By Airwaves writer John Storck
In the ongoing debate of how to improve the state of our beloved sport, there is one argument that keeps coming up- provided boats. The argument typically comes from someone who is heavily involved with the keelboat team racing circuit, which is sailed at high-end yacht clubs throughout the country and abroad in provided boats. The argument is that we need more provided boats since people obviously aren’t getting in line to buy boats these days.
Now don’t get me wrong, I love the keelboat team racing scene, and it would not exist without provided boats. Match Racing is another aspect of our sport which needs provided boats to be successful. But I think we have to be careful in looking at the concept of provided-boats as a solution.
For starters, provided-boat regattas are exclusive by their very nature. There are a limited number of seats. If there is a 12 team cap on registration, and a 13th team wants to come, that’s a whole group of sailors that will be sitting on their couch instead. This doesn’t help the growth of our sport.
Secondly, the provided boat concept does not promote boat ownership. If there are more and more provided-boat events, there are just more sailors convinced they never have to own a boat. However, due to the limited seats, that same sailor is likely to only be sailing half the regattas that they would in a boat-ownership situation. Boat ownership is good for more than just the owner as well. With no registration limits, there are far more seats to fill with crew as well. And lastly, the provided-boats concept is really tough on the boat-building industry, which we all should want to be thriving if we love sailing.
Finally, there is the problem of who can actually afford these fleets of provided boats. In reality, there are only a few high-end yacht clubs around the country that can do so. And if you want to regularly compete in these events (and have your regatta fees at least partially covered), then you better become a member at one of those clubs. Once you do so, get in line, because there are a few long email lists that will show you how many of your fellow members want to go to the same events. At the same time, you are probably going to pass on becoming a member at your local club to save money, making it less likely for that small local club to be able to support this new world of provided-boat sailing.
I recently heard an idea out of a small club that might be a better solution. There is one active active one-design fleet in their area. The board at this club is trying to get the money together to buy one boat of that type. They would then allow for new members to pay a low annual fee to be able to use that boat. The catch being that a member could only be in that program for a season or two. Not every member is going to go out and buy a boat after that experience, but chances are good that a few might. And if that happens, then they have successfully grown their local fleet. This is just one example, and I am sure there are more ways to help our sport grow.
Again, I really want to stress that I love keelboat team racing, and there is no way that aspect of our sport thrives without provided boats. However, asking for more and more of it won’t help sailing grow due to it’s exclusive nature.
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Team Race Midwinters 2015 Notice of Race!
If you are bummed that the V-15 midwinters are dead, or if you never sailed the V-15 midwinters because you don’t have a boat, then come sail the first ever open Team Race hosted by Eckerd College. We are hosting in the hopes of filling in the gap the V-15 Midwinters will leave in its absence. Boats are provided, the dates have been setup not to conflict with Orange Bowl and entry is cheap. Flying to Tampa or Sarasota is a piece of cake and we have partnered with the Post Card Inn. They have a hotel right on the beach and are excited to have us join in on their New Year’s Eve festivities. We will have an included regatta dinner at the Post Card Inn and they are giving a special regatta rate so you can safely stay right where the off water fun is happening. Lastly, the event will include 6 Zim 15s. This will allow us to take more entries and allow competitors to sail the boat used at the Hinman TR.
Here is the link to the event: http://www.regattanetwork.com/event/9268#_home
and FB page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1557696367794320/?ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming
One-Design Class Profile: Etchells
By Airwaves writer Tyler Colvin
If any one-design class has a cult following, it would be the Etchells. The boat was designed in the mid 1960s by Skip Etchells as a candidate to be the three-man Olympic keelboat. Despite dominance in the trials, the Etchells lost out to the Soling, but gained a dedicated group of sailors. Since then, over 1200 hulls have been launched and sailed by individuals such as Dennis Conner who used the boat in training for his America’s Cup campaigns, Gary Jobson, Russell Coutts and Jud Smith.
