7 races over the last two days have tested all the teams, both physically and mentally with breeze as varying from 6-12 knots, and temperatures on the beach nearing the mid 30oCs. Tuesday racing started promptly on time, surprising a few teams who started late. Yandoo Sanyong made the most of this with the first race win of their series, while Ronstan put in another consistent result in second to keep them well up the overall leaderboard. Investec Private Bank (Mason Woodworth, GBR) finally showed some of their pre-season form by finishing 3rd.

The next three races were sailed in challenging shifty breezes with most of the crews powered up and three wiring in the 6-10 knots. SLAM (AUS) put in the best show across those races with a 4,1,1 taking them into the lead overall. Yandoo Sanyong consolidated their second overall with a consistent 5,3,4. The only other teams to post any sort of consistency were Wild Oats Chardonnay (USA) with a 3,2,6 and Pindar (GBR) with a 6,7,3. Most of the rest of the teams vying for the top half of the leaderboard took some heavy scores trying to make their way through the maze of shifts during the day.

 

Wednesday looked much more promising on the breeze front, and the race committee wisely had chosen to use the lay day to catch up on the race schedule lost early in the week. Pindar came to the fore in the 12-14 knot breeze having found exactly the right settings and tactics to pick their way through the fleet and dominate the days proceedings with a 1,1,2 scoreline, with only SLAM coming close to match that consistency with 2,7,4. PICA (GBR) looked to have found their form as well with initially a 4,2 however a 10th place in the final race of the day slowed their progress up the leaderboard. GP Covers (DEN) finally showed some of the previous years pace in the heavier breeze by taking the final race win however an 8,6 earlier in the day kept them in mid table overall.

 

So going into day 5, the leaderboard has closed up considerably with 5 teams within 8 pts of each other after 10 races in total. With another 12 races potentially over the next three days its all to play for.

 

Results (10 races, 2 discards, 18 starters):

 

1st SLAM (AUS)        26pts

2nd Yandoo Sangyong (AUS) 26pts

3rd Pindar (GBR) 30pts

4th Wild Oats Chardonnay (USA) 31pts

5th Ronstan (GBR) 34pts

6th TMF (GBR) 40 pts

7th PICA (GBR) 46pts

8th GP Covers (DEN) 47 pts

9th Bodotex (DEN) 60pts

10th Gill Wet and Wild (GBR) 65pts

Race Report: Alec Mac Kinley

 

Posted on: Sat, Jul 05, 2008

Posted on: Fri, Jul 04, 2008

DAY I

The 2008 European International Championship for 18ft skiffs got underway today in Six Fours, just down the road from Hyeres in the South of France, launching from the dramatically named Brutal Beach. The Championships is one of three key events, along with the North American Championships and the JJ Giltinan in Sydney that determine the class' global ranking. So the European fleet was joined by a number of travellers from Australia and the US. Also joining the fleet although not competing was the Swiss Mirabaud foiling skiff, trying out its performance against its conventional peers.

The first day and Brutal Beach was definitely not living up to its name. A light sea breeze and baking hot 30+ temperature on the water was the order of the day - in short fairly typical Mediterranean conditions. Still the 19 boat fleet fleet left the shore in a steady 8-10 knot breeze, just enough to get the crews fully out on their trapezes. The first race got underway promptly and with a slightly port biased line it was previous JJ Giltinan Champion, Californian Howie Hamlin with Mike Martin and Paul Adam on Wild Oats Chardonnay who got the best of the bunch towards the pin end and quickly established a lead on the short first beat. despite having been in a container from Australia since February Wild Oats sailed the race with almost clinical precision to lead from start to finish. They were followed for most of the race by another previous JJ Giltinan Championship winner, Australian John Winning with David Gibson and Andrew Hay on Yandoo Ssangyong who was just taken on the final run by the first British boat TMF, the newest addition to the UK fleet competing in Europe for the first time helmed by Jarrod Simpson with David Cunningham and Adam Ovington. Ronstan UK (Ian Turnbull, Paul Constable and Alec Mckinlay) made steady progress through the fleet after a mid fleet start to take fourth and the Danish team Bodotex (Jesper Broendum, Jan Saugman and Martin Friderichsen) looked fast in the light conditions to take fifth.

Race two got underway in similar conditions, although with signs the breeze was starting to fade slightly. Again Howie Hamlin on Wild Oats Chardonnay got the best of the start and rounded the windward mark first followed by a bunch that included Bodotex, TMF, the Hungarian Liberty Sailing team (Miklos Uzhelyi-Gaspak, Zsombor Szepfy and Matyas Majthenzi) and Ronstan UK. Over the following laps Ronstan were able to move through the group to be right on Wild Oats transom by the final leeward mark and in the fading breeze were able to find a little extra pressure to the left of the course to cross Wild Oats at the top of the final beat and hold that lead till the finish. Bodotex held on for third place, the consistent TMF took fourth and the Hungarian team took fifth.

DAY II

The second day started breathlessly calm and hot. Although a light sea breeze set in the committee kept the fleet ashore a full two hours in the hope the breeze would build. However, the wind did not climb much over five knots and the committee eventually sent the fleet afloat in the hope of at least getting a race in.

In the light and fitful sea breeze once again it was Howie Hamlin's Wild Oats Chardonnay who lead the fleet around the windward mark, followed by Yandoo Ssangyong, then Grant Rollerson, Anthony Young and Cam Macdonald on the brand new Slam skiff and a group of three UK skiffs, headed by Gill/Wet & Wild sailed for the day by Mark Addison with Mark Tait and Penny Hooper, then Andy Richards, Andrew Fairley and Dave Richards on Pindar and TMF. Slam took the lead on the first run and were never challenged, Yandoo Ssangyong held on for second and Pindar worked clear o the next group to take third. Gill, Wet and Wild took fourth but were later penalised for not signing on and TMF came in 5th. Wild Oats had an uncharacteristically bad day and slipped back to ninth, loosing their overnight lead in the process to Ronstan UK who came home sixth and are now tied on 11 points for the lead with TMF, but have the advantage of a race win. With the breeze again dropping the fleet were then sent back to the beach after what had been a frustrating and trying days sailing for most.

After 3 races (no discard)

1 Ronstan UK - Ian Turnbull (GBR) 11pts

2 TMF - Jarrod Simpson (GBR) 11pts

3 Wild Oats Chardonnay - Howie Hamlin (USA) 12 pts

4 Slam - Grant Rollerson (AUS) 14pts

5 Yandoo Ssangyong - John Winning (AUS) 15pts

Race Report: Alec McKinlay - UK 18Ft Skiff Class Association

Posted on: Wed, Jul 02, 2008

When this year’s Youth Words Championship takes place in Århus, it is with the support of the Nordea Danmark-Fonden that has decided to support the championship with the tidy sum of 300.000 Danish Kroner.

