August 11, 2014
LaserPerformance Collegiate Cup Challenges Best College Sailors From Around the World
LaserPerformance is proud to announce the launch of the LaserPerformance Collegiate Cup (LPCC). The LaserPerformance Collegiate Cup is a global invitational event that challenges the best university sailors, and the best teams, from around the world to represent their countries in head to head competition.
The first global LPCC will be held in August of 2015. Hosted by Yale University under the auspices of the Intercollegiate Sailing Association (ICSA), the inaugural LPCC will be governed by ICSA rules.
With the assistance of ISAF’s “Connect to Sail” program, the LPCC will endeavor to reach out and invite college and university sailors from as many countries as is possible.
“We are thrilled to offer college-age sailors the chance to compete as a team for their country against the best collegiate sailors in the world,” explains Bill Crane from LaserPerformance. “Our intent is to have this annual event continue for years to come both spreading the benefits of college sailing and to provide access to the sport of sailing itself.”
Up to 12 teams, each with 6 or more sailors ages 18-25, will compete for their countries in LaserPerformance’s double handed Z420s! The event will include a practice day, a team race clinic and 3 days of competition in which teams are challenged with a mix of team racing and fleet racing. The winning team will receive a brand new LaserPerformance Z420 in addition to the Collegiate Cup.
In many countries, college sailing has gained popularity with its accessible, fast-paced and exciting sailing competitions. College sailing offers the chance to practice and race against the top in any one country… and now the chance to race against the best in the world.
Countries with existing collegiate sailing associations will be offered invitations for their best performing team. LaserPerformance will invite other countries, (those who do not have organized collegiate dinghy racing), who are able to organize teams to join the competition and to test their meddle in a game that is as much about winning as it is about cultural interaction.
Yale University’s Head Sailing Coach Zack Leonard says, “International racing offers young sailors not only the chance to compete at the highest level but the opportunity to learn from a group of people with diverse sailing backgrounds. This is the type of event that young sailors will keep with them for the rest of their sailing careers and their lives.”
More event information and documents will be available soon at www.laserperformance.com.
To view the Z420 go to http://shopna.laserperformance.com/z420/.
Blog
Zim 15
INTRODUCING THE ZIM 15 – MOVING DINGHY SAILING FORWARD!!!
Check out Sail!Design’s Sail Test of the Zim 15!
Over the past two and a half years the collegiate and post collegiate market has changed quite a bit. While other companies worked to freshen up the 420, the Zim team was not content to put a new deck on a boat designed in 1959. These introductions are not new, but based on old designs and old technology. The market deserves better! We enlisted the expertise of long time performance sailor and former owner of Vanguard Sailboats, Steve Clark, to design a new “forward thinking dinghy” using the technology of today. Over the past several years, ex college sailors have been settling for slow keelboats or expensive one design classes after graduation. The North American small sailboat marketplace is eager for a performance based dinghy that is a blast to sail. The Zim 15 is all new cutting edge technology for production sailboats and will move dinghy sailing forward.
THE TARGET MARKET:
We designed the Zim 15 as a performance dinghy for the 20-30 year olds looking for more excitement. The high drop off rate after college is not new, and we feel a more exciting product will help keep more young sailors on the water. The Zim 15 will appeal to the growing team race market as well as being a great boat to fleet race. The Zim 15 is the perfect boat for yacht clubs to purchase fleets and provide organized team and fleet racing. This model will provide outstanding value to young members. The tunable rig and large sail plan will raise and widen the competitive weight range of the sailors relative to other products, making the boat a far more favorable option with a broader appeal.
FEATURES AND BENEFITS:
• The typical rolled lip hull to deck joint, which is highly prone to stress cracks, has been eliminated.
• The rig, designed by Southern Spars pushes development to a new level. The spars and sails, designed by North Sails, have been tuned with complex modeling software to provide spar to sail synergy.
• The mast is designed with specific flex characteristics that enable a large upwind sail plan without the boat being heavily overpowered in higher wind speeds.
• The large sail plan increases the boats potential performance off the wind eliminating the need for a spinnaker or genniker.
• The gnav strut and cunningham are the primary sail controls and are led to the thwart between the sailors for easy adjustment.
• Mast & sail combination is very tunable relative to the current boats in the marketplace. The ability to adjust the rig tension while sailing will allow the boat to be powered up or depowered easily.
