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Dispatches from an Opti Travel Team Coach: “How much is too much?”

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By Sail1Design’s Elizabeth Dudley

I spent my past two weekends helping to coach one of the Optimist Travel Teams that have sprouted up around the country in recent years.  A good number of Opti teams these days are club specific.  This one in particular however draws kids from the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States.  Families from New Jersey, Long Island, and Maryland take turns hosting practices to prepare their kids for the major Opti events of each year.

Prior to these weekends, my most recent coaching had been over a year ago in a summer program atmosphere.  As in most summer programs, not all the kids want to be there which then requires a certain
coaching style.  These past two weekends, it was refreshing to have the opportunity to work with kids who truly wanted to be out in their boats sailing and improving.  I could actually talk to them about sailing and racing and feel as if they were ready to absorb at least half of what I had to say.  But on the last day of practice, as we were loading the boats on the trailer so that they could all go down to Florida for the winter, I found myself asking, “How much is too much?”

This question of course is not specific to the sport of sailing.  Be it travel teams like this one, clinics, “fall ball”, or indoor leagues, there are opportunities almost year round for young athletes to be involved in their sport.  But as kids, does a life filled with something you love to do turn in to a chore? Or worse, something you hate?

Obviously the answer to this question varies on a case by case basis.  Speaking with a parent of two children on a travel team, the move to the team was made because of the reliable and consistent coaching that came along with it.  Both kids enjoy sailing and enjoy being successful at their sailing.  As this one parent said, “They are learning that if they put in the work and get time on the water, that their performance and ability improves – and for me, that is more of a life skill than a sailing specific one.”  A travel team allows for the development of this skill.

Travel teams can certainly be an extremely rewarding and positive experience.  With the year round participation and concentration on a sport, a child will learn more than they would by just partaking in the activity one season a year.  The friendships and memories that can be made on a sports team are priceless and will last forever.  Being a part of a group with that level of commitment to one thing is very special and the kids that are truly interested in their sport will thrive in that environment.

But how does a parent handle the day that their kid does not want to participate in a planned practice or regatta?  One that a lot of planning had gone into and had already been paid for?  Speaking with parents and having been in the position of the kids, it sounds as if support is the best thing a parent can give their child.  As one parent said, “Parents really have to listen to their kids and decide what their kids are actually interested in”.

Some kids are genuinely interested in whatever their sport may be, but get nervous or have confidence issues before a practice or competition.  As a parent, this is the kind of kid who just needs a little nudge in the right direction.  The push will help them get over their fears and go out and enjoy the day like they want to.

On the other hand though, there will be kids who genuinely do not have the interest in a sport to want to commit to a travel team, no matter how talented they may be.  In this situation, it is the parent’s job to listen to their child and not push them into anything they really do not want to do.  A kid pushed into a sport will be a very unhappy one.

Before saying yes to joining a travel team, parents and children both have to agree that this is a commitment they are willing to make as it will mean making sacrifices in other areas of life.  But just because you are on a travel team does not mean you have to forfeit every other aspect of a childhood.  Especially on a sailing team, while it may hinder your growth as a sailor to miss a practice or a regatta, taking time off is possible.  Perhaps more so than in a more team oriented sport.  Time off will give you the opportunity to hang out with friends, participate in other activities and just take a step back from it all.  The last thing anyone wants is for a kid to get burned out.  Burning out is one of the fastest ways to get turned off from a sport that one could have enjoyed for the rest of their life.

As the parent of two Opti sailors said, “Overall, the biggest thing I can do for them is to let them “drive the bus” so to speak – this is a very labor intensive, time intensive, commitment intensive sport – as long as they are the ones wanting to do it, it is a good thing.  If it switches to the parent wanting them to do it, or making them do it, then it becomes work, and not sport, and not fun.”

Layover Chatter with Bill Hardesty

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By New Airwaves member Morgan Kinney
Congratulations to ISAF Match Racing Champions Ian Williams, Malcolm Parker, Gerard Mitchell, Matt Cassidy and Bill Hardesty. After defeating Johnie Berntsson 3-1 at the Monsoon Cup in Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia, Williams was awarded his third championship crown.  
While reigning as one of the US’s top match racers, Hardesty has had a successful 2011 winning the Etchells Worlds as well as the Chicago Grade 2 Invitational this summer. I had the privilege of speaking with Hardesty for a quick moment while he continues to catch up with his life in San Diego, CA.

MK: Obviously you’re an accomplished racer. Does this championship
rank as your favorite title, though? 

BH: We did the same accomplishment in 2007 winning both the WMRT and
Monsoon Cup so we knew what it was like.  I think the biggest
accomplishment to date was either winning the Etchells Worlds earlier this year
with one race to spare.  Or winning Key West Race Week in the Melges 24 as
helmsman when it came down to the last race to beat Spithill. 

MK: Do you have a higher goal in mind or do you plan to keep winning
the WMRT? 

BH: I would really like to start sailing on the bigger catamarans.
It’s a tight market and that sort of commitment needs to be carefully
considered.  It needs to be with the right team and in the right position. 

MK: How do US match racing events compare to those held in Malaysia? 

BH: Match Racing in the US is strong with events now taking a more
commercial outlook.  Its about a lot about having a great venue with
public exposure.  The US is close to the level now that Chicago Match Race
Center is running their big events off Navy Pier. 

The biggest difference is where the money comes
from.  In Malaysia it appears the money comes from the government in an
effort to raise tourism.  The business models in the US have little to no
government backing and rely on either private money or money from commercial
sponsors. 

MK: What’s your fav US event?  

BH: In the US my favorite event has historically been Key West Race
Week.  It has a good destination feeling and the competition is fierce.
Lately, that has changed drastically reduced participation. 

Now the Chicago Match Race Center events off
Navy Pier are leading the list of favorites.  CMRC is bringing sailing to
the public without sacrificing the quality of the sport.  There is great
energy surrounding the CMRC regattas and I see a bright future ahead for the
organization. 

MK: What’s your next event?  

BH: From Malaysia, I flew straight to Fort Lauderdale where we are
starting our 2012 Melges 32 Worlds campaign.  Its tough to say how we will
do but it will be a good journey. 

MK: What is your boat of choice in fleet racing events?  

BH: In fleet racing its more than just the boat but also your position
on the boat and the strength of the fleet.  The Etchells is one of the
best fleets in the world with great tactical sailing and is a relatively
comfortable boat to be crew.  The Melges boats are great to drive but the
hiking we developed over the years has made crewing a real chore. 

The best boats have strong fleets with good
racing.  Second factor is a toss up between speed/excitement and comfort
while sailing.  The Melges 20 has found a nice Niche with legs-in sailing,
good excitement, and a strong and now growing fleet. 

MK: Who is your largest personal supporter? 

BH: It’s a close one between my girlfriend Mandi and my Father. 

MK: Do you get to settle down and spend some time on Firefly now?
what’s your plan for the down-time? 

BH: In the winter I spend my downtime I living aboard my cruising
sailboat Firefly.  She is a 1980 Wauquiez Hood 38.  I left Boston in
September of 2009 and we are now through the Panama Canal and headed to Costa Rica.
As a professional sailor it is common to have weeks of downtime so I like
spend them exploring remote tropical islands. 

