SOLID GOLD DANCERS Top Legends Regatta

(San Francisco, CA)- The idea was simple and clever; invite your top sailors from your club to create a team that was inclusive of the club membership, from top sailors to women and juniors.  The idea was hatched by Russ Silvestri and friends at St Francis YC in San Francisco to encourage fun and mentorship amongst all member sailors in a fun, festive atmosphere, sailing aboard their fleet of J/22 one-design sailboats.

They called the event “The Legends Regatta of the Kingdom of St. Francis YC”.  Tongue in cheek, of course!  Here was the invitation to StFYC members that were selected as the “Legends” to pick their team of “Knights”:

“I, Jim Kiriakis, the reigning Commodore of St. Francis YC, do hereby invite you, a named and distinguished Lord and Legend of the Kingdom of St. Francis YC, to serve as Captain and to appoint your finest Skipper and Crew to enter into battle in the Legends Regatta of St. Francis YC, celebrating the honor and distinction our Club has enjoyed for four score and ten years.

The Legends Regatta and Crowning will take place on Friday, the 21st day of April in the year 2017. Racing will commence at precisely 1300 hours and no races will commence after 1551, which marks two hours before sunset on that day. The Regatta will be conducted upon the Kingdom’s J/22s with four valiant sailors per team.

On the day of the Battle, all Teams are encouraged to invite a cheering entourage clad in your Team Colors to bear witness to the Battle. The most spirited entourage will reduce their Team’s score by two points! The Kingdom’s finest Jurists will judge the Battle on the water. The Crowning will include a Proclamation announcing your conquest along with a Team photo published in Ye Olde Mainsheet.”

According to Russ Silvestri, “the weather was perfect, the racing on target and for those that stayed for the party, it was a great time! I feel fortunate to be a part of a club that has the willingness to create and try something new. I look forward to next year and the chance to improve upon the regatta!  And, we plan to have more junior sailors and women skippers and crew in the mix!”

As it turned out, there were two women’s teams- the “AMAZONS” and “MORE GIRLS”.  The Amazon’s Legend was John McNeill and their handpicked crew included Pam Healy (skipper), Jody McCormack, Betsy Weiler, and Elizabeth Little.  The More Girls Legend was Cindy Lou Delmas and their crew was comprised of Molly Carapiet (skipper), Molly Vandermoer, Helena Scutt, and Juliana Testa!

In the final tally, it was the SOLID GOLD DANCERS team of Russ Silvestri (skipper), Mario Yovkov, John Collins, Ethan Sargent (12 years old), all hand-picked by Legend Jim Cascino and Russ, that were crowned winners of the inaugural Legends Regatta.  It was pretty clear that Silvestri’s time in the J/22 doing a lot of match-racing and team-racing paid off, with their team winning 4 of 6 races to finish with 7 pts net.

Just behind them, the battle for second and third on the podium had become a three-way battle between three famous StFYC skippers- Paul Cayard, Craig Healy and Sean Svendsen.  Second was determined by a tie-breaker at 18 pts each.  Taking the silver was the HOLM BOYS team that was crewed by a bunch of famous “characters” in StFYC lore.  Legend Doug Holm had selected no less than Paul Cayard (skipper), Steve Marsh, and Norm Davant as the “holmies” to lead the charge.  Indeed, they had a great time!  Much to everyone’s surprise, no one fell overboard from laughing so hard- Norm did not want to be bow man!

The most intimidating team had the most ferocious name- the ELIMINATORS. Led by Legend Terri Anderlini, their crew of Craig Healy (skipper), Chris Smith, Seadon Wijsen, and Chris Trezzo managed to never win a race and, as a result, lost the tie-break to Cayard’s “holmies” team.  Many beers were likely paid out over that betting!  As Sir Silvestri promised, more fun to be had next year!  For more Legends on J/22s Regatta sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Wild Outcome @ Benelux Open J/80 Champs

(Naarden, The Netherlands)- This year’s Benelux Open J/80 Championship was hosted by R&ZV Naarden from April 15th to 16th.  The outcome was all but determined after the first day of racing.  The team of Jilko & Sybren on OANT S’JEN were in their element and were simply unstoppable, they were way too fast for any other team on the race course, no matter what the conditions were.

After two days of racing with eight races sailed and one discard for all teams, the Jilko/Sybren crew kept winning races to easily take top honors for the event with a tally of 2-3-2-1-2-1-1-1 for about a 1st average with 10 pts net! Doh! Hard to beat that number, right? Sailing their hearts out and hoping to forestall the inevitable was Bernard Holsboer’s crew on JUUL. Despite tossing a 4th place, JUUL’s crew still could not match the blistering pace set by the Jilko/Sybren crew, happily settling for the silver.  Zeroing in for the bronze position was Jorrit Beekman’s JSB with 23 pts net. Rounding out the top five was OJ Golverdingen’s LED2LEASE with 27 pts net in 4th place and in 5th place was Bart van Breeschoten & Michel van der Stelt’s DEEP with 33 pts net.  For more J/80 Netherlands sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

San Francisco Cup Preview

(San Francisco, CA)- Since 1967, St. Francis Yacht Club and San Francisco Yacht Clubs have been “competing for superiority in the same field” at the annual San Francisco Cup, a match race that grants its winner a line on a trophy and a year of bragging rights. In 2014, the Cup went to St Francis YV. In 2015, it was San Francisco’s. It’s 2016 and this weekend’s SF Cup is anyone’s match.

A brief history: The first SF Cup was raced in 1967 to promote a friendly rivalry between the two clubs on the Bay. Since then, it has been raced 44 times and StFYC has racked up 31 victories. But, who's counting? This is a "friendly" rivalry!

In 2014, the two-boat match race format expanded to include six boats and three divisions: Open, Women’s and Youth. As Commodore Livingston reported in 2015, “The result was heaps livelier and more engaging.”

StFYC is bringing three horses to this race: Scott Sellers helming his J/70 1FA in the Open division; Nicole Breault helming a club J/22 in the Women’s Division; and Nolan Van Dine is helming a club J/22 in the Junior Division (19 and under). The St Francis YC teams will be as follows:

Open Division- skipper Scott Sellers with crew of Russ Silvestri, Cam Geer, and Geoff McDonald.  Women's Team- skipper: Nicole Breault with crew of Molly Carapiet, Dana Riley, and Hannah Burroughs.  Junior Team- skipper Nolan Van Dine with crew of Will Paulsen, Leo Findley, and Emiliano Bache.

The San Francisco YC skippers are Craig Healy (Open Division); Vicki Sodaro (Women’s Division); and Romain Screve (Junior Division).

Racing will commence in the Olympic Circle this Saturday at 1130 hours. The first team to accumulate 11 points over three divisions wins. If one team accumulates seven points before the end of racing on Saturday, racing will be halted and will recommence Sunday at 1100 hours.   For more San Francisco Cup sailing information

INFINITY Tops Texas J/105 Invitational

(Houston, Texas)- In spite of losing PRO Dwight Bengston at the last minute, J/105 Fleet 17's first annual Texas Invitational went off without a hitch under absolutely beautiful blue Texas skies in perfect winds and temperatures. A big thanks goes to John Barnett (Vici) and a host of Lakewood Yacht Club volunteers for quickly stepping up to the plate to make sure the 10-race schedule was executed to perfection.

