The Tybee 500

On our way through the surf.  Jon’s not making a fashion statement with the straw hat.  It was really sunny, and that was good relief for him.

 

My good friend Jonathan Farrar and I decided to race the Tybee 500 this past May.  The Tybee is a beach cat race up the coast of Florida, starting in Islamorada, Florida, and ending in Tybee Island Georgia, which is just East of Savannah.  The start of the race has varied over the years, so this year’s race was actually closer to 540 miles.  The course is divided into 6 legs, starting and finishing on the beach each day.  Both starting and finishing can be quite exciting, depending on how big the surf is on a given day.

This year 24 teams entered the Tybee 500 in two classes, the NACRA 20 and the Formula 18.  The majority of the fleet was racing in NACRA 20’s (as were Jon and I), but the F-18 proved to be the boat to be racing, as the top three finishing positions were held by F-18 sailors.  Of course, winning a race such as this requires much more than choosing the correct boat.  One needs time on the water, physical training, proper boat preparation, and a very capable pit crew.  Each leg starts at 10 AM, and on light air days, teams are finishing well into the evening (our longest day found us hitting the finish line at 11:59 PM).  On shore assistance is required for boat preparation, and for help with breakdowns. 

Jon and I had two sponsors for the event.  Our title sponsor, Key Sailing, is a catamaran dealer and water sports rental business in Pensacola Florida.  Owned and operated by Kirk Newkirk, Key Sailing operates parasailing boats, rents wave runners, sailboats, and powerboats, and sells an variety of sailboats and sailing equipment.  Key Sailing is in an ideal location on Pensacola Beach, and is certainly worth visiting when vacationing on Florida’s panhandle.  More information can be found at www.keysailing.com

Our secondary sponsor, The Chicago Match Race Center, is located in Belmont Harbor, right on Chicago’s city front.  The facility is host to match racing regattas and training from May through September.  Sailing takes place in the CMRC’s fleet of Tom 28’s, specifically designed for match racing.  Boats are also available for corporate team building activities.  Event and membership information can be found at www.chicagomatchracecenter.com.

            As team Key Sailing, Jon and I had high hopes, but we did not achieve.  We finished 14^th overall, and we were the 9^th NACRA 20.  We did learn a lot from our experience, and we will prepare for this race much differently next time around.  Furthermore, we really enjoyed the race.  We had a great experience sailing for Kirk Newkirk and his gang at Key Sailing, and we enjoyed the camaraderie that exists among all the Tybee 500 participants.  We are looking forward to entering this race again.

 

Flying a hull across the finish line at in Jupiter. 

iShares Cup - Kiel

 

An amazing 50,000 spectators came to see Extreme 40 racing in Kiel, Germany during the 3 day event held on August 29 – 31.  Overcast skies on the first day of racing gave way to sunshine and great sailing breeze for Saturday and Sunday.  Although the rain does not scare away residents of this city in Northern Germany.  When we were rigging our Tommy Hilfiger Extreme 40 it was freezing cold and rainy.  Yet, there was a steady stream of observers, inspecting boat parts and asking questions about the design and construction of our craft.  There is a great deal of enthusiasm for sailing in the city of Kiel, and it is a great place to race because of that.

This event was held in Kiel’s inner harbor, within walking distance of downtown.  Our team for the event consisted of Americans, Randy Smyth, Jonathon Farrar, and myself.  Of course we also had our Dutchie, Mark van Gelderen.  We also brought in our long-time friend and former Tommy crew member Richard Feeny to coach us during the event, and the four practice days we had prior to the regatta.  We had ten boats on the line, which made for some close quarters racing, as the course was set up right off the seawall.  Spectators were able to reach out and touch boats, as groups of these 40 foot catamarans were gybing within feet of floating docks as they approached marks or the finish line.  Of course, there were a few collisions, and it almost seems as though racing these boats resembles NASCAR more than it does typical sailboat racing.  It has almost become normal for at least one boat per event sustain enough damage that it must be hauled or it will sink.  A crane and a mobile repair shop are now normal fixtures throughout events on the iShares Cup circuit.  The lucky boat in Kiel was TEAMORIGIN, who received a massive hole near their transom with 4 races to go in the 18 race event.  They were found to be not at fault, and received redress for the remainder of the day’s racing.  TEAMORIGIN finished 2nd in the event to Alinghi.  We finished 5th for the event on the Tommy boat.  We were within reach of the podium going into the final day, but we had a couple of high scores, including an OCS, which set us back early in the day on Sunday.

