Presented by KO SAILING
Sail1Design and KO Sailing are elated to announce the first winner of the Annual Sail1Design Youth Sailor of the Year “Lone Wolf” Award. Dedication. Perseverance. Independence. These are just some of the attributes of the go-it-alone sailor, the lone wolf who is able to train, plan, and compete by her or himself, and do it successfully. This award, presented by KO Sailing, goes to the North American youth sailor who best personifies the qualities necessary to be a successful athlete in the single-handed sailing world. Sail1Design picks ONLY from nominated sailors… this is YOUR award!!
Mark McNamara of KO Sailing noted: “KO Sailing congratulates the winner of this year’s award. Our mission is to support sailors in their efforts to rise to the next level. The S1D Youth Sailor of the Year Award is the perfect vehicle to recognize the efforts of these sailors as they achieve their goals. Our Sponsorship of the S1D awards is a small return for the investment these sailors make and we are proud to be a part of it.”
The Sail1Design staff was most impressed with this nomination letter, among all others, especially with Caden’s dedication and commitment to improve.
Here is the nomination letter for Caden:
I would like to nominate Caden Scheiblauer, from Santa Barbara, CA and representing Santa Barbara Yacht Club and the Santa Barbara Youth Sailing Foundation for the “Lone Wolf” Award: Sail1Design Youth Sailor of the Year.
Caden epitomizes the definition of the “Lone Wolf” Award; he is a Laser Radial sailor. Caden first sailed competitively in Optimists at the age of 10 years old. By the time he was 12 he was too big for the boat and transitioned into the Laser Radial when many of his contemporaries were still sailing Optimists. Many of his older sailor friends were sailing 29ers as they were not big enough to sail a Radial.
Caden took to the Laser Radial immediately and loved the feeling of a faster, more powerful boat. He has been sailing the Radial for 2 years.
Sail1Design uses the words dedication, perseverance, and independence to define the “Lone Wolf” recipient. At 135 pounds and 12 years old when he began sailing the Laser Radial, Caden knew that he needed to differentiate himself through fitness, diet and exercise to compete in breezy conditions with the older, bigger kids already sailing Lasers. He did not let the fact that many of the kids he had grown up sailing around were no longer in his fleet; he was a lone wolf.
Fast forward to 2015 and I believe that Caden’s enthusiasm and dedication are paramount to his current success in the Laser Radial. Caden is a lean 147 pounds and 5 feet 10 inches tall. He started an intense workout routine going to gym 4 times a week in late 2014 and has continued in since. He routinely gets up before school to work out or will go after he completes his homework and will not skip a workout. In addition he does not eat red meat, and adheres to a strict no sugar, high protein and complex carbohydrate diet. You won’t find a 14 year old as dedicated to the sport and his fitness as Caden.
In the summer of 2015 he competed in numerous high profile Laser events and some of his accomplishments are below;
13th Cressy Trophy – 18 competitors(only freshman in the competition)
2nd PCISA Cressy Eliminations – 31 competitors(only freshman to qualify)
4th – Laser District 25 Champs/Frost #1 – 40 competitors
22nd Laser North Americans -115 competitors
14th Laser US Nationals – 127 competitors
2nd Junior Olympics – 25 competitors
3rd Laser Pacific Coast Champs(PCC’s) – 34 competitors
4th ABYC Olympic Classes Regatta – 32 competitors
3rd ABYC Memorial Day Regatta – 16 competitors
5th Laser Gulf Coast Champs – 33 competitors
14th Laser Midwinter’s West – 51 competitors
30th Laser Midwinter’s East – 118 competitors
Most recently Caden has been invited to participate in the US Sailing Olympic Development Program Camps sailing with coaches Leandro Spina, Anna Tunnicliffe, Rulo Borojovich. Caden understands the importance of his fitness in the Laser Radial class and has increased his commitment to this aspect by signing on with Anna Tunnicliffe and works out 4 times per week with CrossFit style sailing workouts.
To culminate a fabulous 2015 Caden was invited to travel to the Australian Laser National Championships outside of Sydney, Australia on Dec. 26th at Belmont 16’s Sailing Club. He will be working with US Sailings Olympic coach Mark Littlejohn and relishes the opportunity to represent the USA at this event.
I do not think you will find a more dedicated 14 year old to his sport. Caden wishes to represent the USA in the Laser in the 2024 Olympics. You can follow him on his website he singlehandedly composed and launched at www.cadenscheiblauersailing.com. For all the dedication, perserverance and independence I have described in his diet, workouts, training and traveling to regattas, I believe Caden is a worthy recipient of the Lone Wolf award. In addition he maintains a 4.0+ grade point average at Santa Barbara High School.
