), Etchells (14), J/80 (13), Beneteau 36.7 (12), J/35 (12), Cal 25 (11), Alberg 30 (9), C&C 115 (8), Catalina 27 (8), J/29 (8), and C&C 99 (5).

The 2007 Sperry Top-Sider NOOD Regattas will sail next into Detroit, Mich., June 1-3. Additional venues for 2007 include Boston, Mass.; Chicago, Illinois;.; Houston, Texas; Larchmont, N.Y.; San Diego, Calif.; St. Petersburg, Fla.; and Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Created by Sailing World in 1988, the NOODs attract close to 2,000 boats and more than 30,000 competitors and spectators annually. Each event in the series features three days of sailboat racing for one-design models from 20 to 70 feet in length. In addition to local sailors, sailing’s top stars — including America’s Cup and Olympic champions — are well-represented at the NOODs. Competitive sailors rate the NOODs as the top national event in each region of the country.

Sperry Top-Sider is the national title sponsor of the St. Petersburg NOOD which is presented by Sailing World. Support sponsors who will join the event include Gill, Sunsail, North Sails, Budweiser Select, Active Network and Mount Gay Rum.