• The incorporation of the dangly pole in not only to be used as a whisker pole downwind but greatly improves the jib effectiveness upwind and reaching while keeping the crew more engaged.
• The integrated bow and corner bumpers will provide additional durability.
• Pivoting rudder blade without using a rudder head.
• We have included the ability to raise the centerboard pivot position. This reduces draft and moves the center of effort closer to the waterline. Lighter teams will be able to “reef” the centerboard as part of de powering in fresh conditions and allow for a wider crew weigh range.
CONSTRUCTION:
The Zim 15 is built using a fully cored resin infusion process. This allows a very repeatable build in terms of quality and boat weight while reducing the styrene emission and exposure for the workers. The hull to deck joint is bonded with Plexus to ensure maximum strength and durability. The foam core enables a far stiffer panel to weight ratio relative to non-cored laminates. In short, the construction process is environmentally friendly and will provide a very stiff and light boat that will stand up to the demands of today’s performance dinghy sailor.
Builder site: http://www.zimsailing.com/zim-15.html
Sail1Design SailTest: The Zim 15
By Airwaves writer John Storck
Recently, I had the opportunity to take the new Zim 15 out for a test sail. The whole experience was pretty cool, as the Zim team assembled sailors, boat designers, and sail makers at their “super secret test site” for a great afternoon.
Post by Chuck Allen.
When we arrived at the site, we found Steve Perry (founder and President of Zim Sailboats) beginning to rig the boat, and so we walked down to help out. At first glance, the boat seemed way more complex than what I anticipated. I suppose my first mistake was having a preconceived idea that had me comparing it to my beloved V15. It is nothing like a V15. The mast is more similar to a 49er than the aluminum telephone poles that we are so used to in U.S. dinghy sailing. And the rigging is also much more advanced, with a pretty sleek control area at the base of the mast, as well as the cunningham and vang being led back to a place where either the skipper or crew can easily manage them, which is really important given the higher performance design of the rig and sails.
As more people showed up, including Bob Adam (VP of Sales at Zim) and Steve Clark (designer of the Zim 15), there was a definite excitement in the air. It was clear that these guys were as fully committed to this project as anyone can be about anything. They also stressed to us that all of the rigging was still open to change, and encouraged us to give them any feedback that we could. After a few more short discussions about the plan, we put the boat in the water.
It was a long sail out of a river into the Mount Hope Bay on a breezy afternoon. Inside of the river, conditions were flat and shifty, and the boat was very responsive; tacking extremely fast. Out in the bay, conditions were windy and wavy. The boat didn’t seem to enjoy those conditions as well, but if you were sailing against a bunch of other Zim 15s it would still be fun. I should also keep in mind that we have no experience sailing this boat, and were likely doing some small things very wrong. Off the breeze, the boat performed about the same as a V15 would.
More apparent was the higher degree of technical challenge. The skiff-style rig, square-top main, “dangle-pole” to change the jib profile, and other rigging controls all lead to a sailing experience that is far less dumbed-down and much more comparable to the modern world of sailboat racing. Racing this boat will be more of a mental exercise in changing gears than what most young adults are used to. I know that was part of the goal when Steve Clark designed this boat, feeling that we needed to keep people engaged.
You don’t have to go far in the sailing community to stumble upon a discussion regarding the participation drop off post-college in our sport. Stay in that discussion 30 seconds longer and you’re likely to hear a few profoundly delivered opinions on how to change that reality. I don’t know what is necessarily going to swing the tide on that problem, but I commend the Zim team for trying to do something about it. I have no idea whether or not their project will succeed, but it’s good news for all of us that they’re trying.
Obviously there’s been a lot of discussion about the V15 lately. I think it would be a mistake to compare these two boats. I also wouldn’t be surprised if both boats could have a vibrant future, existing in very different ways within the sport. The Zim 15 is being targeted for Yacht Clubs and other organizations, as a fleet of exciting boats to be raced by and attract young members. I actually think that it could be a great fit there. On the other side, as good as provided boat sailing is, it is exclusive in its very nature. The grassroots type of sailing that the V15 once was will never exist in the world of provided boat sailing because of that exclusivity- there’s only so many boats. So perhaps the answer for what’s next is more than just one thing.
