Sail1Design Editor

Reflections & Lessons from a Summer Sailing Instructor

April 9, 2019 by Sail1Design Editor Leave a Comment

By Airwaves Writer Sarah Hendrickson

Sailing for Success

The interviewer across the table told me he had one more question before we wrapped up. “I’ve been dying to ask this whole time – can you tell me more about your sailing experience? You have your Coast Guard Captain’s License??”

I smiled and began answering the question that I have been asked in one form or another in scores of interviews and conversations since graduating from UVA in 2016. I started out sailing in an Optimist Dinghy when I was 12 years old and I could not have imagined then the opportunities that my hobby would afford me later down the road. Looking back It is easy to think about my experiences in terms of my involvement with the racing community – but more importantly, I realize that while racing played a significant role in my story, my instructing experiences over the summers are what truly molded me and created significant opportunities for me in college and beyond into my young professional life.

I now sit behind a desk at my 9 – 5 job and reflect. While my peers flipped burgers or waited tables during their summers at home I was outside teaching sailing. I have now taught up and down the east coast – everywhere from the eastern shore of Maryland on the Chesapeake all the way to the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. I would like to impart some of the knowledge I absorbed along the way in the hopes of encouraging young sailors to embrace their love of the sport and to maximize the amazing doors it can open up in your life. If you let it, the travel opportunities are endless, the connections you make will last you many years into the future, and you will walk away with invaluable life experiences that many never get the chance to have.

Start out Small

Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither is experience. My first job instructing sailing was at a small yacht club in Seaford, VA. The program was completely new and very small. I stayed with Seaford for three summers and I grew my reputation within that community of sailors while adding to my experience. It was not glamorous – we would haul Johnson 15s on a wheelbarrow in a shed every morning to an inflatable dinghy and blow up the dinghy from scratch. I hated inflating that dinghy. It felt exhausting and redundant at the time but it taught me the hard work ethic required to run a successful program that would aid me in the years to come. I also received mentorship from the senior instructor there where he spent a significant amount of time and energy on emphasizing the importance of preparation and detailed attention to his craft.

Get Your US Sailing Level 1 Certification – if you can.

Obtaining my US Sailing Level 1 Certification was instrumental in my instructing experience. In any industry in life, credibility is key and oftentimes that credibility does come in the form of a sheet of paper. While you do not 100% have to have certification like this everywhere I have found that the money and the time investment has been more than worth it. It does set you apart from other people and it also opens up other opportunities that may not be in your geographical area (Summer in Maine, anyone?) That Certification will also ensure any prospective Yacht Clubs or Employers that you are willing to put in the time and the effort no matter how fleshed out your sailing resume may be.

Find your Niche

The beauty of the sailing world is that there are countless ways to become involved in the sport. I grew up primarily racing C420s with some Laser Radial racing thrown in on occasion. When it came to instructing, although I had a love for racing and an extensive knowledge, I found that my natural disposition lended very well to teaching beginners with some intermittent private coaching built in as the years went on. For others in my age group, this meant instructing the C420 classes and bringing the youth to regattas up and down the east coast. You may not begin in your niche but make sure you decide what it is that you enjoy the most about the sport – this leveraging of your strengths will make you successful in an already very niched industry/sport.

Leverage Your Network

This advice may seem old but I joined UVA’s Club Sailing Team in 2012 and I received a newsletter on a listserv for a few years. One year there was an advertised position for a instructing opportunity for a Private Charter Company in NYC. On a whim, I applied. If you are currently in school I would highly recommend getting involved in any kind of sailing communities – whether with your school or even outside your school. Listservs will oftentimes contain information that may not feel relevant to you at the time – but occasionally there will be job opportunities. Use this to your advantage and skim to the job opportunity section.

Go Outside of Your Comfort Zone

Sailing is a sport that has brought me outside of my comfort zone time and time again. There is nothing quite like a 40 knot gust of wind (really) on a 40 degree day in a C420 to push that zone to the limit. Ironically, what is even harder is to admit that sometimes taking the opportunities is not always the easiest thing – moving to New York City for a summer between my junior and senior year of college – it was a place where I did not know anyone. It was a huge and unfamiliar city. It was also one of the busiest waterways in the world that I was not familiar with. It was one of the more difficult decisions I had to make. But it was one of the most worthwhile experiences I have undertook not just for the sailing experience – but more importantly for the life experiences I gained as a result from navigating that discomfort. If it feels uncomfortable, chances are, you are probably doing something right.

Flashing back to the scene, I sit across from my interviewer – they are dressed head to toe in a black suit – and I can’t help but smile because all of the experiences flash through my brain like a quick reel movie highlight scene. “That’s a long story” I say “But to answer your question it all started when I was 12 years old and I stepped onto a tiny little boat….”

If you have any questions about sailing instructing please feel free to reach out to me.

Sailing Club Profile: Brendan Sailing (& they’re hiring too!!)

April 7, 2019 by Sail1Design Editor Leave a Comment

For much of Brendan Sailing’s 34-year history, the Annapolis waterfront has been our primary home. Since 1985 we have been operating out of Annapolis Sailing School on Bembe Beach where we have an outstanding partnership with the sailing school and the community. In 2005, we expanded our programs St. Mary’s College of Maryland in St. Mary’s City, MD. Through partnership with the college, we introduced the program’s overnight camp session, where participants get the opportunity to gain a sense of independence by staying on campus in the SMCM resident halls. Recently in 2018, our organization has added a new after school program in Washington DC. Operating in the Fall and Spring months.

Brendan Sailing seeks sailing Instructors to teach beginning and intermediate lessons for youth. Brendan Sailing needs fun and energetic sailing instructors for 7 week program. We sail off the Bemebe Beach in Annapolis and at St. Mary’s College. Mid June to July 26th. Housing available. We will pay or reimburse for US Sailing certifications. For more information and to apply, CLICK HERE!

Jim Muldoon is the founder of the Brendan Sailing Program. In 1985 he was inspired to start Brendan Sailing by his son with dyslexia, Jim Muldoon Jr, who at a young age became a successful sailor on his father’s racing yacht DONNYBROOK. “One day I noticed that this young boy, who was having trouble telling his right hand from his left hand, knew port from starboard and that he was telling my crew, these big burly sailors, how to run the boat…and they were listening to him” Muldoon said. “That’s what this program does, it builds a foundation for self-confidence, allowing the kids to be more confident and surer of themselves, and not just in sailing but in other pursuits as well.”

Since the program’s inception, more than 600 young people, ages 11 to 18, have been introduced to the joys of sailing, and, in the process, improved relationships with their peers and built self-esteem, confidence, and maturity.

Annapolis, MD – April 1, 2019 – The Brendan Sailing Program has been generously awarded $25,000 in new grant funding from two local Annapolis area organizations: The Kathryn and Jerry Wood Foundation and The Brick Companies Foundation.

The grants will allow the Brendan Sailing Program to continue its mission to build pathways for self-confidence and personal growth in children with learning differences through individually tailored experiential instruction in sailing. Brendan Sailing will use the funds to award additional scholarships for Brendan Sailing Program’s three base-programs in Annapolis, St. Mary’s College of Maryland, and Washington DC. “We are thrilled to have received these awards from foundations who see value in our efforts to build self-confidence and teach life skills to youth with learning differences through sailing. We pride ourselves on never turning away a student for financial reasons. Thanks to the generosity of these two supporters we can provide scholarships this season for youth throughout the region” said Executive Director Charlie Arms.

Registration is now open for Brendan Sailing’s summer programs. The after-school program hosted at DC Sail will run on Tuesdays & Thursdays from 4:00pm-6:00pm starting on April 23 and ending on June 6. The Annapolis Day Camp sessions take place at Annapolis Sailing School on June 17-28 and July 1-12. Fun camp activities include: sailing, beach exploration, swimming, friendships, watershed & US Sailing’s STEM program are all part of the Annapolis camp that runs Monday-Friday 9:00am-4:00pm

The program at St. Mary’s College of Maryland offers both Day and Overnight Camps July 17-26. Overnight students sleep in the residence halls on campus, take meals in the student dining center, and learn to sail at the James P. Muldoon River Center on the banks of the St. Mary’s River.In addition to sailing, campers experience other water activities such as swimming, kayaking, stand-up paddle boarding, and canoeing. Through Brendan Sailing’s partnership with Spirit of America, students also have the option to learn powerboating and obtain their Maryland Safe Boating Certificate.

