Sachem's Head Frostbiters

Since 1961, the ultimate in competitive small-boat racing.

Sachems Takes the Worlds!

Sachems Head won the Worlds for the first time in... let's just say a while. From insane no-go conditions the wind settled down to slightly sporty and we got off four races in lumpy conditions in Great Harbor. Jay took it with four bullets, the rest of the fleet had more mixed results. The black flag went up after several generals in the first race and the fleet behaved until Race 4, when five skippers fought the law and the law won. Thanks to Jay and Edgar for organizing and Bobbie and special guest PRO Sue for running the races.

Season opener

The 2024 Frostbiting season got a soft start on Sunday when a few dogs came out for practice racing. The official season starts Oct. 6, so get those checks and releases in now.

2023 Worlds

The Worlds - A Light Air Challenge

The wind was light and shifty most of the day, but Sachems Head dogger Jay Mills eked out a second close behind Wickford veteran Ed Adams. Jay got two bullets to Ed's one, but with no throwouts a 9th in the last race left him down 3 points. Ike Schutz came in 5th, getting a bullet in the poisonous Race 4, which took the fleet up a dead-end creek in an outgoing tide and dying breeze. Aggressive roll tacking was the order of the day, and a young man's game! Harcourt came in two places behind and the ex-Commodore Whitney was in 12th. Complete results in "Race Results" above.

Back In Action!

Six races in shifty north breeze under a brilliant blue sky. What a way to begin the season.

Season awards

Maria Keogh holds the fleet winner award, with Edgar Smith (R) in second and Albert Kraus (L) in 3rd.

Shane Walden won the Tom Tomsich Award for gung ho attitude combined with a "flair for innovation."

Mike McNiff shared Most Improved with Matt Peterson

Albert inverted the old "lead from behind" theory to lose from ahead, by horizoning the fleet only to round the downwind mark the wrong way and never quite figuring out how to unravel the string. Congrats on winning the 2022 Transom Viewer award!

2022 Sea Dog Season Awards were handed out on May 21, chez Barden. Thanks hosts!

2022 Worlds in Sachems Head

Earlier in the season...

It was 15, gusts to 20 and above, but we got in two action-packed races from a start line waaay back in the harbor. Rocks guarded the boat end approach and starboard tackers on the pin end had to fit through a narrow channel between the buoy and a dock.

Texas dog.

Somehow, this vintage Seadog turned up in Kemah, Texas. The owner is looking for parts, should anybody have a used mast, sail or blades, let us know through the contact form. Looks like a cousin of Hot Tub with that paint job!

Sachems Rules the 2021 Worlds!

Wickford, RI, Dec. 4, 2021: Light and shifty winds made for challenging sailing and a lot of changes in finish order over the course of seven races, but Jay Mills came out on top. Six different sailors took first including ringer Lexi for Sachems. Where you started on the line mattered less than finding clean air and getting to the shifts first. Above, the conga line coming around the reach mark on the Harry A - a modified triangle named after Harry Anderson. Final results below.

Season's end. On to Turkey Day and the Worlds!

On the light side.

Just enough wind to get off three races, and newcomer Charlie in No. 32 dominated the fleet. More of Erica's stunning photos here. Meanwhile click here to see the new state-of-the-art dynamic jibe maneuvers going on at the front of the fleet.

Sporty conditions, Part II

Steady 18-20 breeze made for exciting action at the starts, lots of bumping and grinding, and placed a premium on quick reactions. We got in four races before the RC decided to take the punch bowl away. More pix at https://jbarden.smugmug.com/Frostbite/n-7vKkww/2021-10-31-frostbite/

Duh-nied!

Too windy? No way!

From our new King Shane:

Welcome Sailors to 2021 Frostbite Season. A couple quick notes to get us ready for the Fall. More to follow in the upcoming weeks.

First please welcome John Barden as our new Fleet Captain , welcome back Albert Kraus as our Vice King, Mary Jane Potter as our new treasurer (And Maria as outgoing King)

Sailing season is slated to Run on Sundays from October 3rd to December 5th. Please see the website for Sailing Directions - Stay tuned, they may even be updated by Start Date. Link to website at the bottom of this email.

COVID remains a presence of course. We plan on following the Sachem Head Yacht Club's protocol (link below to website). Stay home if your sick. Notify myself if you do test positive and you attended races the week prior. In addition to SHYC's protocol and because of the tight quarters of our docks, we are adding that unvaccinated members of SHFB are required to wear a mask when rigging and derigging. Im also guessing that a few of us will be wearing masks voluntarily as "breakthrough" cases are a real thing (Ask me how I know...)

We are keeping the same protocol for Parties as last year, for now. Post Sailing Parties will be held outdoors and will be scheduled up until daylight savings. At that point we will reassse the situation.