Learn more about our Youth Sailor of the Year Award.
Club Profile: Nantucket Yacht Club
The organization which was to become the Nantucket Yacht Club was first chartered in 1890 as the Nantucket Athletic Club. By the summer of 1906 a second group had come together, calling themselves the Nantucket Yacht Club, whose purpose was to provide sailing and racing for the summer residents of Nantucket, their families and friends. The leadership and membership have been able to hold a steady course – no easy matter with a seasonal operation – making changes as conditions have required and proving that yacht racing and sailing, tennis and social activity can all be kept lively and popular. The next hundred years will be exciting and are full of great promise.
Into a burgeoning summer scene, the Nantucket Yacht Club was born in the summer of 1906, when sailing enthusiasts led by H. Holton Wood assembled their boats off Brant Point and held organized races in Nantucket Sound. They met in houses built on Hulbert Avenue in 1900 by Henry Oliver Underwood, and had use of a nearby pier, complete with gazebo, owned by the neighboring Atkins Family. Although still in its infancy, the new club acted as though it had been established for years. The first flag officers were H. Holton Wood, commodore; J.E.T. Rutter, vice commodore; Alice Underwood, secretary-treasurer; and Margaret Underwood, fleet captain. In mid-September, the yacht club held its first Commodore’s Cup Race to close the season. The new club was here to stay. Like no other instuition of Nantucket, it is a place where traditions are honored, where the past is respected, and where families are celebrated – its history intertwined with that of the island it calls home.
NYC is HIRING!!
Are you ready for the best summer of your life? Nantucket Yacht Club is hiring head coaches for 2016! This is a ten week position, housing and meals are provided, and pay is extremely competitive for the right individuals. Nantucket is consistently windy, and a fun place to train a junior race team. Read below for details specific to each team:
420: The team travels off-island to compete, and sails a variety of Regional and National level events.
Opti: The Opti head coach is a fantastic position; this is a collaborative team with Nantucket Community Sailing and Great Harbor Yacht Club. The “All-Island” Opti Team trains every afternoon, working with 3 coaches and 10-15 Opti Sailors. This is a fantastic opportunity for qualified Opti coaches.
Sail Stronger, Part II: The Legs
By Rachel Bennung, and Sailorcise
See Part I: The Core here
Part III: The Arms here
In Part One, The Core, we learned last that strength in certain muscles in our bodies are more important then others. We determined that strength in our core, legs, and arm muscles are essential to maximizing our performance on the water. In Part One we talked about the core and how it is the base of sailing stronger. Without a strong core your body will move inefficiently and can eventually lead to injury. In Part Two we will be talking about the importance of strength in your legs and different exercises to help you in this area.
Your legs are a very large muscle group in your body and essential for mobility. Some of the major muscles in the legs are the hamstrings (back of the thigh), adductors (inner thigh), quadriceps (front of the thigh), and the calf muscles (gastrocnemius and soleus). Having strong legs is an important part of being a top athlete. A problem we see sometimes is people training their arms, but completely forgetting their legs. Power comes from your legs so its important to strength train them for the best performance. Leg exercises also increase core stability and therefore this increases strength and stability throughout your body.
So now that you know the benefits of leg strength, why is it important in sailing? When you are out hiking your legs are essential for your success to keep the boat flat. With strong legs you will have the endurance to keep hiking on long windy days. Your legs are also needed for your mobility on the boat. With strong legs you will have the speed to move quickly when needed. Ever auto-tacked before? Well with strong legs your will be able to react to that more quickly and get to the other side of the boat better then someone who doesn’t have strength in their legs.
Now that we know why leg strength is so important to sailing, lets get strong legs! There is many different leg exercises out there. I have picked four that I think are the best for strengthening your legs for sailing.
- Wall Sits – With these you will feel the burn in your legs! This is a great exercise to give your legs the endurance to sail longer. To do this exercise stand with your back against the wall and with your feet in front of you hip distance apart. Slide your back down until your at a 90 degree angle. Hold for 30 seconds to start then work yourself up to 1 minute.
- Squat Jumps – These are a great exercise to not only work your legs, but total body. This exercise will really get your heart pumping. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Squat down as you are doing a normal squat, then engage your core and jump into the air. Land back in squat position and repeat. Start with doing this exercise for 30 seconds then work up to doing for 1 minute.
