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ISCA Builder Updates

• ISCA's First Year - Improved Boat, Improved Value

Does Your Boat Measure Up?

Major Championships

• North American Championship June 4-7
• USSCA NAs Young Adult Grant Application
• Youth North American Championship August 15-17
• US Masters September 11-13
• Women's North American Championship Oct. 9-11

USSCA Events - Save the date

• Gulf Coast Regional Championship, Grand Lagoon YC, Pensacola, Florida, April 11-12 
• April 10th - CLINIC BY EDUARDO CORDERO
• Upstate NY Regional Championship I, Rochester Canoe Club, NY, May 16-17
• Mid-Atlantic Regional Championship I, Lewes, Delaware, June 20-21
• Southeast Regional Championship, Beaufort Yacht and Sailing Club, SC, June 27-28

Regatta News & Sailing Reports

• 2026 Midwinters Series
• Boca Ciega Championship & Learn to Race Event
• Florida Regional Championship I
• Savannah Yacht Club Frostbite Series
• Lucky Charms Regatta at Austin Yacht Club
• Bonaire Saling Championship

USSCA News

• USSCA Sail Number Policy - Vanity Numbers
• USSCA Annual Meeting
• USSCA Nominations for Leadership

In Memory: Eight Bells - Joe Blouin

 Published March 10, 2026

Year One of the ISCA® Sailboat!

Just over a year ago, ISCA awarded Zim Sailing the right to produce the ISCA, the new class legal boat.  In that short time, Zim has developed molds, set up a highly reliable supply of replacement parts, shipped new boats to dealers and customers, and built the entire fleet for the 2025 ISCA Worlds in Ecuador.  

On the first anniversary of our partnership, it’s the perfect time to review and celebrate the new boat and what’s been accomplished.

ISCA® Sailboats – Built to Last

A core strength of the ISCA Class is its commitment to ensuring the One Design integrity of the class while ensuring the boats are strong and consistent for both racing and recreational sailors. Working closely with Zim, the class has incorporated a number of construction enhancements that improve durability, stiffness, and long-term reliability, while maintaining performance consistent with previously-built boats.

The updates include:

• All backing plates are now aluminum and fully fiberglassed into the structure
• Additional deck reinforcement has been added under the seating area to prevent cracking
• Closed-cell (waterproof) foam blocks provide hull stiffness and flotation
• Improved rudder cheeks using stronger plastic and additional structural ribs
• Reinforced mast step using an innovative support and an improved adhesive system
• Harken blocks throughout, including bridle blocks for the 3:1 sheeting system on race boats
• Improved cockpit-to-hull bonding for greater overall strength
• A much stronger bridle designed for durability
• Exclusive use of North Sails.  And unlike other recreational sails, the North recreational sail is virtually the same cut as the North racing sail for better performance.
• Smart engineering to keep the hull weight consistent with prior boats

Benefits Beyond the Boat

Zim, in partnership with ISCA, developed a formal Construction Manual, something the class never had. It defines how every ISCA boat is built, ensuring consistency across all production boats and providing clear instructions should additional builders be added in the future.

Zim also developed a CAD-based hull plug from which all molds are produced. This ensures any new molds will be identical to existing molds, protecting fleet uniformity long-term.

All ISCA boats come with a two-year warranty.  Warranty claims have been minimal, and Zim has quickly handled all claims.

Zim also financially supports the class through certification fees paid to ISCA for every boat and major part (sails, blades, etc.) sold. These funds will be used to help grow and promote the class worldwide.

Strong Value for Sailors

The 2026 retail price of the recreational ISCA is virtually identical to that of similar boats, meaning there is no compelling reason for recreational sailors to choose anything but the ISCA.  Every ISCA comes with a World Sailing plaque, making them fully class legal and eligible for ISCA-sanctioned racing—and that supports stronger long-term resale value.