WORLDS looks like it will be held in Wickford this year, Date TBD. I still do not have a full commitment from them on this as of today. will keep you posted.

Dues will be $225 for Adults and $100 for Juniors/ Big Juniors (up to age 21). We had a 20% increase in insurance cost so we bumped the dues up 25$ but kept the Big Juniors the same price.

Starting Sunday September 19th you are free to bring your Dogs down to the club. There is a dolly in the locker room and Ron will be bringing our other dolly down soon.

Taking the pulse on the interest in running a couple Practice Races on September 26th? If I Get 6 boats that are interested then we will do it - send me a note if a Yes. And Rick will have the Crash boat all dialed in for us .

More to follow

2020 action: It's always devastating when a fierce competitor goes over right on final approach to the upwind mark. Oh well, life goes on.

Nov. 15: Short courses, high wind

Mounting SE breeze put a premium on staying in the middle or the right and playing the shifts upwind. Outgoing tide in the channel meant for crowds and some surprising roundings at the upwind mark. One unlucky mariner learned the need for a mast stiffener.

Oct. 18: Harbor Action

Shifty SE breeze made it tough to climb to the top of the fleet but the usual suspects were there. Thanks for the photos by https://kerryschutzphotography.pixieset.com/sachemsheadseadogs/

Oct. 4: The 2020 Frostbiting season got off to an excellent, covid-compliant start with 6 races in shifty NE breeze. Congrats to the 2019 award winners and all hail the new reign of Queen Maria!

The 2019 Worlds

Wickford brought down 16 of their best and while the top finish order was lopsided toward W (see race results above) Sachem's Head grabbed 1st and 4th. The racing was challenging with steep chop, shifting winds and constantly changing velocity. Thanks to the many volunteers, sponsors and PRO who made this edition of the Seadog World Championships a success. We may not win on points but we OWN the party!

Check out more photos from Thad here.

Nov. 3: Perfect conditions!

Oct. 13: Mayhem at the start

RC acknowledges the line was a little short and pin-end favored. The results were predictable as boats piled up on the favored end and a few skippers attempted port-tack bailouts that ended badly for everybody else nearby. We won't name names but your web admin was sandwiched once and briefly part of this tangle. But are we bitter? Nooo....

Oct. 6: Opening day excitement

First race of the season!

RC Bobbie got off five races in lively conditions on 10/6, no capsizes reported. Get your releases and checks into Chancellor of the Exchequer Ron Repetti and be out there for the fun this Sunday! Check out more pics on our Instagram feed: https://www.instagram.com/sachemsheadfrostbiting/

Cutter and Rick in our shiny new crash boat.

2018 Worlds at Wickford

Light-air parade in tricky currents at the 2018 Seadog Worlds in Wickford, RI.

More photos from the Worlds in Photo Gallery above.

Timeless classic from late fall, 2018. The wind started out brisk and picked up from there. The good news: The new hulls are self-rescue capable, as several sailors proved this day. Photos mostly courtesy Andrew Betts. Some, including the decisive moment above, from the RC.

Below, a crowded rounding at the top in high winds and those famous Sachem's Head Harbor rollers.

Oct. 14: Whitney shows the boys how it's done. Note how she protects her air and how many boatlengths she gets through the well-executed rounding.

A little messier upwind rounding here. Drone footage courtesy Harcourt.

Bring out those old dogs!
We've added a classified section above under "other." Use the contact form above to send us info about your used Seadog and we'll post it. Plenty of interest in Frostbiting this year and we know a lot of you will have an extra boat now that you've seen the pictures below and ordered your own Jibe Tech screamer.

Game changer

After a half century it was time to reboot the Seadog. An ambitious effort spearheaded by Rick and Cutter has ended with these beauties flying off the line at Jibetech in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. The tanks add tremendous stiffness to the hull and we don't know, but strongly suspect, they will float sideways just as well as upright. The first models weigh in at 103 lbs sans blades and some fancy kit forward to secure the mast. Word is it will be kevlar partners and an adjustable -- once a season! -- mast base.

Dec. 10, 2017: "Just one race to say we did it," rapidly became three as RC Bobbie pushed the limits of the fleet in steady 15-20 knot breeze. We stayed in the harbor -- make that the BACK of the harbor -- and for most sailors the sheltered waters of the left side paid off. No capsizes but some very close calls. A fitting end to a great season.

Boat no. 33: What the hell's No. 27 doing ahead of us? Boat no. 117: What the hell are you doing in Rick's boat?

See more Turkey Day photos and party pix in photos above.

A couple years ago, this was heresy. Little did we know it was the future...

Ginz caught several of the races with his drone. Race 3 below featured the whole package: Wind, waves and wild mark roundings.

Sunny, blue skies, no wind: Typical New England October, right? At least the fishing was good! We'll be back to the cold and windy stuff next week. More photos by RC Bobbie in "photos" above.