GREAT LAKES COLLEGE KEELBOAT RACING ANNOUNCEMENT!

(Chicago, IL)- The 2021 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Offshore Regatta will be held September 24th to 26th in Chicago, IL. This annual fall regatta provides an opportunity for collegiate sailors to experience offshore keelboat racing with past participating teams coming from college sailing programs in the Midwest and beyond.

Chicago T10 and J/105 fleet members provide the sailboats and are on-board during racing as a safety precaution. The collegiate sailors drive, crew the boat, and manage strategy and tactics. Chicago-area yacht clubs provide facilities, and the fleets provide financial support, participant gifts and awards.

The regatta consists of windward/leeward buoy races on Lake Michigan offshore of Chicago. Teams arrive on Friday and have the opportunity to practice on their assigned boats that afternoon. Race committee attempts as many races as possible all-day Saturday and on Sunday morning. Award ceremonies are Sunday during lunch and teams have the afternoon for travel back to campus.

Past participating college teams have included; Michigan, Michigan State, Miami of Ohio, Hope College, Western Michigan, Wisconsin, Grand Valley State, Toledo, Northwestern, St. Mary’s College of Md., Michigan Tech, Minnesota, Ohio State, South Florida, Miami, Baldwin Wallace, Indiana University, Marquette, Cleveland State University, United States Naval Academy, University of South Carolina, Notre Dame, Illinois-Chicago and more.

Past participating Chicago J/105 one-design fleet owners have included; THE ASYLUM, SEALARK, VYTIS, FLYING PIG, GANGBUSTERS, KINSHIP, and more....hopefully many more this year! Add to Flipboard Magazine.

PAYING IT FORWARD TO YOUTH SAILING- THE J/105 WHISTLER STORY

Recently, SAILING Inc in Cleveland, OH had a chance to catch up with some of their good friends, The Taylor Boys from North Cape Yacht Club in La Salle, MI. Father Bill and sons Will and Ethan have been sailing mainstays on Western Lake Erie for years, and recently purchased the J/105 WHISTLER. Here is their fun interview with the Taylors.

SAILING: Describe a little of your sailing background.

I’ve had no formal sail training and youth sailing was limited to the SportYak and Katyak of Boy Scout Camp and the family summer vacations to Northern Michigan. I’ve been a power boater since my early teens. I was introduced to keelboats around 2000 on a Pearson 30 by a lifelong friend, where I moved from rail meat to the pit. 

My two sons and youth sailing formally introduced my family to competitive sailing where they excelled in the Thistle. Today, our sailing is their sailing. I’m easily the worst sailor on our boat!

We overpaid for a ragged-out boat (Thistle) and Will and Ethan began a complete refit, chiseling-out stanchions, thwart, cap, 45s all replaced by them. Senior members of the Thistle fleet, like Doug Labor, motivated and encouraged their sailing and skill development. The Thistle played a huge roll in their early development and they're still active in the Thistle fleet today.

Meanwhile, their passion for the sport grew exponentially and invitations to crew on various keel boats began flowing in. We made the family decision to purchase our first keel boat in 2014, J/24 #4240 named “Juice Box Hero”. The J/24 was an excellent learning platform for our young teenagers to earn the trust of the western basin fleets. Juice Box, sailed with an exclusively junior crew, in various ILYA (Inland Lake Yachting Association) Regattas and helped inspire the creation of the PCYC (Port Credit Yacht Club) J/24 fleet. My passion for the sport took off helping youth sailors find opportunities to sail quality equipment and seriously compete at adult levels. The support and encouragement we received from fellow club members was invaluable. 

My sailing background is directly tied to youth sailing, working on refits and restorations. The passion has been passed down from generation to generation. Those junior sailors have now grown up to be collegiate or former colligate sailors. They live, eat and breath sailing. They run our J/105 WHISTLER program!

SAILING: What kind of sailing do you do?

While we attempt to run a competitive race program, the 105 is used for everything. A sunset cruise or swim on a hot afternoon is a great way to spend the day. We race Wednesday night series, weekend local regattas and intend to jump into one-design and travel this year as well. If you asked Will, it’s PHRF, OD and ORC. If you asked Ethan, we race but I love a sunset cruise.

SAILING: What were you looking for in your next boat?

We wanted a larger race platform that was more accommodating for offshore, night and/or heavier conditions. We found ourselves in longer/larger regattas and had a great experience with the J/24. The bigger J/105 was an obvious choice. My sons researched listings, travelled to inspect, arranged surveys, purchase and transportation. WHISTLER is their program. I take pictures, pay some bills and most of the time they let me tag along (hahaha!). They launch, step, tune, paint, epoxy and repair.

SAILING: Why did you choose this boat and what do you like most about it?

We sail as often as possible and sailing with a younger crew, it's sometimes difficult to sail once or twice during the week and every weekend. The 105s asymmetrical configuration is friendlier to short-handed sailing than a symmetrical boat. The deck layout and system configurations on all J/Boats are well thought out. The boys have sailed J/24s, 29s, 30s, 70s, 88s, 92s, the 105, 109 and J/122- a lot of experience on J's! The J/105 shares some of its classic DNA with the 109 and even 122. They commonly sail on a very strong 122 program called BLITZKRIEG. In addition to shorthanded sailing, the asym configuration is a good platform for training and preparation for larger national regattas aboard the larger J/Boats while also allowing them a platform for more common doublehanded competitions.

SAILING: What particular sailing features do you like?

The boat is an absolute blast in 20 knots. The confidence and stability the boat provides is fantastic. When Lake Erie gets choppy, WHISTLER loves it. The competitive nature of the boat’s design is evident when we pushed the boat hard. We seem to find an extra half knot, but you have to push the boat hard and have the boat in great condition and a good tune to get it. Last, the deck layout is friendlier to more mature sailors like myself. Trying to keep up with these youngsters is hard enough and I’m glad the deck and cockpit configuration doesn’t beat you up.

SAILING: What is the story behind your boat name?

The boat name WHISTLER comes from the previous owner who lives in Barbados. The boat bounced back and forth annually between Barbados and Newport. Rumor has it he was directly affiliated with the famous “Whistler” ski resort. He bought a new J/121 and we got a boat that had been raced by a knowledgeable owner.

SAILING: What do you most look forward to each season on the boat?

Every off-season is busy for us. We attempt to improve our boats every off-season. It affords us a season to work on the boat and a season to race, making spring launch an event with the testing new gear, rigging and sails. The Mills Race is the biggest regatta in our area so it’s the one we look forward to it each spring. This year we are going to attempt a regatta or two in the southeast.

SAILING: What is your proudest achievement on the boat?

