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15 Year-Old to Sail Non-stop around the world!!! Wow!

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Youngest to sail solo non-stop unassisted around the World

Jessica Watson is setting out to become the youngest person to sail solo non-stop and unassisted around the World. Since Joshua Slocum first sailed singlehanded around the world in the late 1890’s, sailors of all nationalities and ages have been drawn to this ultimate challenge: The Everest of sailing.

Slocum’s epic tale of his voyage, “Sailing Alone Round the World”, has captivated a global audience of readers for over a hundred years. Following on, record-breaking solo circumnavigations by heroes like Francis Chichester and Robin Knox-Johnston have captured the attention and the hearts of people all over the world.

Jessica is driven.

Inspired in her turn by Kay Cottee, the first woman to sail solo non-stop unassisted around the world and by Jesse Martin, the youngest person to do so, Jessica Watson has set her sights on shattering Jesse’s record.  In the process, Jessica hopes to inspire young sailors, adventurers and everyone with a dream in their heart.

Visit Jess’s website: http://www.youngestround.com/

US SAILING ANNOUNCES NEW COLLEGE SAILING SEMINAR

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PORTSMOUTH, R.I. (March 6, 2009) – In conjunction with the Intercollegiate Sailing Association (ICSA), US SAILING is featuring a new seminar for young sailors competing at the U.S. Youth Sailing Championship and Chubb U.S. Junior Championships on June 26th and August 10th respectively. US SAILING’s College Sailing Seminars sponsored by Gill North America provide a forum for young sailors to learn about opportunities in college sailing.

The seminars will include informational presentations on sailing at the intercollegiate level, as well as interactive question and answer sessions for youth sailors with college coaches from around the country. A wide range of subject material on college sailing will presented and discussed, including sailor evaluation, varsity and club sailing, ICSA rules on financial assistance, eligibility, and integrating college sailing with Olympic aspirations.

“I frequently get asked by junior sailors and their parents about how to navigate the world of college sailing,” said Mitch Brindley, ICSA President. “The US SAILING’s College Sailing Seminars are designed to educate sailors and provide them with direction on opportunities at the college level and are a forum for sailors to learn more about how to prepare for sailing in college.” These championship regattas represent the perfect venue for aspiring college sailors to learn more about their options and interact with some college coaches.”

Applications to compete at the 2009 U.S. Youth Sailing Championships close on March 15th, 12 a.m. EST. All interested coaches who would like to participate in US SAILING’s College Sailing Seminars, please contact ICSA President, Mitch Brindley at [email protected].

About US SAILING:
The United States Sailing Association (US SAILING), the national governing body for sailing, provides leadership for the sport in the United States. Founded in 1897 and headquartered in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, US SAILING is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization. US SAILING offers training and education programs for instructors and race officials, supports a wide range of sailing organizations and communities, issues offshore rating certificates, and provides administration and oversight of competitive sailing across the country, including National Championships and the US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics. For more information, please visit www.ussailing.org

CONTACT:
Jake Fish, US SAILING Communications Manager
[email protected]
(401) 683-0800

College Sailing Programs 101 – The Service Academies

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Service Academies with sailing programs include Army, Coast Guard, the Merchant Marine Academies, and Navy. These colleges are either fully or partially funded by tax payer dollars. This means that the student does not have to pay for tuition or room & board. The payback is that upon graduation, service academy grads are obligated to serve in that service for usually about five years – compensated with salary and benefits. Since no financial scholarships are allowed in the college sailing organization (ICSA), this is clearly a difference between the service academies and a college sailing campus.

Disclaimer – This author is certainly biased as I graduated from the Naval Academy, served in the Navy, and came back to the Academy as a civilian to coach the team – who better to share a service academy experience?

First, lets consider the different levels of college sailing programs. There are three levels of institution support. The least is a campus that has a few racers who go to school and have organized themselves to earn the right to compete in college racing, with little or no support from the institution. The second level of program is the ‘Club Sport’. When a college institution designates its team as ‘Club Sport’ they typically provide limited resources, boats, and possible athletic facilities and may have a coach. The third level is when the college designates the team as ‘Varsity Sport’. As a varsity sport, the college dedicates a budget to funding travel, equipment, and coaching staff. No surprise, there are differences in Varsity support. I call the programs with dedicated coaching staff, fleets of boats, and travel budgets ‘Full Service’ programs. Most of the colleges ranked in ICSA’s top 20 are Full Service programs. The service academies fall under my definition of Full Service programs.

So you can get a Full Service sailing college at little or no cost and have not have to endure the challenges of student loans. I would caution that sailing cannot be your only reason for attending a service academy. I have found that the service academy experience will challenge any individual, not matter how smart or athletically inclined. The experience is structured and sometimes overwhelmingly demanding. That said, if you want to pursue a full service sailing experience, want to challenge yourself physically and mentally, and you enjoy leadership experiences, a service academy may be right for you. In the next few paragraphs, I speak to the education, experience and reward of the service academy education.