The Boat: Heavenly
Long and slender, the Etchells is one of the larger 3-4 man keelboats in recent history. A narrow waist at 6’11” and a 22’ waterline belies an overall length of 30’6”. The boat displaces 3,700lbs all up and draws 4’6”. Described as “the boat they sail in heaven,” the Etchells is very tunable and responds to the smallest adjustments.
Commonly dry sailed, the Etchells is easily trailered despite her length. Construction is fiberglass with an aluminum rig. The class association monitors the class carefully to ensure parity across the fleet from new hulls to old. This allows the boat to retain value better than most other classes.
Sail plan involves a main, jib and spinnaker (188 square feet, 103 square feet, 400 square feet respectively). A large main sail and relatively small jib create extremely tight tacking angles (around 70 degrees) for the boat. The short waterline length reduces wetted surface and allows for very quick light-wind sailing. In heavier air the Etchells goes upwind “like a freight train” (Tim Etchells, Sailing World May 2000).
Set Up and Sailing: Upwind Machine
Set up is as simple as snapping jib hanks on, feeding main sail bolt rope into the track and casting off the lines. Of course, dry sailed boats may require a couple more steps before setting sail. A very good tuning guide can be found via Doyle Sails here (http://www.doylesails.com/onedesign/etchells/tuning.html).
Stay tension and position is used to control the mast bend and rake. Once adjusted, headstay, lower and upper shrouds should be tied off or locked to ensure they do not loosen while sailing. Backstay is the only stay tension adjusted on the water, using it to control the shape of the main to depower as necessary.
Similarly to the Lightning, mast chocks are used to further adjust rig shape while on the water. Mast chocks control mast pre-bend. Chocking behind the mast creates more pre-bend and vice versa. It is important to be checking headstay sag and jib shape while adjusting the chocks, as these settings are affected by mast bend.
In the Etchells, the jib drives the boat and encourages it to point unlike almost any other boat its size. In light winds, headstay sag should be adjusted by slacking the backstay and jib Cunningham to promote deeper draft and fuller sail shape. Higher wind conditions require more headstay tension (less sag) and jib Cunningham to draw the draft forward and flatten the sail. Jib sheets are trimmed through adjustable leads on cars; leads should be adjusted so that the telltales break evenly. Moving the car forward or back changes the sheeting angle and therefore the leach profile.
Main trim is a dynamic activity going upwind in an Etchells. The sail can be adjusted by a combination of the sheet and traveler. Just like on most boats with a mainsheet on a traveler, the sheet controls leach tension while traveler controls sheeting angle, not dissimilar to jib car position. In light air the traveler should be well up above centerline to allow the boom to be trimmed to centerline (or slightly above) while maintaining an open leach and flow. Ideally the top batten is parallel with the boom or slightly open. In heavier air the traveler car gets closer and closer to centerline with sheet tension increasing to increase leach tension. The backstay is trimmed in concert with the sheet/traveler as wind increases to flatten the sail.
Class Association: It’s the Boat, It’s the Fleet
After 48 years of existence, the Etchells class still draws a crowd. The 2014 Etchells World Championships in Newport, RI saw nearly 100 boats from around the world gather for some extremely competitive racing. Sailors such as current World Match Racing Circuit all star and former Boston College standout Taylor Canfield (USA 979, 2014 World Champions, Hardesty/Canfield/Roble/Eagan) went toe to toe with club sailors and weekend warriors through nine races over five days of racing out of the prestigious New York Yacht Club in conjunction with Sail Newport.
The North American Etchells Class website is very well organized, easy to follow and provides a plethora of resources for the emerging Etchells sailor (www.etchellsna.org). Class rules, schedules for North American and International competition, tips and tricks, contact information for all the class officers and boat/crew classifieds are available on the site.
Why Sail?
A pedigree of racing excellence, ease of set up, low cost of ownership and the support of an international class association. Is that enough reason? Beyond the racecourse, the Etchells is a joy to sail for all ages and abilities. A large cockpit, smooth responsive handling and a wide wind range combine for a pure sailing experience.
