In a “Premiere Sailing” League of its Own: New Series Presents a New Way of Racing…and Thinking
CHICAGO, ILL. (January 15, 2015) – The new Premiere Sailing League, America, promises to change the way we think about amateur sailing in the U.S. Announced at the Strictly Sail boat show in Chicago on January 15 (J/Boat booth # 4030), the series kicks off this August and will be comprised of four district qualifying regattas that divide 72 sailing club teams by region (North-Chicago; South-New Orleans; East-Newport; West-San Francisco) to compete for top ranking. The best four teams from each district then compete head-to-head in the Premiere Sailing League National Championships to be held in Annapolis, Maryland during the United States Sailboat Show in October.
“The Premiere Sailing League (PSL) is the first event of its kind in the U.S.,” said PSL’s Director and Founder Benjamin A. Klatzka, an avid sailor and successful businessman who recently moved from Germany to Newport, R.I. to pursue his dream of bringing the sailing league format to the public. “It is structured after the enormously successful sailing leagues pioneered in Germany and Denmark (www.sailing-championsleague.com), with the objective of strengthening community and camaraderie within the sport of sailing by providing an integrated platform that brings sailing clubs together to compete at both a local and national level.”
The success of the European sailing leagues has been a source of inspiration for Klatzka, who says he will someday be able to include a national sail-off in the mix. He is working with a Board of Advisors comprised of experienced sailing industry professionals for advice on how to best build the Premiere Sailing League and will be sharing details with the public over the coming weeks and months.
“To reach the broadest audience, Premiere Sailing League regattas will be held close to shore, have a stadium-style atmosphere and utilize the latest social media technologies, allowing the sailing and general public to support and encourage their teams,” said Klatzka. “With these spectator-friendly initiatives, we hope to create strong fan bases for the clubs similar to more traditional professional sports teams in the United States.”
Each of the Premiere Sailing League teams will be made up of four sailors representing yacht clubs and sailing organizations. Sailing will be conducted in fun, easy-to-sail J/70s.
“Having seen what the new sailing leagues in Europe have done to excite and promote grassroots sailing, we’re really excited to support Ben’s initiative in the U.S.,” said Jeff Johnstone, President of J/Boats of Newport, RI.
Klatzka will announce a Warm up/Test Run Event at the beginning of the season for prospective competitors, team and event sponsors, and organizers for host venues.
To be a part of the Premiere Sailing League family, follow us on Facebook.
For more information, go to www.premieresailingleague.com or contact Benjamin Klatzka at +1 617-480-8775, info@premieresailingleague.com
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Coaches Locker Room: Regatta Prep Part 2: Day of Event
Most coaches will have at some point traveled to an event as a participant. Being familiar with the process helps immensely. Regatta day prep on and off the course revolves around two main areas of concentration. First, you need to make sure your players are ready for competition, and second you need to make sure you are ready for a long day on the water. Mentioned in Part 1, the more organized you are, you will have fewer headaches and more success.
Coach Preparation
Your day starts anywhere from 45 minutes to 2 hours before your players are showing up at the venue. This time you need to be getting an idea of the weather, checking out the sailing venue if you have never been there and reviewing any last minute amendments to the sailing instructions. Check your coach boat; make sure you have enough gas and oil, that the engine starts, if you have an inflatable make sure your tubes are pumped up. Boat and engine issues become ten times harder to deal with when you are out on the water.
Other things to check before you start dealing with your players is making sure the trailer is in a good place, getting your cooler situated for the day, radios operational, sunscreen etc. Basically you want to be ready to go on the water before you need to deal with your players and potentially their parents.
Player Preparation
Your players should be showing up anywhere from 1 ½ hours-2 hours before skippers meeting. This time should be spent first getting the boat set up and then a brief regatta day briefing. Boat set up time will vary depending what class you are competing in, Laser and Opti will take significantly less time to set up than C420, i420, 29er, etc.
