The 1BI: BLOCK ISLAND RACE WEEK TIMES
Day 1
June 23, 2025
North Sails Race Day
Cover Photo: Steve Cloutier/ Storm Trysail Club
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After a brief wind delay, the boats headed out "The Cut" for a beautiful start to Block Island Race Week.
Photo: Steve Cloutier
Day 1 Recap
Racing in the 31st Block Island Race Week got underway on Monday with the North Sails Race Day. After a one hour wind delay, the three fleets motored through “The Cut” to their respective race courses for a 12:00 p.m. start as the sea breeze filled in from the southwest. The wind stayed stable for the remainder of the afternoon.
The winner of 2023’s Everett B. Morris Perpetual Trophy - known as “Boat of the Week” for the 30th BIRW, Deja Voodoo, won the day in the 17-boat J/105 class, which is also the one-design fleet’s East Coast Championship.
“The boat was going well and we were able to get one boat on the last leg and end up in first,” said Deja Voodoo’s owner Bill Zartler. When asked whether his team feels any added pressure of being the returning champions, he noted that “there is always a target on the purple back.”
Opening up the ORC North American Championships, Summer Storm sailed a banner day. “It was a beautiful day with great racing. We are looking forward to the rest of the week.,” said owner and Storm Trysail Club member Andrew Berdon. “Conditions were light to start, but filled in later, giving us a glorious day of sailing.”
Racing boats were accompanied offshore by pods of dolphins trying to catch a glimpse of the action, while families and friends of sailors awaiting their return onshore—mudslides in hand. Scroll down for a link to full results and to read more about what keeps families coming back to BIRW for decades.
Tomorrow is Regatta Craft Mixers Race day. Be sure to come back to the 1BI throughout race week!
North Sails is here for you with Regatta Repair
Exciting day on the water? Your North Sails team is onsite and ready to help. Bring your sails to our pop-up loft, which is located at the Block Island Maritime Institute near Dead Eye Dick’s. We’ll have them ready for pick up the next morning before dock call.
What Keeps Them Coming Back:
Family
Every day this week, we will focus on one thing that keeps sailors coming back to Block Island on this 60th anniversary.
For 60 years, Block Island Race Week has been a true family affair for many sailors. Both on and off the water, the regatta provides opportunities for families to create memories, strengthen bonds, and just have fun all together!
Aboard Blitzen, a J130SD in the Performance Cruising division, two generations of the Storck family are racing together. John Storck, Jr.—who holds the record for the most Race Weeks of 30—is joined by his sons, John III and Ian, his daughter Kaity, and son-in-law Baker Potts. The third generation are being looked after by the family matriarch, Colette, enjoying everything Race Week has to offer on shore.
“It’s what our family has always done,” says John III. “We went through a period of time where we were doing other sailing ventures. Now that we’re getting older and have little kids of our own. Race week fits into the combo of sailing and family vacation and we’re so happy to be back.”
The legendary Storck family isn’t alone in sharing special moments at BIRW. John Baxter is sailing in his 15th BIRW and his first on his own boat. He’s joined by his two sons, his wife, and plenty of friends. Baxter is carrying on the tradition of sailing with his father, who first sailed in the second BIRW in 1967. “This is such a great venue. [BIRW] is one of the best events you can attend.”
Blitzen Photo: Steve Cloutier
Even a boat itself can become part of a family. Dursey, a C&C 33 owned by David Ornstein, turns 50 next year. David sailed his first BIRW aboard her when he was 15, alongside his father Peter. This week, all of David’s children will be aboard Dursey, marking three generations and four decades sailing BIRW.
Adding to the fierce competition of the week, some families have members sailing against each other. Barbara Gold is here for her 20th BIRW and her husband and son will be sailing on different crews. Cheering them both on from shore is Gold’s six-week-old granddaughter who made her maiden passage to the island earlier this week.
Storm Trysail Club flag officers are also bringing their families into the action. Rear Commodore Matt Gallagher brought his daughter Maggie Gallagher to help volunteer with the Race Committee. Former Commodore AJ Evans is sailing in his eighth BIRW and has his daughter Priscilla joining him for her second.
Sailors and their families supporting onshore took to the tent party following the racing to swap stories of the action out on the water. With cocktails flowing and appetizers being passed, the trademark convivial vibes swept through the tent on Champlin’s lawn. What a way to kick off the week!
Countless family memories have already been made during this BIRW—and we still have four days of racing left! Come back to the 1BI tomorrow to read more about the heritage and traditions of Race Week.
Results Presented by Helly Hansen
A quality sailing kit is essential to keep you protected from the varying elements at Block Island Race Week, so Storm Trysail Club is happy to have Helly Hansen signed on as the Official Clothing Supplier for Block Island Race Week.
They will be onsite during the event with any of your technical sailing gear needs at the Team1Newport regatta store.