Club Profile: San Diego Yacht Club
By Katelyn Montero
If there was ever any doubt about San Diego’s ability to produce world-class sailors, skeptics should look no further than the San Diego Yacht Club. Founded in 1886, SDYC sailors are able to continually refine their skills on the water with the year-round sailing conditions found in America’s Finest City.
SDYC came from very humble beginnings, with a small group of dedicated sailors operating out of an old ferryboat. As they gained members, the young club moved around many locations in San Diego until finally setting at its present location in Point Loma in 1924. Since then, the facilities have grown immensely to accommodate a growing number of members, a world-class junior program and a large number of annual regattas. This year, the San Diego Yacht Club will host almost 50 regattas, ranging from member-only races to National and International competitions. The club is conveniently situated in Point Loma, giving racers access to both the open-water ocean racing of the Pacific and the calmer waters found inside the shelter of San Diego Bay.
In 2014, SDYC is now known across the world as the home to some of the world’s most accomplished sailors. Four-time America’s Cup winner Dennis Conner and J.J. Isler, the first woman ever to be inducted into the Sailing Hall of Fame, are just two of the esteemed sailors who sail out of SDYC.
The club is also a founding member of the National Sailing Hall of Fame. They are often named as a Platinum Club, a special title reserved for the top 5 private yacht clubs in the United States. In 2014, SDYC was ranked as the No. 2 yacht club in the United States. With their club motto “to encourage and foster interest in all aspects of yachting,” the San Diego Yacht Club has established a long history of involvement with racing and junior sailing.
The club is also ranked second in the best all-time final record for clubs who have won the America’s Cup, falling behind only the New York Yacht Club. SDYC is also the original home of the Lipton Cup, which will celebrate it’s centennial race this year from October 31to November 2, where the club will defend its current title as champions.
The Junior Sailing Program is one of the largest in the nation, and often produces competitive college sailors, world champions and Olympic hopefuls. During the summer of 2014, the junior program was home to 308 young sailors, many of whom continued on to participate in the year-round after school sailing program. Nearly exclusive to California sailing is the Sabot, a favorite for the SDYC junior program because beginners and adults can use the dinghy with its small, but accommodating size. Juniors at SDYC also sail 420s, CFJs and Lasers.
With many junior sailors training to compete at the high school level, it’s no surprise that SDYC also hosts practices for four of the local teams. The teams from Francis Parker, Bishop’s, Cathedral Catholic and Point Loma all sail out of SDYC. Many years, these teams go on to compete at a national level. The Point Loma High School Sailing Team recently won the Baker Trophy, making them ISA’s national team-racing champions.
The top-notch amenities and well-established reputation as a hub for world-class sailing is the reason why many members from the area have found their home at the San Diego Yacht Club. Over 2,000 members call SDYC home and enjoy the club’s expansive amenities. The facilities currently boast 578 boat slips, 161 dry storage slips for boats, tennis courts and a swimming pool. There are a total of 150 employees who work around the year to provide top amenities to members and guests.
http://www.sdyc.org/
One Design Class Profile: 29er
Youth sailing traditionally has been in dinghies designed 60 years ago with very few updates or improvements. The 29er changed all that when it was introduced in 1998 by acclaimed naval architect Julian Bethwaite. A high performance skiff aimed at young sailors, the 29er represents the future of the sport.
The Boat: The Next Big Thing
Skiff sailing has been popular down under in Australia and New Zealand for years in boats such as the International 14, Cherub Skuff and Aussie 18. These boats differ from the traditional dinghy hull design (such as 470, 5o5, etc.) having a very narrow bow entry, narrow hull with a flat exit and often-large wings that extend off the main hull. Skiffs have a large sail area for the size of the hull and rely on crew placement on a trapeze (sometimes skipper as well) to keep the boat flat. They will plane very quickly and can reach high speeds.
The 29er was developed from the 49er class as a youth trainer. It replaced the Laser 2 at ISAF Youth Worlds when it was introduced. Hull weight is a measly 150lbs, absolutely nothing for a 14’ boat. It gets its 5’7” width from the wings off the center hull. Sail area is 142 square feet for main and jib with a fractional asymmetrical spinnaker adding another 181 square feet of sail. The jib is self tacking, leaving the crew to manage main trim upwind.
