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Olivia’s Team Racing Invitational Notice of Race

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olivia ssa

Olivia Constants lost her life in a tragic sailing accident three years ago here in Annapolis, at the age of 14. As painful as that day was for her family, friends, and the entire sailing community, Olivia’s larger than life personality lives on today. Olivia was an amazing young woman on many levels and was passionate about many things, especially her love of life and her love of her friends. She valued her relationships above all else. Oh, and how she enjoyed having fun in everything she did. So in the spirit of Olivia, Severn Sailing Association along with the Olivia Constants Foundation and other Annapolis based sailing organizations are hosting the second annual Olivia’s Team Racing Invitational Regatta.  The primary goal of the regatta is to bring friends, new & old, together to have fun and to have fun racing as teams, done the way Olivia would run a regatta. Our inaugural event last year drew 54 teams!
Unlike other team racing regattas, Olivia’s regatta requires only that you bring a skipper and crew, no boats!  Teams will be formed over the course of the two days, which will allow each skipper/crew pair to sail with many other pairs over the course of the regatta.  Through this you will get to meet some new friends and learn new skills. Boats will be provided at the event, using the SSA, AYC and USNA 420’s depending on the turnout.  The regatta is open to all, regardless of age, skill and club affiliation.
To aid us “more mature” sailors who have not done as much team racing as some of the younger sailors, there will be a team racing clinic led by Ian Burman and Cole Allsopp the Friday evening preceding the regatta.
Olivia liked to have fun ashore as well, so the regatta will have on-going entertainment throughout the event.  Beginning about 3pm on Saturday live bands will be playing at the club with food and beverages available.  Regatta entrants will be provided beverages and light fare and all will be available to other attendees for purchase.  There will be something to keep you occupied as you rotate boats!  Invite your family or other friends to come down to listen to the bands and hang out, as there is no charge for that at all. And there will be the opportunity to support the Olivia Constants Foundation as well!
Everyone is welcome; this will be a true Olivia event, all ages, of all skill levels, everyone having fun! The racing will be fun and competitive, but most importantly it is about enjoying life, sailing and friends.
The notice of race and registration details can be found both on the Severn Sailing Association web site at www.severnsailing.org and directly at http://ssa.sailregattas.com/_/ssa/ui/Index.aspx?tabid=773
Notice of Race
The racing is open to all sailors. We plan on a FUN weekend of exciting racing and the opportunity to support the Olivia Constants Foundation. We will have shore side activities, music, and food and beverages available throughout the weekend.
1. Rules: The races will be governed by the rules as defined in the Racing Rules of Sailing 2013-2016, including Appendix D, team racing. USCG approved PFDs shall be worn while on the water.
2. Boats: 420’s will be provided to all competitors
3. Eligibility and Entry: Eligibility is open to any two person team, whether an adult or a junior or a combination thereof. Entry fee is $70.00. A damage deposit of  $350.00 is required at registration.
4. Format:
Saturday, Aug 23th     Two vs. Two Team racing with random pairing
Sunday, Aug 24th       Three vs. Three with reverse seeding
Final Four
5. Schedule:
Friday, August 22rd                 1700 -2000     Team racing clinic
Saturday, August 23th  0800              Registration
0930               Skippers meeting
1000               Warning Signal 1st Race
Following racing: hors d’oeuvres, soda & beer
Sunday, August 24th     1000              Warning Signal 1st Race
1500               Last start of 3 vs. 3
1530               Start of Final Four
Following racing: soda, beer & awards
6. Venue: Racing will be held off of SSA in the mouth of the Severn River.
7. Contact:  Steve Constants @ 443-949-0472, [email protected]. More information can be found at www.severnsailing.org
8. Registration: http://ssa.sailregattas.com/_/ssa/ui/Index.aspx?tabid=773