Will and Ethan won their first doublehanded regatta. First in PHRF-A at O’Connell Fall Bay was a blast, but the proudest achievement was winning the Club Championship at North Cape Yacht Club. Members have mentoring my boys for years and the competition is strong. Earning a club championship with a young crew and a skipper that should be competing in the junior circuit … it’s pretty rewarding.

SAILING: What is your biggest goal for the boat? Do you have any upcoming plans for this season or next?

The goal is to get the boat into top-flight competition condition. We’re looking forward to the Mill’s Race, a Bayview Mackinac Race, Cleveland Race Week, and possibly Bayview One Design Regatta. I want to keep the WHISTLER crew busy; they get better every time they leave the dock. It’s a young crew and they dream. I’d like to see if we can make a couple of those come true, whether it’s Florida, Charleston, Cleveland, Chicago, or a J/105 North Americans. We probably have some travelling in our future!!

Editor's Note: WHISTLER won the PHRF Fleet at the 2021 Ft. Lauderdale to Key West Race! Congrats team Taylor!  For more news from Sailing Inc Cleveland, OH

Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J/35 Learn to Sail Classes

Hey! Have you ever wanted to learn to sail a big sailboat? On January 24th at 1:00 we are starting a Zoom class on how to sail. There will be five lessons out of a book (provided by our instructor) and starting in late April there will be five on the boat lessons. The cost is $750.00, but you will get your money back if you race on any sailboat between June and September. We have put over 30 new people on the water racing in the last two years. This is open to all, and it just might be an opportunity to get the teenagers involved. Ian Pouliot is our class instructor. Ian has over 35 years of racing sailboats. He is the current instructor at North Star Sail Club for Junior sailors. Ian is also a sail maker and has just a wealth of knowledge about sailing.

The sailboat for you to get involved with is called a J/35. It is 35 feet long, weighs 10,500 lbs, and is the most iconic sailboat ever designed. It was the first sailboat to be inducted into the United States Sailboat Hall of Fame. It was designed by Rod & Bob Johnstone in the early 80s. We have enough boats to race ONE DESIGN (very important) all summer out of North Star SC. You will have a chance to learn the lines (ropes?) and positions on a J/35. Sign up with a friend and take this experience with you for the rest of your life.

You can call me- Mike Fitzgerald- at (248) 790-0666 or call Ian (586) 295-9344 and get registered. This is a great chance to get involved with a new sport that you will take with you even when you're in your 80s. I say that because I am 70!! Add to Flipboard Magazine.

ARENA FOOTBALL, SAILING J/22 STYLE

 

(Charlevoix, MI)- Near the northwest tip of the Michigan peninsula is Charlevoix, with sailors enjoying access to Lake Michigan but also connected with two inland options. In this report by Tom Barnes, he shares how the locals use what they have to great advantage.

The Charlevoix Yacht Club J/22 Fleet 45 has been holding Arena Racing in Round Lake since 1988 (with a break for about six years). Arena Racing is named after Arena Football which packed a lot of excitement into a much smaller venue.

Starting on the first Sunday after the 15th of October (because that’s when dockage is free), the J/22 Fleet moves from the commodious Lake Charlevoix to the confines of Round Lake for another season of Arena Racing.

What’s so cool about racing on this 55-acre lake is this year we have 10 boats! We race main and jib only to keep people off a potentially icy foredeck and out of the 43-degree water. The average race takes about 15 minutes and we get 6 of them in from 1:00PM to 3:00PM, finishing in time to watch the Detroit Lion’s lose.

The starting line is long enough for 6-7 boats, so there is always a second row…and sometimes a third. Crappy start, caught on the wrong side of 120-degree shift…no worries, the next race is only minutes away. It’s very shifty and this year I’ve blamed “bad luck” on getting caught in knock after knock…but the best skippers have been consistently near the top and so I know the problem is my own.

We get the cream of the crop for skippers and crew. All other area racing is done for the season so Melges 24, J/70, J/35 skippers and crews jump onto J/22s. Two sailors from our sister fleet across the peninsula in Tawas made the three hour drive each way to crew on a boat.


Not just the sailors enjoy Arena Sailing. On November 1st, we had a warm sunny day and there were 50+ people onshore taking pictures and trying to understand the action. My wife was providing color commentary from the docks and verbally abusing me for being mid-pack.

Our Volunteer Race Committee, John Kunitzer, is a Demi-god. He and his crew set the windward marks (sometimes 2 or 3 to accommodate wind shifts), start line and get us going promptly at 1:00PM. Between races they are a way station for beer and brownies. They host members of the local photography club and volunteer helpers who enjoy the antics.

Our NOR and Instructions give the RC a lot of leeway as to courses. On a fickle, light air day, John sent us on a downwind start race; a triangle race where you were allowed to go either way around; and a starboard rounding race. It keeps you on your toes to know the rules.

John also has three different scoring systems running all the time…The Ricky Bobby System – points only if you win (“if you ain’t first, you’re last”); High points scoring based on how many boats you beat; and the daily low point scoring system.

In the late 90s, Charlevoix boasted 16+ J/22s. Seven years ago we were down to one lone J/22 owned by Bob Grove. Bob is an enthusiast and champion of good causes. He set a goal of building the fleet back to 20 boats by 2024. He bought three good used boats and started loaning them out.

I borrowed mine for three years and then bought hull #483 from Bob. He promptly bought another. He sold one last fall and in October bought hull 744 from Cleveland. Bob has a likely buyer that will start racing with us next year and he is starting to shop for #11.

Each year, the Cranberry Cup is the final official race of the season. The Cup is so named as the regatta is held on the Sunday following Thanksgiving (thus the “Cranberry”). It’s a perpetual Trophy and tradition has it that the previous winner is to fill the chalice with dried cranberries to be distributed to participants following the race (this year we had to settle for only the new winner getting the cranberries).


The 2020 edition was held November 29, with Charlevoix Yacht Club arranging a cheering section while three drones filmed the action while 100s of pictures were taken and shared. Even the Petoskey News Review came down and interviewed us right after racing.

With 10 J/22s on the line in WSW winds at 5-15 on a mostly cloudy 45-degree day, we had six races which allowed one throw-out. The RC set two potential weather marks and at race time settled on the more southern of the two.

Despite the well-intentioned square start line, the 45-degree wind shifts every 30 seconds meant one end was going to be favored. More often than not that ended up being the pin end. Being close to that end and having a crew ready to quickly tack allowed boats to cross the fleet on port just after the start.

When the wind stayed right, it was a very short starboard tack to the south shore and boats were calling for “sea room” causing a mass of quick tacks by those with the weather gauge.

The weather mark is only 3 minutes away and while the first-place boat usually got around clean, the middle of the pack was almost always a cluster with lots of calls for “buoy room” and disagreements over when and if an overlap occurred.

