National Offshore One Design | Seattle's sailing race is biggest startup ever

Seattle will draw the largest field for a National Offshore One Design regatta since Chicago hosted the series in 2001.

The Sperry Top-Sider NOOD regatta brings 1,200 sailors and 220 boats from throughout the Northwest and British Columbia for three days of racing in Puget Sound, starting Friday. The races will feature 24 fleets — just one fewer than Chicago's 25.

NOOD's debut in Seattle will mark one of the biggest turnouts in the regatta's 20-plus year history and is the largest for a startup event.

Because most of the races are on Puget Sound, there isn't a solid location for onshore viewing, but boaters can watch from their own craft. They should pay attention to racing buoys and any directions issued by a race committee boat on the course. The races begin around 11 a.m. Friday and around 10 a.m. Saturday and Sunday.

The classes featured include:

Division A: 1D-35, C&C 115, J-109, Beneteau 36.7, J-105, Melges 24, J-29, Performance 30.

Division B: Rocket 22, 6-Meter, Ultimate 20, Moore 24, J-24, T-Bird, Santana 20, San Juan 21.

Division C: F-18, A-Cat, 505, 29'er Skiff, Thistle, Taser, Laser.

One small class, Division D, the Mini-12s, will race on Lake Union.

The event attracts a diverse group of competitors, from Olympic and professional sailors to world and national champions to local day sailors.

The overall winner in Seattle will be invited to participate in the 2008 NOOD Regatta Championships in the British Virgin Islands in November to compete aboard Sunsail 39's against the overall winners from each stop on the nine-regatta NOOD circuit.

The Seattle NOOD Regatta marks the fourth stop of the nine-event series. Other sites are Detroit, St. Petersburg, Fla., San Diego, Annapolis, Md., Chicago, Marblehead, Mass., Larchmont, N.Y., and Houston.