Annual Norm Blanchard W.O.O.D. Regatta

About the Race:

The Center for Wooden Boats’ annual Norm Blanchard W.O.O.D. (Wooden Open & One Design) Regatta honors the best-known name in wooden boatbuilding and yachting in the Pacific Northwest. Norman C. Blanchard’s Blanchard Boat Company turned out more than 2,000 boats in 60+ years during the past century. Quality, performance and longevity are the hallmarks of Norm Blanchard.

Who Can Participate:

• Open to all wooden boats - from El Toros to large racer cruisers

• Non-wood versions of traditional wood one-designs (e.g. Lightnings, Thunderbirds, San Juans, El Toros)

Separate prizes are awarded for small boats, large boats, and classic plastic boats. 

The 18th Annual Norm Blanchard W.O.O.D. Regatta happened on September 23rd, 2023

A little bit of Seattle rain did not dampen the spirits of our W.O.O.D. Regatta racers this year! It was a fun day of sailboat racing with PLENTY of wind. We had a total of 21 boats in the regatta, 12 small boats and 9 large boats. Out of the boats who participated, 15 were part of CWB’s fleet.

The day began with two races starting at noon, followed up by a lunch break. After the lunch break, there was one more race which was followed up by our end-of-the-season BBQ! Due to the challenging weather and winds, there were a total of 10 finishers for all three races, including 5 small boats and 5 large boats.

Our end of the season BBQ was supplied with plenty of beverages to celebrate with courtesy of Republic of Cider and Georgetown Brewing Co. Once everyone settled into the Bill Garden Boat shop to dig into their food, the cloudy skies cleared up for a beautiful evening of awarding the regatta winners and reminiscing on another fantastic boating season. Thank you to Capt. Gary Bangs and all volunteers who assisted in making the W.O.O.D. Regatta possible. 

2023 Winners:

Big Boats 

1. Matthew Upton on Thunderbird Makima

2. Audrey Hersman on Sterling 

3. Paula Williams and Natalie Mo captains of Pamela

Small Boats

1. Tom Dorrance on Swallow El Toro; WINNER of W.O.O.D. Trophy

2. Otto Roesler on Feva (“I otto win”, Otto is one of our Junior Instructors!)   

3. Yun Ma on Maroon Swift

Video produced by CWB volunteer J.A. Wiley

The 2022 Regatta was one great, wonderful adventure with good breeze and bright skies.

We were joined by over 30 boats and 150+ community members for a full day of racing. All 13 boats from our own livery participated plus 5 Norm Blanchard-built wooden boats (each 70+ years old!) sailed in this homage to the formative boatbuilder and designer. The fleet was diverse, ranging from 8 to 32 feet across Pelicans, Thunderbirds, Lightnings, and El Toros, with sailors ages 10 to 70+, some bringing decades of experience and some brand new SailNOW! grads.

Thank you to our community for coming out, helping out, and enjoying this beautiful lake we call home!

FULL RACE RESULTS HERE

REGATTA PHOTOS HERE

Congratulations to the 2021 overall champion:

Kemp Jones! (Thunderbird - Barbaree)