News Flash: SFYC is hiring a full-time Head Coach!
The San Francisco Yacht Club and its members are dedicated to promoting and celebrating yachting and life on the water. Founded in 1869, The SFYC is the oldest yacht club in North America, west of the Mississippi River. Originally sited at San Francisco’s China Basin near Mission Rock, The Club moved to its current site in tranquil Belvedere Cove in 1937, after a short time in Sausalito. With its tranquil setting, its superb harbor and stunning views of the San Francisco skyline, it’s widely recognized as a premier yachting facility on the West Coast and one of the finest anchorages in the Bay Area. It operates a year- facility including the harbor, a dry-sail area, a full-service restaurant and bar.
The SFYC has earned recognition as one of the leading yacht clubs in the country, hosting local, national and international regattas. It’s home to The Great San Francisco Schooner Regatta, and very active youth sailing and race team programs. Committed to promoting the sport and Corinthian spirit of sailing, The Club also offers sailing instruction for sailors of all ages and private lessons. Club fleets include J24s, Optimists, 420s, Lasers and Flying Juniors. SFYC’s youth sailors have risen to compete at national, international and Olympic levels.
The Club serves its active and diverse membership community through a variety of programs, as well as formal and informal social events.
News Flash: SFYC is hiring a full-time Head Coach!
For more than 60 years, The San Francisco Yacht Club’s youth sailing program has been dedicated to coaching and empowering the next generation of Bay-Area competitors and sailing enthusiasts. The SFYC offers a spectrum of individual and team training programs for kids from grade school 
through high school, and more than 300 young sailors register each year. The Club is proud that “graduates” of its youth sailing program have gone on to compete – and win – at national, international and Olympic levels. The SFYC has hosted a number of national youth championship regattas in recent decades, and it’s been honored with the PICYA’s Admiral Chester Nimitz Perpetual Trophy for the advancement of youth sailing on multiple occasions.
CLUB HISTORY
In the summer of 1869, a group of active, local yachtsmen formed the San Francisco Yacht Club – the first yacht club west of the Mississippi – to create a more orderly and monitored form of conduct, and ensure that Bay Area racing was respected elsewhere. Almost 150 years later, the SFYC has grown into an internationally renowned club.
The original anchorage and clubhouse were located in San Francisco, near Mission Rock, but inadequate depth of water and increasing industrial growth in the area resulted in a move to Sausalito. Waterfront property was purchased and a new clubhouse erected, but it was subsequently destroyed by fire in 1897. The rebuilt building is still standing and now houses a restaurant, currently called Trident. 
Increasing ferry traffic and congestion contributed to a decision to relocate in 1926. One group, headed by Commodore Clifford Smith, felt that Belvedere Cove would be an ideal location. Another group felt that the Club should move back to San Francisco and lease land from the city on the Marina. After considerable discussion, the Belvedere site was finally selected. Those who opposed the move resigned and formed the St. Francis Yacht Club.
A small clubhouse on the Belvedere site was completed in 1934 and is still part of the present building. Planning for the present 190-berth harbor was begun in 1933 and completed in 1957 when funds were available. The Club’s exterior and interior were completely remodeled in 2007. In 2016, The Club received approval from the Belvedere Planning Commission to begin construction of a new Regatta Center, which will take the place of the Cove House at the north west end of The Club property.
Blog
S1D Optimist Spring 2018 Training Clinic Notice
Sail1Design Performance Coaching
Back by popular demand, Sail1Design is hosting a Spring Optimist dinghy training session on 24-25 March 2018. Sailing will take place on the Magothy River, home of nationally-ranked Severn School Sailing team, just north of Annapolis, MD. Our venue is a perfect place to sail; very short sail out and in, no boat traffic, and great spring winds.
These sessions are for RWB sailors with Optimist racing experience. Applications are by resume and open until filled. We are excited this fall to blend both experienced adult professional coaching with peer coaches out on the water, who will be able to display boat handling techniques that made them so successful in the Optimist sailing world.
Training will focus on:
- Boat setup/preparation
- big fleet start simulation / big fleet management and tactics
- boat speed drills upwind & downwind
- boat handling / video feedback
- basic team racing concepts (time allowing)
Sailors will train on the water and de-brief off the water with video. Coaches include experienced adults along with recent top-level graduates of the Optimist class. By providing both adult and peer coaching, we feel this clinic will provide unique and very beneficial insights for aspiring Optimist sailors. Each sailor will leave with a notebook full of notes, goals, and tuning tips designed expressly for them.
