Sail1Design Editor

04/09/2012 For Immediate Release

Warren, RI. – Zim Sailing is pleased to announce that its already highly successful product line of Optimist, C420 and CFJ will expand to include the Byte CII dinghy. In 1996 the Byte was the first centerboard class recognized by ISAF. In 2004 the CII rig was developed and it has quickly become adopted as a fast and fun single-handed one design.  Zim is proud to have the CII in its lineup and look forward to the task at hand to develop the brand further.

“This is a very exciting time for Zim Sailing,” said President, Steve Perry, who recently acquired the Byte CII from PS2000 based in Montreal, Canada, and will serve as the exclusive builder and distributor for the CII. “The CII is a perfect fit to the Zim line.  It provides a great transition from the Optimist into a great single-handed boat”. — The CII will be made in the USA.  Zim will be distributing the boat throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean. We envision great potential with this wonderful brand.”

The Byte was created by Ian Bruce as a true one-design class which, when raced, will provide a real test between competitors of racing skills and seamanship and not a test of boats and equipment. “Zim would like to extend a very special thanks to Ian for his immense support while transitioning the build operation from Canada to Rhode Island. Ian has done a tremendous job with the Byte CII and has laid a great foundation for growth.”

“Zim is the perfect landing spot for the Byte CII.  Their commitment to youth sailing and the growth of our sport is unmatched,” said Bruce.

“Zim is committed to providing the best boats and customer service available in the small boat market,” commented Bob Adam, Sales Manager of Zim. “We look forward to working with the class to build local fleets and regattas.”

Zim Sailing, Headquartered in Warren, Rhode Island is the fastest growing small boat manufacturer in North America.  Its dealer network spreads across North America.  The Zim fleet includes the Optimist, C420, CFJ and Byte CII.  Since 2008 Zim sailboats have been on the scene in junior programs and regattas across North America.  The results on the racecourse include wins at many local, regional, and national events.  For more information on Zim or the Byte CII please contact Bob Adam 401-237-6117.

http://zimsailing.com/

By Margaret Boehm

The second time was the charm for Chicagoan and Team USA member Bob Willis. After not making the U.S Olympic Team in 2008, Willis changed his training style and went full-throttle into his campaign for the London 2012 Olympics. After three long years of training, Willis was named a member of Team USA and will be competing in the RS:X division. This is part one of a two part-interview. Stayed tuned for Part 2 where Willis offers reflections on his junior sailing years and offers advice for Olympic hopefuls!

Sail 1: How old we you when you started sailing? 

BW: I started sailing when I was eight years old out of the Columbia Yacht Club in Chicago

Sail 1: What was the first type of boat you learned to sail? 

BW: As with most young sailors I started sailing and competing in the Opti.  I raced them until I was about 12 years old but grew out of it quickly as I was pretty tall. Following my short opti career I progressed into the 420 when I was about 13 years old and sailed that boat throughout the remainder of junior sailing

Sail 1: How long did you race on a junior team and what type of boat did you race?

BW: I started competing on the race team at the Columbia YC in optis when I was about 10.  It was perfect, because my older brother Jess was also on the team; therefore, it was really easy for me to travel as he would look after me and make sure I didn’t get into too much trouble!

I started racing 420s on the same team with Jamie Shepherd when I was 13.  We had some great results toward the end of our junior sailing career finishing 5th/100 at the 2005 Orange Bowl regatta and 4th/170 at the 2005 North Americans. I raced 420s until I was 18 and continued to compete in them through college sailing.

Sail 1: Why did you decide to pursue a future in the RS:X division?

BW: I got into windsurfing when I was a teenager and really enjoyed it.  It was fast, physical, very dynamic and challenging.  I picked up racing windsurfers casually as I thought I would be OK at because I had sailing background.  Racing windsurfers is sailing; however, it is a completely different game then traditional sailboat racing and I am still trying to figure it all out. What really attracted me to racing windsurfers was exactly that – a slightly different form of sailing that is incredibly physical, fast and in my mind, the most exciting form of sailing.

