Off to China!

I am heading to Qingdao tomorrow morning to coach the Whitman/Dorsett Sailing Team team at the SKUD test event for the Paralympics.  I am not sure if I will be able to update this from there or not.  But you can find the results on www.sailing2008.org.  The event begins on May 8th.   After some strong winter results, Scott and Julia have high expectations for themselves at this event.

The ISAF Mid-Year meeting will take place in Qingdao during this event.  The selection of equipment for the 2012 Olympics may be reconsidered at this meeting.   I will meet a group from the Tornado Class in Qingdao, and we will help lobby for the multihull to be used in the 2012 Olympics.

On Spring Break … Again

During my senior year at BU (in 1999), we spent our spring break sailing out of Ransom Everglades High School in Miami. It was normal for me to assume that the trip would be my last spring break with the BU team. This past March, I went on spring break with the BUDS (Boston University Dinghy Sailors), this time to Charleston, SC. Nine years later, it was just as enjoyable.

(Above) BUDS Gordon Mack (’10) and Veronica White (’09).

It was a busy trip, with the majority of the team racing regattas on the weekends before and after break. One of those events was the Navy Women’s Intersectional, held on March 8 – 9. Annapolis is about a 9 hour drive from Boston, but in March that distance it is not far enough south to be guaranteed nice weather. On Saturday morning we woke up to dense fog and temperatures of about 45 degrees. The fog cleared by around 11AM, and winds of around 12 knots cooled things off a bit more. Things took a real nasty turn around 4 PM when a solid blast of probably around 35 knots knocked over the majority of the fleet. By one count, 22 of 36 boats were capsized. Obviously, that meant the end of the racing day, but not the end of the sailing day. Over the next 90 minutes, the race committee, coaches, and every sailor who was available, drove around in motorboats, rescuing capsized, frozen sailors. Several masts broke, several boats were washed up onto land. It was quite a scene, and definitely not a boat maintenance guy’s dream. In fact, the damage was so extensive to the FJ fleet that we were unable to use it the next day, and the regatta was completed using only the 420 fleet.

(Above) Bobby Martin (’08), Alli Bittl (’10), and Ben Spiller (’09), playing tourist during a stop at South of the Border. I have been trying to convince the kids that South of the Border is a terrible place. I have been unable to do so, and I consider that one of my great failings as a sailing coach. It is my hope that pictures like this will embarrass them into never going back.

After our exciting little adventure at Navy, we went down to Charleston from March 10 – 14. We were greeted by sunny skies and moderate breeze on Monday morning. Twenty-two sailors made the trip, so we had 11 boats for the week. Due to the weather, the BUDS have few if any practice time under their belts prior to spring break. So much of the week is spent doing boathandling and boatspeed drills to help shake the rust off and shape up the fundamental skills. The weather cooperated, and we got tons of sailing time in Monday through Thursday. There was no wind on Friday morning, but we took that as a sign to pack it in and head north, as the team had big events at the Naval Academy and St. Mary’s College the very next day.

(above) Janel Zarkowsky (’09) and Meredith Varr (’09) flattening the boat after a gybe.

We did get a chance to enjoy Charleston as well. Several kids went on tours of the city, one of which was a haunted mansion tour. We had a great team night out at the go-cart track, and we checked out some nice local restaurants. One notable spot was a seafood place called Hyman’s. They let customers decorate plates which they hang on the walls. BUDS artist Sarah Whalen made a plate with the BUDS burgee which we all signed. If you ever happen into Hyman’s, read the message on the back of our plate.

With some work, the BUDS should have a successful spring season. The women’s team qualified for the National Championship last year, and every sailor from that team returned this year. Current National rankings list the co-ed team in 16^th, and the Women’s Team in 14^th. Teams to beat this year include St. Mary’s, Yale, and Boston College. All three teams are very deep, and are expected to finish well at the co-ed, team racing, and women’s national championships.

BU Head Coach Brad Churchill, in familiar form on the MIT dock. Yes, he is wearing roller blades and carrying ski poles. Brad has been known to skate to regatta venues 50 miles or more from home in this fashion.

News from the Multihull World

This posting was made on March 6^th. Check back for the next posting on March 24^th.

 

2008 Tornado Worlds

Congratulations to Darren Bundock and Glen Ashby on their victory at the Tornado World Championships in Takapuna, New Zealand. After a tough first day, with finishes of 14 and 23, Darren and Glenn rallied with finishes of 2 – 2 – 8 – 1 – 1 – 6, and won the event by 5 points. This is Darren’s unprecedented 6^th win at the Tornado Worlds. Glenn won the A-Class Catamaran Worlds last September. So this is his second world championship victory in less than 6 months!

