Farnham, Virginia — May 15–17, 2026

On Friday, May 15th, multihull sailboats began arriving at Scott Duff’s and his neighbor David Craven’s homes on the banks of the Rappahannock River in Farnham, Virginia. The Rivah Regatta remains one of my favorite regattas of the year. It’s a relaxed camping event where families gather, kids and adults play volleyball and pickleball, yard games spring up everywhere, and good friends reconnect. It’s worth the trip every single time.

This year, six Wetas participated in the regatta. Friday evening, Bill Croughwell, Baxter Gordon, and I headed out for a beautiful sunset sail. Naturally, our attention quickly turned to speed trials, and before long we found ourselves on starboard tack heading upriver much farther than intended.

As the evening breeze began to fade, we agreed it was time to head back. But as we approached shore, something seemed wrong — we couldn’t find the familiar yellow house and duck blind that mark Scott’s property. No worries. We continued drifting along the northern shoreline until, much farther downriver than we realized, we finally spotted the duck blind and eased onto the beach just as the wind completely shut down. Perfect timing.

Back at David’s lush riverside yard, we pulled the boats ashore, dropped the sails, settled into camping chairs, and proceeded to solve the world’s problems. Conversations wandered everywhere: proper use of the downhaul, Bruce Koch’s dramatic recital of the handwritten Sailing Instructions posted on a whiteboard, how to get kids involved in sailing, how nuclear navy experience somehow prepares a person for dinghy racing, racing strategy in cross-current conditions, and just how fast a Birdyfish can really go. Eventually, we ran out of steam and retired for the evening.

Saturday dawned with the promise of good wind. Over breakfast in David’s yard, Gareth Ferguson — who had arrived just after sunset Friday — began rigging his boat only to discover he had forgotten his tiller extensions. In true sailor fashion, he borrowed a piece of PVC pipe, tied it onto the tiller, and created an improvised extension that worked beautifully. Sailing has always seemed like a good analogy for life to me: you just keep adapting and trying.

The Saturday breeze proved worth the wait, delivering a solid range of 6–15+ knots throughout the day. Racing brought plenty of excitement, including a memorable “pickle fork kabookie dance” near the pin during the second start, when two boats tangled and performed a slow-motion pirouette downwind while untangling themselves. Thankfully, no serious damage occurred, and most importantly, everyone remained friends afterward.

After racing, sailors and families gathered in the grassy space between Scott’s and David’s homes for an incredible barbecue feast featuring pulled pork and all the fixings. Hungry from a full day on the water, we ate like royalty. Then came the ice cream bar. Honestly, who’s got it better than us? Nobody.

As evening settled in, pickleball games erupted, volleyballs flew, and laughter spread across the entire compound. It was the kind of evening that perfectly captures why this regatta is so special.

We crawled into our tents Saturday night with forecasts calling for light but sailable breeze on Sunday.

Sunday morning breakfast revealed a different reality: absolutely no wind. None.

Scott Duff eventually wandered over to the Weta sailors gathered in the shade and encouraged everyone to participate in a baseball-themed bean bag toss game. Sailors from across the regatta joined in. The competition may have been somewhat lopsided, but everybody had a great time. When the game wrapped up, we all looked hopefully across the river once more.

Glass calm.

No racing happened Sunday, but somehow it didn’t matter. The Rappahannock Rivah Regatta remains my favorite regatta of the year because it not just about racing. It’s about friends, family, stories, laughter, adaptability, and the simple joy of spending a weekend on the river with good people.

You should come to this one. Bring your family and friends.

See you in Farnham in May 2027.