New Kid on the Block: Taking a Peek at the RS21

April 6, 2019 by Sail1Design Editor 1 Comment

23 November 2018, New Orleans, LA — Frantically making sure all is set, dodging 200+ other dollied-Optis doing the same thing, just what does a parent do after their Opti-sailing child pushes off the dock at a USODA regatta? Those morning minutes of frenzied, nervous preparation are always followed by a sudden stillness, and often a long period of quiet waiting… the calm after the storm.

Well, on this Friday at the 2018 USODA Optimist Midwinter Championship, hosted by Southern Yacht Club in New Orleans, Louisiana, this dad had the opportunity to gear up and go sailing himself. What a treat!
Thanks to KO Sailing, Zim Sailing, and Sail22, I had a chance to go out and sail the RS21 for a few hours on Lake Ponchartrain. Jamie Gilman of KO Sailing rigged up the boat and graciously allowed me to drive, crew, and get a feel for the RS21, a new lifting-keel sprit boat. Coming along with us was 8^th grader Ethan Polsen, a former Opti sailing star and an up-and-coming 420 sailor. This would be his first ride on a keelboat.

Why another 20-22 foot Asymmetrical-kite sport boat, you ask? Good question.
The answer is that while this boat looks like a sport boat, that’s not what it is; the RS folks had a clear, unique vision in mind when designing the RS21. The mission for this boat was to provide a stable, open, simple, fun, and durable keelboat that sailing and yacht clubs can use, ideally in small fleets, that is exciting but not overwhelming to attract their members, and new members, back out on the water and into sailing and sailboat racing. The boat comes standard without a spinnaker but an asymmetrical can be added for One Design racing, and she’s ready made to use a symmetrical spinnaker and pole, so it could be a great match racing boat as well. Class rules require foot-in hiking (no sitting with legs overboard) and the class strictly limits professionals on board. This boat is really meant for club members, and with the retractable keel, can be easily stored and trailered.

Waiting to go sailing at the Southern Yacht Club

From their website:
The RS21 responds to the need for a progressive, simple and affordable solution for keelboat clubs that increasingly see the opportunity for fleet ownership, league competition and training. Pay-as-you-go. Team up and do it together. The RS21 is specifically designed for fleet purchase, with attributes that will appeal to individual buyers as well. It puts close racing over ultimate performance. Convenient ownership over complexity. It maximizes low maintenance, value and pure sailing enjoyment. This is the boat to bring wider availability and popularity back to keelboat racing. Realistic costs allow appealing club charter fees – or affordable investment by syndicates of sailing friends. The RS21 is a safe purchase and assured of success.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS
We headed out in a 5-13 knot easterly, with the usual Lake chop. It took me a little time to get the feel of the boat upwind; I’ve not been sailing a whole lot lately. It did seem very civilized, easy going, and very well-mannered. Given the goals of the boat, that’s good news. It definitely has a groove upwind, and with time and attention to detail, crews that practice in this boat can find a little more speed, but it’s also really easy to jump in and go well. The RS21 is fairly stiff, and offers its crew time to react to puffs; this is a great for less experienced crews.
While on our sail, I couldn’t resist hanging out for a few minutes at the Optimist race course leeward gate to watch some mark roundings. We luffed around, and slowed down to a crawl as I predictably searched for my son’s sail number in the sea of sails racing downwind. What I learned while doing this is that the boat has admirable upwind acceleration and feel while down-speed, and surprising feel while stopping and starting, etc. This is not always the case with high aspect bulb keel sport boats. Immediately I thought: hello team racing! The RS21 really could be a FUN adult team race boat, where these qualities are key.

Downwind, the boat seemed to come alive, and clearly had even more dinghy helm response, excellent acceleration, and a stable enough feeling for new sailors. The steering input was excellent, and allowed time and opportunity for the helmsman to bear off and avoid a broach. In fact, our 8^th grader Ethan found himself driving the boat downwind in the breeziest part of our sail, and for a first-timer he sailed the boat with confidence and ease as we ate up distance downwind, our speed approaching 7-9 knots in about 12 knots of wind. The very large rudder certainly helps keep things calm downwind. Good choice, and well thought out. Easy, fun, and simple.

DETAILS
Selden is the rig supplier for the RS21, and the boat sports a carbon rig (very similar if not the exact same section as the J/70), aluminum boom, carbon sprit. It’s certainly nice to have a mast that weighs a grand total of 40 pounds. The rig and sail controls are really quite simple, with most rig tuning controls in places where they can be reached easily. The mainsheet blocks are supported on a 3 ft center post, and led to two independent blocks with cleats, fore and aft of the post. This nice touch allows trim from the continuous mainsheet from two location options with ease and ergonomic flexibility; so skipper can trim with the aft block, or a mainsheet trimmer can do so using the forward block. I am a fan of mainsheet travelers on keelboats for sure, and lack of a traveler definitely limits sail trim options. The good news is that the mainsheet block post offers something to grab onto in a pinch, a nice post-race backrest to lean on, and it certainly makes the sailing simpler with one less control to worry about.

The backstay adjuster is set in the middle of the boat; I’d like to see it led to each side for more adjustment, but having it led to one spot makes sense for a boat that prioritizes simplicity.

The spinnaker control systems are well designed and easily found. Nothing fancy here, and that’s a good thing. The three of us were able to set, gybe, and take down the kite with ease.

This boat came equipped with the optional, really cool, lifting Torqeedo electric motor. When deployed, the motor can run for as much as an hour, and while sailing it retracts flush to the hull, with the motor shaft positioned smartly guarded by the mainsheet post. This neat, easy system will provide a nice return-to-dock insurance policy for those days when the wind leaves you stranded.

THE FUTURE
Overall, this is a modern-looking 20-foot keel boat with a clear mission to target and attract sailing and yacht clubs. Think 21^st Century Sonar. With a simple layout, open, ergonomic cockpit and hull designed for a forgiving, stable ride, the RS21 presents a compelling option for institutions and clubs that seek a nice blend of speed & modern performance with ease of use. The RS21 can attract the top club sailors who seek a fun, responsive, speedy, and moderately tune-able boat. Be careful if you buy six; you will have your club members team racing in this boat in no time, and they may not want to stop! More importantly, given its stability and simplicity, it can also attract and introduce new sailors, safely, to the sport.

Sounds like a turn-key fleet of RS21’s will be available for charter at all the NOOD Regattas, Charleston Race Week, and other events to be announced in 2019; this would be a great opportunity to get to know the boat, and have some fun racing at the same time. Stay tuned for a press release for more details and visit www.rssailing.com/rs21na for updated North American news.

ICSA Team Race Rankings Update & Weekly News, April 3 2019

April 3, 2019 by Sail1Design Editor Leave a Comment

April 4, 2019, Written by Chris Klevan

Finally, after an exciting 2 weeks of sailing, culminating with the Marchiando, which shook up the rankings a bit (and temporarily broke our ranking system 😉 ) the S1D ICSA Team Race Rankings Update is HERE!!
The Harvard University Crimson won the 38th Lynne Marchiando Trophy, hosted by Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Harvard finished with a 16-6 record after 2 full days of challenging racing. The conditions were beyond dynamic as some of the best teams in the nation struggled to keep all three boats upright let alone team race at an elite level. After 176 races sailed, uncertainty as to who is bound for nationals in New England is only heightened with conference championships only a week away.

“Champagne conditions for team racing on the Charles River today,” said Principal Race Officer and MIT Sailing Master, Franny Charles in his regatta report. “An east wind at 5-8 gave way to a smoking southerly at 12-18 during the afternoon. The color coordinated Fireflies and FJs made for spectacular spectating for the abundant crowd at the pavilion and along the Cambridge seawall.”

If the Graham Hall at Navy attempts to emulate the Laser Performance Team Race National Championship, then the Marchiando is college sailing’s version of the Wilson Trophy of West Kirby, UK. Whether it was the extreme conditions or the team race sailing, spectators taking a break from their runs down Memorial Drive, Boston College fans and teams enjoying their offsets were frequently cheering for plays attempted (and failed) at mark 3 and 4, positioned a few boatlengths from the docks at MIT, and capsizes, of which there were many.