One Design Sailors, Support Your Sport, Support Your Country!

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Sail1Design is proud to introduce our newest sponsor, McLaughlin Boat Works. What follows is a great success story for the youth sailing community, and for American craftsmanship. Please support McLaughlin and their efforts in the most important arena of sailing: youth sailing!

The history of McLaughlin Boat Works (MBW) dates back to the 1960’s in San Diego California with two passionate sailors, Earl Elms and Herb Shear. Operating under the name Chubasco (storm on the water), Elms and Shear designed the original Snipe mold used to build the famous McLaughlin Snipes that dominated the World Championships for over 30 years. Visit their website at www.optistuff.com.
Eventually, California Snipe sailor and veteran boat builder Mike McLaughlin, who had worked at Chubasco most of his life, purchased the Snipe molds and moved the operation to Tennessee in response to the relocation of the International Snipe Headquarters to Chattanooga. Mike McLaughlin further expanded the company’s success and helped distribute the McLaughlin Snipe on a worldwide spectrum.

Steve Sherman, Indiana lake sailor, and father of three boys (two of whom presently work at McLaughlin) purchased the company from Mike McLaughlin in ‘86. Thus began the materialization of his life long dream of contributing to the sport of sailing and in particular the Snipe class.
Steve’s commitment to innovation and continual improvement combined with his natural curiosity and “hands on” approach led the company to successes in many classes. At one time the company built the Lightning, Day Sailor, Windmill, Highlander, Thistle and Tanzer 16. MBW has always taken pride in pushing the forefront of foam/composite technology, such as being one of the first, outside of the aerospace industry, to use a vacuum bag in performance sail craft back in the early 1980’s. That history of innovation and continual improvement are evident today in our new dust and climate controlled production facility. Beginning in 1990, at the request of families from the St. Petersburg Yacht Club, Mclaughlin began a new tradition building its first International Optimist Dinghy.
Today, Mclaughlin specializes in the Optimist and has become one of the leading manufacturers in the World. As Steve Sherman puts it, “the Optimist is the single most important element in keeping sailing alive and healthy in the world today.  From the tens of thousands of children that learn to sail each year around the world will come the sailors, Olympians, instructors, coaches and commodores of tomorrow’s society. My dream of contributing to sailing has come true by a hundred fold.”

Holding true to the original ideas of Elms and Shear, MBW continues as a business run by sailors for the benefit of sailors. You cannot build a successful company without good people. MBW has assembled a group of like-minded sailors who believe that if you provide the finest in customer service and the best product money can buy the rest will take care of its self. This is why MBW is the premiere partner with the United States Optimist Dinghy class organization (USODA) and supporter of the International Optimist Dinghy Association (IODA).

McLaughlin’s reputation has been built upon the principles of: Customer service, Exacting quality standards and Engineering fast durable racing yachts. Over the last 10 years, MBW has also built a strong financial foundation by diversifying into other product lines in the marine industry such as a roto-molded pram and a line of high quality RIB’s designed for the sailing community.
Please visit us:  

http://www.optistuff.com/

 

Interview with Clay Johnson, USA Team Alphagraphics

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By Judith Krimski
After three years of
campaigning, over 240,000 miles traveled (9 times around the world) Clay
Johnson (now in Perth Australia training for the final Olympic qualifying
regatta) is in the home stretch of his quest to represent the United States as
the sole male laser sailor in the 2012 Olympics. Currently ranked 12th in World
Cup standings, Clay is solidly atop the leader board of Americans in that
category. But his challenges aren’t over – Clay needs to beat Brad Funk by at
least 5 points at the upcoming Perth 2011 ISAF Worlds to earn the berth of
Olympic laser sailor.

When you first meet Clay
you see a tall, handsome and confident young man. One who looks you in the eye
and is immediately interested in who you are. But what has it been like for the
young man who is the quintessential American kid?

Growing up on the shores of
New Jersey, Clay started his love affair with sailing at age five when his dad
taught him how to sail a Toms River Pram. From that point on it was all
sailing. Clay counts among his accomplishments international competition in the
optimist and laser radial before moving into the laser Full rig. In 2000 he was
the youngest person to compete in the Olympic trails—where he finished 19th.
Clay started his most recent Olympic campaign in 2009.

JK: You have tremendous
family support. What is the strength of having your family involved in this
process.

CJ: The great thing
about having my family is they’re sailors to begin with. They know what it
entails. When I came to them in September of 08 and said “Heh, I feel like I
have some unfinished business here. I want to stop working and start sailing.”
At first they were a little reluctant. After I convinced them it was what I
wanted they were 100 percent on board and supported me to the fullest. They
don’t want me to look back at this when I’m 50 and say “Wow I really could have
done that.” Now is the only time I have the opportunity to do this. I’m not
getting any younger or in better shape. They understood now’s the time for me.

JK:
It’s been a long road for you. What are you thinking leading up to Perth?

CJ: It’s kind of
bittersweet because it’s been a long time. Some days I wake up and I’m ready to
do the trials and Olympics and get moving on. Some days I wish I could keep
going cause it’s so much fun. The campaign’s only been two 1/2 years but I’ve
been sailing lasers since 1998. I’m only 27 but I’ve been in the class for 13
years. I’m anxious to get to Australia and finish the trials process and
hopefully have a great regatta. If I qualify a lot of the pressure will be
removed and I can enjoy the next eight months, train even harder and focus on
the Olympics.

JK:
How do you keep yourself motivated?

CJ: It’s definitely
tough. There are days when you wake up and you don’t want to go to the gym.
You’ve sailed for six days in a row and you’re exhausted. I think training with
partners is key—we motivate each other. You have to think about keeping your
eye on the prize the whole time because somewhere else in the world other
people are doing this and if I want to be competitive.

Putting all the time, money and energy into this I have to get up
and have a good day. I always try to do something everyday to better my
campaign. Even on my days off I’m doing logistics or planning or something so I
can look back and say “today was a good day” and my campaign is in a better
place than yesterday.

JK:
What surprised you about doing an Olympic campaign?

CJ: US Sailing Team
Alphagraphics has really changed its layout over the past few years. They used
to give you some money, say good luck this year, and report back and tell us
how you do. Now it’s a different machine altogether. There’s so many coaches
and support. The biggest thing that really surprised me was how much on-shore
logistical work there is. At first I thought you’re just sailing and working
out but I have a boat in Europe, a boat here and a boat in Australia. I have to
plan for the season in advance as to how I’m going to move it all around, what
regattas I’ll do, where I’ll live, how I get to each venue. It’s a lot to wrap
your head around. There are so many good people in US Sailing who can help
point you in the right direction. That’s a big part of the campaign that people
overlook. With the training, logistics and sailing it’s a full-time job.

JK:
What’s the drug testing like?