 

The Nordea Danmark-Fonden (The Nordea Denmark Foundation) annually donates DKK 350 millions to activities that promote good lives in Denmark within fields such as health, nature and environment, culture, education and sports. The foundation gives priority to activities that are involving, edifying and motivating and this can be said to be the case for the event in Århus in several ways: An army of 300 enthusiastic volunteers is the backbone of the event; And the competitors in the championship are the top of the world’s young sailors that aspire to participate maybe also in the future in the Olympics or the ISAF World Championship.

Both parties thus exemplify engagement and motivation, and as Torben Klein, the Director of the Nordea Danmark-Fonden, says: “The participants at the Youth Worlds will have an experience for life. We hope that the World Championship in the Bay of Århus will inspire other young people to practise sailing”.

Thomas Capitani Nielsen, Event Director of Sailing Aarhus, the organisers of the event, expresses his gratitude for the support of the Nordea Danmark Fonden: “We are extremely happy about the donation from the Nordea Danmark Fonden. It is a sign of great acknowledgement that a leading foundation of such high standing has chosen to contribute to a sailing event like this, and then it gives us the necessary economic space to concentrate on making it a great experience to the young sailors”.

Posted on: Wed, Jul 02, 2008

The three way battle for supremacy in the Cagliari edition of the Melges 32 Audi Circuit 2008 between Claudio Recchi on ‘Uka Uka Racing’, Savino Formentini’s ‘Bitipi’ and Stefano Leporati’s ‘Kismet and went down to the wire on the third and final day.

After six races ‘Uka Uka Racing’ held a tenuous one point lead over ‘Bitipi’ who in turn were only two points ahead of ‘Kismet’. All three teams knew that they needed strong results on the final day to challenge for the title.

Race one started in a gentle six to seven knots, flat seas and under bright blue skies. The earlier than normal start time had to be delayed by around thirty minutes to let the breeze settle. Soon after the start however there was a significant right hand shift and an increase in pressure which seemed to catch out the three boats fighting for the overall title.

First over to the right to take advantage of the shift and the new pressure were Armando Giuletti’s ‘Hiroshi – Citta di Milano’, Luigi Melgari’s ‘Matrix’ and Michael Illbruck’s ‘Pinta’. This pack rounded the top mark in that order, hoisted and immediately rolled into a gybe before setting off down the slightly one sided run.

Behind them ‘Uka Uka Racing’ who rounded in fifth were keeping a close eye on their two challengers – ‘Bitipi’ and ‘Kismet’ who were in sixth and seventh respectively. These positions and those of the leaders remained the same at the leeward mark rounding.

With the wind going further right still on the beat, it was a case of the ‘rich getting richer’ as the leaders were able to get out to the starboard layline for the changed windward mark and use maximum leverage to extend their lead. At the top mark ‘Hiroshi – Citta di Milano’ rounded first and went on to take a comfortable win ahead of ‘Matrix’ and ‘Pinta’. Amongst the overall leaders ‘Uka Uka Racing’ held on to their fifth place, ‘Kismet’ came through in seventh and ‘Bitipi’ had their first poor result of the series with a ninth.

At this stage and with only one race to go ‘Uka Uka Racing’ and Bitipi’ were tied for the overall lead on sixteen points.

In the final race ‘Matrix’ rounded off a near perfect day with a comprehensive win. Leading around every mark they kept a close cover on ‘Kismet’ who took second place. ‘Pinta’ posted another third place for the day. The ‘Bitipi’ challenge for first overall faded when they could only manage a seventh place.

This meant that ‘Uka Uka Racing’, placing fourth in this race were able to claim victory in the Cagliari Melges 32 Audi Sailing Series 2008. Stefano Leporati’s ‘Kismet’ by virtue of their 1,2 for the day had moved up to take second overall. A ninth and seventh on the final day meant that a disappointed Savino Formentini on ‘Bitipi’ dropped to third.

Luigi Melegari’s ‘Matrix’ who won the Malcesine event and finished fourth in Cagliari continues to lead the overall regatta series standings with ‘Uka Uka Racing’ and ‘Kismet’ second and third respectively.

Race Report: Justin Chrisholm

Posted on: Tue, Jul 01, 2008

To make up for a lack of our creativity and expression, we thought to edge our viewers over to another fine website/blog (they're all one in the same). Visit Sail Sudaka - 50% Yachting via their logo on the left hand side of the screen. They have some fine photography and visuals of big boat and other fine apparel. While we're not ones to carry the content they express, we give them a big thumbs up for site design and content. You might need a site translator, which you can find here as their website is in Spanish. So if you are monolingual and can't read the writing, but enjoy images, then check it out. One of the best big boat/small boat media websites around.

Posted on: Tue, Jul 01, 2008

Bill Hardesty, Erik Shampain, Steve Hunt, and Jennifer Wilson of San Diego take their first Etchells World Championship title after ending the regatta with a strong 12 place finish in race 6.  After dropping a 39 point finish from their score, the team secures first place overall with a total of 30.  Hardesty was the pre-event favorite having won both the Midwinters East and West.

Chris Busch, Chad Hough, Chuck Sinks, and Peter Burton, also of San Diego, came in second with 38 points followed by Jud Smith, Henry Frazer, and James Porter with 41.  After protest and redress hearings at the end of today, Peter Duncan moved from 16^th to tie Beadsworth/Dwyer at 56 points for 4^th. Duncan won with tie breaker with his 2^nd place win in today’s race.

 

The 6^th and final race of the regatta was run today in beautiful conditions with 10-20 knot westerly winds, waves, and warm sunny weather.  Bush, Hough, Sinks, and Burton took the lead on the first downwind leg, and from there they proceeded to walk away from the fleet on every leg and capture first place by a substantial margin. 

“We went right on the first beat while most of our competitors went left,” Busch explained.  “We were pretty behind after a bad start at the right end of the line, but we found better velocity and some good shifts on our side and we were able to work out way back through the fleet.  Once you’re out front, it’s a lot easier to stay there  It’s the races where you’re deep and have to fight your way back that really make the difference.”

Busch, Hough, Sinks, and Burton definitely take the role of the stealthy stars of the regatta.  After a disappointing 49^th finish on the first day, the team moved to 8^th with a 2^nd and a 4^th on the second day of racing.  They continued their climb up the score board with respectable finishes in races 4 and 5 which brought them up to 6^th and then into the top three.  With a decisive win today, the San Diego team ultimately captured 2^nd place by three points from Smith, Frazer, and Porter.

 

Winners Hardesty, Shampain, Hunt and Wilson sailed an impressive regatta.  “Our two firsts on the second day really helped.  We’ve been training hard, and it paid off.”  Hardesty said.  With the exclusion of their 39 point drop race, the team never scored below 13^th in the racing this week. On how the team managed to stay consistent in the tricky conditions Hardesty explained, “We sailed conservatively.  Once we figured out what was working for us, we stuck with that strategy.”