The first downwind leg was an opportunity for passing. The breeze came more from the south side so staying high gave an advantage of getting the new breeze first. This ran against the tactic of going left to ensure you were inside at the mark rounding. I tended toward staying left and unfortunately, that cost me several boats over the six races. Lesson learned!

That downwind mark rounding saw some of the most interesting events of the day. Our eventual winner and another boat got a late inside overlap and were denied room (by me). They hooked the mark on their rudder and hung there a while getting it clear… this became their throw out race.

The final score was amazingly close. The top three boats separated by only two points.
The cream always rises to the top and “Sailing Inc” – Bow #8 skippered by Dan Tosch with George “Bear” Peet Jr and Brian Prokuda won the cherished cup with 11 points.

Dan dedicated the win to George Peet Sr. who passed away last year. George was a huge sailing advocate, supporter of junior sailing and a very tough competitor in J/22s, Lightnings, and Lasers. Bear is an outstanding sailor in all sizes and boat types. Brian is an experience helmsman and worked hard on bow.

Second Place went to last year’s winners on Pale Face Lite – Owner Bob Grove, skipper Steve Pirie and crew Beverly Cady with 12 points. They received a bottle of Mount Gay, which Beverly eagerly accepted! Steve was also awarded the “Best Damn Skipper” flag (signed by all participants), for most points accumulated during the series (high scoring system).

This came down to the last day of racing with Kevin Meier holding a 10-point lead going into the day…but Kevin made the bad choice of working for a living and missed the Cranberry Cup, leaving the door wide open for Steve. Considering the fickle conditions of Round Lake, these two dominated the top of the leaderboard almost every week.

Third Place went to Bow #02 with Bill and Tom Babel on “Eminence Front” (they are big “The Who” fans) and crew Laura Johnson with 13 points. Bill founded Arena Sailing in 1988, stayed with it until 1992 and had a hiatus until he and Tom jumped on a boat again last year. They now are hooked and we’re hoping to see them back for many years to come. The Babel’s are tough enough when they sail separate, together it almost isn’t fair.

Below are the results for the Cranberry Cup, Arena Sailing Series, and the Ricky Bobby. Steve and Bill tied for the most wins. The tiebreaker was proposed, as in the movie, that they have a footrace and then kiss…at this suggestion Bill promptly conceded the win to Steve.  Sailing photo credits- Dan O’Haver  Thanks for contribution from Scuttlebutt Sailing newsletter

Family Matters! A J/22 family report from Macatawa Bay, MI

 

“Mom, I can do this”! came the raised voice of our now 14-year-old daughter, Jenna.  She was on the bow of our J/22, USA 1552, Evil Dr. Pork Chop.  It was windy and rough, she was 12 at the time, but by God she completed the gybe by herself.  It made me think back to my youth, telling my father, “Dad, we can do this!” as my brother, Matt, and I were trying to launch Sunfish by ourselves off the beach at Tawas Bay yacht club.  We were growing and getting more confident in our abilities and wanted to do it ourselves.  Didn’t always work out as planned, as I recall, one or two times our dad and friend had to come rescue us out on the Bay ha!

Jennifer came from a sailing family; her parents owned a Lightning while she and her sister were growing up.  Jennifer would travel to regattas with her parents and eventually became part of the crew on the boat as her mother started to move away from the sailing part of it.

I came from a boating family. That is, a sailor trying to tell you his parents owned powerboats!  I was lucky in that I always had a mate with me, my twin brother, Matt.  Every weekend we would get in the station wagon with my family and head up to the old Chris Craft docked at the club in Tawas.  So, early in our youth we would fish and then when my folks bought a 13ft Boston Whaler, we got to speed around and fish out in the Bay instead of off the dock.  It was sailing though that kind of got into our minds.  Pretty soon we are sailing borrowed Sunfish against each other for hours every weekend and a couple of younger men at the club started inviting us out on their racing boats teaching us about racing.  We had to learn it on our own, there were no youth sailing programs or instructors, it was trial by error and there were a lot of those!

When Jennifer and I welcomed Jenna into the world, we never really talked much about it.  I think we both just thought we are taking her with us everywhere. And, we did, and that became the start of so many great memories centered around sailing and family.

Jenna came to us in February of 2006, but her first regatta was actually in the fall of 2005.  Jennifer carried her in her belly and dragged a little puppy name Summer along with our friends Ernie and Jaqueline to Whitby, Ontario where Cameron and Elaine Smith welcomed us into their home with Jennifer pregnant and Summer living in her crate.  I am pretty sure it was the Canadian J/22 Nationals that weekend.

From the very first May in 2006, we took her with us everywhere, and she was on a boat sailing before she was 4 months old.  She did a lot of sailing on our friends, Derek and Monica Carrol’s 35ft sailboat, they had a one year old and a pack'n'play.  We would put both kids in the pack'n'play and go sailing and they would roll around and have a blast.  As Jenna got older, we just kept bringing her with us.  By 2 years old, she was sailing on the J/22 as crew.  Well… as a distraction, ha!  We would race and she would go down in the v-berth and play.  I recall one particular windy day and I think Jenna might have been 3 or 4 years old and Jennifer and I were doublehanding the boat.  Because it was windy and wavy, we kept her in the cockpit with us.  Whenever she would get a little worried, we would get splashed with a wave and she would just giggle.  We got to the weather mark and just told her to sit on the cockpit floor north of the traveler as Jennifer and I got the spinnaker up and going.  Still one of our fondest memories!

J/22 regattas were great as we always got to see our friends and Jenna would be a little bigger each time.  A lot of our friends helped us out with places to stay and baby sitters if we needed them.  

Some of our favorite places we took Jenna were Lake Wayzata as a baby hanging out and, of course, Tawas Bay Yacht Club East, or as they like to call it…  Chris and Sue Doyle's cottage! The Doyle's were nice enough to let us stay there twice, thank you! And, the first time in 2010 we took Jenna to see Niagara Falls and Ernie and Jaqueline Dieball had their baby Dean with us.

So, kids grow, and pretty soon we have her trying to pull on lines on the J/22 and she is on the rail with Mom hiking.  By 6 years old she is trimming the spinnaker on light wind days, by 8 she is on the bow on light wind days.  Now at 14, it is her bow!"

In our J/22 fleet, we now have multiple kids racing on boats for the first time in a long time.  The J/22 is an ideal boat to teach a child on, low loads, very tactical and fun to sail!"  Thanks for this contribution from Chris Princing of Tawas Bay, MI. 

J/42 Jaywalker Still Cruisin' After 20 Years!

 

* Here, we get yet another gorgeous photo of Bill and Judy Stellin's J/42 JAYWALKER sailing on the beautiful azure waters of northern Lake Michigan off Harbor Springs, a very special place in the northeastern part of Michigan's Upper Peninsula.  