CJ: I’ve been drug
tested five times. As part of being on the US Sailing team we have to complete
anti-doping forms and we have to tell them were we’re going to be every minute
of the day. If I decide I’m going to the movies or spend a day with my
girlfriend I have to fill out a “Change in Whereabouts” form. I have to account
for every single day and every hour and I have to do it three months in advance
too. If I don’t know where I’m going to be I’ll give them a schedule and when
the time approaches revise the form. Anytime of the day they can show up at
your door. If you’re not there you have an hour to get there. If you don’t show
up you have a failed test. I missed one test in 2009 because I changed my
schedule to train in Canada one extra day. So that was the day they showed up
at my house. Since I wasn’t there I failed the test. You’re allowed three
missed tests in 18 months. If you fail three tests your out of your sport for
2-4 years.

JK:
What does it entail to be an elite sailor?

CJ: As far as training
and fitness there’s no substitute for sailing the boat. I also cycle a lot and
go to the gym 4-5 times a week. I’ve been fortunate that I haven’t had any
major issues or back pain, which is pretty common. A lot of other sailors take
whey protein or muscle milk to help with their body maintenance to make sure
they’re at the right weight. I’m pretty fortunate that I’m at the right weight
and height.

JK:
Do you have any weird physical changes like “mainsheet thumb”?

CJ: All the hair on
the back of my legs is ripped off from the side of the cockpit and I have a
boot tan that I can’t get rid of.

JK: As you travel around
the world representing the United States what does that mean to you?

CJ: It’s a huge honor
to represent the United States. You see a lot of other competitors who can just
basically go to the Olympics. They’re the top guy from their cou
ntry and they
don’t have any competitors. For us we have to compete against other Americans
and work hard. The first part of our work is just winning the trials. It’s a
big hurdle we have to get over. Going to the Olympics for America is what you
want to do. You’ve represented them your whole life. It’s a great country and
you’ve got a lot of support from the US Sailing Team Alphagraphics. It just
means that much more going to the Olympics representing the United States than
for any other country.

JK:
What were the challenges of the Skandia Sail for Gold and the Olympic sailing
site in Weymouth?

CJ: Personally I
started out the regatta pretty well, followed by a rough stretch. I was too
worried about the other US competitors. In the laser fleet where everyone is
super good you can’t be thinking about where’s Brad Funk or where’s Rob Crane.
As much as you want to race your own race if you see them going right and you
want to go left you’re going to think twice about going right. I thought a bit
more now about how I can mentally prepare for sailing against the other
Americans so hopefully for Perth I can make some changes.

Weymouth is a great sailing venue but it’s also very difficult
venue. It takes a toll on you. It’s freezing cold—60 degrees all the time. It’s
spitting rain all the time. The harbor is huge so you sail an hour just to get
out of the harbor then you sail 2 more miles until you get to the course. So
it’s about one 1/2 hour sail out to the course. It’s windy and wavy and the
race committee has the radials and full rigs on one course so you’re always
freezing and waiting around.

JK:
Do you spend much time with your competition?

CJ: It’s been a bit
interesting with Brad. He started campaigning in 09 with me, had a rough year
and decided to take some time away from sailing so we didn’t see him for a
while. In 2011 he started to get back on the circuit but he wasn’t on US Sailing
Team Alphagraphics so he did his own program. I’ve trained with Rob for the
last three years. He’s on USSTAG and we share the same coach – Mike Kalin. I
sail with Rob all the time. It’s a difficult thing because everyone wants to go
to the Olympics. It’s a tough sport. You’re expected to live and train with
your competitors and work with them closely. At the end if the day only one of
you is going on to the Olympics.

JK:
What’s your starting regimen like?

CJ: It’s all about
efficiency for me. I like to be out about 1/2 hour before the first race. I’ll
sail upwind for a while to shake-it-out and hike at 70%. I like to do split
tacks and some speed testing. Five-ten minutes before the start I’ll start
looking at the line trying to pinpoint the favored end. Usually they do a
really good job of setting the line so it’s pretty square. If that’s the case
I’ll spend a lot of time in the middle of the line between 5-3 minutes to try
and decide which side is favored. I can easily get to either side from the middle.
The hardest thing about starting in the laser fleet is everyone is so fast. You
have to win your start with the 3-5 boats around you. You’ll see 75 boats go
off the line with about 10 boats punching out. Then after a little while you
see 5 boats punch out from those spots. You have to be really confident in your
game plan. After the start your head is down the whole time hiking as hard as
you can just trying to beat those 2-3 boats around you.

JK:
Are there any marshmallows in the fleet?

CJ: Starting in the
laser fleet is one of the toughest things to do and also one of the biggest
hurdles that newcomers have to face when they come to the fleet.

Most of the time I don’t look at who I’m starting next too. If
there’s a big hole or a tight hole and I see Tom Slingsby (AUS) or Paul
Goodison (GBR) lining up there I’ll think twice about it. Besides those guys I
just try to get the best hole I can and try to win that zone. You have to have
a really good game plan because there’s not time to change it up once the race
starts.

Do you remember your first
big regatta when you were set up next to a laser legend. What was that like?

CJ: I did a World
Championship in 2001. I was 16 years old at the time. I didn’t know who anyone
was. Early on in the regatta I set up next to Robert Scheidt (4-time Olympic
medalist) and it didn’t go well. He rolled me in two seconds and I tacked out.
Afterwards I was like “Who the hell was that guy?” My coach told me that was
Robert Scheidt – the greatest laser sailor ever. I got a lesson pretty quickly
to avoid him.

It happens all the time now. You’ll line up next to someone and
you’ll get rolled or you’ll roll them. It happens to everyone. You see Tom
Slingsby or Goodison get rolled. It’s just a testament to how good the laser
fleet has become that everyone is so fast. There are no marshmallows out there.

JK:
There’s no guy from Country X that you want to set up next too?

CJ: Exactly. And if
there is you don’t want to set up next to him cause he’s so unpredictable. At
150 boat regatta, and that’s what they always are—there’s five to eight guys
who aren’t that great and you don’t want to set up next to them because their
unpredictable. The other 145 are all the same speed and all really good.

JK:
You can never rest.

CJ:
Yah. Never. It’s full on the whole time.

JK: When you have a tough
moment in a race like the collision you had a Skandia Sail for Gold how do you
overcome those moments?

CJ: You need to have a
really short memory. You have to say “That race is done, there’s nothing I can
do about it.” And just try to get back on track as quickly as you can. It’s
hard do, especially when you only have a three race day and your first race was
bad. It’s something that we can all do a lot better at. We just started working
with our coach Mike Kalin in January and he’s been a big help in the
psychological end.

There aren’t too many coaches who are going to come in and change
your technique in the laser and make you faster all of the sudden. Leading into
the games you need a guy who can talk you down when you’re having a rough day
and keep you focused when things are going well. Someone who can help manage
you mentally. Helping you learn, stay on track and have fun – that what a great
coach does.

JK:
How do they interact with you during race day. Do they get to coach you?

CJ: Absolutely. We
start our day meeting down at the venue and we discuss weather and what’s going
on for the day. The coach can drive around the course and take observations and
update us on weather changes. It’s super important to have a coach out on the
water because the days are so long. To give us food, advice and som
eone to
bounce ideas off. We’re out for 8-10 hours sometimes so the coach boat is
vital.

