Sail1Design Editor

The International Lightning Class will again provide 3 boats to promising young sailors like you! If you’re over 19, consider this your personal invitation to apply!
You’ll get the best equipment. Race-winning boats with new sails, new rigging, covers and an assigned Lightning Class mentor to help you get to the front. In the boat park you’ll become part of a group that genuinely wants you to do your best and enjoy every weekend! On the water, those same people will do all in their power to keep you behind them. Would you want it any other way?
“The Lightning class was fun on and off the water and we enjoyed every second of it. Everyone we met only wanted to make sure our team was having a great time and that we had everything we needed, which was made for a pretty amazing experience!” – Jordan Wiggins, Boat Grant Skipper, College of Charleston ‘20.
Oh yeah, did we mention the boat is free?!
The program also covers all your entry fees and some of your travel expenses. The Lightning Class has been a vital experience for many of the best racers in the World. Could you use an experience like that?
Join us and apply!  https://www.lightningclass.org/boatgrant
Reach out with any questions to Greg Fisher- greg@gregfishersailing.com or Ryan Davidson- Ryanadavidson@icloud.com

News from our sponsor PredictWind:

PredictWind, the leader in maritime weather technology, announces the launch of PredictCurrent, the world’s most comprehensive, high-resolution tidal currents model. This groundbreaking solution empowers users to navigate local waters around the globe with unparalleled accuracy, providing a new level of insight into tidal and ocean currents.

PredictCurrent represents a leap forward in tidal current modeling, offering users the ability to visualize tidal currents with unprecedented detail. Through a world-first initiative, PredictWind’s team of dedicated oceanographers has produced tidal current maps for nearly all coastlines worldwide, setting a new standard in precision, resolution and coverage.

The PredictCurrent model boasts impressive resolutions. For areas characterized by complex bathymetry and high tidal flows, an ultra-high resolution model at 100m gives unparalleled accuracy. With a 400m resolution within 90 km of the coast and a 4km resolution extending up to 600 km offshore, users can see tidal flows anywhere and make decisions with confidence.

Covering over 90% of the world’s coastlines, PredictCurrent ensures users can access tidal current maps wherever their journeys take them. With this extensive coverage, users become local experts in understanding tidal currents, enhancing safety and efficiency in marine activities.

To provide users with the most accurate information, PredictWind has integrated Mercator ocean currents with the PredictCurrent tidal model. This innovation allows users to comprehend the intricate interplay between oceanic and tidal currents on a single map, eliminating the need to consult multiple sources.

The PredictCurrent model has undergone rigorous testing against tidal current observation stations and other models on the market, demonstrating an excellent correlation for accuracy. Users can trust PredictCurrent to provide reliable and precise data for informed decision-making.

PredictCurrent’s impact extends beyond tidal currents, as its data is integrated into PredictWind’s world leading Weather Routing and Departure Planning tools. This integration enhances accuracy, providing warnings about dangerous wind against current situations through extreme weather alerts.

PredictCurrent can be accessed conveniently through the PredictWind App or Offshore app, allowing users to view maps or access data in Grib format. The user-friendly interface ensures seamless navigation and ease of use.

PredictWind continues to redefine maritime weather solutions, and PredictCurrent stands as a testament to the company’s commitment to innovation and precision in providing essential information for sailors, mariners, and watersport enthusiasts worldwide.

https://www.predictwind.com/

Interested in a new career? Check out sailing’s #1 Career Center and Job Board!

Dear fellow US Sailing Member,

I am proud to announce to you – our most valued US Sailing members – that US Sailing has named Marcus Lynch, an accomplished professional sailor athlete, coach, and Olympic performance manager, as our new High Performance Director. Beginning in January, Lynch will lead the US Sailing Team and all its associated high‐performance programs, including the US Olympic Sailing Team, the Pan American Sailing Team, and the Olympic Development Sailing Program.

Personally, I am thrilled to announce that our top candidate for our High-Performance Director has accepted the role. You will find him engaging, thoughtful, and empathetic, but really focused on accountability of the entire team, from athletes to Board of Directors, to perform at the highest level.

Lynch, who has been involved in professional sailing since 2000, served as a full-time athlete for the British Sailing Team in the Tornado Class from 2000-2008, then as a consultant from 2008 to 2016, where he coordinated the British Sailing Teams Paralympic training and preparation activities in Rio ahead of the 2016 Paralympic Games where the British Sailing Team secured a Bronze Medal in both the 2.4 and Skud. After the Rio 2016 Games, Lynch joined the German Sailing Team as the Olympic Performance Coach for the Nacra 17, securing the Bronze Medal at the Tokyo Olympics 2021. In 2019, Lynch became the Olympic Performance Manager, and in 2021 the German Sailing Team had their most successful Olympic Performance in over two decades, securing the Silver Medal in the Fx, the Bronze Medal in the 49er, and the Bronze Medal in the Nacra 17 at Tokyo 2021 Games. In addition to his Olympic and Paralympic Roles, Lynch has a wealth of coaching experience in professional sailing circuits such as SailGP and the former extreme sailing series, giving a broad and unique perspective across sailboat racing.