One witnessing Sophia Reineke interacting with fans from her sail boat between races couldn’t help but to think of the grandstand at West Kirby. If only Ken Legler had commentated. The spirit of the College Sailing suggested by the aging photographs and news clipping in MIT’s Walter C. Wood Sailing Pavilion- the namesake of the trophy awarded to the winner at the Laser Performance Team Race Championship, was palpable at this event.

“The team race honors a distinguished member of the MIT Class of 1985 who sailed A Division for 3 of her 4 years on the sailing team,” continued Franny Charles.

Mr. Charles was able to get off 176 races over the course of regatta even with a delayed start on Sunday due to two re-sailed races. Rolling two minute starts left teams racing from the rotation dock to make their start.

S1D ICSA Team Race Rankings Update, click HERE!!

Harvard won the day on Saturday, only dropping two races to MIT and Roger Williams throughout the first full round robin. Yale and Connecticut College were in second after day one with 4 losses. Dartmouth, Boston College and Hobart and William Smith had 5 in the loss column. While Saturday’s racing was exciting, Sunday’s forced storm jibs in the FJs and reefed mainsails on the Fireflies.

“We team raced well but we were also quite fast upwind,” said Harvard Coach Bern Noack.

Harvard would need the lead they developed as Boston College and Dartmouth made late runs at the regatta win, both sailing towards 5-2 records on Sunday.

“I think we just made some mistakes related to racing in heavy wind and also were working hard on how we sailed the boats but not as good at sailing them as in the light air,” continued Coach Noack. Noack went on to say the following:

“It was really tricky to pick the correct crews because the wind was so shifty and up and down. Our smaller crews are more experienced and perhaps better at moving in the boat and downwind but at times were too small. Our bigger crews were clearly faster upwind when the breeze was on. We sailed a lot of crews and they were great team players. It was great to get the bigger crews more experience and they are working hard and improving rapidly.”

Harvard sailed Eli Burnes ‘21, Henry Burnes ‘21 and Nicholas Karnovsky ‘19 at skipper and Lena Episalla ‘19, Eric Hansen ‘22, Jonas Nelle ‘21, Catherine Tang ‘19 and Jessica Williams ‘20 at crew.

Boston College finished 2nd at 15-7, winning the tie-breaker over Dartmouth, who finished 3rd, due to a 2-0 head to head record in favor of the Eagles.

Connecticut College, a team that received no votes from the panel in the most recent Sail1Design Team Race rankings, finished 4th overall (Harvard is unranked in the Sail1Design Rankings) with a 14-8 record behind Junior standout Carter Pemberton and Cecilia Moreira ‘20. Pemberton and his classmates, Moreira, Katie Rodger and Paige Dunlevy have managed to pull two freshmen, CJ Mckenna and Thomas

Whittemore within two wins of the premier event in NEISA’s regular season schedule.

With next week’s Championship at Conn, this Camel team is most certainly a threat. Especially with #1 ranked Yale apparently very beatable in breeze, finishing 7th at the Marchiando.

________________________________________

Yale won the Dellenbaugh Women’s Trophy by 67 points over second place Brown. The Bulldogs won both division in full on conditions at Brown University as gusts reached 30 knots on Sunday. Yale showed their ability to handle the breeze better than anyone on the race course.

“We had really good upwind boat speed,” said Yale’s coach Bill Healy. “All of those races were sailed in classic YCYC conditions. There aren’t many other home courts with those conditions.”

Louisa Nordstrom ‘20, a strong Quantum Women’s College Sailor of the Year candidate, won A-DIvision for Yale sailing with Helena Ware ‘22 on Saturday for races one through 10. However, for Sunday’s racing, Kathryn Clulo got the call as the breeze piped up and A-Division switched to z420s.

Nordstrom and Ware started the regatta slow, totaling 26 points in the first 3 races sailed. However, the tandem found their stride as, over the remaining 7 races sailed Saturday, Nordstrom and Ware only added 16 points to take the division lead after race 7. Nordstrom would not look back.

Yale seemed to push the right buttons bringing in Clulo as Nordstrom picked up right where she left off Saturday, winning 2 of 4 races sailed on Sunday and winning the division by 5 points over Maia Agerup ‘20, Emily Croteau ‘19 and Erica Brown ‘21 of Boston University.

Those proficient at math must now realize that Nordstrom, Ware and Clulo’s performance, while extremely impressive, does not, in itself, account for Yale’s 67 point victory.

It was Yale’s effort in B-Division behind the sailing of Christine Klingler ‘20 and Kira Woods ‘19 that eventually led to such a dominant margin of victory. Klingler and Woods were on fire as they failed to score outside the top-6 in all of the first 13 races sailed, including 9 top-3 finishes. Yale’s success thus far this season cannot be attributed to any one sailor. When the breeze is up, as it tends to be in May in Newport, not many can hang with this Bulldog team.

“There was also some luck on our side,” continued Coach Healy “Chrissy and Kira were over one race and restarted deep. As the bulk of the fleet arrived at the weather mark in adverse current, the fleet all jammed up together allowing our pair to catch right up finishing in sixth. But speed was king. It was also fully hiking and powered up conditions on Saturday for us while many teams were a little smaller and were tiring quickly. Sunday was survival in the A set and we had the correct combo in. B never saw that but still had good speed and starts.”

We probably shouldn’t hand Yale the trophy quite yet. Brown finished second with 181 points. However, Ragna Agerup ‘20, Hannah Steadman ‘20, Emily Ito ‘19 and Maxine De Havenon ‘19, typical starters for the Bears’ women’s team were at the Marchiando, holding it down on the team race circuit. It is incredibly impressive that, without most of the group that won the Women’s Showcase Finals last fall, Brown is still able to secure a top-2 finish at a major women’s interconference regatta.

Such depth is an asset. The success of Sophie Hibben ‘19 and Megha Malpani ‘19 in A-Division and Rachel Foster ‘20 and Abigayle Konys in B-Division (Annabelle Hutchinson ‘21 and Emma Montgomery ‘22 sailed both A and B) should lead to a more daunting Brown team once all women are back on the fleet race circuit.

“We are very lucky to have a strong group of women’s skippers at this time, approximately 8 of them at practice every day pushing each other,” said Brown Head Coach John Mollicone. “Some of them have also stepped up into major crewing roles and skipper at times as well. We have been fortunate that a lot of strong women’s sailors have been coming to Brown and have a strong work ethic and desire to learn and improve.”

“We emphasize that we are one team and do not have a women’s team, just women’s regattas,” continued Coach Mollicone. “Women have such an amazing opportunity in college sailing and can sail in everything, so there is a regatta every weekend for all of them. We also have a lot of overall team depth right now, with approximately 15 good boats at practice each day pushing each other. Currently two of our females are starting skippers on the interconference coed team race circuit, which has given our other female skippers incredible opportunities on the women’s circuit. All of the high level team racing and fleet racing opportunities will help them all develop further as we get into the National qualifying events and Nationals.”

Harvard finished 3rd with 196 points, George Washington finished fourth with 199 points and Boston University finished 5th with 200 points.

St. Francis Yacht Club is Hiring for Summer 2019!!