JK:
Any thoughts of America’s cup or pro-sailing after all this?

CJ: I’m pretty sure
this will be my last campaign. I could see myself doing the trials again. I
definitely want to sail the Melges 32s and E-scow sailing—that’s been in my
family for a while. I kinda just want to settle down for a little bit and not
live out of my suitcase.

JK:
What’s your advice for youth sailors?

CJ: The best thing I’d
say is that if you want to see big improvement early on emulate the top guys.
There’s a reason why people are setting up the boat and sailing one way. The
way you’ll see marked improvement from the beginning is to start doing that.
That being said, once you get to the level where you’re feeling fast and seeing
improvement don’t be afraid to think outside the box.  Watch someone like Brad Funk who is great in
any boat. And one of the things he does really well is he’s totally willing to
try different stuff. He’ll say “let’s standup in our boats downwind, or try
sailing backwards.”  He’s so good at
feeling how the boat goes fast and understanding its capabilities. That’s one
thing I’ve preached to the kids I’ve coached. Don’t be afraid to make changes
and try new things.

THANK YOU CLAY for your insights into the world of Olympic laser
sailing. Good luck at the ISAF worlds.

Clay will be competing at this Year’s ISAF Worlds starting
December 12 along with fellow America sailors Rob Crane (WR #26) and Brad Funk
(WR #66). Follow all the action at http://www.perth2011.com/

To learn more about Clay Johnson go to www.claysails.com/

Interviewer: Judith Krimski, Sailing Coach and freelance sailing
writer

Bayview Yacht Club Launches Inaugural Bayview One Design Regatta

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FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:  Barby MacGowan, Media Pro International, [email protected],
(401) 849-0220 or Hanson Bratton, Bayview Yacht Club, [email protected], (248) 640-4407

New Breeze for
Midwest Sailing

Bayview Yacht Club Launches Inaugural Bayview One Design Regatta

DETROIT,
MICH. (November 22, 2011)—The Bayview Yacht Club in Detroit, Mich., is
launching a new event this summer: the Bayview One Design Regatta. 
Scheduled for May 31 through June 3, 2012, the inaugural event offers a long
weekend of racing on Lake St. Clair for all types and sizes of boats and
encourages sailors of all ages and calibers to participate.
“We’ll run multiple races on Friday, Saturday and Sunday for two dozen or more
one design classes and a limited number of handicap classes,” said Bayview
Yacht Club Governor Hanson Bratton, who will serve as the Regatta’s Chairman
while Karl Kuspa serves as Vice Chairman.    “Three race circles
will be located on Lake St. Clair while a fourth, for dinghy classes, will be
added in front of the club on the Detroit River to allow for spectators and to
showcase the best of what the club—which also hosts the famous Bell’s Beer Bayview Mackinac Race–has
to offer.”
Classes with strong contingents that are expected to enter are:  Melges
20, Melges 24, Beneteau 36.7, C&C 35, Cal 25, Catalina 27, Etchells, Flying
Scot, J/24, J/29, J/105, J/120, Lightning, Thistle, NA 40, Tartan Ten, and
Ultimate 20.  Organizers expect that many classes will consider the event
as a venue for their regional, national or even world championships.
“Over its long history of running sailboat races, Bayview Yacht Club has
learned that if Midwesterners can be stereotyped as open, friendly, and
straightforward, the word ‘serious’ should be added when it comes to describing
sailors from the Midwest,” said Bratton. “They  take their one-design
sailing seriously, and they have come to expect the very best in race
management and social functions, which BYC will deliver with fresh energy and
an innovative spirit for beginning new traditions.”
The Detroit NOOD Regatta, which has been hosted by the Bayview Yacht Club since
1993, is replaced by this new event.
“We had a great 19-year run, but we are going in a new direction,” said
Bratton.  “It was a decision we made as a club.”
The Bayview Yacht Club, founded in 1915, is located on the Detroit River, which
is connected to Lake St. Clair.  Its pure sailing essence is cultivated by
two harbors with over 100 berths and a crane for launching boats up to 50
feet.  With an 8,000 sq. ft. club house that has been called a shrine to nautical
culture, the club also has a separate small-boat sailing center.
Lake St. Clair, spanning 26 miles from north to south and about 24 miles from
east to west, is between Lake Huron (to its north) and Lake Erie (to its
south).
The Notice of Race and more information for the inaugural Bayview One Design
Regatta will be posted at the Bayview Yacht Cub’s website, www.byc.com, over the coming months.