2014 J/70 North American Championship FINAL Report & Results

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Team Helly Hansen survived light and shifty conditions on the final day to win the 2014 J/70 North American Championship hosted by the Rochester Yacht Club. Our 10th in the final race of the regatta was enough to earn us the victory. Every boat in the event would likely agree that the racing was very challenging because the talent level was so high and the conditions made the racing extra tough.
Staying out of trouble was one of our major goals before the event began. From the beginning we knew that keeping our tactical options open early in each race would be a key to success. Today, like every race during the event, we wanted to get a start that put us in a position to control our options as much as possible. To do this, we decided to start near the mid-line committee boat and after the start we were able to continue on starboard tack until we decided to tack. Much of the fleet decided to start on the right hand starting line, so our start and early starboard tack found us to the left side of the majority of the fleet. After about 3 minutes, we saw an increase in pressure developing to the right side of the course and we tacked away from our group on the left to get connected with the new pressure.
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Sailing across the middle of the course was tough as we watched more than 20 boats sail across our bow in the new breeze from the right. Fortunately we abandoned our left side position in time to just get to the new wind and stay in touch with the front of the fleet. The regatta leader was with us on the left side before our tack toward the right, but they were not able to escape the left and get across the course before the wind dropped and filled from the the right side.
At the first mark, we rounded about 25th and the regatta leader was well back in the fleet. To add drama, the third place team, only trailing us by 16 points overall, rounded the first mark in 3rd. For the remaining 3 legs we were able to find good lanes and move up through the fleet to 10th place at the finish and the overall lead.
Our conservative approach on the starting line and applying tactics that gave us the most options, kept us near the front in every race. That strategy isn’t flashy, but in a large fleet with no drop races, it allowed us the opportunity to be near the front in every race. Consistency will win in the long term, even if it doesn’t seem exciting as winning individual races.
Day 2 Report: https://www.sail1design.com/2014-j70-north-american-championship-day-2-report/
Day 1 Report: https://www.sail1design.com/2014-j70-north-american-championship-day-1-report/
1 Tim Healy USA 58 43.00 3 3 6 9 12 10
2 Ian Atkins GBR 76 50.00 6 20 3 13 7 1
3 Brian Keane USA 36 57.00 5 6 2 4 5 35
4 Mauricio Santa Cruz BRA 66 67.00 4 16 1 29% 10 7
5 Allan Terhune USA 69 68.00 10 13 4 27 3 11
6 Martin Kullman USA 42 71.00 21 15 21 8 2 4
7 john brim USA 03 73.00 24 9 9 17 11 3
8 Kris Werner / F. Wehrheim USA 23 76.00 20 7 22 5 9 13
9 Joel ronning USA 52 77.00 29 2 8 28 1 9
10 Bennet Greenwald USA 54 100.00 16 22 5 1 13 43
11 Martin Johnsson USA 61 C 103.00 17 14 27 2 37 6
12 Kerry Klingler USA 30 106.00 11 4 23 22 22 24
13 Adam Burns USA 05 C 107.00 15 8 28 21 19 16
14 Brian Elliott USA 20 C 109.00 7 1 19 25 26 31
15 Jud Smith USA 48 109.00 8 18 16 3 8 56
16 Todd Hiller USA 49 C 111.00 41 28 10 6 24 2
17 Peter Vessella USA 07 128.00 19 19 13 26 29 22
18 Thomas Bowen USA 11 132.00 34 30 11 18 27 12
19 Marco Teixidor PUR 56 C 133.00 2 21 29% 11 23 47%
20 Will Welles USA 50 143.00 37 11 18 19 4 54
21 Gregg Mylett USA 55 C 148.00 18 45 33 20 17 15
22 Jenn Ray Wulff USA 22 C 152.00 1 23 29 12 25 62
23 James Barnash USA 82 166.00 12 12 32 14 52 44%
24 Henry Filter USA 26 C 167.00 23 37 12 7 31 57
25 Tim Finkle USA 02 C 169.00 51 29 17 10 39 23
26 Jim Cunningham USA 06 C 175.00 32 27 26 32 16 42
27 Mikael Lindqvist SWE 78 178.00 9 5 39 33 42 50%
28 Stanley Edwards USA 79 179.00 13 34 45 29 30 28
29 Mark Ploch USA 44 185.00 50 32 7 35 21 40%
30 David Koski USA 64 199.00 36 47 20 16 15 65
31 Jeff_John_Ed_Go Sullivan USA 75 201.00 46 10 40 46 6 53
32 Richard Nesbett USA 12 203.00 28 44 34 55 28 14
33 Ron Thompson USA 24 C 205.00 52 46 43 41 18 5
34 Neil Sullivan USA 73 215.00 31 41 37 24 38 44
35 Heather Gregg Earl USA 14 C 217.00 25 43 25 23 50% 51
36 Chuck Millican BER 33 C 220.00 33 31 14 47 48 47
37 Bruno Pasquinelli USA 21 223.00 38 25 72q 39 20 29
38 tyler doyle USA 31 225.00 27 56 30 31 14 67
39 Catharine Evans USA 15 230.00 14 38 47 36 32 63
40 Frank McNamara USA 41 C 234.00 47 50 36 34 33 34%
41 Dave Franzel USA 65 243.00 53 39 31 67% 34 19
42 John DiMatteo USA 18 C 255.00 39 54 55 44 55 8
43 Paul Cannon USA 04 C 256.00 30 49 49 72q 35 21
44 Stu McCrea CAN 29 C 267.00 22 17 52 72% 64 40
45 Scott Weakley CAN 37 C 268.00 68 26 41 51 57 25
46 Daan Goedkoop USA 09 C 273.00 40 35 24 30 72% 72c
47 Collin Kirby USA 74 C 280.00 43 24 50 58 43 62%
48 Killian Corbishley USA 46 C 283.00 54 55 51 38 47 38
49 Ian Mayers CAN 51 283.00 49 42 38 50 46 58
50 andrew fisher USA 77 285.00 44 48 66 59% 50 18
51 Jonathan Pollak USA 43 C 293.00 45 66 57 40 51 34
52 Kathy Parks USA 35 C 295.00 65 33 44 57 69 2753 Tim Gibbs USA 45 C 296.00 61 53 42 42 49 49
54 R. Latane Montague USA 83 C 301.00 58 63 48 37 58% 37
55 Brandon Flack USA 13 C 303.00 26 66% 46 69 41 55
56 Rich Bergmann USA 70 C 303.00 35 67 61 48 60 32
57 William Markel USA 39 306.00 63 36 35 59 63 50
58 peter Firey USA 16 C 306.00 42 64 56 43 62 39
59 Neil Ford USA 72 C 308.00 56 40 54 54 40 64
60 Anthony Byrne USA 28 C 330.00 48 57 58 52 54 61
61 Edward Backman CAN 60 C 332.00 55 61 62 60 53 41
62 Holly Graf 84 351.00 64 71 69 72q 58 17
63 Kenneth Smith USA 47 C 351.00 62 58 53 61 71 46
64 David Dombroski USA 27 C 351.00 60 62 64 49 56 60
65 Davis King USA 80 370.00 59 51 60 64 70 66
66 Kristen Robinson USA 19 C 379.00 70 68 67 63 66 45
67 Martin McKenna USA 01 C 384.00 71 59 65 72% 45 72%
68 J.B. Walsh USA 57 C 384.00 57 72% 59 56 68 72c
69 timothy Weibel USA 08 388.00 66 70 63 62 59 68
70 Mark Wagner USA 38 C 405.00 69 65 68 66 65 72c
71 Jim Hermetet USA 63 C 410.00 67 72% 70 68 67 66%

2014 J/70 North American Championship Day 2 Report

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By Geoff Becker
 
Day 2
2 races (all course 4, 4 legs and downwind finish) Wind 6-10 knots from the Northeast
Day two began with a shore postponement before a light northeast sea breeze filled in and Races 4 and 5 were completed. We again tried to be more conservative on the starting line and during the race knowing that there were no drop races for this event. Our finishes were 9-12 today which dropped us to second overall due to the very consistent sailing of Brian Keane and his team aboard Savasana.
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Today’s lighter winds put a premium on boatspeed and making smooth maneuvers out on the course. This also meant that mark roundings were critical points in the race where distance could easily be made up or lost. In particular, the leeward mark gates today were very crowded and the lighter winds also meant that the wind shadows from the boats, still approaching the gate, made exiting the gate marks that much more challenging.
We had one good gate mark rounding today and one we would like back. The difference in the two roundings was the exit from the gate mark to the upwind leg. During the bad rounding, we followed a small pack of boats around the mark and in the other, we were able to round more cleanly without the effects of other boats. Rounding a leeward mark close behind other boats is hard enough, but when you add the bad air of 20+ approaching spinnakers, it can be very difficult to sail at full speed during the first minute or two of the upwind leg.
Of course it is important to choose the best gate mark to round based on the side of the course you prefer for the upwind leg, or even the gate mark that might be more upwind. The best gate mark choice can often be the mark that allows you the cleanest rounding with the best escape into clear air and can make a difference of handfuls of positions at the finish.
lll
Our takeaways from Day 2 are…
1. Maneuvers and mark roundings are key in light winds.
2. Take the time to choose the best gate mark to round 3. Often the fastest exit from the gate is better than the favored mark
 