Darren Bundock and Glenn Ashby during a training session.

 

Other notable finishes at the event include USA’s Johnny Lovell and Charlie Ogletree and Canada’s Oscar Johansson and Kevin Stittle. Johnny and Charlie finished 8^th overall in the very competitive 51 boat fleet. I want wish Johnny and Charlie the best of luck as they prepare for the Olympic Games this coming August. Johnny and Charlie are the returning Silver Medallists, and will be competing in their 4^th Olympic Regatta. It would be great to see them bring home another Tornado medal.

Congratulations also to Oscar and Kevin, who finished 2^nd at the Tornado Worlds. They have been working very hard for several years now, and clearly it has paid off. It is great to see them with such a solid result at a major championship!

 

Fernando Echavarri and Anton Paz of Spain, who finished 7th at the Takapuna Worlds. Fernando and Anton are currently ranked 2nd in the ISAK Tornado rankings.

 

The Everglades Challenge

Randy launching his new creation during the Everglades Challenge.

 

My buddy Randy Smythe entered a funky race known as the Everglades Challenge earlier this month. It was pretty much an anything goes sail and paddle race down the West Coast of Florida. At intervals, the competitors were required to pass through check points which were often located inside of narrow channels and mangrove areas. Randy built the boat shown above specifically for the event. The central hull of his trimaran is an A-Cat hull. He built the outside hulls himself. If I remember correctly, the mast is from an A-Cat, but of course, he built a jib and spinnaker for the boat as well. The boat is over 18 feet wide counting the racks, so he figured it was not necessary to add a trapeze. I guess he was smoking right along, winning the race before he broke down.

Two-time Worrel 1000 Champion Jamie Livingston won the race sailing with Steve Longmire in a Tornado. Randy won the Worrel 6 times, but he entered most of those races with more conventional boats.

 

International Multihull Council

Feeling disenfranchised, some multihull sailors have gotten together and started a new organization - the International Multihull Council. The following is an excerpt from a press release I was sent regarding the formation of the IMC,

“The decision of the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) to exclude any Multihull Event from the 2012 Olympic Games has shown that we cannot entirely rely on others to promote our interests, so [we] need to establish our own organisation to do so. As there is no representation for Multihulls within ISAF, either formally through a Multihull Committee, or informally, through the interests of individual Councillors, national multihull associations from several leading ISAF Member National Authorities (MNA) have jointly founded the IMC.”

I made some phone calls to try and learn more, but I was unable to reach anyone who I know is affiliated with the organization. John Williams, the current chair of US Sailing’s Multihull Committee, was named in the release as the IMC’s Vice President.

Collegiate Sailing Season Getting Underway

Posted on February 21^st, look for next posting on March 6th

I head down to Charleston with the Boston University Sailing Team early tomorrow morning for a team race intersectional. When we scheduled the event, the plan was for the team to drive down. But times have changed in collegiate sailing, and the school administration has decided it is not safe for the team to make a drive of such distance. So we will fly. That’s fine with me, it makes life a lot easier. But it feels odd, and signifies the changing landscape of collegiate sailing. I did not graduate that long ago (1999), and only boarded an airplane one time for a collegiate regatta. That was the 1997 collegiate nationals, in Portland, Oregon (quite far from Boston). At the end of my freshman year of college, I remember totaling up the hours I had spent driving to sailing events for the year (for BU and outside of collegiate sailing), and it was over 9 solid days. Most people who sailed in college prior to the new millennium will say the same, and they have great memories of those road trips. I guess the same memories can be gathered from plane flights, but it is not as romantic.

Boston University Sailors Kyle Assad and Juliet Lewis competing at the Schell Trophy on the Charles River.

Regardless, it is exciting to see the start of a new collegiate sailing season. The Boston University Dinghy Team (BUDS) have a promising year in front of them. I look forward to going on this trip with them, and accompanying them to their spring break, which will also be in Charleston in mid-March.

The BUDS getting ready for spring break practice in 2005 at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, FL.

In other news …

Groupama flipped over near New Zealand earlier this week. A beam holding on their leeward hull broke off, and before they could gybe to make it their windward hull, it broke off completely, and then the boat capsized. Fortunately, no one was hurt, and the boat is currently being salvaged. This is disappointing as the team was on a run to break the around the world record. The crew is optimistic, and they are anticipating their next attempt at the record.

