JibeTalk

Can you benefit from a Powerboat Handling course?

A Powerboat Handling course is like "driver's ed for boating:"

• Junior sailors can get a powerboat certificate even before they drive a car.
• New sailing instructors, or high-schoolers planning to instruct in a year or two, will need the powerboat certificate to get hired.
• Parents can get a refresher so they may be as capable as their kids who have just taken the course.
• Regatta support volunteers will learn how to safely move about the race course and rescue capsized boats.

Check out the US Powerboating calendar to take advantage of the many courses scheduled this spring and summer. For Long Island Sound sailors, courses are scheduled conveniently on weekends in Essex, Fairfield, Darien, Stamford, Bronx, Centerport and Oyster Bay. One of the Fairfield courses even runs afternoons after school.

There are three courses that we think sailors may find useful, depending on your experience and purpose in driving a powerboat:

1) Safe Powerboat Handling: This 16-hour hands-on, on-the-water course is for anyone who wants to learn how to safely operate a small motorboat and improve their boathandling skills on actual boats. The US Coast Guard and the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators have approved this course and an increasing number of states have recognized it as meeting their requirements for a state boating safety education certificate.
2) Accelerated Safe Powerboat Handling: This 8- to 12-hour hands-on, on-the-water course is for anyone who has already taken a classroom boating course and has a state boating certificate, but needs hands-on experience to safely operate a small motorboat and improve their boathandling skills.
3) Safety, Rescue Boat Handling (with Race Support): This 10- to 12-hour hands-on, on-the-water course is for anyone who will be operating a race support boat for a race, regatta or event. An operator of a race support boat is expected to be able to perform safety, rescue and mark-setting operations. 

 

Powerboat Handling Classes in Fairfield CT

These powerboat handling classes start this week and run through mid June at Jennings Beach, Fairfield CT.

Contact Jay Lipp at 203-260-8414 or jlipp3@gmail.com

• Safe Powerboat Handling class includes 2-days (16 hours) of afternoon classroom and on-the-water instruction, 3:30 - 7:00PM, to provide the basics required for the CT Powerboat Certificate, plus on-water skill development.
  
  05-21-2012 - 05-24-2012, or
  06-04-2012 - 06-07-2012, or
  06-11-2012 - 06-14-2012, or
  06-18-2012 - 06-21-2012
  
  Minimum control speed, Helm & throttle coordination, Buoy course, Holding position, Pivot turn, Docking/ departure, Spring lines, Fueling, Aids to navigation, Minimum control speed, Rules of the road, Displacement modes, Making turns while planning, Quick stop, Crew overboard recovery, Bearing and range drills, Anchoring, Evaluate students on pivot turn and docking at pier , Parts of boat, Fueling , Capacity , Float plan, Casting off/ docking, Safety ignition switch, Rules of safe navigation, Night boating , Navigation aids, Anchoring, Reckless operation, Pfd, Fire extinguisher, Navigation lights, Signal devices, Manatee, Rendering aid, Fire emergencies, Foul weather.
  

• Accelerated Safe Powerboat Handling 8 hours; On-the-Water Instruction and abbreviated classroom instruction for those who already have CT Powerboat Certificate and want only the on-water skill development.
  
  All day Sunday 06-03-2012 from 8:00AM - 4:00PM, or
  Mornings Sat/Sun 06-09-2012 - 06-10-2012 from 8:00AM - 12:00NOON
  
  Minimum control speed, Helm & throttle coordination, Buoy course, Holding position, Pivot turn, Docking/ departure, Aids to navigation, Minimum control speed, Rules of the road, Displacement modes, Making turns while planing, Quick stop, Crew overboard recovery, Bearing and range drills, Anchoring, Evaluate students on pivot turn and docking at pier, Introduction to charts, Trip planning, VHF radio, Knots, Safe powerboat handling review questions, Written exam, Log book presentations.
  
  

High School Sailing Open House for Long Island Sailors

High School Sailing

OPEN HOUSE

Open to Sailors 7th - 12th Grade Experienced and Novice

Saturday, May 19 -- 1pm to 4pm 

HSS at the WFC is open to students of all sailing abilities in grades 7 through 12. We invite individuals and teams to practice, form teams and compete in local, regional and Interscholastic Sailing Association (ISSA) regattas.