 
 
 
Day 2 Overall Results:
1 Brian Keane USA 36 22.00 5 6 2 4 5
2 Tim Healy USA 58 33.00 3 3 6 9 12
3 Ian Atkins GB 76 49.00 6 20 3 13 7
4 Jud Smith USA 48 53.00 8 18 16 3 8
5 Bennet Greenwald USA 54 57.00 16 22 5 1 13
6 Allan Terhune USA 69 57.00 10 13 4 27 3
7 Mauricio Santa Cruz BR 66 60.00 4 16 1 29% 10
8 Kris Werner / F. Wehrheim USA 23 63.00 20 7 22 5 9
9 Martin Kullman USA 42 67.00 21 15 21 8 2
10 Joel ronning USA 52 68.00 29 2 8 28 1
11 john brim USA 03 70.00 24 9 9 17 11
12 Brian Elliott USA 20 C 78.00 7 1 19 25 26
13 Kerry Klingler USA 30 82.00 11 4 23 22 22
14 Marco Teixidor PUR 56 C 86.00 2 21 29% 11 23
15 Will Welles USA 50 89.00 37 11 18 19 4
16 Jenn Ray Wulff USA 22 C 90.00 1 23 29 12 25
17 Adam Burns USA 05 C 91.00 15 8 28 21 19
18 Martin Johnsson USA 61 C 97.00 17 14 27 2 37
19 Peter Vessella USA 07 106.00 19 19 13 26 29
20 Todd Hiller USA 49 C 109.00 41 28 10 6 24
21 Henry Filter USA 26 C 110.00 23 37 12 7 31
22 Thomas Bowen USA 11 120.00 34 30 11 18 27
23 James Barnash USA 82 122.00 12 12 32 14 52
24 Mikael Lindqvist SW 78 128.00 9 5 39 33 42
25 Jim Cunningham USA 06 C 133.00 32 27 26 32 16
26 Gregg Mylett USA 55 C 133.00 18 45 33 20 17
27 David Koski USA 64 134.00 36 47 20 16 15
28 Mark Ploch USA 44 145.00 50 32 7 35 21
29 Tim Finkle USA 02 C 146.00 51 29 17 10 39
30 Jeff_John_Ed_Go Sullivan USA 75 148.00 46 10 40 46 6
31 Stanley Edwards USA 79 151.00 13 34 45 29 30
32 tyler doyle USA 31 158.00 27 56 30 31 14
33 Heather Gregg Earl USA 14 C 166.00 25 43 25 23 50%
34 Catharine Evans USA 15 167.00 14 38 47 36 32
35 Neil Sullivan USA 73 171.00 31 41 37 24 38
36 Chuck Millican BER 33 C 173.00 33 31 14 47 48
37 Richard Nesbett USA 12 189.00 28 44 34 55 28
38 Bruno Pasquinelli USA 21 194.00 38 25 72q 39 20
39 Ron Thompson USA 24 C 200.00 52 46 43 41 18
40 Frank McNamara USA 41 C 200.00 47 50 36 34 33
41 Daan Goedkoop USA 09 C 201.00 40 35 24 30 72%
42 Collin Kirby USA 74 C 218.00 43 24 50 58 43
43 Dave Franzel USA 65 224.00 53 39 31 67% 34
44 Ian Mayers CA 51 225.00 49 42 38 50 46
45 Stu McCrea CA 29 C 227.00 22 17 52 72% 64
46 Paul Cannon USA 04 C 235.00 30 49 49 72q 35
47 Scott Weakley CA 37 C 243.00 68 26 41 51 57
48 Neil Ford USA 72 C 244.00 56 40 54 54 40
49 Killian Corbishley USA 46 C 245.00 54 55 51 38 47
50 John DiMatteo USA 18 C 247.00 39 54 55 44 55
51 Tim Gibbs USA 45 C 247.00 61 53 42 42 49
52 Brandon Flack USA 13 C 248.00 26 66% 46 69 41

Club 420 Nationals Report & Results

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Tight Race to First for C420 Nationals
By Katelyn Montero
San Diego, CA (July 18, 2014) “For the last day of a national championship, it can’t get much better than the tight racing we’ve had going into today and certainly into the last race, John Vandemoer, Executive Director of the Club 420 Class Association said as he watched the competitors gear up for the tenth and final race of the regatta. With one more race left in the regatta, only four points separated the top three teams, and in the words of Vandemoer, it was anyone’s game. Ultimately, it was locals Scott Sinks and Rebecca McElvain from San Diego Yacht Club who were able to nab the title of national champions. In the final race, their third place finish in the final race gave them a score of 43 and secured their overall win of the regatta.
Barely trailing behind them, Max and Ian Brill finished second with a score of 45, separated from the third place team of Romain Screve and Jackson Ritter by only one point. With scores as close as these and the drama of an exciting finale, it’s tough to believe that the regatta had originally gotten off to such a slow start.
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The first race took place on Tuesday, July 16, but it wasn’t until two general recalls that the actual racing began. Light winds and poor sailing conditions made for long races and difficult starts. Originally hoping to hold four races each day, PRO Jeff Johnson and the rest of the Race Committee was only able to get in two races for the day. Cassie Obel and Annika Garrett took the early lead as the day one winners, but were unable to keep their fast finishes up throughout the rest of the regatta and ultimately finished in 6th place.
The second day of racing took place in quintessential San Diego conditions, with sunny skies, 75 degrees and 8-12 KTS. The racing was fierce and the day was long with a total of five races taking place on Wednesday alone. By the sixth race of the regatta, competitors were qualified to drop their lowest score. It was the third place overall team Screve and Ritter from San Francisco Yacht Club who won the second day of racing, and the stage was set for a close fight to the finish on the third and final day.
Conditions on Thursday were primed for a great final day, and the regatta was able to get in three races for the day with about 10-12 KTS and clear skies. Sinks and McElvain finished the last race of the day in third place, giving them the win for the regatta. Crew McElvain is no stranger to national championships, having won on the Point Loma team at the high school level. “It feels pretty good,” McElvain said of her new first place championship. “I’m just happy to be able to win with my skipper.” The skipper, Scott Sinks, is also SDYC Commodore’s son, and was happy to be able to win the regatta on home waters.
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The 2014 Nationals was not just an exciting regatta to watch, but also one for the history books. With the largest registration for the C420 class on the West Coast, Class Director Vandemoer is hopeful that the class will continue to grow.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Final, full results can be seen here:  http://www.club420.org/results/14UL420%20Nationals%202014%20results.pdf