Remarkably, with the exception of one drop race apiece, Hardesty, Busch, and Smith all posted top 20 finishes in the five races counting toward their final score.  It is undoubtedly this impressive consistency, despite challenging conditions, that places these three boats on the Etchells Worlds podium this year. 

Posted on: Mon, Jun 30, 2008

As the Cagliari edition of the Melges 32 Audi Sailing Series 2008 continued today Stefano Leporati’s ‘Kismet’ moved up the leaderboard with an impressive 2,1,1, scoreline to claim third place in the overall standings. Savino Formentini aboard ‘Bitipi’ closed the gap on overnight leader ‘Uka Uka Racing’ to only one point by winning the first race and placing fourth and third in the subsequent races.

Conditions were noticeably lighter than the previous day but the temperature was a little higher. Indeed as the fleet arrived at the race area this morning they had to wait for a little while to allow the breeze to materialise at all. When it arrived it was a gentle five to six knot southerly. A further delay, for the first general recall of the series so far, allowed the breeze to build a little more and when the fleet did finally get away the wind was around eight to ten knots.

This fresh pressure came with a left hand shift causing the entire fleet to quickly tack on to port. Earliest to do so was overnight leader Claudio Recchi aboard ‘Uka Uka Racing’, who as the beat progressed, managed to get far enough forward of the pack to cross almost everyone when he eventually tacked just under the starboard layline. The breeze went even further left at the end of the leg enabling Armando Giuletti’s ‘Hiroshi – Citta di Milano’ and ‘Kismet’ to round first and second just ahead of ‘Uka Uka’.

On the run the bulk of the fleet gybed early hoping for the extra pressure on the left that had been evident throughout the previous day. Leaders ‘Hiroshi – Citta di Milano’ were one of the last to gybe. The left of the run proved the place to which enabled ‘Bitipi’, who had rounded the windward mark outside the top five, to make a huge gain by gybing early. Coming back from the left on the port layline they crossed everyone by some significant distance. They rounded first, choosing the right hand gate mark. ‘Kismet’ went round second but at the left hand buoy. ‘Hiroshi – Citta di Milano’ were next and selected the right hand mark with ‘Uka Uka Racing’ rounding in fourth and going to the left. By the end of the beat ‘Bitipi’ still led but ‘Hiroshi – Citta di Milano’ had clawed back one place to round second in front of ‘Kismet’.

Despite a poorly executed early gybe, which resulted in a badly twisted kite which needed to be dropped and re-hoisted, ‘Bitipi’ recoverd well to hold on to their lead and take the gun. Behind them ‘Kismet’ went on the offensive in a bid for second place and approaching the port layline line were able to gybe on top of ‘Hiroshi – Citta di Milano’ and ease their way past. ‘Uka Uka’ meanwhile had won their downwind battle with Luigi Melegari’s ‘Matrix’ to move up to fourth.

With the discard not in play until after the next race ‘Bitipi’ now held a two point overall lead over ‘Uka Uka Racing’ in second and ‘Matrix’ in third.

In race two ‘Uka Uka Racing’ were first out of the blocks to lead around the first mark, two boat lengths ahead of Germany’s Michael Illbruck aboard ‘Pinta’. Overall leader ‘Bitipi’ had it all to do having rounded the windward mark near the back of the pack. ‘Pinta’ gybed onto port a little after ‘Uka Uka Racing’, managed to work lower and were just able to cross ‘Uka Uka Racing’ when they eventually gybed back. Meanwhile having rounded fifth ‘Kismet’ went hard right, found their own private breeze and when the boats converged they were able to cross everyone by about five boat lengths. With the wind fading to around eight knots ‘Kismet’ made it to the gate first with ‘Pinta’ eleven seconds behind in second, ‘Uka Uka Racing’ third and Stefan di Properzio’s ‘Mataran’ in fourth. The leaders headed straight for the left hand layline. ‘Pinta’ showed impressive boatspeed to close right up on ‘Kismet’ as they approached the windward mark. Behind them, in an effort to salvage their race ‘Bitipi’ had worked the right of the beat – a tactic which paid dividends taking them past a pack of boats and into fourth place.

There were no place changes amongst the first four on the final run. ‘Kismet’ took the gun ahead of ‘Pinta’ followed by ‘Uka Uka Racing’ and ‘Bitipi’.

A long delay ensued before the next race could get under way as the breeze dropped away and progressively shifted ninety degrees to the left. At the second attempt, the fleet eventually got away in flat seas and a breeze of around six to seven knots.

‘Kismet’ took control from the start. Leading around every mark they gave the others a master class in fleet management. After a poor first beat ‘Uka Uka Racing’ correctly predicted a shift back to the right on the second beat which dug them out of a seemingly certain midfleet result and leapfrogged them into second place. At the finish ‘Kismet’ won their second race of the day to slide into third place overall. The ever consistent ‘Bitipi’ finished third in the final race and are now two points ahead of ‘Kismet’ and only one point adrift of ‘Uka Uka Racing’ who continue to lead the overall standings.

With only two races left to sail tomorrow the battle for the lead is finely balanced with both ‘Bitipi’ and ‘Kismet’ capable of catching ‘Uka Uka Racing’.

Tonight after dinner the fleet enjoyed a Mojito Party in a spectacular venue above the city of Cagliari.

Overall Standings:

1^st Uka Uka Racing 1,1,5,4,3,2 (11 points)

2^nd Bitipi 2,3,3,1,4,3 (12 points)

3^rd Kismet 5.5,10,2,1,1 (14 points)

4^th Matix – Cortina d’Amprezzo (22 points)

5^th Pinta 3,8,6,10,2,5 (24 points)

6^th Thule 7,4,27,5,11 (25 points)

7^th Hiroshi – Citta di Milano DSQ,7,1,3,6,10 (27 points)

8^th Pilot Italia 8,6,4,9,11,7 (34 points)

9^th Sei Tu 32 6,9,9,11,10,6 (40 points)

10^th Mataran 10,10,11,6,7,8 (41 points)

11^th Hublot - Big Bang 9,11,8,8,8,9 (42 points)

12^th LEA dnf,dnf,dnc,12,12,12 (62 points)

Posted on: Mon, Jun 30, 2008

After a late start, day 5 of Etchells Worlds produced an exciting nail-biter race among the afternoon’s top competitors.  The first three boats established a significant lead over the rest of the fleet early in the race.  Through many lead changes, the three race leaders duked it out at the top of the fleet.  Ultimately, Jud Smith,  Henry Frazer, and James Porter of  the U.S. crossed the finish in a decisive first place after rounding the last leeward mark behind the race’s 2^nd place finishers Hank Lammens, Dirk Kneulman, and Dwayne Smithers of Canada and 3^rd place finishers Dave Dwyer, Andy Beadsworth and Simon Fry of Ireland.