The Education

The education at most of the service academies is technical in nature. At the Naval academy, there are about 18 majors and everyone graduates with a minor in Engineering.

You will graduate in four years – it is a requirement. The education couples book theory with hands on laboratories to best understand the science. The faculty is mixed between civilian and military to ensure a well rounded mix of military and academic experiences complement the education

The Experience

The experience is certainly structured. There is an indoctrination/training period upon entering each institution. The ‘Indoc’ is usually physically as well as mentally demanding. Throughout the four years, students at service academies will live on campus and wear uniforms. This means you don’t have to worry about what to wear each day! The daily schedule includes academic classes, military training, and physical activity (varsity or intramural sport)… You will not be bored at a service academy. Because the days are jammed with activity, laundry and meal services are provided to all.

Most students would tell you that they have very little free time. As a result, when they do have free time, they probably tend to enjoy it more than the average college student.

While I was at the Naval Academy, I certainly developed a work hard and play hard mentality, and rarely mixed the two.

The Reward

Did I mention that you have a guaranteed job when you graduate? From the military academies, you are commissioned as a junior officer and are compensated very well compared to your peers graduating from college. Graduating from a merchant marine academy helps you to earn a Coast Guard license that entitles you to work in tightly connected industry operating in a global maritime market. Both merchants and military have a minimum commitment of several years to work in that industry. Both military and merchant marine academies deliver a mix of academic theory and hands on training, but the careers in each differ. For example, an engineer in the merchant marine operates in a smaller work force and spends most of his/her time doing hands on repair and maintenance. By contrast, a naval officer spends more time managing a large team to conduct maintenance and ensure readiness. Both military and merchant paths are challenging and the skills are transferable to the business world. Perhaps this is the most significant point; by earning a service academy education, you are setting yourself up for the rest of your life. Your experiences at the academies and real life experiences managing people’s lives and very expensive equipment after graduation are highly valued by the civilian business world. Whether you choose to make a career of military, merchant marine, or enter the business world, your experiences starting with education will be recognized and compensated.

To find out more about college sailing programs, contact the coach or team point of contact at the ICSA website:

http://www.collegesailing.org/teams.asp

Written by Gavin O’Hare, U.S. Naval Academy, Class of 1992

Lightning

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The International Lightning Get The Best Of Both Worlds

Without Compromising Either One The Lightning, a 19 foot trailerable centerboard sloop, was originally designed by Sparkman & Stephens as an affordable family day-sailor and racing boat. She has evolved into one of the most popular and competitive one-design racing classes in the world. Awarded ISAF International Class status, the Lightning is sailed in more than 13 countries and in the Pan American Games, and the class provides a professionally-managed association that is among the largest in all of one-design sailing. The Lightning’s rig is simple, but offers sophisticated sail shape controls. The hull features a unique hard chine design that combines the stability that provides sail-carrying power, with flat bottom sections that promote planing. The International Lightning Class Association protects the boat’s design and licenses custom and private builders to build boats under its administration. A list of Lightning builders is available from the ILCA upon request.

Dinghy Responsiveness, Sportboat Performance

The Best Of Both Worlds Whether racing or daysailing, the Lightning offers a combination of performance and stability that eludes most one-designs. The Lightning’s hard chine and 130 lb centerboard give her the stability and power of a small keel boat going to weather in strong winds and allow her to carry a very large spinnaker for breathtaking offwind rides. There’s room in the cockpit for two couples or a family to daysail, but the Lightning is easy to ramp launch and light enough to trailer with ease. In the event of a capsize, she can be righted and sailed dry by her crew.

Refined Design, Toda

lightnings2y’s Technology

The Best Of Both Worlds Whether you’re more interested in how a boat looks or how it behaves, it’s hard to beat the Lightning. The Class maintains an attitude that promotes conservative innovation, making the boat faster, safer and more maintenance free, while keeping prices affordable. Most Lightnings built in the last 25 years can be made competitive and it’s not uncommon to see them winning races right along with new ones. In fact the 1995 World Champion sailed a boat built in 1969! Modern Lightnings are built in foam-cored fiberglass with stainless steel centerboards and black anodized aluminum spars. The world’s top sailmakers give the class their best efforts. In short, there are enough controls to keep the most technically inclined happy, but it’s good tactics, boat-handling and hiking that win races.