2014 J/70 North American Championship Day 1 Report

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By Airwaves writer Geoff Becker
Team Helly Hansen, Skipper: Tim Healy, Tactician/Trimmer: Geoff Becker, Tactician/Trimmer: John Mollicone, Bow: Gordon Borges
Day 1
3 races (all course 4, 4 legs and downwind finish), Wind 8-14 knots from the Northwest, with a fairly steady direction.
Day one of the 2014 J/70 North American Championship saw 71 boats make it to the starting line for three races in winds much better than forecast. With the large fleet and long starting line our plan was to stay safe and leave ourselves options in the first part of each race. We were fortunate to get three good starts and finish the day with a 3-3-6, earning Team Helly Hansen the early lead after Day 1. (Scroll down for full results)
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The course today saw a fairly steady wind direction as far as the headings were concerned, but it was clear that the boats getting more to the left side upwind were coming out better on almost every beat. After the first race and into the second race it became increasingly difficult to get to the left side since more and more boats were trying hard to get that way. In the third race, our start was not as strong as the other two and we had to tack toward the middle before getting all the way to the left, which gave boats to our left more of the course advantage.
Being a little behind early in the final race made us look for other ways to gain upwind, since we couldn’t always get as much left as we would have liked. We noticed that many of the other boats wanted the left side so badly, they were basically sailing outside the course to get there and overstanding the layline in the process. This gave us the opportunity to tack short of the boats on the left side and lead them back to the windward mark as they sailed extra distance. So, even if one side is favored, it is a good idea to pay attention and save distance when you can’t get to the favored side.
Our takeaways from Day 1 are…
1. Try to stay safe on big starting lines.
2. Know which side is favored, but also know where you are on the course.
3. Saving distance can make gains against boats on the favored side.
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Results after Day 1
Overall Group 1
1 Tim Healy USA 58 12.00 3 3 6
2 Brian Keane USA 36 13.00 5 6 2
3 Mauricio Santa Cruz BR 66 21.00 4 16 1
4 Brian Elliott USA 20 27.00 7 1 19
5 Allan Terhune USA 69 27.00 10 13 4
6 Ian Atkins GB 76 29.00 6 20 3
7 Kerry Klingler USA 30 38.00 11 4 23
8 Joel ronning USA 52 39.00 29 2 8
9 Jud Smith USA 48 42.00 8 18 16
10 john brim USA 03 42.00 24 9 9
11 Bennet Greenwald USA 54 43.00 16 22 5
12 Kris Werner USA 23 49.00 20 7 22
13 Adam Burns USA 05 51.00 15 8 28
14 Peter Vessella USA 07 51.00 19 19 13
15 Marco Teixidor PUR 56 52.00 2 21 29%
16 Jenn Ray Wulff USA 22 53.00 1 23 29
17 Mikael Lindqvist SW 78 53.00 9 5 39
18 James Barnash USA 82 56.00 12 12 32
19 Martin Kullman USA 42 57.00 21 15 21
20 Martin Johnsson USA 61 58.00 17 14 27
21 Will Welles USA 50 66.00 37 11 18
22 Henry Filter USA 26 72.00 23 37 12
23 Thomas Bowen USA 11 75.00 34 30 11
24 Chuck Millican BER 33 78.00 33 31 14
25 Todd Hiller USA 49 79.00 41 28 10
26 Jim Cunningham USA 06 85.00 32 27 26
27 Mark Ploch USA 44 89.00 50 32 7
28 Stu McCrea CA 29 91.00 22 17 52
29 Stanley Edwards USA 79 92.00 13 34 45
30 Heather Gregg Earl USA 14 93.00 25 43 25
31 Jeff_John_Ed_Go Sulliv USA 75 96.00 46 10 40
32 Donald Finkle USA 02 97.00 51 29 17
33 Gregg Mylett USA 55 97.00 18 46 33
34 Catharine Evans USA 15 99.00 14 38 47
35 Daan Goedkoop USA 09 99.00 40 35 24
36 David Koski USA 64 100.00 36 44 20
37 Richard Nesbett USA 12 107.00 28 45 34
38 Neil Sullivan USA 73 109.00 31 41 37
39 tyler doyle USA 31 113.00 27 56 30
40 Maxwell Plarr USA 74 117.00 43 24 50
41 Dave Franzel USA 65 123.00 53 39 31
42 Paul Cannon USA 04 128.00 30 49 49
43 Ian Mayers CA 51 129.00 49 42 38
44 Frank McNamara USA 41 133.00 47 50 36
45 William Markel USA 39 134.00 63 36 35
46 Bruno Pasquinelli USA 21 135.00 38 25 72q
47 Scott Weakley CA 37 135.00 68 26 41
48 Brandon Flack USA 13 138.00 26 66% 46
49 Kathy Parks USA 35 142.00 65 33 44
50 Ron Thompson USA 24 142.00 52 47 43
51 John DiMatteo USA 18 148.00 39 54 55
52 Neil Ford USA 72 150.00 56 40 54
53 Tim Gibbs USA 45 156.00 61 53 42
54 andrew fisher USA 77 158.00 44 48 66
55 Corbo Corbishley USA 46 160.00 54 55 51
56 peter Firey USA 16 162.00 42 64 56
57 Rich Bergmann USA 70 163.00 35 67 61
58 Anthony Byrne USA 28 163.00 48 57 58
59 Jonathan Pollak USA 43 168.00 45 66 57
60 R. Latane Montague USA 83 169.00 58 63 48
61 Davis King USA 80 170.00 59 51 60
62 Kenneth Smith USA 47 173.00 62 58 53
63 Edward Backman CA 60 178.00 55 61 62
64 David Dombroski USA 27 186.00 60 62 64
65 J.B. Walsh USA 57 188.00 57 72% 59
66 Martin McKenna USA 01 195.00 71 59 65
67 timothy Weibel USA 08 199.00 66 70 63
68 Mark Wagner USA 38 202.00 69 65 68
69 Holly Graf 84 204.00 64 71 69
70 Kristen Robinson USA 19 205.00 70 68 6771 Jim Hermetet USA 63 209.00 67 72% 70