Groupama III capsized near the New Zealand Coast.

Whitman/Dorsett Sailing Finish 2nd at Miami Olympic Classes Regatta

Posted on February 5^th. Look for next posting on February 22^nd.

Scott and Julia looking upwind prior to a start.

After a tough first day in the SKUD 18 class, Scott and Julia rallied, finishing off the Miami OCR with finishes of 1-2-1-2-1. It was a predominantly light air event; the breeze in the windiest race was only about 11 knots. Several races were held in the 3 – 5 knot range. Nick Scandone and Maureen McKinnon-Tucker excelled in the conditions, winning the first 5 races of the event. With no finish worse than 3rd, Nick and Maureen were in control of the regatta from beginning to end.

Scott and Julia entered the event this year hoping to repeat their 1st place performance from the 2007 Miami OCR. Although they were unable to duplicate that feat, the pair were happy with how they performed. Scott Whitman remarked, “We had a tough one early on, but we are happy with how we sailed after that. Nick is going really well right now. You make one mistake, and he’s gone.”

Scott and Julia just after rounding a windward mark in 1st Place.

Rounding a leeward mark in close quarters.

Scott and Julia should be happy with how they sailed. They were very fast, and had excellent boathandling. It was great to see team USA finish 1 – 2 as the majority of the world’s top SKUD 18 teams were racing in the regatta. The next event for Whitman/Dorsett Sailing will be the SKUD 18 Midwinters, which will be held in St. Petersburg in late February. Scott and Julia have some training scheduled prior to that event with Nick and Maureen. After the Midwinters, they will be heading west for some tuning sessions near Nick’s home in Southern California. That training time will be in preparation for the next big event on the Whitman/Dorsett schedule, the International Regatta in Qingdao, China. Regatta dates are May 8 – 16.

Bull and Bear Sailing Carl Horrocks, smiles after winning a race in the 2.4 Meter Class.

Carl finished 5th overall in the very competitive 25 boat fleet.

SKUDS in Miami

Posted on January 23^rd. Please look for next post on February 5^th.

I am down in Miami for a couple of different coaching details. I ran a Club 420 clinic at the US Sailing Center last weekend, and before that, and I spent a day with a multihull team preparing for the US Youth Multihull Champs. But most of my time here will be with the Scott Whitman and Julia Dorsett in preparation for the Miami Olympic Classes Regatta. Scott and Julia won the SKUD 18 class at the Miami OCR last year, and they are back to defend their title. You may recall that Scott and Julia finished second at the SKUD 18 Paralympic Selection last October. Since then, they have agreed to train with the trials winners, Nick Scandone and Maureen McKinnon-Tucker as they prepare to compete in the Paralympic Games this coming September. Several foreign SKUD teams are in Miami for the OCR, including boats from England, Sweden, and Canada. A warm-up event was held last weekend which Nick and Maureen won, and Scott and Julia finished second, just a few points behind. It was good to see USA finish 1 - 2.

Scott and Julia rounding a windward mark at the 2007 Miami OCR.

Scott and Julia have their eyes set on a medal, and towards that end, they will campaign straight through the 2012 games. It is very common for sailors to stop their campaigns if they do not win the selection trials, and spend a period of time away from sailing. Scott and Julia have been wise to continue on though. They made great strides leading up to the trials in October, and they can improve even more while they help Team Scandone/Tucker prepare for the 2008 games.

About the SKUD 18

I went sailing in the SKUD for the very first time last week. Scott was not feeling well, so Julia and I went out for the day together. It really is a sensible design that is very fun to sail.

The class rules are written in a manner that allows sailors of various ability levels to compete on an even playing field. For example, helmsman and crew are both required to sit in seats mounted on the centerline of the boat, and the competitors are not allowed to leave their seats during racing. This allows sailors with very limited mobility to compete evenly with those who are more able. The SKUD 18 does have a lead keel, which contributes most of the boat’s righting moment. In addition to that though, the sailors are allowed to fit their seats with motorized levers which tilt them towards one side of the boat or the other. This allows the sailors to shift their weight to the windward side of the boat. I learned early in my first sail that one wants to start shifting his seat from one side to the other before the tack begins, otherwise you end up leaning over the leeward side of the boat, with your face almost in the water.

Almost every SKUD is set up with all the control lines leading to the crew, because many of the helmsmen have limited use of their arms, or they are unable to grip lines very well. This makes it very busy for the crew, especially at the leeward mark, as the spinnaker must be doused, then the mainsail, jib and other control lines such as the vang and cunningham need to be trimmed.