The WFC provides coaches, sailboats, safety boats, shore-side facilities, team training and support, regatta support and comprehensive insurance covering equipment, facilities, participants and programs. 

Our Open House is free and is the best way to find out if HSS is for you. Come down and sail in one of our boats, meet the coaches and find out what this exciting sport is all about! 

For More Info Contact: (516) 922-SAIL   or  www.TheWFC.org

Youth Match Racing on Long Island Sound

Attention youth sailors. If you like the tactics of team racing, have you considered match racing?

Match racing is one of the fastest-growing disciplines in our sport of sailing. You can join the fun at three upcoming youth match race events on Long Island Sound that are targeted to the older juniors or any youth up to age 22. Most of these events occur before the start of the summer junior sailing programs, so you may sign up individually or get together with teammates from your school, sailing club and just good friends.  

- Sunday, May 20, the Manhasset Bay YC & the Knickerbocker Cup Foundation are again running their youth match race regatta for under-20-year-old sailors on Long Island Sound.

The purpose of the regatta for the Dennis Conner - Ed du Moulin Junior Match Racing Trophy is to promote match racing to young sailors and to identify skilled young people who may continue match racing as adults.

 Six teams of 2 or 3 sailors will sail Ideal 18 keelboats that will be provided by the organizers (entry fee is $25). Breakfast and lunch for your crew and a coach is included. A chalk talk before racing will guide you through the format of basic match racing skills.

Awards will be presented during the 2012 Knickerbocker Cup Awards Ceremony on Sunday, September 2, so the winners will get a chance to meet the world renowned match racers who compete for this year’s Knickerbocker Cup.

To request an invitation, submit your application . 

- June 2^nd or 3^rd the 12 meter Yacht Development Foundation invites youth sailors and college aged sailors to join the America’s Cup Class Exhibition Match Race sailed during the Greenwich Concours d’ Elegance auto show that is displayed on the shore of Greenwich Harbor.

Take part in an inspirational sailing experience and connect to the America’s Cup 12 meter match race heritage that began on Long Island Sound.

Sailing aboard US-42 America II (a 1987 USA challenger) and K-18 Lionheart (a 1980 UK challenger), competitors may register as a team of 10-12, or as individuals.

The program includes experienced supervising helmsman, mast man, bow man, roving utility-man, cooler/refreshments, all insurance and safety equipment for a $50 pp donation. 

Read the notice for full details. 

- July 5-8 the Oyster Bay Youth Match Racing Clinegatta (a clinic and regatta in one event, with continued coaching during the regatta) will be hosted by Oakcliff Sailing Center. This is an excellent time to get exposed to the thrills and challenges of match racing in Swedish Match 40s. The Clinic will be run and coached by Dave Perry.

The target age for this event is older high school students and college students. Special consideration will be given to high school, collegiate and women’s teams. Competitors may register as a team of 5 or 6 with a maximum crew weight of 960 lbs. ($375 team) or as individuals ($75 pp).

 To view the clinegatta NOR and see details, view the Oakcliff registration page. 

 Oakcliff also provides a number of weekly match racing opportunities in their Swedish Match 40s. The first thing to do is get on Oakcliff's e-mail newsletter mailing list to receive weekly updates. Then send a team of 5-6 sailors (including an adult) out to the Tuesday Night Match Race Drills to practice boat handling, starts, mark roundings, and tactics. That will prepare you for the Open Match Races held on various dates in the summer. For more information, see the Oakcliff website, select the Calendar and look for the Tuesday drills.

Past JibeTalk stories about match racing on LIS may be found here

 

Long Island Sound area sailors at US Youth Sailing Championship

Congratulations to all the sailors from the Long Island Sound area who were accepted for the US Youth Sailing Championship to be held in the Columbia River gorge in August.