Growing Sailing at the National Level, Part II

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By Airwaves Writer Sara Morgan Watters
Part 2: Growing the sport of sailing at the national level (This article follows up from the first, “How to Grow Sailing: A Wellington New Zealand Case Study“)
What is the role of a countries governing body of sailing and how can it best contribute to the sport in that country?
The U.S. Sailing mission statement reads, “provide leadership, integrity and advancement for the sport of sailing”. If you compare that to Yachting New Zealand’s (YNZ) mission statement, “helping New Zealanders access, enjoy and succeed on the water for life”, you can see a clear difference in priority. With a big push to get as many people involved in the sport now and for life, YNZ has been developing a very successful program over the last eight years to try to achieve its mission.
It shouldn’t be surprising, however, that in a country of only 4.5 million, surrounded completely by water, with a long tradition in the sport, that sailing isn’t a highly supported and mainstream sport. Nonetheless, the past and future success in the sport hasn’t come with out the efforts, investments, and support from their governing body of sailing.
In a recent article Growing the Sport of Sailing: a Wellington New Zealand Case Study, I described how the Wellington Ocean Sports Centre that has successfully introduced and involved many Wellingtonians to sailing and other water sports through an accessible and affordable program. But locally driven support for growing the sport doesn’t stop in New Zealand’s capital city. In fact, just to be sure sailing reaches as many small towns and clubs as possible, YNZ has designed an outreach program that brings sailing to kids, thus encouraging people from all across the country to get involved in the sport.
Volvo Sailing… Have a Go! began in 2006 operating out of one trailer and fulfilling the dream of Sir Peter Blake that all children should get the chance to go sailing. The Team New Zealand 2000 trust provided the original funding to get the program started and has since been supported by the Lion Foundation and in 2013 Volvo Cars New Zealand. The Volvo Sailing… Have a Go! YNZ program is run by three instructors assigned to different regions of New Zealand who each trailer the provided boats, coach boat, and equipment to different sailing clubs around the country, giving students between the ages of 8 to 12 a chance to try out the sport. Offering two half days or one full day ‘challenges’ students will take part in a variety of sailing activities and games which focus on physical and personal development, science and the environment and technology.
ynz
Not only does this program expose more people to the sport, it is great for the clubs as well since it helps boost membership from returning students with their families. With a happy memory of sailing while growing up, have-a-go kids will also be more likely to sign up with a yacht club later in life. Since it started in 2006 the program has grown each year, especially in the past three years with more yacht clubs and sponsors taking part. Just in the last season alone 3,586 kids took part in the program, which has introduced 1,234 students to sailing for the first time.
This program is just another example of how YNZ and many yacht clubs are committed to fulfilling their mission, with strong evidence that it is working. All sailors, yacht clubs, and national sailing bodies should be concerned with getting more people exposed and involved in the sport not just for altruistic reasons, but also for the indirect benefits it has for filtering support for the sport at the higher levels. So the question remains, what comes first; a push from the ground up for building programs like this or support from the top down to implement them?
To learn more: http://www.yachtingnz.org.nz/learn-to-sail/volvo-sailing-have-a-go

RS Sailing Joins the Sail1Design Team!!

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“20 Years of Awesome” RS Sailing reaches 20-year Anniversary
rsaesom
2014 sees the 20th Anniversary of the sailboat brand RS Sailing, with boats suitable for learning and training right up to high performance skiff sailing – and all ages and sailing styles in between.
RS Aero,Hayling Island,UK
It all began with a group of sailors sat on a sea wall discussing the fact that there were many developments in sailboat design and construction, but only a few “exotic” classes using them, so an opportunity existed to create new classes that moved the game forward for many more sailors.  The vision was born to use these advances to develop boats that would make higher performance, more exciting boats, more accessible.
RS Sailing decided to launch two new classes at the same time for maximum impact, despite limited resources.  Development teams were assembled consisting of the designers, hull manufacturers, hardware suppliers and Hyde Sails as sailmaker – all overseen by Nick Peters, who retired from RS Sailing just last year. This has proven to be really successful and the development process has never changed – only the team has evolved and grown.
The RS400 and RS600 were the first two boats; developed through 1993 and launched at the London Boat Show in January 1994. The reaction to both boats was so exciting with orders placed immediately and incredible enthusiasm from a whole range of sailors. A number of them are still involved today – one of the very first guys to buy a 400 ordered yet another new one just last week. We love that.
Another element to the RS vision was to create events that were fantastic to be part of from both sailing and social perspectives, whether you were at the front, middle or back of the fleet. The RS racing circuits, awesome people and the camaraderie have, from the outset, played a huge part in the RS story. Even at the highest level, both in RS adult and junior classes, there is a spirit of competition while having a good time, helping others improve and socialising without experience level barriers. The first National Championships were at Hayling Island and saw about sixty boats come together for the first true RS festival of all that we all love about small boat sailing – and the die was cast.
RS Aero,Hayling Island,UK
Following the successful introduction of the RS400 and 600 classes we added boats to the range, filling niches where development had been relatively static. These were all performance racing boats, mainly sold in the UK, with the RS200 particularly strong – currently the UK’s strongest adult double-handed class, highly competitive and with an incredible reputation for lively events afloat and ashore.
In 2002 the market was broadened with the first rotomoulded multi-purpose boat that would have training and recreational markets, as well as building a junior racing Class – the RS Feva was born late in 2003.
These broader markets gave the opportunity to begin to build the RS Sailing international dealer network. As the network has grown and the RS range become more established, international sales have increased rapidly – now representing well over 60% of our sales, with RS dealers in around 40 countries.
The last ten years has seen steady expansion to the range of multi purpose boats such as the RS Tera, a superb entry level junior single-hander, inspiring young sailors in a truly exciting, affordable and durable boat. The RS Feva became RS Sailing’s most successful Class and the world’s best selling two person sailboat every year since 2006. Feva World Championships attract approaching 200 boats and the Class is still rapidly expanding into new regions – North America being one of the latest. Just last week the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club ordered their first fleet and the first shipment of Fevas left for Qatar.
Several RS designs have earned ISAF Class status and we are incredibly proud that our boats have been selected by sailing programmes, including National Sailing Authorities, across the world for projects to help build sailing participation.
Excitement and momentum is still brewing at RS HQ as the launch of a boat for a group of sailors not catered for until now kick started 2014. The RS Venture Keel with its Sailability equipment options should genuinely help more sailors get afloat. The interchangeable gear means the boat can be used by able-bodied sailors in the morning and set up in Sailability mode in the afternoon – a major advantage for many clubs and sailing centres, echoed by the gratifying response from the Sailability community.
Martin Wadhams, Managing Director of RS Sailing commented, “It has been a privilege to work with so many great people in creating and building the RS brand over the last 20 years and to make so many good friends among the amazing RS sailing community. Right now we are absolutely flat–out delivering boats to destinations all over the world and the next generation of RS sailors. Awesome. “
The latest RS development could be the biggest Class of all. The RS Aero is, in many ways, a 21st century Laser. And just like the first RS boats, its key features use further developments in technology to define its reason for being – and deliver a “full size” single-hander that weighs the same as an Optimist! You can easily imagine just how exciting and responsive that feels. Over three years of development and through four versions of the hull, many sailors have given feedback – from club sailors to Ben Ainslie…. and nearly all of them have said they want one. The RS Aero will be unveiled at the RYA Dinghy Show in London 1-2 March 2014.
 http://www.rssailing.com/us
 