The standard steering system is comprised of two levers, one on each side of the seat, and the helmsman can head up or down by pushing and pulling on the levers. It took me a few minutes to get used to this system, and I even steered us in the wrong direction twice as we were leaving the harbor (this may have shaken Julia’s confidence in coach!). It is a similar sensation to that of steering with a wheel for the first time, after learning how to sail by using a tiller. You are used to motion in a given direction producing a given result, and it can be surprising when the exact opposite happens.

The SKUD steering system - notice the levers in each of Scott’s hands.

The jib is a non-overlapping self-tacking sail, which makes things a little easier for the crews who trim both the mainsail and the jib. But the sail trimmer is still pretty busy, as the boats become overpowered in about 8 knots of wind, so vang, cunningham, and mainsheet are always need adjusting. Upwind the boat is quite lively, and it drives really nice. Downwind, the boat smokes right along once the asymmetric spinnaker is raised. The boat is capable of planning in about 11 or 12 knots of wind, so it is a really fun ride off the breeze.

The Miami OCR will begin next Monday, January 27^th, and it will run through Friday, February 1^st. Please follow Scott and Julia at that event, and throughout their campaign to win Gold at the 2012 Games!

Good Luck Scotty!!

C-Class Catamaran - The Cogito Project

Steve Clark and Duncan MacLane sailing Cogito in 2004.

Posted on Thursday, January 10th.  Look for next posting on Wednesday, January 23rd.

             In March of 2004 I was fortunate enough to start working for Steve Clark in preparation for the International C-Class Catamaran Championship. The event was scheduled for the following September. I wrote a posting several weeks ago where I described my first sail on a Tornado as feeling like I was on a spaceship. I had that feeling again the first time I sailed on a C-Class, except that, the feeling of sailing on a spaceship did not really go away the more time I spent on the boat. Modern C-Class cats, such as Clark’s Cogito are so light and efficient that it is almost unbelievable. Look at the C-Class rules, and it is easy to see why,

Length – 25 feet

Beam – 14 feet

Sail Area – 300 square feet

Crew – 2

Trapeze – 2

Lars Guck and I racing Patient Lady VI.

For a quick comparison, a C-Class is 5 feet longer than a Tornado and 4 feet wider. A Tornado has only 34 square feet more upwind sail area, and the boats are raced with about the same sized crew. Note that there is NO minimum C-Class weight. Cogito weighs in at about 375 pounds; this is only 35 heavier pounds than the Tornado class minimum.

The result is an unbelievable sailing machine. A C-Class can fly a hull in just about 4 knots, which is unheard of. But more amazing than that is the boat’s ability to sail through lulls. The boat is so light, and its sail plan and blades are so efficient that once Cogito is flying a hull, it can sail through patches of almost no wind at all.

Steve and Duncan demonstrating the speed of the C-Class in extremely light air.

However, the first thing I noticed when I got on board was not how light the boat was, but how the sail did not luff. It made these loud, creaking noises in stead. As you probably know, modern C-Class cats have a hard sail, also known as a wing sail. Cogito’s wing has three distinct ‘elements’ which rotate on a series of hinges in a manner similar to that in which the aft flaps of an airplane wing move. The manipulation of these elements allows the sailors to induce shape into the wing, or, trim the sails. When the boat is stopped, rather than hearing a sail luff, one hears creaking, and an occasional bang, as each of the elements swings back and forth. I can try and explain further about how a C-Class wing is trimmed, but I think I would be unsuccessful. Almost every C-Class wing is different, and my explanation would be useless without several drawings which I do not have (I can try and draw for you myself, but you would probably just laugh at me).

The upwind VMG of the C-Class is almost unmatchable, it sails higher and faster than almost anything you have ever seen. But more surprising is how smooth and quiet the ride is. The boat is almost noiseless, just one narrow hull knifing through the water, with two crew, 14 feet away from that point, flying high above the water.

Lars and I, sailing Patient Lady VI with experimental lifting foils

Brief History of the C-Class

The first C-Class race took place in 1961. In 1962, Van Alan Clark (Steve’s father), had an entry in the competition. That year the victor was Hellcat I, sporting an innovative idea – cross beams. Previously, most catamarans had a solid deck connecting the hulls. Hellcat’s cross beams allowed for a much lighter platform, and brought home the C-Class crown as a result.