 

“We sailed an aggressive race,” Smith, the 2006 Etchells World Champion remarked.  “We started close at the pin and sailed hard out to the left.”  Though Smith led around the first windward and leeward marks of the race, they lost the lead and fell to 3^rd on the second upwind beat, while the team of Dwyer, Beadsworth, and Fry came out on top by a comfortable gap followed by Canadian boat Lammens, Kneulman, and Smithers.   Lammens placed

 

Smith explained that they were counting on a righty, but on the second upwind beat the wind died on the right side before the shift filled, and Dwyer/Beadsworth and Lammens were able to slip by from the left.  Smith gained back much of the lost ground on the downwind leg and rounded the last leeward mark almost even with Lammens, where they made a bold decision to split with the two leaders and round the right gate.

 

With the large gap between the three leaders and the rest of the fleet, “we had nothing to loose,” Smith explained.  “We were confident the right would come in, so we made the decision to split with Hank at the gate and go right.”  The strategy paid off.   With today’s first place, Smith’s team moves from 6^th to 2^nd in the overall standings.

 

Over the past few days, many of the teams struggled with the long onshore postponements and extended delays on the water as the Race Committee reset the course numerous times to accommodate the shifting winds.  As many sailors have experienced, these kinds of delays pose a challenge for competitors, making it difficult to maintain focus, energy, and the “competitive edge” all racers value.  “Our coach helps a lot,” Smith said.  “He keeps us focused and makes sure we know what’s going on with the conditions.  We knew to keep an eye on the clouds and to look for the right to fill.”

 

Despite strong finishes by Smith, Lammens, and Dwyer/Beadsworth in race 5, Hardesty still holds the overall lead by 12 points with a respectable 8^th place finish today.  His team is in a good position to take the World Championship title if they pull out one more solid finish in tomorrow's final race.  Currently he is followed in the standings by Jud Smith, Henry Frazer, and James Porter with 68 points and Chris Busch, Chad Hough, Chuck Sinks, and Peter Burton with 86 points.

 

 

Tomorrow the Race Committee plans to run one long quality race to finish off the 6 races necessary to complete the regatta.  This 6^th race will allow the competitors a “drop race,” which could have a meaningful effect on the scores.  With the worst finishes of each boat excluded from the scores, we can expect to see some shuffling in the places.  Most of the regatta leaders have one deeper race, so it will be important for them to do well in tomorrow.  This should mean some heavy competition for the last day of Worlds here in Chicago.

 

Posted on: Sat, Jun 28, 2008

The Intercollegiate Sailing Association of North America (ICSA) has announced the members of its 2007/2008 ICSA All-America Sailing Team, along with the Quantum Female College Sailor of the Year, the College Sailor of the Year, Sportsman of the Year and the winner of the Leonard M. Fowle Memorial Trophy for the all-around best college team.  The ICSA All-American honors are awarded to competitors who demonstrated outstanding performance in competition during the college sailing year (fall and spring seasons) just concluded.  A panel of representatives from each of the seven ICSA conferences reviews each sailor’s individual results and sailors are named to the team as All-Americans, Women’s All-Americans and/or All-American Crews.  Their names will be added to the permanent ICSA Hall of Fame display located in the Robert Crown Sailing Center at the U.S. Naval Academy (Annapolis, Md.).

2008 College Sailor of the Year – Chris Behm (Hampton, Va.) a graduating senior from Georgetown University (Washington, D.C.) has been recognized as the 2008 College Sailor of the Year.  The honor caps a season that ended with a bang earlier this month when his performance in A-Division at the ICSA/Gill National Championship (June 2-4) earned Georgetown that coveted title for the first time in school history. He also skippered the Hoya’s A-Division boat to several conference wins in the Middle Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association, and helped Georgetown win the ICSA Western Region Semifinals by 20 points in order to qualify for the national championships.

During the ICSA/APS Team Race National Championship (May 30-June 1) Behm was again helming the Hoya’s A-Division boat.  “It was such a competitive nationals.  We were definitely happy with our finish [second] -- BC sailed really well -- but it also made us hungry for a win [heading into the ICSA/Gill National Championship].  GU had never won that title and this was something we really wanted to give to our coaches and the school.”

Behm, who was also recognized as an ICSA All-American for the third consecutive year, had learned to sail by going out with his father and older brother, progressing through the junior program at Hampton Yacht Club, the “Opti circuit” and the high school sailing team.  “My parents told me not to pick a college based on sailing,” said Behm.  “But Georgetown was a win-win situation for me because both the school and the sailing team had a great reputation.” 

With a degree in business management, Behm now hopes to line up a six-year apprenticeship driving container ships.  And as the owner of a 505, he’ll also be continuing his competitive sailing career.

Quantum Female College Sailor of the Year – Kaitlin Storck (Huntington, N.Y.) has been named the 2008 Quantum Female College Sailor of the Year.  Storck, a graduating senior at Tufts University (Medford, Mass.) is the first Lady Jumbo to win the honor and was also named an ICSA All-American for the second time (2006, 2007).

“She is physically and mentally tough and she is an incredibly good sport,” said Tufts Head Sailing Coach Ken Legler of Storck who, in April, was named New England Intercollegiate Sailing Association Woman Sailor of the Year and Women’s Sportsmanship award winner for 2008.

Storck and crew Lyndsey Gibbons-Neff (Rosemont, Penn.), placed second in A -Division at the New England Championships, helping the Jumbos finish second overall to qualify for the ICSA Womens’ National Championship.  At Nationals, the duo dominated A-Division for the first two days of the championship before finishing fourth after several double-digit scores on the final day of racing.

“I had gotten nervous and didn’t sail well,” said Storck of the final day of the ICSA Women’s National Championship.  “I didn’t think I was getting this [award] because I sailed so badly the last day.  But the award was for the whole year and it was really exciting for me to get it.”

Earlier in the spring, Storck, with Gibbons-Neff crewing for 10 out of 12 races, won A-Division at the Dellenbaugh Trophy after starting the season as the division runner-up at the St. Mary's College Inter-sectional.  Last fall, the duo won the Atlantic Coast Championship and placed second at the Stu Nelson Trophy. 

Storck’s older brothers, Erick and John, were both ICSA All-Americans, and her parents met on a sailboat.  The family, including younger brother Ian, also a sailor, regularly race together.  “I’m naturally competitive.  I did a lot of dance in high school (St. Anthony’s) and that was different, but I always liked sailing more,” said the political science major whose sailing resume includes competing at the 420 Worlds, the ISAF Youth World Championship and the J/80 World Championship.  Armed with the knowledge that she wants to continue sailing competitively – “I like to go fast and get wet” -- Storck is seriously eyeing an Olympic campaign. 

