Photo: Jeff Russell

See all Jeff’s photos from Day 1 at this link.

126 E Scows line up for Race 1 of the 2023 Nationals on Lake Mendota. Photo: Jeff Russell, Mendota Yacht Club

Photographers, videographers, and writers are busy editing and creating tonight. Here’s a photo that just came in and too good not to share immediately. You may have noticed the yellow Cub airplane during the first race piloted by Jeff Russell.

2023 E Scow National Championship / photo by Anna Suslova

LINK TO PHOTO GALLERY

Day 0 – Practice Day Report
2023 E Scow National Championship
Hosted by the Mendota Yacht Club
Lake Mendota, Madison, Wisconsin

Today was anticipated as a practice racing day, a chance for sailors to fine-tune their skills and get a feel for the competition ahead. However, nature had other plans, as rain squalls moved through and the winds exceeded the racing limit (there was a 28 mph gust recorded), leading the race committee to cancel the race. Please check out the photo gallery page to see Anna Suslova’s photos from today.

Behind the scenes, a dedicated team of volunteers worked tirelessly to ensure smooth traffic flow, efficient boat launching, table set-up, registration, and so much more. Late afternoon, competitors gathered for happy hour at Marshall Park to rekindle friendships and share stories while enjoying locally brewed beer and hard seltzers from Octopi and Untitled Art.

We are expecting great racing conditions tomorrow, Thursday, September 7. First race initial warning signal is at 12:30 PM.

It’s opening day! Author, ESPN commentator, and America’s Cup sailor Gary Jobson raises the first sail in this video from T2PTV Sailing On Demand. Meet Gary and get your copy at the Nationals.  Attend the Saturday night banquet at the Edgewater from 6:30 – 8:30 to purchase a signed copy of his book. He will also be at Marshall Park on Friday.

Stay tuned for T2PTV daily video reports from the 2023 Nationals.

Interested in Spectating for the E-Scow Nationals Regatta?

Sign up for a spot on a Pontoon Boat Rental from Marshall Boats. LINK

This is a non-captained boat. Spectators are responsible for driving the boat themselves. If you are willing and able to drive the pontoon boat, please sign up as a Boat Driver under Participant Type. The boat will not go out if no spectators are willing and able to drive the boat. Click here to learn more.

The Hoofer Sailing Club is a collection of students and community members working together to maintain a fleet of boats for recreational and competitive sailing on Lake Mendota at the Memorial Terrace. Hoofers have been offering sailing lessons to the community since 1939, and their members frequently participate in races with the Mendota Yacht Club.

Hello 2023 E-Scow National Regatta competitors,
Lake Mendota is home to the UW Madison’s Hoofer Sailing Club. As Captains of the sailing club’s Scow Fleet, we are excited to welcome you to Madison this September!

The Hoofer Sailing Club is a membership-funded sailing club open to students and community members alike. We teach members of all different backgrounds how to sail and race on dinghies, keelboats, windsurfers, and of course, scows. We are thrilled to be able to offer such a variety of experiences to our members. However, a membership-funded sailing school such as ours can only stay in effective operation with the generous donations of equipment from the sailing community.

As we near the starting date for Nationals, we humbly ask you to consider making a tax-deductible equipment donation to the Hoofer Scow Fleet. If you have an E-Scow or associated equipment in good condition that you are willing to retire, we kindly ask you to consider donating to the Hoofer Scow program. We will arrange equipment donation pickup. Our membership, racing crews, and instruction staff will be forever grateful!

If you are interested, have questions, or simply want to get in touch, please email the Scow Fleet Co-Captains at scows@hoofersailing.org.

Thank you all, and see you on the start line!

Breaking News!
The Edgewater Hotel has more rooms available. Act now and reserve using this link: EDGEWATER 

By Barry Adams, Wisconsin State Journal
Photos by Samantha Madar
Published September 4, 2023

Few know Lake Mendota’s water and wind like Lon Schoor.

He’s been hoisting sails, guiding tillers and tacking the 9,800-acre lake for over 55 years.

On a recent night over 60 feet of water between Burrows Park and Picnic Point, it was Schoor and his three crew members who first crossed the finish line of the Mendota Yacht Club’s race that drew about a dozen 28-foot E scow sailboats.

The E Scows made the Wisconsin State Journal today. Link here, subscription is required.

As we approach the upcoming regatta, we want to express our gratitude in advance for the invaluable contributions from our volunteers in the Mendota Yacht Club and the greater Madison sailing community. Your willingness to lend a helping hand truly sets the course for its success. Thank you for being this regatta’s true champions and creating a memorable experience for all participants and spectators.

If you’d like to join this exciting event and meet sailors from across the country, choose your volunteer role here on the Mendota Yacht Club website.

Download in PDF
If you need to park a trailer or motorhome during the Nationals, there’s a large area available 15 minutes from Marshall Park,
courtesy of Don Anderson. You may start parking here at any time. It’s the perfect staging spot if you arrive before Marshall Park opens on Wednesday morning. 

Boatworks of Madison
Location: 5345 W. River Road, Waunakee, WI
Note – Google Maps is incorrect if you input this address.

Directions: 
From Marshall Park, head right (north) on Allen Blvd.
Right on County Hwy M.
Follow Hwy M until it intersects with Hwy 113.
Left on Hwy 113,
Left on River Road.
Left at the American Legion.

There are only a few hours left to sign up for lunches, the two banquets, and Sunday’s Taco Bar. Socials sign up closes at noon CT.
Sign up here. 