Seven boats competed with both Fleet 17 and non-Fleet 17 owners on the helm. The 10 races were split into evens and odds. Fleet 17 owners helmed odd numbered races, and non-Fleet 17 owners helmed even number races. Big thanks to the Bermuda fleet for allowing Fleet 17 to copy their format. This is a super format that produces a fabulous opportunity for owners and crew to travel without having to drag their boats along.

Five races were sailed on Friday in light winds under clear skies with temperatures in the 70s. Three races went off under similar conditions on Saturday, and then the big Texas sea breezes filled in for some spectacular kite flying in 18-25 knots on Sunday. There was a bit of carnage but no actual protests.

For the local Fleet 17 owners, Bill Lakenmacher's RADIANCE took first with 12 points, Uzi Ozeri's INFINITY came in second with 15 and Brad Robbins' RUMPUS finished in third. The non-Fleet17-ers had Glen Darden (Dallas) on INFINITY in first, James Macdonald (Bermuda) on RADIANCE in second, and Mark Smith (Fort Worth) in third. The same boats took the top three places overall with Ozeri/Darden in first, Lakenmacher/MacDonald in second, and Robbins/Smith in third.

Watch two nice YouTube sailing videos here:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrSWPRlj4p0
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jN0NIcdBt4

Newport Harbor Dominates NYYC J/70 USQS

(Newport, RI)- The three yacht clubs that finished on the podium at the 2014 U.S. Qualifying Series for the New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup have at least two things in common. First, each has previously earned a berth in the Invitational Cup. Second, each club was less than satisfied with their previous showing at that event.

Next September 2015, those three clubs--Newport Harbor Yacht Club, Eastern Yacht Club and Seattle Yacht Club--will have a chance to redeem themselves at the 2015 New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup presented by Rolex.

Each of the teams took a different path to the podium in the 2014 U.S. Qualifying Series. Newport Harbor was utterly dominant. Led by skipper Michael Menninger and tactician Jon Pinckney, Newport Harbor won 13 of 17 races. The team, which also included Taylor Grimes and Gregory Helias, wobbled slightly on the final day with an eighth and a 12th. But the latter was the result of a jib halyard issue and eventually rectified with a redress claim, which was approved by the jury. Newport Harbor also won three races on the final day.

"It wasn't the best day," says Menninger. "We had one bad race and one breakdown, but we never got worried. We just kept plugging away. We knew we had good boatspeed, we knew we were still sailing well. Our mentality on the boat didn't change at all."

For Eastern Yacht Club, on the other hand, the final day was a constant battle. The team entered Saturday with a tenuous grip on a top-three finish. Time after time, skipper Bill Lynn and his team found themselves staring at a host of transoms, and they were forced to grind through a very stubborn fleet. The end result, a second-place overall, was worth the effort.

"We seemed to just dig ourselves little holes and them climb out of them," says Lynn, who sailed with Alden Reid, Ben Richardson and Megan Watson. "We were probably sailing a little too conservatively at times--except for the one time we did circles at the windward mark when we stuck it somewhere we shouldn't have. I think overall we were trying not to be over [early at the start], trying to stay with the pack. We had great speed, which made it easier to dig our way out when we had to."

Lynn was part of a team that won the inaugural J/70 North American Championship last fall in Annapolis, Md., but he said that the rule changes for this event--which prohibit changing the rig tune and don't allow any crew to hike with their legs over the side of the boat--made it hard to transfer much of what he has learned about the J/70 to the USQS.

"I've spent a fair amount of time in these boats," says Lynn. "It helps you downwind with the technique when you're figuring out when to plane, but upwind it's a totally different animal because you can't tune the rig."

Eastern Yacht Club finished fourth at the 2011 Invitational Cup and missed earning a spot for 2013. Lynn says the club is eager for one more bite at the apple.

For Seattle, the route to its second Invitational Cup bid was paved with consistency. Of the 11 races in the championship series, Seattle finished between third and sixth in nine. Andrew Loe, who skippered the club's USQS entry in 2012 and its Invitational Cup team in 2013, knew exactly what was required to earn his club a return trip to the Invitational Cup.

Just outside of the top three were New Bedford and Shelter Island. Both clubs were competing in the USQS for the first time and both came on strong on the final day, a good sign should they come back in 2016.

With the U.S. Qualifying Series now finished, the New York Yacht Club will work to finalize the roster of invited teams for the 2015 New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup presented by Rolex. That list will be released by early 2015. As with the past three editions of the Invitational Cup, the premier international Corinthian big-boat competition, a diverse and very competitive field is expected to challenge the two-time defending champions from the Royal Canadian Yacht Club (which in both cases featured top J/24 and J/105 sailor and Olympic Medallist Terry McLaughlin as its skipper— a formidable opponent!).
For more NYYC Invitational Cup USQS Sailing information

New York YC USQS Preview

(Newport, RI)- The 2014 New York YC U.S. Qualifying Series for the 2015 NYYC Invitational Cup is taking place this weekend.  With 22 teams hoping to qualify for the top spots for next year’s event, the sailors will have to demonstrate they know how to sail high-octane, one-design J/70 speedsters over the course of a four-day regatta.  Starting on Wednesday, the teams will be rotating through Sonars and J/70s on an elimination basis.  For the last two days, the top teams will be racing J/70s in the Championship Fleet to determine the ultimate winners and qualifiers that will be sailing the 2015 event.

Over the course of the summer, each yacht club that has been “invited” to this qualifying event has been hard at work on crew work and hoping their teams “gel” in time to put on good performances in Newport this coming weekend.  One of the leading teams, Eastern YC’s Billy Lynn, hopes to repeat their previous performance to qualify as a top team— their win in the J/70 class in last week’s Marblehead ONE Regatta may improve their prospects.  Lynn will be up against a host of other top college All-American and J/70 teams, including Brian Keane’s Beverly YC crew, Stu Hebb’s Coral Reef YC team, Jamie Cummiskey’s Indian Harbor YC crew, Mike Menninger’s Newport Harbor YC gang, Ryan Glaze’s Rush Creek YC team and Shawn Bennet’s San Francisco YC crew, amongst many other very talented teams.  For more New York YC US Qualifying Series sailing information

New York YC US Qualifiers- Yacht Club Battleground!

(Newport, RI)- At the 2014 U.S. Qualifying Series for the Invitational Cup presented by Rolex, top amateur sailors from two Texas yacht clubs— Rush Creek Yacht Club and Texas Corinthian Yacht Club— will hope to augment the nautical legacies of their respective clubs and the Lone Star State.

“This event is not about me,” says Ryan Glaze, the skipper for the RCYC entry and a former commodore of the club. “It’s about Rush Creek. We want to make our yacht known and respected in our circle. This isn’t about me or any of my teammates.”

The biennial keelboat competition is the only path for American yacht clubs hoping to compete in the 2015 Invitational Cup presented by Rolex, the premiere, international, Corinthian, big-boat competition. Both events are hosted by the New York Yacht Club at Harbour Court, in Newport, R.I.

In the U.S. Qualifying Series, two-dozen yacht clubs from around the country will sail for four days in matched fleets of Sonars and J/70s; after a round-robin, the top teams compete in the finals sailing J/70s. The top three yacht clubs in the final standings will earn a berth in the 2015 Invitational Cup presented by Rolex, which is sailed in September 2015 in the New York Yacht Club Swan 42. Bragging rights are part of the package.

