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S1D Brokerage & Marketplace Spotlight:

Yale University has re-offered two fleets of 6 FJ Sailboats. These boats were thought to be sold, but since the deal fell through, they are now available at a very reasonable price.

The first fleet consists of six 1999 & 2003 Vanguard FJ’s and are $3000 each. Click HERE to see the listing.

The next fleet consists of 6 2010 LaserPerformance FJ’s @ $3500 each. Click HERE to see the listing.

 

 This is a rare opportunity to jump-start your sailing program with well cared-for boats.

 

 

https://www.sail1design.com/marketplace/add-a-listing.htm

NESSA Makes Big Changes to Team Racing Qualification System to Allow for More Sailing

By Airwaves Writer Maggie Lumkes

New England is testing out a new qualification system for High School Team Race Nationals this spring.  NESSA has changed their qualification format a few times over the past decade in an effort to best serve its large constituency.  The road to qualifying for nationals has always been tough and hard fought for kids from New England. That fact will not change, since there are only 2 berths allocated to NESSA teams for Team Racing Nationals. In New England, only making it to the qualifier is a challenge for most teams. 

This fall, at the annual meeting, a proposal was made to do away with the Wild Card Weekend system, and only have the top 8 ranked teams compete for the Mark Trophy (New England Team Race Qualifier).  Wild Card Weekend was considered to be the “last chance” regatta for teams to fill the last 4 berths for the Mark Trophy. This was voted down largely because people want more teams racing in high level races at the end of the season, not less.  In addition, the Wild Card Weekend was a little “too wild” as one coach put it.  

As a result, at that meeting, no decision was made to change the qualification system except to remove the highly controversial “Mallory Protection Clause.”  The clause granted a berth to the New England Team Race Qualifier, to a team who qualified for the Fleet Race Nationals, the Mallory Trophy. 

The idea behind the Mallory Protection Clause was originally to avoid forcing teams to choose between sailing Mallory Finals (fleet racing) or sail in the Baker Qualifier (team racing).  In reality, some of the teams who qualified for Mallory did not have the depth in their team to be a true contender for team racing.  As a result, they did poorly at the Team Race Qualifier, and bounced out other teams who may have had better success.  The real reason for making a change this year is that since only 8 teams compete for the Mark Trophy at the New England TR Qualifier, the season is over for 90% of NESSA teams in mid May. 

This spring, a meeting occurred with a few coaches from teams who are all over the map in terms of competitive ranking.  It was decided that NESSA would adopt a new system for this season. At the end of the day, only 2 teams get to attend the Baker, but the big question was “how do we get more teams to sail at a high level at the end of the season?”

The proposed answer came from long-time Tabor Academy Waterfront Director and Head Coach Rob Hurd.  In order to understand this system you first must know that NESSA has its own complicated ranking system for each eligible team in the district.  The rankings are calculated by a computer formula and by a group of people called the Selection Committee. In this system the top 20 ranked teams will be able to sail in a championship level regatta, and that is certainly better than 8. 

“Proposal: (Prep School Hockey Model): Replace the present Team Racing Format with the following:

Schools are ranked first through last using the following system. Rankings are posted on the NESSA standings site.

 

Computer Ranking: 50% of a school’s overall ranking will be tabulated by a computer program, plan L, tabulating points based upon three criteria.

                             i. One-third of the points are based upon winning percentage against NESSA schools

                             ii. One-third of the points are based upon winning percentage against this seasons “top 20” NESSA schools.

                            iii. One-third of the points are based upon a “strength of schedule” formula that takes into account your opponent’s record.

 

Selection Committee Rankings: 50% of a school’s overall ranking will be tabulated by the combined rankings of the Selection Committee, which is appointed by the NESSA president.  Members of the selection committee will rank all the schools that properly register from first to last. If there is a tie in rankings, then the selection committee ranking will break the tie.

 

Schools ranked one through eight (1-8) receive automatic bids into the NESSA Open Team Racing Championship.

 

The next six (6) ranked public schools would receive bids to the NESSA Public Team Racing Championship and the next six (6) ranked independent schools would receive bids to the NESSA Independent Team Racing Championship

 

– The top two teams at the Open Championship would advance to represent NESSA at the ISSA Team Racing Championship (Baker Trophy). 