Alinghi and TEAMORIGIN have definitely established themselves as the tops of the fleet by finishing first and second respectively in the past three events.  But the final iShares event will be held in Amsterdam from September 19 – 21.  Racing there will be a close as it gets (an average two lap race will be about 8 minutes long).  With ten competitive boats on the line in a venue that tight, it will be anybody’s race.

The Centomiglia Race

 

         After the iShares Cup was over in Kiel, we went south to Lake Garda for the Centomiglia Race.  It was a great event with over 300 boats of all different shapes and sizes.  The race was a slow one this year.  We started in moderate Northerly winds which only lasted a few hours.  After that, we spent the day chasing zephyrs of 3 knots or less, and spending periods drifting in absolutely no wind.  We crossed the line first overall with a time of about 10 hours and 40 minutes.  In the light air, we were definitely fighting some of the powered up monohulls which race on Lake Garda, such as the Libera class.  We were able to put some distance on them early, when there was breeze.  But the wind almost totally died in the early afternoon, and we were worried that they would reel us in.  It is kind of scary to be in your catamaran standing still and see this monohull with 6 guys trapezing on 3 knots of wind right behind you.  We managed to pull it off though, and crossed the finish line to great fanfare.

 

Our winning team for the Centomiglia Race.  From left to right - Stan Schreyer, Randy Smythe, Miko Benamati, At van Barneveld, and Jonathon Farrar.  At is our team manager from Tommy Hilfiger, and it was great to have him on board for the race.  His background is mostly board sailing, but he loves catamaran sailing too.  Miko is a local from the Lake Garda region.  His father, Roberto, was racing on a Libera, and his boy was very happy we beat dad across the line.

Paralympics Update

            Team USA is currently winning two classes at the Paralympic Games in Qingdao.  Nick Scandone and Maureen McKinnon-Tucker have a 5 point lead with 5 races to go in the SKUD 18 class.  John Ruf is holding on to a one point lead in the 2.4 Meter class.  But John has his work cut out for him, as three boats are tied up only one point behind him.  The Sonar team of Rick Doerr, Tim Angle, and Bill Donohue is currently in 8th place, but with 5 races to go, they have some time to move up in the fleet.

            The latest results can be seen on www.sailing.org.

iShares Cup - Hyeres

I just got back from the latest Extreme 40 event for the iShares Cup, which was held in Hyeres, France. Our team consisted of Randy Smythe, Jonathon Farrar, Mark van Gelderen, and myself. Eleven boats raced in total. It was a great event, with 18 races held in total. Conditions were typical for Hyeres - very windy. There were tons of close quarters situations at marks, several near capsizes, and one boat did flip over. It was very exciting racing. We did not have a great event, finishing 10th out of 11. This was our first event of the year, and we entered it with almost no practice time at all. Podium places in order were - 1st - Alinghi, helmsman Ed Baird, 2nd - Team Origin, helmsman Rob Greenhaulgh, 3rd - Volvo Ocean Race - helmsman Herbert Dercksen.

Although we did not finish well, we did manage to distinguish ourselves with this move right in front of the seawall. For the record, we did not capsize here. Hey, if your not on the podium, you need to give them some reason to talk about you.

Full results, more photos, and video can be seen at www.isharescup.com

Whitman/Dorsett Sailing Wins Silver at Qingdao International Regatta

This statue sits at the marina entrance of the Qingdao Yinhai International Yacht Club.

On May 4^th, I traveled to the Chinese city of Qingdao to meet up with Scott and Julia and coach them in the Paralympic Test Event. The trip was long, about 30 hours door to door. In all, 5 US boats made the trek, representing the US in the 3 Paralympic classes. There were 2 American boats in the Sonar class, 2 in the 2.4 Meter class, and Scott and Julia were the lone American entry in the SKUD 18 class.

All regatta participants stayed at the newly built InterContinental Hotel, which will be used as part of the Sailing Village during the Olympic Games. Most Olympic events will be held in Beijing, which is about an 80 minute flight from Qingdao, thus sailors will not be staying in the main Olympic Village during the competition.