“It’s a real privilege to represent the club,” says Texas Corinthian skipper Curtis Hutcheson, who will be sailing in the event for a second time. “We want to have a good showing. We know a lot of the competitors. The big difference [compared to other regattas] is not having any professional sailors. You don’t get to do many all-amateur events. It’s good to keep it Corinthian. And I love the club format.”

With the ability to sail year round, competitors from the two Texas yacht clubs have to deal with an “issue” that’s somewhat foreign to their competitors in the Northeast and Midwest, burnout.

“This summer we’ve been laying kind of low,” says Glaze. “But we’ve got a pretty rigorous training we’re hitting here at the end of August. Hopefully we’ll peak at the right time.”

After finishing sixth in 2012, Hutcheson believes that extra attention to the details will help lift Texas Corinthian into the top three.

“The conditions are likely to vary greatly,” he says, “There are a lot of tight crossing situations and those are going to make the difference. We want to have good starts, as it’s a tough fleet to come back in. We’re excited. We’re practicing on our teamwork.”

No matter where Texas Corinthian ends up in the final standings, however, Hutcheson is sure of one thing, he and his team will thoroughly enjoy the experience.

“We had a great time in 2012,” he says. “Everyone was so friendly. It was very competitive with all sorts of conditions and great boats. It was an awesome event.”  Sailing photo credits- Billy Black.  For more New York YC US Qualifying Series sailing information

J/70 Sailor Heather Gregg-Earl Dominates Nantucket Regatta!

(Nantucket, MA)- The annual Nantucket Race Week IOD Celebrity Invitational Regatta on August 14-15 once again attracted an elite list of accomplished North American sailors to serve as tacticians for  skippers and teams in a benefit for Nantucket Community Sailing.

Organizers generally don’t make the same skipper/tactician pairing two years in a row, so when skipper Heather Gregg of Stage Harbor YC won in 2012 with Celebrity Tactician Robbie Doyle, she couldn’t test the magic last year. But when the two paired up again last week, the magic was alive again, never finishing worse than second, winning the 14 boat event without sailing the final eighth race.

Nantucket Sound delivered optimal race conditions for the fleet of International One Design sloops, with 15-17 knot westerly winds and moderate seas.

Gary Jobson helming, with Jud Smith calling the shots, took second, begging the question “Which ones aren’t celebrities?” Peter Bromby of Bermuda as tactician, with skipper Ted Moore of Marblehead, both first-timers at the event, took third.

The consistency of top finishes, amongst the deep and high level competition, earned Heather Gregg-Earl the “Nantucket Race Week Overall Best Performance Award” from event sponsor Porsche cars.

According to Heather, “It was a solid 15 kts from the Southwest...perfect Nantucket Sound Cape day...lots of sun and wind and tide coming in all day on both Friday and Saturday.  First day, we got a 2-1-1-2. Big waves, particularly on port tack!!  Second day, we got a 2-1-1 and didn't have to sail the last race.  All my J/70 driving was paying off. We just boarded out the jib and flattened the main...then let’er rip!  We were higher and faster both days.  It felt good!”  For more information about his fun Nantucket Race Week Regatta

South Africa Tops International YC Challenge

(New York, NY)- Last weekend, nineteen teams of amateur sailors from 14 nations sailed in the Sixth Dennis Conner International Yacht Club Challenge in absolutely gorgeous sailing conditions on the Hudson River, right next to the famous Statue of Liberty. The races took place in Manhattan YC’s bright red J/24s; races were started off their famous floating clubhouse, the Sparkman & Stephens designed “Honorable William Wall”, anchored in New York Harbor just north of Ellis Island.

Winning the regatta with considerable ease was the Royal Cape Yacht Club from Capetown, South Africa.  How did the South African team do it? By sailing fast and smart and avoiding any un-necessary mistakes.  This dark horse was a well-practiced team, all used to sailing big waves and even bigger winds off the tip of Capetown; a place renowned for nasty gales, chilly winds, and “jumping great white sharks” feeding on innocent little seals off the infamous Shark Island (often seen getting “big air” right in the middle of some of their race courses)!  Needless to say, not much was going to intimidate this team of one-design and offshore sailors.

The South Africans arrived to the regatta without fanfare and at the Opening Ceremony, described themselves as the “most humble” team at the regatta. They told the story about how they scraped together funds for their 36 hour flight to New York City by soliciting donations. They were surprised by the many generous sources that collectively made their participation possible. Despite their challenges, they easily led the regatta after sailing three races on the first day- posting a 5-2-1.  Not a bad score considering none of them had ever sailed on the Hudson River before!  Over the next two days, they never slowed down, adding a 7-2-2-1-2 to close the regatta with 15 pts net and win by a stellar margin of 5 pts.

Starting out in second after the first day were the Royal Danish Yacht Club team from Denmark.  They managed to post very consistent scores of 4-4-2-2-3-4-8-1 for 20 pts net to secure a firm grasp on the silver overall.

Third place and the balance of the top five saw just about every team experience some amazingly bad races; as the Aussies often say, “we sent it down the mine shaft!”  After day one, the Manhattan YC #2 team was third with a 1-9-3, but then disappeared into the abyss on day two with an epochal record of 17-13-8 to take themselves out of contention (hmmm, rumor had it they were showing some of their newfound foreign friends a good time Friday night in downtown Manhattan until twilight?).

Howth YC from Howth, Ireland, a hotbed of J/24 activity in that island nation and recent host of the J/24 Worlds, also started out strong with a 2-6-7-5, temporarily holding onto third place after four races.  Then, they bombed two races, gathering a 17-3-18-3 to drop themselves into fifth overall.

Third was taken by the Swiss team from Lake Geneva, sailing for the Cercle de la Voile de la Societe Nautique de Geneve.  They started out with an astonishingly humble record of 9-1-12-10, but then closed with a flourish, posting a 4-1-3-10 for a total of 38 pts net.  They narrowly beat out another team of dinghy and one-design sailors from Bermuda’s Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club.  The Bermuda team also had a slow start, amassing a disappointing 3-16-8-12 in the first four races to firmly secure a mid-fleet position.  Nevertheless, like their Swiss counterparts, they pulled themselves up by their collective bootstraps and reeled off a 1-6-4-5 in the last four races for 39 pts net, just missing the podium by one point!   For more sailing photos- DC IYC Facebook page & credits- Scot Surbeck  For more Dennis Conner International Yacht Club Challenge sailing information

J/Sailors Leading the Charge off Nantucket.

(Great Harbor, Nantucket)- It’s all about “Competition, Contribution, Camaraderie!” It’s the quintessential New England summer scene: a fleet of classic yachts parade past a picturesque lighthouse en route to the race course, their American ensigns streaming in the stiff breeze.

On August 14th and 15th, a handsome pack of IOD sloops will slice through the waters of Nantucket Sound, in the capable hands of accomplished skippers and crew, each under the sage direction of a world-famous tactician.

This is the 10th installment of the IOD Celebrity Invitational, a unique regatta that pairs 14 visiting and local teams with 14 of America’s top sailing talent as tacticians. The two-day event is a signature feature of Nantucket Race Week, a weeklong celebration of sailing for all ages that benefits Nantucket Community Sailing (NCS), the non-profit that promotes the island’s maritime tradition by making sailing accessible and affordable to all.

