Designed by C. Lowndes Johnson in 1932, 2012 marks the 80th year of the Comet Class. A one design boat often referred to as a miniature Star, the Comet measures 16 feet long, 5 feet abeam and weighs 265 pounds. Sailed by 2 people, the boat has a semi-flat bottom, 140 square feet of sail and planes quickly. The class boasts that they have new and used competitive boats, both fiber glass and the classic wood, available from $1000 to $2500. [Read more…] about Breathing Life Into an 80 Year Old Class: The Comet
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Fleet Replenishment and Maintenance
Bob Adam – Zim Sailing
As the summer wraps up, programs quickly transition their thoughts towards their needs for next summer. These discussions typically revolve around what to do with the fleet. Do we patch our boats to “squeak” one more year out of them? Do we make them look all pretty to sell them? When is the right time to “turn” our fleet? What boats are right for us? Doing nothing will lead to a very long summer next year!
Repair the fleet? Our yard is already filled with 420’s and Opti’s. After a hard summer boats are peppered with the typical dings. Many of the issues are very minor gel coat chips and every now and again the major collision has occurred. Generally speaking, $300 per C420 can go a long way towards keeping your fleet looking great. For $200 per boat or less, you can keep your Opti fleet in top shape. In addition, a thorough cleaning of each boat will make them look great. How many white hulls are now covered in scum or stained? It is relatively painless to wash the hull down with Oxiclean or On/Off to bring back the white.
How are your lines, parts and standing rigging? Since much of your maintenance budget has been absorbed through the summer you may not be in a position to replace parts now. However, you should be taking a thorough inventory of what needs to be done. Simply go through each boat and keep a detailed list. If the lines are worn it is relatively painless to replace them. Look over all of shrouds and forestays and replace them before the mast falls down. How did your ring dings fair? Are you using the proper clevis pins? Proper care to the fleet will give the students greater pride and respect for the fleet. If the students understand how much care the instructors and Board of Directors have for the fleet then they will in turn be held to a higher standard and help keep the fleet looking good next summer.
Sell the fleet? Your fleet, no matter how old it is, is worth something and very valuable to somebody. Used fleets are available but there is absolutely a shortage of boats given the number of people looking for them. Depending on your budget and usage, turning your fleet every 4-6 years will yield you the highest return. There are a few different ways to go about this. You can either replace the entire fleet at once or a few boats each year. The best places to advertise are www.sail1design.com, www.club420.org and www.usoda.org. 420’s and Opti’s have a very high resale value and you might be surprised on how much money is available to offset the purchase of your new fleet.
Buying a used fleet? Clubs will start looking for used boats early in the fall. If you are looking for a used fleet, it is best to have money approved to be able to pull the trigger right away. If you need to get approval to buy a used fleet it is very likely that the fleet will be long gone by next week. 420’s can be found for $2,500 – $4,500 and Opti’s can range from $1,000 – $1,600 depending on the condition. The lower range will need repair work to hulls and rigging. See the websites above for used boat listings.
Buying a new fleet? We offer specials throughout the end of the year on new fleets. This is your best way to save thousands of dollars. We can be very creative to help assist in your new purchase. To secure your new fleet we would need a commitment by year end but the earlier the better. This will give us the best chance to sell your existing fleet.
Why should our program sail Opti’s?
Optimists are designed for kids. They can handle them without danger or fear
The Opti is basic enough that a 6 year old can sail it with confidence.
Over 150,000 kids in over 110 countries. Making it the most popular training boat in the world.
The kids have a blast meeting new friends from this country and if they choose, abroad.
The skills developed transfer to any boat the kid moves into after Opti’s.
Former Optimist sailors were over 85% of medal winners at the last Olympics.
The only dinghy recognized by ISAF exclusively for sailors under age 16.
Why should our program sail C420’s?
Club 420’s are the most popular double-handed boat in the country
420’s are the boat of choice for junior programs looking to teach spinnaker, trapeze and teamwork.
Competitive racing takes place throughout the year with regattas drawing dozens of boats.
Club 420’s are the perfect training platform for college sailing.
Why should our program sail FJ’s?
The CFJ is a fantastic teaching boat for programs looking to teach spinnaker and teamwork.
The CFJ can also be used with an instructor and 2-3 kids as a learn to sail boat.