Allow yourself enough time to comfortably get the boat off the trailer onto the dolly, step the mast and tune the rig. Having the tuning guide on your phone or tablet in iBooks or similar document reading app will expedite your rigging time. iBooks is also a good place to keep sailing instructions and course diagrams.
Once the boat is tuned and rigged to your satisfaction have your players change and get ready for the water. A good practice is to have them changed and their boat in line on the ramp before the skippers meeting. This way they can immediately get in the water and to the race course right at the harbor start. Take any food/water or bags to the coach boat and make sure they have everything they may need in an eight to ten hour day on the water.
Before launching have a brief briefing with all of your players. In this briefing you go over wind and weather, what to expect throughout the day and general trends that they might see. Make sure they have the courses, flags, signals and starts all nailed down. Hopefully you went over all of this in practice and they have seen some of it before. Have a plan for after launch and before the first start. You may tow out to the course, but if you don’t make sure they come find you and warm up before the first race.
Up next, on the water event coaching.
Feeling ready for summer yet? Check back here at the Locker Room for more articles helping you land your dream job and prepare for a summer on the water. As always, email me at tcolvin@sail1design.com with questions, comments, or ideas for articles.
Sponsor News: Whitecap Composites "1-for-10" Boat Program!
Thanks to an increased recognition for the quality and performance of our boats, Whitecap Composites has had a busy 2014. We refined our already-unique Turbo 420, 
developed our Turbo FJ and recently became the new International Comet class builder. Several fleets of our Turbo 420’s and Turbo FJ’s were built and delivered across the country to active sailing programs. We are excited to continue this trend in 2015, and would like to start the new year by giving back to the sailing community.
Whitecap’s new 1-for-10 program aims to give more kids access to our newest designs. From now until April 1, if you order ten boats we will be donating one boat to a sailing program of your choice. There has never been a better time to help boost your local sailing program and encourage kids to get back on the water this summer!
To learn more, contact Whitecap Composites today!
El Toro
Although the El Toro was conceived in “Bull Sessions” at the Richmond Yacht Club in 1936, it has become a recognized class of over 11,000 one-design yachts and is the most popular “dinghy” on San Francisco Bay.
More than fifty years ago, a need was recognized for a small inexpensive sailboat which could serve as a yacht tender and training craft. The El Toro design was based on the MacGregor Sabot plans which appeared in the Rudder Magazine in 1939. Today, the class has allowed new materials to be used with a considerable improvement in performance. The sassy El Toro now has many of the “go fasts” of larger yachts adapted for lighter loads and the small rig. New El Toros are not as inexpensive as they once were, but the original design considerations have remained. Today’s yachts are satisfactory tenders and sprightly racers.
Junior sailing programs at yacht clubs and municipal sailing classes have developed many fine young El Toro captains. High quality racing programs have kept the interest of these young sailors. Often sailors “move up” to larger yachts and are frequently recognized as champions. Many return to the lively tactical sailing situations provided by El Toro racing.
The El Toro has benefited by high quality racing provided by the Small Boat Racing Association. The SBRA has in turn been supplied with sailors in many other classes that have started in the El Toro.
| Length: | 7 ft. 11 in. | Sail Area: | 49 sq. ft. |
| Beam: | 3 ft. 10 in. | Hull: | Wood or Fiberglass |
| Weight: | 60 lbs. (hull only) | Spars: | Wood, Aluminum, or Carbon Fibre |
| 80 lbs. (min. wt. Equipped) | Crew: | One |
-From the El Toro class website
Beetle Cat
The Beetle Cat boat is a 12 foot, gaff rigged, wooden sailboat first built in 1921 by the Beetle family of New Bedford, Massachusetts. Beetle, Inc., now located in Wareham, Massachusetts, is now the sole builder of Beetle Cat boats.
The Beetle Boat Shop is dedicated to preserving the art of traditional Plank-On-Frame wood boat construction using the highest quality of materials and craftsmanship. While building and maintaining the Beetle Cat is our main focus here at the Beetle Boat Shop, we are also reaching out to design, build, restore and maintain larger wood boats of all kinds. The effort we have made to date will be evident as you explore our website.