It is unfortunate that C-Class events have not received more attention over the years, as the sailing and design talent involved in the projects is usually top-notch. Prior to designing the Olympic Tornado, Reg White designed several C-Class Cats. Van Alan Clark, whose contributions to the sport both on and off the water are too numerous to mention here, built the World’s first boat with a canting keel, the Red Herring. The 6 person team Steve put together to build Cogito included David Hubbard and Duncan MacLane. Both David and Duncan were on the design team for the catamaran which defended the America’s Cup in 1988. C-Class cats were among the first boats to develop rotating masts, and a una-rig sail plan (placing all the allowable sail area in the mainsail, rather than in the mainsail and the jib. A una-rig is a much more efficient sail plan).

Of course, the C-Class is now most widely known because of the wing sails which all boats use. The first wing sail appeared at a C-Class championship in 1974 on Miss Nylex, and it was made of spruce and balsa. Miss Nylex won the title that year, but was defeated by a soft sail boat (Aquarius V) the following year, mostly because Aquarius V was lighter. However, the future was clear, and C-Class engineers have been trying to find ways to make both their wings, and platforms lighter and more efficient ever since.

Most C-Class participants have been either American, British, or Australian, but challenges have also come from Denmark, Italy, France, and other European countries. The champion of the event is always decided in a match race, but there were years where there were many entrants in the event, and the fleet race featured fierce competition. Unfortunately though, building a C-Class wing is no small endeavor, it takes time, money, and manpower. However, it is certainly a worthy pursuit, and the sailing world would benefit greatly if more sailing enthusiasts took interest in the C-Class.

Steve and Duncan, sailing upwind in Cogito.

After Cogito won the C-Class title handily in 1996, there were no challenges until 2004. Cogito won handily again, with Patient Lady VI finishing second, an Australian entry finishing 3^rd, and a British entry finishing 4^th. Just after the 2004 regatta, a Canadian named Fred Eaton purchased Patient Lady VI to use as a model for his own project. Fred built Alpha and raced against Clark on Cogito 2007. Alpha was victorious, but in a way, I think that Steve may be happy for this. It will give him an excuse to build a new C-Class.

Merry Christmas!

Don’t be that guy.

A friend sent me these pictures a while ago. I do not know what event they are from. Probably makes you feel better about the last mistake you made though. More are below.

I’ve been getting a lot of positive feedback about this blog, but mostly regarding pictures. I am a little short on time right now, so rather than write an article, I’ve included some pictures of a trimaran crash (and a few news tid bits). I appreciate your feedback, and I am happy to hear suggestions about how to improve the site.

Francis Joyon – Is still on pace to beat Ellen MacArthur’s around the world record. He’s got a little while to go, but he’s tearing it up right now. I believe he is averaging just under 20 knots an hour at the moment, not bad for sailing by yourself.

Royal Yachting Association letter­ – The RYA’s Chris Atkins recently sent a letter to ISAF President Goran Petersson asking that the slate of Olympic Sailing disciplines be reconsidered. ISAF can review this decision at a meeting in May of 2008. The letter cited recent requests by the International Olympic Committee which included making Olympic sailing more media friendly, more focused towards younger athletes, and focused towards developing the sport in more countries. To that end, the letter states that in 2002 the IOC actually recommended to ISAF that there should be a reduction in the number of keelboat events at the Olympics. Reasons for that recommendation include the high cost to run keelboat events (compared to dinghy events), and that the keelboat events “suit the resources and physiques of established Olympic sailing nations and are hardest for new ones to break into.”

I did not intend to bring this issue up again, because I thought it was over and that multihulls were out of the 2012 Olympics. But there are several countries pushing the issue with ISAF, including the UK, Austria, and Australia, among others (I understand the Spanish and French, are not so happy about this either). So maybe it is not over, but there is a lot of work to be done.

On a side note, I was surprised by the statements in Chris Atkins’ letter regarding the state of Olympic sailing in general. Although sailing does not have the media appeal of many other Olympic sports, I always understood that sailing was a sport the IOC looked upon favorably. Furthermore, it was my belief that it is a very popular sport worldwide in terms of people who participate in sailing. Mr. Atkins letter suggests otherwise. I am not sure what the facts really are. I saw Chris Atkins’ letter on Sailing Anarchy the other day, but it is not there anymore. I am not sure where on can find it now.

420 Clinic in Miami­ – I am running a 420 clinic in Miami from January 19 – 21 (the 21^st is a holiday). If you know of anyone who may be interested in attending, please have them contact me at stan.schreyer@verizon.net. The clinic will be held out of the US Sailing Center in Coconut Grove.

That’s why you need an escape hatch.