Here are their classes, names and clubs:

29er:
Andrew Mollerus/Matthew Mollerus (Larchmont) 

Club 420:
Jack Cusick/Henry Dumke (Pequot)
Roger Dorr/Matthew Lyons (Port Washington)
Reinier Eenkema van Dijk/Spencer McDonough (Larchmont/LISOT)
Casey Klingler/Haley Fox (Larchmont)
Harry Koeppel/Charles Bocklet (Larchmont/American/LISOT)
Megan Grapengeter-Rudnick/Abigail Rohman (Noroton)
Max Simmons/Nick Barta (Norwalk)

Laser
James Barry (Riverside) 
Daniel DelBello (American) 
Colin Kennedy (Port Washington/Lauderdale)  
Ben Wilkinson (Mudheads/Ram Island)

Radial
Gary Prieto (Old Cove)
Sarah Stubbs (American)
Nick Valente (Wet Pants/Lauderdale)

See all the contestants at the US Sailing website.

 

Choices for JSA of LIS Optimist sailors

We have heard from a few disappointed parents and sailors who have asked why the dates for the JSA of LIS Optimist Champs conflict with the Optimist New England Champs.

Well, we are disappointed with that situation as well! We did work diligently to resolve the conflict, but were unable to do so. 

JSA of LIS Optimist champs is scheduled this summer at the same time as in recent years, during the second week of August. But the Optimist New England champs is not on the calendar in its usual spot during late July / early August. It was moved to the second week of August, so it now conflicts with the JSA of LIS Optimist champs for the first time in years.

We contacted each of the regatta hosts (CSHBC and USODA) to see if the dates could be adjusted, but found that neither host was able to change its schedule.
 
So it will indeed be a difficult choice for JSA of LIS Optimist sailors. We hope that you will carefully consider the benefits of participating in each regatta and choose the event that best matches your own interests.

Whichever event you choose, have fun! That's what Opti sailing is all about.

 

I’m going sailing today. How lucky am I?

Not your usual regatta report, here, as Andrew Campbell writes about sailing as crew with his dad at a Star masters regatta.

Andrew certainly enjoys close bonds among his family and his Star class competitors, and provides a great example of how sailing may be a sport for a lifetime. 

Sometimes it is too easy to get caught up with the competition of sailboat racing. I love trying to improve in the tactical, the boathandling, the fundamentals, and the fine points of sailboat racing, but not often enough do I step back and say, “This is pretty darn good, I’m going sailing today. How lucky am I?” This weekend was a rare opportunity to go sailboat racing with my dad. The recognition goes for any case where I can go racing with my mom, my brother, my wife, or my friends: Everybody should be so lucky. Everybody can be so lucky.

The weekend affirmed my appreciation not only in for the camaraderie of the Star class, but also for how lucky I am to have a family that can enjoy our sport together. Very few other sports provide the same sorts of opportunities. I challenge you to take advantage of every opportunity if you have the chance. Think about what sailboat racing means to you. Then go grab some family or make time with friends and go sailing. That’s what keeps you coming back for more.

 Read the entire report at the above link and thanks to Scuttlebutt for bringing it to our attention.  

Andrew Campbell, Ian Coleman - USA, Perth 2011 Richard Langdon

JSA of LIS Awards Special Trophies for 2011

Annually the JSA of LIS awards several trophies that focus on character and dedication to sailing, outstanding junior sailing instruction, and season-long sportsmanship.

The special trophies for 2011 were presented by Pam Toner, JSA Chair, during the Midwinter Meeting at the Beach Point Club in Mamaroneck NY on February 11.

BROOKE E. GONZALEZ MEMORIAL TROPHY
- The Brooke E. Gonzalez Memorial Trophy is awarded to a girl who demonstrates exceptional character, dedication to the sport of sailing and outstanding sailing achievement among her female peers.  Brooke Gonzalez was admired for her enthusiasm for sailing, beginning with Optimists, through Blue Jays, Lasers and finally Intl 420s. These attributes led her to be Commodore of the Junior American Yacht Club and a leading force of the Intl 420 Class US Team. Her bright smile and obvious excitement for sail racing was seen by many people at clubs all over the Sound. Brooke’s friends collaborated to create this trophy to keep her memory alive.

The 2011 Gonzalez Trophy has been awarded to Rebecca Quirke, of American Yacht Club. Becca was nominated by leaders of her junior sailing program because they felt the recipient of this prestigious award should be a young woman who embodies the Corinthian spirit on which our sport was founded. Having been a multi-year junior sailing instructor and Junior American Yacht Club Commodore, she is a role model of ethical and sportsmanlike behavior for younger sailors. Additionally, Becca embraces the overall goal of creating life-long sailors through the excitement and the long-lasting friendships of the junior sailing program. She is an extraordinary young woman who embodies integrity, morality, compassion and friendship.

