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Sail1Designer of the Month: Ivan Shestopalov

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By Elizabeth Dudley

Sunday April 29th marked the end of the 2012 USODA KO Optimist Team Trials hosted this year by the Brant Beach Yacht Club in Brant Beach, New Jersey.

186 optimist sailors from around the country came to vie for a chance to represent the United States at the IODA World Championships, the IODA Asian Championship, the IODA European Championship, the IODA North American Championship, the Qingdao International Regatta, and the British National Championships throughout the next year.


Ivan Shestopalov, a blue fleeter from the Coral Reef Yacht Club in Miami, Florida won the event as well as a spot to the 2012 IODA World’s and has thus been named our May Sail1Designer of the Month!

A 12 year old in the 7th grade at Palmetto Middle School, Ivan was born in St. Louis Missouri but now lives and sails in Miami Florida, although his entire family is from Russia.  Ever since his older sister started sailing at the Coconut Grove Sailing Club, Ivan knew he wanted to give sailing a try.  Finally, when he turned 7, his parents signed him up for sailing lessons at the Coral Reef Yacht Club.

Ivan fell in love with the sport from the start.  He enjoyed his first summer at camp and with some encouragement from his instructors, decided to try racing in the green fleet.  Ivan’s competitive side came out even at this early stage of racing, always striving to win.  And when it came time to make the choice between sailing and other sports, as so many young sailors have to make, Ivan chose sailing.

Going in to Team Trials, Ivan’s goal was to make the European Team which meant he needed to get at least 8th place, the same goal he had in the previous year in San Francisco where he placed 17th.  If he were to make Worlds that would be an added bonus, but he never expected to win the entire event.

For the event, Ivan said he did not do anything different or special.  In fact, he arrived to Brant Beach three days later than the rest of his teammates had, as a previous trip to Argentina meant he needed to stay home and catch up on school work.

But aside from Day 2 that saw gusts in the 20’s, Ivan said the conditions of the event were very similar to Biscayne Bay where he spends the majority of his time sailing.  That it was mostly light breezes with a light to medium chop, conditions that clearly work in his favor.  Ivan said it was tricky sailing and that more often than not, one could not predict where the shifts were going to come from.


However, frustrating conditions or not, Ivan came out on top to the surprise of many, especially his parents.  About his win Ivan’s father said, “We were quite shocked with his outstanding performance at this regatta held in very demanding conditions”.

Ivan says he could not have done so well without the help from his coach Pilo Rocha.  In between every race, Pilo and Ivan would talk about what happened during the race, his mistakes, and how he could have done better.  Their conversations would also include a few words about the breeze, what it was doing, where it was shifting, and how Ivan should prepare for the next race.  Sailor and coach would meet again to talk about strategy and game plan after Ivan tested and checked out the starting line.

In general, points were not a topic of discussion for the sailor, but just before the final race of the event, Pilo let Ivan know that the top of the fleet was very tight.  And although he knew he had secured at spot at Worlds, he had no idea that at the time he was tied for first place with red fleeter Nic Muller of Lauderdale Yacht Club. Of that final conversation with Pilo Ivan says, “I was really happy that I had made worlds for certain, and that was amazing for me, but I was still a little apprehensive.  I tried not to think about winning and instead focused on my sailing.”

And with one final bullet in the 13th race of the 2012 USODA KO Optimist Team Trials, Ivan got the win by one point.  Ivan’s mental stability was easily a factor in his win and even after winning an event of this caliber, he was able to keep that clear head on his shoulders.  He says, “It is a really amazing feeling right after to realize that you just won the biggest Opti regatta of the year, but it fades away and everything returns to normal.”

When asked what advice he might give to fellow young sailors looking to be as successful as he has been, Ivan says, “Don’t give up, just keep trying.  Don’t get discouraged if at first you don’t succeed (my first Team Trials, I placed 108th).  Practice a lot, every chance you get, and try to learn from the better sailors. You’ll be surprised at how much you can pick up from being a copycat.”

Looking to the future, Ivan has 3 more years in the Opti ahead of him and he hopes to qualify for World’s again next year.  He plans on sailing for the rest of his life and feels that the Opti has provided him with “an excellent starting platform to get into other boats, and into Olympic sailing.”  He is definitely one to keep an eye on.