Commented Bill, "if you think cruising J/Boats can’t go fast, here is our JAYWALKER, J/42 hull #6, doing 6.3 knots in 7.9 knots of true wind. Notice how glassy the water is. Amazing! Great boat still, we love it!"

J/35 North Star Sailing Club Fleet Announcement

 

(Detroit, MI)- The renaissance of J/35 racing continues to expand! All sailors like to race stick against stick and that is exactly what we are doing this coming September 27, October 4th, 11th and the final race day on Sat. Oct 24th. This is North Star Sail Club's premier regatta of the year. 

According to J/35 Class leader- Dean Fitzpatrick- of Detroit, MI, "there is, as you know, a lot of pent-up racing enthusiasm this year. The finger is about to be pulled out of the dike and the J/35s are going to be cut loose. This is going to be the most exciting J/35 regatta because we will have ten J/35s registered to race. The J/35s are leading the way for one design racing in this region of the country, along with the J/120s I might add. There are other makes of boats that are now following the J/35 lead and putting in the effort to have their own one-design start. 

You know how tough it is to corral crew to be there every week to race. The J/35s at North Star have the pleasure of extra people wanting to be part of the action. That's right, extra! The people at North Star have the leadership to put over 40 new people on sailboats in the past two years. The J/35s are able to take advantage of so many new sailors wanting to race and sailors who want to return to their roots after being away for a while. It is all very
exciting for the entire sport. 

With strong leadership you can attract people who want to participate. Here are some examples below for you:

• Jim Watts purchased GRIFFIN earlier this year. Jim sold his other boat and joined the J/35 fleet. Being an excellent experienced sailor, Jim has trained lots of newbies on his boat. Jim is nipping really close to the 6-time National Champion Bill Wildner's, MR BILL'S WILD RIDE on weekday racing at NSSC. 
• Tim and Amie Ross with their newly fixed mast have been racing three times a week on BLACK HAWK. 
• Bill Vogan, is still riding high after winning the Port Huron to Mackinac. Bill and his team on MAJOR DETAIL like to battle with four-time National Champion Ed Bayer on FALCON. 
• Cheryl Miller has the youngest crew on her boat DEAN'S LIST. She will be watching the University of Michigan professor Robert Gordenker very close on TIME MACHINE. Robert sails in both Michigan and over in Europe, a very skilled and competitive sailor; which is why he's always in the hunt. 
• Dennis Meagher owner of SNIPE has his experienced crew on the fast track. Dennis used to own a different sailboat last year, but now he sings the praises of his J/35.

On the last day of racing, when the awards are being announced, we will raise our glasses and make a toast to Rod and Bob Johnstone, creators of the amazing J/35! We will take some pictures and post them for all to see. The J/35 is really a special racing sailboat. It was the first sailboat inducted into the US Sailboat Hall of Fame."  Thanks for this contribution from Dean Fitzpatrick, J/35 class principal "cheerleader"! Add to Flipboard Magazine.

The Kids are Taking Over

 

* The Kids are Taking Over! More on the J/34 sailing the Leukemia Society Race in Sandusky, OH.

Brett and Katie Langolf believe that sailing promotes teamwork and helps build relationships. Their crew has raised more than $20,000 so far for the regatta’s beneficiary, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Bexley residents Brett and Katie Langolf grew up sailing, went on sailing dates in college and when their daughters were born, Katie said, “we made it a priority to spend our weekends with them on boats, since they were in diapers.”

A few years later — but not too many years later — the Langolf’s have their girls, Hadley, 12, and Charlotte, 10, competing in a regatta on Saturday, part of an all-kids crew of 12 that will face off against adult crews.


Their boat, the “Knee Deep,” will take on about 25 others in the Sandusky Islands Race & Leukemia Cup Regatta, a 25-mile race that starts and ends in Sandusky and loops around Kelley’s Island.

“I’d call this an experiment,” said Jim Keane, the principal race officer, about the kids taking on the adults. “But I expect them to do reasonably well.”

The idea came out of an initiative that the Langolf’s started in the spring, a nonprofit called More Kids on Sailboats. Unlike other sailing programs for children, theirs is focused on the benefits of co-ed and multi-generational crews.

“I’ve raced countless times with my dad, starting when I was 9,” said Katie, who, like Brett, grew up in Michigan and attended Michigan State University.

“When you put boats together and you have crew members who are 9 and 20 and 40 and 70, you see the older generations mentoring the younger generations, and the younger generations teaching the older generations about communication.”

Hadley Langolf said she enjoys the teamwork of being on a crew.

“Everyone has an individual role, but you have to work as a team to make the boat go fast,” she said.

Not long after forming their nonprofit, Brett said he came up with the idea of entering an all-kids crew in a regatta. The Langolf’s are members of the Sandusky Sailing Club, one of the host clubs for the Leukemia Cup Regatta series, so that was a natural fit.

He set about to find a crew of experienced youth sailors, and one of his first calls was to Keane. The Huron resident has four grandchildren who sail, and one — Molly Keane, 12 — is a leukemia survivor.


Molly will join her sister, Kellie Keane, 14 and cousins Jack Vanderhorst, 16, and Annika Vanderhorst, 15, on the boat Saturday.

Molly was diagnosed five years ago, Jim Keane said, “and it was touch-and-go for about two years. Everybody is extremely hopeful that she’s past it all now.”

The Langolf girls and other crew members have been fundraising and as of Friday afternoon had raised $21,950, far exceeding their goal of $15,000. The money benefits the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Brett marvels at how well the crew has come together, considering some had never met before July 31, their first practice. They have been coached by a Cleveland-area professional sailor, Nick Turney, though, and Jack Vanderhorst (the boat’s skipper) is a highly accomplished junior sailor.

Hadley Langolf said she is, “very confident in the boat; I think we can go really fast.”

She said her first goal is to raise “a ton of money” for the cause, but added, “If you can’t tell, I want to win the race, too. I have high hopes for the race.”

Hearing this, Brett chuckled. “They’re a feisty bunch.”  For more on the Langolf family story on the Dispatch.

J/Crews Garner Silver @ Red Fox Regatta

 

(Charlevoix, MI)- Held over the three-day Labor Day weekend, the Red Fox Regatta started with the NuCore Triangle race on Friday evening, ending with a two-day race from the top of Lake Charlevoix on Saturday, and back again on Sunday afternoon. Reveling in the conditions were over a dozen J/Teams sailing this popular event at the end of summer on the gorgeous azure-blue waters of northern Lake Michigan.