- Weighted Lunges – Lunges are a great workout for your legs. Adding weights is a great way to add some resistance to help strengthen your legs even more. For these grab weights that you feel comfortable with and you won’t compromise your form. 8-10 pound weights are a great starting point. Stand with dumbbells at your sides. Step with your right foot forward and lower your body into a lunge. Step back and repeat with the left side. Continue to alternate sides. Begin with doing this exercise for 30 seconds and working up to 1 minute.
- Single Leg Squats – Squats are a great leg exercise and there are many different variations. Single leg squats will not only strengthen your legs, but engage your core improving your balance. Stand with your arms extended in front of you. Standing one one leg with your other leg extended straight out in front of you squat down. Try to squat down as far as possible without compromising your form. Repeat move, start with 30 second and work up to 1 minute. (Note: If you find these to difficult start with regular squats and work your way up to single leg squats.)
(You can easily make these exercises into a leg workout. Do 3 sets of each exercise for 30 seconds to 1 minute with a 15-30 second break between each set.)
-Check out the video of these exercises below
Strong legs are another key component of sailing longer and stronger. With them you will be able to move more quickly and efficiently while sailing and not fatigue quickly on those long windy days. These exercises will give you a start to having strength in your legs to help you sail longer and stronger. Now you know that a strong core is the base of your overall fitness and your legs will give you the power and endurance you need to maximize your performance on the water. In part three our final of the series we will learn about strengthening your arms for better performance on the water.
For more information on fitness for sailing contact rachel@sail1design.com. Also check out Sailorcise on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for daily tips on fitness, nutrition, and sailing.
2015 Orange Bowl Regatta Results
Overall OPTIMIST RWB
Optimist Green Fleet
Overall Club 420
Laser FULL RIG
Laser RADIAL
Laser 4.7
Club 420 Sailing Association on Inclusion and the Malaysia World Youth Championship
North Kingston, RI (January 3, 2016) — The Club 420 Association, as one of the world’s largest youth sailing organizations, strongly embraces and supports the Corinthian values and spirit of our sport. In light of the unacceptable and unfortunate situation that has occurred at the Youth World Championships in Malaysia, the Association’s Board of Directors is extending an open invitation to the Israeli and Malaysian sailing federations for their Youth Sailing Teams to join the youth of North America at the Club 420 US National Championships in July 2016.
President of the Association, John Morgan, says “our Board of Directors has opted to set an example, as well as attempt to lessen the damage this has done to youth sailing and sailing in general. We want to reinforce the belief that all athletic competition should be open and unaffected by politics. Many youth regattas including those sanctioned by the Club 420 Association showcase the values intended for this sport, offering a highly competitive, fun, diverse environment that reflect the true spirit of the sport.”
Details of the Club 420 Association offer will be finalized upon discussion with Israeli and Malaysian Sailing as the Association will work to provide some of the financial support for the sailors and teams who wish to attend.
About The Club 420 Class Association The Club 420 Association was established in 1980 to promote, foster, encourage and sponsor one-design sailing. The Association sponsors a class North American Championship, US and Canadian National Championships as well as regional championships for the class across North America while promoting the class to all ability and experience levels of youth sailing. Since 2006, the class membership has more than doubled from 300 to its current 715 members. The class offers many regional, national and North American championships in both fleet and team racing formats as well as clinics across North America. Our Nationals / North Americans have had 175 boats attend, with all levels of sailors competing in some of the finest and socially fun regattas you will attend.
About The Club 420 The Club 420 is a two person dinghy which forms the base of many local, high school and collegiate programs in North America. Simple for beginning sailors and yet challenging enough for collegiate champions. The Club 420 offers more learning opportunities than any other double-handed boat you can find. Over 5,000 Club 420s are sailed in youth, high school and collegiate programs all over the United States, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean.
For more information please visit our website at www.club420.org or visit us on Facebook
Contact:
John Vandemoer, Executive Director Email – ED@club420.org
Win a J/22, and Support GBSA!!
The Need
Sailors know instinctually that sailing is a lot more than a sport, especially to a kid. Sailing develops character, self reliance, problem solving skills, confidence and teaches discipline, teamwork and respect for our environment. GBSA‘s mission is to give that experience to as many as possible.
The Plan
Back in 2014 we were the first to try a crazy stunt – Buy a J/70 and raffle it off to raise money. It worked and now we’re doing it again with a brand new 2016 J/22 built by USWatercraft.
The Rules
Only 650 tickets will be sold – so your odds of winning are way better than winning powerball! In addition, you’re supporting the future of the sport you love – so what are you waiting for?!!…
GBSA Makes a Difference
“The best part was from day one, it was sailing time. Get out and sail. He came home everyday excited to tell us what he learned and the fun antics the crew had together. We look forward to next year and supporting anyway we can”
We Need Your Help
The fact is we can’t do this alone – we need you to help promote this in order for it to succeed. Like us on Facebook, share it with your friends, your yacht club, buy a raffle ticket.
