December 8, 2014-FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Viper 640 Class Association has continually emphasized providing a contemporary website to support a modern growing class. From its founding the Class was launched with an interactive website that allowed all of our members and prospective members to access information, share stories, share boat tuning tips, and engage in friendly banter on the Class forums. Deservedly, the Class website (www.Viper640.org) has won various awards including One-Design Class Website of the Year. However, the Viper Class has not rested on its laurels. Web technology is continuously evolving and so is the Viper Class. The growth of the Class as an international organization with fleets in Europe and Australia in addition to the USA, Canada, and the Caribbean, has presented us with the opportunity to upgrade our website and build a global platform.
The Class Association retained Strawberry Marketing to develop a new website for the Class. The redesigned Viper640.ort website was launched on December 8, 2014. The new site combines a modern visual presentation of the Class, more user-friendly, intuitive navigation, and easier inputting of member-generated content. The Class is appreciative of the effort by David and Danielle Pitman and Oriana Humphryes from Strawberry Marketing for their brilliant creative and technical workmanship. The Class would also to thank Fletcher Boland, Chairman of the Viper 640 Web Committee and professional website designer, and immediate past Class President Peter for the many hours they put in on behalf of the Class. Finally, the Class would like to thank Rondar Raceboats and EFG International who made it financially possible to upgrade the site to such a high standard.
The new website has arrived in time for a very exciting 2015 sailing season around the world. The Viper season starts in January in Sydney Australia with the Australian National Sports Boat Championship, an EFG Viper 640 Pan-American Championship qualifier regatta. It includes the Florida winter series in Sarasota, the EFG Viper Pan-American Championships in March in Miami, Long Beach Race Week in California, the Euro Cup on Lake Garda, Italy, the Canadian Championships in Kingston Ontario, a series of championship regattas in the UK, and October’s Viper 640 North American Championships just outside New York City in Larchmont, New York.
The Class looks forward to seeing old and new class members in 2015, including David and Danielle Pitman who were so impressed by the content of the new website that they have gone and ordered a new Viper for themselves.
Blog
Staying Fit in the Off Season
By Airwaves writer Lydia Whiteford
With all of the regattas over and Thanksgiving break behind us, college sailors all across America are officially done with their fall seasons. For the moment, all we have to worry about is preparing for our final exams and picking out Christmas gifts. However, time moves quickly and the frigid spring season is just around the corner. For most of us the winter months are considered cherished time off, but it is important to remember that this is also prime time to get into tip top shape so we can be as prepared as possible for the kick-off in the spring.
For most schools, the first regatta of the season is the first weekend in March, but many schools start practicing as early as January or February. The spring season is often cold, and full of fronts that make it windier than the milder fall. If you’re not careful or prepared, it is easy to pull or otherwise damage rusty hiking muscles, and that could result in an injury that could ruin your whole season. Spring is also the time for team racing, which is fast-paced and labor intensive, so being in the best shape possible only adds an advantage for you over your opponents. These are my best tips for keeping active and preparing for the amped up season to come.
- Come up with a Regimen– The schedule in the winter is much more stable for many college sailors than it is when we are in season. During winter break, many people have up to a month off with no school to worry about, and in the interim between seasons the 3-4 hours a day that were previously occupied by practice are opened up. What this really means is we no longer have an excuse to neglect our gym memberships. I find it helpful to incorporate those now empty hours into a new routine, and keep a regimen that is easy to follow but variable enough that it won’t get too boring. I’ve found its really important to mix in as much cardio as possible, because lifting weights all winter will likely lead to weight gain that you might not want to have in your boat when the season actually starts. Here are some things that I like to do, which are slightly more crew specific because that’s what I know best.
Running (20–40 minute intervals)-I find this to be one of the best ways to get into shape because you can go at any pace you want, and nothing’s better for keeping all of your leg muscles conditioned.
Biking: (45-1 hour intervals)- This is my favorite alternative for running, because it focuses a lot of time on your quads and can strengthen them without weights.