For more information, please contact Sail1Design: coaching@sail1design.com or 443-220-2089
REGISTRATION & APPLICATION
To Register, visit this Google form and complete. Space is limited, so register now to confirm a spot. After registering, you will receive an invoice, which will serve as your confirmation that you have a spot:
S1D OPTIMIST SPRING CLINIC REGISTRATION
SCHEDULE
This is a 2 day training session 24-25 MARCH 2018
- Saturday 0900-1600
- Sunday 0900-1500
FEES
Per day:
- $175 for Saturday
- $175 for Sunday
- All days: $325 for both
HOTELS/MOTELS NEARBY
- Comfort Inn, close by and on a budget
- Crowne Plaza Annapolis
- Holiday Inn Express
- DoubleTree Hilton
Coaches
Tom Sitzmann
A lifelong educator, professional sailmaker/sail loft owner, and pro sailor, Tom has coached sailing and directed sailing programs from Maine to Annapolis, and after 
working with both Tufts and Dartmouth sailing teams, was an assistant offshore & dinghy coach at the USNA, head intercollegiate coach at Bowdoin College, and is now head coach at Severn School, where he founded their modern program with its own private venue, and guided the team to a National championship and many other honors. As a competitor Tom had top regional and national-level success in the Laser, J/24, and J/22 classes.
More recently Tom has coached Optimists at the 2017 US Nationals, Atlantic Coast Championship, among others. Tom has worked hard to learn the ins and outs of Optimist tuning, and given his years of one-design racing and sail-making experience, provides valuable lessons for young, up-and-coming Optimist sailors looking to get to the next level.
Apprentice coaches:
- Sam Bruce (Former Optimist World team race champion)
- Jordan Bruce ( Former Optimist National Team Member)
- Maddie Hawkins (Former Optimist World/National Team member, current Ida Lewis / 420 North American Champion)
Club Profile: Lakewood Yacht Club
NewsFlash: Lakewood Yacht Club is hiring a Full-time Waterfront Director!!
Lakewood Yacht Club is one of the top yacht clubs in the United States. LYC has outstanding boating facilities and has invested in excellent sailboat training equipment and staff. The sailing program has strong support from Club leadership and membership.
Located on 38 beautifully landscaped acres on Clear Lake beyond the busy highways of East Harris County, Lakewood Yacht Club is an exceptional environment for social and water activities with a wonderful story to tell. Lakewood Yacht Club has over 300 covered and open boat slips for any boat aficionado. Lakewood, however, is so much more than just a yacht club for docking your boat; it is a haven for members, their families and guests. There is a sense of peace and tranquility here combined with an unparalleled camaraderie that makes Lakewood an escape from your everyday world. Add to that the club’s calendar which is overflowing with a variety of social and water activities for all ages and you have a remarkable package with exceptional value. 
The Bermuda-style clubhouse provides Lakewood’s 500 plus members with harbor-view dining facilities and excellent cuisine. Lakewood has a stunning bar and piano lounge with several large screen televisions. At the other end of the clubhouse is a harbor-view ballroom for monthly holiday/event parties as well as popular Sunday brunches. Children enjoy visiting their friends and playing videos in our supervised Game Room while their parents partake of a quiet dinner meal.
Lakewood has an active agenda of regattas and cruises organized by Lakewood’s enthusiastic volunteers. An active Ladies Association holds monthly luncheon meetings with a program in addition to a fun group trip every year. Our Youth Program, known as the Seahorses, is recognized as the best in Texas and is guided year-round by the club’s parent volunteers and dedicated coaches. Three lighted tennis courts and friendly but competitive monthly tennis socials and weekly matches add to the allure of Lakewood.
We invite you to make Lakewood Yacht Club your home away from home!
Lakewood Yacht Club’s mission is to provide an exclusive yachting environment for the benefit of our members. The club endeavors to satisfy diverse social and recreational needs while fostering a spirit of 
camaraderie. Member participation ensures that the club provides services and facilities that cater to their mutual interests.
Airwaves Career Center New Features…. It's About Time!
Airwaves Career Center Adds Applicant Tracking for Employers!
For over a decade, Sail1Design has managed sailing’s #1 Career Center and Job Board, always chock full of incredible sailing job opportunities, from summer instructing positions to full-time, professional jobs. Our comprehensive career center also offers job seekers the ability to create their own web page, highlighting their experience and posting their resume. Likewise, employers can search our resume database to find the right match for that open position. Sail1Design is proud also to be the official job board of the Intercollegiate Sailing Association (ICSA), the US High School Sailing Association (ISSA), and US Sailing.
We have worked hard to make our system safe, secure, efficient, and effective. We know you are busy, and time is precious. We want to save your time…. and you have requested, and now received, our latest upgrade: Applicant Tracking for Employers!
Now employers will have in their accounts a list of all applicants who apply through our secure system. This way, we will keep your applicant pool organized and listed for you, so you don’t have to…. it’s about time. Enjoy!
Questions, please email editor@sail1design.com
Never Get Fouled
By Airwaves Contributor Ken Legler
“See that guy? Not only does he never foul, he never gets fouled,” said my Dad when I was 15.
“That’s impossible,” I thought, not with so many tight races in these 9’ Dyer Dhow dinghies in racing we called Frostbiting. That guy, my dad was pointing to, was Roger Wilcox, a wily veteran that sailed a thousand races on the Charles and elsewhere as a member of the Harvard Sailing Team, class of ‘42.
Okay, so my Dad exaggerates I thought but, the point was not lost on me. In my own racing whenever I get fouled I try to imagine how Roger Wilcox would have played it. I’ve been fouled pretty hard too but almost without exception, I could have avoided being fouled, or at least hit, and been better off for it.