I would like to thank Sarah Lihan and Henry Brauer who have overseen the team during this interim period, the many athletes, staff, and volunteers who contributed to the search process, and the steadfast Olympic staff and coaches for their commitment to the athletes.

I am proud to bring you this very exciting news, and invite you to read our official announcement, which will be posted later today at www.ussailing.org.

With this critical piece of our plan in place I’m really looking forward to Marseille next summer and building on our spectacular success in the recent Pan Am Games. We have medal chances in several classes – it’s an exciting time!

With deep respect,

Rich Jepsen
Board President
US Sailing
richardjepsen@ussailing.org

Sailboat Manufacturer and Regional Sailing Association Collaborate to Improve Sailing Activities in the South Atlantic

BRISTOL, R.I. (December 4, 2023) – Zim Sailing, a subsidiary of Starting Line Sailing Inc., and the South Atlantic Yacht Racing Association (SAYRA) have partnered to host a Zim Regional Roundtable at the SAYRA Annual General Meeting at the end of January.

Coming off the successful launch of the Zim Regional Roundtables in Northern and Southern California, where over 25 different sailing organizations were represented, Zim and SAYRA are excited to introduce the collaborative program to the South Atlantic region constituents. The Regional Roundtable event will be split between the final two days of the SAYRA Annual General Meeting, being hosted at the Sonesta Resort in Hilton Head, South Carolina January 26-38. The Zim Regional Roundtable sessions will be held on the afternoon of Friday, January 27th and the morning of Saturday, January 28th. The Zim Regional Roundtable will be moderated by Sports Coaching and Performance Expert and Executive Director of the Intercollegiate Sailing Association (ICSA), Reed Maltbie.

Teresa Decker, US Sailing RSA Rep for SAYRA said, “We are so glad that Zim has filled a glaring gap in regional collaboration and is providing a facilitated forum for SAYRA’s members to discuss and propose solutions to issues common to our organizations.”

Mark Newman, Sailing Director of South Carolina Yacht Club added, “Zim sailing has been the go to source for all things sailing over the last 6 years for the South Carolina Yacht Club and our sailing members, and they have been essential to our continued growth, and pivotal to high performance sailing in our region”.

The Zim Sailing Regional Roundtables serve as a platform for individuals and organizations within the sailing community to connect, network, share concerns and best practices, learn from one another, and ultimately help each other develop solutions focused on their specific region of the country. Zim Sailing Regional Roundtables allow anyone interested in participating to contribute to the growth and development of sailing activities in their area.

“The SAYRA Annual General Meeting is probably the largest regional gathering of sailing community leaders in the country, and we couldn’t be more proud and excited to bring the Regional Roundtables to this long-standing and popular event”, said Josh Toso, Director of Marketing for Starting Line Sailing. “This event is well known for its collaboration and networking opportunities, as well as the planning work for the upcoming sailing season, so the match with the Zim Regional Roundtables is a perfect and natural fit. The combination of the two events will foster the continuation of collaborative learning and development of solutions to help improve sailing in the South Atlantic region.”

The SAYRA Annual General Meeting continuously garners high participation, with over 150 sailing community leaders attending every year, and Zim Sailing anticipates its largest Regional Roundtable yet, with 40-50 organizations represented. Both events are free to attend, but the Zim Regional Roundtable will be capped at 50 participants in order to facilitate meaningful conversation, and will be limited to one representative per organization to ensure there is even representation from around the region. Other SAYRA Meeting attendees will be welcomed and encouraged to observe the Zim Regional Roundtable and there will be gallery seating available in the conference room.

Registration for both the SAYRA Annual General Meeting and the Zim Regional Roundtable opened on December 1st and have separate registration forms. To register for the SAYRA Annual General Meeting click here, and to register for the Zim Regional Roundtable click here. 

The rest of the Zim Sailing Regional Roundtables Winter schedule is still being developed, and more Roundtable events will be announced in the coming weeks. Plans are currently in the works for Regional Roundtables in Florida, the Midwest, and the Great Lakes regions. For more information on the Zim Sailing Regional Roundtables, updated schedules, registration links, and resources, please visit www.zimsailing.com/regional-roundtables

Media contact and inquiries: Josh Toso, Director of Marketing, Starting Line Sailing Inc., Josh@StartingLineSailing.com

About Zim Sailing

Zim Sailing is the largest dinghy sailboat manufacturer and distributor in North America and exclusive manufacturer and distributor of Hobie Sailboats world-wide. Zim Sailing builds the highest quality sailboats available with manufacturing facilities at their headquarters in Bristol, RI as well as Asia and Europe, and also distributes several first-rate brands of sailboats including the RS Sailing product line and the Fighter Optimist dinghy. Zim Sailing is the foremost provider of sailboat parts and accessories, sailing apparel/gear, and charters for sailing regattas across the country, and one of the largest supporter/sponsors of sailboat racing in North America. Zim Sailing is passionate about the sport of sailing and is committed to providing the highest level of service for our customers and the sailing community. For more information, please visit www.zimsailing.com