The racing ISCA is priced slightly higher, reflecting the inclusion of a racing sail, additional cleats, the 3:1 sheeting system bridle blocks, and an upgraded line package.

Looking Ahead

ISCA has developed a close relationship with Zim and holds status meetings every three weeks to stay in sync and develop plans to grow the class.  Expect to see Zim continue expanding the dealer network both in the US and internationally, with a focus on both racing and recreational sailors.  Zim is already preparing to build the fleet of boats for the 2026 Worlds in St. Croix, USVI, and Zim’s new ISCA van and trailer brought charter boats to the US Nationals and International Masters, and will be bringing charter boats to the North Americans and other regattas through the year. Now that the “startup year” is behind us, the focus has turned to accelerating growth!

Thank you and we look forward to your continued membership and support of the class. More information on Zim Sailing, www.zimsailing.com. 

 Questions, info@sunfishclass.org 

By John Butine, ISCA Chief Measurer

Vol. 7

At the beginning of January 2026, the class made an annnouncement concerning the World Sailing plaques that are placed in the front cockpit of all ISCA boats built by Zim Sailing. The link to that announcement is here: https://www.sunfishclass.org/wsplaquesmay122023

To further expand on that important topic, I will focus on the certification stickers that can be found on the major components of the ISCA boat. Those components are:

• Daggerboard
• Rudder Blade
• Rudder Cheek
• Mast
• Upper Spar
• Boom
• Sail

Since 2025, the stickers located on these components are orange with white lettering.  In the past these have been white/black letter, blue/sliver letter and yellow/purple letter.  When one of these components is labeled with the certification sticker it assures that you have a part that has been provided by the builder while meeting the standards defined in the ISCA Construction Manual and the ISCA Class Rules. This is critical in maintaining the One-Design requirements of the class.

As the Measurer inspecting boats at our major events, seeing these certification stickers on the components, and the World Sailing plaque in the cockpit, allows me (and the measurement & inspection team) to focus on rigging aspects of the boat assuring it is done within the class rules.  Daggerboards and rudders may still get the template check, especially if it appears that either of those blades has undergone some level of repair.

Here are some visual examples of the what the certification stickers look like and where they are located.

For the PDF of this article and all Does Your Boat Measure Up? Articles, please CLICK HERE. 

USSCA is pleased to announce, thanks to an anonymous donor, that four grants are available for Young Adults aged 19 to 25 to cover the full entry fee for the USSCA North American’s in Barrington, Rhode Island on June 4-7, 2026 as well as the USSCA Membership Fee if needed. The Young Adult age group includes individuals who will turn 19 by the end of 2026 through age 25 and who will not turn 26 by the end of 2026.  A grant application form is available on-line at GRANT FORM. Applications will be reviewed to determine the grant recipients. The donor may also be able to provide an ISCA/Sunfish for the recipient to use during the North American's Regatta in June 2026. 

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to the donor who is making this possible. This will help to raise awareness and interest in young adults, some of whom who are currently or have recently enjoyed college sailing and are looking for accessible sailing after college. Our hope is to grow participation among this age group and share with them the joy of sailing within the USSCA class.

Big Fleets, Big Breeze

ISCA Midwinters kicked off with the International Masters Championship starting on March 15.  A record 89 boats came to the US Sailing Center Martin County, FL, for a scheduled 9-race, 3-day series.  However, high winds turned it into a 5-race championship held over just the first two days. The racing was exciting with good wind for the first two days and winds into the 30’s on the last day, when racing was abandoned for the day.  Eugene Schmitt of Bay St. Louis, an Apprentice Master (age 40-49), prevailed with a total of 6 points, that’s 4 bullets and one second. He was on fire!  Master (50-59) Chris Carroll (FL/OH) was 2nd, scoring 19 points, and Grand Master (60-69) Hank Saurage of Louisiana end up 3rd with 23 points.  The top female was Grand Master Mary Ellen Ingham (NY/FL) in 14th, while Steve Honour (FL) was the first Grand Master (70-79) and John Barrere (MD) was top Senior Master (80+).  Eugene and MaryEllen were each awarded a ‘Gold Championship Dolly’ donated by Dynamic Dollys for the event. 