We also congratulate Bridget Clarke, who was nominated for the Gonzalez award by Pequot Yacht Club.

 

SUSIE TROTMAN TROPHY
- The Susie Trotman Trophy for outstanding sailing instruction is awarded to an instructor who exhibits ethical behavior by both personal example and instruction.  He or she also must show a high level of administrative competence, good communicative skills with parents and sailors, creative teaching techniques, responsibility and reliability, initiative, good judgment and leadership, dedication and motivation as well, as have working relationships with peers. Susie Trotman’s contribution to training sailors spans over-30 years, including serving as chair of the junior sailing program at Cold Spring Harbor Beach Club, chair of the US Sailing Association national training committee, organizer of the Oyster Bay Sailing Foundation Advanced Racing Clinics, spearhead for the development of US Sailing instructor training courses, and US Sailing regional training coordinator in the Long Island Sound area.

Carter Harris accepts the Susie Trotman trophy on behalf of Juan Pablo Carranza

The 2011 Trotman Trophy has been awarded to Juan Pablo Carranza, of Indian Harbor Yacht Club. He was nominated by his junior sailing program because of his ability to encourage and challenge his junior sailors and his ability to communicate with them in a very effective way. He shows a genuine interest in the young sailors, from top finishers to the back of the fleet, demonstrating the integrity and character of a true role model to the sailors whom he directs daily. Always excited to go for a sail, he is the first to motivate the younger kids who may be slightly apprehensive on a windy day, or lead the racers around a new style of course. His initiative was demonstrated after a micro-burst hit the club on a weekend, and he took charge to direct the recovery and repair of the entire C420 fleet within three days. Further, he rescued one of his sailors from a capsized boat when she was trapped beneath the hull unable to escape. Juan Pablo’s unrelenting willpower, initiative and great personality make him a great friend, coach, and instructor.

We also congratulate Emily Stubbs, who was nominated for the Trotman award by Stamford Yacht Club; Meredith Krim, nominated by Douglaston Yacht Squadron; and Graham Landy, nominated by American Yacht Club.

MITCHELL S. WEEKS MEMORIAL TROPHY
-The Mitchell S. Weeks Memorial Trophy is presented by the JSA of LIS and the New York Yacht Club to sailors who show outstanding sportsmanship. Mitchell Weeks was a very active member of New York Yacht Club before his death from leukemia.  Mitch's sailing career began at age six in dinghies. At age eight, he was sailing a Blue Jay single-handed. As a young man, he was in great demand as fore-deck crew aboard racing and cruising boats. He was Junior Commodore of Indian Harbor Yacht Club, and a Sailing Instructor at the Junior American Yacht Club.  At St. Paul's School he won the Tolland Medal awarded for "Outstanding Sportsmanship, Dedication, Integrity, and Courage." The purpose of the Weeks trophy is to underscore for generations of young sailors to come that the true benefits of sport come from the integrity, courage, and fairness with which the game is played. Four awards may be made annually, one each in the C420 (a skipper and a crew, individually), Laser and Laser Radial classes.

The 2011 Weeks trophy has been awarded to two sailors.

The Laser class award went to Wilson Hunt, of American Yacht Club, who was cited as the keystone of his junior sailing program. He sails because he truly loves the sport and works hard to make sure his competitors and friends enjoy themselves. Wilson wants to learn and also have fun on the water, and he makes sure that everyone, including his coaches, is getting something out of the experience - he has always seen the bigger picture of what junior sailing truly is about. Always a great role model, his friends love him, his competitors respect him, the coaches value his contributions and the younger sailors look up to him. 

The Radial class award went to Glenn Blair, of Pequot Yacht Club,

who has helped to rebuild the Laser/Radial group at his club. He consistently demonstrates a competitive but sensitive attitude and is respectful of his peers, instructors and of his competitors. He always looks for advice on how to improve, tries out new strategies in the boat, and wants to understand how a race turned out the way it did. He then takes this knowledge and applies it the next morning during junior mentoring, where he shows true proclivity for teaching and a genuine desire to help others learn. He repeatedly exhibits a desire to push himself and his peers further in increasingly competitive regattas.