Club Profile: Hudson River Community Sailing is Hiring!
Hudson River Community Sailing develops leadership and academic success in underserved New York City youth through sailing education and provides maritime education and recreation to the community at large.
Hudson River Community Sailing is hiring a Sailing Instructor
For more opportunities, click HERE
Founded in 2007 to serve the urban community, we partner with public schools to offer credit-bearing academic programs, internships, mentoring, and college readiness. Our youth development platform uses sailing, boat operation, and boat building to further academic skills and instill the qualities of character necessary for college and career success. We also serve the broader community through affordable marine education and recreation for individuals, groups, schools, businesses, and families.
“Although I have learned so much about sailing, this program also greatly improved my social skills. I have become much more open, I have become a better leader, and most importantly I learned how to teach others the skills I have acquired. I did not immediately notice the changes occurring until the people around me commented on how much of a positive impact sailing and being part of this program had on me.” -Anthony, Youth Program Graduate (Oakcliff Scholarship Winner)
Find Our Boathouse VIEW ON MAP
Hudson River Community Sailing
West 26th Street & 12th Avenue Pier 66
Boathouse inside Hudson River Park
New York, NY 10001
Sail Stronger, Part I: The Core
By Airwaves writer Rachel Bennung
Editor’s Note: Sail1Design is thrilled to introduce Rachel Bennung, our newest Airwaves writer and member of the Sail1Design team. Rachel is not only an experienced sailor, but she’s also a fitness expert; someone who practices what she preaches! We hope you find these articles helpful, and we also hope they inspire you to improve your sailing by making fitness an integral part of your sailing regimen. Sail1Design now has a new main menu bar category, Sailing Fitness, dedicated to helping sailors reach their athletic potential.
See Part II: The Legs here
Part III: The Arms here
In every sport different muscle groups are more important then others to help maximize your performance in that specific sport. You want strength in your total body, however, you want to focus a little more on strengthening specific muscle groups you will be using more often. In sailing three main muscles groups you are always working are your core, legs, and arms. In this three parts series we will talk about the importance of strength in these areas for sailing, and different exercises to help strengthen these areas.
In this article we will be talking about the importance of the core. The core is defined by the structures that make up the lumbo-pelvic hip complex. Some people get confused with thinking that the core is just your ab muscles, however, the core encompasses not just your abdominal muscles, but muscles located in your torso. All these muscles in the core are essential to keeping your body stable and balanced. Having a strong core is the base of your overall fitness and will lead to improved performance. A strong core will not only help you with sailing, but in everyday life.So how does a strong core help while sailing? As we just stated a strong core is the base of your overall fitness. A strong core is essential to helping you while out on water on long windy days. Having strength in your core will help you hike longer without becoming fatigued quickly. Not only will you be able to hike longer a strong core can help reduce the chance of injury. Have you ever gotten off the water and had some back pain? This could be caused by having a weak core. Having a weak core leads to lack of balance throughout your body which can cause lower back pain. Having a strong core will help you sail longer and stronger!So now you understand why you need a strong core. How do you accomplish it? The great thing about strengthening your core is you don’t need any fancy equipment. All you need is your body weight. The list of different core exercises out there is endless. So I have picked four core exercises that I think are great for strengthening your core for sailing.
- Planks – These are one of the best exercises out there to strengthen your core. This exercise you begin on your forearms and toes on the floor. You want to keep your body in a straight line. Start with holding this position for 30 seconds and work up to 1 minute. As your core becomes stronger you will be able to hold this position for longer.
- Spider Plank – A spider plank is another great exercise adding movement to help strengthen your core. You start in plank position with you hands and toes on the floor. While in plank you bring your knee up to you elbow and alternate sides. Start with 30 seconds and work your way up to 1 minute.
- Superman – With this exercise you will lie on your stomach with your arms and legs full extended. At the same time raise your arms, legs, and chest off the floor and hold the contraction for 2-5 seconds. After the contraction lower to the ground and repeat. Start with doing this move for 30 seconds then getting up to 1 minute.
- Russian Twist – This move can also be know as mason twist, or oblique twist. Sit on the floor with your knees bent and raise your feet off the floor. Clasp your hands together and turn your body all the way to the right side then over to the left side. Start with doing this move for 30 seconds and working up to 1 minute. You can hold a medicine ball to add resistance.