After a lay day, the US Nationals started a 3-day series on March 19, once again in heavy air.  The fleet was sent in on the 2nd day once gusts on the course hit 30 knots, and the final day provided respite with winds in the low teens subsiding to single digits in the final races.  Through it all, three-time ISCA World Champion Jean Paul de Trazegnies (PER) remained consistent and won on a tiebreaker over Sebastian Medina (PUR).  Diego Silvestre (GUA) was third, 5 points back. The top US finisher was Andy Beeckman (TN) in 5th, and the first female was Kelly Arrindell (TTO) in 11th. 

Thank you to USSC Martin County for having us for the week. 

Full results:

International Masters ISCA International Masters

US Nationals USSCA US Nationals

Submitted by Steve Honour

The beauty of the ISCA Class was on full display on Boca Ciega Bay during a 3-day weekend at the end of February. Twenty-nine participants from teens to 80's, about 50-50 male-female, and nearly every age group in ISCA were  represented. A fabulous time was had by all in beautiful weather in the low 70's with 10-12 mph winds on Sunday.  There were 14 participants from Fleet 756, strong representation from Dunedin Windlassses and SPYC Salty Sisters, with 7 new racers. Welcome to Sunfish® racing fun! 

The event began with practice races on Friday afternoon. Many were not sure what to make of the fairly standard ISCA WL race course, but it didn't matter because none of the finishes counted for anything. It was all for fun and learning. Pretty soon most got the hang of it. Then it was back on shore for a 45-minute debrief whiteboard session to answer everybody's questions and share some tips. Friday evening some of us went out for pizza and beer at Siri's in Gulfport while others went to popular waterfront O'Maddy's. 

Saturday began with a class on Sunfish racing covering everything from the basics of racing from the perspective of having never raced at all, to never raced on a Sunfish, and the peculiarities of the quirky little boat. What are all these strange adjustments? Halyard height, gooseneck setting? What's with two halyards? We explained all of that, the race course, some basic rules and tips on starting, and racing upwind and down. 

Next up was the race clinic skippers' meeting where the drills were described. Winds were light, so only two races had drills. The first race was a 9-minute rolling start with starts every 3 minutes. The first two starts were practice starts, then turn back with the clock still running for the next. The third time was a go for the first race where everyone was to tack six times on the first windward leg. The next race was a buddy drill: new racers paired up with experienced racers who tracked them throughout the race offering tips and guidance. That was well received; people liked that. Then a few pure races were held before the fleet headed back to shore for another informative 45-minute debrief, addressing everyone's questions. 

Saturday evening was a scrumptious taco feast whipped up by volunteer chef Paul Acosta and team with plenty of beer. Sunday was the actual one-day regatta and wow, did we ever get the perfect weather. Low 70's and 10-15  winds. Five races was enough after three days. 

Derek Sernaker won 1st Place New Racer. Levi Warren was the 1st Place Junior and also a Sea Scout with Ship 915. Janet Kreutzer was 4th Place overall and the 1st Place Female. Michael Hespenheide was 1st Apprentice Master, Kat Bonfiglio was 1st Place Master, 3rd Place went to Richard Prieto, 2nd Place and 1st Grand Master was won by Fauss Hull, and I won 1st and Great Grand Master.  A scrumptious fajita feast was the result of the previous night's meal. Beverages and laughter flowed freely. 

The amazing thing about the event was learning just how little money it takes to put on a regatta when you get  creative and there is no big overhead. The event had an interesting price structure with fees going up as the event went on. Most participants paid just $15 for all three days if pre-registerd and checking in on Friday. Some paid $20 on Saturday and others paid $25 on Sunday.  Walk ins-were allowed without pre-registering for an extra $5 each day. 