April 1, 2019 by Sail1Design Editor Leave a Comment

St. Francis Yacht Club, located in beautiful San Francisco California is seeking several talented and hardworking sailing instructors/counselors for our summer season, June 18- August 17, 2018. The Club currently supports a fleet of RS Tera, Lasers, Bytes, FJs, and C420s. For more information on this position, and to apply, please visit the job ad HERE

St. Francis Yacht Club was founded in 1927 by a group of 21 San Francisco Yachtsman with a vision of a club in the City. Ground was broken for the clubhouse that year, and events were held on members yachts until the club was formally opened in 1928. In 1959, the Club acquired its Tinsley Island Station, located on the Sacramento Delta. Tinsley offers members a warm boating destination to escape the traditional summer fog on the Bay. In 2002, the membership celebrated its 75th anniversary of activity on San Francisco Bay and around the world.
The yachting interests of our 2300-plus members include racing, cruising, sailboarding, kiteboarding, water-skiing and more. Our sailors have challenged and defended for the America’s Cup, brought home Olympic medals, and won prestigious races such as the Whitbread, Transpac and Pacific Cup. Whether cruising in the Mexican Sea of Cortez or racing in the Olympics, a St. Francis Yacht Club burgee is apt to be seen.
St. Francis Yacht Club is a year-round host of over 40 regattas on San Francisco Bay, including the annual Big Boat Series each September. The Club was host to the 2000 US Olympic Sailing Trials, and continues to host World and National Championships. StFYC is also dedicated to the development of young corinthian sailors. Our junior sailing team (ages 10 to 23) races locally and internationally in Optimists, Lasers, Radial Lasers, 29ers, 420’s and Flying Juniors. Each year, our Club hosts the Laser Sailing Symposium, with invitations to the world’s most competitive Laser sailors.
Our San Francisco clubhouse provides a boating and social venue for our members and their guests. It features large deep-water guest docks, outstanding dining and incredible vistas of the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco Bay. This is the premier location to view yacht racing on the renowned City Front. The Club’s annual calendar includes a wide variety of social events from theme parties, and winemaker dinners, to cruises both locally and far away.

Sail Park City is Hiring!

March 29, 2019 by Sail1Design Editor Leave a Comment

We are promoting the sport of sailing to adults and children in the greater Park City community. We offer racing, summer sailing camps, adult sailing lessons, as well as partner with other local organizations to get as many people out sailing!We’re looking for a bunch of staff. Join us this summer for a great time in the mountain west. We are open to hiring a few folks from the same university/team together for a summer to remember! To learn more details about our open positions and to apply please see our job ad HERE!

When the town of Park City is mentioned it brings to mind the 2002 Olympic Games, 3 world class ski resorts and an eclectic funky community. Just outside of the town and under the slopes of the Deer Valley ski resort the State of Utah constructed the Jordanelle Reservoir within a State Park. This created a 6 square mile body of water at 6200’ in elevation. South east of the reservoir is Provo Canyon and the city of Provo. The summer heat in the valley creates a reliable thermal breeze and the combination has become the ideal setting for Park City Sailing.

It turned out that Park City is the home of a large number of sailing refuges who relocated to live a unique mountain town lifestyle. With the creation of the Jordanelle the pieces began to fall into place during the summer of 2008. The rest is history.

Spring 2018 – PCSA receives the Robie Pierce Award for Outstanding Adaptive Programing 2017 from the U.S. Sailing Association.
Summer of 2017 – Merit 25 and O’Day 19 are donated to the Park City Sailing fleet.
Summer of 2016 – over 1500 participants including 820 in Out Reach and 390 in our Junior program. 90 sailing lessons given and 48 Access members.
Summer of 2016 – our fleet expands to 42 boats with 4 Rhodes 19’s in the Access program and 4 Mercury 4 stroke motors are purchased.
Summer 2015 – 14 sets of Optimist sails and 2 sets of J/22 sails are donated.
Summer 2015 – 3 additional Boston Whalers are acquired to the continued expansion of our growing organization.
Summer 2015 – 2 additional Rhodes 19’s are purchased to support the growth of the club.
Winter 2014 – additional Optimists are purchased to to bring the fleet to 14.
Summer 2014 – over 350 participants from the National Ability Center sail with us in adaptive and therapeutic programs.
Summer 2013 – a Rhodes 19 is donated to enhance the family sailing program.
Spring 2013 – 2 additional Club 420’s to increase the fleet to 6 boats.
Spring 2013 – a donation of 8 Elliot 6m creates a club fleet race program.
Winter 2012 – PCSA acquires a second J/22 and a 17’ Boston Whaler Montauk.
Summer 2012 – 25 families participate in the inaugural J/22 charter program.
Spring 2012 – 4 Club 420 sailboats are acquired to start an advanced racing program.
Fall 2011 – PCSA hosts the Laser No Coast Championships that was covered by Sailing World Magazine.
Summer 2011 – 130 children attend the Junior sailing program.
Summer 2011 – Laser racing averages 20 boats nightly.
Summer 2011 – 17 families join the J/22 Charter program.
Spring 2011 PCSA conducts a 3 day in depth Laser racing seminar.
Spring of 2011 – PCSA buys a J/22 and plans are made to create an Adult Sailing and Charter program.
September 2010 – PCSA hosts the Laser District 23 Championship with 30 boats attending.
Summer 2010 – 65 children attend the summer program.
Summer 2010 – The Junior program begins with a head instructor, 3 sailing instructors each certified by US Sailing.
Summer 2010 – The fleet hosts a series of sailing seminars.
Summer 2010 – Laser Summer Series averages 18 boats.
Spring 2010 – PCSA acquires a 13’ Boston Whaler and 6 Optimist dinghies.
Spring 2010 – PCSA’s Buster Pike receives the Outstanding Director of a New Program Award from PCSA’s Geoff Hurwitch receives the One-Design Leadership Award from the U.S. Sailing Association, Community Sailing Council.
Winter 2010 – PCSA begins planning a Junior Summer Sailing Program.
September 2009 – PCSA hosts the sanctioned Laser No Coast Championship with 31 competitors.
Late Summer 2009 – a Family Sailing Demo weekend is conducted to introduce junior sailing to the community.
Midsummer 2009 – Tuesday night racing attendance averages 15 – 18 boats.
Summer 2009 – a formal Tuesday night Laser racing series begins with sailors who have competed in 505, J/22, J/24, Etchells and Snipe World’s as well as newcomers to the sport.

The Park City Sailing Association’s fleet has grown each season. From a borrowed power boat in the summer of 2008, the membership has worked tirelessly to raise funds as well as organize donations to develop a fleet that permits us to expand to meet the wide needs of our community.

J/22 – 2 SAILBOATS

In the summer of 2011 we acquired our first J/22 keelboat which permitted us to establish both our Boat Access Program and our Adult Sailing Program. Due to the popularity of both programs we acquired our second J/22 keelboat for the 2012 season. The J/22’s also enable us to host special day and week-long sailing camps for other summer youth programs in our community. For 2015, the J’s were given new sails through a donation of one of the PC Sailing families.

RHODES 19 – 4 SAILBOATS

Through the generosity of one of our families, PCSA received a donation of a Rhodes 19. This sturdy 19 footer became a popular family boat as she is stable and very comfortable. She also sits on a mooring to keep her user friendly for intermediate sailors. For 2016 we have expanded our Rhodes fleet to 4 boats. They are undergoing an extensive renovation and each of the boats will be rigged identically (eventually) with the latest fittings.

ELLIOT 6M – 8 SAILBOATS

During the spring of 2013 PCSA received a donation of a fleet of 8 Elliot 6 Meter boats. The donor was the Sailing Educational Association of Sheboygan (SEAS). The Elliots are identical to the boats used during the 2012 Olympic Games in London. So far the fleet has been used to support Wounded Warrior programs as well as the Thursday Night Keel Boat Racing Series.

OPTIMIST DINGHIES – 14 SAILBOATS

Our Junior Sailing Program is supported by our 14 club owned Optimist sailing prams. The “Opti” was selected by our Board due to its ideal trainer characteristics as well as the fact that in any given year there are over 150,000 Optis being sailed in over 100 countries. In addition to our club owned boats, there are several privately owned Optis in our program. For 2015 all of the club owned boats received new sails through a donation from one of our families.

CLUB 420 – 6 SAILBOATS

For the 2012 season we acquired four Club 420 sailboats. These 14 foot two person boats are ideal for teenagers and they are one of the most frequently raced boats on the inter-collegiate circuit. Our 420’s are rigged with a trapeze and spinnakers that provide both a physical and advanced experience for the intermediate young sailor. In 2014 we acquired 2 more Club 420’s to support our expanding program with groups such as the University of Utah and the Park City High School Sailing Club.

LASER SAILING – 50+ PERSONAL & CLUB-OWNED SAILBOATS

Our adult sailing members privately own 42+ Laser Class Olympic sailing dinghies. The majority of these boats are stored in our secured facility on either racks or owner provided dollies. The spars and sails for the Lasers are stored in our 40’ cargo container, which is 100 yards from our paved launching ramp. Sail PC also owns 5 lasers that can be leased for Tuesday night racing.