PRESS RELEASE
From: RS Sailing North America
RS Aero Lift‐off and North America Launch Information
Following the U.K. debut of the RS Aero single-hander last month, demand has been greater than any demand for a new RS boat ever. The first 100 boats sold out literally in a weekend. Even with the manufacturers own lofty expectations for the boat, the worldwide response following the unveiling has been unprecedented. RS Sailing unveiled what could become one of the most important new sailboats of this era. This ultra‐light, new generation single‐hander has struck a nerve with sailors and ignited excitement around the world. The following outlines the rollout timeline for the RS Aero for North America.
The RS Aero is the 21st century full size single hander weighing just 70lb, that’s similar to an Opti. Every dinghy sailor can imagine how that changes the game. Sail the boat and you quickly realize you underestimated it. From the exhilaration on the water, to the sheer user-friendliness ashore, the RS Aero re‐sets preconceptions: The rush as the boat accelerates ‐ the ability to carry it up the beach single‐handed – the convenience of youths or small women lifting it onto a roof‐rack with ease – Truly attainable in all aspects for any sailor.
Ultra‐light weight means the hull form and rigs need not be extreme, so the RS Aero is utterly exciting without being at all hard to handle. Wide structural gunwales give a dry ride and make the boat quick and safe to right from capsize.
A three rig system, has been envisaged from the start to cover the desired sailor range – RS Aero 5 (juniors) – RS Aero 7 (women & lighter men) – RS Aero 9 (men). All spars are carbon fiber, with a common top mast and boom for all sails and radically different stiffness lower mast sections. The hull is so light that even the Aero 5 has a higher sail area to weight ratio than most existing single‐handers and retains the Aero’s incredibly dynamic feel.
Two v4 pre‐production prototypes were on the RS Sailing booth at a London show and caused a storm, with crowds around them all weekend and people lifting the boat and laughing out loud at the surprise. Final stages of the development process are underway, with every aspect of this simple boat having been examined, developed and tested for functionality over fashion, minimal weight, maximum strength and manufacturing efficiency.
Perhaps the most remarkable achievement of the RS Aero is that despite being half the weight, built using epoxy resin and significant amounts of carbon fiber in the hull and all carbon spars, the price will be close to that of a Laser – a launch offer of just $6940 strictly limited to the first 200 boats reserved in North America. Boats will be allocated and sold on a first come/first served basis and can be reserved subject to a trial sail and confirmation with your regional distributor later this summer.
Final development of the RS Aero is concluding after 3 years of secretive testing and research, four different hull variations, and numerous rig, foil and layout options. The UK, being the home of RS Sailing, will be the first launch country for the boat. Six months after that, the Aero will roll out to other European countries. North America will see their first test boats in the Summer of 2014 and customer orders arriving March 2015.  The order book and official purchasing queue for the RS Aero in North America will start March 24, 2014 with a downloadable order form on the website www.rssailing.com
The press will have access to RS Aero in the UK only initially – many thanks for your initial contacts to arrange a sail –US based equipment will land mid Summer and a further announcement will be made of press sailing opportunities
Please stay tuned for further details on the launch pricing and offer. Watch the site: RSsailing.com for the latest information, photos and UK press releases.
RS boats are available in every part of North America.
North America is represented by over 35 dealers, including these primary distributors.
The Boat Locker, West Coast Sailing, Fogh Marine, KO Sailing.
 
For further info and queries please contact
Riki Hooker
VP Sales
RS Sailing North America
 
[email protected]
US Cell: (203) 308 5511
US Switchboard: (203) 212 9411
 
 
 

News from Selden Dinghy

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It is as though each roll tack and splash of water over the bow, washes away memories of one of the coldest winters in recent history. The much awaited summer of 2014 has finally arrived! With the solstice in our review mirror, summer sailing camps and programs across the country have commenced, and training programs are ramping up for national championships rapidly approaching.
SELDEEEEEEEEEn
The Seldén team would like to extend a HUGE Congratulations to the Dartmouth sailing team for their victory at the Sperry Top Sider Women’s College Nationals, as well as the Yale sailing team for winning both the APS Team Race and Gill Coed National Championships. Both institutions have recently acquired brand new fleets of Laser Performance Z420s, outfitted with Seldén spars.
We are also pleased to announce that the recently launched Z15 from Zim Sailing has been outfitted with a Seldén boom!
Also we want to share that all of our Optimist spars are fully in stock. Check out our Dealer Directory to find your nearest Seldn dealer, and feel free to explore our new and improved website at http://www.seldenmast.com/en/dinghy.html