Sail 1: At what point in your RS:X training did you decide you wanted to go the Olympics?

BW: Olympic aspirations have been on my mind for a while.  Ever since I sailed 420s, the thought of going to the Olympics excited me.  I suppose it really became engrained when I went to Athens to watch my now ex-brother in law, Peter Spaulding, compete in the 49er.  Experiencing “Olympism” first hand as a young sailor was incredibly eye opening and motivational.

I chose to pursue an RS:X campaign because I got into windsurfing when was starting to get very serious about my sailing and ISAF chose the RSX for the 2008 games and that board really excited me. It is also a very cheap class to compete in; therefore the amount of capital I needed to start the campaign was very small in comparison to a 470 or a 49er. It was easy to start the process.

Sail 1: Are there any differences between your 2008 campaign and 2012? Training style? Diet? Fitness regime?

BW: I would say the biggest difference is how I have approached my fitness program and my training partners.  In 2008, I was diligent about my fitness, but I was still young and my body was still developing – I didn’t have much of an endurance base and therefore could not push as hard.  For 2012, I have been relentless with my fitness, primarily on the bike.  Windsurfing is one of the few Olympic classes where fitness is absolutely imperative to be competitive. Fitness is not an added bonus, it is a necessity for us.  If you are not fit – you will not have any good results, no questions asked.  Once my fitness and strength began to improve in late 2010, my results followed.

My bike rides have been fairly rigorous.  I always try to ride with people who are fitter than I am so they can push me. I really got into mountain biking last year when I was training in Weymouth with JP Tobin(NZL), Zac Plavsic(CAN) and Dorian (NED).  They were so much faster and fitter than I was – but they pushed me hard and I got fit quickly.  When I was in Chicago for a few months last fall, I was putting in 80 – 90 mile rides every Saturday – about 5.5 hours on the bike, in addition to another 60 – 100 miles during the week.  That is about the volume of endurance training windsurfers are doing now – and I know most of the top windsurfers are doing that same amount of volume, if not more.

For 2012, my training partners have been really good.  Currently I am training with a Norwegian sailor, Seb, and we work really well together and he pushes me very hard. We do a good job of makin
g the most out of our time on the water. We have very effective training sessions and we improve every time we are out on the board.

So, in all, the two biggest adjustments to my campaign this quad have been my fitness and strength and my training partners and clearly they have been positive adjustments.

By Martha Pitt

Over the past few years, match racing has really sprung up on the scene and taken the spotlight for one design sailors – the sport has been added to the Olympics on the women’s side, added to College Sailing as the Sloop Championship, and with new efforts in media promotion the America’s Cup has gained popularity. Match racing removes the factors of more money and better equipment between the competitors and comes down to boat speed, crew work, and one-on-one tactics where you either win the race or you lose. Many younger sailors are beginning to break onto the match racing scene both at the local level and worldwide.

One such sailor is Taylor Canfield, the twenty-three year old from St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Last week, Canfield and five of his crew traveled to Long Beach Yacht Club to compete with nine other teams for the 2012 Congressional Cup, one of the most prestigious match racing events in the world. This year, this Grade 1 event was host to seven skippers who are ranked in the top twenty match racers in the world, along with a four-time Congressional Cup Champion, so needless to say the competition was fierce. Canfield, ranked 27^th going into the event and one of the youngest skippers there, came out looking to improve on last year’s 10^th place finish, and that he did! Canfield finished 3^rd at the event, and that makes him this month’s Sail1Designer of the Month.

Canfield has been sailing since he was six years old, starting in the Optimist in the islands, and soon moving up to the Club 420. He has found great success in high school sailing at the Antilles School in the Virgin Islands, and in college sailing at Boston College, leading him teams to great success and winning multiple national championships at both including the very first ICSA Match Race National Championship in 2010. At Boston College, he was also a three-time collegiate All-American and two-time nominee for the College Sailor of the Year. Now living in Chicago, IL, Canfield has committed himself to match racing – he is now the Sailing Director at the Chicago Match Race Center where he is immersed in world-class match racing.