 

– The school ranked third at the Open Championship would advance to represent NESSA at the National Invitation Tournament [formally the ACCs] (Founders Trophy) 

 

– The school that wins the Public School Championship would advance to represent NESSA at the National Invitation Tournament [formally the ACCs] (Founders Trophy) 

 

– The school that wins the Independent School Championship would advance to represent NESSA at the Atlantic Coast Challenge (Founders Trophy)”

After the season, I will report back on how the system worked, and again after the annual meeting in the fall to see what changes or improvements will be made. 

To follow the action this spring you can check out the following links:

http://nessa.hssailing.org/

http://nessa.hssailing.org/rankings

http://nessa.hssailing.org/schedule/2012-2013

Compiled & managed by Martha Pitt

10 APRIL 2013: Lots more movement in the rankings this week, after some sleeper teams have awakened at a few more team race events over the past two weeks!  Yale makes the biggest jump from 7th place in the previous rankings up to 2nd this week, after winning the SNETR and the Friis/Marchiando. We haven’t seen much team racing from College of Charleston recently, so they slipped down passed Yale and Georgetown, but are still ahead of 5th ranked BC who had some trouble at the SNETR but made up for it by finishing 2nd at the Friis/Marchiando Regatta hosted in Boston.  Tufts is also creeping their way up through the rankings, “tired of being the spoiler,” according to Coach Legler. Harvard crushed the competition at the Ferrarone and along with MIT have put themselves on the board, making it into this week’s top 15 after not having been ranked.

A few team race nationals qualifiers have already been completed – in the PCCSC Championship, Stanford dominated and finished undefeated, followed by the UHawaii Rainbows who secured the second berth with a 7-3 record. Georgetown and St. Mary’s tied at the Captain Prosser Trophy, MAISA’s qualifying event, with the Hoyas winning the tie breaker for the victory, the Seahawks taking second, and Navy taking the third and final nationals berth.

Click HERE to see the Rankings & Coach Comments

Coaching: 

Telling them ain’t learning them.  (From Gary Bodie’s grandfather)

“Make that kick,” instead of “Don’t miss.” (From Former Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson)

“Sail clean,” instead of “Don’t foul.”

If you are not improving, you are going the other way (From former NHL coach Dave Lewis)

General Success:

The team that wins is not the most brilliant; it is the team that makes the fewest mistakes.

When the crew makes a mistake; it’s the skipper’s fault.

When the skipper makes a mistake; it’s the crew’s fault.

Sail from the dock to the starting line like it’s a race.  (From Jonathan McKee)               

Starting:

Pay close attention to the shifts, lulls and puffs on your final approach.

Find the line.

Start where the others are not.

Speed:

Mast forward for power, mast back for speed. (From Dave Ullman)

Speed through the turns is half the speed game in college sailing.

Over tack and hike immediately in the heading puff.

Whenever the boat is downspeed, such as pre-start, the crew steers with weight and trim.

Tacking when overpowered is slow, tacking when underpowered is fast.

Strategy:

Strategy is good, tactics are evil.

Play the favored side of the fleet, not the corner of the course.

Foot in the big lifts.

If you are in a 40 degree lift and you get a ten degree header, you are still lifted.

Aim your bow at the mark. (From former coach Joe Duplin)

Lateral Separation is better on the long run leg.

At a crowded weather mark, overlay the mark and the traffic.

 

Tactics:

When boat A hails “starboard” to boat B, boat C gains.

Never get fouled.

Sit down, danger lurks to leeward.

The passing lane is outside the wake.

At a crowded leeward mark, slow up to win.

Round the gate mark with the path of least resistance. (From Dave Ullman)

 

Current:

Unlike the wind; the current is a known variable.

100’ of drift in 1 minute equals 1 knot of current.

Overcompensate for current as others under compensate.

 

Team Racing:

The team that wins the most team races is not the best team racing team, it’s the best team.

Fleet racing principles, especially speed, wins 75% of team races.

First place alone does not make a winning combination.

Calling out the play not only tells the other team what to do, it tells them when to do it, as in immediately.

Soccer coach: Don’t wait for the ball to come to you, go to the ball.

Team racing coach: Don’t wait for the play to come to you, go to the play.

Pass your guy. (From former TR World champ Tim Wadlow)

To control your opponent’s boat, you must first control your own boat.

To control your opponent’s mind, you must first control your own mind.

               
Travel safety:

What time you arrive at a regatta is not a function of how fast you

drive, it is a function of what time you leave.

Avoid the three deadly D’s: Drunk, drowsy, distracted.

 

Personal risk management:

Never, ever break two laws simultaneously.