The Mitchell Report

Sports fans, you thought maybe by tuning into a sailing site that you would be able to avoid talk about the Mitchell Report – wrong!

I love baseball. I watch baseball all the time. In fact, if there was no such thing as baseball, this blog would probably have 10 times the content it does right now. I even get depressed after the baseball playoffs are over. I am excited to have just learned that the Red Sox will open their season a week early next year. But the games will be in Japan. So who knows when they will be on TV here? Who cares? It’s baseball a week early.

But I digress, back to the task at hand.

It is refreshing that Senator George Mitchell’s report on his investigation into the use of performance enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball was made public. Baseball players should be made to play by the same rules as other athletes. People will always try to cheat, in any sport. But sports organizers should put forth their best efforts to ensure that the playing field is level. It is their duty to the competitors, and to the fans. The testing program for Olympic athletes is so strict, compared to that of Major League Baseball, that it is ridiculous.

As we speak, there are American sailors training to go to the Olympics. They are paying for their sailing with their own money, and donations made to their non-profit organizations. Conducting a sailing campaign in the US is very difficult for many reasons. One great benefit for those on Olympic sailing campaigns is the drug testing program, which is administered the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). The American arm of WADA is not surprisingly called the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA).

            US Anti-Doping’s list of banned substances is comprehensive to say the least. It includes everything from anabolic steroids and HGH to recreational drugs such as cocaine and marijuana. It also includes some over the counter medicines and used to proscribe the maximum level of caffeine one can have in his or her system. I campaigned Tornados from 2001 – 2004. During that period, I was told that someone my size was in danger of failing a USADA test if he had more than 3 cups of coffee a day. Caffeine has since been removed from the banned substance list, fortunately.

The WADA policy states “The presence of a prohibited substance in an athlete’s urine (or blood, when applicable) constitutes an offense, regardless of the manner in which the Prohibited Substance came to be in the athelete’s system.” Representatives from USADA recommend that individuals be extremely conscious of every pill and protein shake they put into their body. Manufacturers of illegal performance enhancing drugs often also produce legal drugs, vitamins, and supplements. It can be the case that trace elements of the illegal drugs appear in the legal ones. Individuals have failed USADA drug tests in this way in the past (although I do not think any sailors have). Many individuals in USADA’s testing pool refuse to take any cold medicines or vitamins at all, for fear of failing a test in this way. Almost everyone refuses to buy medicines when traveling out of the country, as it is too difficult to verify their source. This makes life difficult if you get run down on the road. Barry Bonds said he did not know what “the cream” and “the clear” were. That would not have gotten him very far with a USAD agent. But is got him the Major League home run record.

Seventeen aspiring Olympians received penalties from USADA this year. The most lenient suspension was to a weightlifter that had THC in his system. He received a 3 month suspension from competition. Several individuals on the 2007 list, including Marion Jones and Floyd Landis, received suspensions and were stripped of their results. One track athlete was banned from competition for life. Two people were cited for “failure to submit to doping control”, which probably means they missed their tests. Their suspensions were one year and two years. It is not that hard to have a missed test. Everyone in the testing pool is required to submit quarterly calendars detailing their training and competition schedules. These must be detailed almost down to the hour. So on December 1^st, one has to be able to say where they will be on February 20^th, at 2 PM. Of course, one can update travel plans, but this is difficult to keep up with (it used to make me feel like I was a teenager, calling my mom to see if I could stay out late). If an individual is not where they stated they would be, they have two hours (or maybe four, I forget), to turn up, or they receive a missed test. Three missed tests = a suspension. All of this information can be found on www.usantidoping.org.

Although I am critical of how inconvenient and condemning the USADA testing policies are, I understand their purpose. For even with such strict policies, people will try to cheat, and they do figure out how to pass tests while using performance enhancing drugs. Marion Jones is a prime example. But it is shocking that amateur athletes are subject to such strict testing, while America’s highest paying professional sport has such a flimsy testing program.

Major League Baseball has been trying, kind of, to ban performance enhancing drugs for many years. But the players’ union is strong, and MLB never fought that hard about it. Just as importantly, Barry Bonds hitting home runs sells tickets. The league did not really mind seeing players find ways to enhance their performance.

Finally though, in 2002, it became illegal to use performance enhancing drugs in baseball. But tests were infrequent. In 2005 the penalty for a first-time positive test was increased from 15 games to 50 games. That is under one-third of one baseball season. Several pro baseball payers have failed tests, served suspensions, and are back on the field, earning huge contracts. There current program is hardly a deterrent. One is unlikely to be tested, and even if one tests positive, the suspension is lenient. For an amateur athlete, the mere publication of a failed test could end his or her career. It is hard enough to raise money for an Olympic effort when things are going right. Trying to raise support after failing a drug test would be rather difficult.