2011 J/24 World Championship Final Results

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Pl B# Ct.  Fm Sail Boat Name Skipper Total 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
1 18 Bitmap ARG 5447 LUCA ALEJO RIGONI 50 -17 1 11 13 1 6 8 6 4
2 43 Bitmap PER 4618 GUERRERO LUIS OLCESE 63 6 13 1 15 2 11 4 11 -16
3 57 Bitmap USA 5448 RELOADED MIKE INGHAM 66 19 6 -25 2 10 17 5 4 3
4 24 Bitmap ARG 5461 MENDIETA FRANCISCO VAN AVERMAETE 71 1 10 12 10 4 -23 23 10 1
5 25 Bitmap ARG 5463 AUDI FRANCISCO CAMPERO 71 2 17 (59BFD) 3 3 12 15 5 14
6 23 Bitmap ARG 5460 FEFE MIGUEL SAUBIDET 71 12 3 7 16 17 3 -28 2 11
7 20 Bitmap ARG 5454 CARRERA DOUBLE TAKE MATIAS PEREIRA 85 22 2 17 34SCP (59BFD) 2 1 1 6
8 56 Bitmap USA 5235 11TH HOUR RACING TIMOTHY HEALY 96 3 5 4 1 (59BFD) 1 59DSQ 8 15
9 46 Bitmap URU 5044 EXTASIS PEDRO GARRA 100 15 7 (48SCP) 24 11 5 14 7 17
10 37 Bitmap CHI 5464 VOLVO MATIAS SEGUEL 121 16 12 3 7 (59BFD) 7 20 20 36
11 13 Bitmap ARG 5398 U2 JOAQUIN DOVAL 124 26 8 13 12 (59BFD) 9 3 21 32
12 60 Bitmap USA 5476 PUMA WILL WELLES 124 7 18 -23 20 13 15 16 13 22
13 50 Bitmap URU 5470 NEGRA NICOLAS GONZALEZ 125 20 15 46 5 (59BFD) 13 2 14 10
14 55 Bitmap USA 3843 CINQUECENTO KEITH WHITTEMORE 132 14 (59BFD) 26 20SCP 18 16SCP 6 19 13
15 36 Bitmap CHI 5465 JOYITA ROBERT VERNON 133 36 22SCP 9 11 7 26 7 15SCP -37
16 21 Bitmap ARG 5458 A PRUEBA DE BALAS JUAN I. GRIMALDI 136 4 17SCP 19 4 9 (59DNF) 59BFD 15 9
17 8 Bitmap ARG 5043 MORMAII MEDIO POLLO LUIS CERRATO 158 9 14 5 30 12 31SCP (59BFD) 12 45
18 14 Bitmap ARG 5399 RINA NICOLAS CUBRIA 159 28 29 32 6 6 22 11 25 -38
19 48 Bitmap URU 5091 KAMIKAZE MARCELO ALZOLA 160 33 26 8 9 22 -45 17 22 23
20 41 Bitmap ITA 416 LASUPERBA IGNAZIO BONANNO 162 30 (33SCP) 31 23 26SCP 21 10 9 12
21 7 Bitmap ARG 4943 FAIR PLAY JORGE SAMITIER 164 21 24 6 32 (59BFD) 18 18 27 18
22 22 Bitmap ARG 5459 COCOON FERNANDO MONTES 179 11 28 40 29 16 33 (42SCP) 17 5
23 34 Bitmap CHI 5371 MATCH POINT PATRICIO SEGUEL 187 32 37SCP 38 14 8 20 (59DSQ) 30 8
24 16 Bitmap ARG 5403 TOMMY HILFIGER ALEJANDRO ROSSI 191 25 31 2 -39 28 29 13 30SCP 33
25 12 Bitmap ARG 5230 PALACIO & ASOCIADOS JUAN M. DUARTE 198 16SCP 4 44 34 (59BFD) 41 9 23 27
26 5 Bitmap ARG 4878 U2 SANTIAGO DOVAL 211 38 9 37 17 (59BFD) 35 25 16 34
27 17 Bitmap ARG 5424 EVOLUTION GASTON TAGLIAFERRI 211 44 19 20 18 25 16 34 (54SCP) 35
28 9 Bitmap ARG 5095 CACIQUE SERGIO PENDOLA 213 24 20 33 31 32 28 19 -47 26
29 4 Bitmap ARG 4649 SALVAJE FERNANDO LANDINI 214 27 33 30 25 21 37SCP (53SCP) 34 7
30 27 Bitmap AUS 4483 DEATHSTAR SEAN KIRKJIAN 220 34 37 18 (59DNF) 5 25 58SCP 24 19
31 49 Bitmap URU 5226 MONARCA ALEJO MORALES 231 23 35SCP -50 21 23 34 31 43 21
32 26 Bitmap ARG 458 NUBARRON MARIANA CROUSSE 231 31 30 24 37 29 30 21 -40 29
33 10 Bitmap ARG 5127 PINGUI LUIS MONJEAU 237 18 50SCP 10 41 (59BFD) 32 38SCP 46 2
34 6 Bitmap ARG 4939 PAJARRACO J CABOT FEDERICO RESER 242 40 (59DSQ) 29 35 24 38 12 40SCP 24
35 45 Bitmap URU 5039 ALFA BETA DIEGO GARCIA 244 35 (59DSQ) 14 33 59BFD 14 37 32 20
36 11 Bitmap ARG 5168 MEU VICIO PABLO GIECO 250 48 52SCP 22 46 19 8 27 -55 28
37 33 Bitmap BRA 50 DIFERENCIAL SAILING TEAM NELSON HORN ILHA 251 39 42 (53SCP) 38SCP 20 27 29 31 25
38 30 Bitmap BRA 33 IUCA RONALDO RUSCHEL 257 17SCP 44SCP 21 19 (59BFD) 40 22 35 59DNS
39 35 Bitmap CHI 5462 AHORA SI JORGE GONZALEZ AHRENS 260 (59BFD) 41 39 47 15 10 36 41 31
40 51 Bitmap URU 4674 TADEUS JR LUIS CHIAPPARRO 292 51 22 15 43 (59BFD) 24 39 39 59DNS
41 40 Bitmap ITA 274 4SAIL GRANDI AMICI FERNANDO NANDIN 296 29 32 53 27 (59DNF) 47 33 33 42
42 15 Bitmap ARG 5500 DEEP SUMP ROBERTO AUTHIER 298 -49 34 27 42 27 46 32 44 46
43 47 Bitmap URU 5087 SIMBA GONZALO ALCANTARA 315 37 35 28 (59SCP) 59BFD 39 43 26 48
44 44 Bitmap URU 2145 ALEPH 3 GUSTAVO COLL 318 (59BFD) 36 46SCP 48 26 42 24 37 59DSQ
45 1 Bitmap ARG 744 SEX SIMBOL SANTIAGO RIGONI 334 13 40 42 52 (59DNC) 44 45 59RAF 39
46 59 Bitmap USA 5472 PANCETA DOBLE JOHN SURGUY 344 50 (59BFD) 16 54 34 54 40 53 43
47 58 Bitmap USA 5471 TREMENDOUS SLOUCH SCOTT MILNE 344 45 44 (59SCP) 28 59BFD 48 47 29 44
48 28 Bitmap AUS 4770 CINCO CAPITANES DAVID WEST 350 43 43 35 49 30 49 -51 50 51
49 38 Bitmap GBR 5455 OJOTA KEN JOHNSON 350 55SCP 45 (59SCP) 45 59BFD 36 44 36 30
50 54 Bitmap USA 3747 HOT PURSUIT MICHAEL JOHNSON 356 20SCP (59BFD) 51 56SCP 33 51 48 38 59DNS
51 3 Bitmap ARG 2757 CUNNIGTON FEDERICO LLOVERAS 366 46 48 56 36 (59BFD) 50 42 48 40
52 61 Bitmap BRA 7 MATACO HENRIQUE HORN IHLA 366,9 42 50 45 -56 38 55 46 45 45,9RDG
53 19 Bitmap ARG 5453 HAIK AVEDIS HAIG SAHAKIAN 379 52 (59SCP) 49 50 31 52 53 51 41
54 53 Bitmap USA 2998 RUMBLEFISCH PETER FISCHEL 393 47 57SCP 43 (59BFD) 59BFD 37 49 54 47
55 2 Bitmap ARG 2748 FENIX FABIO CANZIANI 400 53 49 55 55 37 -57 50 49 52
56 52 Bitmap USA 1036 ON BELAY DON TAYLOR 402 54 39 57 52SCP (59BFD) 55SCP 44SCP 52 49
57 42 Bitmap ITA 487 CITTA DI ANZIO PAOLO RINALDI 407 56 53 47 51 36 53 52 (59DNF) 59DSQ
58 31 Bitmap BRA 34 VENTO NEGRO JOSE ORTEGA 409 55 52 54 53 35 56 54 (59SCP) 50