Club 420 Class Triple Crown 2014 Results
Sly and Morgan Dominate the c420 Triple Crown Series
New Bedford, MA (August 3, 2014) — Martina Sly and Ian Morgan are having the summer of their lives. Sly and Morgan are unstoppable winning every regatta they have sailed in this summer. The duo dominated the c420 Triple Crown series by wining New England’s, North American’s and now the Buzzard’s Bay Regatta. They have shown tremendous speed and smarts through all conditions as they battle the countries best c420 sailors. Sly and Morgan were awarded their triple crown medals with the humble poise they have approached every regatta.
The 2014 Triple Crown is the 2nd year the series has been sailed. The series consisted of 4 major regattas throughout the summer with the top 3 finishes gaining points. The point system weighted the c420 nationals in San Diego and the c420 North Americans in Brant Beach NJ as higher point values. This year 170 boats earned points towards the Triple Crown.
The top 5 Teams in the Triple Crown Standings:
- Martina Sly/ Ian Morgan 80 pts.
- Thomas Walden/ William Hundahl 48pts.*
- Matthew Safford/ Griffin Webber 48pts.
- Carter Pemberton/ William Cannistraro 43 pts.
- Scott Sinks/ Rebecca McElvain 40pts.
- Won Tie Breaker by finishing better at BBR
Complete Results can be found at: http://www.club420.org/resultsProcess/results.php
420 Class: Club, Collegiate = Win, Win
420 Class: Club Versus Collegiate By Airwaves writer Tyler Colvin
As one of the most highly utilized youth training boats in North America, the 420 was designed in the mid 20th century as a stepping stone for the Olympic 470 class (www.usi420.org). Since its introduction into the youth sailing community, two popular variations on the design have risen to the forefront of modern junior sailing. The Club 420 is possibly the most popular youth double-handed boats on the continent (closely followed by the Flying Junior, or FJ), and Collegiate 420 following suit as one of the most popular boats among collegiate programs in the United States.
The Boat: Club 420, Youth Sailing Staple
Throughout junior sailing programs in the country you will find various vintages of Club 420s with half a dozen popular manufacturers that have come and gone over the years. Club 420s are everywhere, with nearly 8000 hulls produced to date.
Recently, the C420 North American Championships were held at Brant Beach Yacht Club in New Jersey and had a showing of 113 boats from yacht clubs and junior sailing programs across the country. These ranged from Pleon Yacht Club in Marblehead, Massachusetts (the only youth run program in the country www.pleon.org) to San Francisco Yacht Club, Chicago Yacht Club, Larchmont Yacht Club and Annapolis Yacht Club to name several.
A youth sailing staple, most veterans of junior sailing or youth learn-to-sail programs have stepped foot in, crashed and inevitably capsized a C420. Designed to be easy enough for beginner sailors to master the basics, yet fast enough to maintain the interest of budding All-Americans, the C420 is a mix of simplicity and technicality. Weighing in at a modest 230lbs, the 13’9” long, 5’4” wide dinghy has a single trapeze, centerboard and has a sail plan (main and jib) of nearly 141 square feet (236 square feet with spinnaker). Construction is glass-reinforced plastic (GRP) with an aluminum rig, metal side stays and Dacron main and jib. Optimum sailing weight is around 270lbs for skipper and crew combined, although lighter or heavier boats can be just as competitive.
The Boat: Collegiate 420, College Sailing
The recent increase in interest in sailing as a collegiate sport can be attributed to several factors. These include the willingness of student run organizations to fund sports clubs, the desire of schools to show diversity in their available activities and alumni donations making expansions of small teams possible.
Most teams exist on the club level with funding coming from these generous alumni, club sport governing bodies and athlete dues. All of these factors require the involvement of as many students as possible, to become future alumni, demonstrate high participation numbers to governing bodies and encourage large numbers of dues paying athletes. Thusly, many club teams thrive on introducing new sailors to the sport on a steep learning curve and encourage them to go to events on the weekends.
A boat for new sailors and veterans of junior sailing circuits, the Collegiate 420 is a stripped down version of the Club 420 in an effort to not overwhelm new sailors or school sailing team budgets. No trapezes or spinnaker, a simpler mainsheet and heavier duty construction, the Collegiate 420 is a different animal than the Club 420. Optimum weight is still around 270lbs however due to the inability to tune many of the normal rig adjustments, emphasis is put a lot on light, medium and heavy air crews to keep the boat powered up and flat.
