Conveniently located on quiet Back Creek, just off the Severn River, this full service marina is every bit a yachting resort. Pleasure boaters and lifelong yachtsmen find it all here, from the luxurious, crystal-clear swimming pool, the famous poolside cafe, and the beautiful 16-acres of park-like grounds to the fully-stocked Ship’s Store and the most
experienced marine craftsmen and sophisticated equipment to be found anywhere.
Port Annapolis is hiring:
Black Rock Sailing School is hiring Sailing School Support Staff and a Sailing Club Manager!
Our Motto: Don’t just learn how to sail… Become a sailor! To learn more about our job openings please see the ad HERE
Learning how to sail is fun and rewarding, but the ultimate reward comes from the freedom, relaxation, and memories of spending time out on the water – whether it is a day sail, a week vacation, or years aboard a boat of your own. At Black Rock, we can teach you how to sail; but our goal is to make you a sailor. We teach you the skills you need to enjoy sailing, to safely explore new destinations, and to create memories with family and friends. Through our ASA certifications, seasonal sailing club, and charter trips, you will gain the confidence to truly enjoy what sailing offers.
Our Commitment:
It is a simple fact: “Not all sailing schools are created equal.” It takes years of full-time sailing and teaching to acquire the knowledge base, skills, and techniques needed to be a true professional. The best racers or distance cruisers are not necessarily the best instructors. Being a successful sailing instructor requires both strong sailing skills AND incredible teaching skills.
At Black Rock Sailing School, you will notice a difference. Our instructors are not only experienced professionals, they also care about your goals and progress. We teach a few students at a time on some excellent training boats, offering an extremely high level of instruction. This commitment to excellence has already been recognized by the American Sailing Association as Outstanding School 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, & 2012 as well as Outstanding Instructor 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, & 2014 (x2 staff).
Why Those Little Old Boats Matter
I recently watched some friends and acquaintances prepare for the J/70 Worlds held in Marblehead last September. I watched as they bought and prepared their boats and was amazed to find that many campaigns had a $1MM plus budgets. The racing was spectacular to watch, but the impact of the knowing the numbers soured the beauty as I thought about all of the less fortunate sailors who simply could not afford to be out there. The J/70 Class is not alone in seeing skyrocketing costs.
I felt better as I remembered all of the cheap old boats I had bought, fixed and raced. I was heartened to find that there are still classes of boats are there that are somewhat stable in design and evolution, and that I can afford to buy and campaign.
I am not a Luddite. I applaud the forward progress in sailing that has come with foiling and how this is impacting the sport on every level, but I am concerned about the impact that this has on a decreasing population of people getting into the sport.
Some of my other friends build and sell small boats. I love parts of what they do, but they seem to have built a business model around non-ownership of boats. This has further isolated the sailor from the boat. This trend in club owned or chartered boats will likely cause further erosion in participation ultimately. We need to simplify. The boats need to be cheaper, more durable and easier to own. We need to encourage an individual ownership model by making the cost of acquiring and campaigning boats cheaper.
I think that professionals and vendors in the sailing industry need to work with the classes of “Cheap old boats” to determine how to keep people coming into these classes. I am not so naive to think that every boat class will survive, but only by supporting these classes can we provide a destination for 420 kids and college sailors. The latest new designs will always be too expensive. The good old boats that have stood the test of time deserve continued support as we go forward.
Millennials have lots of choices; lets try to guide them towards sustainable choices by supporting those good old boats and making them cool again.
By Shan McAdoo
We invite your comments, see below!
American teams take the top 4 spots!!
While most of us are still recovering from a gluttonous holiday season, Mike Martin and Adam Lowry were busy winning a world championship. Full results HERE. The 2019 Worlds for the International 505 Class are taking place in Freemantle, Australia. With one day to go, Martin and Lowry have mathematically secured their victory. This is the fourth world championship for Martin and the 2nd for Lowry. For the uninitiated, the Martin/Lowry duo put on a clinic this past summer at the North Americans in San Francisco. Their prowess in the breeze is undeniable, and unmatched by any other team right now. Read more on the 505 website
The International Lightning Class is accepting applications for the 2019 Boat Grant Program!
The International Lightning Class will loan three competitive Lightnings to promising young sailors for the 2019 summer sailing season. The grant covers all regatta entry fees, boat insurance, some travel money and we also provide you with a competitive boat, great sails and a mentor to help get you started. You’d be provided with all you’d need to compete at the highest level! The Lightning Class Boat Grant Program provides sailors like yourselves, who maybe can’t afford to buy and campaign a competitive 3-person dinghy like the Lightning, with all they need to sail against some of the very best racers in the World!
Who should apply?