2011 Star North American Championship Results

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Davis Island Club
2011 Ding Schoonmaker Cup
November 11-26, 2011
All Boats
Series Summary, Preliminary
Pl B# Crew Subgroup From 1 2 3 Tot
1 34 George Szabo & Mark Strube San Diego Yacht Club, USSTAG 2 2 2 6
2 30 Mark Bradford & David Giles Royal Queensland Yacht Squadrn 3 3 3 9
3 32 Lars Grael & Samuel Goncalves ICRJ 1 5 11 17
4 24 John MacCausland & Adam Dolezal Masters Cooper River 6 6 5 17
5 22 Tom Londrigan, Jr. & Steve Cutting Island Bay YC 5 11 4 20
6 29 Jim Buckingham & Erik Ledecis Masters NHYC 19 1 1 21
7 33 Christoph Gautschi & Dominik Schenk Masters Bregenz 8 4 9 21
8 17 Jack Jennings & Brian Sharp Chicago Match Race Center 4 8 10 22
9 15 Arthur Anosov & David Caesar Seneca Yacht Club 12 10 8 30
10 19 Brian Cramer & Cam Lymburner Masters RHYC 9 7 15 31
11 37 Jon VanderMolen & Caj Flynn Gull Lake Yacht Club 15 13 7 35
12 11 Don Massey & Isao Toyama CCYS 10 14 12 36
13 28 William Swigart & Valentin Veytsman Masters Cedar Point 14 19 6 39
14 31 Bill Allen & Jeff Imai Grand Masters Sheridan Shore 16 12 14 42
15 27 Claude Bonanni & Richard Burgess DIYC 18 15 16 49
16 38 Stuart Hebb & Mike Wolfs CRYC 13 9 30DNS 52
17 18 Bob Teitge & Doug Weatherby Grand Masters Crescent Sail 20 16 17 53
18 35 Larry Whipple & Phil Trinter Grand Masters Seattle YC 11 18 30DNS 59
19 16 Jack Rickard & Sam Eadie Grand Masters Sheridan Shore 22 20 18 60
20 25 John Chiarella & Bob Carlson Grand Masters Lake Sunapee YC 17 21 23 61
21 36 John Foster & Johnny Foster Grand Masters St. Thomas 23 17 22 62
22 12 Jens Burmester & Markus Mehlen Grand Masters SCE 21 23 21 65
23 26 Jim Revkin & Foss Miller Masters Milford Yacht Club 24 22 20 66
24 39 Doug Folsetter & Larry Scott Royal Hamilton YC 7 30DNF 30DNS 67
25 14 Barbara Beigel-Vosbury & Bert Collins Masters Severn Sailing Association 30DNC 30DNC 13 73
26 10 Rick Rundle & Scott Pirie CCYC 30DNC 24 19 73
27 20 Fabio Bodra & Arthur Lopes YCSA 30DNC 30DNC 30DNC 90T
27 21 Olaf Richter & Joerg Ricken Masters NRV 30DNC 30DNC 30DNC 90T
27 23 Tomas Hornos & Ed Morey 30DNC 30DNC 30DNC 90T

 

R.C.Chair: Mike Dawson
Jury Chair: Robert Duffey
Scorekeeper: Gail Meyer
12 Nov, ’11, 16:33
St. Pete Scorer

Sail1Designer of the Month – November – Boston College’s Annie Haeger

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By Sail1Design’s Martha Pitt 

Annie Haeger grew up in the Chicago suburb Lake Forest, sailing in high school there and sailing on Lake Beulah in Wisconsin in the summers.  Her impressive resume reaches back into her opti and junior sailing days, where she did extensive training and competing around the country and the world that shaped the sailor that she has become today. Now a senior at Boston College, she has made the most of her last three and a half years, taking home more honors than most college sailors can even dream about, and is looking to finish her college career strong. Since her freshman year, Haeger has been named to the ICSA Women’s All-American team three times, most recently being named the Quantam Women’s Sailor of the Year this past spring. Her sophomore year she was also awarded Co-Ed All-American Honorable Mention Honors. During her time at BC, the Eagles have taken home eight national championships, and have won the Fowle Trophy twice (awarded to the team with the highest accumulative national championship performances for that academic year). While anyone on the Boston College team will tell you that any national championship is won because of the hard work put in by the entire team, three of those championships were won because of Haeger’s performances in the Singlehanded Championships.

Her most recent victory occurred a few weeks ago out in Chicago, IL on Haeger’s home waters of Lake Michigan. Though set back by one bad race on the first day of the three day event, Annie was able to come out clean on Day Two of the regatta and absolutely dominate the competition all day in a range of sailing conditions, finishing first in eight of the ten races that day and second in the other two. Sunday’s
racing was blown out after the first race, sailing in what many referred to as “survival conditions”, and Haeger completed her dominating performance with thirty-four points over Yale’s Claire Dennis with sixty-nine. At last year’s radial championship, Dennis beat Heager by one point for the title.

I was able to talk to Annie Haeger about her most recent win in Chicago, and gain a little insight on what has made her so successful in the radial and in college sailing, as well as learn about what her thoughts are for her future sailing career beyond college sailing.  She and fellow Eagle Briana Provancha have been juggling a 470 campaign on top of their college sailing career and academics, so they have been very busy over the past year in preparation.  Haeger’s dedication to everything that she has done in sailing and beyond has been a double-edged sword at times, stretching her thin over many responsibilities, but the success that she has found because of it is second to none in her time. Congratulations to Annie Haeger and the Eagles on another national championship, and we can be sure that we will be seeing plenty more of the Haeger name at the top of the results in the coming months and years.

What type of training did you do to prepare for this championship?

Greg [Wilkinson, BC Head Coach] and I kind of formulated a plan last year after my loss to Claire Dennis. We looked at the loss objectively and pin pointed that one of the issues was time in the boat. I sailed with my kids that I was coaching this summer and also sailed two regattas. We also planned out how many days of the week in the fall I was going to dedicate to lasers.  Lots of time in the gym later I was ready!

You dominated the competition throughout this year’s ICSA Women’s Singlehanded Nationals, in a range of conditions – what was working for you that allowed you to be so consistent and successful?

I think that Savin Hill (BC’s practice venue) helps a lot! We always have a variety of conditions there. From chop to flat water, and blowing 0-40; it’s all there.

How was sailing in Chicago?  Do you think that you had a “home court advantage,” or was it like sailing at any other college venue?

I have sailed out of Belmont Harbor a lot so, that might have attributed to the win.  It is definitely not like any other college sailing venue! The reverb from the waves against the wall was for sure a difficult condition.  I had to take sea sick pills the first two days.

You are clearly on your own on the water in Laser sailing.  Do you see this championship as a personal win, or a championship for the Eagles?

It’s a team win. Callie Naughton (sophomore) has improved so much from last year and really pushed me on the water leading up to nationals. Like we always say, it’s an “Eagle’s Sunday”!

This is the third time you have won the ICSA Women’s Singlehanded Nationals, missing last year’s championship by only one point, so you have clearly proven yourself in the Laser Radial on the college circuit. Is Laser sailing something that you have thought about continuing after this year, or does your future lie with the 470?
I think for right now I am still committed to 470 sailing. Briana Provancha and I have gotten so far in the boat and really think that we may have a chance for 2016. If I was about 4 inches taller I think the radial would be the boat for me!

 
Obviously the BC Eagles have been and are an important part of your sailing career, and with them you have found a great deal of success.  What is the rest of your Eagles
career looking
like as you enter your final season this spring?

This coming season we are looking forward to continue to improve from our fall performance. We ended the season getting some of our most talented alumni back to get us on the right track. We are going to keep pushing each other in practice and hopefully will end with all of our goals!

Team Haeger/Provancha – how has it been juggling the Olympic campaign with school and college sailing?