Congratulations Ivan, and good luck!

To learn more about Ivan, please visit his website:   

ivanshestopalov.com

Point Loma Wins US High School Sailing National Championship!

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http://www.hssailing.org/results/2012/results.html

2012 Mallory Trophy – Final Results

D. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 TOT
1 Point Loma A 4 7 2 2 2 8 7 11 7 5 3 5 4 9 7 1 2 5 2 7 100
B 1 5 8 7 10 2 3 1 1 1 11 3 3 6 5 2 9 2 2 3 85
5 17 27 36 48 58 68 80 88 94 108 116 123 138 150 153 164 171 175 185 185
2 Cathedral Catholic A 3 DSQ 7 4 5 5 12 5 12 11 1 1 2 1 2 9 8 7 6 4 129
B 10 9 2 4 12 5 1 12 14 2 2 1 2 2 9 6 3 3 3 6 108
13 46 55 63 80 90 103 120 146 159 162 164 168 171 182 197 208 218 227 237 237
3 Antilles A 9 1 3 1 4 10 13 7 8 4 8 9 3 5 1 2 5 1 3 8 105
B 6 8 RAF 5 4 10 7 2 17 3 9 4 7 1 11 7 12 12 6 1 154
15 24 49 55 63 83 103 112 137 144 161 174 184 190 202 211 228 241 250 259 259
4 Branson A 6 16 11 8 6 1 3 8 5 1 9 3 8 15 6 15 7 13 12 6 159
B 8 3 11 8 1 3 4 9 6 4 7 7 13 3 3 1 2 11 14 8 126
14 33 55 71 78 82 89 106 117 122 138 148 169

187 196 212 221 245 271 285 285
5 Newport Harbor A 1 15 5 6 16 13 17 1 11 16 11 4 16 12 11 10 1 3 16 14 199
B 5 1 1 1 2 13 2 5< /td>