There were as many volunteers as there were participants. Those with powerboats graciously paid for their own fuel. Chef Paul and his team volunteered their services. Most of the fees collected went to paying for food and beer. The very special 11 trophies were uniquely hand-crafted wood plaques made from recycled wood that had a racing pedigree. They were previously lee boards aboard the Cal 34 Shady Lady as she won the 225-mile Clearwater-to-Key West race in 2004. I burned the lettering on by hand and Lisa Glaser painted the ISCA logos. Thank you to Paul Odegard who contributed the Feather Mate door prizes which were very well received. Thank you to everyone who participated and volunteered. You made it happen. 

The most frequent comment was how much was learned. That was the goal. Also, Fleet 756 learned how to host a regatta. Now that we have shown we can do it, we will offer to host a Florida Regional next year, perhaps in the same time slot. And yes, we will be doing more Learn To Race Events. Look forward to the Fleet 756 Regional next year and be assured it won't cost a lot to race with us. We also challenge other clubs to see how affordable they can make regattas. After all, it's supposed to be about fun and sharing for maximum appreciation. 

Photo credit: Tom Steiger

RESULTS

Pos, Sail, Skipper, Yacht Club, Results, Total Points

1. 81614, Chris Carroll, Sarasota Sailing Squadron and Cleveland Yacht Club, 1-[6]-6-2-1-2- ; 12  