Minimal hull weight is achieved by a fiberglass-reinforced polyester (GRP) and closed cell foam sandwich. The mast is constructed in three parts; aluminum mid and bottom sections and a lightweight fiberglass tip to reduce weight and increase mast flexion at the tip. Sails are made from Mylar and spinnaker from Nylon.
Former college sailor and current 29er sailor Dan Goldman loves the competition and speed of the 29er, “The boat is fun to sail because it is fast and challenging. The most challenging part [of 29er sailing] is keeping the boat upright in 20+ knots [of wind].”
Set Up and Sailing: Fast and Wet
The 29er is easily set up by two people and can go from the trailer to the water in a matter of minutes. The rig is light and tall; to step it the shroud adjusters are pinned to the chain plates, the mast butt is inserted into the mast step, and the mast is pulled forward and upright using the trapeze wires. From here, the boom, vang and control lines are connected and run through the appropriate blocks. A reliable set up guide can be found here (http://www.29er.org/images/stories/pdf/29er%20rigging_manual.pdf).
Weight position in the boat is important in all wind conditions. In light air, weight forward will reduce the amount of drag in the stern and cavitation off the back of the boat. As wind speed increases, moving weight back gets the bow out of waves and encourages the boat to plane. The 29er is a true skiff and likes to go fast; thusly it should be sailed fast. Upwind, stalling the boat by luffing in puffs or pinching will stop the boat quickly and should be avoided.
Because of the self-tacking jib, skipper/crew responsibilities are slightly different from a traditional double-handed boat. Sailing upwind the 29er skipper drives the boat and adjusts jib as needed and the crew trims main. Off the breeze the crew trims the gennaker and the skipper trims the main and drives. When sailing off the breeze the main should be kept trimmed to the back corner of the wing. This supports the mast and allows the boat to power up as apparent wind moves forward.
Class Association: International Acclaim
As an international class, the 29er benefits from support of organizing bodies around the world. The 2014 World Championships at CORK in Kingston, Ontario this year saw over 100 boats in three fleets from yacht clubs around the world. Class support for this boat has been huge; as the trainer for the Olympic 49er class, athlete development directly affects national team programs.
Why Sail?
The 29er brings to the table something few other, if any, classes that offer youth sailors competitive international events, fast technical sailing, and support from a large organizing body. “Fast is fun, and competing against the best in the world (C420 is NA only) is even more fun,” said Goldman. It is true, fast is fun and so is international competition. If the C420 circuit is getting a little stale, or you simply want to take a spin on a higher performance boat, the 29er is tomorrow’s youth trainer, today.
Balancing College with College Sailing
By Airwaves Writer Lydia Whiteford. We’ve all heard the classic college tagline, “between sleep, studying, and having fun, you can only pick two.” When you are also a college athlete, dedication to your sport is another variable that gets thrown into this mix. However, as I enter my final year of college, I find myself thinking that this stereotype may not be as true as people think. I believe that you can make the most out of your college experience in all aspects, even if there’s a lot on your plate. College sailors often have 30, and sometimes more, hours a week etched out of their schedules to dedicate to being on the water. So, as an experienced member of the college sailing world, I’ve compiled a “to do” list for those who are new to the game. Sooner than you think, you can find a way to juggle sailing, studies, and living your college life to the fullest.
1: Be Honest: This tip is threefold. The first person you need to be honest with is yourself. For example, if you have practice 4 days a week and regattas on weekends, are you really going to have time to take organic chemistry, head up your team’s social affairs, and sail full time on a varsity level? If you are, props to you because you might be superman. But if you don’t, that’s okay! Most people are, pun intended, in the same boat. What that means is that it is time to have a frank discussion with yourself on where you might have to allocate your time in order to be the most successful.