We also congratulate Thomas McHugh, who was nominated for the Weeks award by Black Rock Yacht Club.

 

Long Island Sound family and friends sailing in the Sydney Hobart Race

Hey, all you fans of junior big boat sailing in the USA, here is the yacht from Long Island Sound to follow in the Sydney to Hobart Race that starts December 26:
- Designed in 1969 by McCurdy & Rhodes for Richard Nye of Indian Harbor YC, Greenwich Conn.
- Won the 1970 and 1982 Newport Bermuda races.
- Won the St. David's Lighthouse division in the 2010 Newport Bermuda Race
- Took second in her division in the 2011 Transatlantic Race
- Won her division in the 2011 Fastnet Race
- Now sailing for the first time in the Sydney Hobart Race

The yacht is Carina, from Westbrook CT, owned by Rives Potts.

She is being campaigned in 2011 by an epic crew of Potts' family and friends. The crew includes Potts' son Walker and nephew Rives Sutherland, plus Rich duMoulin and his sons Ed and Mark duMoulin.

What's the connection with junior big boat sailing?

According to Potts, “When my boys got to 12 or 13 I wanted to sail with them, so I bought Carina.” He believes that sharing the offshore experience can add hugely to the bond between father and son. “Our normal scheme is to have several fathers crewing Carina with their sons,” he says. “Standing watch with your son at night, it brings you closer.” The Sydney Hobart Race has featured the Carina family spirit in this news article.

And Rich duMoulin commented that a main commandment aboard Carina has been, "You cannot talk back to your own father." duMoulin is well known to the 4,000 juniors and their sailing instructors who have attended the Storm Trysail Foundation's Junior Safety at Sea Seminars at Larchmont YC. During the past 15 years, he has coordinated the volunteers from the Storm Trysail Club who have been providing this important training. 

Follow the action in Australia beginning with the live 90 minute webcast of the Sydney Hobart race (starts on December 25 in the USA 6 PM PST/9 PM EST)  and at the official Sydney Hobart Race website.

Notes:
- Read a background story about Carina and Rives Potts in the The Australian.
- See details about the yacht.
- After the 2010 Newport Bermuda Race, Potts told a reporter from Soundings, "Carina is a good seakindly boat, she's not extreme one way or the other. She's very sturdy and is a heavy boat by today's standards. She's not as good around the buoys, she's not that quick and nimble. But she's very nice on the ocean going in a straight line, she likes a straight line. I kind of have a love affair with her."
- And Rich duMoulin wrote two reports for Larchmont Yacht Club and Storm Trysail Club about Carina's 2011 Transatlantic and Fastnet racing.

 

Teen sailors in Sydney to Hobart race

Eighty eight yachts are due to start in this year's race on December 26, and once again the super-maxi Wild Oats XI is likely to take line honors.

Wild Oats is sure to have a rival in the public interest stakes. Celebrated teenage sailor Jessica Watson, in her pink Sydney 38 Ella Bache (Another Challenge) will surely be shadowed by the media aircraft.

Watson will skipper the youngest crew to ever compete in the Sydney Hobart. After conquering some of the most treacherous oceans to become the youngest person to sail solo, non-stop and unassisted around the world, she will skipper a crew of 10, all of whom will be 21 or younger - making them the youngest crew ever to compete in the famous race, with an average age of just 19. Among the young crew is Mike Perham from the UK, another solo circumnavigator.

"The most surprising thing about meeting Watson is her size. She is extremely petite; not much over 150cm tall (5 ft) and about 50 kilograms (110 lbs) dripping wet."

An eight minute radio interview with Jessica Watson was recently broadcast on the BBC Outlook program. Jessica's item starts at 18:10 in this audio link.

The "Team Another Challenge" Facebook page has latest updates.

Sources:
- Live 90 minute webcast of the Sydney Hobart race starts on December 25 in the USA (6 PM PST/9 PM EST)
- Sail-World Australia
- The Australian
- Official Race site  with details about Watson's yacht  
- Photo by Mark Evans, The Daily Telegraph