Who knows what will happen next? Will the Mitchell Report actually lead to an effective testing program for baseball? Maybe. Will anyone named in the report be suspended? Maybe, maybe not. Senator Mitchell actually recommends that no one in his report be suspended. This is surprising. If the guy at my gym drops his stash on the floor in front of the cop who uses the locker next door, he gets arrested. But if you make 10 million dollars a year, and use HGH, they just tell you not to do it anymore. In the meantime, fathers all over New York City have to explain to their 10 year old kids what Human Growth Hormone is, and why their favorite player, Roger Clemens was not supposed to be using it. Then they have to explain why Roger Clemens is suing the league, and why it is hard for guys that use HGH to get voted into the Hall of Fame.

It is idealist to think the sports world will totally eliminate the use of performance enhancing drugs. But it should try, and everyone, in every sport, should be held to the same standard.

Sailing on a Spaceship

          Just after I graduated from Boston University, I decided to charter a Tornado for the 2000 Miami Olympic Classes Regatta.  Jon Baker and I (we were competitors in college while he was at Tufts University), made plans to race the regatta together.  We chartered a boat from Richard Feeny, who took us out for our first sail a couple of days before the regatta.  Neither of us had ever been on a multihull before.  All three of us went on the boat for our orientation sail.  There was not much breeze at all when we left the beach that day at the Miami Yacht Club.

          Every type of boat has its own characteristics which make it feel a little bit different.  The length, beam, sail area, boat weight, and all the other design variables make each boat sail in a unique fashion.  On the other hand, a boat is a boat.  Right?  I thought differently about five minutes into that sail.  We got one puff (which was probably no more than 6 knots), the boat began to fly a hull, and I felt like I had gotten whiplash (I kind of wanted a seat belt).  The ease of acceleration was so foreign to me.  It was amazing how effortlesssly the boat wanted to go forward.  I learned later why the Tornado is so efficient. 

Its dimensions are, 

Length – 20’

Beam – 10’

Total Boat Weight – 155 kilos (341 pounds)

Mast Height – 30’

Sail Area – mainsail – 16.35 sq. meters (176 sq. ft.)

                  Jib – 5.29 sq. meters (57 sq. ft.)

                  Spinnaker – 25.77 sq. meters (277 sq. ft.)

Crew – 2 (average crew weight of about 320 pounds)

Trapeze – 2 

Considering the numbers, a couple of things become apparent.   

Boat Weight - At 20 feet long, and weighing in at 341 pounds, it is a very light boat.  Compare this to two other very strong racing classes, the Lightning – 20 feet long, 960 pounds, and the Melges 24 – 24 feet long, 1780 pounds.   

Crew Weight – I state the average crew weight at about 320 pounds, although that may not be totally accurate.  But the range of crew weights in the fleet is something like 300 pounds up to about 360.  The Tornado is a big boat with a lot of sail area for two people.  But with two trapezes and a 10 foot beam, your 320 pounds exerts plenty of leverage.  This is another odd sensation for the first time Tornado sailor, your head is really far from the middle of the boat when out on the wire.  Almost all production beach cats are no wider than 8′ 6″, the legal width for trailering down a road.  A Tornado is more time consuming to rig and derig, because its beams must be removed for trailering.  But it is much faster than comparable beach cats in breeze because of its wider beam.

High Aspect Sails – The Tornado’s 30’ tall rig allows for a very efficient sail plan.          

          There are some other important factors not obvious from looking at the boat’s dimensions.  One comes to mind pretty quickly - catamarans can fly a hull.  When a multihull flies a hull, its wetted surface is reduced dramatically, and the boat goes faster.  Another factor is less obvious when watching a catamaran sail, but readily apparent when onboard – the rig rotates.  Mast rotation dramatically increases the efficiency of the mainsail.  On any boat where the mast does not rotate (which is most sailboats), the mainsail area immediately aft of the mast is not working efficiently (and on some boats, hardly at all) because the mast is disturbing the airflow over that part of the sail.  By allowing the mast to rotate, one can position the mast so it allows the wind to flow correctly over the entire mainsail.  Equally as important, when the mast is rotated at the correct angle, the wind flows efficiently around the mast itself and so it also creates lift.  Thus, rotating rigs make the mainsail more efficient, and they really add area to the sail plan too.  This is why all multihull handicap systems require the mast height and mast chord length to be submitted when assigning ratings.  Rotating masts are counted as sail area.