2008 ICSA Sportsman of the Year – Paul Kleinschrodt (Mobile, Ala.) – University of South Alabama rising senior Paul Kleinschrodt has been recognized as the 2008 ICSA Sportsman of the Year.  A member of a well-known sailing family, he learned to sail at Buccaneer Yacht Club and by the time he entered “South” he was able to join the fairly new team organized by his brother Karl, the 2006 ICSA Student Leadership Award recipient.  With the leadership reigns passed to him, Paul organized fundraisers to make up the difference between the $1000 the student government gives the sailing team each semester and the cost of getting to events the team wanted to compete in.  The USA team takes off only one or two weekends during the entire school year -- when the regattas were too far to travel to. 

The All America Selection Committee recognized Kleinschrodt’s ability to compete at the highest levels of the game (he won A-Division at the SEISA championships by a big margin, and had four sectional wins out of five inter-sectionals) and maintain the highest ethical standards of fair play and good sportsmanship.  Competitors recognized both his competitive excellence and spirit when racing against them.

Kleinschrodt was “very surprised” when news came that he was the recipient of the honor.  “I got a phone call while I was at work, and then 10 more calls.  I was excited to hear about it and it made my heart feel really great.”

After he spends this summer working in the family’s custom cabinetry business, senior year will see Kleinschrodt resume his studies in civil engineering. “When I graduate from college I’m going to upgrade my yacht club membership to from student to active membership to get involved.  I’m 100% dedicated to the sport.  I’ll be sailing the rest of my life.”

Fowle Memorial Trophy – Boston College:  The Leonard M. Fowle Memorial Trophy, recognizing the year’s best all-around performance in college sailing, has been awarded to Boston College (Chestnut Hill, Mass.).  Presented since 1972, the award is determined by points accumulated at the six major Intercollegiate Sailing Association Championships. 

Last fall, BC finished second at the ICSA/Vanguard Men’s Singlehanded National Championship and the ICSA Sloop National Championship.  At the end of May, the Lady Eagles won BC’s first-ever sailing title when they claimed the 2008 ICSA Women’s National Championship after three days of racing saw them triumph over 17 other colleges.  After a day off, BC scored their second national title with a win over 14 colleges battling for the ICSA/APS Team Race National Championship (May 30-June 1).  The Eagles then finished the year with a second-place finish at the ICSA/Gill National Championship after a hard-fought series.  

 

 

2008 COLLEGE SAILOR OF THE YEAR The Everett B. Morris Trophy
Chris Behm (Hampton, Va.) – Georgetown University ‘08

2008 QUANTUM FEMALE COLLEGE SAILOR OF THE YEAR
Kaitlin Storck (Huntington, N.Y.) – Tufts University ‘08

SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR The Robert H. Hobbs Trophy

Paul Kleinschrodt (Mobile, Ala.) University of South Alabama ‘08

TEAM OF THE YEAR The Leonard M. Fowle Memorial Trophy

 

2007/2008 ICSA ALL-AMERICA SAILING TEAM

ICSA Coed All-American Skippers
Thomas Barrows (St. Thomas, USVI) – Yale University ‘10
Chris Behm (Hampton, Va.) – Georgetown University ’08
Zachary Brown (San Diego, Calif.) – Yale University ‘08
Charles Buckingham (Newport Beach, Calif.) – Georgetown University ‘11
Reed Johnson (Toms River, N.J.) – Boston College ‘08
Brian Kamilar (Miami, Fla.) – Boston College ‘09
Jesse Kirkland (Warwick, Bermuda) – St. Mary’s College ‘10
Kyle Kovacs (Pennington, N.J.) – Harvard University ‘08
Chris Lash (Newport, R.I.) – College of Charleston ‘08
Justin Law  (Newport Beach, Calif.) – St. Mary’s College ‘08
John Loe (Baton Rouge, La.) – St. Mary’s College ‘08
Adam Roberts (San Diego, Calif.) – Boston College ‘09
 
ICSA Coed Honorable Mention:
Matthew Duggan (East Sandwich, Mass.) – Roger Williams University ‘09
Charles Enright  (Bristol, R.I.) – Brown University ‘08
Andrew Goetting (Point Pleasant, N.J.) – Roger Williams University ‘08
Clinton Hayes  (East Haddam, Conn.) – University of Vermont ‘10
Nick Martin (San Diego, Calif.) College of Charleston ‘10
Jay Mills (Greenport, N.Y.) – Hobart/William Smith Colleges ‘08
 
ICSA Women All-Americans
Allison Blecher (Fullerton, Calif.) – College of Charleston ‘10
Evan Brown (Tampa, Fla.) – Stanford University ‘08
Kate Hagemann (Marion, Mass.) – Yale University ‘09
Blaire Herron (Coronado, Calif.) – Georgetown University ‘08
Charlotte Hill (Miami, Fla.) – U.S. Naval Academy ‘08
Jane Macky (Auckland, New Zealand) – Yale University ‘09
Adrienne Patterson (Newport Beach, Calif.) – St. Mary’s College ‘08
Kaitlin Storck (Huntington, N.Y.) – Tufts University ‘08
Sara Morgan Watters (Oxford, Md.) – St. Mary’s College ‘10

ICSA Women’s Honorable Mention
Elizabeth Barry (Riverside, Conn.) – Brown University ‘11
Shannon Heausler (Tampa, Fla.) – College of Charleston ‘10
Elizabeth Kempton (Island Heights, N.J.) – Boston College ‘09
Charlotte Lipschitz (Chevy Chase, Md.) – Brown University ‘10
Megan Magill (San Diego, Calif.) – U.S. Naval Academy ‘11

ICSA All-American Crew
Carrie Amarante (Wayne, N.J.) – Boston College ‘09
Carly Chamberlain (Newport Beach, Calif.) – Georgetown University ‘09
Abigail Coplin (Delmar, N.Y.) – Yale University ‘09
Elyse Dolbec (Quincy, Mass.) – Harvard University ‘09
Mattie Farrar (Blaine, Wash.) – St. Mary’s College ‘08
Emily Flint (Longmeadow, Mass.) -- Boston College ‘08
Leigh Fogwell (Greenwich, Conn.) – Georgetown University ‘08
Lyndsey Gibbons-Neff (Rosemont, Penn.) – Tufts University ‘08
Elizabeth Hawkins (Fairfield, Conn.) – Connecticut College ‘08
Margaret Lumkes (River Forest, Ill.) – St. Mary’s College ‘08
Maria Mahler-Haug (Branford, Conn.) – Brown University ‘09
Kelly McKenna (Lake Forest, Ill.) – Stanford University ‘09
Marla Menninger (Newport Beach, Calif.) – Yale University ‘10
Danielle Neri (Newport, R.I.) – College of Charleston ‘08
Meredith Nordhem (Chicago, Ill.) – St. Mary’s College ‘08
Megan Riddle (Vermilion, Ohio) – College of Charleston ‘08
Andrew Schneider (Marblehead, Mass.) – Boston College ‘08
Coco Solsvig (Greenwich, Conn.) – University of Vermont ‘10
Kristen Sproat (Berwyn, Penn.) – U.S. Naval Academy ‘08
Meris Tombari (Fishers Island, N.Y.) – Brown University ‘08

 

Posted on: Sat, Jun 28, 2008

The Cagliari edition of the Melges 32 Audi Sailing Series exploded into life today with three races being completed in near perfect, ten to twelve knot, Mediterranean conditions. As expected, the racing was of the highest quality with the teams having to use every ounce of their skill and expertise to gain any advantage.
 