North Sail Race Day Award Winners
ORC 1 Open (ORC - 3 Boats)
1. FOX, USA 55052, Victor Wild, 2 - 1 ; 3
2. Summer Storm 52, USA 520, Andrew Berdon, 1 - 2 ; 3
3. Jax, USA 2022, Øivind Lorentzen, 3 - 3 ; 6
ORC 2 (ORC - 14 Boats)
1. Zammermoos, USA 4224, David Fass, 1 - 2 ; 3
2. Settler, USA 8668, Thomas Rich, 2 - 3 ; 5
3. Gemini II, USA 45454, James Coffman, 6 - 1 ; 7
ORC 3 (ORC - 9 Boats)
1. Teamwork, USA 52939, Robin Team, 1 - 1 ; 2
2. Dov, USA 61878, Jeff Johnstone, 2 - 2 ; 4
3. Christopher Dragon XII, USA 2277, Andrew & Linda Weiss, 4 - 4 ; 8
PHRF 1 (PHRF - 10 Boats)
1. Endorphin, USA 61017, Erik Wulff, 1 - 2 ; 3
2. Bravo, 60909, Sedge/Andrew Ward, 5 - 1 ; 6
3. Varuna, USA 88, Abhijeet Lele, 2 - 4.5 ; 6.5
PHRF 2 (PHRF - 8 Boats)
1. Fawn Liebowitz, USA 1070, Jack Slattery, 1 - 2 ; 3
2. Seabiscuit, USA 40, Kevin McNeil, 2 - 4 ; 6
3. #bigsandwich, USA 11235, George Harrington, 4 - 3 ; 7
Multihull - Pursuit (PHRF - 2 Boats)
1. Jammy, USA 5504, Thomas Lee, 1 ; 1
2. Flight Simulator, USA 187, Thomas Reese, 2 ; 2
Non-Spin - Pursuit (PHRF - 13 Boats)
1. Audacious, USA 32445, Kenneth Madeiro, 1 ; 1
2. Shooting Star, USA 122, Kevin Erensen, 2 ; 2
3. Venturesome, 52687, Bob Zannetti, 3 ; 3
P/C Spin 1- Rule 26 (PHRF - 16 Boats)
1. Secret Affair, US 42942, Mark Greenawalt, 1 ; 1
2. Scylla, USA 60739, Markus Lahrkamp, 2 ; 2
3. Wicked 2.0, USA 30, Douglas Curtiss, 3 ; 3
P/C Spin 2-Rule 26 (PHRF - 14 Boats)
1. Bottle Rocket, USA 100, Ben Lynch, 1 ; 1
2. Blitzen, USA 46, John Storck Jr, 2 ; 2
3. Save the Sound, USA US 167, Douglas McKeige, 3 ; 3
P/C Spin 3 - Rule 26 (PHRF - 11 Boats)
1. Sunshine Daydream, 69, Chris Fesenmeyer, 1 ; 1
2. Dursey, USA 20233, David Ornstein, 2 ; 2
3. Loki, 42513, Mark Cika, 3 ; 3
Spin - Pursuit (PHRF - 8 Boats)
1. Hound Dog, USA 51110, Connor Mettus, 1 ; 1
2. Querencia, USA 12985, Frank McGowan, 2 ; 2
3. Cheetah, USA 50473, Marc Briere, 3 ; 3
J/105 East Coast Championship (One Design - 17 Boats)
1. Deja Voodoo, USA 130, Bill Zartler, 1 - 1 ; 2
2. Warlock, USA 139, Damian Emery, 2 - 4 ; 6
3. TnT, USA 344, Greg Turman, 3 - 5 ; 8
J/109 East Coast Championship (One Design - 11 Boats)
1. Mistral, USA 71, Dan Nash, 1 - 4 ; 5
2. Big Boat, USA 360, Bud Rogers, 3 - 2 ; 5
3. Picante, USA 126, Sean McNeill & Rob Nye, 5 - 1 ; 6
J/44 North Americans (One Design - 7 Boats)
1. Digger, USA 4403, Chris Lewis, 1 - 1 ; 2
2. Maxine, USA 83000, William Ketcham, 2 - 2 ; 4
3. Resolute, USA 4408, Don & Rick Rave, 6 - 3 ; 9
J/88 (One Design - 6 Boats)
1. Piranha, USA 05, Dave Dennison, 1 - 2 ; 3
2. Deviation, USA 24, Iris Vogel, 3 - 1 ; 4
3. MI2 Powered by Dirty Harry, USA 57, Jack McGuire, 2 - 3 ; 5
PHRF 3 (PHRF - 9 Boats)
1. Boondoggle, USA 52309, Scott Kirkpatrick, 1 - 1 ; 2
2. Dark Energy, USA 864, Laura Grondin, 2 - 2 ; 4
3. XLR8, 8001, Brad Porter, 3 - 3 ; 6
PHRF 4 (PHRF - 5 Boats)
1. Mighty Puffin, USA 269, Steve Thurston, 1 - 2 ; 3
2. Arabesque, 31550, Robert Bruno, 3 - 1 ; 4
3. Scamp, USA 1150, J.R. Maxwell, 2 - 3 ; 5
Tuesday, June 23
Regatta Craft Mixers Race Day
8:00 am
9:00 am
5:00 - 7:00 pm
Daily Weather Briefings
Chelsea Freas shares the detailed forecast each morning. We post her video and PDF forecast to the WhatsApp and website.
More Resources from Local Organizations
The Committee for the Great Salt Pond Boater's Directory
Dedicated to keeping the waters in the Great Salt Pond pristine, it’s shorelines scenic, and always open to boating, recreation and aquaculture for all, this group has assembled some boater friendly links for download.
Champlin's Marina and Resort Block Island Directory
From "B" is for Babysitter to "W" is for Walking & Hiking Trails, this is a great place to find things to do for the whole family while on Block.
Block Island Tourism Council's What To Do Directory
This comprehensive lists has all of the businesses on the island organized by topic with addresses.