Welcome to the Harken Blockheads issue of At The Front, a quarterly digest of top news and stories from the world of Harken®.
At Harken, being called a "Blockhead" will always be a compliment. We like the term so much that's why we made it the name of the next generation of sailors. We believe sailing is powerful. It requires self-sufficiency, creativity, and grit in ways sports with prescribed lines on the field and sidelines can't. And it rewards those qualities in ways that last a lifetime. We started Blockheads because we want more young people to experience what sailing can do in their lives. Blockhead...if you're lucky, you become one early in life. And you never outgrow it.
IN THIS ISSUE:
- BILL GOGGINS: THE GODFATHER OF BLOCKHEADS
- BLOCKHEADS ACROSS THE GLOBE. LATEST DESTINATION: FRANCE
- HEY KIDS! BLOCKHEADS ARE FOILING
- OPTI SAILOR, BLOCKHEAD, OR LATE NIGHT TALK SHOW HOST?
- BLOCKHEADS BLASTING AROUND DOWN UNDER
- THE HARKEN INTERNATIONAL YOUTH MATCH RACING IN AUSTRALIA
- BLOCKHEADS ASK A ROCKSTAR
- THE BLOCKHEAD ETHOS: WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU A KITKAT BAR, MAKE A RACEBOAT
- PETER'S DESK DRAWER
9 years of acting like complete blockheads
A progress report on our youth sailing initiative
By Bill Goggins — CEO Harken Inc.
It’s been more than five years since we’ve done a recap, so it’s high time for a report card on our Harken Blockheads youth program. For those unfamiliar, Blockheads is a community built to help a range of sailors from about Opti green fleet-age, to those leaving college, to develop the skills to prevent breakdowns, do better maintenance and rig to make their boats fit them better. We sponsor Blockheads for two reasons: 1. To pass our own love of the sport on to the next generation by helping them first imprint on sailing and get the self-sufficiency/GRIT qualities it bestows. 2. To make sure these sailors think of Harken not as a brand for their parents…but one with which they have a connection. We didn’t have a complete vision for where Blockheads would go when we began. Like a lot of ideas at Harken, we just got started…then started making it more fun little-by-little. At launch, several of us were parents of young kids and had a personal stake. We wanted to make sure they came to LOVE the sport. That gave us unique perspective on what might be fun and what would be totally LAME. Over the years the first Blockheads have grown.
The program has benefitted from the energy and creativity of a lot of our teammates, taking it places we couldn’t have envisioned. For instance, we regularly have Blockheads foiling in France.
We’ve had them in the TP52 Super Series and kids who were in high school when we started were on 2024 Cup Teams in Barcelona. We’re proud of what Blockheads has achieved. There are now almost 2500 members with organized activity in 13 countries. It’s grown slowly. In fact, we don’t launch a Blockheads program outside the US until we’re sure it will be well-organized and operate for the long term. This requires significant time and commitment from the local Harken office. Most of our offices are small, and sometimes that time just doesn’t exist. So expansion waits until we can do it right. Since the beginning, the highlights of the program are the videos and other content available at, www.harkenblockheads.com. At this writing, a new second-generation site is in final development to make content easier to find and help members share their experiences and triumphs in the sport.
The site is available in 3 languages. As always, anyone can join Blockheads there — Free! From the first days, the most gratifying thing about starting this program is still listening to the young sailors cheer when we say that we built Blockheads to reduce the need for helicopter parents. We knew we were on to something when we saw the parents in the back of the room reacting the same way! More than other sports, sailing requires self-reliance. We hope Blockheads helps kids develop the skills coaches and the sailing programs need them to have. We don’t like seeing parents washing boats rolling a dolly, or wet sanding blades. That stuff makes a sailor a sailor. I hope you enjoy this Blockheaded edition of “At The Front” and that you encourage a young sailor or two to join Blockheads today!
Blockheads à la française
Harken managing director Pierre Massé helped introduce Blockheads to France. The result? FUN!
FOILING IN FRANCE
Harken Blockheads caught up with French foiler, Thomas Proust, on his first sail on the Birdyfish to hear his thoughts on how the boat performs and why it’s such a powerful tool for getting more sailors into foiling. The BirdyFish is an entry-level foiling dinghy built to offer a stable, confidence-inspiring platform for sailors learning to fly on J foils for the first time.