The CFJ class association has a competitive race schedule on the west coast.
Like the 420, it is a fabulous training boat for college sailing and beyond.
All of these boats are safe, durable and fun!
Best of luck determining your fleet needs. Please don’t hesitate to give us a call to help you through this process.
or email [email protected].
Bob Adam
Zim Sailing
ADDISON HACKSTAFF, WINNER OF THE SMYTHE TROPHY – AUGUST’S SAIL1DESIGNER OF THE MONTH
By Martha Pitt
Every year, junior sailors from around the country compete in their regional qualifiers to qualify for US Sailing’s prestigious Chubb Junior Championships. The championship event includes sailors in singlehanded, doublehanded, and triplehanded boats for the Smythe, Bemis, and Sears Trophies. The event encourages nationwide program development, allowing kids from each of the districts around the country to compete.
This year, US Sailing shook the competition up a bit! While the doublehanded competitors stayed in the traditional Club420, the single and triplehanded crews were thrown for a bit of a loop when the championships were announced – the “triplehanded” championship for the Sears Trophy was to be sailed in J-22s and due to weight requirements, the crews were able to go up to four sailors (which all did). In the singlehanded fleet, though most sailors qualified by sailing the Laser Radial, the finals for the Smythe Trophy were sailed in the Byte CII, a light, twelve-foot boat whose strict one-design class rules make it a true test of seamanship rather than superior equipment. Though many sailors in the fleet had little-to-no experience in the boat, some could say that that leveled the playing field and allowed raw talent to emerge.
Out of that fleet emerged one sailor victorious over all others – Addison Hackstaff from St. Petersburg, FL commanded the Byte fleet, winning seven of the ten races, and finishing six points ahead of the second place Clay Broussard of Houston, TX. Originally from St. Thomas, USVI, 16 year old Hackstaff grew up sailing in the islands learning to sail and race in optis. At the St. Thomas Yacht Club, Addison found himself in the shadows of many great sailors but was able to watch them and learn from the best. Over the past eight years of his sailing career, Addison has progressed immensely sailing Laser Radials, 420s, Snipes, J24s, Sonars, and just about any boat he can jump on – in 2010, he represented the Virgin Islands in the Central American and Caribbean Games skippering a Snipe with his father crewing. Now living in Florida and attending Lakewood High School in St. Petersburg, Addison’s sailing career seems to just be blossoming.
I was able to talk to Addison for a bit about the event, his success, and his future in racing:
Bytes are relatively new on the national youth scene. Had you sailed them much before? What made you decide to want to sail this event in that boat?
I’ve never sailed Bytes before and decided to sail in this event because my coach told me about the regatta and I wanted to compete in a National Championship. The bytes themselves were good boats. I liked the sail – it was huge compared to the size of the boat. It was crucial to get the right sail shape; other sails you just pull on controls and go.
What kind of training did you do before the event?
I hadn’t sailed a singlehanded boat for about 2 months before this event but, I taught sailing at the SPYC camp all summer. Also, I sailed Snipe nationals and junior nationals (3rd) in June. I was very happy for the clinic day to shake out the rust.
What did you think of the San Francisco Bay?
I loved the San Francisco Bay. It was freezing but the wind and sailing were amazing.
What were the conditions like at the event? True to San Francisco standards of heavy wind and ripping current?
The conditions were between 14-18 kts the whole event with a flood current most do the time. This made the waves a little smaller but there were still lots of them. The conditions were very true to San Francisco standards – windy, wavy, and lots of current. Survival mode.
How did you like the conditions? What are your favorite kinds of sailing conditions, if any?
I loved the conditions. Medium to heavy wind with any kind of waves or current are my favorite, so they were perfect for me.
What would you say some of your strengths were for the regatta?
One of my strengths for the regatta was my understanding of sail shape and adjustments from all the different boats I’ve sailed. It was not extremely hard for me to acclimate. Another was my size – I could hike hard and sail flatter than some of the smaller competitors. Also, St Thomas has big winds and waves, so I was very comfortable sailing San Francisco’s conditions.
What do you think were the greatest factors that led to your success at the regatta?
I think my success came from quick acclamation to the byte.
What’s up next for you? Will you be sailing much this fall or winter?