The Nantucket International One Design Fleet Association provides its fleet of 15 identically matched fiberglass sloops, and many local sailors to stage the racing. One boat is reserved as a spare.

“The IOD’s are not a new design, but perfect for Nantucket conditions. They are all very even in speed and provide a wonderful test of sailing ability,” says Tom Whidden, a veteran and longstanding supporter of the Celebrity Invitational. In the past he has brought his vast experience – including multiple America’s Cup campaigns – to Nantucket as a celebrity tactician. This year he serves as the IOD Celebrity Invitational’s Honorary Chair. “This will continue to be one of my favorite regattas.”

The roster of tacticians reads like a Who’s Who of sailing, representing America’s Cup Hall of Famers, World Champions in multiple classes, medaled Olympians, collegiate All-Americans, and more than a few sail makers.  NOTE- Literally ALL tacticians have J/Boats experience at the local, regional, national, continental or world-levels on their C.V.!!  Here is the cast of characters frequenting downtown Nantucket this weekend:

Josh Adams (three time collegiate All-American), Jim Allsopp (Star World Champion), Peter
Bromby (four Olympic Star campaigns), Robbie Doyle (twice Sears Cup winner), Dave Franzel (Sonar World Champion), Phil Garland (twice winning navigator in Fastnet Races), John MacCausland (Star World Champion), Mark Reynolds (four Olympics, three medals), Dawn Riley (four America’s Cup campaigns, 1992 win), Jud Smith (Rolex Yachtsman of the Year), Mike Toppa (six America’s Cup campaigns, two wins), Dave Ullman (470, J/24 and Melges World Champion), Will Welles (J/24 National Champion), and Jon Wright (five America’s Cup campaigns, three wins).

“What’s really impressive to me is the commitment of the celebrities to come and, for many, to return multiple times for the honor of helping out NCS in its primary mission of teaching people to sail,” says event co-organizer Bill Druckemiller. “The number of America’s Cup, World Championships, Olympic medals is really astounding, and they give their time cheerfully.”

The philanthropic sentiment doesn’t seem to deter the competitive spirit. “The racing is close and there is a lot of it. Believe me, it isn’t easy. I have never won the regatta because the competition is really tough,” says Whidden.

An impressive line-up of skippers further validates the event’s “Celebrity” title. Entrants include Gary Jobson (America’s Cup-winning tactician), who will also serve as Honorary Chair of Nantucket Race Week 2014 and Heather Gregg-Earl (J/70 North American Champion in 2013).  For more Nantucket Race Week

International Yacht Club Challenge Preview

(New York, NY)- Nineteen teams of amateur club sailors from 14 nations will come together August 15-17 to compete in the Sixth Dennis Conner International Yacht Club Challenge, organized by the NY Harbor Sailing Foundation. The races will take place on J/24 boats borrowed from the Manhattan Yacht Club, one of the largest community sailing organizations in the country with more than 900 members and will take place at North Cove, the mega yacht marina in Battery Park City in Lower Manhattan.

The three-day spectacular will feature a daily series of hour-long races in New York Harbor. All of the races will begin and end at Manhattan Yacht Club’s floating clubhouse located in the harbor, near Ellis Island.

“This is a great opportunity to bring together so many sailors from around the world to promote international goodwill through friendly competition,” says Commodore Michael Fortenbaugh, who also serves as Executive Director of the New York Harbor Sailing Foundation. “What better place to have a regatta than in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty overlooking the Manhattan skyline. New York harbor is a great place to sail and we are looking forward to having a memorable weekend of races.”

The NY Harbor Sailing Foundation was founded in 1994 and organizes sailing programs in the harbor such as Operation Optimist, a junior sailing program for kids.

Founded in 1987, Manhattan Yacht Club has reintroduced recreational sailing to the harbor after a 60-year absence. With two clubhouses and a fleet of more than 30 club-owned boats, the club brings together both amateurs and professionals alike to share in the joy of sailing through lessons and friendly competition.

North Cove is located in front of the World Financial Center in Battery Park City. The marina is the epicenter of recreational sailing in the harbor. The Patron of North Cove is Dennis Conner who is best known for winning the America’s Cup and was voted last year as America’s Greatest Sailor. He has worked since 2005 with Manhattan Yacht Club’s Commodore Michael Fortenbaugh to help revitalize the Lower Manhattan waterfront after the devastation of 9/11.

The 19 teams from 14 nations include:
• Manhattan Yacht Club (United States) – 2 Teams
• Club Universitario de Buenos Aires (Argentina) – 2 Teams
• Norddeutscher Regatta Verein (Germany)
• Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron (Australia) – 2 Teams
• Nissan Marina Tokai (Japan)
• Howth Yacht Club (Ireland) – 2 Teams
• Fenerbahce Sailing Club “Team Goblin” (Turkey)
• Royal Cork Yacht Club (Ireland)
• Societe Nautique de la Baie de Saint-Malo (France)
• Royal Norwegian Yacht Club (Norway)
• Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club (Bermuda)
• Royal Danish Yacht Club (Denmark)
• Cercle de la Voile de la Société Nautique de Genève (Switzerland)
• Shanghai Boat and Yacht Club (China)
• Royal Cape Yacht Club (South Africa)
For more International Yacht Challenge sailing information

College Sailing On Cloud 9!

Fun Racing J/80s In EDHEC Regatta
(Les Sables-d’Olonne, France)- The Course Croisiére EDHEC Sailing Cup is the biggest intercollegiate offshore regatta in the world, with the 46th edition in Les Sables-d’Olonne, France having just completed all their events over the long April 25 – May 3 week.

Making the trip from USA was University of Chicago, Drexel University, Tufts (2 teams) and Georgetown. Andrew Mason on the Georgetown University team provided this report on the event:

“Even the casual reader of Scuttlebutt is aware of two topics endlessly debated on this newsletter: 1) “how do we build interest in sailing for the Xbox generation?” and 2) “how do we make college sailing in the United States simultaneously more competitive and more inclusive?” After a week at the 46th Course Croisiére EDHEC, there is perspective to be gained by looking across the pond at a college sailing model that is completely foreign to our own.

After winning the Intercollegiate Offshore Regatta at Larchmont Yacht Club this fall, a team representing Georgetown received a waived entry fee to compete at the CCE. From April 26th to May 3rd over 1,500 sailors primarily from France, but including teams from Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Poland, Belgium, Spain, Norway, the United States and Canada descended on Les Sables d’Olonne, of Vendee Globe Fame. Unlike our typical two day college sailing events, which by design are done with easy preparation by the host school and conducted over multiple venues for nearly a dozen weekends each semester, CC EDHEC brings 180 boats across three one design classes, J80s, Longtze boats and Grand Surprises, and three handicap divisions.

Like in the United States, the range of professionalism amongst the French teams at CC EDHEC varies. Stateside, big-name sailing schools like Georgetown, Tufts and College of Charleston enjoy a good deal of support from the university. Sailors at the top US programs follow a regiment akin to other varsity athletes and annual team budgets are well into the six figures. The top sailors will often go five or six regattas in a row without a weekend off. Obviously, this institutionalization and support varies across conferences and even across sub-sectors within conferences.