7 8 10 10 1 9 2 5 5 1 7 14 109
6 22 28 35 53 79 98 104 122 146 167 181 198 219 232 247 253 257 280 308 308
6 St. Thomas Aquinas A 8 3 13 19 1 2 4 17 18 7 19 7 1 6 4 13 4 2 5 2 155
B 14 14 18 10 11 6 5 19 19 5 3 6 5 5 1 11 10 6 1 4 173
22 39 70 99 111 119 128 164 201 213 235 248 254 265 270 294 308 316 322 328 328
7 Lake Forest A 15 14 1 17 17 12 6 18 9 8 5 8 10 10 5 6 17 14 4 10 206
B 2 6 4 9 13 OCS 13 17 2 17 1 8 12 12 6 8 6 7 4 5 173
17 37 42 68 98 131 150 185 196 221 227 243 265 287 298 312 335 356 364 379 379
8 Severn School A 10 10 16 12 9 3 8 13 6 9 15 16 11 4 19 12 3 9 8 16 209
B 12 12 17 3 6 9 18 6 11 11 8 5 14 11 7 9 4 5 5 7 180
22 44 77 92 107 119 145 164 181 201 224 245 270 285 311 332 339 353 366 389 389
9 Coronado A 5 11 8 7 13 7 1 2 DSQ 15 4 10 12 3 14 18 15 15 10 1 195
B 9 19 13 6 8 17 12 10 4 7 6 14 11 15 8 16 8 16 9 11 219
14 44 65 78 99 123 136 148 176 198 208 232 255 273 295 329 352 383 402 414 414
*10 St. George’s A 17 8 20 11 3 19 14 10 2 19 10 14 15 19 13 17 11 10 14 13 259
B 4 2 9 12 3 1 20 14 10 13 15 9 6 4 4 4 7 9 8 13 167
21 31 60 83 89 109 143 167 179 211 236 259 280 303 320 341 359 378 400 426 426
*11 Greenwich A 7 6 12 3 7 15 11 6 15 20 7 2 5 16 18 7 6 6 18 17 204
B 7 7 7 15 15 15 14 3 13 16 4 12 15 10 14 12 11 10 13 9 222
14 27 46 64 86 116 141 150 178 214 225 239 259 285 317 336 353 369 400 426 426
12 Duxbury A 13 9 10 18 20 14 20 15 1 12 2 12 7 14 3 11 16 18 1 3 219
B 3 13 3 18 14 11 6 15 9 14 12 11 9 8 12 3 14 14 10 10 209
16 38 51 87 121 146 172 202 212 238 252 275 291 313 328 342 372 404 415 428 428
13 New Trier A 12 2 6 9 19 6 5 3 16 3 16 6 9 2 12 5 12 4 11 5 163
B 11 11 16 11 19 14 11 8 5 10 18 19 10 7 19 17 17 15 12 18 268
23 36 58 78 116 136 152 163 184 197 231 256 275 284 315 337 366 385 408 431 431
14 Toms River So. A 16 13 4 10 RDG 4 2 4 4 2 6 17 6 8 8 8 9 8 15 9 168
B 16 15 6 17 17 16 15 7 16 12 17 16 4 16 17 18 19 20 20 16 300
32 60 70 97 129 149 166 177 197 211 234 267 277 301 326 352 380 408 443 468 468
15 Cape Cod Academy A 2 4 14 16 14 9 16 12 10 6 13 15 18 18 9 3 10 12 9 12 222
B 17 4 15 2 7 8 10 11 8 15 13 2 17 19 15 19 18 17 16 15 248
19 27 56 74 95 112 138 161 179 200 226 243 278 315 339 361 389 418 443 470 470
16 Shorecrest Prep A 18 12 18 13 18 11 18 19 13 13 18 11 17 7 17 16 14 19 7 18 297
B 20 16 5 13 9 4 9 13 12 6 5 15 8 13 13 10 1 8 11 2 193
38 66 89 115 142 157 184 216 241 260 283 309 334 354 384 410 425 452 470 490 490
17 Christchurch School A 14 18 15 15 11 18 10 9 14 17 14 13 14 11 15 14 13 11 17 11 274
B 18 18 12 14 18 7 17 4 3 18 16 18 19 18 16 15 13 18 19 17 298
32 68 95 124 153 178 205 218 235 270 300 331 364 393 424 453 479 508 544 572 572
18 North Kitsap A 20 17 17 14 10 17 9 14 3 RDG 12 18 13 13 10 4 18 16 19 15 273
B 15 10 10 16 5 18 8 18 20 19 19 17 18 20 20 13 16 4 17 19 302
35 62 89 119 134 169 186 218 241 274 305 340 371 404 434 451 485 505 541 575 575
19 Archbishop Spalding A 11 5 9 5 12 16 15 16 19 10 17 19 20 17 16 19 19 17 13 19 294
B 13 17 14 19 16 12 16 16 15 9 14 13 16 14 10 14 15 13 15 12 283
24 46 69 93 121 149 180 212 246 265 296 328 364 395 421 454 488 518 546 577 577
20 St. Stanislaus College A 19 19 19 20 8 20 19 20 17 18 20 20 19 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 378
B 19 20 19 20 20 19 19 20 18 20 20 20 20 17 18 20 20 19 18 20 386
38 77 115 155 183 222 260 300 335 373 413 453 492 529 567 607 647 686 724 764 764

 

EIGHTEEN TEAMS QUALIFY FOR COLLEGE SAILING’S NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS

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From: [email protected]

 

Annapolis, MD (May 13, 2012) – Thirty-six college sailing teams descended on the U.S. Naval Academy this weekend for the Intercollegiate Sailing Association’s (ICSA) National Championship Semi-Finals with supporting sponsors U.S. Sailing and Marlow. The Semi-Finals were divided into two fleets, Eastern and Western each comprised of 18 teams from schools across the nation. The top nine schools in each fleet qualify to compete in the Gill/ICSA Coed Dinghy National Championship Finals June 6 – 8 in Austin, Texas.

Fourteen races were completed in both the Eastern and Western Semi-Finals on Windward/Leeward courses with the fleets rotating each day in 420s and FJs.

Sailors arrived to light winds on Saturday morning, which persisted throughout the day. Sailing was delayed until 10 a.m. in the hopes that more wind would fill in. The wind stayed light and shifty throughout the day averaging around 7 mph. Annapolis did not fail to deliver its classic motorboat chop, making the conditions that much more challenging for sailors.

Sunday brought better conditions for the sailors. The wind started from a northerly direction, but eventually shifted to the South-Southwest and built throughout the day to more than 12 mph by the afternoon.