Taking silver in the eight-boat PHRF 2 division was Colin Texter's J/70 SISTERSHIP. Winning the J/22 division was Tom Barne's GREEN EGGS, second was Robert Molter's TACTFUL, and third was Robert Grove's PALEFACE LITE. 

In the six-boat PHRF 4 division, the Chicago-Mackinac Race champion Robert Evans sailed his J/109 GOAT RODEO second place, followed by Jane Enterline's J/105 GREEN FLASH in fourth and Rob Lovell's J/92 KNOCKOUT in fifth place. 

The seven-boat PHRF 6 division the duo of J/111s battling for class honors. In the end, it was Carl Hanssen's VARIANCE taking the bronze and George Golder's TERRIER taking fifth on the losing end of a tie-breaker. 

Finally, the "big boat" PHRF 7 division saw the podium steps determined by yet another tie-breaker. In this case, the newly powered-up J/121 LOKI sailed by Robert Christoph also got the short-stick of that countback, settling for the bronze medal.  For more Red Fox Regatta sailing information

Bayview One-Design Regatta FUN!

 

(Detroit, MI)- The 2020 pandemic edition of Bayview Yacht Club's annual Bayview One-Design Regatta had an unusual twist this year as it was the first major event the club has hosted all year long.  The event hosted a combination of both one-design fleets as well as PHRF handicap fleets...it certainly made for a lot of fun for the sailors. Perhaps the most difficult part of sailing the event was dealing with submerged docks and/or bulkheads due to the extremely high waters across all of the Great Lakes!

In the hotly-contested seven-boat J/120 Division, it was Charles Hess' FUNTECH RACING that took class honors with a 3-2-1-5-2 tally for 13 pts total. Second was Mike & Bob Kirkman's HOT TICKET just 3 pts back with a record of 1-4-4-3-4. Taking the final bronze step on the podium was Mike Fozo & Robin Kendrick's PROOF with a 2-7-5-4-1 scoreline for 19 pts, winning a tie-breaker over Henry Mistele's NIGHT MOVES. Fifth place went to Greg Baker's KAIROS.

In the PHRF handicap world, it was Brad Kimmel & Steve Young's J/111 DIABLO that grabbed the silver in the PHRF 1 Division. In the PHRF 2 Division, Jason Geisz's J/70 CHICHIRA took the bronze, followed by Mary Symonds' J/105 PTERODACTYL in fourth, and Cynthia & Jim Best's J/105 PHANTOM. Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J/Teams Eclipse Tri-State Fly-By Race!

(Chicago, IL)- The annual Tri-State regatta fell victim to the coronavirus in 2020, like many other events on the 2020 sailing calendar. Instead of the traditional Friday night 60+ mile race to St Joseph, Michigan, followed by a 30+ mile race to Michigan City, Indiana on Sunday, and finishing on Labor Day back in Chicago, the race was run in a single night! 

The renamed “Tri-State Fly-By”, hopefully the first and last of its kind, was a watered-down version of the original race- a 78.0 nm "triangle" around southern Lake Michigan. Starting in Chicago, the race took the fleet eastward across the lake to an Orange Tetrahedron set off New Buffalo Michigan, then to a Red Flashing Gong off of Burns Harbor, Indiana, and then back to the South side of Chicago.

At the 7:00 PM start, the weather was perfect, high 70’s on the lake, lake water in the 70’s with a west wind at 12 MPH. With a course of 100 degrees it was a spinnaker run to the first mark. The course was setting up to be perfect J/Boat conditions. Run, reach, and beat, may the best all-round boats win.

The nearly full moon came up and the wind continued to build. On our J/99 RAMBLER, by jibing on a few shifts, we were able to move into the lead in our section. The well-sailed J/35 FLYING SPAGHETTI MONSTER sailing right with us and a C&C 115 and a Swan 46 close behind. The wind continued to pick up, anticipating the next leg was looking like a beat, we changed to our #3 jib as we saw 18 kts of TWS on the instruments. The beautiful night and the run maybe lulled people into not changing headsails, because there were reports of some miserable crews. Maybe it was because they didn’t have J/Boats that made them miserable, who knows? 


However, on the J/99 with our #3 jib, it was just a pleasant beat for the next 30+ miles winds ranging from 15 to 20 knots TWS. With 3 to 4-foot short chop, if you didn’t have foul weather gear on the rail, you got a bit wet, but for the conditions it was a dry beat. At the turning mark in Michigan the boats could fetch the finish line on port tack. That changed and it turned into a beat. The real fun for the night was the 10 to 15-degree wind oscillations and the fact that as you sailed to shore on starboard tack the wind lightened up every time. Basically, if the wind dropped to 14 knots, tack out for 30 minutes, get a 15-degree shift, and tack back in. As the sun came up behind us, the fleet made it to the Gong buoy off Burns Harbor, Indiana. The wind had come up and our un-calibrated instruments showed 20 knots TWS. What a ride on our J/99 RAMBLER, a fetch to the finish averaging 8 knots boat speed.

In fact, the race was a J/Boats dominated race, a great test of boats and crews. In any section that had a J/Boat entered, a J/Boat won! 

PHRF 1 Class was won by the J/111 MOMENTUS owned by Kevin Saedi and Raman Yousefi.  PHRF 2 Class had the J/99 RAMBLER, owned by Ben Wilson (his first race in the boat), comfortably take the class win. PHRF 3 Class had J's take 1st and 2nd- Judith & Ross McLean's J/105 ESPRIT d'ECOSSE and Andy Graff's J/88 EXILE, respectively. 

The PHRF Doublehanded Class was a top five class sweep by J/Crews! Winning was John Kalanik's J/111 PURA VIDA, followed by four J/105s! Second was Mike Sheppard's FLYING PIG, third Mark Gannon's GANGBUSTERS, fourth Ralph Krauss' YUKON, and fifth Mike Hettel’s GLOBAL NOMADS. Seventh was Ron Otto's J/110 TAKEDOWN-2. 

Finally, if that wasn't enough global domination over southern Lake Michigan, two singlehanded J/105 sailors swept the top of the podium in the PHRF Singlehanded Class! Winning was Brian Crabb's SEA-U and second was David Pierce's CAUGHT IN TRAFFIC! 

That was the story on a class-by-class basis.  Amazing performances and congratulations to all J/sailors for their sailing.  

However, perhaps even more stunning were the overall results.  Again, it was a J/Boats sweep of the top five! First overall was the J/111 PURA VIDA, 2nd the J/99 RAMBLER, 3rd the J/111 MOMENTUS, 4th the J/105 ESPRIT d'ECOSSE, 5th the J/105 FLYING PIG, and 9th the J/88 EXILE! Old, new and in between- - - total J/Boats domination, a rare performance in this day and age of knowledgeable, competitive sailors across most offshore fleets.  For more Tri-State Fly-By Race sailing information.