On the French side, the top teams are flashing corporate sponsors on their sleek jackets and new sails from the likes of KPMG, Total, Sopra Group and Altran. Meanwhile other teams were groups of friends with varying levels of sailing experience looking for competitive racing, a vibrant atmosphere and a roof-blowing party. After seven days, I think all of those bases were more than covered.

In my college sailing experience, when the races end, the event is usually over for the day. Because of the team-centered dynamic of college sailing, the institutional structures that surround college athletics and the mountain of studying that must get done after a long day on the water, the enjoyment of camaraderie amongst competitors often feels somewhat lost.

Of course much of this is for good and obvious reasons; athletic departments and universities must avoid the potential liability nightmare college partying entails. For better or worse, the simple post-race drink you buy a competitor that you “think” you crossed on port in Race 3A cannot exist.

On the water, Les Sables d’Olonne delivered with the conditions and the race committee was not hesitant to push competitors’ limits. Four of the six racing days saw breeze in the high teens to mid twenties coupled with huge, hull battering swells. The Grand Surprise and J80 fleets counted almost 40 entries apiece making for big starting lines, crowded mark roundings and some spectacular spinnaker ripping, fiber glass cracking, mast breaking, carnage. Having never sailed a J80 before the first race, our entire team was pushed to keep the boat in one piece and sailing fast.

After adrenaline filled, exhausting days on the water, après sailing takes on a whole meaning dockside. As the sails come down for the day, the regatta village, complete with sponsor tents, food tasting, full bar, sun deck, video screen and a beach volleyball court, bursts to life. Short of the America’s Cup and Volvo Ocean Race stopovers, such an elaborate village has never been erected for a sailing event on American soil.

After the 9pm sunset, the après sailing in foulies migrates to an adjacent huge nightlife tent dedicated specifically for concerts featuring some DJ the average Scuttlebutt reader will never know. These dance parties stretch until the morning hours making several snoozes on the 6:30am iPhone alarm par for the course throughout the week. The morning after the opening party, I sheepishly asked one of the organizers from EDHEC Business School if there would be another party that night. In an accent that makes American knees melt for French girls she perplexedly replied, “of course there is- why wouldn’t there be a party every night?”

The Lollapalooza atmosphere meets intense conditions and competitive fleets of the CC EDHEC meant we were hammer down for a week straight. Our “Xbox generation” hates sitting idly and feeling our time is being wasted more than anything else. Unfortunately, in a sport where we are at the mercy of the wind gods our ADD is constantly tested. However, when we are full plane, kite reaching to the finish in 20+ knots or dancing until 2am our video games, Facebook profiles, and whatever else do not exist. We dialed in during racing and were able to decompress as college kids once the day was over.

Obviously American college sailing has its dozens of pluses and there are some pretty insurmountable hurdles for this CC EDHEC model to be adopted en-masse here. Would schools be able to sponsor varsity or even club teams if there is a party-type atmosphere associated with the event? Would college sailors be more eager to participate in fewer, larger events during long weekends and school breaks, instead of the current 12 to 18 boat, two-day, dinghy-focused events? Would incorporating more keelboat racing encourage or discourage people to join college sailing teams?

At the end of the day, if we were to take CC EDHEC as a model, we have to ask: would it keep more college aged kids interested and engaged in sailing both while in college and post-college? All the endless debate about keeping people in the sport always boils down to one word: fun. I am in no position of authority to say what should or should not be adapted from this model to our own college sailing system, but all I know is we sure had a freaking blast experiencing how the French do college sailing.  The Georgetown University team finished 6th of 38 boats in the J/80 fleet.”

Here’s the report from Tufts University coach Ken Legler, leader of the Jumbo’s Sailing Team:  “Bonjour!  For the 14 Tufts seniors, one coach and one dad, the EDHEC Sailing Cup surpassed all expectations.  The wind and waves, the boats and competition, the hospitality and accommodations, the life-long friendships and lessons were all incredible.

Saturday, April 26: Boat prep as Tufts team trickles in including three that just completed the Boston Marathon.
Sunday, April 27: Training day blown out.  Even the regatta village is evacuated for fear of tents blowing over, and there were more than 60 tents.  A good day to study.

Monday: Morning postponement for waves to subside, one afternoon race for each class.  Our one-design circle has three classes; a professionally laden 40-boat GS-32 fleet, a nearly all student 38-boat J-80 fleet, and a mostly student fleet of ten Longtzes.  Tufts enters both a GS-32 and a J/80 and Georgetown and Chicago are also in J-80s.

Tuesday: More wind and waves. Tufts Will Haeger in the GS-32 aces one start and team makes only a few errors to get on track. Georgetown's men, skippered by John Labossiere, also finds a good pace in the J-80.  Tufts J-80, four women and a guy, are still a bit nervous in the 1-3 meter seas but finish steady mid-fleet.  Somehow they avoid collisions all around them; mostly by targeting a one or two-length overstand at every weather mark.  Drexel and Chicago have less experience but show great seamanship and sportsmanship finishing every race despite minor breakdowns.

Wednesday: the light air day, 8 knots building to 13, still pretty lumpy.  It's the North Atlantic in April.  Haeger aces two more starts before the pros take the pin away and with minor mistakes, Tufts posts a 2-4-13 on the day.

Thursday, May Day in France:  J-80s keep racing on W-2's.  GS-32s and IRC Handicap fleet sail a long coastal race.

Friday: Tufts GS-32 team gets another 6th but gets holed and misses two races.  Georgetown continues to sail well finishing in top ten almost every race in the J/80s.  Tufts gets redress to finish 6th, as does G'town in J/80’s.

Saturday, the finals:  Fifteen finalists get to compete in the "GANT" (nice apparel company) final, with top competitors selected from each of six classes.  Switzerland, the top student and top international boat, opts for the GANT final, along with slick corporate boats Altran, KPMG and Total, all with pro skippers.  In the end, the pro’s dominate.  No matter, this is not a championship but one of the greatest regatta experiences these college seniors will ever have.

Some numbers: the 46th annual regatta is run by college students, except FFV supplies the race officials.  175 boats; 88 one-design on the outer circle, 87 on the handicap circle closer to shore.  Nearly 1,600 sailors from 22 nations and another pile of students playing games ashore.  Yes, there were parties with world class bands, an Old El Paso Mexican dinner, and a big marque with lots of flashy lights and electronica music.  Each team also got a full shopping cart of pasta and other "necessities."  Use your imagination.

The regatta village was amazing and the excitement was at a fever pitch throughout.  Tremendous thanks to the EDHEC team, particularly Thomas Gazeau, and our hosts in the international tent, Nicholas, Marion, Charlotte and Maille.  This was one regatta none of us will soon forget.”  Thanks for contributions from Tufts (Ken Leger) and  Georgetown (Andrew Mason) and Scuttlebutt Sailing News.  For more CC EDHEC Sailing information

Stale? Spice Up Your Sailing!

(San Francisco, CA)-  Expanding a usual-suspects match-race competition to include a women's division and a youth division, with shorter races, more races, and many a "Hey, I've heard your name, nice to meet you" is a good thing!

What to do when a grand event outlives its prime, but mustn't go away? It's an obvious call to "think outside the box," but there's no formula for that, is there?

Since 1967, two leading clubs on San Francisco Bay, The San Francisco Yacht Club and St. Francis Yacht Club, have maintained an annual match race rivalry. First sailed in 46-foot CCA boats and later in either sizable IOR boats or Santa Cruz sleds, with a few shots at Farr 40s, the San Francisco Cup match eventually followed the almost-inevitable path to J-built sprit boats.