2. 6, Dominic Simonetti, SSS, 2-2-[5]-4-2-4- ; 14  

3. 5220, Richard Chapman, Lake Bluff, 7-4-1-3-[13]-3- ; 18  

4. 81443, Nancy Jaywork, Rehoboth Bay Sailing Association, 3-3-4-7-10-[16]- ; 27  

5. 87457, Greg Reardon, NAYC, 4-1-7-6-11-[12]- ; 29  

6. 349, Jeffrey Olson, SSS, 10-11-[14]-14-3-1- ; 39T  

7. 76347, Griffin Sisk, Westhampton Yacht Squadron, 13-9-3-[17]-9-5- ; 39T  

8. 176, Steve Honour, Boca Ciega YC - USSCA Fleet 756, [12]-10-8-11-4-9- ; 42  

9. 81135, Mary Ellen Ingham, Sarasota SS & Rochester CC, 14-13-9-5-6-[15]- ; 47T  

10. 808, Richard Kalich, Mattituck Yacht Club, [15]-14-11-8-8-6- ; 47T  

11. 10164, Lisa Brown Ehrhart, Lisa Brown Ehrhart, 8-5-2-1-[32/DNC]-32/DNC- ; 48  

12. 81934, Steven Whipple, SSS, 11-18-[20]-15-5-10- ; 59  

13. 81906, Richard Chase, Sarasota Sailing Squadron, 6-8-[23]-9-21-18- ; 62T  

14. 5054, Andy Hodgson, Sarasota Sailing Squadron, 17-7-13-10-15-[32/DNC]- ; 62T  

15. 81221, Artur Zembowicz, Bourne Cove Yacht Club, [27]-12-18-16-7-11- ; 64  

16. 81991, Michael Plosica, SSS / CST, [22]-16-16-18-12-8- ; 70  

17. 348, Christine Kelly, Dunedin boat Club, 5-22-12-19-16-[32/OCS]- ; 74T  

18. 81800, David Lattie, Sarasota Sailing Squadron, 9-19-[22]-21-18-7- ; 74T  

19. 87778, Anne Marije Veenland-Lee, EYC / SSS, 18-20-[25]-13-14-20- ; 85  

20. 4400, Doug Brown, SSS, 19-17-10-12-[32/DNC]-32/DNC- ; 90  

21. 81628, Kellee Johnson, SSS, [25]-21-15-22-17-17- ; 92  

22. 78020, Douglas Warren, LBYC/SSS, [26]-26-17-20-19-14- ; 96  

23. 81984, Marius Satas, SSS, 24-[27]-21-27-20-13- ; 105  

24. 77897, Susan Mallows, SSS, 16-15-24-23-[32/DNC]-32/DNC- ; 110  

25. 17, Dan Smith, Melbourne Yacht Club, 20-28-27-[29]-24-19- ; 118T  

26. 81498, Joy Sheets, Dunedin Boat Club, [28]-24-26-25-22-21- ; 118T  

27. 81022, Lynne Randall, Davis Island Yacht Club, 21-25-19-24-[32/DNC]-32/DNC- ; 121  

28. 88552, Rosemary McMullen, Sarasota Sailing Squadron, 23-23-29-26-26-[32/DNC]- ; 127  

29. 81891, Barbara Meier, Sarasota Sailing Squaron, [31]-29-28-28-25-22- ; 132  

30. 5050, Sandra Gerber, SSS-LL, 30-[32/DNC]-32/DNC-32/DNC-23-32/DNF- ; 149  

31. 5085, Jean Orr, Sarasota Sailing Squadron, 29-[32/DNC]-32/DNC-32/DNC-32/DNC-32/DNC- ; 157  

Sailors in Savannah were busy this winter sailing a great series with up to 15 boats sailing! This fleet is getting ready to attend the Southeast Regional at Beaufort YSC and host the 2026 Youth North Americans. Thanks to Sailing Director Marin Borrallo (URU) for sending these great photos and energizing the fleet. 

The Third Time’s the Charm!

The 3^rd Annual Lucky Charms Regatta on March 14th at Austin Yacht Club was a success without any rescheduling or threatening winds or weather. Many thanks to Chris Henkel and Lisa Rogers and PRO Terry Schertz.

I am happy to say the biggest fleet participating was the Sunfish fleet with 15 boats, although only four boats were from AYC. “That ain’t right!” It was nice to see some families attending since the regatta was scheduled before any of the the Youth TSA circuit events. Competitors came from Lake Worth Sailing Club, Rush Creek YC, Seabrook Sailing Club and the Viridian Sailing Center. The shifty winds were 10-20 with gusts 20-30 from the south. All fleets sailed six races with a windward mark and offset, downwind gate and upwind finish. It was hard work and lots of fun.

Beautiful photos have been taken by Elieza Craane and Anja & Lianne Hendrikx. FULL RESULTS

Very sad news: Yacht (Altagracia) - and Sunfish sailor Jan van Meurs unexpectedly passed away on March 26. A very sporty sailing friend whom we will greatly miss among us. The memory will be indelible.  

BonSailing Regatta May 1-3, NOR - CLICK HERE 

The Blouin family is sad to announce the passing of Joseph E. Blouin Jr. of Davis Island Yacht Club, Tampa, Florida. A longtime member of Davis Island Yacht Club, Joe passed away on April 1, 2026, at the age of 80. 

Joe was a dedicated family man, an active sailor, and a respected leader at Davis Island Yacht Club. A member of DIYC for 38 years and Commodore in 2000, he gave generously of his time and expertise to the club, including helping guide the recent Point Patio project. A North American Sunfish Champion (1980), he remained an active presence on the water, regularly competing in Sunfish Masters Regattas and in the fleet - always with a spirit of fun. 

A retired architect, Joe was known not only for his professional accomplishments but for his steady presence, thoughtful leadership, and true gentlemanly spirit. 

He will be greatly missed by our membership and the many friends he made at the club. 

Expert from the Davis Island Yacht Club Member newsletter. 

Left - Commodore Blouin, 2000

Right - Joe Blouin #54624 (~late 1970's) sailing regional at Carolina Yacht Club North Carolina. 

ISCA/USSCA Class Administrator

www.sunfishclass.org    info@sunfishclass.org  404-451-7743