I would be lying if I said it was easy. Last year, it was hard for me to concentrate on everything that was going on. I had too many time commitments and it was very hard to balance all my time.

What does the future look like for Team Haeger/Provancha?  Are you planning to focus on the campaign full time once you graduate in the spring?

Well first Briana and I need some money! I think both of us are trying to get a job for at least my first year out of school. We are planning on going full time later in the quad though, as we get closer to the 2016 games.

What other kinds of sailing have you been doing recently (besides college and 470)?  What kind of impact does this other sailing have on your college and 470 sailing, if any?
I did my first keelboat, and match race regattas this year! They were an absolute blast. I sailed the match race regatta with skipper Stephanie Roble, Maggie Shea, Tyler Woodworth, and Nick Dugdale, and sailed the keelboat event with Roble, Shea and Darby Smith [who are currently doing a Women’s Match Race campaign together].  I think that these regattas, though competitive, showed me again why I love the sport so much. I learned a lot from all of them and hope to sail on more keelboats in the future.

Looking back on your sailing career, would you have done anything differently?

It’s always nice to look at things in retrospect. The one thing I might have done differently would be my time commitments last year. I was focused on doing well in school, doing well in college sailing, as well as 470s. When I do things I like to give them 100% and I felt as though I had too many things on my plate.  I think next time, maybe focusing on my most immediate goal would get me the results that I want.

What kind of advice would you give any younger women’s skippers who are looking to be as successful as you have been in the past four years?  What would you tell them is the biggest key to your success?

I think that one of the biggest keys would be determination. I have really pushed myself everyday at practice as I’ve grown older and have had fun with it while I am young! I think that’s my biggest advice is figure out what you love about the sport and always remind yourself of that even when you are down.

From Villanova College Sailing

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Villanova Sailing Team Villanova University’s club sailing team falls right into this exact same category. With a bare minimum amount of financial support from the school that doesn’t even come close to covering our yacht club dues up until now our team has relied solely on team member dues for all of our expenses. With the addition of a new (currently volunteer) coach and a big push from the committed members of our team we are embarking on a huge capital campaign to raise enough money not only to sustain and build our program in years to come but also to buy a brand new fleet of boats that we can call our own instead of constantly leasing fleets of beat up boats from junior sailing programs. As a small team with little notable success to this point it is hard to draw in outside support and even harder when you have no support from within the school.

The Recession & College Club Sailing

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By Sail1Design’s Margaret Boehm
(Our apologies for earlier posting here an un-credited photo of the Bates College Sailing team to illustrate club college sailing. Won’t happen again.)
 
Most sailors must work extremely hard in order to fund their love of sailing. In recent years, professional sailors, junior programs and college teams have had to aggressively campaign in order to stay competitive. One sector of one-design sailing that has struggled greatly with the economic situation has been club sailing teams all around the country.  Already dealing with the stress of looming college loan repayments, a bleak employment outlook and never enough money for a stellar social life, some college sailors are now taking on the added burden of keeping their club teams afloat. Shockingly, sometimes that means digging into their own pockets to save the club sailing team they love.
 
With University funding and member dues, the team still falls short of having the amount of money they need to remain competitive.  The team has closed the funding gap by reaching out to NU Alumni, vending at sporting events for other varsity teams and most recently, setting up an online donation tab on the team’s website. Nickele cites the large number of members involved on the team for their recent fundraising successes, “we are fortunate to have a large enough team to supply the energy to back it up.” The University of Chicago team has been able to stay afloat by utilizing funding that University of Chicago sets aside for club sport teams and student dues.  “Towards the end of each academic year, the teams’ representatives come together for a meeting where we all give a short presentation on how much our team expects to spend in the next year. We then go back and vote on how much money each team should receive. This annual allocation usually barely gets us to the minimum amount that we are able to function with. However, since this is being voted on every year, the amount varies widely from year to year,” said club team President Michael Kang. To raise additional funds, the team hosts mid-day barbeques and sells t-shirts on campus and every winter at the Strictly Sail-the Midwest’s premiere boat show held yearly at Chicago’s high traffic Navy Pier. Most of the funds the team receives goes towards paying their home yacht club and coaching fees. According to Kang, one short term fundraising goal for the University of Chicago team is getting the funds to repair the seals on 3 team dry suits so more of their sailors can sail during cold weather practices and regattas, “therefore, we haven’t been able to purchase or maintain our team gear and mainly rely on team members to purchase their own gear.”

 
While the Northwestern University and University of Chicago teams have had the manpower, coaches and membership numbers to keep developing, the American University sailing team has struggled to develop with the current economic situation, “Club Sailing is not a priority for the AU Athletic department in the least,” said Lisa Gabrielson, current president of the AU team. The team, who does not have their own fleet of boats, relies heavily on the support and generosity of the Georgetown and George Washington sailing teams, “both teams have huge fleets that they will let us practice on most days. Of course, this is not ideal, but we appreciate all the support we get from two other teams that are in our conference. Of course, our goal is to someday soon buy boats and we are launching a huge fundraising campaign this year to really get the ball rolling on that,” she said. Currently, the team is coach-less and does not have a faculty advisor, something that Gabrielson cites as an important way to keep some continuity with the team from year to year. However attempts to secure a faculty advisor have failed, “finding support for a team that has not won any national championships yet is hard.” According to Gabrielson, the dedicated team of 28 sailors in a campus of 6,000 undergraduates is seen as an unknown entity by most of the campus.

 
Despite a difficult road of fundraising and advisor searching ahead for her and the AU team, Gabrielson is hopeful for the future of the team, “Our team has been difficult to develop because of our financial strain, but we are all dedicated to the team and want to see it grow. Hopefully we’ll be able to gain the support we need from friends, family, alumni, and perhaps even the school if we
work hard enough. We have the talent; we just really need the rest of the pieces.”

 
Sail1Designer Team of the Month University of Wisconsin-Madison has ferociously continued to fundraise since breaking into the top tier of national rankings. The team, which was seated as high as #10 in October, has felt the strain of the economy as they become more competitive, according to fundraising chairwoman Molly Forbes. “Paired with the worsening economy, our team’s recent push to compete at the top level has necessitated spending a lot more money.  Traveling costs have gone up as we have increased the number of Inter-sectionals we attend, and coaching costs have increased as we recently hired a part time coach, Dave Elsmo, and have also been training with Zach Brown.”

 
Along with reaching out to alumni and aggressive letter campaigns, the University of Wisconsin-Madison has hosted two high school sailing clinics in the past two years. These clinics have been key fundraising events and have helped the team recruit the most competitive sailors. The most recent clinic, held two weeks ago, raised $2,500 for the team.

 
Despite these recent fundraising successes, the team is still struggling, “increasing expenses have put a lot of extra stress on the top sailors, who have been paying out of pocket for plane tickets and housing/food at regattas,” said Forbes. To combat this issue, Forbes and the team are starting a new “Adopt a Regatta” program where supporters can donate money for plane tickets, food and housing to specific notable regattas.