(You can easily make these exercises into a core workout. Do 3 sets of each exercise for 30 seconds to 1 minute with a 15-30 second break between each set.)
-Check out the video of these exercises below
Having a strong core is the base of sailing stronger. Without the core your body will move inefficiently and can eventually lead to injury. A strong core is the first step to helping to improve and maximize your performance on the water. These four exercises will help to start you on your way to getting that strong core you need and want! Part two of the three part series we will talk about strengthening your legs.
For more information on fitness for sailing contact rachel@sail1design.com. Also check out Sailorcise on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for daily tips on fitness, nutrition, and sailing.
Check out Sail Stronger, Part II: The Legs
Introducing S1D Sailing Fitness, Brought to You by Sailorcise
Editor’s Note: Sail1Design is thrilled to introduce Rachel Bennung, our newest Airwaves writer and member of the Sail1Design team. Rachel is not only an experienced sailor, but she’s also a fitness expert; someone who practices what she preaches! We hope you find these articles helpful, and we also hope they inspire you to improve your sailing by making fitness an integral part of your sailing regimen. Sail1Design now has a new main menu bar category, Sailing Fitness, dedicated to helping sailors reach their athletic potential.
Check out our 3-part series, “Sail Stronger, complete with video tutorials!:”
- Part I: The Core
- Part II: The Legs
- Part III: Upper Body/Arms
Sail1Design is excited to announce its addition of Fitness to the website. This section will be covered by Rachel Bennung, Co-Owner of Sailorcise LLC. Rachel is a National Academy of Sports Medicine personal trainer as well as an AASDN nutrition specialist. Rachel has a huge passion for fitness; she has ran several half marathons and two full marathons. Along with fitness, sailing is Rachel’s other passion. She is a US Sailing Level 3 instructor. Rachel decided to combine her two loves together and create the business Sailorcise with her boyfriend Matt Goetting. Fitness in sailing is something the top sailors are doing, but not really talking about. Rachel hopes to share how everyone can maximize their performance with their physical fitness.
Fitness in sailing is something that is very important, but not talked about enough. Some people still see sailing as not being a real sport, basically because we don’t run around on a field to play, but more because they don’t understand it. However, sailing not only challenges your body physically, but mentally which may make it one of the most challenging sports out there. For sailors to be at their best, they need to implement fitness into their daily living. Fitness other then just sailing will help to maximize your performance while out on the water helping you sail longer, stronger, and smarter.
We will be bringing you all the latest in fitness and sports nutrition to help you feel better and sail faster. We will feature fitness videos of different workouts that are sailing specific. This section will help make working out fun and give you the tools to help you to maximize your performance on the water with your physical fitness.
Check out our first Sail Stronger article, focusing on the core.
Sailorcise LLC is a new business based in New Jersey that combines fitness, nutrition, and coaching to improve sailors performance on the water.
Sailorcise’s Mission Statement:
Sailorcise is a unique fitness and coaching program tailored towards young active sailors. At Sailorcise we combine nutrition, a sailor focused fitness routine, and high end coaching to overall enhance the sailors performance. With a fitness professional and sailing coach we make getting results fun and exciting while maximizing performance.
We look forward to sharing this new section with you. For more information on Sailorcise check out www.sailorcise.com. If you have any questions regarding this new section email rachel@sail1design.com. Get ready for some great information to help maximize your results and help you better executer your skills on the water!
Check out Sailorcise on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for daily tips on fitness, nutrition, and sailing.
Club 420 Class Launches Informational Video
PRESS RELEASE – FOR IMMEDIATE DISTRIBUTION
North Kingston, Rhode Island, December 21, 2015
As the largest North American youth-oriented, double handed class the Club 420 is a key entry point to a lifetime sailing for many juniors. The boat offers more learning opportunities than any other doublehanded boat. Over 5,000 Club 420s are sailed in youth, high school and collegiate programs all over the United States, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean.
In addition to organizing national level and regional events, the class invests in its community through the creation of on-line learning videos which are freely available. We encourage sailing schools, high school teams and all others use these valuable resources are encouraged to utilize these training vehicles.
The class also invests in high caliber coaches for regional regattas and other events throughout the year to help bring the expertise of those coaches to hundreds of youth across North America.
We would like to show you what it’s like to sail a Club 420 in a new video produced for the class by Chris Love Productions. Filmed at our National Championship at Sail Newport earlier this year, we believe it shows the excitement and scale of the class and of the community behind the class. We hope you enjoy it:
For a listing of our 2016 events go to our calendar here.