Swimming: (30-45 minute intervals) – This is another excellent cardio option, because it gives every muscle an intense workout while being easy on your joints. This is especially good for crews, who often develop knee or back problems just from the way they handle the boat. Also, when you are swimming you can pretend that you are in the ocean and that it’s not the middle of winter.
Abs: (varying intervals) – The one thing I consider the most important in my ab workouts is remembering to alternate exercises. This is best achieved by creating a mini-regimen for yourself depending on the days. For example, one day maybe you do a plank, sit-up, side crunch circuit one day and then a totally different set of exercises the next day. The goal is to get in as many reps as you can, while also targeting as many different areas of your abdominals as you can.
- Find a Workout Partner: Everyone has experienced the struggle of knowing you need to go to the gym, but also knowing there’s a “Friends” marathon on TBS that you really can’t miss. The best cure for this is to find someone to workout with you, so that you have an obligation to go to the gym. Also, working out with a buddy makes it more fun! You can do exercises for pairs; take a class, run races, anything that makes you get off the couch. It’s always fun to meet and surpass goals, and having another person alongside you to do that means you always have someone to push you when you’re down and congratulate you when you hit a new peak.
- Stay Healthy: Winter break is a priceless amount of off time for college sailors. It is one of the only opportunities we have where we don’t have classes, practice, or regattas to worry about. As a result, it is important to take full advantage of this time to catch up on sleep, eat well, and relax so that your body can be at its healthiest when you return to school and to sailing. In the spring, air and water temperatures are frequently below freezing and if your body is ill prepared, it can spell sickness or injury very easily. So, the biggest piece of advice I have for college sailors during these precious weeks off is to confirm to them that it is okay to not think about sailing for a little while, if you need to focus purely on improving yourself first. We devote so much of ourselves to our sport that needing to take a little time off during the winter is only natural, and often it will make you a more refreshed and ready sailor come spring time if you intentionally use this time to pursue other interests and keep yourself healthy.
Hopefully, this article is helpful in reminding college sailors everywhere that staying in shape is critical for a good performance in the spring. Granted, many of the exercises I’ve recommended are crew specific, and maybe they’re even me specific. This is not a rigid list, and there are all sorts of useful types of exercise that you can do that I haven’t listed. The best resource for motivation are those around you who know what you need – teammates, coaches, and family members all make excellent work out partners and resources for new things to do when you feel like you’re in a rut. And, as always, the most important thing to remember is that any exercise is productive exercise!
DN Iceboat
The DN name originates from Detroit News, where the DN was first designed and built in the winter of 1936-1937. It was built in a hobby shop at Detroit News to fulfill the demand for a simple and affordable ice yacht. Since then, the boat has evolved considerably, but has not strayed away from the original parameters. The wooden hull is 12 ft in length and sits atop of an 8 ft wide beam known as the runner plank. Unlike a stern-steerer, the DN has a tricycle configuration, meaning that it has two runners (the steel skates that the boat rides on) aft on the outboard ends of the plank, and one steering runner forward at the very bow. Many newer boats feature upgrades such as lengthened insert runners and an extremely flexible carbon-fiber mast. The mast is 16 ft tall, allowing for a mainsail area of 60 sq ft, which is plenty when you’re sailing at these insane speeds.
See Sail1Design’s full article and profile on the DN HERE
DN Class:
A-Cat
The International A-Class Catamaran (A-Cat) is an ISAF international development class. It has a length of 18’, a 7.5’ beam, a minimum weight of 165lbs, and 20 square meters of sail (Peter Johnstone). Power-wise, the A-Cat is among the leaders for its size. Upwind comfortably at well over 10 knots and downwind over 20 (knots), the A-Cat is one of the quickest boats around. All major components are carbon fiber allowing it to weigh in less than almost any other boat of its size or smaller, multi or mono-hulled. Larger than a Laser at nearly the same weight, the A-Cat is easily rigged and launched in less time than it will take to read this article.