Except for a few J/120 matches, the event settled into J/105s borrowed out of Fleet One. Everything was fine. For a while. But, after that while, repetition turned into A Problem. Now, it's necessary to say that different people may have different views, and your correspondent was the merde-disturber-in-chief in 2014, so this is not an independent report. But it was time for a change.

Absent opportunities to return to the glory days of custom fiftyish-footers, what to do?

One way to look at that is to ask, what is the best thing going in the moment? CCA boats had their moment. IOR boats.  Santa Cruz sleds. And J/105s are not going away. But the St. Francis Yacht Club, in company with the St. Francis Sailing Foundation, in recent years undertook to build a fleet of J/22s kept primarily for match racing and team racing. What about keeping the Usual Suspects division of J/105s and leavening it with a Women's division and a Youth division from each club in J/22s? Get different parts of each club engaged with other elements of their own club, and then mix it up with the other club.

It worked. And it could work anywhere, in whatever context. In this case, it was about fulfilling the mission statement of the San Francisco Cup, which begins: "The purpose of this trophy is to promote good fellowship between the two yacht clubs."

The 2014 event proved that more is more. Youth, ladies, gunslingers, we had'em all.

The J/105 match featured SFYC Commodore Bill Melbostad in #40 Blackhawk with three Perkins brothers by his side (you may have heard of them) vs. StFYC (what a difference a "t" makes) Staff Commodore Peter Stoneberg in #196, Risk. Stoneberg's armaments included Olympians Craig Healy and Russ Silvestri.

All around, not a bad deal with two top ten-ranked women skippers and crack crews, Katie Maxim for SFYC and Nicole Breault for StFYC, where the balance went to StFYC.

Adding women's and youth divisions reset the pulse of the event. Under an agreement that the winner would be the first club to accumulate 11 points, St. Francis YC took the cup by a one-point margin in Race #21 by a scant 8 seconds. StFYC 11, SFYC 10. It can't get much closer.

Skippering the deciding win was StFYC/Stanford's Antoine Screve (bronze and silver at ISAF Youth Worlds) racing against SFYC's Jack Barton, 2013 Sears Cup champion, who brought along his Sears Cup crew of brother Sam Barton, Corey Lynch, and Sammy Shea.

Where are we now? People know people that they didn't know before. People were included who were excluded before. It's called being a club.  It's called being a community, and it could work in many a context.  With accumulated points determining the winner, it's doesn't matter how many divisions race, because an even number of divisions does not risk a tie. Why not a fourth division with high schoolers crewing for an adult skipper? Now that's a mentoring opportunity, eh? A masters division?  One race where each side draws lots in a public setting, and all the other skippers for that club crew for the skipper who wins the draw? There are any number of ways to play this, and mixing it up is the name of the game, provided the real name of the game is fun.

I know it's an impossible standard to meet, 365 days a year, but we're here for such a little while, and, when we can, why not make life a special occasion?

Preparing to hand off the San Francisco Cup to the other side of the bay, the man who had done his part as skipper by winning SFYC's J/105 division, Commodore Bill Melbostad, declared, "I think we're onto something."  Thank you for the contribution from Kimball Livingston- St Francis YC.
Sailing photo credits- Leslie Richter
http://www.rockskipper.com

Team Elusive Bermuda J/105 Invitational Champions

(Hamilton, Bermuda)- The Bermuda J/105 Class and Royal Bermuda YC hosted the inaugural Bermuda J/105 Invitational Regatta, sponsored by XL Group, from November 21st to 23rd on the gorgeous aquamarine waters of The Great Sound. Eight international teams could not have been treated to better, more idyllic sailing conditions, nor a better venue for excellent one-design racing on Bermuda’s fabled waters.  Sailors from the USA, Canada, UK, and Bermuda competed  for the XL Trophy [Overall Series]; the Bermuda Tourism Trophy [International Series]; and the Goslings Trophy [Bermuda Series].

The regatta featured a unique “team” format- each boat was made up of 3 international sailors and 3 Bermuda sailors who sailed together in each race. Races were be designated as “Bermuda” or “International”; the respective nominated helmsman helmed for that race.  This was the first time the format had been used.

One of the Island’s top Race Officers, Royal Bermuda YC’s Charles Tatem, ran a fabulous regatta all three days, blessed as the fleet was with strong northerlies on Thursday and Friday and a rapidly building southwester on Saturday feeding a massive low pressure system rolling in across the Atlantic.

The first day of sailing got underway on Thursday in blustery conditions, with northeast winds of 15-25 knots churning up the Great Sound. The mixed crews from Bermuda and International Yacht Clubs kicked off the day with a practice race to help with the crew work, and then Race 1 got underway. International skippers helm the odd numbered races, and local skippers the even numbered ones.

The opening win went to ELUSIVE (Steve Cucchiaro from Eastern YC) chased by PASSION (Bill Lackenmacher from Lakewood YC) and SADIIQI (Sean McDermott from Royal Nova Scotia YS). Race 2 had a crew overboard at one of the marks – recovered fine, but damp – and Yabsta lost their second spinnaker in the strong breeze.

The opening “locals” race went to ELUSIVE (Chuck Millican from Bermuda’s Royal Hamilton Dinghy Club), chased by PASSION (Jim Macdonald from host RBYC) and YABSTA (Trevor Boyce from Royal Hamilton Dinghy Club). Race 3, in slightly lighter conditions, was taken by PASSION followed by YABSTA (Stewart Neff from Eastern YC) and MAYHEM (Jason Owen from Royal Ocean Racing Club in England). The final race of the day, back in a 20 knot breeze, had ELUSIVE’s third bullet of the day, with PASSION next and SADIIQI in third.

The “Sovereign Jewellers” boat of the day, on seven points, was ELUSIVE, also leading the Overall [XL Trophy] and Bermuda [Goslings Trophy] competitions. PASSION was leading the International competition [The Bermuda Tourism Trophy].

The second day of competition got underway in glorious sailing conditions – medium breeze and clear skies. The crews had recovered from a bruising first day and race 5 of the 10 race series started at 11am in the Great Sound.

The day’s first win went to SADIIQI, chased by PASSION and BACK-IN-BLACK (Greg Turman from Corpus Christi YC). Race 6, in slightly lighter conditions, was taken by ELUSIVE to notch their 4th bullet in the regatta already followed by PASSION and MAYHEM.

Race 7 saw the breeze shift to the left and start to drop out – racing then became an exercise in finding pressure and playing the substantial lifts along the Somerset Shore, or out toward Pearl Island. Race 7 was won by PASSION followed by ELUSIVE and BACK-IN-BLACK (Ed Fries from Royal Hamilton Dinghy Club). The final race of the day, was a challenging tactical contest in the light winds. ELUSIVE played the shifts well both upwind and downwind to win by nearly a half-leg!  In a distant second was SADIIQI passing PASSION in the final run to the finish to take 2nd and 3rd, respectively.

The “Tops Limited” boat of the day, on 8 points, was PASSION [2-2-1-3]. After 8 of the 10 races, PASSION was leading the Overall [XL Trophy] with 15 points over ELUSIVE’s 17, followed by SADIIQI and MAYHEM both on 33 points.  With only two races left, the stage was set for a battle royal between the top two boats to determine the overall winner; especially since neither boat could finish “out of the chocolates” with just 8 boats racing!