“My first time sailing the Birdyfish, I was surprised by how simple it was to get flying,” he said. “It’s really easy to perform on this boat — that’s what makes it stand out. The Birdyfish is unique because of its simplicity; it’s designed for everyone. You can learn on it or even race with it. The learning curve is super easy, and the feeling of foiling on the Birdyfish is really close to wing foiling — even the speed feels similar. It’s a great way for more people to experience that foiling sensation. For me, that’s the best part — the feeling of freedom every time you’re up on the foil.”
This Blockhead Is Upgrading — with Harken. Louise Metenier giveS us a tour of her Rocketship
Want to upgrade with Louise? Harken makes it easier than ever with our WASZP upgrade kit.
The Opti sailor most likely to host a late-night talk show
Meet Briggs Kossmann
Before you even get to his impressive Opti results, you notice Briggs' curiosity for his competitors, his fascination with the sport, and the way he’s constantly learning, tweaking, and obsessing over every detail of his Opti setup. Over the past few years, Briggs has refined both his technique and his boat setup with almost scientific precision. And when he’s not on the water, you’ll find him interviewing his competitors, making new friends, and occasionally autographing an Opti for a fellow sailor. He might be the world's youngest sailing influencer, with over 7,000 followers at Instagram handle @Sailbriggs. Mark our words: some day he will be on late night TV.
Blockheads blasting around down under
Meet this powerhouse duo: Heidi Bates (17) and Orlando Sadlik (19). They are on their second season sailing together on the quintessentially Aussie 13ft Skiff. Most recently, they won their National Championship. Today, they give us a tour. Heidi and Orlando have worked on curating their block placement and choice, even naming their favorite ratcheting block their "gold medal piece".
youth Match racing in Australia
This year, the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club proudly hosted the 31st annual HARKEN International Youth Match Racing Regatta. Ten elite teams from across Australia and New Zealand came to compete for the Rockin’ Robin Trophy which carries a rich legacy. Many past champions have gone on to compete in the America’s Cup, SailGP, and Olympic campaigns, as well as take on leadership roles throughout the sport. With longstanding support from Harken in Australia, the event has grown into one of the world’s most respected youth match racing championships.
After four days of competitive racing, Zach Fong and team emerged as this year’s champions. Harken Australia looks forward to continuing its commitment to youth sailing and expanding its Blockheads program to inspire the next generation of sailors.
If yoU could ask a rockstar anything, what would IT BE?
Welcome to the Ask a Rockstar Series. U.S. Sailing's new CEO Charlie Enright has been Rolex Yachtsman of the Year. He was the first American skipper to win the Volvo Ocean Race. And he participated in Disney's Morning Light Project. While visiting Harken HQ in Pewaukee, Blockheads asked. Charlie answered.
A 24' RACING BOAT FOR THE PRICE OF OF A KITKAT BAR
(AND ABOUT A MILLION HOURS)
Carter Miller is a young professional sailor whose background in racing, composites work, and boat management gave him the confidence to take on a full Melges 24 rebuild. Starting with a handshake and a KitKat bar, Carter turned a shed-bound eyesore into a hands-on platform for competitive racing and youth experience. Carter may not have ever been a Blockhead. But he exhibits the self-reliance that sailing uniquely builds...just what we try to cultivate. So let him be a model.
How did you come to own your Melges 24? The Melges 24 is quite a fun and incredible story! A great friend of mine, JJ Miller, is an avid boat collector and historian from Port Clinton, Ohio. At the young age of 23, his collection of history, wealth of knowledge, and ownership of race boats from high performance little boats to big displacement boats is impressive. In JJ’s collection was a Melges 24 stashed away waiting to see the spotlight again. Knowing that JJ was heading soon to law school, we discussed the laundry list of work required to put the boat back on the race course. Shortly after the two of us met at the boat to give our best effort to get it in racing condition. As we got into the work, the list grew astronomically and time became an issue. Reality set in: it needed more time than we had. With no plan in that moment, JJ turned to me, laughed and said “Well? Do you want it for a King-Size KitKat?” Jokingly, I said something along the lines of “Well, why not?” That was it. We agreed I would give the boat care, meaning and life. My dreams of owning a race boat became reality. We packed, wrapped, hitched the boat to the truck, and I made my way northeast for Annapolis and the next chapter.