The crews arriving at the dock this morning were greeted by clear blue skies accompanied by a warm, gentle breeze. Following the skippers briefing, where the fleet were reminded by Chief Umpire Luca Babini of his intention to strictly enforce the class concerning bowsprits, all the boats left the dock well in advance of the 12.30 scheduled start time. Outside out of the confines of the harbour the breeze was solid and racing was able to start on time.

 
 The fleet was split on the first upwind leg of race one with Stefano Leporati’s ‘Kismet’ leading the group furthest right looking good for much of the beat. At the top mark however the boats who had worked the middle and left who had done the best and Michael Illbruck’s Pinta led a very compressed group around.
 
Down the run most boats chose to stay right but a group led by Claudio Recchi at the helm of ‘Uka Uka’ racing made a small gain by gybing out to the left. The choice of leeward gate mark was almost exactly an even split with ‘Uka Uka Racing’ taking advantage of a couple of boats overstanding the laylines, to round first ahead of ‘Pinta’.
 
With the breeze oscillating the tacticians had to be on top of their game and there were several place changes up the next beat. Rounding the top mark for the second time Luigi Melegari’s ‘Matrix – Cortina d’Amprezzo’ led from ‘Uka Uka Racing’ in second, then Armando Giuletti’s ‘Hiroshi – Citta di Milano’.

On the final run the boats who gybed early found more pressure and a big let down enabling them to make a huge gain. At the finish ‘Uka Uka Racing’ took the gun with ‘Hiroshi – Citta di Milano’ second and Savino Formentini’s ‘Bitipi’ getting the decision on a photo finish with ‘Pinta’ to take third. The leader at the top mark, ‘Matrix’ came in fifth.
 
 ‘Uka Uka Racing’ had the upper hand right from the very start of race two and tactician Gabriele Benussi made sure that they were in complete control for the entire race. Behind them a fascinating three way battle for second place was going on between ‘Bitipi’, ‘Matrix’ and Fausto Rubbini’s Thule. With places changing between these boats at every cross, predicting second was impossible until the final boat lengths to the line. In the end ‘Matrix’ did enough to claim second with ‘Bitipi’ clocking up another third ahead of ‘Thule’ and ‘Kismet’ in fourth and fifth.
 
The final race of the day was another close fought affair featuring lots of place changing both upwind and down. Aboard ‘Hiroshi – Citta di Milano’ tactician Ian Ainslie made the most of the shifts on the second beat to get them around the windward mark in the lead. With the breeze now flicking around considerably they did well to extend their lead on the final run to take a well deserved win.

 
Despite having rounded the last mark in second, as they neared the finish, ‘Uka Uka’ found themselves trapped on starboard gybe outside the layline for the right hand end of the line by a pack of boats. Despite desperate efforts to soak down into a gybing position they were unable to make it and consequently dropped to fifth. ‘Thule’ made the most of the last section of the run to take second ahead of ‘Bitipi’ who recorded yet another third place.
 
In spite their last race troubles Claudio Recchi and Gabriele Benussi aboard ‘Uka Uka Racing’ hold a two point lead over the ever consistent Savino Formentini and tactician Flavio Grassi on ‘Bitipi’. Following a protest resulting in the disqualification of ‘Hiroshi – Citta di Milano’ from race one, Fausto Rubbini and his tactician Lorenzo Bressani on ‘Thule’ sit in third place overnight.
 
The social programme kicked off this afternoon when the crews hit the dock and  were able to enjoy free beer and pasta courtesy of Michael Illbruck’s Pinta team. On Saturday evening there will be a Mojito Party and Sunday’s final prizegiving will take place following the end of racing.
 
Five more races are scheduled in what is shaping up to be a superb regatta.
 
Melges Europe and the Melges 32 European Class are grateful for the continuing support of their title sponsor Audi and also to Moby Lines for their generous assistance with the transportation of the fleet to Sardinia.

Posted on: Sat, Jun 28, 2008

Over the next 7 days the largest ever fleet of foiling moths will begin gathering in Weymouth for the CST Composites Moth World Championships.

A fleet of 80 – 100 boats is expected with competitors coming from all corners of the globe.

As more sailors master the tricky art of hydrofoil sailing there is expected to be much greater depth at the top of the fleet than at Lake Garda in 2007 when foil master Rohan Veal walked away with the title.

2006 World Champion and defending European Champion Simon Payne recently showed his good form with a clear win in the UK National Championships held in Weymouth. Payne has been putting in a big effort to win back his title and is sure to be a contender this time around. Payne says "I feel OK about this event, I understand there are factors I can't control and contenders I've never met, but compared to last year I feel well prepared and I'm happy to be coming into this event after winning the UK nationals."

Others who will be vying for top honours include Australian Champion Mat Belcher and last years World Championship runner up Scott Babbage who says he feels much better prepared than this time last year. "I am coming off 4 months preparation rather than only 2 months last time around. I have much more confidence in my equipment making it through the event, however, I don't think I have the same speed advantage that I had last time – that's going to make it difficult to better my last year's number 2 finish".

With development of hulls and foils becoming more focussed on fine-tuning over the past 12 months many of the top competitors have turned their attention to their rigs in a constant search for speed.

The new CST 40mm high modulus mast has quickly found its place on most boats at the front of the fleet with the windage gains over the previous 51mm masts being exploited.

The fit between event sponsor CST Composites and the Moth class is a natural one as Manager Clive Watts notes: "CST has been affiliated with the Moth Class for many years and shares a common interest in development, innovation and performance. The timing of sponsoring the 2008 World Championships coincided perfectly with the introduction of our new high modulus spar technology and new online store www.carbonfibreexpress.com"

Posted on: Fri, Jun 27, 2008

No races were held on Day 4 of the Etchells Worlds, while a large high pressure system sitting over Lake Michigan brings calm winds, blue skies, and sunshine to Chicago’s lakefront. With little chance of cooperative weather for the rest of the day, the Race Committee called the day at 13:30 and pushed tomorrow’s start time forward to 10:30 in anticipation of nice winds in the morning and storms later in the day. The race committee hopes to run two solid races tomorrow while the weather holds.

“It’s a classic battle between good and evil,” PRO Tom Duggan said in reference to today’s westerly and easterly winds. “Neither of them won out, so we decided to walk away and we’ll try to get two races in tomorrow.”

Posted on: Fri, Jun 27, 2008

Last weekend saw a slightly depleted fleet of 3 12ft Skiffs take the trip to Southampton for the Weston Skiff Open. The teams in attendance were CST Composites crewed by Andy Lang & Dave Roe, Design Source crewed by Iain Christie & Tom Vian, and CMcS-POM crewed by Bob Clements & Alan Atterbury.