You should! You and your team must each be at least 19 years old. You should be motivated to try to take on the challenge of competing in one of the most competitive One-Design classes in the US and assemble a team to campaign in a number of highly competitive regattas around the country! You would be selected by a panel of experienced Lightning sailors based on the proposals that each team submits and through an interview process.
What do I get out of the program?
You get to augment your college sailing experience with skills that are not normally associated with college sailing. A strong emphasis on boat speed, rig tuning and sail trim, spinnakers, shifting gears, longer course tactical and strategic decision making are all part of Lightning racing. You get to travel with your team to a number of regattas all over the country. You also get to make friends with a new sphere of sailors and business professionals who might be able to help you in a broad range of ways after college.
McLaughlin Boat Works, the premier American builder of the Optimist for over 25 years and proud sponsor of the Opti Sailor of the Year Award, is pleased to announce The McLaughlin Pro Race Team. Our intention is to foster the development of the top talent in the nation and provide the sailors, their families, and coaches with all of the resources they need to succeed on the national and international level. With over 50 years of combined experience in our sales and support team, your sailors are in the best hands.
Each year at Team trials, we select the top 5 sailors who use our boat. Placing well in a regatta isn’t the only way to get selected. We know some sailors have good regattas and bad regattas throughout the year so if you sailor has a bad trials, don’t worry, they are probably still on our radar. Being selected for the team has a few perks listed below.
New for 2019:
– Sail the official charter boat of 2019 Worlds and North Americans!
– International Team Riders – Come see who we have selected to represent McLaughlin at Orange Bowl. We have reached out to the top sailors from Canada, the Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, and Puerto Rico to represent our International Pro Race Team.
– We know that coaches are one of the most important driving factors behind your sailor’s success. We want to make their jobs easier, and getting them on the water in a great coach boat is one way to do that. We will extend 
preference of our fleet of charter Kiwi 4.8 coach boats to the coaches of Team McLaughlin sailors.
As part of this team we have several requirement that sailors are expected to abide by:
These easy requirements will give them access to some of the best support available in the boat park.
Want to learn more? Contact Us!!
The United States Coast Guard Academy is accepting applications for the position of Offshore Sailing Coach. The U. S. Coast Guard Academy is situated on more than 100 acres of rolling hills on the west bank of the Thames River in historic New London, Connecticut.
We are looking for a highly self motivated individual with sailing and teaching/coaching
experience at the collegiate level or equivalent. Successful experience racing one-designs, PHRF and IRC level racing and offshore sailing are preferred qualifications. The individual should be able to use proven and innovative coaching methods to help us achieve our ultimate goal of a high participation, safe and result oriented varsity sailing program.
For more information and to apply, please see our Offshore Sailing Coach Job Ad !
Vineyard Haven Yacht Club, located on the island of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts is searching for a Sailing Program Director to oversee and advance our 2019 summer sailing programs. For more information and to apply, please see our job listing HERE.
Just about everything to do with the Vineyard Haven Yacht Club is not what you would imagine when you think of the word “yacht club.” No blue blazers, white trousers, or officer’s caps. Not even a clubhouse for the first twenty years of its existence. Just a crack sailing program that’s fielded three Olympic racers and captured an improbably large net tonnage of regional and national trophies going back more than seventy years – the North American Junior Championship six times between the 1930s and 1950s, for instance. The focus, from its first days on the water in 1928, has been on kids, on teaching them how to sail and race and letting them have fun along the shoreline. Its a wonderful way to grow up. You make lifelong friends.
Vineyard Haven Yacht Club was incorporated in 1928. The primary objective of the Club was and continues to be yachting with tennis, swimming and other sports and activities included as secondary objectives. The original building was owned by Charles Norton and was known as The Casino. It is on the beach at Owen Little Way in Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts. Mr. Norton owned an Inn on the corner of Main Street and Owen Little Way and leased the beach property to the Yacht Club for several years before the Yacht Club purchased the location. The Board of Governors looked for land or a building on the waterfront for a number of years. The original two-story building was condemned at the end of the 1966 season as unsafe. Tom Hale designed a one story building which opened for the 1967 season and lasted through 2008. The current two-story building opened for the 2009 season.
Sightsailing of Newport is the oldest, locally-owned company offering sailing cruises in Newport. We strive to give you a fun sailing experience and show you the best of Newport Harbor and Narragansett Bay! For more information and to apply for Licensed Captain and Unlicensed Day Crew positions, click HERE.
Sightsailing of Newport is a 30 year old company located on Bowen’s Wharf in Newport, Rhode Island. We offer public sails and private charters aboard three boats ranging from Starlight, an O’Day 34 which sails with 2-6 guests, Sightsailer, a custom one off which sails with up to 13 guests and Aquidneck, an 80′ schooner which can sail with a whopping total of 49. All boats offer sails ranging from 1 1/2 hour to 2 hours 4-5 times a day. 
