Finding the Best Shorthanded Sailor on Long Island Sound

Local racing. Honest metrics.

A trophy worth winning.

WHY THIS SERIES EXISTS

A thriving fleet deserves a real season champion.

Shorthanded sailing on Long Island Sound had a remarkable 2025 season. Entries grew in the Edlu, Block Island, Vineyard, and Bitter Ender regattas. The Around Long Island Regatta introduced a 250-mile course — the longest distance race in the region. The Haustblöt Shorthanded Regatta brought the first singlehanded class to LIS racing in years. Several LIS sailors crossed the start line of the Bermuda 1-2.

The Sound already has organizations that do great work recognizing performance — and this Series is designed to build on that foundation, not replace it. What's been missing is a season-long framework that incentivizes shorthanded participation in local events and rewards sailors across the full range of what the circuit demands: distance, competition depth, and consistent results.

WHAT WE’RE BUILDING

"The best shorthanded sailor is one who shows up, consistently performs, and proves themselves across the full spectrum of what local sailing demands."

The LIS Shorthanded Series Trophy (“SST”) is a season-long championship for singlehanded and doublehanded sailors that rewards strong performance and consistent participation — with a qualification threshold designed to be attainable, not exclusionary.

Every race is real competition, measured along three dimensions: where you finished in the fleet, how far you sailed, and how deep the competition was. Short local races remain the backbone of the circuit. Longer overnights and multi-day events carry the weight their commitment deserves — without ever allowing one hero result to decide the season.

HOW THE SHORTHANDED SERIES TROPHY STANDS APART

Different by design

Both SH and DH
Singlehanded and doublehanded, together
Most regatta-specific and regional trophies are doublehanded only. The SST is open to both — and actively encourages singlehanded competition even in doublehanded fleets through scoring adjustments that reward exceptional solo performance.
An Objective Formula
Scored by math
The Series uses a transparent, published formula that weights finishing position, race distance, and fleet size. There are no discretionary adjustments, no selection committees, and no ambiguity. You can calculate your own score before the results are even posted.
Local First
Built around the community
Winning the SST requires racing locally. Long offshore events count — but they cannot substitute for showing up to local races. The trophy is designed to reward sailors who support the community that supports them.

WHERE WE’RE HEADED

A stepping stone to the next level

The Series is designed to do more than crown a champion. The goal is to incentivize local participation and give sailors on Long Island Sound a structured path — a way to accumulate miles, race experience, and seamanship skills at the local level that prepares them to take on the next challenge: multi-day offshore races, the Bermuda 1-2, the Newport-Bermuda Race, and beyond.

From the helm
Why I built this
I've been racing shorthanded on Long Island Sound for 13 years. I've watched the fleet grow, watched sailors take on bigger and bigger challenges, and watched a genuine community develop around this style of sailing. I want to see the fleet grow. I want to see more boats on starting lines of local regattas — more community engagement. What's been missing is a way to recognize and reward the sailors who show up week after week, race after race, and prove themselves across everything the Sound has to offer using the metrics that we, as shorthanded sailors, know define the best.
The SST is my attempt to give that recognition a home — and to make Long Island Sound shorthanded sailing something more than the sum of its individual regattas.
— Josh Reisberg, Abilyn Sailing