HSR Regatta

The Haustblót
Shorthanded Regatta

The only regatta on Long Island Sound built specifically for shorthanded sailors — singlehanded and doublehanded, racing together, on their own terms.

The HSR is a one-day distance race held each September out of Sea Cliff Yacht Club. The course is designed not just to test speed, but to demand real shorthanded seamanship: multiple sail changes, varied points of sail, and the kind of problem-solving you can't practice with a full crew. After racing, everyone comes ashore for a BBQ, some beers, and the conversation that's actually the point of doing this.

2026

• September 19, 2026. Conditions were again fierce, but not as full-on as last year: 15-18 knots from the northeast. As with 2025, the HRRR called for breeze to diminish over the day and, again, die in the late afternoon.

• Not wanting a repeat of last year’s drifter finish inside the harbor, the OA chose not to send boats too far east and also chose not to finish boats inside the harbor. But that didn’t mean crews wouldn’t get worked!

  • The OA sent boats beating to R32 in Stamford from a start inside Hempstead Harbor between Matinecock Point and Weeks Point.

  • From R32, competitors went across the Sound to Lloyd Point on a short reach. The narrow TWA and short distance had boats questioning whether to put up a larger forward sail.

  • From Lloyd Point, boats were sent dead downwind to Can One. As predicated, the breeze had veered far enough right to create a real split in the fleet, which induced numerous position changes and crossing situations, especially between the front two boats—In Theory and Abilyn.

  • From Can One, competitors went on another beat! Rye Beach was the target, which forced boats to short tack the coast near Larchmont YC and American YC or head into the Sound and face adverse current. There were multiple other regattas on the north side of the Sound, creating interesting navigational hazards—tack away or try to respectfully sail near (or through) the race course.

  • The fifth and final leg sent boats on a reach from Rye Beach across back to Matinecock Point. The leg was just wide enough to set codes or A3/A1.5 sails. On Abilyn, sailing singlehanded, I didn’t have enough time on the short-tack beat from Can One to get the sail up in the air. I finally made that happen after rounding the final turning mark. My boat speed immediately increased 1.5 knots over sailing with the G1 alone. Getting the right sail up at the right time was an important feature of this race course.

• A full day of tacking, gybing, and everything in between was bookended by a low-key BBQ on the Sea Cliff dock, followed by a few beers with crews who arrived late. Another successful HSR!

• FUN FACT

  • The sailors who are currently nos. 1 and 2 on the list of all-time Newport-Bermuda races among living sailors (John Browning (29) and Rich du Moulin (28)) raced in the 2026 HSR!

2025

• September 20, 2025. Conditions were fierce at the start—20-25 knots from the east, and mild for late September. The HRRR called for breeze to diminish over the day and basically die in the afternoon. These conditions presented an opportunity for the OA to give competitors a truly physically and mentally demanding course. The inaugural race was sailed in three classes: PHRF singlehanded, ORC doublehanded, and PHRF PlusOne.

• From the start off Matinecock Point, racers were sent on a screaming reach across the Sound to R36 (Blue Fish Shoals), then east to G13 (Eaton’s Neck), directly upwind in 18-22 knots with a corresponding wave state. At Eaton’s Neck, racers turned around, heading west—and directly downwind—to Can One (Execution Rocks). The upwind and downwind legs created tactical separation in the fleets, exactly what the OA wanted. From Can One, boats headed towards the finish off the Glen Cove Breakwater, in a dying easterly. The conditions at the finish for most boats couldn’t have any more different compared to the start.

• A full day of reaching, tacking, and gybing was finished with a BBQ and kegger on the Sea Cliff dock with a spectacular sunset over Sands Point.