The rig is a single square top main on a carbon mast with a single trapeze wire. Sails are usually made out of carbon or Kevlar fiber laminates to maximize stiffness while maintaining its ultra light status. Hulls are typically (on modern boats) with a carbon skin over a nomex honeycomb core. All of the current advancements, carbon fiber parts, square top mains and hull design, stems from the developmental nature of the class. Owners are encouraged to experiment with designs on the boat in an attempt to achieve even more speed. For these reasons, amongst others, the A-Cat is widely regarded as the fastest single-handed dinghy currently in production.
Recently A-Cats have followed the high performance catamaran track and started foiling. The trickle down effect of technology from the America’s Cup has resulted in the ability to consistently produce high quality, reliable foils that make foiling significantly easier than many other foiling boats (such as the moth).
See our full class profile here
Here’s the Class Page:
One-Design Class Profile: DN Iceboat
By Airwaves writer Eric Tobias
Your sailing season doesn’t have to end just because it’s getting cold outside. In fact, for many racers, when December comes around the season is just getting started. We’ve all seen the AC 72s sail at over 40 knots. Now imagine the extreme exhilaration of sailing faster than that, laying on your back in a luge-style cockpit, tiller on your chest, mainsheet cranked in hard, wind screaming past your telltales, ice skimming by in a blur underneath you, and 30 other boats converging on the same leeward mark. There’s no other rush quite like it. Actually, for many iceboaters, the regular (or “soft water”) sailing season is just a temporary fix to get through the summer until that first sheet of immaculately smooth black ice freezes over, providing the perfect venue to feed the adrenaline addiction once again. Look no further than the DN to be the gateway to introduce you to the addiction of sailing on ice.
Remember from high school physics class, when they mentioned an object in motion in a frictionless environment? This is what they were talking about. With iceboating you pretty much remove the drag factor completely from the equation. In an iceboat, the faster you sail, the greater your apparent wind, and the more you accelerate with nothing holding you back. Basically, the faster you go, the faster you go. Ease out for the puff? No. Trim harder, watch the mast bend and feel the boat accelerate. Let the sail out downwind? No. Hopefully you can withstand the G-force of rounding the windward mark, steer down, keep the main trimmed in, and get all three runner blades back down on the ice, because in an iceboat, you’re sailing so fast that the apparent wind is always in front of you. What about the start? Forget your run-of-the-mill 5-minute sequence. Try lining up 50 boats on a literal line, half on port, half on starboard, with each skipper outside of the cockpit anxiously waiting to go into an all-out sprint at the drop of a checkered flag. Be sure to pick up a good pair of track spikes and a clean change of pants because DN racing is out-of-this-world awesome.
The Boat
The DN name originates from Detroit News, where the DN was first designed and built in the winter of 1936-1937. It was built in a hobby shop at Detroit News to fulfill the demand for a simple and affordable ice yacht. Since then, the boat has evolved considerably, but has not strayed away from the original parameters. The wooden hull is 12 ft in length and sits atop of an 8 ft wide beam known as the runner plank. Unlike a stern-steerer, the DN has a tricycle configuration, meaning that it has two runners (the steel skates that the boat rides on) aft on the outboard ends of the plank, and one steering runner forward at the very bow. Many newer boats feature upgrades such as lengthened insert runners and an extremely flexible carbon-fiber mast. The mast is 16 ft tall, allowing for a mainsail area of 60 sq ft, which is plenty when you’re sailing at these insane speeds.
All in all, the boat is very simple to set up and rig. It only requires one person to bolt the hull to the plank and to step the mast. Therefore, the DN can truly be considered the “Laser” of ice sailing. The portability of the boat has contributed to its worldwide popularity as well. With a hull weighing only 46 lbs, the DN can be transported easily via car-top or trailer; some people even just put them in the back of a pickup truck. Overall, the DN’s popularity, portability and simplicity make it a very practical boat to own/race if you’re looking to break the 50 kt benchmark. Actually, you can go a lot faster than that! “I’ve been clocked at 143 km/h, in Finland in 1998, which is about 89 mph,” says DN World Champion Ron Sherry. The DN includes all of this for a reasonable price of around $2500 for a competitive used setup. “It’s about the cheapest form of winter entertainment you can get. You can buy an old boat for around $300 and rip around on a lake and have a ride you’ll never forget.”