The final day of sailing got underway shortly after the breeze filled in. With the regatta on the line, the ELUSIVE team match-raced PASSION to gain a slight advantage on the first start and after a brief tacking duel, both boats split tacks with ELUSIVE rounding the first windward mark in 2nd with PASSION in the middle of the pack.  In the end, ELUSIVE held her position, with BACK-IN-BLACK taking first and YABSTA taking third.  At this point, ELUSIVE was leading by a single point over PASSION for the overall title.

With a strongly increasing breeze in the mid-teens from the southwest, the final duel was set for the top two teams.  To add to the drama, Race 10 started under the “black flag rule” for a triple windward-leeward race— a veritable marathon for the sailors.  Again, ELUSIVE pursued PASSION in the last minute of the start to match-race them down into the pack.  After a brief tacking duel, again, both boats split tacks with ELUSIVE again managing to round several boats ahead.  By the second downwind leg, ELUSIVE sailed fast enough to slide into 2nd place and maintained that position to the finish to take the overall win.

The event concluded with a long distance race back to Hamilton Harbour, taking in the Small Sound and the channel up to The Dockyards in front of the spectacular Commissioner’s House on the northern part of Ireland Island. MAYHEM took line honours and won the “Bermuda Project Managers” prize. The “Tops Limited” boat of the day was BACK—IN-BLACK.

The Overall XL Trophy went to the strong ELUSIVE team, followed by PASSION and MAYHEM.  Fourth was SADIIQI and fifth was BACK-IN-BLACK.  The top International helmsmen taking Bermuda Tourism Trophy was Bill Lackenmacher from Houston, TX, followed by Steve Cucchiaro from Boston, MA, and Greg Turman from Corpus Christi, TX.  The top local helmsmen for the Goslings Trophy was Chuck Millican followed by James Macdonald and Jon Corless.   For more J/105 Bermuda XL Invitational sailing information

Xiamen’s Blue Sea Wins J/80 China Match Race!

(Xiamen, China)- Who said good sailing didn’t exist in China. 4 Days, 4 umpires, 17 teams, 64 Races, 2 Black Flags, more ‘Y’ Flags, green, blue and yellows than you could shake a stick yet not one Rule 14 infringement and all this with a loss of 2 hours a day on the first 3 days. In one semi-final, on one 800m windward leg, 27 tacks apiece and on the final day 23 knots of wind – more than they can seemingly handle in the America’s Cup.

The Club Cup, as it is often known amongst sailors in China, is the oldest keelboat regatta in China and it would be a fair guess that it is the largest (for Chinese sailors), the highest quality, and most respected keel boat regatta in the country.

Started as a challenge between two clubs in beat up J-24s almost 10 years ago it pre-dates the more commercial China Cup International Regatta by a couple of years but the biggest difference is that this is a Chinese Regatta for Chinese teams not racing charter for predominantly a bunch of foreigners and the event has grown in size, quality and stature year on year.

The speed at which this event has matured both in terms of race management and the skill levels of the competitors is little shy of unbelievable, there is obviously a lot of coaching, practice and perhaps even video watching going on in Chinese sailing circles.

In the past it has been run over the week of the Chinese National Holiday, this year the event had to be split into a preliminary fleet racing regatta where the 30 entries were whittled down to 16 who returned to Xiamen 3 weeks later (this past extended weekend) for 4 days of knock-out match racing.

This match racing could best be described as competitive with the flags flying almost as much as the spray on the final day yet so often the teams could be seen giving each other the thumbs up and applauding each other as they crossed the finish line with victories that were incredibly frequently not assured until the last 100m of the race track.

The first 3 days lost an average of 2 hours per day due to the breeze being, simply put – somewhere else but the team comprising of PRO Kang Peng, Li Li, the “glue” that held the event together, and the umpire team of Jono, Al, Lauren and GG, not forgetting Jim Johnstone who tirelessly fixed breakdowns and handled boat swaps kept the event pretty much on schedule albeit with nav-lights required on the umpire boats for the return to the marina on a couple of days.  The semi-finals saw both extremes of weather from 6 knots for the first 2 races to over 25+ kts for the completion of the final matches.

Little by little the 16 teams were whittled down to the finalists Xiamen’s Blue Sea YC and Yomovo Sailing Club from Hainan. Each race within this match was won by boat lengths rather than legs and proved to be a hard fought battle to the final finish line. In one pre-start the boats did so many spins round each other than the umpires appeared to be demoted with the umpire flag on their RIB turned from a ‘U’ to a ‘J’. (Think about it)!

There were attempts, some more successful than others, to use just about every rule in the book to encourage the umpires to fly the other boats flag but the umpires decisions were accepted in the right spirit with, quite naturally, one or two close decisions having to be talked through on the dock later.

There were lead swaps where a runaway leader dropped the kite in the tide allowing the other boat to take over and run away themselves, to races where the protagonists crossed the finish line overlapped as they had been for virtually the whole race.

Ultimately it was Xiamen’s Blue Sea SC who prevailed winning the competition to become the challengers to the current holders Liuzhou Sailing Club with the local team from Xiamen Island prevailing 4-1 over the defenders although the scoreline suggests less close racing than reality.

So it is all over for another year, and although there may be pretenders to the throne of the Club Cup, certainly as far as match racing is concerned, nothing in China even comes close. Thanks for the contribution from Hong Kong’s Alistair Skinner.

Silvestri Leads California Dreamin Series

(San Francisco, CA)-  This past weekend the St Francis Yacht Club hosted the first stop of the three event 2013-2014 California Dreaming Match Racing Series using its fleet of identical one-design J-22s.  Despite delays each morning for the wind to fill in, typical for off-season on SF Bay, the RC managed to complete 11 flights for the eight teams.

First overall went to local San Francisco Bay favorite Russ Silvestri and his team of Mario Yovkov, Erica Mattson, and John Collins, who scored 5.5 points.  Second with 4.5 points went to past winner and fellow St. Francis YC member Nicole Breault and her team, followed by a three-way tie among skippers Shawn Bennett (St. Francis YC), Dusty Durant (Long Beach YC) and Jimmy Barnash (Rochester YC) just a half point back.

All of the teams enjoyed beautiful afternoon sailing conditions and tight racing with mixed win-loss records all across the board.  The 8 teams regroup at San Diego YC on Jan 11-12 for the second stop, also in J-22s.   Sailing photo credits- Cindy Zammit   For more J/22 California Dreamin Match Race Series sailing information

San Diego YC Crowned Lipton Cup Champions!

(San Diego, CA)– The 99th edition of the Sir Thomas Lipton Cup hosted eight yacht club teams representing California and Louisiana, competing in equally matched J/105s for three days (Nov. 1-3) of fleet racing inside San Diego Harbor and hosted by the San Diego YC.  As promised by the SD Chamber of Commerce, the fleet was treated to classic SoCal weather conditions; a bit of fog (marine layer) in the morning, clearing by lunch-time so the amazing armada of SDYC volunteers could layout a 0.7nm race course off the impressive San Diego city waterfront and permit the visiting teams to sail multiple windward/leeward legs four times around each day.