This brings me to my next point, which is to be honest with your coaches and professors. Make sure you keep an open dialogue with your coaches about how your classes are going; most of them uphold the popular motto that “school comes before everything.” If midterms are fast approaching and you are drowning in work, it is okay to miss a day or two of practice. It can sometimes feel like you are letting a coach or your teammates down by doing this, but that feeling can be avoided by telling your coach in advance how you are doing. A conversation on Monday that starts with, “hey coach, I have 2 papers and a test next week so I might have to miss Wednesday to go to office hours” will have a much better end result than a panicked email saying, “sorry no practice today way too much work” at the last minute. Along the same lines, it is equally important to be honest with your professors if something pops up in your athletic life that may affect your workload. I’ve found that it is valuable to discuss your extracurricular activities with your professors early, so that when the time of the season comes to head to Navy two weekends in a row, you can politely ask to be excused from a Friday class for traveling purposes without it being a surprise or sounding like an excuse. Many professors are very accommodating of college athletes, and as long as missing class does not become a habit, they are more than willing to grant you an absence if you need one.
The last group to be continually honest with are your friends. College sailors are on a different schedule than most other college athletes, and instead of having 2 halves that last 20-40 minutes each our “games” span 2 days, often for at least 6 hours a day, and most of the time they will be off campus. While this does allow for some intensely close bonding within the team, it can often leave non-sailor friends by the wayside. The best way to manage relationships with these friends when you can’t go out on the weekends is to work hard to plan other meeting times. Lunch together in the cafeteria or study sessions in the library together are great places to start until you know each other’s schedules, and then things will fall into place more easily as long as both parties understand the limits of availability.
2: Use Your Free Time Wisely: The first thing that most new college sailors will learn is that sailing takes up a lot of time. After practice, regattas, meetings, and “team bonding” every week it can soon feel like everything you do revolves around college sailing. The most important thing to remember in these times is that the more you plan ahead, the fewer nights you will spend staying up until 4 am frantically scrambling to do neglected work. Take advantage of the time you have during the day; an hour or two between class is perfect for getting some reading or studying done. Allocate days of the week so that some are for work and some are for socializing – days off of practice are usually good working days, as they are usually earlier in the week. Also, if there is a particular social event you know you won’t want to miss, know that you may have to sacrifice more of your after practice hours to studying in order to free time up. Get to know your classes to prioritize work (learn the critical art of skimming!) This will help with knowing what work will be imperative to keep up with and what can be moved around on your list.
The off-season is a critical time to keep up with good work habits, because you lose the structure of practice and regattas to keep everything moving forward. It is easy come December to think “Oh boy! No more practice for 3 hours a day! Free weekends! I will finally have time to do all the work I need to!” but often, what this quickly turns into is “Oh boy! 3 extra hours to watch Netflix! I’d usually be at practice now and it’s cold outside so just one more episode of House of Cards couldn’t hurt.” Don’t fall into this trap! Work with the free time if you have it, and before you know it, you may even be ahead on work come March when the season starts again.
Most importantly, if you start to feel overwhelmed and run-down, take a break. If you need to sleep, make sure you do! Your teammates will forgive you if you decide to stay in for a night to catch up on some rest. Coaches and professors don’t get disappointed in people who simply have too much on their plates, they only get disappointed in people who slip in performance because they clearly weren’t taking care of themselves.
3: When in Doubt, Lean on your Teammates: Sometimes the unavoidable happens, and the hectic tornado of stuff that college kids have to worry about swallows us all up. If this happens to you, don’t panic, and take some deep breaths because I have some good news for you. You have teammates, several of which are in your class and are probably going through the exact same things as you. Or, even better, you have upperclassman teammates and alumni that went through it all already and lived to tell the tale. Use these people to your advantage, and be there when they need you to be. Ask for advice when you need it, vent when you have to, and bind together to try and get over hurdles like extra hard classes or tough regatta weekends. Because, in the end, nobody knows the ups and downs of college sailing quite as well as other college sailors. Your teammates will quickly turn into family as you all try to navigate sailing, school, and social life to come out on the other end unscathed.