We hope these pages will be a resource and an inspiration to anyone interested in Beetle Cat boats and traditional wooden boat building.
Bill Womack, Owner/Manager – from the Beetle Cat Website
NE Beetle Cat Association: http://www.beetlecat.org/
Life After College: Sailing the Z15
By Airwaves writer Tyler Colvin
The past couple decades has seen rapid growth in the numbers of athletes participating in college sailing. In that time the level of sailing has increased exponentially. It could be argued that ICSA Team Race Nationals is the most competitive event in North America on an annual basis. The numbers of high-level post-graduate sailors has increased accordingly. Several boats have arisen to fill the need for a competitive dinghy, such as the V15, however none have had any kind of permanent lasting power. Enter the Z15, the new post-collegiate performance dinghy in the US market from Zim Sailing. A technical boat with advanced rig and hull design characteristics, the Z15 looks to fill a gaping hole in the lives of recent graduates.
The Boat: Technically Sound
Not content with simply remaking the wheel and redesigning existing boats, Zim looked to veteran dinghy builder Steve Clark for inspiration using modern technology and hull designs. At 14’9” long with a beam of 5’5”, the Z15 is slightly longer and wider than an FJ while trimming over 30lbs for a hull weight of 180lbs thanks to the fully cored resin infused construction process.
The rig is an update on traditional construction as well. A fully carbon, tapered rig from Southern Spars is fully adjustable and provides a healthy amount of power and eliminating the need for a third (spinnaker/gennaker) sail off the wind. Designed with a wide range of weights and skill levels in mind, the rig is easily depowered for breezy conditions.
Set Up and Sailing: Quick
Thomas Sitzmann, head coach of the Severn School sailing team and previously of Bowdoin College has brought the Z15 to high school sailing in Maryland. On the Z15, “It’s not the same old thing. It can out-sail most dinghies in 3-4 knots, and will definitely perform well in more wind. So, I’d say I enjoy the fact that it is bringing innovation, change, and more options to our sailing world.” Light, fast and technical the Z15 provides new challenges for sailors used to the traditional double-handed designs.
Upwind the boat is sensitive with a narrow groove. “It’s tippy,” said Sitzmann, “and in my brief time sailing it, it seems to be very finicky…In a way, that’s what may be best about the boat. It will force sailors to learn more about sail controls, trim, and balance.” A light air beast, the Z15 was put on display this past fall at the Hinman Trophy US Team Race Championships. Athletes described the boat as sensitive and very responsive to weight placement and sail trim.
Downwind the Z15 takes some adjustment. The lack of a big off-wind sail means the introduction of a whisker-pole to get the clew of the jib out and drawing. The ability to wing the jib out further than held by hand means deeper angles can be sailed than what a two-sail boat might normally be able to achieve. The hull shape makes weight placement key and thusly much less roll is needed to boat-handle than an FJ or 420.
Why Sail? New and Improved
Most of today’s double-handed boats were designed over half a century ago. While they are still more than capable and serve a very large purpose in the youth and collegiate sailing community, there is a need for a technical dinghy for high-level fleet and team racing. It continues to evolve as feedback comes back from the racecourse and promises to be a competitive class for years to come. Mentioned before, it was featured in the Hinman Trophy this past fall and will be the boat of choice for the new 2015 Team Race Midwinters (replacing V15 Midwinters).
Whether you are stepping out of collegiate dinghies, or simply looking for something new and exciting, the Z15 looks to be an exciting new platform for racing. With a price tag around $11,500, the Z15 is a more exciting, faster and most important, growing cousin of the V15. For the moment it would appear the Z15 is the best option for post-collegiate sailors and yacht club members looking for a fun, fast boat to team race in. Bottom line, the Z15 infuses new life into the young adult dinghy racing circuit and provides a new alternative in the performance market.