Fun-loving Beaver Island Race Weekend

(Harbor Spring, MI)- Little Traverse YC annually hosts their popular 68.0nm Beaver Island Race Weekend towards the end of summer. This year was different than past races, due to the pandemic guidelines they had to adhere to from the State of Michigan.  Nevertheless, the race must go on! And, they did!  It is a straightforward weekend regatta, comprising of two legs of 34.0nm each: a round-trip from a start off Harbor Point Light in Little Traverse Bay, out into Lake Michigan, across to Beaver Island, finishing off St. James Light. Stay overnight on anchor or mooring, then race back.

On the outbound race to Beaver Island, winning that first leg was Bob Matthews's J/105 GRYPHON, with Scott Sellers's J/111 NO SURPRISE taking second.  On the return, Sellers's NO SURPRISE too 2nd again while Matthews's GRYPHON dropped to fourth place.  For the combined results, the J/111 NO SURPRISE lost the tie-breaker to take the silver overall, while the J/105 GRYHPON took the bronze. A great outing for these two determined competitors.  For more Little Traverse YC Beaver Island Race sailing information

J/Fest Chicago Celebrates Sailing Again!

(Chicago, IL)- Following Chicago's pandemic guidelines, the Chicago Corinthian Yacht Club was able to host Chicago's first one-design keelboat regatta for just J/Crews- the inaugural J/Fest Chicago! The event took place August 29th to 30th, sailing out of Montrose Harbor, with racing taking place on the gorgeous azure blue waters of Lake Michigan. Three one-design classes participated in the event- J/88s, J/105s, and J/111s.

In the largest class, the six-boat J/88 class saw a great battle unfold between one of Chicago's premiere offshore teams- Ben Marden's BANTER and a fast-learning Scandinavian crew- Jorgen Christiansen's NORSE. Winning the first race, Christiansen's team posted all podium finishes of 1-3-1-2-3 for a total of 10 pts to win the class. Uncharacteristically, Marden's team posted a 6th in the first race, but closed with three bullets and a deuce for 11 pts total to take the silver. Tim Wade's WINDSONG rounded out the podium in the bronze position, scoring a pair of deuces and a pair of threes for 15 pts total.

The J/105 one-design class had a closely fought battle for first, with the top two boats tied at 11 pts with identical records of 1-1-2-2-2-3!  In the end, by winning the last race, Josh Lutton's KINSHIP won the gold, while Mike Sheppard's crew on FLYING PIG slipped to 2nd. Rounding out the podium taking the bronze was Richie Stearns's GLIDER IV.

In the J/111 one-design class, it was a match race duel all weekend between the two boats. In the end, it was John Kalanik's PURA VIDA winning over their colleagues on MOMENTUS (Kevin Saedi & Raman Yousefi).

Thanks to regatta sponsors/ supporters such as MarkSetBot (the fully autonomous mark setting miracle), Stearns Boating, Evolution Sails, Skyway Yacht Works, and SAIL 22.com.  For more J/Fest Chicago sailing and registration information

Red Fox Regatta Preview

(Charlevoix, MI)- The Red Fox Regatta weekend is a three-day event starting with the NuCore Triangle race on Friday evening, ending with a two-day race from the top of Lake Charlevoix on Saturday, and back again on Sunday afternoon.  With an excellent family-friendly event planned for Saturday evening, it's been a cherished event for many racers, crew members, and their families for many years. This year, despite all odds conspiring to prevent the event from taking place, the Charlevoix YC has been able organize and run the event within the State of Michigan's pandemic guidelines. Many J/Crews are looking forward to their first real sailing outing for summer 2020! 

Sailing in the eight-boat PHRF 2 division is Colin Texter's J/70 SISTERSHIP. The six-boat PHRF 4 division sees Chicago-Mackinac Race champion Robert Evans sailing his J/109 GOAT RODEO. Joining him is Jane Enterline's J/105 GREEN FLASH and Rob Lovell's J/92 KNOCKOUT. Sailing in the seven-boat PHRF 6 division are a duo of J/111s (George Golder's TERRIER and Carl Hanssen's VARIANCE). PHRF 7 division has the newly powered-up J/121 LOKI sailed by Robert Christoph.

The seven-boat J/22 one-design class includes two Warrior Sailing Teams along with Chris Shadek's BACK IN ACTION and Abigail Barnes's RUM PLUS.   For more Red Fox Regatta sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Tri-State Fly-By Race Preview

(Chicago, IL)- In days past, the traditional Labor Day Weekend Tri-State Race (a 3-day event) would start in Chicago, head over to Michigan across the southern parts of Lake Michigan, stay overnight, then race down to Indiana, stay overnight and party-hardy again, the race home to Chicago. However, due to all kinds of multi-state guidelines on pandemic guidelines, the race is now simply a long-distance triangle race. Starting in Chicago, over to the St Joseph, MI harbor entrance buoy (a fly-by), down to Michigan City, IN harbor entrance buoy (another fly-by), then back to Chicago.  What is surprising is the strong interest in the race, especially by the double-handed and singlehanded entries.

In the PHRF Double class, four J/105s are participating; including Mike Sheppard's notorious FLYING PIG, Mark Gannon's GANGBUSTERS, Mike Hettel's GLOBAL NOMADS, and Ralph Krauss's YUKON. Joining them is John Kalanik's J/111 PURA VIDA and Ron Otto's J/110 TAKEDOWN 2. In the Singlehanded class are duel J/105s (David Pierce's CAUGHT IN TRAFFIC and Brian Crabb's SEA-U).

In PHRF SPIN 3 class is Andy Graff's race-winning J/88 EXILE along with Judith & Ross McLean's J/105 ESPRIT d'ECOSSE. Sailing PHRF SPIN 2 class is the J/99 RAMBLER along with Mitch Weisman's J/105 FLYING SPAGHETTI MONSTER. PHRF Spin 1 Cass features two J/111s (Boyd Jarrell's HEADROOM and Kevin Saedi & Raman Yousefi's MOMENTOUS) and Tom Papoutsis's J/133 RENEGADE.  For more Tri-State Fly-By Race sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J/34 Taken Over by Youth Team!

*J/34 KNEE DEEP has been taken over completely by "the kids"! As seen here sailing off Cleveland, OH on the choppy waters of Lake Erie, "the kids" earned their keep by raising the most amount of money for their local Cleveland Leukemia Cup this year. Congratulations to all of the local youth sailors that partook in the event and, especially, to Brett Langolf's youth team winning on the classic J/34 IOR design called KNEE DEEP!

Throw-Down in MoTown!