The Class
With over 5000 registered sail numbers, the DN is the world’s most popular iceboat class. The class has a strong following in North America, Europe and even Russia. The camaraderie within the class is second-to-none as well. “I always say, iceboating is 50% social and 50% racing,” says Sherry, “because there are a lot of conditions that don’t allow you to sail, so it’s important to make friends and have a good time.” Humble champions are not only willing to help others rig, but will take the time to help new sailors fine-tune their setups. Some ice sailors also take part in group boat building workshops. It’s truly a fantastic community to be a part of.
Check out the DN official class website at ice.idniyra.org. A complete tuning guide and helpful racing tips can be found at http://iceboatracing.com/. For the young aspiring ice sailors, check out the DN’s little sister, the Ice Opti http://www.iceboat.org/optis/about.html, which is a scaled-down DN rigged with an Optimist mast and sail.
Here are some other great links to introduce you to the world of iceboating:
Since iceboat racing can be a dangerous sport, it’s important to take safety precautions. Here is an informative write-up on safety from the Four Lakes Ice Yacht Club: http://iceboat.org/iceboatsafety.html
There are some important discrepancies between the iceboat racing rules and the ordinary racing rules of sailing, so be sure to brush up on the rules:
http://www.iceboat.org/bylaws.html
Find your local iceboat club; many of the clubs also have active groups on Facebook:
Wisconsin: http://www.iceboat.org/ and http://www.gliceboats.blogspot.com/
Minnesota: http://www.iceboating.net/
Michigan: http://www.gulllakeiyc.org/ and http://www.gtiyc.org/homesitemap.htm and http://www.wmiyc.org/
Ohio: http://www.tiyc.net/
New England: http://theneiya.org/
New York: http://www.iceboatlongisland.com/
New Jersey: http://www.lbibyc.org/boatclub/Home.html
Maine: http://iceboat.me/
Connecticut: https://sites.google.com/site/ciycice/
Building to the Future: How GCYSA and KO Sailing will help US Olympic Sailing
By Airwaves Writer Tyler Colvin
Technology adapts to the requirements of the people. Sailing needed some excitement and so foils were born. Occasionally however, there are advancements that outpace what the community is ready to utilize. Such is the case with the I420. The original double-handed youth trainer, the I420 is a fast, exciting and technical boat that until recently had been cast aside in North America. Enter Gulf Coast Youth Sailing Association (GCYSA) and KO Sailing who aim to reverse that trend and hope to get more of today’s upper level youth sailors into what is the premier youth trainer around the world, the I420.
With every new Olympic class come trainer classes that are created to help junior sailors bridge the gap from their learn-to-sail boat with a rig suited to their smaller size. When the International 470 was adopted as the Olympic double-handed boat in 1976, the International 420 saw an increase in popularity as it became the stepping stone into the 470 and thus, the pathway to the Olympics.
The same transition occurred in the US, but after a while, the market sought a more durable boat than the finicky I420, and the builders met that demand with the design and popularization of the Club 420. Heavier and more inexpensive to produce and sell, the Club 420 was quickly adapted by yacht club junior programs sick of doing boatwork and the nuances of caring for a high performance boat. The Club 420 was more accessible and less expensive than the I420, giving youth programs a cost effective option that was better suited for learn to sail programs, but this came at the price of performance.
“Despite having the same name and overall length, all three 420’s [Club, Collegiate, and International] are very different. The I420 has a slightly different hull shape from the Club/Collegiate, much more similar to the 470 and much lighter, thus quicker to plane. The I420 is [also] much more technical with a fully tapered mast, and you can control everything in the sail plan, basically everything you’d do in a 470. For someone who is looking to gain more experience in a more technical boat, the I420 is where you want to be” Says Sarah Lihan of GCYSA.