About the Club 420 Association – The Club 420 Association was established in 1980 to promote, foster, encourage and sponsor one-design sailing for youth sailors. The Association annually sponsors a North American Championship, US and Canadian National Championships as well as regional and team racing championships across North America while promoting the class to all ability and experience levels of youth sailing.
For additional information please contact the C420 class at www.C420.org or John Vandemoer, Class Executive Director, ed@club420.org
Manage Your Sailing Program Toward Success
PART I: SAILBOAT RACING IS A MANAGEMENT EXERCISE
Annapolis, MD (December 16, 2015) – By Airwaves Writer Joe Cooper
Editor’s Note: This is the first in a series of articles, taking cues from successful business management principles, on how to manage a sailing program. Enjoy, and stay tuned for Part Two.
Any group of humans trying to accomplish something needs to work together. Unless you are sailing a Finn, Laser or similar single-handed boat, (and yes these boats do need a team at the elite levels although of a slightly different make up) you will need to build the crew, a team of souls who share your vision, your ideas, sensibilities and in general who share your idea of how sailing and racing should be conducted.
I have been fortunate to have sailed on boats and been in programs that were under the command of great leaders. Learning from these people I have picked up a few ideas on how to assemble a collection of individuals into teams; and in a few cases, really very successful teams.
COMMON GOALS
In November 2014 I was contracted to coach a fellow who wanted to bring his boat and pretty novice crew to Block Island Race Week 2015. He and I spoke a few of times and I became acquainted with his requirements and expectations. In December I was invited to join him and his team at his house for Christmas cocktails. The idea being to introduce me to the team, to meet his crew and to outline how we were going to accomplish his goal. The GOAL, your goal if you are the owner or instigator, is the first, and a mighty important element in building a team. You need to have a very clear idea of what it is you want to accomplish with your sailing and your team. This clarity of purpose is the sailing version of the Mission Statement” one hears so much about today.
WHAT are you wishing to do? Win the XYZ class nationals? Do you want to improve or to win or place in your regions prominent races? Do you want to improve your position in the Wednesday night series? Is it a long time dream to enter and finish a Bermuda Race? OR do you to simply have a fun time with some mates? It matters not what the goal is, BUT it needs to be articulated. Clarify in your mind what you want to do, what you want to feel when you are driving home after sailing. Write it down and pin it up on the bulkhead in the cabin. If you are in this for the long haul, break it down in to a discrete timeline: Individual races, regattas or place improvements over a number of years or however it makes sense for you
SAILBOAT RACING IS A MANAGEMENT EXERCISE
We have probably all been out racing somewhere and heard a skipper screaming at the crew or an individual crewmember about something. Apart from being embarrassing it is absolutely not productive. In the management of the boat, it is the skipper who has a large share of the “blame” for the crewmember not doing what is needed. Citing this common vignette was my opening remark to the prospective crewmembers assembled in my client’s kitchen after he called them to order.
The first actual “learning” statement I made to my client’s crew with respect to success in sailboat racing was: “Sailboat racing is a management exercise.”
That was all I said in the kitchen, full of perhaps 15-18 adults and two high school lads, all with a work history. There was a modest span of sailing skill and experience although in a few cases, none. My client owned a modest size business and some of the crew were his family and mates who worked with and for him. By definition there was some management experience in the group. When I had finished the sentence I shut up.
The kitchen was dead quiet. The silence lasted for what seemed like a minute but was probably 15 seconds. The silence was finally broken by my client’s, face lighting up into a broad smile and exclaiming, “Oh, I get it, this will be easy”. My job was made a lot easier from there on and the rest our BIRW 15 goals were a lot easier to meet having this shared concept to weave into all the instruction. Once the boat was in the water the practice was made much easier too. The rest of the evening was discussing the mechanics and best ways to develop the team along these lines. I remarked to the crew that there are various departments of a boat and compared them to the departments in a business.
In business for instance one has the line staff, supervisors, middle and upper management, sales, marketing, accounting, personnel and so on. If one considers a sailing boat going off to race, I think in terms of five departments.
Regardless of the size of the boat, from a J-24 to Comanche, the departments remain the same they may just have more team members in each department and maneuvers take longer.