2014 Sail1Design Marblehead Team Race Results & Report

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Marblehead Team Race
Under sunny skis, mild temps, and mostly great breeze the first stop of the 2014 Sail1Design US Team Racing Grand Prix took place this weekend in Marblehead, MA. The Host club, Eastern, was badly burned in a 3 alarm fire just 8 days prior but with the firm commitment to sailing by the club superiors the event went on mostly as planned.
6 Highly competitive teams hit the water Saturday morning in a building southerly which was quickly replaced by a stubborn northerly which was again replaced by the true south-easterly sea breeze. Defending Champs, Bristol Pistols, came out firing with a near perfect scoreline in the rounds completed Saturday followed closely by a couple other teams all within a win of each other and still only 3 wins behind the pistols. Bostspeed and crisp boathandling, especially downwind, were key in the 5-8 knot seabreeze and heavy chop, fairly typical Marblehead summer conditions. With 6 teams and fairly steady wind, all competitors were back on land and socializing before 5pm after sailing about 12 races each.
After racing, Eastern Yacht Club delivered on its promise of food and beer. The plan had been for a BBQ and some sort of keg but with the club closed, badly burned and water damaged, pizza delivery and light canned beer was served on the still beautiful, front lawn. It was refreshing, and a real positive in light of the bad situation, to have such a fun, informal, low-key gathering at a club like Eastern. We really had the whole club to ourselves. A couple daring competitors took a trip through the club to inspect the damage only to be kicked-out by the security guard (they turned the wrong way looking for the bathroom). At least some things never chance in the V15 class.
After a night on the town, competitors hit the water mid Sunday morning to a building seabreeze. Since it filled early and didn’t compete with a northerly, most of the day was sailed in champaign team racing conditions of 8-10 knots, perfect for the V15. My team, the Tannery Loungers, a historically Stork family and friends team came out firing. Sailing for us was myself and Coco Solsvig, Alden Reid and Andrew “Sharkey” Sneider, and of course John Stork and Ceila Johnson. We sailed the Pistols 2 more times on Sunday, coming out with 2 VERY CLOSE wins where the lead switched no less then 3-4 times each race. Both the Pistols and Loungers were challenged by the eventual 3rd place team, Corinthian Yacht Club. On there team was Freshmen Yale prodigy Ian Barrows and College Sportsman of the year Sam Madden, Even Cooke and Andi Bailey, Will Baily and Katia DaSilva. Other teams such as a strong team of Wianno YC instructors and a Marblehead local team took wins off all 3 of the top teams and a lose to them was ultimately the difference between the Pistols beating the Loungers by 1 win. In 6th place was a great team of young college sailors who looked to improve every race and certainly got a lot better, challenging the top teams by the end of the event.
Team racing, or really any sailing event, is not possible without dedicated volunteers who believe in the cause and want to be out there. Big thanks goes to 2 of the most active sailing supporters in Marblehead, Greg Wilkinson and Susie Sneider. Also all the other volunteers and of course the Eastern Yacht Club, for keeping this event intact despite a near total disaster at the club.
Although the V15 class has seen a drastic decline in numbers over the past 5 years team racing is still going strong. RITRA provided colored jibs for this event and will do so for the next 2 events at New York Yacht Club (July 26-27) and BBR Team Race (August 2-3). RITRA.org is also your source for charter boats for both these great events. Please register as far in advance as possible. They are going to be professionally run by yacht clubs who spend a lot of time and money planning and need to know what to expect more then just a day in advance. You can find links to register at V15.org along with information on other great events. If you need a charter boat, reserve one at ritra.org because they do sell-out. If all else fails, post to Vanguard 15 Class Association on facebook and someone will try and help you out. You can also contact local fleets for boats to borrow, info on V15.org.
http://www.easternyc.org/uploaded_files/2014mheadtrfinal1_bhr6ab.pdf
pistols
The Bristol Pistols with their trophy mugs! Congrats to Ben Spiller, Anna Spiller, Mark Dineen, Abby Preston, Matt Allan, and Wendy Reuss.

Cornell Sailing Takes the Next Step

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ITHACA, N.Y. – The sport of women’s sailing at Cornell University has been elevated from club status to a varsity team, Andy Noel, the Meakem*Smith Director of Athletics and Physical Education, announced today.
“This is an exciting announcement for many in the Cornell community, and I’d like to thank the loyal and generous alumni who have fully funded this move to varsity status, Noel said. “It is a requirement that any additional sports be fully funded before we are able to consider adding to our varsity roster. We are excited that our women sailors will have the opportunity to experience a varsity program.”
Over the course of the last several years, Noel has evaluated a variety of issues related to the feasibility of adding another sport in an effort to increase athletic opportunities for women. Careful consideration was given to facility availability, established interest, availability of regional competition and potential for competitive success. A core leadership group that included Ted Moore ’71, Rob Swanson ’74 and Doug Merrill ‘89 advanced the interest of the women’s sailing program and assured it would be fully funded prior to implementation.
“We have been hoping for this move and our team members have been working hard to impress the Cornell community on and off the water,” said head coach Brian Clancy. “It is with tremendous support from our alumni, families and friends that we are able to make this happen for our team. We extend our deepest gratitude to those who have contributed their time and efforts to making this happen. We couldn’t be more proud to represent the Cornell Big Red.”
With infrastructure already in place, the Big Red will continue to compete on a similar schedule to that of the former club program beginning this fall.
Cornell will continue to compete in the Middle Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association which is governed by the Intercollegiate Sailing Association (ICSA). Its varsity and club team competitors include schools such as Colgate, Columbia, Georgetown, Hobart and William Smith, Navy, Old Dominion, Princeton, Penn, St. Mary’s and Virginia.
Cornell becomes the 14th Division I school to offer women’s sailing as a varsity sport, a list that includes Ivy League competitors Dartmouth, Harvard and Yale. Other Division I programs with varsity sailing include Boston College, College of Charleston, George Washington, Georgetown, Hampton, Hawaii, Navy, Old Dominion, South Florida and Stanford.
The sailing team will continue to train out of the state-of-the-art Merrill Family Sailing Center, completed in 2009 and located at 1000 East Shore Drive on Cayuga Lake. The Merrill Family Sailing Center is widely considered one of the top facilities of its kind in the nation.
“The generous gift by the Merrill family toward the Merrill Family Sailing Center went a large way in allowing us to make this move,” Noel said. “Our women’s sailing program immediately has a training center as impressive as any in the country.”
With the elevation of women’s sailing to the varsity level, Cornell will now sponsor 37 intercollegiate programs (18 for men, 19 for women). The number of varsity sports offerings is fourth among all schools around the country, trailing only Harvard (41), Brown (38) and Princeton (38). Both Ohio State and Stanford sponsor 36 varsity sports. Women’s sailing is the first addition to the varsity sports offering at Cornell since equestrian was elevated to varsity status prior to the 1995-96 school year.