Over the course of the three day event, it was clear the “local talent” led by SDYC’s Brad Rodi would have their hands full fighting for fleet honors against defending champions Bob Little from California YC, Scott Harris from Coronado YC and Dustin Durant from Long Beach YC.  After the first day of sailing, Harris’ CYC team led the pack with 9 pts, followed by SDYC and LBYC.  In fact, the top five were all within three points of each other!

By the final day of the regatta, it was clear the defending champion Cal YC was unable to overcome their first day black flag penalty, falling short of winning this year’s Lipton Cup by only one point!  In fact, the entire top five was essentially determined by their finish positions in the eighth and final race— what a cliff-hanger, with just 7 pts separating five boats!  Cal YC’s principal competitors, the local SDYC gang, nearly blew the regatta in the last race with a 6th place!  Nevertheless, the winning SDYC team that included Brad Rodi (skipper), Chris Busch, Andrew Campbell, Steve Hunt, Al Pleskus, Molly Pleskus, and Chuck Sinks could finally breath a sigh of relief afterwards!  Taking third was Harris’ Coronado YC team just one point back with a final race 5th for 30 pts.  Fourth was Payson Infelise’s Newport Harbor YC team with 4th in the last race to finish with 34 pts, just one point in front of fifth place finisher Durant representing Long Beach YC that won the last race to complete their results with 35 pts!  Some tactician’s “heads had to be exploding” and skipper’s had to be “sweating bullets” on the final leg of the last race!    Sailing photo credits- Bronny Daniels/ Joysailing.com   For more J/105 Lipton Cup Challenge sailing results

Singapore Team Crowned Liuzhou China Rivers Champions

China Team, Holland, India & Guangzhou Team Complete Top Five
(Liuzhou, Guangxi, China)- What a fabulous weekend racing in Liuzhou for the 2013 Liuzhou China Rivers Regatta.  26 teams competed over 4 days of racing in the Liu River in Liuzhou, Guangxi Province, China.  We had competitors from Japan, India, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and of course China competing.  The conditions could not have been better with a challenging shifty winds ranging with an average breeze of about 10 knots most of the weekend.

People ask why we like sailing so much.  When you look at the field of racers we had the women drivers, men drivers, rich and poor, and the oldest sailor was 84 years old and the youngest was only 18.  What other sport can this diverse group compete on an equal playing field?  There are very few.  That is why sailing is such an awesome sport.

With 14 J/80's and 26 teams we split the teams into two equal fleets of 13 per fleet.  For two days and 6 races per fleet the teams raced qualifying races to then be split into a Gold and Silver fleet.

One year ago Jim Johnstone came to Liuzhou to help strengthen the sailing skills in Liuzhou.  After training several racing teams two of the teams were driven by Liuzhou drivers.  Last year there were no local racers in Liuzhou.  One of the drivers was driving for the Sanya team and he had competed in two other events as a driver in his life.  The other, this was his first time driving in an event.  Both managed to qualify for the Gold fleet after the qualifying rounds against a strong fleet which was pretty amazing with such little experience racing.  In just this one year we have gone from 5 sailors in Liuzhou to over 200 actively interested in bettering their skills on a weekly bases in this beautiful river.

22 year old Ayesha Lobo from India surprised many with a very strong start by the Indian team who came to China for the first time to compete in this event.  The India team had just received the first two J/80's in India this past summer and the team has had some practice in the boat.  They were also smart to come a few days early to spend some time on the water practicing in the river.  Ocean sailing and river sailing can be very different.  The biggest difference is the ocean has big waves and steady breeze where as the rivers have challenging changing winds and small waves.  Boat speed and boat handling can make a very big difference.  It was obvious that the practice paid off for the India team as they finished the qualifying races in first place in their fleet.

Martin Hingst from Holland racing the Gaastra Sails Team was also very strong in the other fleet.  You don't always have to win the races but being consistently in the top part of the fleet and sailing smart were be advantages for Martin.  

Other Notable teams in the Qualifying Round were the Singapore Team who had won this event in 2012 and the China Team who is involved with the Americas Cup for China and competes in many of the different Keel boat events in China and abroad.

Sailing is a lifestyle, many come for different reasons, it could be the competition to see who is better or it could be the fun of meeting people from other cities and countries that love the same sport.  It was very obvious that this group liked to have fun and have fun together.  With the fleet split into A fleet and B fleet with A sailing in the mornings and B sailing in the afternoons it was fun seeing both A and B out having fun in the evenings.  A little harder to get up in the morning for the A group but not one complaint since the nights activities brought lots of laughs and new friends together.

As we moved into the final two days of competition, the top half of the A and B fleets were 12 boats.  Out of those twelve in this fleet any one of them could have potentially won this event.  It all came down to thinking smart, going fast and staying out of trouble with the other boats.  Unfortunately for the India team trouble found them in the second race and with the DSQ (disqualification) it made things challenging for them to be in the top three.  Singapore got off to a nice start with two wins out of the three races and the China Team were also very strong.

The Liuzhou regatta offers something that is very unique to many of the racers.  On the final day the Gold fleet sails a 35 km race that is actually split into two races.  This races under several bridges, past 100 meter vertical rock cliffs and through some very scenic country. 

The first race was about 18 km up wind.  Normally these sailors are use to sailing 1 to 3 km's up wind when we race around buoys but 18 km's requires a long time to concentrate on the changing wind conditions.  As you watch the competitors you see many lead changes but the China Team was dominate in this race from early on and finished about 5 minutes ahead of the next team. With a small break for lunch and a short 3 km sail around a bend in the river race two started.

Race 2 was very different.  Rather then being all upwind the race started with a short upwind leg and then mostly sailing with the spinnaker.  There were several sections of the river where the wind was moving across the river. This was very challenging for the sailors.  With wind shifts up to 90 degrees and large areas where there might be no wind at all do to a wind shadow from land the lead changed positions many times.  Chine Team looked very strong in the beginning but soon the entire fleet sailed right around them on either side when the seem to have found an area with no wind.  Then the Japanese team looked very strong and again they got sucked up by the entire fleet.  I can best compare this to long distance bicycle racing.  When the pack catches the lead riders. This happened 5 or six times until a group of 5 did manage to break away from the rest of the fleet.

The surprise was the Liuzhou Sailing coach driving in his third regatta ever, maybe more comfortable in the shifty river conditions then most just sailed away from everyone.  Finishing more then 20 minutes ahead of the second place Martin Hingst from Holland.  The China Team, India Team and Guangzhou Team who all showed such promise in the race earlier fond themselves limping in at the back of the pack.

The final results show some boats being consistent but the interesting part is that on the water they were far from consistent.  This event challenged each and every crew to keep their cool, keep in the wind and figure out how to stay ahead of the back.  Great job to the winning team from Singapore followed by the China Team, Martin Hingst from Holland, India Team and then Guangzhou Team in the top five positions.

Sailing is so interesting to those that are new to it and those that have been doing it for years.  There are no time outs, no substitutes, no boundaries.  You sail in light air, heavy air, shifty wind conditions, little waves and big, strong and week current and every day is different. Experience and training help the good sailors stay in the front of the pack and competing in these events allows the newer sailors to gain tons of helpful experience.  Thanks to the support of the local government in Liuzhou and the sponsorships that help make these events possible and a big thanks to the Riviera Yacht Club for providing the 14 J/80's and support boat that were prepared for this event.  We look forward to more great events in Liuzhou.