S1D: How has working at the Chicago Match Race Center made a difference in your sailing over the past year?

TC: Working at CMRC has definitely improved my sailing in the past year.  While I spend my time coaching, umpiring, training, and competing, I have surrounded myself with every aspect the sport of sailing has to offer. While I spend most of my time coaching, I have been able to see sailing from an outside perspective.  Surrounding myself with the rules and coaching others has allowed me to really expand on the fundamentals that I have developed throughout my lifetime.  CMRC has also provided me with sufficient time and opportunity to compete in regattas myself. In the off-season, I have been able to expand my horizons while jumping in to sail a Melges24 with CMRC’s founder Don Wilson, as well as compete in some other classes such as Melges32s and Melges20s.

S1D: How long have you been match racing and what about it has made you decide to stick with it?

TC: I have been seriously match racing for about six years, starting around 2006.  I love the competitive nature that match racing has to offer.  It is exciting and keeps you on your toes as you often find yourself thinking several moves ahead of the situation you are currently in.  In match racing, you are forced to focus on several aspects of sailing at once: 1. controlling the other boat as you compete for control 2. boat speed…fastest boat around the course wins, and 3. short course tactical decision making.

S1D: I know that you have a pretty fluid crew from event to event. Who sailed with you at the Congressional Cup this year?

Matt Clark (Chicago, IL; Chicago Yacht Club Head Coach) – Pit/Tactics

Alden Reid (Boston, MA) – Trim

Tod Reynolds (Chicago, IL; CMRC Program Director) – Bow

Jesse Fielding (Newport, RI; Pro-Sailor) – Main Trim/Tactics

Hamish Matthew (Toronto, Canada) – Trim

Other key contributors to Canfield Match Racing: Charlie Enright, Mike Rehe, and Josh McCaffrey

S1D: What were some of the most exciting moments for you during the event?

TC: We had several races that were exciting: beating Ian Williams (2011 World Match Race Tour champion) by two feet in the 1st round robin was really exciting; taking down Gavin Brady (4-time Con. Cup champion) in RR2 also helped us secure our spot in the semi-finals; the final two races in the petite finals to clinch 3rd place over Simone Ferrarese.

S1D: Even the best match racers make mistakes in most races. When you made mistakes, how were you and your crew able to bounce back?

TC: I made LOTS of mistakes. We gave up the lead in our first race in the semi finals vs. Ian Williams. After talking about protecting the right side of the course, I gave it up which lost us the lead and the race.  After every race we sat down as a crew and talked about tactical situations, boat handling, and what the breeze was doing.  This helped us prepare for the next race while staying mentally in the game.

S1D: This was one of the most competitive events that you have ever sailed. Do you do anything different when you are sailing against such big names in racing, or are you able to go into every race the same?

TC: It is hard to forget the fact that you are about to sail against some of the best match racers in the world. For the time leading up to the pre-start, I find myself thinking about who the guys are but once we begin to engage in the pre-start and the race, I tend to sail them just as I would any other team in the world.  It is really important to develop a routine, rules, and strategies amongst your team. If you play by your own rules and have the same routine every race, it should not matter who you are racing. I try to sail every race the same.

S1D: How did it feel finish in third place at such a competitive event?

It was a great feeling to finally break into the top three at a Grade 1 event. I believe that this was a key next step for my team and me as we look to compete on the World Match Race Tour in 2013.

Coming off such a great event to kick off the 2012 season, Canfield Match Racing has many more events lined up for the coming months, so keep your eye out for the Canfield name on the podium and climbing the world rankings. They will be competing in a number of Grade 2 events in t
he U.S. this year, including one hosted by CMRC in the beginning of June. This event is a qualifier for the WMRT event that CMRC will be hosting later in the summer. In addition, they hope to compete in the Detroit Cup, Knickerbocker Cup, the Oakcliff Invitational, the CMRC Invitational, and the Grand Slam Series this summer.

For more information on the team, Like “Canfield Match Racing” on Facebook.