Come sail Newport, Rhode Island and Narragansett Bay, where you’ll find some of the finest sailing in the world. We offer daily scheduled public sailing cruises, sunset sails and private sailing charters aboard three beautiful vessels. You’ll see stately seaside estates, world famous yachts and America’s Cup racers all against the stunning backdrop of a historic colonial town and picturesque, rocky shoreline. Sailing in Newport is fantastic.
With only one American registered out of over 400 entries in the Optimist, Europe Dinghy, 420, and Laser 4.7 classes, the 68th Trofeo Palma was most decidedly a European event. The list of competitors was nonetheless very impressive; our countries lone entry was 2018 Optimist World Team member Tommy Sitzmann, who made the trek to this beautiful Mediterranean island to compete and meet up again with some friends he’s made in the Optimist class. Initial reports coming in from Mallorca are very positive; this was a very competitive event run by a great race committee, with an incredibly friendly and gracious host club. Best of all the host club was wonderfully accommodating, the kids also very friendly, and the venue, well, beautiful. If you ever get a chance, put this one on your calendar! Regatta report below courtesy of the Royal Nautical Club of Palma:
The Majorcan regatta sailor María Perelló (Club Nàutic S’Arenal) added a new title to her list by winning the 68th Ciutat de Palma Bufete Frau Trophy, the “mundialito” held these days under the organization of the Royal Club Náutico de Palma (RCNP) with the presence of several of the best international sailors of the Optimist class. The women’s Top Girl in 2017 and 2018 remained on the lookout for the lead in the first two days and finally assaulted it today, in the third, with strong west wind and strong waves.
With almost 280 Optimists, the fleet was divided into three groups. After 2 days of qualifying racing (4 races per fleet), the wind blew generously from the west in the Balearic capital from early in the morning on the final day, which began to record gusts of more than 20 knots. All classes were able to finish three races and return to port before 3:00 p.m. Manu Fraga, sports director of RCNP, said he was very satisfied with the development of the competition, especially on the last day. “The dates of the Ciutat de Palma,” he said, “are very good because they coincide with a bridge, but the weather in December is always an unknown. This year we have been lucky: we had a day with a moderate wind, another weak day and today strong, so no one can say that he has not found the conditions that are better. “
Favorites of the Optimist fleet did not fail in almost any condition. They are the best in the world for good reason. Maria Perelló, the winner, chained partial results (2+ [6] + 1 + 1 + 1 + 2 + 2) and ended up taking an advantage of eight points to second place, the American Thomas Sitzmann (1 + 5 + 1 + 1 + [9] + 4 + 5), fifth in the world and leader on the penultimate day, and third, the Maltese Richard Schultheis, fourth in the last World Cup and seeded of the trophy, which ended up earning the bronze, or third place overall. For complete results, visit the RESULTS SHEET.
In Laser 4.7 there were no surprises and Isidro Codoñer (RCN Valencia) was comfortable with the victory (2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + [59] +1) to be able to discard a black flag in the penultimate race. The silver went to Justo Martinez (CN Arenal), who was five points behind the champion. Robert Keal (CN El Balis), with a disadvantage of 34 points with respect to the head, was awarded the bronze medal. The winner in the female category was Gemma Llamas (RCNP), seventh in the overall general classification.
The Europa class, which was returning to the Ciutat de Palma Trophy after several years of absence as a scoring event of its national ranking, offered a great show and proved its validity as a single vessel. Marc Tello Pons (CN El Balis) was the absolute winner with a counter of 1 + 3 + 4 + [11] + 2 + 3 + 5 and an advantage of only two points over the runner-up, Alejandro Pareja (RCN Torrevieja), and six with respect to the third classified, Oriol Piña (CN Estartit).
Laura Homar and Mar Fuster (CNA – RCNP) met the predictions and remained at the forefront of class 420. The Mallorquins, in three days of competition, and with eight contested events, totaled 12 net points with a partial of 2 + 2 + 1 + 3 + 13 [UFD] + 1 + 1 + 2. The second position went to Marina Lladó and Ángela Serra (CN Sa Ràpita – CNA), with 17 points, while the third place went to Lucía Ruiz and María Munar (RCNP), with 24 points.
The Ciutat de Palma Trophy concluded with the awards ceremony held in the regatta village with the presence of the Deputy Mayor for Sports, Susanna Moll; the president of RCNP, Javier Sanz; its commodore, Juan Besalduch, and José Carlos Frau, CEO of Bufete Frau, sponsor of the event. María Perelló raised the silver caravel on whose base her name will be inscribed and which she credits as the absolute winner of the Ciutat de Palma Trophy Bufete Frau, one of the few Optimist regattas that she had left to win.