Scott and Julia practicing in Qingdao’s Yellow Sea.

With a population of over 8 million people, the city of Qingdao is gigantic. From the water, one can see skyscrapers extending for miles, and there is new development on virtually every other block in the city. As far as the sailing goes, the facility is top notch. The accommodations are beautiful, and the hotel staff was extremely hospitable. The marina itself is gigantic, and open water is reached just past the main breakwater of the marina. This breakwater is an excellent place for spectating, as race committee makes their best effort to keep the racing within view from there.

The sailing conditions themselves were excellent during the International Regatta. Scott and Julia had three practice days prior to the event, with moderate winds of 8 – 12 knots from the Southeast each day. During the event, a cold front brought some stronger Northerly winds for two days, and by the end of the five day event, the wind had returned back to what appears to be the prevailing Easterly direction. The bay is wide open to the East and South, so large rollers are common, even when the breeze is blowing offshore. The current is quite strong, which does make light air sailing a bit more challenging. The final race of the event was held in only 4 – 5 knots of wind with a strong downwind tide – this made the upwind legs take ages, and the downwind legs took no time at all. Temperatures were cool, with the high on most days in the low 60’s at best. The water temperature is around 54 degrees, so it was cold on the water when any breeze was blowing at all. In fact on the days when the Northerly was in, I found myself running in place in my motorboat to warm up, and I was wearing enough clothing to be mistaken for the Michelin man.

All this is in stark contrast to what I had been told regarding the sailing conditions the sailors can expect during the Olympics and Paralympics. Apparently, Qingdao is rather hot and humid in the summertime, and the wind shuts down totally. Reports from the Olympic test event last August were of no wind, and so much current that boats could barely cross the starting line at times. This is unfortunate, as Qingdao is a nice place to sail in the spring time, a little on the chilly side, but great conditions.

 

Scott is interviewed by a Chinese reporter after registration.

 

Julia on her way to the Opening Ceremony.

As for the event, there were nine races over five days, and Scott and Julia sailed very well. They have spent much time this spring practicing with the US SKUD representatives for the Paralympics, Nick Scandone and Maureen McKinnon-Tucker (Nick and Maureen were unable to make the trip to the International Regatta due to personal reasons). This practice time proved valuable, as Scott and Julia showed great speed and boathandling, especially downwind. They did start off on the wrong foot, finishing the first race in 8^th after rounding the windward mark in 2^nd. They ran over their spinnaker sheets on the reach leg of the race, and they were unable to fix the issue before losing the entire fleet. They recovered well though, and put together a remarkable string over the next 6 races 1 – 2 – 2 – 1 – 2 – 1. This put Whitman/Dorsett in 1^st place for the event, but only by a narrow margin over the British team of Niki Birrell and Alexandra Rickham. The two finished 6^th and 7^th in race 8, setting up a showdown of who beats who going into the final day of the event.

As I mentioned above, the final day offered a light Southeast breeze with strong downwind tide. The scoring situation was simple, regardless of their place in the fleet, whoever comes out on top between USA and GBR will be the regatta winner. There was a heavy pin-end bias on the starting line, which prompted Scott and Julia to set up for a port tack start late in the sequence. This may sound a little aggressive, but it was very difficult to cross the line on Starboard, given the strength of the current. Unfortunately, they were a but punchy with their timing, and Scott and Julia were over the line early. The Individual Recall flag was raised, but Whitman/Dorsett did not realize that they were the early boat. They sailed the first beat, and were pulled out of the race at the windward mark because they did not start properly.

This was a disappointing end to the event. But it was still a great experience for the Whitman/Dorsett Sailing Team. After losing the US Selection trials last October, Scott and Julia made a goal of winning the International Regatta. They came very close to achieving that goal. Furthermore, they showed that they can compete on an international stage, even though they will not be the US representatives to the Games in September.

Over the summer, Scott and Julia plan to continue practicing with Nick and Maureen in Southern California, and they have a full regatta schedule planned through the end of the year. Scott and Julia have their sites set on the 2012 Paralympics, which will be held in Weymouth, England. They will continue their campaign straight through to that event.

Donald Trump is everywhere!

But so is Ronald McDonald.

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.

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