- Senior management
Aka: The afterguard: This includes, the navigator, tactician, strategist and the helmsman*
*(Tacking back for a moment to the screaming driver noted above, my next statement made a few minutes later was: “steering is just another job on the boat.” That statement of course brought another round of silence and I will elaborate on this statement in a minute.) - Sail Trimmers
This of course encompasses the crew responsible for control over the shape and trim of the sails. - Grinders/middle of the boat
The horsepower. - Pit
Halyards and related activities - Bow
This does not need defining now does it? - Non –sailing departments
And there are departments too that are not sailing specific. The operation of a sailing boat requires the operation and understanding of non-sailing equipment and skills like machinery, electronics and electrical systems, navigation safety and deck rigging and sails to pick a few of the more common areas. Encourage your crew to pick a department and to “take command” of it. This principal has to be front end loaded in that you need to have a clear plan and articulate that plan with respect to what you want the members of each department to do and be responsible for.
Like the original Mission Statement for the boat and the owner’s wishes, this vision should be written down and discussed at crew gatherings. If this method of division of labor is used, two things happen. The leader of the program, owner skipper usually does not have to do it all—-Nothing like waiting for the skipper to get the boat off the dock while he finishes checking the oil or entering in way points…
AND the members of each department are empowered to “own” their departments. When they get to the boat, there is a specific task list they should check off, rather than everyone standing around and everyone trying to do everything, or not doing anything. Almost everyone I have ever met around boats will jump into any task as soon as it is asked of them. Identifying the divisions just formalizes this individual effort.
STEERING IS JUST ANOTHER JOB ON THE BOAT
After sailing on a lot of different programs over the years the number of times I have seen “the owner” wanting to steer AND who also wants to do all the other jobs in his department, and sometimes other departments too (explaining how to rig up the kite comes to mind) is the rule not the exception. To me this makes no sense.
Steering is, to my mind, a pretty particular skill requiring the full attention of the driver ALL the time. Sure, in one design sailing and especially single-handed boats you must do it all. But this is a bit like starting your own business: You are all departments all the time and sometimes all of them all at once. In solo dinghies though all the boats are carrying the same handicap as it were. But on boats with multiple crewmembers the job of steering consumes the driver’s attention (hopefully) 100% of the time. To ask the guy or girl driving to take on other tasks, crew boss, tactics navigation and so on, is simply not fast if nothing else.
Certainly there are programs where the guy or girl driving does a lot more than just steer. On the other hand two of the most successful Corinthian programs I have seen the owner has someone else drive.
LEADERSHIP
In business and sometimes in sailing, we hear if we listen for it, the term Leadership pretty regularly. I have a selection of books on leadership and a favorite is one written by a retired Commander in the US Navy. In the book, he relates his experiences after being posted to a new ship where he could not believe the difficulty he had getting things done. He looked into this of course and found out his predecessor had been a micro-management fiend. The ships crew, some 280 souls became too scared of doing anything for fear of doing it wrong. Thus the entire ship basically ground to a halt, the crew being scared to do anything unless the captain signed off on it. A moment’s reflection will tell you what a failure that would be anywhere, never mind a fighting ship. Not surprisingly the ship had appalling numbers under the metrics by which the US Navy measures the performance of their ships and crews. The new captain’s approach was totally different from the previous one. He totally overhauled the ship’s operating culture, largely by empowering the crew to ‘own’ their tasks, jobs, divisions and teams. This made the ships a team function as it should AND raised the ships metrics off the dial, by the liberal use of two words also found in business.
DELEGATION AND OWNERSHIP
Delegation is essential of the business (or the team) to develop, grow and become successful. When you build your business you are building a team to help you. As your business grows you might first hire a book- keeper, then a sales person, then someone to help take the load in the manufacturing or coding and so on. You must delegate some of the load otherwise you will not grow the business. This principal is the same in yacht racing. Even say on a J-24, the skipper must steer, to their best ability, 100% of the time. Because the mainsheet trimmer need not be adjusting the trim 100% of the time, the driver (invariably the owner) can delegate to the mainsheet trimmer some responsibility to help with tactics.
Ownership means in short, that the people who best know how to do a job or task are the people actually doing it. It makes no sense for the CEO to come down and try and show a line staff person how to do that persons job. Even in the circumstances where the CEO does in fact know the task, it is not a good use of the skills the person has that got them to the CEO Suite in the first place. In sailboat racing the guy steering is last person who ought to be instructing the bowman in how to do their job and ESPECIALLY 5 boat lengths out….
Part Two will discuss team building & dividing up the workload and particular tasks when the boat is not sailing.
Check out PART II
Staying in Touch: College Alums Create Alumni Yacht Club!
By Airwaves Writer Brendan Healy
Charleston, SC (December 15, 2015) – Since its inception in 1953, the College of Charleston Sailing program has been synonymous with championship sailing both at the college level and far beyond. The program has captured 19 national championship tiles, and has produced in excess of 100 All-Americans, national and world champion sailors, as well as Olympians. Until recently however, upon graduation from the College, its athletes lost all “official” connection with the program in terms of representation. Along came the commissioning of the College of Charleston Yacht Club in 2014 to address this exact issue. The club was created in order to provide a way for graduates to both give back to the program and to represent the institution that fostered so many friendships and provided opportunities for its sailors during their tenure on the team and extending past graduation.
