September 24th, 2021

Sailors yearning for open water and bigger wind flocked to Southern Shores NC for the 2nd Annual OBX Multihull SailFest September 18-19. This event, hosted by Hardy Peters of East Coast Sailboats Inc. provided two incredible days of racing on the Currituck Sound featuring a unique combination of distance racing and buoys. 20 boats rounded out the three fleets consisting of Weta Trimarans, F18’s and Open Multihulls.

On Thursday, Eric Frank was all smiles as the first arrival. Both Frank and Alan Taylor got rigged and went out for a late afternoon sail with some of the Catamarans in a comfortable 10-12kts. They arrived back at the marina just as dusk was settling in.

Friday was honkin’ with winds around 30kts. As it dropped down in the afternoon to 16-20+kts, Alan headed out on “Sweet As” to play as the lone sailor on the Sound. During this time, Sailor Pup Gizmo was guarding Hot N’ Now’s Charter Boat daggerboard from the sharks. (No shark bites allowed!) After Alan returned to shore with a perma-smile, the Weta Fleet headed out to dinner with Sailor Pup Gizmo joining the festivities.

On Saturday, three long windward/leeward races were sailed in 11-14kts. “Sweet As” dominated the fleet, with close racing between Frank, Koch, and Weston, including one dramatic photo finish! Once again the Weta crew went out to enjoy Southern Shore’s seafood cuisine. The hungry sailors were joined by Stephanie Taylor (who valiantly served on RC) and Elena Weston, along with Sailor Pup Gizmo and her four legged friend Toby Weston.

Two triangle races in 8-10 kts on Sunday rounded out the event. In the end, Alan Taylor prevailed with five bullets while one point separated the remainder of the fleet.

East Coast Sailboats always hosts a fun event with racing and social activities. Watch the 2022 Events Calendar for Return to Duck Cup in the Spring and the 3rd Annual OBX Multihull SailFest in the Fall.

By Stephanie Taylor