PARK CITY SAILING 17′ BOSTON WHALER & OTHER MOTORBOATS

Our primary race committee and safety boat is a Montauk 17 ‘Boston Whaler. Complementing it are our smaller power boats which are three 13’ Boston Whalers and a 11′ Boston Whaler. These fast and unsinkable boats support all of our programs.

MERIT 25 & O’DAY 19

At the end of the 2017 season we accepted the donation of a Merit 25 and an O’Day 19. Plans are underway for a learn-to-cruise, night sailing, GPS navigation and over night sailing programs on the Merit 25. The O’Day 19 sees exclusive use with the Jr. Program.

ICSA Spring Season News Update #4

March 27, 2019 by Sail1Design Editor Leave a Comment

Yale, Charleston, HWS, Navy and Brown take regatta wins as the team race season, coed and women’s, heats up!

March 25, 2019, Written by Chris Klevan, Photos by Colin Grey Voight, Rob Migliaccio and Tyler Colvin

Brown University won the Duplin Women’s Team Race at Tufts University in Larks on Mystic Lake. Like most New England regattas, the Duplin was a one day event. Brown went 10-0 after a full 8-team round robin and a top-4 round robin. Brown likely would have been most people’s betting favorite as their top team race team features Hannah Steadman and Ragna Agerup- two of the best women’s sailors in the nation. However, Brown’s undefeated effort showed their depth as it featured none of the aforementioned women.

Brown sailed Rachel Foster ‘20, Sophie Hibben ‘19 and Olivia Belda ‘22 on the tiller with Maxine De Havenon ‘19, Emma Montgomery ‘22, Abigayle Konys ‘19 and Annabelle Hutchinson ‘21 in the front.

“The 40th annual Duplin Trophy honors former Tufts Sailing Master Joseph R. Duplin,” said Tufts Head Coach Ken Legler. “A fleet racing regatta for the first 30 years, the Duplin became a team racing regatta for women about ten years ago, the first of its kind. The Duplin is not meant to be a championship of any sort; as such there are no umpires. Protests were handled by three person panels comprised of one coach and two undergrad competitors. Hot soup was provided as a throwback to the former NEWISA which provided a modest lunch at all New England Women’s regattas.”

“The timing of the Duplin is best for all the very fast women’s sailors who are asked to team race in practice against their “A” teams during spring break. The low-key but high level sailing at the Duplin is their reward,” finished Coach Legler who is also a terrific photographer and keeper of sailing history.

Boston College finished second at 7-3 and Boston University finished 3rd at 5-5, winning a tiebreaker over University of South Florida.

The Duplin was not the only Women’s Team Race last weekend. The Seahawk Women’s Team Race was taken by Navy and a 10-5 record, besting University of Pennsylvania who finished with a 9-6 record.

Navy started slow, finishing the first round robin with a 2-3 record. They turned it on thereafter as they finished the regatta only dropping two races in the final 10 sailed.

Navy sailed Olivia de Olazarra ‘22, Jessica McJones ‘20 and Brittany Slook ‘20 with Madeline Pruzan ‘21, Kelly Milliken ‘21 and Fiona Lobon ‘22 as crews.

Yale won the Friis Trophy, hosted by Roger Williams University, the premier regatta in New England last weekend. “The Friis started off with really shifty conditions with a lot of fleet inversions,” said Yale Head Coach Zack Leonard. “No race was over until the finish! As the day wore on, the sailing got much better and the breeze solidified.”

The regatta was shortened due to big breeze and cold water temps on Saturday, limiting the regatta to a one day, one round robin format. Yale started their usual group plus a coupe more crews for the wide range of conditions. Nic Baird ‘19, Nick Hernandez ‘19, Shawn Harvey ‘21, Sonia Lingos-Utley ‘21, Graceann Nicolosi ‘20, Claudia Loiacono ‘21 and Catherine Webb ‘22 were joined by stars on the women’s circuit, Catherine Mollerus ‘21 and Christine Klingler ‘20 to add depth to an already deep and talented squad.

“The racing was what you would expect for early season team racing,” said Roger William Head Coach Amanda Callahan. “There were some head scratching decisions mixed in among solid execution. Team racing can be challenging enough in stable conditions but when you add big velocity and angle changes, as well as significant current, there was a lot being thrown at the competitors this weekend and it was good to see them trying to manage so many facets of the game.”

Building upon an already impressive team race season, the Bulldogs of Yale won the tie-breaker against the home team, Roger Williams in a high stakes, but ultimately anticlimactic one race sailoff to end the event. “Yale did a great job off of the line and we were in full chase mode from the jump. Our guys battled hard to get back into the race but, as you would expect from a talented team, Yale was able to punish us for our mistakes and they came away with an impressive win in the sail-off and the overall event win.”

Though the Bulldogs’ top squad has yet to finish worst than first at a team race regatta this season, carrying a 38 win and 5 loss record so far, they did appear to be beatable at the Friis, losing twice- once decisively to Dartmouth who finished that race in a 1-2-4 combination and the event in 4th (more on that later,) and to Boston University in what looked to be a sketchy 1-3-5 finish in favor of the Terriers. Yale seems to be the most refined team in the nation but there are more than a few teams knocking on their door.

“We always have good battles with Yale, this one was no exception,” said Dartmouth Head Coach Justin Assad. “As always in NEISA, anyone can win any race, so we just try to stay level headed no matter who our opponent is, and we trust that we can beat anyone as long as we don’t beat ourselves.”

Dartmouth finished 4th after losing a sailoff with Stanford University. Both teams finished with a 6-3 record.

Assad continued to say, “We lost the tie break with Stanford – very good race, we undershot the Layline on the last beat in a 1-2, which ultimately cost us the race. After opening the regatta with three straight losses we felt pretty psyched to be playing for third.”

With two weeks to go before the Fowle Trophy, New England’s Team Race Championship and qualifier for nationals, the conference hierarchy is incredibly uncertain. Yale is the obvious favorite to come out of NEISA, but with Roger Williams, Bowdoin, Dartmouth, Boston College, Brown, Harvard, Tufts, MIT and Boston University all vying for the remained 3 qualifying berths, the NEISA Champs could be quite contentious.

After a Friis Trophy where Roger Williams looked great and Dartmouth emerged from the White Mountains of frozen New Hampshire seemingly battle-ready, all eyes look to Boston and MIT for next weekend’s Lynne Marchiando Regatta as the last showdown and indicator of what’s to come in New England.

College of Charleston won the Aaron Szambecki Team Race with a 18-3 record after two full 10 team round robins and a final four.

“The regatta is named in memory of Aaron Szambecki, ODU `96. Aaron was an Honorable Mention All-American, Team Captain, and avid team racer,” said Old Dominion Head Coach and ICSA President Mitch Brindley. “In 1997 Aaron took his own life, and with the support of the Szambecki family, we renamed the ODU Team Race in his memory.”

“The regatta is known for at least one day of big breeze, a competitive field, a solid umpire team, great hospitality, and a regatta gift,” continued Coach Brindley. “And for the Monarchs, it is on opportunity to raise awareness for suicide prevention. With awareness, suicide is preventable. All campuses of resources available to help students in need.” To learn more see: www.afsp.org; www.suicideispreventable.org

“This year we had great day of big breeze on Saturday, followed by perfect team race conditions on Sunday.”

The win at the Szambecki marks the first interconference team race win this season for Charleston as the newcomers are finding their stride alongside the incumbent Dale and Lounsbury. Charleston is trending up in a big way finishing 3rd at home at the Bob Bavier, 4th at the St. Mary’s Team Race, second at the Graham Hall before winning the Szambecki.

“Augie is one of the most talented sailors I have ever had the pleasure to coach,” said Charleston Head Coach Ward Cromwell. “He has been struggling through a knee injury this spring and probably hasn’t spent the amount of time in the boat with Katie that we would like to have had by this point of the season, but they have really good chemistry when things are clicking and can no doubt be the fastest boat in any race. We are hopeful to make good use of the coming weekend and peak when it counts.”