Rumble in the Jungle- J/35 Style!
(Detroit, MI)- We had eight J/35's competing on August 15th and 16th. It was as good as it gets. At the end of the day on Saturday there was a bowline knot, for you rookies that is a three-way tie for first. Mr. Bill's Wild Ride 1st and 3rd, Snipe was 2nd and 2nd, and Dean's List was 3rd and 1st. The last race was called because of no wind.

There was a delay on Sunday do to a thunder storm. James Baker and his committee team told us all to standby that the storm will be over and he and his team at NSSC were all in to race more. Thank you NSSC for your dedication to being the real deal.

With that being said; Sunday Mr. Bill's Wild Ride was 1st and 2nd. Snipe was 2nd and 1st. Dean's List was 3rd and 3rd.

The THIRD RACE WAS THE BEST. In the final 7-tenths of a mile there were three lead changes. Dennis Meagher nosed out Mr. Bill by 1.5 feet and beat Dean's List by 10 seconds. Congratulations to all the sailors!

The party at NSSC and the awards were outstanding. We had Jake burgers cooked on the J/35 grill, and plenty of Guinness as we all talked about J/35 sailboat racing.

I heard there are several people with their big toes poking at the J/35 world. I will write you a hall pass! Please join in
you will happy you made the right decision. Do not buy yourself short, our renaissance is happening.

North Star Sail Club is the premier yacht club in Michigan. Their dedication to racing and putting out the effort to never be bogged down in politics is great. NSSC has the ability to keep 'the main thing the main thing'. Keep up your fine work!  For more North Star Sail Club information.

J/Fest Chicago Announcement

(Chicago, IL)- Despite all odds against it happening, the Chicago Corinthian Yacht Club is looking forward to host Chicago's first fully-autonomous one-design keelboat regatta- J/Fest Chicago!

The event is planned to take place August 29th to 30th, sailing out of Montrose Harbor, with racing taking place on the gorgeous azure blue waters of Lake Michigan. One-design classes that are invited include J/24, J/70, J/88, J/105, J/109, and J/111.

Thanks to regatta sponsors/ supporters such as MarkSetBot (the fully autonomous mark setting miracle), Stearns Boating, Evolution Sails, Skyway Yacht Works, and SAIL 22.com.  For more J/Fest Chicago sailing and registration information
  Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J/35s Racing on Lake Erie- Seeking More Team Members!!

"If you are a sailor and would like to be part of the great action going on at NSSC on the 15,16, of Aug., call me. There are J/35s going out to race stick against stick in Lake St. Clair. North Star is putting out the red carpet for us. We should have 9, or 10 J/35s going at it. Some of the J/35s are needing some talent. You are all familiar with the finest boat ever designed. Now is your time to grab the brass ring and join in. It will not get any better than this!

I am opening up an opportunity for some of you past J35 sailors. This type of racing is the most fun and competitive you will ever experience. Bill Vogan, winner of the Port Huron to Mackinaw in his J/35 MAJOR DETAIL, is signing up today.

Some of his crew is stuck in Canada. He will come down knowing that there will be plenty of crew with talent to help him win. Bill Wildner owner of Mr. BILL'S WILD RIDE and 6-time J/35 National Champion is going to have his hands full.


Dennis Meagher owner of SNIPE has been winning. This is Dennis's first year owning a J/35 and he loves it.

Tim and Amie Ross owners of BLACKHAWK just got their mast back from Canada after it got fixed. They will be looking for crew, they are always in the hunt.

Ed Bayer owner of FALCON is a 4-time National Champion and will need two crew people.

Jim Watts owner of GRIFFIN just finished the Slammer Cup in Tawas, Mi. he took 3rd over all. Jim will be interviewing for positions on his J/35. This is Jim's first year owning a J/35, but he has been racing since he was 7 years old.

Finally, four(!) other J/35 owners need crew- Robert Gordenker owner of TIME MACHINE, Sheri Dufresne owner of FIRE FLY, Cheryl Miller owner of DEAN'S LIST, Don Endres owner of RUMORS, some need your skills." 

For more information on sailing J/35s, please contact:
Dean Fitzpatrick
p: 248.528.8440
e: dean_fitzpatrick@msn.com Add to Flipboard Magazine.

The Hook Race 2020- Death’s Door Challenge

(Racine, WI)- The “HOOK”, run the same weekend as the Chicago-Mackinac race, is the Racine Yacht Club’s premier yacht race and 2020 marks its 37th year. It was born from an idea kicked around by Club members who thought a distance contest concurrent with the Chicago-Mackinac race might be able to gain some traction. A race from Racine through “Death’s Door” at the top of the Door County peninsula to a port in Green Bay could be a simpler, lower cost alternative to the ‘Mac and would require less gear. A shorter race, it would allow skippers and crews who couldn’t make the ‘Mac to take less time off and still do a distance race. It would also serve as a way for folks to get their boats north for some cruising while having a little racing on the way. It combines strong competition with the navigational challenge of Death’s Door.

The first HOOK, named by a member who saw a picture of the course and thought it looked like a “hook”, was sailed in 1984 with twelve boats racing from Racine, Wisconsin, to Menominee, Michigan, finishing off Menominee’s marina and the M&M Yacht Club. The finish line at M&M is between a trailer on the marina seawall and a buoy just offshore. Total distance is some 189.0nm.


The "Hook" also has a reputation for serving up somewhat challenging, nasty weather at times.  This was one of those years, with two fronts passing over the race track before the fleet could finish. The storms left a trail of broken parts, broken boats, bruised egos, and broken spirits. 

With a limit of 100 boats to participate, storms led to significant attrition: 4 withdrew, 5 did not start, and 29 did not finish. Before we get into how some of the J/Crews performed in the race, it's well-worth reading the first-hand account of surviving getting washed overboard.


Sarah Pederson, who was swept off the J/111 SHMOKIN’ JOE five miles northeast of the shipping channel in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, describes her hair-raising experience offshore:

"This wasn’t the first time I had participated in “The HOOK” race. The race itself began in 1983, I have participated in 23+ races, and it wasn’t any different than the others I participated in. As in other years, we can’t control the weather and this year wasn’t any different.

The forecast for the weekend was 15-20 knots of winds from the South/Southwest and thunderstorms. To a sailor, that is ideal conditions to “fly” up the lake to our finish.

My sailing experience began early on. Sailing was our “family sport”. Our father introduced all six of us at an early age. I personally have been active in the sport of sailing for 55 years as a racer, instructor, presenter, and supporter of the sport. With my husband, over the past 32 years we have owned and raced boats carrying on the tradition by teaching his two sons how to sail and race.

So, what happened? There were two thunderstorms that we were tracking throughout the day on Saturday, July 18th. The fleet had already sailed through one off Milwaukee. We experienced some of it north of Milwaukee, off Fox Point as we sailed along the northern edge of the storm. From reports, other boats were not as lucky and experienced the full storm causing boats to report dismasting’s.