Lihan and GCYSA are part of the movement within US youth sailing to get the I420 back into the limelight. “On the international stage, the I420 is the double-handed boat that everybody sails. [The] I420 fosters the development of the technical and tactical skills that are required in the Olympic classes. Kids who didn’t sail the baby brother of the Olympic boats are lacking knowledge that their French, British, and Australian counterparts already have before they enter the World Cup stage. The popularization of the Club 420 did some damage in development of high level technical skills for older generations of teenagers.”
Making it all happen with Lihan at GCYSA is Mike Guerrero, helping to push the I420 agenda. “The Gulf Coast Youth Sailing Association was founded with the idea of taking [junior] sailors to the next level. [Initially] it concentrated in Lasers, but we decided to open it to a double-handed boat when we realized that many of our kids wouldn’t be big enough to sail Lasers long term. We decided on the I420, because we believe it provides the best platform to learn high performance double-handed racing.” The GCYSA fleet is parent owned and part of the challenge was to get everyone on board with the same class. Currently there are six boats in Texas with ten hopefully by the spring and as many as 15 by this time next year.
This where the GCYSA plan comes into effect, along with Mark McNamara of KO Sailing, to create a racing and training circuit around North America to make the transition into I420’s easier. “The I420 is a growing fleet [in the US] so in order to foster that growth and build regional fleets, we’d like to get as many boats in one place as possible,” said McNamara. The plan is to build the circuit around climate and trailer logistics. “The long term vision is to develop a recognized, repeating annual circuit of events:. Miami in December and January, Texas in February and March. April out in California at CISA, and then up to the Northeast for the summer,” detailed Lihan. McNamara added, “Moving the boats around as a class allows there to be more boats on the line racing against each other and ratcheting up as a country. As the class expands we would like to see a more concerted movement on the west coast [to develop their existing fleet] as well as in the Midwest.”
The I420 class, traveling together on a yearlong circuit around the US: this is the short-term goal of GCYSA and KO Sailing. As the only US distributor for I420, McNamara has already imported over 50 boats. He prefers the BlueBlue I420, which have essentially swept all the international events— like the I420 Worlds and Junior Europeans—in the past few years. He has a lot of confidence in the boat and has a full line of BlueBlue equipment as well as spars, sails, and blades from other manufacturers to optimize performance in accordance with the international standards.
Behind this push for the I420 is a dedicated group of parents, coaches, and interested parties around the country with GCYSA the latest to put forth the effort. “The addition of the I420 as the double-handed boat at US Youth Champs has been a huge move forward toward the goal. There will always be a place for the Club 420 in the US, the biggest question is how do we best work together (Club and I420) to improve American results at the Olympics and beyond.”
“I sailed 470s at the Games in London [and] before a couple months ago I had never sailed an I420.,” Lihan admitted. “I missed out on so many lessons as a teenager that I had to learn while also learning how to run an Olympic campaign, and it put me at a disadvantage. We are trying to get kids into the boat that best prepares them for their competitive future.”
“Basically we are targeting the older Optimist sailors—they have had success, they went to Nationals, they went to Team Trials, . They know what it takes to achieve success in the Opti. Our high level American coaches are trying to get the right-sized kids into the I420. The answer is talking to kids at the high-level events, kids who have the passion and ambition but are unsure of the next direction. Perhaps the most critical part is talking to the parents, convincing them why they have to buy this $10,000 boat, why they have to travel across the ocean to compete, etc. We are looking to build the domestic fleet at home to give our teenagers a competitive fleet without having to fly to France, giving them the opportunity to have high level racing in the United States.”
The boat that was before its time, the I420 has finally rediscovered its pied pipers in North American youth sailing. As an advanced trainer for the Olympics, the skills developed in the I420 also carry over nicely into the Club 420, Collegiate 420 and skiffs. Involving the parents of the advanced sailors and increasing the interest of the sailors themselves is key to this process. With KO Sailing on board now as the official BlueBlue importer in the US, GCYSA has laid the foundation for what looks to be a very successful resurgence of the I420. In doing so, the re-introduction of US sailors into the top international events shouldn’t be far behind.
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