Meet the Youth Sailing Exchange, 2014

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final3-1
Bridging culture through the mutual love of sailing, the goal of the Youth Sailing Exchange (YSE) is for young competitive sailors to experience, first hand, life abroad. By living with a host family, learning a new language, training with a local team and racing at local and national regattas, sailors will gain new international friendships as well as understandings.  Since it started last year, this summer’s exchange will truly embody the program’s intended meaning, as it will see American and Spanish sailors traveling to and from each other’s countries.
For the first half of the summer, two Annapolis based Optimist sailors will travel to Catalonia, Spain to train and race with the Optimist race team from Club Náutico El Balís (21 miles from Barcelona) under international coach Magda Resano. There, they have an exciting July planned with one week of training, a few weekend regattas at nearby clubs and a trip to France where they will compete in the Atlantic Watersport Games, the International French Championship, in Pays de la Loire, France. In addition to sailing, during their free time, sailors will enjoy sightseeing in Barcelona and experience daily life as a Catalan, truly a unique region of Spain.
At the end of July, six Catalan sailors will join their friends traveling to the U.S. and join the American sailors on their home waters in Annapolis, Maryland and the Chesapeake Bay. They will train at Annapolis Yacht Club under Head Optimist coach and volunteer YSE program coordinator Tomás Ruiz de Luque, as well as coached by renowned Optimist coach Juan Carlos Romero. To round out the summer of practicing and racing in local events, sailors will travel to Newport, RI in early August to compete in the Optimist New England Championship.
With an incredible itinerary lined up, it is hard not to wish you could be a junior Opti sailor again. What will hopefully be an unforgettable summer is not with out the generosity of many supporters such as AYC and CN El Balís for providing boats and equipment free of charge, host families who have opened up their homes, and the immense efforts of organizers and coaches. This support is evidence of a shared belief in what this program can offer our sailors.
YSE me with the kids 2013
The YSE originally got its name from the obvious fact that it was meant to provide an opportunity for sailors to participate in an exchange program of the traditional sense. However, the program is also an exchange of community, family, and teams, which sailors will not get just doing international regattas. In addition to personal-growth, such as developing independence, responsibility and maturity, young sailors will have the chance to see that people are not all so different from each other. Undoubtedly sailors will gain a more open-minded perspective, cultural understanding, and greater curiosity. Instilling this at a young age can help avoid developing misconceptions of others altogether. In this way we can strive to use our sport as just one way to help make this world a better place.
The YSE is looking to expand to other clubs around the U.S. and internationally to include sailing programs in all types of international youth one design boats for sailors of all ages. The only prerequisite to participate is to be willing to embody everything the YSE wants to achieve.
If this sounds like something you or your home club would be interested in, please don’t hesitate to visit the website: www.youthsailingexchange.com, Facebook page: www.facebook.com/sailingexchange or email us at [email protected]
While the mission of the YSE will never change, our hope is to see the program continue to grow and expand so that we reach a much wider audience and make this an opportunity for junior sailors all over the world.
YSE practice2
Look for more news at the end of the summer as the YSE wraps up!

How to Grow Sailing: A Wellington, New Zealand Case Study

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By Airwaves writer Sara Morgan Watters ([email protected]). Sara is our “down under” correspondent, writing for Sail1Design while she works toward her Master’s Degree. Enjoy.
How to Grow the Sport of Sailing: A Wellington, NZ Case Study
If you talk to anyone in Wellington about sailing, the chances are pretty good that they aren’t picturing you lounging on a sailboat in the sun with a book and cocktail. New Zealanders tend to know what sailing is. In fact, 9 months after the fact, they are still likely to bring up their bitterness and disappointment toward the America’s Cup.
In April when Prince William and Kate Middleton began their royal tour in New Zealand, it was only natural that something sailing related was one of the country’s welcoming activities on their holiday itinerary.  Team New Zealand America’s Cup skipper, Dean Barker and Prince William teamed up to take on The Duchess of Cambridge, Kate, and Team New Zealand Team manager, Grant Dalton to do some head to head match racing with the royals at the helm.
kate hair
These are just some examples of how widely sailing is supported in this country. Maybe only second to rugby.  So what makes a country so fond of sailing from layman to expert? With a lot of recent talk and concern about growing the sport of sailing, it may be useful to examine just a few reasons why sailing is so widely popular in New Zealand. Looking at just one recent development in the Wellington area, we can see an example of how they are doing it.
Over the last 3 years a big effort has been made to increase participation in all types of water related sports in Wellington through a program called the Wellington Ocean Sports Centre, which is based out of Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club near the Wellington city center.  Although the program includes many water activities like stand up paddleboard, waka ama (traditional outrigger canoes), kayaking, windsurfing, and dinghy and keelboat sailing, exposure to water sports of any kind has undoubtedly contributed to an increased interest in sailing. Since it was started three years ago, an impressive 11,980 people have participated in the program. At the center of it all is Wellington Ocean Sports Centre Project Manager, Matt Wood who gave me a little insight into how the program runs and how it has contributed to the sport of sailing.
Financial support for the program has come both from the national and local government. The Wellington City Council applied on behalf of the Ocean Sport Centre to Sport New Zealand, a government organization dedicated to sports and recreation in New Zealand. Other financial and logistical support has come from other local partnerships like Water Safe New Zealand, Wild Winds, Wellington Windsurfing Association and other local clubs and associations. All of these groups have worked together to help build the program.
race
The Centre runs by making these different sports accessible to the general public. Without having to commit to multiple week programs, the Ocean Sports holds “Have A Go” days on the last Saturday of every month to give people the opportunity to discover different ocean sports at the very low cost of 5 NZD (4.36 USD)! They also team up with schools during vacations to encourage students to experience the different sports. As Wood says, having multiple complimentary sports available, exposes people to different opportunities and opens up to a new group of participants.
Within sailing, in addition to the “Have A Go” days, they also offer, keelboat and dinghy sailing courses. With Learn to Sail Keelboats, to Racing and Cruising Crew courses, the Centre aims to give those interested the opportunity to go from complete novice to sailing in regattas or being competent enough to own your own boat. To cater to everyone’s interests other options include business and group harbor sailing cruises. Through these programs they have been successful, with many participants in the program going on to crew regularly during the summer and winter series regattas and some even chartering or buying their own boats eventually. Finally, if that isn’t enough, the Centre also offers Coastguard boating education and powerboat courses.
school
When asked how this program contributes directly to the sport of sailing, Wood said that in addition to sourcing new participants, the program helps channel people to the yacht clubs and gets them on a path to be able to race and compete in high performance sailing. He says, the Centre does not do the actual high level coaching, but rather it establishes the pathways so people can advance independently. By partnering with local yacht clubs and associations, the Centre can help give participants the basic skills they need to filter them into these more advanced opportunities.
crop Lisa
By providing these opportunities to a range of people from a variety of backgrounds and ages, they are opening the sport up to those who otherwise wouldn’t be aware of these sports. It also helps close the gap between people who learn to sail growing up doing the summer programs and those that want to learn how to sail as an adult.
As the numbers show, the program has been very successful so far in reaching many Wellingtonians. As the Centre reaches the end of its’ three year benchmark they are looking forward to the program continuing to grow even without the help of its governmental subsidies. They are also hoping to move into the next phase of building their own facility. As Wood said, everything is in place now, and they look forward to forming new partnerships and continuing to work with all groups in order to move forward.
For more information about the Wellington Ocean Sports Centre: www.oceansports.org.nz
Also, just posted on the Sail1Design Career Center, a sailing industry job in NZL!
 
Read more in Part II of this article:  https://www.sail1design.com/growing-sailing-national-level-part-ii/

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