Set-Up and Sailing: Club 420
Tuning the Club 420 is fairly simple with only a handful of adjustments to the rig. The main areas of concern are mast rake, rig tension and mainsheet bridle height. Mast rake is adjusted from the side stays where pins in the adjustable chain plates can be moved up or down accordingly. Rig tension is administered by pulling on more or less jib halyard tension. Because the jib has a contained luff wire, as tension is pulled on it takes up the tension from the forestay and tightens the rig. Mast butt position, while adjustable, is never adjusted. Bridle height changes the angle at which the boom is sheeted as well as leech tension while sheeting. Reliable tuning guides can be found on the North Sails website (http://www.club420.org/PAGES/Library/tuningGuide.htm).
Upwind the C420 is very weight conscious. This puts a premium on crew weight position in the boat as well as constant sail trim. An oversized rudder makes over steering through maneuvers slow and violent. In light air, the skipper and crew weight wants to be forward and together as much as possible. It is important to get the boat moving well before trying to point high. As breeze increases, the sooner the crew can get out on the trapeze the better; this powers up the sails and gives a very noticeable increase in speed. In full trapping conditions the boat will plane easily upwind and skipper and crew should work in tandem to keep the boat as flat as possible.
Off of the wind the boat is sailed best under spinnaker with the sail full and out in front of the boat. Skipper and crew roles switch so crew can see the sail while skipper balances the boat and trims the main accordingly. Medium to heavy wind conditions will allow the crew to trap while trimming the spinnaker, which are the fastest points of sail for the boat.
Sailing the Collegiate 420
Collegiate 420s involve much less set up than their Club cousins. This comes to the surprise of many former junior sailors who are used to going through the motions of checking rake, tension and the myriad of other tasks associated with the C420 circuit. Most college fleets are tuned to be identical in these aspects and changing them during racing is prohibited. There is no bridle to adjust as well, so sheeting is done from a block mounted directly on the centerboard trunk; that being said, there are ways to power up and change the geometry of the collegiate rig.
Because stays are fixed, mast rake can only be adjusted through jib halyard tension. The luff wire in the jib controls the amount that the mast moves forward and back, something easily seen when initially pulling tension on the halyard. Reducing the amount of mast rake, that is to say putting the mast tip more forward, involves pulling on more jib halyard. Taking tension off rakes the mast back and reduces the power of the rig.
Sailing the Collegiate 420 is not much different than the C420 besides the lack of trapeze. Crews must get out and hike as soon as wind speeds allow and skippers must drive the boat off the power of the main, which is significantly larger than the jib. Collegiate boats are known for going through several crews over the course of a weekend regatta in order to optimize weight for the conditions on hand. Heavier crews keep the boat flatter in more wind, lighter crews allow for hiking in less wind and reduce combined weight. Off wind without the spinnaker is conducted by going “wing on wing”, which involves having the jib and main on opposite sides of the sail to optimize the sail area of the boat.
Class Associations: Leading the Charge
The C420 class association is large, active and has a very strong support system. Because so many of the boats (nearly 8000) are being sailed today, most junior sailing events are conducted in private or club owned C420s. Well organized championship events such as Nationals and North Americans attract hundreds of the top boats from around the country and across the continent. A well laid out website is straight forward and helpful with calendars of events, classifieds and tuning guides (http://www.club420.org/). It would not be possible for such a large and diversified class to flourish without the help of such an involved class association from regional to national levels.
Collegiate 420s are sailed in, well, college, and the Interscholastic Collegiate Sailing Association is in charge of governing all college sailing. It is comprised of current and former college sailors and coaches who meet several times a year to discuss events, regulations and policy. Seasons run from early September to mid November, and again from January to June with national championships sailed at the end of each in six different disciplines.
Why Sail a 420? Rather, Why Not?
Of the limited number of youth training boats that are currently in use, what the 420 brings to the table is unmatched. Affordable at under $10k for new boat with trailer, or under $6500 for a competitive used boat, the C420 provides many years of fast and fun sailing from learn to sail to national championships. A large organized class association and the popularity of the boats ensures relevance in years to come and helps maintain value of the boat longer. Additionally, because of the popularity of the Collegiate 420 in college sailing, the C420 prepares future All-Americans for success in the most competitive one design stage in the country. The C420 is the top choice for youth trainers.