“It was great sailing this weekend, choppy and tough competition,” says Mitch Brindley, president of the ICSA and head coach for Old Dominion University. The competition was certainly deep and teams were holding on to their spots and fighting to stay in the top nine in both fleets.

For the University of South Florida and Boston University, who won US Sailing’s GRIT award for being the final team in each group to qualify for the National Championship Finals, they had to fend off the teams just behind them who were fighting until the end for a qualifying spot.

For the teams at the top of their fleets, today was a good day and a pleasant surprise with better winds. “Today turned out to be windy with few shifts and nice waves,” says Mike Callahan, head coach for Georgetown University. Georgetown won the Eastern Semi-Final taking the lead in the regatta Sunday morning.

He says what worked in such a tough fleet was consistency. “The difference in who won races was who got off the starting line cleanly and was not called over early,” he says. Despite their positive performance this weekend, Georgetown is looking forward to getting in a lot of good practice before heading to the Finals. Callahan says the other teams are getting better and better. Georgetown sailors Chris Barnard ‘13 and Hilary Kenyon ‘13 with Leslie Cowen ‘13 sailed in A division and Evan Aras ‘12 and Katherine Canty 12 sailed B division, bringing home the win for the Hoyas.

The University of Miami won the Western Semi-Final, with sailors Nicholas Voss ‘12 and Nicole Popp ‘12 and Kara Voss ‘15 in A division and David Hernandez ‘12 and Chelsea Carlson ’13 in B division. Miami is a club team that started out four years ago not having a chance at qualifying for the Finals and this year they are true contenders, says Kay Kilpatrick, an advisor for the team.

She said today was more like Biscayne Bay, where Miami practices, but with chop thrown in. “The breeze came in and it was perfect this afternoon,” says Kilpatrick. The team is excited to be heading to Texas in just a few weeks.

Next up the University of Texas and Austin Yacht Club, June 6 – 8, 2012, will host the Gill/ICSA Coed National Championship Finals.

Congratulations to the qualifying teams:

Eastern Semi-Final

1. Georgetown University

2. Roger Williams University

3. Stanford University

4. College of Charleston

5. Old Dominion University

6. Hobart and William Smith Colleges

7. Brown University

8. Dartmouth College

9. Boston University

Western Semi-Final

1. University of Miami

2. Yale University

3. Harvard University

4. SUNY Maritime College

5. Boston College

6. University of Wisconsin

7. U.S. Naval Academy

8. Tufts University

9. University of South Florida

College Sailing Made Easy

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This is a wonderful article. College sailing is only getting bigger with so many more people getting involved. This is a sport that they enjoy their entire life. I just finished a new book “College Sailing Made Easy” on Amazon that is a good start for the new college sailor. You can also find it on www.collegesailingmadeeasy.com Enjoy!

2012 Sperry Top-Sider Charleston Race Week

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By Elizabeth Dudley

This past weekend, the ever growing three day Sperry Top -Sider Charleston Race Week was held down in Charleston, South Carolina out of the Charleston Harbor Resort and Marina.  Over 250 boats, 300 volunteers, and 2000 sailors from all over participated in the event which held starts for the Ultimate 20s, J-24s, J22s, J80s, Viper 640s, Melges 24s, Melges 20s, J111s, Tartan 10s, 7 PHRF classes, the IRC class, and the Cruising Class.

The opening beach party was held the evening of Thursday April 19th and was complete with food, music, and swag from sponsors Vineyard Vines and Goslings Rum.   Sailing then kicked off the following morning with 10am offshore starts and 11am inshore starts.  With the constant threat of rain moving in from the West and the not so ideal breeze forecasts, sailors were pleasantly surprised by sun and wind both Friday and Saturday.

Friday saw a mild morning with breeze shifting right and a killer ebbing tide that the Charleston Harbor is all too famous for.  But as the day pressed on, a solid Southeasterly kicked in that chased the clouds away and the sun came through.  As the tide began to switch, breeze topped out around 12-15 knots.  Friday evening, a beach party with live music, food, and video from T2P.TV was held at the awesome regatta village that was the beach in front of the Charleston Harbor Resort.  It could not have been a cooler set-up.