As we continued our trek north toward Death’s Door Passage off Gills Rock in Door County, Wisconsin we continued to track storm #2. This storm appeared to be stronger and didn’t seem as though it was dissipating throughout the day. We tracked it as it traveled across Lake Winnebago and made its way toward Lake Michigan.


As the track came closer, and we could now see the lightning associated with this storm, as a crew, we began to prepare for the storm. Our preparation included reducing our sail area by taking down the mainsail and raising the smallest jib available. We insured that all crew members above (4 crew members) and below deck (4 crew members) were wearing US Coast Guard approved life jackets, a safety harness, 6-foot tether, along with a strobe light, whistle, and sailing knife.

When the storm started to affect the boat, the wind began to increase dramatically. Even though we had reduced sail area we could feel the effects of the increase. Eventually, the wind hit us with a gust of 50+ knots. There were some on the race that reported 60-70 knot gusts. At the time of the gust, there was a wind shift causing the boat to auto-tack and round up leaving the crew now on the low side of the boat.

When this happened a wall of water came rushing down the deck picking me, and another crew member, off the deck. Because we were all wearing a safety harness and six-foot tether, the “theory” is we would have stayed with the boat and would have been “retrieved” by pulling on our tether.

This happened to the other crew member, but not to me. My tether snap shackle at the chest snapped open, for whatever reason, sending me into Lake Michigan in the middle of a thunderstorm, 50+ knot winds, 5-foot waves, 56º water, and 60º air temperature.

As I popped up, I could see the boat that I was just swept off in the distance, still pinned down. Almost immediately, I lost sight of the boat due to the conditions which caused limited visibility.

My first thought was I was grateful the water wasn’t as cold as I thought it would be. I had heard all week the Lake Michigan temperature was unseasonably high (70º) for that time of the year. Unfortunately, as it was explained to me after the incident, the water had a “turnover” from the waves, change in wind direction, and storms which dropped its temperature.

Because I did not have any time frame for the events of the night, I do not know what order I had done any of these actions. I turned on my strobe and pulled out my whistle that was on a lanyard around my neck. I blew my whistle several times, but then realized using the air to blow was challenging. I would use the whistle sparingly. I kicked off my sea boots and crossed my arms across my life jacket and held on.

At one point during the time in the water, I did see two boats in the distance – the J/111 with their spotlight panning the water for me, and the US Coast Guard with their red illuminated side panels. At that point, I felt as though they were moving away from me.

I was wearing a full lifejacket, not an inflatable, and my choice for a full lifejacket was a conscious one. I have said that I feel as though, in my situation, the full lifejacket saved my life.

The waves were measuring 5 feet at the time of the storm and I needed to float like a cork, to bob up and down. As the waves would crash over me, I would rotate my body so that I would take the wave from my back. I learned this early, when I had taken a few mouthfuls of water in my mouth and nose. I didn’t think that would be a good thing for an extended period. When I would rise onto the top of a wave, I would attempt to extend my strobe higher in the air for better visibility.

I chose to wear a regular lifejacket at night for the warmth and comfort factor. I have often said that I don’t think I would want to go overboard at night in an inflatable to reduce the chance for mechanical failure. I do wear an inflatable; I was wearing one during the day.

I realized to survive this; I would need to regulate my breathing. There was a lot of self-talk happening while in the water, the first thing I said to myself was “You know what to do, this doesn’t have to be the end.”

I will say that the self-talk throughout the hour being in the water wasn’t always so positive, but for the most part I had the skills to hang in there. I felt as though my ability to swim – what I have been calling water awareness- was a big part of being able to tread water for about an hour. I knew I had the skills to do this…

I had no idea how long I was in the water until the J/111 that I was sailing on heard my whistle and then saw my strobe. Luckily, the storm had started to move out making visibility greater. This assisted greatly in their ability to find me. The US Coast Guard was right behind them. As I understand, the Coast Guard search pattern is in a square, narrowing in on the last known location. They did their job to perfection.

Once aboard the J/111, I was transferred to the US Coast Guard vessel in a basket with the potential of hypothermia. With Emergency Medical Services waiting for me at the station, I was transferred and then taken to Door County Medical with a diagnosis of mild hypothermia. I didn’t have any other reported injuries, so my treatment consisted of a warming blanket and a bag of warm saline.

This story is about a lot of very skilled, experienced, and prepared sailors who handled an emergency with precision. It is about being prepared. Prepared for a storm, all equipment was accounted for before we even left the dock the morning before with the skipper/owner checking to make sure all crew had all the required safety equipment.

It is about knowing what to do in the water as well as on the boat. This story is about wearing a lifejacket. It doesn’t make any different what you choose to wear. I wouldn’t be alive without it.

This story is about how lucky I was to have the US Coast Guard so close to provide the needed support.

WEAR YOUR LIFE JACKET, ATTACH A WHISTLE TO IT, IF OUT AT NIGHT, HAVE A STROBE OR SOME OTHER DEVICE THAT WILL BE USED AS A VISUAL. ALL WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE!"


As for the racing the event, virtually all over boats participating lived through a similar experience as Sarah while she was aboard. It was rough going and typical of Midwestern fronts that can unexpectedly intensify as they begin to pass over the lake.  In the J/111 Class, NO SURPRISE won followed by Kevin Saedi & Raman Yousefi's MOMENTUS.

In PHRF 2 Class, J/Crews fared well in the tempestuous conditions. Taking the silver was Bob Klairmont's J/160 SIROCCO, followed by Bob Christoph's J/121 LOKI taking the bronze, and Mike Stewart's J/122 LADY K grabbing fourth position.

The seven-boat J/109 class had tight racing despite the tough weather. Winning was the Douglas/ Maybach duo on COURAGEOUS, followed by Doug Evans' TIME OUT in second and the quartet of Miz/ Dreher/ Hatfield/ Neenan in third.

Winning the eleven-boat PHRF 4 class was Andy Graff's EXILE, followed by Mitch Weisman's J/35 FLYING SPHAGETTI MONSTER in fourth place, Mike Hettel's J/105 GLOBAL NOMADS in 6th, and Dale Brown's J/105 BLACK DIAMOND in 7th.

Winning the eleven-boat PHRF 5 class was Mark Wessel's J/92 RUNAWAY.

Finally, proving again that various J/Designs are tough offshore boats, winning the PHRF Doublehanded division was Ron Otto's J/110 TAKEDOWN 2! Congratulations to all for surviving and, indeed, excelling offshore when Mother Nature throws you a massive curveball!   Thanks for this contribution from Scuttlebutt Sailing Newsletter   For more Racine YC The Hook Race sailing information