           That day of our first sail was not quite sensational enough to make me think I was “sailing on a spaceship”, as the title of this article suggests.  It was the second day that made me think that.  The breeze was up, probably about 20 knots steady, with gusts that were higher.  Feeny was probably having second thoughts about having chartered his boat to us.  The rest of the fleet was dying to see what would happen when we left the beach.  To put things in context, it was January of 2000, and the 2000 US Olympic Selection was scheduled for April of that year.  The fleet was fully active, and at the top of their game after having campaigned for the previous years.  And they were pleasantly surprised to get some unexpected entertainment from a few rookies (actually, everyone was very helpful with tips as they were excited to welcome new faces to the class, but they were probably also trying to ensure that we wouldn’t crash into them on the race course).

            Zack Leonard suggested we sail around Key Biscayne because that was a “nice, easy” training run.  But it also meant we would have to sail out Government Cut.  Uh, maybe not on our second day.  Finally, we decided we would stay in the enclosed area around the Miami Yacht Club.  So leaving the dock, with some assistance from Feeny, and some grinning spectators on the beach, we set out for our sail.  We made a small island near Star Island our first destination.  That sent us downwind first.  We had our instructions, including, “weight back downwind.”  The first puff hit us, the bows dug in, the rudders came out, and we understood what “weight back” meant.  Clinging to the rear beam, I was trying to remember if we knew how to right the boat from a capsize (I was pretty sure we didn’t).  Spray was shooting off the hulls like a firehose; waves were exploding through the trampoline.  I did not think I had enough hands to hold on.  Then … we had to gybe.          

          Gybing is actually a relatively safe heavy air move in a catamaran, but we did not know it at the time.  The helm went over, the boat was slowly turning, but the mainsail wasn’t coming over.  What gives?  Suddenly then, “BANG!!”  The traveler ripped across the boat, from all the way to leeward on one side to all the way to leeward on the other.  We had only been on the water for about 90 seconds, but all the little tips and tricks we were told took on new importance.  The one about keeping clear of the traveler car popped back into my head, after watching it whiz by my face.  Feeny did mention you could break a finger or hand there (I thought he was exaggerating, but not really).

             Much to our dismay, we had to gybe several more times on our way to the monument, as we were sailing in and out of moored boats and other traffic.  We managed to stay upright, and not kill ourselves, or anyone else.  Although I think we only stayed out for about 30 minutes or so.  We had enough excitement for day #2.  By the time we had completed one downwind and one upwind run, we wondered if we were on a machine with a mind of its own.  The difference was so big to me that we might as well have been a spaceship or an airplane.

            After that day, I thought sailing Tornados was like playing a different sport; it seemed so much different than “regular” sailing.  But then I sailed the boat for a while, and became used to its sailing characteristics.  Although that process did take a while, and came at the costs of bumps, bruises, and broken equipment, I thought again that a “boat is a boat”.  This transition from collegiate sailing to Tornado sailing was the same as the transition from any one class to any other.  Any class transition requires one to learn heaps of new things (although there are some exceptional sailors who can win in new classes from day one).  But once one gets experience sailing a particular boat, it becomes sailboat racing again.  You need good boathandling, good boatspeed, and sound tactics if you want to win races.  

           A couple of years after my first sail on a Tornado, I did have to revisit my belief that “a boat is a boat” again though.  This was after my first sail with Steve Clark on his C-Class catamaran Cogito … 

Coming Up Next …My next posting will highlight the sailing characteristics of the C-Class Catamaran, and illustrate some of the many interesting development points which have taken place in this class over the years.  I know I said this posting would be about the C-Class, but I got carried away with my thoughts about my first sail on a Tornado with Baker. 

In Other News …A third boat encountered major problems in the Barcelona Around the World Race.  Delta Dore was dismasted yesterday evening in the Southern Ocean.  They had to fully cut their rig away an hour later, and mentioned that they were trying to jury rig a sail with some remaining mainsail battens.  Forty knot winds, heavy seas, near freezing temperatures, that’s not exactly the most desirable work environment for that kind of troubleshooting.  The ISAF web page headline reads, “Southern Ocean Claims Another Victim”, which I thought met someone died.  Softer language may have been appropriate there.  The current leader Paprec-Vorbac 2 covered 472 miles yesterday.  That’s an average of 19.6 MPH!

• C-Class
• Coaching
• Extreme 40 Racing
• Tornado Racing
• Uncategorized