October/November 2025

Warren Duckworth reflects on his year as president of the Thistle Class, expressing gratitude to the Executive Committee, Governing Board, Past Presidents, and the entire class for their support and collaboration in advancing the class toward its 100-year milestone.

The Chief Measurer discusses the importance of maintaining the Thistle's one-design heritage while making necessary adaptations to remain competitive, emphasizing the need for written communication about measurement questions and changes to maintain a proper record.

Aaron Holland explores the cost of print Bagpipes to the class (about $50 per membership) and encourages members to consider switching to digital versions to save the class significant expenses while maintaining access to content.

The calendar lists upcoming Thistle regattas and district events, including fall regattas through November 2025 and spring events into early 2026, with locations, dates, contact information, and 2024/2025 race winners where applicable.

Adam Gesner describes the Great Lakes Championship at Cleveland Yachting Club in Rocky River on July 26-27, highlighting the excellent facilities, competitive fleet of 26 boats with 7 past National champs, memorable on-water moments, and a dramatic finish involving a power outage at the marina requiring innovative solutions for hauling boats.

Scott Meyer recounts the June 7-8 Niagara Frontier District championship at Seneca Yacht Club with variable wind conditions, memorable racing moments, a district meeting that adopted a clean regatta format, and the establishment of a WhatsApp group to boost fleet participation.

Doug Kitchin recounts Race 1 of the 2025 Thistle Nationals at Sandusky, describing his team's strong start and lead that was lost at the final gates when a late shift forced them to the wrong side of a wall of spinnakers, allowing Mike Ingham and John Hutt to pass them at the finish.

Mike Ingham's account of Race 2 at Nationals describes his team's strategy to play shifts on the left side with help from RaceSense technology that provided accurate compass readings, enabling them to approach the windward mark from the left as intended.

Sam Ingham celebrates the success at Nationals, highlighting their first time using a Vakaros compass and sharing memorable photo moments with Mike Ingham's team, though they couldn't secure the 1-2 finish as Brent Barbehenn toughed it out to hold third place.

Team Mary Jane describes a competitive Race 4 where they started at the boat, worked up to join the leading pack of boats, and engaged in a tight battle that saw Team Kaukeinen steal the lead at the last leeward gate with a smart move to the middle of the course.

Paul Abdullah provides a brief account of Race 5 at Nationals, noting the steady 8-12 knot breeze and the close battle between Mike Ingham and John Shockey, with Mike taking the win.

Warren Duckworth recounts Race 6 on Wednesday, the President's division race, sailing as a family with Kathy and Dustin Buckenmeyer. Despite not making the Championship Division cut, his team replicated their 2024 Presidents win with a 12th and 3rd place finish.

Jack Finefrock describes Friday's Race 7 in 6-8 knot winds with a 1-mile first mark and 74-boat start line, detailing his competitive battles with other top sailors and how his team managed to maintain position and finish well.

Corinne Sackett reports on the Women's Nationals held during the Thistle Nationals at Sandusky with 22 women's teams and 4 junior teams, noting the significant increase in participation and the tight racing throughout the four races.

Complete championship standings from the 2025 Thistle National Championship at Sandusky Sailing Center including all 74 entries across Championship and Presidents divisions with their race scores, plus the top finishers and various special awards.

Nancy Sauer describes the Second W. A. Pignolet Memorial Margarita contest held at Nationals, won by Your Mother's Aunt team with a mango beer margarita, with Purple Wayne second and A Touch of Lime third, involving nine creative competing teams.

An announcement about the 2026 Mid-Winters East regatta and related Thistle Class activities, including plans for a four-day event in Pensacola, March 5-8, 2026, with coaching, tuning, and information about lodging options.

Information about joining the Thistle Class Association, listing the seven membership categories with their annual dues ranging from $25 for youth members to $500 and up for Sandy Douglass Club Members, and instructions for sending membership information.

Mike Ingham provides a detailed tactical analysis of big fleet racing strategy at Nationals, illustrating key concepts through his team's Race 4 experience where they recovered from 50th place to 8th using systematic compromises and decision-making rather than risky gambles.

Official minutes from the Thistle Class Association Annual Meeting held on August 6, 2025, documenting officer elections, a sail plan amendment vote, secretary and treasurer reports, and strategic initiatives including membership decline and boat builder transitions.

Joy Martin describes the Thistle Clean Class Initiative partnership with Sea Bags® to upcycle old sails, explaining how sailors can donate unused sails to newer sailors or repurpose them as tarps and patches, with Sea Bags® creating awards and raffle prizes from sails.

Official minutes from the Thistle Class Governing Board meeting held on August 4, 2025, documenting officer transitions, dues increases, event planning for 2026 regattas, Chief Measurer rule changes regarding reefing, and strategic initiatives around membership decline and boat builder partnerships.

Laurie Weitkamp recounts the Tom Beckham Memorial/Pacific Coast Championship regatta at Cathlamet, Washington on July 12-13, with 11 boats racing in challenging conditions including strong currents and gusty winds, won by Grant Gridley with solid competition from defending champ Ollie Kunz and Team Lettenmaier.