What condition was the boat in when you got it? When I got the Melges 24 from JJ, the condition of the boat was quite sad. My Melges 24 hull was built in 2001, which leaves almost 25 years of punishing racing, sitting in wet conditions, possibly having several different masts and 5 different owners. This boat had not been maintained or updated in many years and was far from one design racing condition. The boat itself looked to be in good shape, but had major issues hidden within. The first thing my eyes went to was the keel, years of wear, tear and mistreatment. A lot of the deck hardware was missing or faulty, the rig itself had laminate damage, and most of everything needed some TLC. It was safe to say that this would not be the end of the list. It required a whole refit.
While working in the cold winter months, I kept a heater in the bilge to keep myself and the laminate warm. I was going between different periods of freezing myself, laminating, sanding, sweating, vacuuming, laminating and freezing...again. It was brutal work. What would you recommend to someone taking on a big project like this? The key to not being overwhelmed with such a big project is taking things day by day and completing one single task each day, no matter how big or small. Every green check is something to feel accomplished about. The second thing is asking for help, especially when everyone has a specialty skill or helpful knowledge from experience. Finding a strong mentor and friends that want to watch you grow will only extend your lead in the project. Teamwork led me to success. It can’t be done alone. It took me an army.
What prepared you to take on a project of this size? Oakcliff gave me a home, safe space, great community, people to admire and is one of the many platforms that has set me up for success. I was allowed to be a sponge. I could touch, make mistakes, ask questions and dig in. Without all those experiences, I don’t think I would have been able to take on the Melges 24. The training I received at Oakcliff prepared me for my work at the Beasley Marine composite shop, where each project built my confidence and comfort level. Those experiences ultimately gave me the skills needed to take on the Melges 24. What was the most unexpectedly difficult job? Everything that seemed easy became more difficult and complicated as I dug further into the project. One job leads to three more, and you don't feel the progress. We pulled the keel out of the boat twice, and doing jobs over again always felt like going backwards. The keel was in rough shape. We ended up pulling a few rocks from Lake Erie out of the bottom of the bulb. It would be impossible to estimate how many hours were spent fairing, templating, and respraying. It felt like a never-ending job that had to be perfect. Eventually, you see light at the end of the tunnel.
What solution helped the most during the refit? Finding an indoor heated shop space to work on the boat. Without a heated shop, the entire project would grind to a halt. Everything on the boat required a space big enough to get the hull, trailer, mast, and keel inside to get work done. Having the shop space also allowed me and others to be comfortable while working on the boat. That shop became my safe haven. How far along is the project now? The project is probably 50% complete. The projects always have levels of priority, such as, Do before sailing. Or, Things that would be fun to add. The most important tasks were completed first. We just started replacing deck gear, so we don’t have to worry about old pieces of equipment breaking while learning to sail a new boat. The boat itself still needs quite a bit of love, but I’m extremely happy with its new phase and quality of life.
Do you plan to ever sell the boat? There is no plan to sell the boat. The mission of this project has always been to be a platform and spotlight for the youth and young specialists in the sailing industry. I hope to keep this boat and continue to inspire the team and its supporters. Most importantly, I want to provide an injection of passion, fun, and love for the sport of sailing.
PETER'S DESK DRAWER
Sailors are creative people. We get TONS of suggestions for products we should design or adapt and sell. “That block is great, but if you could just replace the center rivet with a clevis pin, I could rig up faster.” We listen. And over the years, we’ve built a bunch. We’ve started putting them in a collection we call “Peter’s Desk Drawer.”
They’re not custom, so they’re not more expensive. Sometimes they’re not a big deal…and sometimes they’re exactly what you need. Have a unique rigging challenge? Look in the drawer.
This month’s featured product
This is our smallest fiddle block, created by merging a 225 Micro becket block for the larger sheave with a 16 mm single block. Accepts 5 mm line. The Micro has Delrin® ball bearings and the 16 mm has stainless steel bearings. The 22mm Fiddle Block is also similar to the new mainsheet system, which is now legal on the ISCA.