Thistle Nationals 2024
Regatta Results
Race Details
Race Date:
08/05/2024
08/09/2024
Location:
Tom’s River, New Jersey
Area:
Atlantic Coast
District:
New Jersey
Chevron Level:
Gold
Race Results
First Place:
Paul Abdullah, Marie Abdullah, Jesse Shedden
Second Place:
Jon Duffett, Bryn Clark, Sarah Bonner
Third Place:
Riley Read, Addyson Fisher, Jeff Eiber
Basic Regatta Notes
65 Thistles met at Tom’s River Yacht Club in New Jersey for the 78th annual Thistle National Championship Regatta. After four days of sailing in mostly the upper teens and low twenties, Paul Abdullah (The Florida Yacht Club), Marie Abdullah and Jesse Shedden clinched the regatta. Jon Duffett (Jacobs Rock Yacht Club), Sarah Bonner and Bryn Clark secured second place. Sailing in his first Thistle Nationals, Riley Read (Sail Newport) came in third with Addyson Fisher and Jeff Eiber.
“I loved the challenging conditions Barnegat Bay threw at us,” says Paul Abdullah. “Mark Foster and his team did an outstanding job getting quality races in.” Paul and Marie, his wife, have been sailing Thistles together since 2009. He and Jesse Shedden are longtime friends, having competed together and against each other on the Thistle circuit since the early 2000s. “Jesse and Marie never got tired of competing and left everything on the racecourse!”
Tom’s River Yacht Club was an excellent host for the week. Brian Gabriel, the TRYC flag line and their team of volunteers ran efficient tow lines, manned the hoist, served delicious breakfast, post-racing snacks and dinner, and put on one heck of a multi-day regatta party. Mark Foster served as PRO with a Tom’s River RC team. Racers appreciated his daily pre-race briefing and clear communication on the course.
Four young skippers took advantage of the Thistle Class Association’s Youth Member Regatta Reimbursement Program. To offset the cost of attending regattas when money is a barrier to participation, the TCA pays the regatta registration fee for Nationals, Midwinters, and Interdistrict Championships for members under 26 years old. “The use of Growth and Promotion Funds to cover the cost of Nationals registration has been very helpful to our team and many other young teams I have talked to this week,” says Ian Hunter from The Florida Yacht Club.
Notable happenings:
• Thirty-two kids participated in the on-site Thistle Kids’ Camp for the week. Parents dropped off their children before racing each day and picked them up upon returning to shore.
• Over 25 women attended a women-only “Peeing Roundtable” hosted by a few female class leaders. The group discussed different techniques to comfortably relieve oneself while on the boat. The topic was especially relevant given the importance of staying hydrated on the long, hot days.
• Third place finisher Riley Read sailed the regatta as the TCA’s first boat grant recipient. Riley races in Newport with Thistle Fleet 169 and used the fleet’s Monday night races as practice for Nationals.
• Mike Ingham (Rochester Canoe Club) gave parts to 5 of his competitors so they could repair their broken masts after racing on Tuesday.
• Bob White (Leatherlips Yacht Club) was the oldest skipper; he won Thistle Nationals 47 years ago in 1977.
Full results available at: www.regattanetwork.com/event/27595#_newsroom
Photo by Frank Parisi Photography: https://www.frankparisiphotography.com/featured.html
“I loved the challenging conditions Barnegat Bay threw at us,” says Paul Abdullah. “Mark Foster and his team did an outstanding job getting quality races in.” Paul and Marie, his wife, have been sailing Thistles together since 2009. He and Jesse Shedden are longtime friends, having competed together and against each other on the Thistle circuit since the early 2000s. “Jesse and Marie never got tired of competing and left everything on the racecourse!”
Tom’s River Yacht Club was an excellent host for the week. Brian Gabriel, the TRYC flag line and their team of volunteers ran efficient tow lines, manned the hoist, served delicious breakfast, post-racing snacks and dinner, and put on one heck of a multi-day regatta party. Mark Foster served as PRO with a Tom’s River RC team. Racers appreciated his daily pre-race briefing and clear communication on the course.
Four young skippers took advantage of the Thistle Class Association’s Youth Member Regatta Reimbursement Program. To offset the cost of attending regattas when money is a barrier to participation, the TCA pays the regatta registration fee for Nationals, Midwinters, and Interdistrict Championships for members under 26 years old. “The use of Growth and Promotion Funds to cover the cost of Nationals registration has been very helpful to our team and many other young teams I have talked to this week,” says Ian Hunter from The Florida Yacht Club.
Notable happenings:
• Thirty-two kids participated in the on-site Thistle Kids’ Camp for the week. Parents dropped off their children before racing each day and picked them up upon returning to shore.
• Over 25 women attended a women-only “Peeing Roundtable” hosted by a few female class leaders. The group discussed different techniques to comfortably relieve oneself while on the boat. The topic was especially relevant given the importance of staying hydrated on the long, hot days.
• Third place finisher Riley Read sailed the regatta as the TCA’s first boat grant recipient. Riley races in Newport with Thistle Fleet 169 and used the fleet’s Monday night races as practice for Nationals.
• Mike Ingham (Rochester Canoe Club) gave parts to 5 of his competitors so they could repair their broken masts after racing on Tuesday.
• Bob White (Leatherlips Yacht Club) was the oldest skipper; he won Thistle Nationals 47 years ago in 1977.
Full results available at: www.regattanetwork.com/event/27595#_newsroom
Photo by Frank Parisi Photography: https://www.frankparisiphotography.com/featured.html
Clean Regatta Notes
The Thistle Clean Class Initiative team worked with TRYC to put on a Clean Regatta by following Sailors for the Sea best practices. There were water bottle filling stations, recycling bins and compost bins, Cups, plates and silverware were compostable.