Vanguard 15 Elegy Rebuttal: I Ain't Dead Yet
By guest writer Mike O’Connor. This article is in response to our recent post: Elegy For the V15; Good Things End, But That’s OK
I would not write off a one design fleet that has regattas with 30 boats on the line just yet. It is true that numbers are not what they once were in certain areas, but there still are thriving V15 fleets out there, including: Annapolis, who just wrapped up a successful team race event, San Fran maintaining an active fleet, Nashville growing and stepping up as evidenced by their hosting Nationals in October, and Larchmont who has already booked two regattas with 30+ boats and two more regattas on the schedule. Fleets are still active and while new boats aren’t rolling off the racks (ahem LaserPerformance) there still remains a vibrant community of dedicated racers who love the boat.
From my own experience running Larchmont’s program I can attest that we are currently experiencing a surge in V15 participation this year. Our standard Sunday series has averaged 15 boats a week, and our two most recent fleet race regattas both netted 30+ participants. Both of these recent regattas saw several young college faces who were first time racers in the fleet. True these numbers are far off the Buzzards 80+ and Wianno Midsummah’s days (both venues I crashed in the car for); however all the fleet needs is a little creativity and boat manufacturing to start drawing people back.
Sailors and boat builders are constantly agonizing over the decline of the V15 and searching for its replacement for the fresh out of college crowd, but what’s wrong with the V15? There are just about 2000 in existence. From a price standpoint they provide much more bang for your buck than the other fleets being contemplated. A used V15 can be had for 1K to 3K right now perfect for the fresh out of college crowd. It seems less likely that parents will pony up $11,000 for a new “whatevers next boat” vs. paying the cheap price of a used V15, and as every long term V15 racer out there knows the most important factor in winning is often times simply a new set of sails (roughly $1K). So set a google alert and watch as the advertisements under $3K roll in. Also, check out V15’s for sale on Sail1Design’s Marketplace. Once set up with a boat and some fresh sails all it takes is a little searching to find your local fleet and get out on the water. Hint: you can find them in San Fran, NYC (Larchmont), Chicago, Marblehead, Newport, Nashville, and Annapolis just to name a few.
In a recent article John Storck (an old jr. sailing friend of mine) hit the nail on the head when he speaks of the fun and social attitude as being what we all loved the most about the good old days of V15 racing. With just a bit of creativity and drive we can get that back. The main issue with the fleet (outside of the economic downturn but that is a discussion for an economics class) is that it became almost a “professional” atmosphere that ultimately drove out the casual racer and non-all American college crowd. Lots of folks stopped wanting to travel to get smoked by the top guns and as a result stayed home in their local fleets which drove down national participation. People are still out there racing the V15 and I would propose some simple steps to get the fleet back on track:
- Get creative with formats: The 2vs.2 team race was a hit because it was fun, social, different, and also pairs people up randomly so everyone feels included and levels the playing field. LYC runs their June fleet race event college(A/B) style with docks to change off of which promotes everyone meeting and hanging out. This past June LYC had 18 teams (36 total skippers) out to race with only 10 of those skippers owning a V15 of their very own. The beauty of the event is that by doubling up you can loan out 1 boat to two people and maximize your exposure and bring in new skippers. These types of events are key to rekindling fleet morale.
- Advertise to new sailors: Hitting the standard college crowd is important but there are others out there as well. What about the Female Racers? Each year you have dozens of female skippers graduate from the college ranks but they don’t end up in V15’s. LYC ran a first time ever Women’s only event with 3 weeks notice last year and we netted 10 signups with minimal prep time. Of that group 5 have joined the LYC fleet this summer. What about parent/child race days? Parents are the ones with the cash so you get a parent/child team who has a blast and I guarantee you will see a new boat on the line the next weekend. So coordinate with your Jr. Program directors or talk to Head Instructors and get the young kids out racing.
- Coordinate between the fleets. This one is important and easier said than done but we need to organize a Fleet Captain counsel to get everyone connected and on the same page. Lack of communication between the fleets has contributed to the overall malaise and improving lines of communication will help build back momentum.
- Have FUN! A bit corny but true… how often did you hear these words as a Jr. Sailor and they still have merit. We sail because it’s fun so toss some beers from the committee boat, have some BBQ’s, free hot dogs whatever but happy sailors are participating sailors so make sure not to forget the fun.
While the national events have been impacted by a lack of travel, the V15 still remains the cheapest and best option for someone looking to get out on the water and racing. Why tear down and build from scratch when the V15 has proven to be a fun, competitive, and social fleet for the past two decades? I’m looking forward to the future and am positive that with just a little push we can continue moving the class forward, and if you need proof come to LYC. I’ll hook you up with a boat for the day and beers will be on me.
~Mike O’Connor (no, not the Harvard coach)
#1327