Saturday turned into a similar day as Friday for the inshore courses, although the breeze shifted even farther to the East.  Offshore, breezes were lighter and patchier.  A strong ebb tide was once again in play for most of the day and also created a decent amount of chop to contend with.  And by the final race, the breeze was up to a solid 12-15 knots again as it had been on Friday.

Also on Saturday, while everyone was out on the water, a special surprise arrived to the regatta village.  After a speech by Tom Ehman, the America’s Cup was brought out by two gloved secret service agents.  Ehman presented the cup again that evening to all the sailors, sharing with them the America’s Cup Defender Golden Gate Yacht Club’s vision of the 34th America’s Cup.

Sunday, the weather that had been threatening from the West finally caught up to Charleston although not in the way all had been expecting.  With cloudy skies, that strong ebbing tide, and a light breeze out of the West-Southwest, Sunday proved to be a tough day for sailors.  And for those who got races in, the final race of the day was a wet one as the skies opened up and ate what little wind was left, putting an end to the 2012 Sperry Top-Sider Charleston Race Week.

For the 5 Ultimate 20’s, first and second were only separated by one point.  But with five bullets, Keith Ziegler and Dream Killer of Westland, Michigan claimed first with 11 points.  BJ Jones and Rumbullion of Cornelius, North Carolina, with a respectable collection of four bullets, followed with 12 points to take second.  Rounding out the top three was Jim Ulatowski and Running With Scissors out of Denver, Colorado.

For the 23 J24’s, racing was just as competitive.  Going in to the final race Travis Odenbach and Honey Badger of Annapolis, Maryland were poised to win, having a 4 point lead of second place Mike Ingham of Rochester, New York.  But with an 11th place finish by Odenbach, Ingham landed himself in first 2 points ahead of Honey Badger.  Chip Till and Murder Incorporated of Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina rounded out the top three for the J24’s.

For the 15 J22’s, Jack Odenbach and MK1 of Rochester, New York took home third with 28 points, only one point behind second place finisher Jackson Benvenutti of Charleston, South Carolina.  Greg Fisher of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina took home the gold with 18 points after nine races.

On Inshore Circle 2, 16 J80’s battled it out for ten races.  Alexander Kraus and CoolJ of Alexandria, Virginia got third with 44 points.  Second place was taken by Brian Keane and Savasana of Weston, Massachusetts with 33 points.  And winning the event from the first race on, Bill Rose and Kicks of League City, Texas, took home first with 24 points, not even needing to sail the final race.

Also on Inshore Circle 2, 39 Vipers went head to head.  Jason Carroll and Argo of New York, New York came out on top with 34 points.  They were followed by Brad Boston and Lee Shuckerow of Point Edward, Ontario on Jackpot with 45 points.  Rounding out the top three for the Viper class was Steve Girling and Viper of Westport Connecticut.

Inshore Circle 3 was home to both of the Melges classes.  For the 33 Melges 24s, Alan Field and WTF of Los Angeles, California took home third with 35 points.  First and second were decided by the final race when the top boats switched spots.  Ending the regatta in second was Kristen Lane and Brick House 812 of Tiburon, California.  And with a 2 in the final race, Bora Gulari of Detroit, Michigan, claimed first with 26 points.

Along with the Melges 24s, 30 Melges 20s took part in a seriously heated battle.  The top four of the fleet were only separated by four points and the last race made things interesting.  Finishing in fourth place with 42 points, was Paul Reilly and Red Sky of Chicago, Illinois.  Just in front of him with 41 points was Michael Kiss and Bacio of Holland, Michigan.  Second was taken by Travis Weisleder and Layline Race Team of Richmond, Virginia with 40 points.  And coming out on top, with 39 points, was Russell Lucas and Shimmer of Little Silver, New Jersey.

The single one-design class sailing off-shore were the 6 Tartan-10s.  After 6 races, coming out on top was Scott Irwin and Team IBall of Maumee, Ohio with 8 points.  Following closely behind was Leif Sigmond and Norboy of Riverwoods, Illinois with 10 points.  Rounding out the top three with 15 points, was Tim Rathbun and Winnebago of Joliet, Illinois.

Complete results can be found at CharlestonRaceWeek.com and great video coverage of the event can be found on T2P.TV.  Thanks to all the sponsors, volunteers, and PROs for making this a great event!

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