Learning to not foul is a combination of knowing the rules, having great boat handling, and accumulating experience. Learning to not get fouled takes even more experience or savvy for short. Here are some examples of how to avoid getting fouled.
There are 20 seconds to go before the start as you wait to accelerate; a boat comes barreling down the line headed toward your bow. You can 1. Yell: “You’re barging, don’t go in there.” And when he doesn’t respond you trim in a bit to show he will not fit in under the line and over your bow. Then the inevitable happens, you get fouled hard and get a last place start. How about 2: You see that this boat cannot stop and you back up momentarily. The errant boat crosses your bow, plows into the boat to leeward of you; you trim in and go on time in a clear lane. Or you could simply start where the others are not.
Here’s a simple one. You are on starboard in the middle of a beat and you do not want to tack. A port tacker is almost crossing on their own. You could yell “No” or “Go” but they sound alike and can easily be confused. Instead yell “Cross Ahead” with a wave of your hand if you want them to cross or yell “Starboard” if you want them to tack.
The windward mark is a likely place to get fouled badly. One way to avoid getting fouled is to over stand the mark a little. That way when a boat tacks inside you can continue going fast. Yes, you could lose that boat but the alternative could be losing every other boat if you get fouled right on the layline and can longer make the mark. It’s called “Target Overstand,” and your target is guesstimated by the expected traffic density at the mark when you arrive.
How about that out-of-control boat trying to get their spinnaker down inside of you at the leeward mark? It could be they forced an overlap or perhaps they were entitled to room. If they can’t get the spinnaker down they might foul you hard as windward boat upon rounding. Let them go ahead as you cut closer to the mark on their windward hip.
This limerick appeared in today’s Boston Globe opinion inbox:
Here lies the body of William Jay
Who dies while maintaining his right of way.
He was right, dead right, as he sped along,
But’s he’s just as dead, as though he’d been wrong.
Don’t be William Jay. Instead be like Roger Wilcox. Roger raced his Dyer Dhow with the Mamaroneck Frostbiting Association for 50 years well into his 90’s. His boat was named “Peace.”
ABOUT SAIL1DESIGN
Sail1Design is a grassroots organization, by sailors for sailors, dedicated to the youth, high school, college, and one-design sailing communities. Born in 2007, Sail1Design has grown considerably, and reaches out to all sailors wishing to enjoy and learn more about our sport. We have three main areas of business:
SAILING/MARINE INDUSTRY CAREER CENTER & JOB BOARD
We offer sailing’s #1 Career Center and Job Board, always chock full of incredible sailing job opportunities. Our comprehensive career center also offers job seekers the ability to create their own web page, highlighting their experience and posting their resume. Likewise, employers can search our resume database to find the right match for that open position. Sail1Design is proud also to be the official job board of the Intercollegiate Sailing Association (ICSA), the US High School Sailing Association (ISSA), and US Sailing.
MARKETPLACE & PROFESSIONAL BROKERAGE
Unique to the industry, Sail1Design hosts and manages an active private, by-owner marketplace, focusing on performance and one-design sailboats & gear. For all boats under 25′, our ads are free. What makes us different is that we also provide, side-by-side, professional brokerage services as well. We have had great success helping our sailing clients market and sell their boats, using our powerful client base, social media, and the brokerage industries multiple listing service to ensure your boat gets noticed.
AIRWAVES NEWS & CALENDAR
S1D also hosts Airwaves, an interactive, user fed Sailing Calendar and informative Sailing News, Articles, tips, & more. Airwaves has developed a great niche in the sailing publication world, and now boasts a seven-member staff of dedicated sailors, all contributing to our varied content.
Edward Teach Youth Sailing Association is Hiring!
News Flash: ETYSA is Hiring an Instructor & Director!!
The Edward Teach Youth Sailing Association (ETYSA) operates as a non-profit in conjunction with Blackbeard Sailing Club in New Bern NC. Blackbeard is located on Broad Creek just off the Neuse River a couple of miles downstream from the city of New Bern. This is sailboat only facility. The classes are small, the environment friendly, the parents are helpful.
Have your 8-16 year old participate in ETYSA Sailing Camp this summer to learn to sail with quality instructors at Blackbeard Sailing Club. Sailing Instructors are Level 1 certified and will be supported by a team of local sailing volunteers. Attendees will be trained to sail on the Neuse River. The ETYSA fleet consists of Opti, Topaz and 420 sailboats.
Edward Teach Youth Sailing Association located at Blackbeard Sailing Club on the Neuse River in New Bern, NC. It is a non-profit organization established to foster, encourage, and promote the amateur sport of sailing through participation and competition.
ETYSA organizes sailing camps and weekend events providing instruction in all phases and aspects of the sport of sailing, including seamanship, safety afloat, navigation, racing rules and tactics, and race committee functions.
The ETYSA fleet consists of Optimist, Topaz, and 420 sailboats. We begin our sailing members on the Optis and move through to the Topaz and 420 boats. We have a mix of volunteer and paid instructors with many hours of experienced training and Class 1 certifications.