The Cougars mixed it up again this regatta sailing Seven Leuck ‘20 and Jack Brown ‘21 with Carter Cameron ‘19, Annabelle Carrington ‘19, Hunter Skinner ‘20 and Payton Alexander ‘19 alongside Dale ’19 and Lounsbury ‘20. This group proved more than competent with Alie Toppa ‘20 back out of the rotation. However, with Toppa in the lineup, the Cougars finished 2nd at the Graham Hall- a deeper, more competitive regatta, just behind Yale. Coach Cromwell, again seems to have all the talent needed to make a run at Charleston’s third consecutive Team Race Championship.

“Skipper’s can get to the Nationals, crews win the nationals,” continued Coach Cromwell “Our crews mean everything to our team! If one crew doesn’t buy in to what we are doing, the whole team suffers. Our crews are strong, athletic, knowledgeable and provide an awesome wind range rotation for our skippers. This will most certainly be a factor at the end of the season. Acknowledging and improving our weaknesses is always a good first step. Everyone has bought into doing what is best for the team and stepping up when they are called upon. I feel very fortunate to be coaching such a great group of kids and we are all very much looking forward to seeing how good we can get as unit over the remainder of the spring season.”

Charleston’s three losses came at the hands of Stanford in round two, Navy and George Washington in the final four after the Cougars went 9-0 in round one. Navy finished second at 16-5 while George Washington finished 3rd at 15-6.

Hobart and William Smith Colleges won the Admiral Moore Team Race sailed at SUNY Maritime College. HWS finished with a 9-1 record in the single day regatta cut short, like many regattas in the northeast, due to high winds and cold water.

HWS sailed a pretty tight group as their championship lineup is starting to emerge. Hector Guzman ‘20 and Charles Miller ‘19 on the tiller has been a staple for their success for a while now. As is the case with Maya Weber ‘20 and Lindsey Kloc ‘19. However, the emergence of Kyle Easton ‘20 and Aiden Morgan ‘21 looks to provide stability for a team now with its eyes on a Mid-Atlantic Championship.

After losing their first matchup against Fordham, HWS ended the regatta on a 5 race winning streak, including a redeeming victory over Fordham. Fordham’s success in this event earned the Rams a trip to the MAISA Championships, The Prosser Trophy.

Fordham, along with HWS, Georgetown, ODU, George Washington and Navy prequalify, leaving St. Mary’s, Cornell, University of Pennsylvania, Christopher Newport University, SUNY and KP fighting for the final 2 spots at the Team Race Challenge, just to have a shot at being one of the 4 that MAISA will send to the Laser Performance National Championship May 25-27.

“I was really happy to get the results we needed this weekend to move directly to the Prosser,” said Fordham Head Coach Johnny Norfleet. “We knew going into the weekend that we either needed to win our event or finish two places higher than St. Mary’s as they were the only team we would beat in a tiebreak. Though we didn’t win, we did enough to barely edge out a spot in the top 6 of the team race league. This means we can give our sailors a much needed weekend off and put our focus entirely on preparing for the Prosser in two weekends. Hopefully the experience from this weekend will help prepare us for the high stakes environment of the Prosser in two weekends.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if the qualifying spots come down to a multi way tie and a sail off, so it may come down to who can execute best under pressure,” continued Coach Norfleet. “I really like our chances this year as I know we can beat every team in the field, but there’s no doubt we still have some weaknesses that we’ll need to clean up in the next two weeks if we want to peak at the Prosser.”

Fordham finished 8-2 with Roger Williams rounding out the top 3 at 5-and-5, winning a tie-break against University of Pennsylvania.

California Yacht Club is Hiring!

March 26, 2019 by Sail1Design Editor Leave a Comment

California Yacht Club’s year-round Junior Sailing Program has its emphasis on racing. Our program utilizes the single-handed Optimist Dinghy for our younger participants and the double-handed Club Flying Junior or spinnaker equipped Club 420 for our older teen sailors. The Program meets on weekends and attends local, regional, and national regattas throughout the year. The program emphasizes focus on personal responsibility and the principles of Corinthian yachting excellence. These skills are highly valued at high schools with sailing programs and the best Colleges and Universities.Our Junior Sailing Calendar lists all events and practices. We will also send out weekly emails to keep everyone informed on what’s going on!

We are searching for an experienced coach for a a Full Time Head Coach for the Junior Sailing Team. The CalYC Program is year round race program with a strong Opti, Laser, C420 and building 29er class. Candidates should be experienced working with all of these classes at a development and experienced race level. CalYC is looking for a candidate with high enthusiasm, great communication, logistics skills, and motivation to continue to build a great team. This position offers competitive salary and employee benefits. We also want our head coach to remain an active racer while working at CalYC. For more information and to apply, please see our job ad HERE.

The California Yacht Club is located in beautiful Marina del Rey, which is the largest manmade small craft harbor in the Western Hemisphere. CYC is one of several clubs in the marina but is one of only two clubs that offers full services to its members. The current club facility was built in 1967 having relocated from its temporary facility elsewhere in the marina. The California Yacht Club was founded in 1922 in Wilmington Harbor near San Pedro. When Marina del Rey was constructed in the early 1960’s, CYC relocated.

Today the club serves its very active and diverse membership needs by providing club programs, events and facilities that have earned the respect as being one of the leading Yacht Clubs in the country. In addition to the striking views offered from its clubhouse, the club has one of the finest boat anchorages in the marina. Only club members are allowed to rent slips at the club. Members can enjoy the use of the club’s spa and heated pool, enjoy a game of paddle tennis or relax in the Member’s Lounge. The clubhouse and offices are open Wednesday through Sunday although the docks and grounds are accessible at any time. Members can enjoy the many dining services offered in addition to the many formal and informal social events that the club is known for hosting. The heart and soul of any yacht club is its boating activities. CYC members are well known for their cruising, sailing, powerboating and rowing accomplishments.

Unsung Hero: Lake Champlain Community Sailing Center

March 25, 2019 by Sail1Design Editor Leave a Comment

For centuries the Burlington waterfront was home to a busy commercial port. The two miles of Lake Champlain shoreline were covered in factories, shipping facilities, and oil storage. Resources were transported by ship and barge out of Vermont and south to New York or north to Montreal, then out to the ocean. Once Burlington became linked by interstate highway, it no longer needed commercial port facilities.

Gradually the industrial wasteland transformed into public parks, beaches, a bike path, and a public boat ramp. However the waterfront scene is still dominated by two structures. The Moran plant is a massive brick and scaffolding structure in disrepair just north of downtown and one of the last remnants of the old industrial waterfront, symbolic of the old Burlington. Right next door is an equally eye catching, brand new, modern blue structure home to Lake Champlain Community Sailing Center (LCCSC), symbolic of the new post-industrial Burlington.

From its founding in 1994, LCCSC had no real facilities of its own. Operating out of a spartan, re-purposed Burlington Public Works garage, space was subsidized by tents and shipping containers, reinforcing the waterfront’s then-gruff image. Perseverance was finally rewarded in winter 2018, when after an ambitious fundraising campaign and city support, LCCSC relocated to a state-of-the-art carbon-neutral building.

For years LCCSC somehow provided programming well beyond their meager setup. LCCSC’s robust catalog is comparable to well known programs in larger cities like Boston or Newport. LCCSC delivers above its weight class in little Burlington, Vermont.

LCCSC has the standard programming you would expect to see at any sailing center, but takes it much further. They have summer camps for all ages and abilities, and then mix in speciality programs. Kids have access to programs combining sailing with a dozen other activities including painting, rock climbing, skating, mountain biking, museums, and STEM.

However what sets LCCSC apart is their signature programs. With names like Floating Classrooms, LeaderShip, WAVES, and First Sail, each one is likely worthy of its own article. Floating Classrooms is a unique program with the goal of putting each fourth and fifth-grader in Burlington on a sailboat at least once. This experience is paired with out of classroom learning in subjects such as ecology, physics, history, and STEM. These programs use sailing as a avenue to teach and provide life experiences larger than sailing itself. First Sail exposes participants to sailing who have previously never had the opportunity. LeaderShip uses sailing to challenge young sailors to develop life skills. LCCSC’s signature programs are really about communication, leadership, teamwork, sustainability, and go beyond sailing itself.

