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Offshore Doubles is committed to strengthening the community of sailors, events, and boat classes who are in the fastest-growing sector of the sport.
In one week since launching the campaign, OffshoreDoubles.org has signed up more than 600 members from 52 countries, with women sailors making up 16% of the base. The group hopes to reach a substantial membership list in efforts to keep the Olympic Offshore Mixed Doubles on the slate for Paris 2024.
“There are more than 5,000 boats racing doublehanded under rating rules and many strong one design fleets around the world and the inclusion of doublehanded trophies in most major events around the world, it was time to bring the community closer together to accelerate learning and growth and help sailors get into this exciting discipline,” said Larry Rosenfeld, founding President of Offshore Doubles.
Ken Read, a world-renown, multi-discipline sailor and the President of North Sails is one of many of the sailors who are actively participating in the doublehanded discipline. Read campaigned Alchemist, a Jeanneau Sunfast 3300 throughout 2020. He sailed in four events, two with Suzy Leech and two with brother Brad Read. The Alchemist team won on handicap in all four doublehanded races entered, including taking line honors in the New England Solo/Twin.
“My doublehanded experience kicked off in January 2020, not long before we knew that socially distanced, short-handed sailing would be so popular this summer,” commented Read. “Luckily, talented crew and world-class competition are never hard to find in Newport, Rhode Island. A summer of sailing Alchemist was the most fun I’ve had sailing in a long time, and doublehanded has been a way to re-energize and rediscover my love of the sport.”
The group is calling all sailors into action in advance of the World Sailing Annual Conference next week which will determine if the Offshore Mixed Doubles Event will continue to be included in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Now is the time to show the global sailing community and the International Olympic Committee that Doublehanded sailing has broad global support.
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