Perhaps the largest fleet of racing sailboats on the Rappahannock River is the Cape Dory Typhoon fleet sponsored by the Rappahannock River Yacht Club located in Irvington, Virginia. The Typhoon was designed by Carl Alberg to be a fun, safe, small weekend cruiser. It has a full keel containing nine hundred pounds of lead for ballast, and is only nineteen feet in length.
If Mr. Alberg were alive today, he would surely be pleased with the Typhoon fleet racing. There are over fifty of these little boats nearby and most are owned by experienced cruiser/racers of larger sailboats who enjoy the competition and tweaking, within the Typhoon Racing Rules, of their boats for maximum performance.
The Typhoon racing season begins on a Wednesday in late April with the first race of the Spring Series. This Series consists of six weeks of racing that culminates with the dinner/awards ceremony at RRYC in May. On alternating years, RRYC sponsors The Typhoon Nationals Regatta, a two-day event, and the Mid-Atlantic Regatta, a one-day event.
This year the Mid-Atlantic Regatta was held June 6th with twenty Typhoons registered. The Typhoon Fleet participates in other events throughout the summer and into the fall. Events include the Leukemia Cup, one-design races, single-handed races, the Hospice Turkey Shoot, and the RRYC's Commodore's Cup held in mid-October.
Readers may learn more about the Typhoon Fleet by visiting the RRYC website rryc.org and find the Typhoon Racing blog under "Sailing".
