4th Annual "Up From the Ashes" Sunfish Regatta at Edgewood Yacht Club

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Sunday, January 18, 2015, 11am, One Shaw Avenue, Cranston, Rhode Island

Sunfish Sailors Commemorate Resilience After Clubhouse Fire, As Plans for New Clubhouse Move Forward; Sunfish Sailboat Raffle Benefits Non-Profit Sailing School

On Sunday, January 18, 2015, at 11am, a dozen or more intrepid Sunfish sailboat sailors will compete in the 4th Annual Up from the Ashes Regatta at Edgewood Yacht Club, One Shaw Avenue, Cranston, Rhode Island.

This regatta is traditionally held on the first Sunday following January 12, the date that Edgewood Yacht Club’s century-old clubhouse burned to the water in 2011. On that first following Sunday in 2011, with equipment cobbled together to replace what was lost in the blaze, the “Frozen Few” frostbite sailors in the Edgewood Sunfish fleet gathered to sail in front of the charred remains of their former home.

Now, four years later, construction is set to begin on a new Edgewood Yacht Club clubhouse, and the Sunfish fleet will once again gather to commemorate their resilience following the storm-driven inferno. Many new sailors have joined the fleet in the intervening years, bringing fresh talent and competition to the sailboat races. Usually, 3 to 6 races are held, each one about 20 minutes long, with the winner having the lowest combined finishes.

Prizes include Sunfish parts and accessories donated by Intensity Sails, the local Cranston business that supplies Sunfish and other dinghy sailors internationally. In addition, the regatta will feature the drawing of a raffle for a brand-new race-rigged Sunfish sailboat, donated by one of the sailors and Laser Performance, the local Portsmouth manufacturer of the boats. Over 100 tickets for the raffle have been sold, providing strong odds for one of the sailors to compete with a new boat – as well as providing over $5000 in proceeds to benefit the non-profit sailing education programs provided by Edgewood Sailing School at Edgewood Yacht Club.

George Shuster, one of the sailors competing in Sunday’s regatta, said, “This event draws together the yacht club and sailing school communities, and celebrates a basic theme of sailing – overcoming the forces of nature to speed ahead. We’re fortunate to have a big, strong fleet of active Sunfish sailors, and to be able to get out on this beautiful stretch of waterfront all year long.”

Racing will conclude by around 2pm, with food and the raffle drawing to follow. Spectators are welcome.