Led by a few enthusiastic graduates, the club was founded in order to fulfill the needs that graduates could rarely attain from their respective home yacht clubs. As previous members of the program, there was a desire to continue to compete with our classmates, in addition to graduates of all generations, to represent the burgee that we’ve all come to know and love. As Commodore Zeke Horowitz put it, “Sure we could all go on in life and join yacht clubs in our home towns and hopefully compete in inter-club team races and club sponsored events, but in doing so we’d miss out on the opportunity to sail with our college friends and relive the ‘old days”. Together with the help of Head-Man-In-Charge, Greg Fisher, Horowitz has helped to organize CofC’s graduates into a full-blown, commissioned club of dues-paying members, all of whom are graduates of the College. The club’s mission: “To bring together like-minded individuals who share a passion for sailing, strong camaraderie, and all things Charleston” in an effort to compete in numerous yacht club challenges, and other high profile regattas throughout the country.
Obviously creating something awesome and totally different doesn’t come without its challenges, the greatest of which, being the physical organization of its members. Prior to Greg’s arrival as the Director of Sailing, the program had a somewhat poorly attended alumni weekend, which changed in dates from year to year and had no real consistency in terms of attendees. Viewing this as a great opportunity to bring graduates together in an effort to showcase the current team and raise funds, Greg sought to revamp the annual alumni celebration. With the help of some recent grads, including the Commodore, the program enjoyed its greatest attended Alumni Weekend and regatta in history in 2013 by communicating with grads from several generations and agreeing on a time of year that would fit into the majority’s calendar. The following year, we snowballed on that enthusiasm with the announcement of the club and the election of officers, as well as the unveiling of a burgee and the launch of an official website. The Alumni Weekend now serves as the annual Alumni Regatta, hosting several get-togethers in order to collect annual dues and provide alumni with exposure to the current team members.
With the College of Charleston Yacht Club now officially off the ground, the next challenge became the collection of dues and the allocation of funds to support the club’s mission. Annual dues are kept to a minimum, providing grads with membership and a chance to represent the club at any Yacht Club team races or inter-club events to which it accepts an invitation. Club dues are also tax deductible and a significant portion of the club’s collections go on to directly fund the operations of the current college sailing team. Members are additionally encouraged to donate whatever funds they deem appropriate to help fund the team and support the club’s mission. With its founding, it satisfied the needs of graduates while also directly supporting the operations of the current sailing team. Instead of shoveling out thousands of dollars annually to some other yacht club, graduates can now represent a burgee that is truly theirs, continue the experience of sailing with life-long friends, and expand the reach of the Sailing Program in terms of recruiting and marketing, all while helping to develop the College of Charleston Sailing Team.
The club has gone on to support its members in two major events thus far. This past November, CofCYC graciously accepted its first ever invitation to a yacht club team race hosted by Southern Yacht Club for the Southern Soiland Trophy. A group of eight Charleston graduates, joined by the Head Man Greg Fisher, flew to New Orleans to represent the club. After going undefeated in the first flight, the team struggled slightly to end the event in a 3-way tie for fourth overall. Turns out the eight sailors attending the Soiland weren’t the only grads in attendance. A total of 17 previous College of Charleston sailors competed in the event with the eventual win coming from the hosting Southern Yacht Club, with several grads on board. In addition to this event, we also supported the J22 team of Ezra Zankel, Becky Bestoso, and Creighton Armstrong for the SAYRA Championships, hosted by CofC, where they placed second overall. This is obviously just the beginning for CofCYC sailors with the ambition of pursuing and accepting additional invites to yacht club team races and events. The club encourages its members to seek out any and all regattas of interest, to which it will strive to provide financial support with a goal of fully financed sailing.
With the commitment from a few passionate graduates, and the direction of CofC Sailing Program Director, Greg Fisher, the College of Charleston Yacht Club has established itself as a real entity with the desire to compete and succeeded on the inter-club sailing scene. It’s members enjoy the benefits of sailing with friends and fellow alumni under a burgee of their own while contributing to the success of the college sailing team, all for a minimum cost per year. Hopefully in the future, the club will continue to receive team racing and fleet racing invitations and come to be as well know and synonymous with championship sailing as its sister organization, the College of Charleston Sailing Program. See you on the water.