In addition to the signature programs, LCCSC has a robust adaptive program using a specially modified Sonar and Martin 16s. LCCSC partners with Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports to remove barriers from sailing participation and make sure everyone is able to access the lake. Vermont Adaptive shares office space with LCCSC and uses their building as a summertime base for adaptive biking programs to make use of the bike path adjacent to the building.

LCCSC also serves the racer. They host the University of Vermont Sailing Team, a consistently well performing and high ranking NEISA team. They also organize and run the Northern Vermont High School Sailing Team (NVHSST). This is the only competitive high school sailing team in Vermont, made up of combined local schools, which regularly travels throughout New England to compete. In the summer season, LCCSC hosts a popular free Friday 420 racing series open to the public, and puts on racing clinics for 420s and Lasers.

LCCSC has something for everyone. Sailing happens seven days a week for six months a year, an impressive accomplishment for a city with snow on the ground the other 6 months. With rentals, private and group lessons, custom programming for larger groups, company outings, corporate retreats, racing, and lake-side yoga, there’s no reason to not “love your lake” as staff say.

As of spring 2018 LCCSC is housed in a brand new, state-of-the-art facility. The building includes two levels of indoor storage, staff offices, conference rooms, a massive outdoor function space, locker rooms, showers, equipment room, observation deck, and maintenance shop. The building is flanked by two gated boat yards and the Lake Champlain Bikeway, which circumnavigates the entire 500+ square mile lake. On the water sits the massive “Atlas” dock, a triple wide dinghy launch, a boat lift, and a dozen moorings, all protected by their floating wave attenuator. Larger boats launch at the next door public Coast Guard ramp. LCCSC fields an impressive fleet including a half dozen Sonars, twenty 420s, a dozen Lasers, Open Bics, Hartleys, a handful of Rhodes 19s, and several dozen kayaks, canoes, and paddleboards.

In a city and state famous for outdoor adventure sports, LCCSC is at home and does not disappoint. They offer more than a typical yacht club and faithfully deliver on their noble motto, “Lake access and life lessons for all”. They have an active volunteer program to help keep everything running, a hardworking dedicated staff (some of whom have been there since its inception), and strong relationships with local business and other outdoors programs. In their 20+ years LCCSC has firmly embedded itself in Burlington’s outdoor culture. Now that they finally have facilities to match their ambitions, the LCCSC is set for even more growth. Despite their relative geographic isolation, LCCSC is world class by any standard.

S1D ICSA Team Race Rankings UPDATE #3, and College Sailing Weekend News Report!

March 21, 2019 by Sail1Design Editor 1 Comment

Yale wins Graham Hall and St. Mary’ Women’s; Boston College wins the SNETR

March 18, 2019, Written by Chris Klevan, Photos by Colin Grey Voight

After an action-packed and exciting weekend of sailing, the latest S1D ICSA Team Race Rankings are now live, complete with coach comments!! To see the updated ICSA Team Race Rankings and coach analysis, CLICK HERE!
The Graham Hall is the largest team race on the College Sailing spring schedule. Showcasing 16 teams, this year’s edition ended with 122 races sailed. The accomplished Race Committee at Navy completed a full 16 team round robin and tie-break sail offs between the second and third finishing teams as well as between the tenth and eleventh finishing teams. Ian Burman, Head Coach at the Naval Academy had the following to say of the now iconic event:

“The regatta is named for a former Navy coach who passed away from cancer. He was one of the original advocates for team racing in ICSA. Gavin O’ Hare started the regatta maybe 15 years ago. For the first few years it was a combined event with the John Jackson at georgetown. 8 teams at each venue the first day and then the top 4 from each venue would sail at Georgetown on Sunday while the bottom group was at navy. 9 or 10 years ago, we switched it to a 16 team event at navy only. For the first few years, we did it on 2 courses, but we switched it to 1 course around the same time that nationals expanded to 16 teams.”

Yale won the event finishing with a 14-1 record, only dropping one race throughout the 122 race regatta. Yale sailed their standard squad of Nic Baird ‘19, Nick Hernandez ‘19 and Shawn Harvey ‘21 at the helm of each of the three boats alongside Graceann Nicolosi ‘20, Sonia Lingos-Utley ‘21, Claudia Loiacono ‘21, Catherine Webb ‘22 and Sam Tobin ‘22 in the front of the boat, rotating depending on the breeze.

“We had a solid week of practice last week on our spring trip and although it’s still early season and we’ve only had 7 or 8 days of sailing, the rust is starting to shake off,” said Coach Zack Leonard when asked about his team’s success last weekend “We are improving our communication as a group and becoming a more cohesive group.”

Sailors were welcomed to Navy by a fresh breeze from the Northwest which led to sporty team racing. “The conditions were fantastic for team racing on Saturday with consistently strong breeze and a few gusts hitting the mid 20’s,” said Georgetown Coach Janel Zarkowsky. “Unfortunately Sunday’s light north westerly started fighting a weak sea breeze which slowed down racing considerably. The Graham Hall is a monster event hosting so many teams. It’s a perfect opportunity to prepare a team for a marathon day of sailing, in big breeze, with 15 races to complete a round robin, and the sun setting at 7PM. It did remind me of nationals in that it was completely overwhelming. Each team brought a quiver of players to tackle the weekend’s forecast and the race committee did a great job having minimal lags between rotations.”

Whether it was the conditions or skill that favored Yale, the Bulldogs started the event by winning their first 10 races sailed before dropping their first and only race in race 75 of the regatta, at the hands of St. Mary’s College. Yale finished the regatta by sailing a perfect Sunday, 3-0 including a 1-2-3 finish against an excellent Georgetown team in the school’s first showdown of the young spring team race season.

Charleston finished second with a 12-3 record, winning a tie-breaking sailoff with Georgetown. Again, Charleston leaned on Augie Dale ‘19 and Katherine Lounsbury ‘20 as they adjust to a drastically different team than last year’s championship winning one. Compared to Yale and Georgetown, this Charleston is unseasoned but also that means we don’t know how good they can be. According to techscore, Steven Leuck, a junior, has only sailed 8 regattas in his college sailing career. Alie Toppa ‘20, on the other hand, has sailed 36 events. But this is only her third team race. Despite inexperience outside Dale and Lounsbury’s boat, clearly the Cougars are doing something right.

“We sail the boats better than the opponent and then team race as needed,” said Charleston Head Coach Ward Cromwell. “I know this team can beat any team in the country right now. Once we get a bit more starting practice in and tidy up some Mark 3/4 situations this team will be deadly for sure! Annabel sailed with every skipper on my team this weekend, something I have never seen before and speaks volumes to her ability to improve others. Allie is as fast as anyone in the game right now. She loves the game & plays with a ton of inspiration and and excellent attitude every time we hit the water.”

The latest S1D ICSA Team Race Rankings are now live, complete with coach comments!!

Georgetown finished third overall (12-3) after the tiebreaker sailed against Charleston. “We sailed very well this weekend with only 3 losses in the round robin,” stated Coach Zarkowsky. “The races we won were achieved by a clean execution of all three players at the start. We have confidence in our speed and boat handling, so starting was the key to our success.”

“One issue in the races we lost were the persistent shifts and velocity changes on both days,” continued Zarkowsky. “At the Naval Academy, when sailing in the river adjacent to the Robert Crown Sailing Center, any westerly direction gets blocked by the campus. This creates massive lulls in pressure on certain parts of the course and winding persistent shifts that make balancing pairs or completing passbacks difficult.”

“There is an unspoken coaches competition to have the most sailors compete at one event. We clearly won this weekend! Knowing that Sunday’s forecast was predicting winds from 10 to 25mph, it was a no brainer to bring the entire squad. Our goal was to try out different combinations in both FJ’s and 420’s in this range of conditions. I can say with confidence now that we feel comfortable in any breeze strength and in any boat after sailing this weekend.”

Navy finished fourth with a 11-4 record while Hobart and William Smith finished 5th with a 9-6 record.