The Best Competition In The World Or A Way To Get Away From It

The Best Of Both Worlds

Ted Turner, Dennis Conner, Ken Read, Dave Dellenbaugh, Dave Curtis, Bruce Goldsmith, Tom Allen, Neal Fowler, Steve Benjamin, Ched Proctor, Bill Shore, Greg Fisher, Andy Horton are just a few of the rock stars who have competed in the Lightning. After more than 60 years and more than 15,000 boats it’s easy to find a regatta when you want to. But whether you’re interested in serious racing or you just want to go for a joyride with the family, you’ll find what you’re looking for in the Lightning. Club Racer Or International Icon

The Best Of Both Worlds

The Lightning truly excels as a racing boat. It requires a wide range of different skills, both tactical and technical. At 700 pounds all up, the boat is tough enough to avoid frequent breakdowns, but light enough to plane wildly on the reaches. A World Championship is held every two years. North American, South American and European Championships are held each year as are innumerable regional and District championships. Major regattas attract some of the finest sailors in the world, but you find class members friendly and the sailmakers’ complete tuning guides helpful at getting you up to speed in a hurry.

The International Lightning Class Association

Welcome To Our World

The ILCA is one of the oldest and best organized class associations in sailboat racing. Its primary purpose is to serve its membership, preserve the integrity of the Lightning and provide high-quality competitive events. In addition, the ILCA publishes a monthly newsletter Lightning Flashes with up-to-date regatta news, boat brokerage and ideas on how to get the most out of your Lightning. An annual Yearbook, containing many illustrated articles, reports on major championships, fleet reports and a complete association mailing list, is also published. The professional ILCA staff is always on hand to assist both current and potential members. If you’re looking for a boat you can be proud to sail, one that offers dinghy handling with the performance of a sportboat, a refined design that’s free of fads, complete with the technology of today for both racing and daysailing

Get The Best Of Both Worlds. Get into a Lightning. See you on the water. David Dellenbaugh, former Lightning World Champion and starting helmsman for 1992

America’s Cup defender America3

The Top 10 Things I Like About The Lightning:
1. There’s Lightning racing almost everywhere.
2. Some of the best sailors in the world sail the Lightning.
3. Lightnings are available from more than one high-quality builder.
4. Lightnings even 20 years old are still competitive.
5. The boat is one of the best crew trainers on the water today.
6. The class is not so strict as to discourage experimentation which makes the boat faster and easier to sail.
7. The Lightning has interested the finest sailmakers in the world so the sails and the tuning guides look great and are easy to use.
8. The Lightning is a very roomy boat for daysailing.
9. Lightning sailors sail hard, but they’re not too cutthroat – someone’s always ready to answer questions.
10. The class management is as good as you’ll find in one-design sailing. For more information about the International Lightning or to arrange a test sail in your area, call or write to the address listed below.

Design: Sparkman & Stephens, 1938
Over 15000 built
More than 500 fleets worldwide
Length: 19’0″ (5.8m)
Beam: 6’6″ (2m)
Displacement: 700 lb (318 kg)
Draft (board down): 4’11” (151.3cm)
(board up): 5″ (12.8cm)
Mast height: 26’2″ (7.9m)
Sail area (main & jib): 177 sq.ft.
(spinnaker): 300 sq.ft.
Crew (racing): 3

Class website:
http://www.lightningclass.org/index.asp

29er

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More of an advanced boat, the 29er is a fast skiff designed by Julian Bethwaite and first produced in 1998, and is the little sister to the 49er. It is targeted at youth, especially those training to sail the larger 49er. It has a single trapeze and an asymmetric spinnaker much like that of the 49er (although smaller). The popular boat is considered a more rapid alternative to the laser vdinghy and has an international racing class devoted to it.
loa 14’5”
beam 5’7”
sail area 142 ft²
spinnaker area 181 ft²
hull weight 198
crew 2
# of boats built not known
active US fleets MD, FL, CA, MA, CT, RI.
Class website:
http://www.29er.org/
Check our our One Design Profile and write-up on the 29er!
Browse our extensive list of one design classes below! Want to buy/sell a boat? Visit our popular Marketplace and find, or sell, your boat!! We also have a great and growing list of One-Design Class Profiles, so feel free to check them out too!! If you would like to add your favorite one design class, please do not hesitate contact us. Enjoy!

49er

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The 49er is a very fast double-handed twin trapeze skiff. Designed by Julian Bethwaite, this is an exhilarating ride, and requires a fair amount of technical skill to sail. The boat is experiencing an increase in popularity due to its selection as an Olympic class starting with the Sydney Olympics of 2000. It features a very large asymmetric spinnaker.

loa 16’
beam 5’9”
sail area 215 ft²
spinnaker 400(!) ft²
hull weight 210
crew 2
# of boats built not known
active US fleets MD, FL, CA, MA, CT, RI…

Class website:
http://www.49er.org/49er2/index.php

 Check out Sail1Design’s 49er class profile article here to learn more! 

https://www.sail1design.com/airwaves-sailing-news/one-design-classes/1179-49er

 

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