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Visit Bergstrom Automotive online.

LAST CALL!

Every second counts before the starting gun –  Don’t miss your chance to be a part of these unforgettable social events. If you still need to register for lunch, socials, and Taco Sunday, this is your final reminder: registration closes on Thursday at noon, and there won’t be any extensions! Once the clock strikes noon CT on Thursday, August 31, sign-ups will be closed.
REGISTRATION LINK

Gary Jobson, the author of A Century of Racing E Scows, will be joining us at the 2023 Nationals. Attend the Saturday night banquet at the Edgewater from 6:30 – 8:30 to purchase a signed copy of his book.

Via the National E Scow Association:
Over the last eighteen months, the NCESA membership has shown its support for the class by donating over $205,000 to our newly formed E-100 fund. With your support, the E Scow will continue as the most relevant and best one design class in the country.

Gary Jobson has written an incredible book celebrating the class, and recently created a short video for us to understand the scope of this effort.

We need to sell out the first run of these books. Every dollar from every book sold goes directly to the E-100 fund. Books are available at our online store (link below), or if you are part of the 120+ boats going to the Nationals in Madison, Gary will be there signing books you can buy.

(You can also avoid the shipping fees for an individual book purchase buying in Madison.) We hope you add one of these to your collection before it’s too late!
Link to purchase book. 

We’ve got an epic party planned. Don’t be the one left out; sign up now. It’s not just a party; it’s a ‘you’ll regret it for the rest of your life’ kind of event if you miss it.
Register here.

Friday Evening Speakers: Ed Vienckowski and Dick Wight from the BBYRA
· Focus: provide a perspective on how the E Scow influenced sailing in Barnegat Bay and how sailing on Barnegat Bay effected the evolution of the E Scow over the past 100 years.
· Ed will kick it off and hand the mic to Dick to share his direct perspective over the past 50 years of successfully racing the E Scow.

Saturday Evening Speakers:
Dr. Tom Hodgson and Bill Goggins from the ILYA· Focus: The genesis of how the E Scow came to be starting in 1923. How the E Scow was sanctioned for design and build and how it evolved in the ensuing decades to become one of the premier One-Design classes on the planet.
· Tom will kick the evening off and then hand the mic to Bill who will share his more recent experience of sailing with family and friends carrying the rich tradition of the E Scow into the 2nd Century.

Saturday Evening Book Signing: 
6:30 – 8:30 PM : Your chance to meet Gary Jobson, author of “A Century of Racing E Scows.” Books will be available for purchase.

Welcome E Scow sailors to the 2023 National Championship.

On behalf of the Mendota Yacht Club, we would like to thank all the participants attending.

Download this document and map in pdf.

Marshall Park will open to E Scow’s at 9 AM on Wednesday, September 6th.

Marshall Park’s address is 2101 Allen Blvd., Middleton, WI. 53562. We have closed the entire park and boat launch to the public. Launching fees have been paid for by Mendota Yacht Club and you will not need a launching sticker or permit. Upon arriving at Marshall Park you will be greeted by one of our volunteer staff and directed into a parking stall for your E Scow and towing vehicle. That will be your assigned spot for the entire regatta. Other vehicles traveling with you will be in a grassy area at Marshall Park. This area will also be used for E Scow trailers that are wet sailing, and motorboat trailers. Additional trailer parking will be roughly 10 minutes away if needed.

We will issue a parking pass for launching vehicles only. We do not have enough room for 2 cars per boat. There will also be street parking across from Marshall Park, north of Marshall Park, and Lakeview Park, 3 blocks away. Please park your second vehicle outside of the park. A volunteer greeter will be at the entrance of Marshall Park, directing vehicles without passes to park on the streets. We appreciate your consideration, cooperation, and patience with parking.

Volunteers will be present daily to assist you and direct you into the traffic pattern for launching. Once your boat is launched, you need to be ready to go sailing. There will be some areas where you can be docked for a very short period of time (green docks on the map). The north dock is intended for the main parking lot, while the south “T” dock is intended for the secondary parking lot. Plan on bringing a mooring buoy (or lunch buoy) to sail off of if you’re not going out right away. Shuttle boats will be available to assist you in shuttling or towing your boat out of the launching bay. We have 5 launch ramps, however, with 100+ boats it will still take 20 cycles. Please be patient with the process. There will be limited space inside the harbor. We ask that you take your sails down outside of the harbor to keep the harbor as safe as possible.

There will be no Alcohol near the boat launch. Please do not have open containers in the car while launching. The city has specifically requested this no-alcohol zone; please respect this rule.

Hours of operation of Marshall Park are 4 AM to 10 PM. We will have security present when the park closes.

Any additional questions can be answered by
Phil Zalog 414-719-7180 or Dale Gordon 917-912-0546

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Visit their unique farm-house tasting room for a tour and the best Old Fashioned cocktails in Wisconsin. J. Henry Farms is a 25 minute drive from the Marshall Park Boat Launch. J. Henry & Sons website

As Madison and the Mendota Yacht Club prepare to welcome over 120 E Scow crews to the 2023 Nationals, WMTV, the local NBC affiliate, will broadcast a live remote from the shore of Lake Mendota on their morning show on Friday, August 25, from 5-7 AM. MYC members Patrick Heaney, Kelsea Kierstead, and Phil Zalog will discuss E Scow sailing and regatta details. If you miss the livestream, the video will be available on their website.
Livestream here: https://www.nbc15.com/livestream/