I plan on sailing as many events that I can around the southeast and some further away- I’m planning on sailing the Cressy qualifier and ISAF youth worlds qualifier [in the Laser Radial].
Are you interested in college sailing? If so, where are you looking at?
Yes I am very interested in college sailing. I am currently looking at The US Naval Academy as my first choice with the US Coast Guard Academy, U of Miami and many other Universities with strong Engineering and sailing programs.
Keep an eye out for Addison on the top of the leader boards at future national events!
Editors Note
EDITORS NOTE A recent article appeared in Airwaves referencing the “New Collegiate 420.” We received some feedback that this boat is not the “official” college-sanctioned boat, and we would like to apologize for any misunderstanding, and if the title of the article was misleading, our most sincere apologies. Since LaserPerformance is a long-time Sail1Design sponsor, we want to make clear that Airwaves articles are available to our sponsors to promote their products that have value to our community. We also accept articles from anyone, and will be happy to print if they fit our demographic. We continue to believe that this is an informative and well-founded piece on LaserPerformance’s new boat. We hope to follow up with more articles on all the new choices potentially available to college sailing programs, including the Rondar Firefly, (www.rondarboats.com) and Rondars new 420 as well. Zim Sailing (www.zimsailing.com) is another company making great strides with collegiate/youth boats. It is exciting that the evolution of college sailing boats is taking place, and our hope was to bring that to light, one boat at a time. Feel free to add a comment to the Collegiate 420 article online, and/or contact Sail1Design: [email protected]
Collegiate Dinghies
Another option is the new Rondar Collegiate 420 which Rondar Raceboats North America is building at their Peabody USA factory. Its being tested at two major college programs. Rondar built the new Fireflies for MIT and they are very nice.
Count Down to College Sailing, NEISA Edition
Sail1Design would like to officially welcome another new member to the Airwaves team, Kelly Stannard, whose bio is below her first news story. Enjoy
Summer is over, college sailors have to say goodbye to the Jr. Programs where they have taught, done last minute back to school shopping, packed and unpacked their cars and many have started classes. It is now just t-minus two weekends until college sailors all over New England will hit the water and end their short hiatus away from the rigorous college sailing lifestyle.
With many NEISA schools starting classes this week, practice will start too. New gear, new sails, and new teammates will all be brought out to shake off the summer rust and get ready for the first weekend of competition. Which NEISA team will come out of the gates strong?
Determining which co-ed NEISA team is the most powerful or most successful has never been easy to predict because the conference has such a dense talent pool. Head coach Yale Zach Leonard said it best, “NEISA is so hard; every team has potential to be great. There are so many teams that do well, it is hard to say just one, I see about eight or nine teams that will do well. “
Who is on “top” often flip-flops and changes countless times from the start of a season to the end. What we can look at is the results from the ICSA 2012 spring championships and see who graduated their all-stars. In no particular order, below are some profiles of teams who will likely be at the top of the rankings at the beginning of the season.
Yale had to say goodbye to several key players on their team like the A-division combo of Joe Morris and Isabel Elliman. “There are three skippers who will be in a position to step up. Whoever is sailing consistently will sail,” says Coach Leonard.
The team still has three more years with Graham Landy who was named an All-American as a freshman and NEISA rookie of the year. Paired up with Landy is Heather May who will be a senior; she too was an All-American and NEISA crew of the year in the spring season. Chris Segerblom and Cam Cullman are also still around who alternated through the top team will certainly be strong players this year and aid in making Yale a tough team to beat in fleet racing this fall.
Boston College graduated their co-ed and women’s A-division All-American skipper Annie Haeger and one of their several rock star crew’s Briana Provancha. Still holding down the fort is sophomore William Bailey who as a freshman last year skippered on their team race team and frequently was seen as their B-division as well as junior skipper Alex Cook. This team still has two of their top three skippers and a deep line-up of crews such as All-American Laura McKenna, which will make BC a force to be reckoned with as usual.
Roger Williams was the top finishing NEISA team placing second at the 2012 ICSA Dingy National Championship graduated B-division duo Sean Bouchard and Kelly Stannard along with a top crew, Tyler Wilson. College sailor of the year finalist Alec Anderson along with sophomore Tyler MacDonald, last years third skipper of their team race team, will both be sailing at top events this fall.