Yale won the St. Mary’s Women’s Interconference to add to their team’s success over the weekend. Finishing with 150 total points after 14 races sailed in each division, the Bulldogs finished 22 points ahead of Harvard. Finishing in the top-4 in both divisions the victory was clearly a team effort for Yale. However, the A-Division effort by Louisa Nordstrom ‘20, Kathryn Clulo ‘21 and Catherine Mollerus ‘21 was especially impressive due to the way it started- with six of the first 8 races sailed, in big breeze, scored in the top-3. The two anomalies for Nordstrom, Clulo and Mollerus, a 4th and a 6th. The three Yale sailors won the division by 3 points over Boston College’s Isabella Loosbrock ‘19 and Emma Perry ‘19.

The B-Division performance by Yale was nothing to scoff at. Finishing 10 points out of the division win, Christine Klingler ‘20, Catherine Mollerus ‘21 and Kira Woods ‘19 only had 3 races outside the top-8 the entire 14 race event.

“We have great versatile crews that can sail in a big range,” said Yale Coach Bill Healy. “We moved three crews around the two divisions and it worked out very well. We start by talking about speed skills and technique. Making adjustments during an event is important. On a windy day I talk more about technique than about tactics. Bad technique and poor speed will never be overcome by talking tactics. Once the speed is there, tactics make sense.”

“We trained for the past four days prior to this event,” continued Coach Healy “Comfort with each other is key and we are going to work on comfort all Spring. And never giving up- There were opportunities to gain and lose especially on Sunday at St. Mary’s. They gained more in those changing situation then they lost. There were times when things looked bleak and they had the skill to take advantage of situations when presented. Not to say that they weren’t ever on the short end of the stick! And Chrissy, Cate and Kira should have won B as well but were tossed in an unfortunate protest. So everyone sailed really well while still taking stuff home to work on.

“The team is committed to succeed. They’ve done a good job in the gym, at lectures and we just came off a great week training at USF. Every team is going to get better and we need to do the same.”

Harvard finished 2nd with 172 points while Hobart and William Smith finished 3rd with 180 points. Katherine Cox ‘20, Kate Homet ‘19 and Cailin Gensler ‘21 won B-Division narrowly, putting together a string of top-3’s to start the event, only finishing outside the top-3 in one of the first 8 races sailed.

Boston College won the Southern New England Team Race with a 15-2 record at Connecticut College, the host site of the New England Championship. The Eagles started well, finishing the first round robin with a 7-2 record. However, Bowdoin too started the first round at 7-2 and MIT did one better, putting up 8 wins in their first 9 races. The Eagles turned it on in the second round robin, going undefeated and winning the regatta.

“The Eagles made a couple of fleet racing mistakes in the shifty conditions on Saturday that left the door open for a few of teams to capitalize on,” said Boston College Coach Will Bailey. “On Sunday the team did a better job keeping their heads out of the boat and finding pressure to extend away from the competition.”

“We saw pretty some pretty classic conditions for Conn,” continued Coach Bailey. “A shifty westerly coming down over the hill with puffs touching down near the windward marks. Teams that were able to win the ends and extend to the edges found themselves in pretty good shape. The recipe for success was to focus on fleet racing up the first beats and try to avoid the umpires.”

Boston College sailed Wade Waddell ‘19, Sophia Reineke ‘21, Thomas Walden ‘20 and Peter Lynn ‘19 at the helm with Katharine Bowman ‘20, Tara Ferraris ‘19, Caroline Downey ‘19 and Lauren Seigel ‘20 in the front.

Bowdoin finished second with a 14-4 record. MIT finished 3rd, tied with Bowdoin, but losing the tie-breaker on points.

Maine Maritime Academy is Hiring a Chief Mate, full-time!!

March 16, 2019 by Sail1Design Editor Leave a Comment

Looking for a job with year-round benefits but 3 months off each year to sail the circuit? Maine Maritime Academy in Castine, Maine is looking for a Chief Mate for the Schooner Bowdoin to work 9 months a year (March through November). For more information on this exciting opportunity, and to apply, see our job ad HERE.
Maine Maritime Academy is a public, co-educational college located in the coastal town of Castine, Maine. Our student population numbers approximately 950 students in courses of study in engineering, management, science, and transportation. Our rigorous courses and experiential programs equip students with the practical skills, knowledge, and training to launch successful careers upon completing an associate’s, bachelor’s, or master’s degree.

MMA students benefit from hands-on education, international sea-time aboard the Training Ship State of Maine or the Schooner Bowdoin, cadet shipping aboard commercial vessels, and cooperative education assignments. Our students become world-class mariners and engineers, supply chain managers, logistics professionals, and scientists here in Maine and beyond.

Maine Maritime Academy was ranked the #1 Best Public College on Money magazine’s Best Colleges list in 2014 and 2015. The college’s persistence, retention, and graduation rates are well above national averages. The job-placement rate for MMA graduates is in excess of 90 percent within 90 days of graduation.

Alumni of Maine Maritime Academy work all over the world. The success of our alumni has resulted in a worldwide reputation for excellence and reliability in maritime, business, and scientific fields. The alumni network connects MMA graduates with career opportunities in all of the industries and organizations we serve.

The college’s history dates back to 1941 when the Academy was founded by an act of the 90th Maine Legislature on March 21 of that year.
Check out our sailing team webpage!

US Optimist Team Trials: How to Make the Most of 4 Big Days

March 15, 2019 by Sail1Design Editor 1 Comment

The USODA Team Trials: When 4 days determine a year of preparation

By Bernat Gali Bou, USNT Coach, Lakewood Yacht Club Head Opti Coach

Let’s be honest…when does the Sailing Schedule ever give us a break throughout the year? Really, if a sailor doesn’t want to ever take a break from racing, he/she could be sailing at least one important Regatta (USODA and International Level) every month. In reality, sailing its a year round sport, only that depending on the area where the sailor lives, it becomes a year round ‘traveling’ sport.

Depending on the level of commitment, the sailor’s experience, the amount of resources your Yacht club or Team have (logistics, coaches, group size) and the family’s support, a sailor could be traveling as much as 2-3 weekends a month, including flight and drive time. Some Opti Sailing Teams around the country never stop their activities, and there’s pretty much something happening every weekend, whether it is practice, racing or travel to an out of state event.

After three years and a half in this country, I always wonder..all this commitment, all this travel, all this time on the water, all this effort from the sailors obviously, but coaches and parents as well…what’s it for? Sure everyone’s guess it’s the same: the USODA Team Trials.

The United States Optimist Dinghy Association organizes several Regattas across the country, spreading them as much as possible so every sailor has a chance to qualify for the most important event of the year. Because yes, you need to be part of the top 25% in this country in order to earn your spot for the USODA Team Trials.

So all this time on the water, all this effort, all this Regattas and all this travel in order to achieve one goal: earn your spot, and then, succeed at the only qualifier of the year where the Teams representing the USA at Worlds, Europeans, North Americans and Asians, IODA (International Optimist Dinghy Association) sanctioned Regattas, will be selected.

Think about this: a full year of work for many sailors, and only 4 days (12 races max) to perform the best they can so they can achieve their yearly goal. Sounds crazy? It might, feels challenging? It sure does! And that’s what I truly believe: many factors affect a sailor’s performance at any Regatta (weather conditions, school work, long travel, coaching, accommodation) but nothing else affects a sailor attending Team Trials as much as it is pressure.

As many as 40 sailors will earn a spot to compete at one of the only 6 IODA Events of the year, and that’s a precious prize many sailors dream to achieve. It doesn’t matter how well you performed throughout the year, or the other way around, Team Trials can change a sailors perspective for an entire year. How to approach this unique Regatta? How to make the sailor s perform at their best? How to deal with the pressure, many times being the self pressure the toughest one?

I don’t have a magic answer, and if I did, not sure I would share it openly…lol ok, now seriously, in my humble opinion t’s all about communication, goal set up, process making and confidence. Sounds familiar? Yes, the mental game.

When you only have 4 days to achieve your goal (whether it’s qualify for Worlds or just make it to Gold Fleet), the sailor needs to feel like communication goes both ways and it’s clean (no riddles). The sailor needs to have a clear goal, one that’s challenging but at the same time he can achieve. The sailors need to have its process automatized (have a perfected routine which will bring you to perform on the water) and finally, the sailors needs to feel confident on his/her skills. Whatever happens in the next four days, the sailor should feel he/she is as ready as he/she ever been, and most important, enjoy every second on the water.

Bernat Gali Bou

USNT Coach