 
Despite undergoing immense financial strain this year, all four of the teams that spoke to Sail1Design are confident that their teams will still be able to further develop and become more competitive on the national sailing scene. The team from University of Wisconsin-Madison exemplifies that with diligent fundraising efforts and a committed set of athletes, club teams can break into the ranks of the top 10 college sailing teams.

2011 J/24 East Coast Championship Regatta Report

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 By Sail1Design’s Elizabeth Dudley

 

This past weekend, Annapolis was host to four different J-Boat events, bringing around 100 J-Boats out onto the Chesapeake Bay. The Hillman Capital Management J-24 East Coast Championship, the J-80 East Coast Championship, the J-22 East Coast Championship, and the J-105 East Coast Championship were all taking place.  Sail1Design was on the water with the J-24’s and our GoPro Camera, videotaping and commentating on the event.

Friday October 28, day one of the regatta, brought sunny skies and moderate winds out of the North, North East.  A fun race was held from the harbor out to the race course.  11 boats competed for the handle of rum trophy. Sail1Design was also there, following the fun race, handing out fun prizes for boats that fit random criteria such as having a whale on your main and being the last boat to drop your spinnaker. Out on the actual race course, things were more serious.  Two 5-leg Windward-Leeward races were held with 1.25 mile legs.  Current was a factor, especially towards the top of the mark, and in the puffy conditions, it was important to keep your boat in the breeze.

Bow 26, Will Welles won the first race followed by Bow 62 Flip Wehrheim, and Bow 56 Stuart Challoner.  It is interesting to note that the top three in this first race also finished as the top three for the regatta as a whole.

Race two was raced in a lighter wind and with a slackened current.  Bow 71 took the bullet, followed by Flip Wehrheim for his second, second of the day, and Bow 22 Mike Ingham in third.  With a severe drop in the breeze level, racing was called for the day around 3:00.

Saturday arrived with rain, sleet, and gusts in the upper twenties.  Racing was canceled for the day but four brave boats went out for about two hours for some mini races in the harbor.  According to Tom of Sail1Design who went out to do some videoing, it really was not that bad.

But due to the lack of racing on Saturday, the first warning for Sunday was moved an hour forward to 10:00 am.  After a general recall, the first race started at 10:15 in a light West North West breeze and slack current.

The puffs picked up as the day went on but the lulls were big enough and the courses long enough, that by the end of the race, the leaders were an entire leg, if not more, in front of the back of the pack.  That became a trend for the day—the races were incredibly spread out.

The race committee was able to get in three 5-leg Windward-Leeward courses on Sunday as the breeze picked up and stayed up longer than most thought it would.  Flip Wehrheim took the first bullet of the day, only extending his lead on the rest of the fleet.  He was followed by Bow 48 Mark Laura in second and Bow 14 Tim Healy in third. Race two of the day, race four of the regatta, was won by Will Welles, followed by Stuart Challoner in second and Flip Wehrheim in third.  Going in to the last race, Wehrheim, having finished in the top three in every previous, only needed to be in the top 20.  Second through
fifth place were much more up for grabs.  But Stuart Challoner and Will Welles were able to hold on to their standing of second and third by placing first and third respectively.  Mike Ingham, finishing second, jumped from seventh to fourth and Bow 34 Pete Levesque held on to fifth by placing fourth in the final race.

Barry Gately was out on the course all weekend coaching five of the J-24’s as well as handing out words of wisdom to anyone who wanted some.  Speaking with him on the way in Sunday afternoon, we discussed the trend of the left paying off for most of the day.  The way the course was set, with the windward marks just to the right of the radio towers, the left side experienced a funnel effect from the Severn River.  Boats on that side of the course generally found better pressure and a better angle to the mark.  It was the side that the leaders usually came from.  Due to this favored left, the right gate tended to be the favored gate.  Although there were boats that took the correct shifts back from the right and were able to gain.

Gately also mentioned the span of ability that is seen in this fleet, both tactically and technically.  Ability levels this weekend ranged from World Champions to sailors very new to the fleet and that is one of the really interesting things about sailing.  It is such a small world that the new comers have real chances to race against and learn from the best of the best.

Unique to this regatta were the coaches that were out on the water.  They were available to everyone who felt that they needed them.  The better the bottom half of the fleet gets, the better the competition will be and the better for the rest of the fleet.  It is a continuous cycle—if the best sailors help everyone else up, the level of competition will only increase.  Sailing is not an exclusive sport and this regatta was a perfect example of that.

Congratulations to Flip Wehrheim and his crew Willem VanWay, Max Skelley, John Goldberry, and Matt Pistay for winning the 2011 Hillman Capital Management J-24 East Coast Champoinship.

 

2011 J/105 EAST COAST AND CHESAPEAKE BAY CHAMPIONSHIP Results

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Series Standing – 3 races scored

 Annapolis, MD

Information is provisional and subject to modification
Regatta results saved: Sunday, October 30, 2011 5:16:57 PM EDT

Division: J/105 (18 boats) (top)

Pos Sail Boat Skipper Club 1 2 3 Total
Points		 Pos
1 214 The Mystery Machine Peter McChesney Annapolis YC 3 2 1 6.00 1
2 CAN 110 Hey Jude James Rathbun Royal Canadian YC 2 4 2 8.00 2
3 351 Inigo Jim Konigsberg Annapolis YC 5 1 6 12.00 3
4 USA 23 Veloce Marty Hublitz / Eddie Hornick Severn River YC 4 5 4 13.00 4
5 220 Bat IV Andrew Kennedy Annapolis YC 12 7 3 22.00 5
6 116 Arbitrage Bruce Stone St. Francis YC 1 8 14/40% 23.00 6
7 USA 674 Java Chris & Carolyn Groobey Annapolis YC 7 6 10 23.00 7
8 90 Max Power Gerrit Schulze Corinthian YC Cape May 9 3 12 24.00 8
9 7105 Allegiance Mary Cox Naval Academy SS 6 9 9 24.00 9
10 313 A Train Robert Reeves Annapolis YC 10 10 5 25.00 10
11 586 Dreadnought Taylor Marton Naval Academy SS 8 11 8 27.00 11
12 USA 98 Santas Reign Dear Donald Santa Annapolis YC 11 14 11 36.00 12
13 252 Zephyr Walter Nuschke Naval Academy SS 13 12 13 38.00 13
14 251 Breakaway Richard Hinds Annapolis YC 14 13 16 43.00 14
15 USA 330 At-Tack Dennis McCloud Naval Academy SS 16 15 14 45.00 15
16 346 TUITION Glenn Byus Naval Academy SS 15 16 15 46.00 16
17T USA 303 Helios Steve & Gregg Sunshine Eastport YC 19/DNC 19/DNC 19/DNC 57.00T 17T
17T 501 Tenacious Carl & Scott Gitchell Annapolis YC 19/DNC 19/DNC 19/DNC 57.00T 17T

Notes

(1) Scoring System is ISAF Low Point 2009-2012
(2) Time limit expired (TLE) penalty is: Finishers plus 2

Information is provisional and subject to modification

Principal Race Officer: Chip Thayer
Jury Chair: Joe Krolak

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