As Saturday morning dawned, a slightly hung-over fleet could be seen looking across Southampton water wondering whether it was going be No.2 or No.3 rigs. As the morning progressed however, the pleasant 12-15 knot breeze began to show signs of building, so 3 rigs were the choice for the day by all the teams.

After a general recall on the first start, Design Source got away well, and was at the windward mark in 4th overall, only to find that they had been over the line at the start and were black-flagged. On CST, Dave Roe having not sailed much for a few years, found the pace a bit challenging, and decided to sit-out the second race to get a rest and have another piece of that chocolate cake! Bob and Alan were out in their new boat for the first time, and proved conclusively that un-stayed bowsprits simply aren’t man enough for 12’s, snapping theirs clean in half on the way down to the leeward gate for the first race, and putting paid to the rest of their regatta.

Sunday dawned very windy (both inside and outside the tents), and yet again, the gaggle of 12 sailors with massive hang-overs (from the previous night’s booo-ka-ka session) were seen looking out over Southampton water, only this time it was going to be 4th rig all the way. With the wind blowing 25kts and gusting up to 35kts, the race officer cancelled the racing, so a despondent 12 contingent decided to put on a show for the other sailors by going out for an epic blast, pleasing the on-lookers with lots of airtime whilst blasting downwind at 20kts.

So, as racing goes, it won’t go down as a classic, but overall, another memorable and hugely enjoyable weekend of sailing and socialising was had by all.

Posted on: Thu, Jun 26, 2008

The 4th Annual LCYC Small Boat / Skiff Regatta is July 12-13th.

We have a great venue and wonderful facilities. A dedicated committee boat and race officer. And a comfortable yacht club with a deck over-looking beautiful Lake Pepin on the Mississippi River.

This regatta is intended for boats such as: International 14s, 29ers, 49ers, Vectors, 470s, 505s, Laser IIs, scows, catamarans, and similar boats accepted by the LCYC Race Committee. The LCYC will also be hosting the Holder 20 One Design Nationals. This will provide an extra element of fanfare for our event.

Hope you are making your travel plans. It will be worth the trip!

Details attached in Notice of Race, including links to hotel and camping accommodations.

Please don't hesitate to email Allen with questions. Allen Rech, shiprech@charter.net . He'll be happy to assist in any way that I can.

Fri., July 11th

5:00pm - 8:00pm Registration, rigging, practice

Sat., July 12th

9:00am - 11:00am Registration, rigging

11:00am Skippers Meeting

11:00am - Noon Lunch (Picnic Lunch provided for competitors)

1:00pm First Gun

5:00pm No race shall start after 5:00pm

7:00pm BBQ and social on the deck at LCYC.

Sun., July 13th

10:00am First gun

2:00pm No race shall start after 2:00pm

3:30pm Awards (location TBD)

Posted on: Thu, Jun 26, 2008

Race 4 of the Etchells Worlds brought tricky conditions and a tough day for many of the regatta’s leading boats, though yesterday’s top two contenders still remain in the top three overall after today’s race. The lead established by San Diego boat Bill Hardesty and crew in Monday and Tuesday’s racing has kept them in first place even after a 39^th place finish today. Peter Duncan, Thomas Blackwell, and William Barton of Biscayne Bay grabbed third place in the overall standings after starting at the right end and tacking out onto port immediately to lock in a 5^th place finish in the race.

Vincent Brun, Ben Mitchell, and Jeff Pape of San Diego suffered a 51 point finish and slipped from second to third, with 65 points, while fourth place boat of locals Aaron Housten, Daniel Somers, and John Harford and fifth place boat Jud Smith, Henry Frazer, and James Poter nip at their heels with 66 points and 67 points respectively. With a tight point spread, large fleet size, and tricky conditions producing inconsistent scores, no teams have established a decisive lead and the World Championship title is still very much up for grabs.

After an onshore postponement until noon, competitors headed out under overcast skies and scattered showers in a moderate SSE breeze. However early into the first beat Race 4 began to look a lot like Race 1; a continuous right shift filled in as a large portion of the fleet worked their way out to the left side of the course.

The substantial righty paid off enormously for the small number of boats that tacked out onto port immediately after the start, but it became a game of catch-up for many of the regatta’s leaders stranded out on the left. Yesterday’s top three boats, Bill Hardesty (USA 979), Vincent Brun (USA 1227) and Graham Bailey (GBR 1352), found themselves below mid-fleet at the first windward mark. With the separation established by the shift, they had to fight hard for every point as they attempted to battle their way back up through the fleet.

The race ended with the wind building and moving even further right. A large number of boats significantly overstood the starboard layline to the finish after many had played the right side in anticipation of the consistent right shifts.

A few of teams favored before the start of the event were happier with today’s scores including 2007 World’s runner-up Jud Smith and crew Henry Frazer, and James Poter who locked in a 2^nd and Dave Dwyer, Andy Beadsworth, and Simon Fry who took a 4^th. “That’s more like it,” 2007 World’s champion Beadsworth commented upon returning to the dock.

Meanwhile, the separation proved a benefit for the winning team of Race 4, Senet Bischoff, Colin Gordon, and Ben Kinney out of New York Yacht Club in Newport, RI. The team led the fleet around every mark and gave a hearty cheer as their boat, KGB, crossed the finish line for their first bullet of the regatta. Today’s win bumps this team up to 7^th in the overall standings.

ABOUT THE CHICAGO YACHT CLUB
The Chicago Yacht Club is one of the oldest and most respected yacht clubs in the world. Today, the club boasts a membership of nearly 1,500 boating enthusiasts and is one of the preeminent organizers of regattas, races and predicted-log events in the United States. The club offers an array of spectacular off-the-water amenities, including fine dining and full-service catering at both its Monroe and Belmont stations.

ABOUT WORLD SPORT CHICAGO
World Sport Chicago (WSC) is an Illinois not-for-profit working to enhance the image, awareness and participation in Olympic sports across Chicago and to extend Chicago’s international outreach through and for sport and youth. Focused on promoting the development of recreational and competitive sport to the area’s youth, WSC works closely with Chicago 2016 and Chicago’s 2016’s Athlete Advisory Counsel (AAC) to provide sport expertise and athlete insight to the execution of these sporting events. WSC intends to aid Chicago in developing a sustainable, international sporting legacy as a real agent of social change for the city. Michael Conley, Sr., an Olympic medalist in the triple jump, serves as president; William Scherr, an Olympic medalist in wrestling, is chairman of the board; Scott Myers serves as the executive director; and Jessica Judge is the director of operations.

Posted on: Thu, Jun 26, 2008

Chicago boats claimed two of the top three finishes in today’s first race of the Etchells World Championships, with local favorites Justin Palm, Erik Garr, and Hans Pusch pulling out a first place finish. They were followed by Kurt Winkelmann, Laurence Ledgerwood, and Brad Boston, hailing from New York in 2nd, and the Chicago team of Aaron Housten, Daniel Somers, and John Harford in 3^rd.