“Tyler Macdonald, Max Lopez, and Sam Bobo will likely be making a step up”, says coach Callahan. With these tops players named and a depth of talent on the B team will push Roger Williams to have consistent top finishes this season.
Brown didn’t graduate any of their A-team sailors, which will certainly mean we should expect this team to perform very well in the fall season. They have skippers Colin Smith who was named an All American Honorable Mention, Tommy Fink and Tyler Rice along with their crews, All-American Luisa Chaffee, Ashley Noble and Molly Bernstein. With a returning cast like this, top finishes in fleet racing can be anticipated throughout the fall.
Harvard skippers Brendan Kopp and Emily Lambert have graduated but historically Harvard is a team with some depth with several players who should be able to keep them on top of the competition list. They have the Drumm brothers, Michael and Brian and also solid crews such as Sarah Pierson to keep the team alive and well for fall fleet racing.
Tufts graduated their B division skipper Massimo Soriano but will still have A division skipper and crew Will Haeger and Paula Grasberger who will only be juniors this year. Along with them is senior skipper William Hutchings, all will likely see lots of tiller time this fall. Led by seasoned coach Ken Legler the Tuft’s Jumbo’s can never be underestimated as a threat.
URI is a quickly advancing team, this will be their second year having Nick Ewenson as head coach. The Ram’s graduated their A division duo of Amy Hawkins and Caroline Hall. Coach Ewensen says, “Sophomores Caleb Armstrong and Katie Norton made huge strides last spring and were real contributors as freshman. More opportunities will come their way this year, and with a full season under their belts, I’m hopeful they can start right where they left off last year.”
Dartmouth has a strong coaching staff with co-head coaches John Storch and Justin Assad to lead this young and quick team to good places this fall. The Big Green graduated A division skipper Sam Williams but from the top squad remains his crew Matthew Habig and the B division team of Matthew Wefer and Avery Plough to keep the team at the top.
MIT had a strong year last year but missed qualifying for semis by losing a tie-break in coeds, and missed it by just two spots on the women’s side. Coach Matt Cohen has said, “With hard work and lots of talent, the Engineers are looking to avenge those near misses.” In addition, “Our team is looking to have a very strong year in ’12-’13. Despite graduating a top skipper and crew per squad (Eamon Glackin and AllAmerican crew Steph Tong on the coed side, Katii Gullick and Jacqui
Soegaard on the women’s side), we are supplementing our returning
sailors with a strong group of recruits,” explains Cohen.
Boston University had a successful 2011-2012 season capped off with a 12th place finish at the Gill Dinghy National Championship in Austin, TX. They graduated both their A and B division skippers leaving lots of room for underclassmen to fill big shoes this fall season. The Terriers have historically always been right in the top mix, this will likely hold true this fall.
These are only ten teams from the long list of excellent teams that call NEISA their home. Per usual this season will provide exciting and close competition on all levels from intersectional events to the central and southern series events. You can follow results on Techscore.com throughout the season and we recommend you keep an eye out for some upsets in results, no team in NEISA is ever very far from the top of the fleet.
http://neisa.collegesailing.org/
Kelly Stannard is a recent communications graduate from Roger Williams where she was drawn to the small school feel and the big sailing team potential. While attending school Kelly was the captain of her team her junior and senior year when the team won the 2011 ICSA Team Race Nationals and placed second at the 2012 ICSA National Championship. In addition to the teams’ success Kelly was named an All-American Crew three times and the RWU Female Athlete of the year. In non- collegiate events Kelly was part of team Minor Threat who won the US Sailing Team Race Nationals in 2011. Kelly interned at US Sailing, working with marketing and communications team, she helped maintain their blog and social media outlets.
Kelly was born in Connecticut and lives in Salem, a short drive to Niantic where she learned to sail in Opti’s and 420’s at Niantic Bay Yacht Club. She found success in junior sailing, posting respectable finishes at the US Sailing Youth Champ’s in 2006 and 2007, highlighted by winning the Ida Lewis Trophy in 2007. She just finished up her summer as the head coach of Wickford Sailing Association and is applying for full-time positions currently. Kelly enjoys team racing and looks forward to trying out new classes of boats.
You can reach Kelly at : [email protected]