Palm Beach Sailing Club is a not-for-profit private club in West Palm Beach, FL. The club is located on the Intracoastal Waterway with a short sail to ocean access. PBSC teaches sailing to youth ages 7-17 through a variety of programs including a year-round recreational program, Opti and 420 race teams as well as weekly summer camps from June to August. Exciting news: he Club is searching for a full-time Youth Sailing Director! For more information on this 
position and to apply, please visit the job ad HERE.
Here at Palm Beach Sailing Club, we feel that sailing has many benefits. Not only does sailing keep you physically active, it builds character and teaches independence, self-confidence, honesty, self-reliance, discipline, perseverance and respect for yourself, others, and your environment. Sailing is unique as it is a sport that you can continue at any age.
Mission
The objective of the club shall be to develop, encourage and stimulate interest in sailing in the Palm Beach County area, to promote fellowship and camaraderie among local and visiting sailors, and to offer sailing education and training to members and others.
Our History
The Palm Beach Sailing Club was founded in 1966 by sailors who wished to promote the sport in West Palm Beach. As the oldest club in the area, the PBSC offers its members many sailing related services and an active social 
calendar. The clubhouse is a waterfront residence built in the 1920s and offers a panoramic view of the Intracoastal Waterway and neighboring Palm Beach.
By Airwaves writer Bernat Gali
I’ve recently come back from Pwllheli, Wales, after coaching one of the USA Summer International Teams which participated at the Volvo Gill Open Optimist British Nationals. This is so far my 4th International Regatta with Team USA, and considering I’ve barely been 3 years coaching in the US and just a year and a half leading an Opti Program, I’m quite happy with the amount of the Regattas coached and the coaches I’ve had the pleasure to work with during each of them.
But I’m not here to talk about me (just giving some background before I throw out my opinion about something), this time I’d like to give my two cents about the USODA International Teams and in my humble and personal opinion, what it takes to smoothly run one of these Teams and have a successful event (at all levels, from results to logistics).
The particular way USODA runs these Teams (the Selection Process is fantastic and pretty fair) requires parents to confirm and pay in advance any coaching fees, boat charters, entry fees…basically anything which could become an expense it’s covered by a Team Budget, so, since the beginning, it’s easy to have everything pre-booked and confirm it right away after the Team is complete.
Why do I mention this? Simple, by booking straight away parents only have to book their own personal logistics (flights, hotels, car rental) and the hustle is way less. Then Coaches step up and start organizing everything sailing related. Here’s where I find communication is key and specially if it’s a large Team (3 Coaches needed) it is essential selected Coaches get together before anything goes out. Each Coach is different and it’s important to set up guidelines in between the Coaching Team before we communicate with our customers at the start, parents.
I’ve noticed how important it is set up expectations and to inform everyone about everything they might be questioning themselves: venue, food, transport, equipment, gear…not only to the Team Leader but anyone who asks. Any question is important as a confident and well informed parent is a better prepared and trustful sailor at the event. The more Coaches spend preparing the Team the easier it is to lead all sailors and parents at the venue.
Two of the most difficult aspects of managing 15 to 20 sailors, in my opinion, are the following:
Starting with sailors, usually you don’t know more than a half of the sailors, maybe more, as you’ve never coached them before or never really noticed them sailing. Traveling a few days earlier to the venue provides Coaches with a great chance to get to know each of the sailors and start figuring out what kind of approach will better help them achieve their goals at the event. Every sailor’s got a different, personality, style, experience and goals, and Coaches need to speed up the process so the first day we are ready to help them 100%. We talk, we study, we take notes, but the expedited process means a higher chance of mistakes. We live with it and do our best.
About parents, well what can I say that I haven’t said before? They are our first costumers as they are the main and only sponsors for sailors and Coaches to attend this kind of events, and I’d like to think each family needs time with the Coach alone at least once, as many things they want to share or talk about are to be kept between Coach/sailor/parent. Something I find particularly hard to deny is the fact that Coaches bond better with other Parents, and honestly it doesn’t mean we only like John or Mike, but we have a similar personality and we try to have fun as well. I personally try hard in splitting my coaching time even between all sailors, as they all deserve my attention no matter what.
Finally, same way a Coach bonds better with a particular parent, Coaches find it easier to work with some sailors. Please do not misunderstand me, I’m not saying this particular Coach only likes to coach Sarah or Phil…but again, I believe the sailor is more used to an approach that only one of the 3 Coaches at the event brings, and he feels more comfortable with him/her.
To bring an end to this opinion, I believe it is all about perception and communication. The exchange of information keeps everyone in the loop (with the Team Leader, with parents onshore, with sailors offshore) and prevents steps back that might affect the sailors performance at the venue, really what matters and the reason parents sign up sailors for the Teams and Coaches are selected: to place the best they can, to gain experience internationally and to really create memories everyone will carry forever.
Bernat Gali Bou
Lakewood Yacht Club Head Opti Coach
USNT Opti Coach
S1D Airwaves Writer