Competitors arrived to a brisk 15-18 knot NNW wind this morning for the 5 mile upwind sail out to the race course. The wind gradually lightened, clocked right over 85 degrees throughout the day and eventually died shortly after the finish of the first race. With no hope of fresh wind in the forecast, the race committee cancelled the second race of the day and the fleet was towed back to the harbor. Tom Duggan, PRO explains, “We had 4-6 knots, which is enough to start a race, but with such light wind, and the fog starting to fill in from the city, it didn’t look good. With five days more to complete the necessary five additional races to complete the event, we decided it wasn’t worth sitting out there waiting for wind that was not going to fill.”

Today’s race was started on time in an 8-12 knot breeze. A large right shift in the first beat proved to be the race determining factor for many of the boats locked out to the left side after the start. The first three boats to the windward mark all started at the right end of the line and were the first to tack out onto port after the start. Chicago sailor Fred Joosten’s boat was first around the windward mark in a comfortable lead after starting late at the boat, tacking out immediately, and patiently riding port tack to the far right side of the course where he established the decisive leverage on the fleet in the significant right shift.

The fleet established significant lateral spread in the battle downwind, which led to a good deal of place shuffling as the fleet converged again at the leeward mark. The lead shifted to Winkelmann’s team after a well sailed downwind leg playing course left of Joosten’s team as the breeze continued to clock right. Joosten ended the race with a solid 10^th place finish.

Race winners Palm, Garr, and Pusch steadily picked off boats with their team’s consistent sharp sailing throughout the race. After scraping into the top 10 at the leeward mark, a solid upwind beat paid off with a 5^th place rounding at the windward mark. A superbly played final downwind leg allowed the Chicago crew to clinch the win from Winkelmann’s team as Palm and crew pulled-off a port tack crossing in a right phase shift at the finish.

The anticipated battle between two of the top teams, 2007 World Champion Andy Beadsworth and Dave Dwyer of the U.K. and 2007 Worlds runner-up Jud Smith of Marblehead, Mass. and crew from did not play out in this first race of the event. Beadsworth’s team ground back from deep in the fleet to a 40^th place finish while Smith’s boat came in with a less damaging 15^th. However, with only one race down of the 9 ideally planned for the event, it is far too early to count either of these two boats out of the running for the podium.

Race Report: Christie Kirchner

Posted on: Wed, Jun 25, 2008

From June 26 to July 1, the country’s top youth sailors are slated to compete in the U.S. Youth Sailing Championship hosted by the San Francisco Yacht Club, sponsored nationally by Nautica and Laser Performance. The young sailors ranging from 13 to 19 years old will race Lasers, Laser Radials, 29ers, and Club 420s in the challenging conditions of San Francisco Bay.

National event organizer US SAILING has selected a field of 150 sailors hailing from 16 states plus the U.S. Virgin Islands based on their sailing resumes and performance at regional, national and international competitions; they represent some of the most talented young athletes in the sport.

In the singlehanded events, among those to watch in the Laser class will be Luke Lawrence (Palm City, Fla.) with an impressive record of wins at national and international events including first place in both the US Youth Worlds Qualifier and Orange Bowl International Youth Regatta and 11th place at the Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship in 2007. He will be up against some tough competition, such as Georgetown University freshman Charlie Buckingham (Newport Beach, Calif.), who is fresh from his win at the ICSA College National Championship, and Teddy Himler (Manhasset, N.Y.), who has moved up from the Laser Radial after winning that class in 2006.

In the Laser Radials, Anne Haeger (Lake Forest, Ill.) will be one to watch after a successful 2007 in which she won silver at the Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship, was the highest finishing girl at the U.S. Youth Championship, and finished an impressive fourth at the very competitive U.S. Olympic Team Trials. A victory for Haeger is not a given however, particularly with names such as Ian Heausler (last year's Laser Radial champion from Tampa, Fla.), as well as Claire Dennis (Sarasota, Calif.) and Emily Billing (Clearwater, Fla.).

In the doublehanded classes, San Diegans Briana Provancha and Tyler Sinks could be the favorites in the Club 420 fleet. These two champions have teamed up after each having won a doublehanded fleet in the event last year (Provancha won the 29er, Sinks the Club 420). They will need to look out for sailors such as Stephanie Hudson of Winnetka, Ill., and Laura McKenna of Palo Alto, Calif., who have had solid front-row finishes at the 420 Youth and National Championships. The 29er team of Oliver Toole and Willie McBride (both of Santa Barbara, Calif.), last year’s second-place finishers in the Youth Championship, will be challenged by sailors such as Max Fraser (Capitola, Calif.) and David Liebenberg (Livermore, Calif.) who finished first in the recent 29er National Championship.

One of the highlights of the Championship will be advanced racing clinics taught by world-class sailors, including US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics member Molly Carapiet; Brett Davis; Bern Noack; John Vandemoer; and John Pearce.

At the conclusion of the regatta, a number of significant awards will be presented to the winners. The Robert L. Johnstone Trophy, which honors Johnstone's pioneering work in popularizing one-design sailing and serving as the Youth Championship's creator and first committee chairman, will go to the winner of the Laser class. The Manton D. Scott Memorial Trophy, honors the life of an aspiring Olympic sailor whose life was cut short prematurely when he was electrocuted in 1973 when the mast of his boat made contact with an overhead power line, will be awarded to the winning boat in the Club 420 class. The Robert and Ann Conner Trophy, to honor the Conners’ lifelong effort to promote junior sailing, will be awarded the winner of the Laser Radial class.

Race Report: US Sailing

Posted on: Tue, Jun 24, 2008

Local heroes Iordanis Pachalidis and Kostas Trigonis have triumphed on home waters. The Greeks were treated to horns and sirens from the spectators as the crossed the finish for the last time ahead of the French teams to seal victory.
Racing got underway after a postponement of nearly 2 hours on the water as the seabreeze was late to fill in and settle down. Roman Hagara and Hans Peter Steinacher (AUT) took their first bullet leading from the start with the Italians Marcolini/ Bianchi in second place throughout the race.

The real interest was between the Pashalidis/ Trigonis (GRE), Guichard/ Guyader (FRA) and Besson/ Jarlegan (FRA) who finished 6, 8, 9 respectively to bring them within one point for the overall lead.
The second race of the day once again got away in 6 knots of breeze minutes within the 1600hr final cut off.
The top 4 on the score sheet found themselves on the left hand side of the course for the first upwind which was to play into the Greeks hands as they had the best drop race. The young German Mittelmeier brothers won the race followed by Santiago Lange and Carlos Espinola (ARG).
In the fight for the European Championship the Greeks were defending off the French for the final lap to clinch victory.

Posted on: Tue, Jun 24, 2008