JibeTalk

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.

 

Connecticut State Optimist Championship in Essex CT

This annual regatta has finally come together and we have now learned that the race will be held on Sunday, October 23 at the Pettipaug Yacht Club in Essex, CT.

Red, White and Blue fleets will be started and sailed together and trophies will be awarded to the top five finishers in each fleet. Only Connecticut residents are eligible for perpetual trophies.

The racing area is immediately in front of the Pettipaug clubhouse. Spectators can see everything from the porch, so there’s no need to bring a coach or support boat.

See full details in the NOR.

 

 

New York State Optimist Championship in Oyster Bay

The 2011 New York State Optimist Championship Regatta is back!

The race is Saturday, October 22 at the WaterFront Center in Oyster Bay, NY. This year’s event will feature White, Blue and Red fleets all starting at the same time to crown an overall champion and a New York State Champion. 

The warm, flat waters of West Harbor are sure to make this an event everyone can enjoy. The race area is a short 15 minute sail from the launching at Beekman Beach - no long sails or tows. If you don’t have a motor boat for spectating, no problem! The racing can be viewed from the Town of Oyster Bay Pier located just south of the racing area. 

 

Bring the whole family and spend the day in Oyster Bay. Check out Teddy Roosevelt’s home at  Sagamore Hill, the Teddy Roosevelt Bird Sanctuary or any of the great restaurants in town. But make sure you come back and stick around after racing for the awards ceremony, the BBQ and the hot chocolate!

An easy drive from New Jersey or Connecticut, Oyster Bay is located off Route 106 about 15 minutes north of the Long Island Expressway (Route 495).

See full details on the Waterfront Center website.

Extending Summer Sailing at the Dinghy Shop Fall Series

In late summer the JSA of LIS office gets calls from parents asking where their kids may continue sailing in the fall. And we always suggest they contact the Dinghy Shop, in Amityville NY.

Kids from all over the Northeast come to race on the Great South Bay on six consecutive weekends beginning mid September, with the awards on the seventh weekend. Whether they are seasoned Red fleeters or just started this summer, the series has tons of opportunities.

The Dinghy Shop Annual Fall Optimist Series, now in its 14th year, starts Sunday September 18th through October 23rd, with harbor start at 1 pm. There are Optimist clinics each Saturday from 10 am-4 pm (limited enrollment so register in advance).

There also is a Fall Laser Series every Saturday, with harbor start at 11 am, September 17th till October 22nd.

We saw a complete description of the Fall Series in the September WindCheck magazine, so be sure to read that at the WindCheck website.

Details are at the Dinghy Shop website (upper left corner).

 

Sailing For A Cause at the Larchmont Leukemia Cup

There is another opportunity on the horizon to sail after the summer junior sailing season wraps up. 

The Leukemia Cup Regatta will be held at Larchmont Yacht Club over the weekend of September 10-11. The event, a fundraiser for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, is open to all junior sailors, with competition in Laser, Laser Radial, Club 420, and Optimist (Green Fleet included) classes. 

 A Beach Party on Saturday evening is open to all parents, kids, friends, family. There are also divisions for IRC, PHRF, keelboat one-designs, and Vanguard 15s.

For registration information and NORs, see the event pages at the Larchmont YC website and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society website.

 

Optis Finish Summer Season at Larchmont YC

Larchmont Harbor was teeming with Optis last week when over 150 young sailors gathered to compete in the JSA Optimist Championship regatta on Wednesday and Thursday.

Initial light air made for trying conditions and long races on Wednesday morning, but the wind picked up in the afternoon and sailors were able to close out the day's three races with some good breeze. On Thursday, conditions were pretty ideal, with a 10-14 knot NW that oscillated towards the left and lightened up just a little bit as the day went on. 

KB Knapp, from Cold Spring Harbor Beach Club, won four out of six races to place first overall and in the Red Division.  With her win, Cold Spring Harbor receives the honor of organizing next year's event. 

"My main strategy for Opti Champs was getting off the starting line with lots of speed and a clear lane. I tried to start in a position where I could tack and be the first one to the puffs and shifts. Once I was in the shift, I tried to be between the mark and the fleet for the rest of the race," said Knapp.

Jack Parkin, from Riverside YC, placed second overall and won the Blue Division, which was the largest at the regatta with 68 sailors. L.C. Cooper, from Pequot YC, finished third in the overall standings. Thomas Rice of Seawanhaka YC, placed first in the White fleet. 

For full results, see the JSA Regattas page. For pictures, see the Picasa page.

 

The ABCs of Getting Ready for Big Regattas

As the end-of-season JSA championship regattas approach over the next few days, here are some resources we've compiled to help everyone have a successful, smooth, and fun week:

A is for Articles:

If it's your style, doing a little background reading never hurts. Earlier this summer, WindCheck Magazine  published a story on preparing for junior sailing regattas, with a rundown of the nuts and bolts of ensuring a great event. Another good article comes from the archives of Sail1Design, written by Tufts Head Sailing Coach Ken Legler, about avoiding mistakes at regattas and the importance of teamwork and sportsmanship. Though its written with the college sailor in mind, the advice is great for sailors of all ages: including avoiding fouls, when and when not to tack, preventing breakdowns, and dealing with traffic on the water.  Check it out!

B is for Being Ready:

American YC coach Graham Landy reminds us of some basic and key points of getting ready for a big regatta: "When preparing for a major event, I always research the venue well ahead of time to practice effectively. Shortly before the event, I focus on basics on the water such as boatspeed and boathandling. Most importantly, I eat and sleep well in the days preceding the event."

Frank Pizzo, Head Sailing Coach at Bowdoin and former program director at Larchmont and Pequot YC, echoed Landy's statements about eating and sleeping well. He added, "Sailors need to hydrate well before getting on the water.  The most common way to lose focus is through dehydration." 

Pizzo also noted the importance of keeping to routine, saying, "It is important to treat your championship regattas just like every other event.  Stick to the routines that have made you comfortable and ready for earlier events.  It is important for sailors to avoid trying sometime new or experimental for these bigger events.  New sails or new rigging need to be worked out at the smaller events.  These new things are really just distractions."

C is for Checking Conditions:

Know what to expect at your venue! For those heading to Norwalk/Rowayton for the Pixel & Blue Jay Champs as well as Stamford for the Laser, Radial, and C420 Champs, CleverPig has all the links to weather forecasts, tide tables, and wind conditions in the area. Those headed to Opti Champs at Larchmont later this week can get the same information here.

Good luck to everyone, and sail fast!

Optimist Invite at American YC

On July 30, American Yacht Club held its annual Opti regatta in Rye, NY. 77 boats were entered and the conditions were great with northwest winds generally from 6 – 19 kts. Young sailors had five races on a trapezoid course. There were competitors in the White, Blue and Red Fleets, and the top two finishers in the White Fleet dominated their division.

Winning the White Fleet was Harrison Roth from American Yacht Club with three bullets and two seconds. Pierce Ornstein from Riverside Yacht Club came in second with two bullets, two seconds and a fifth place. The Blue Fleet had some more varied results with each race being won by a different sailor. Coming in first overall in the Blue Fleet was John Schinto from Riverside Yacht Club, followed by fellow Riverside Yacht Club sailor Caroline Keller. The Red Fleet, which raced alongside the Blue Fleet was won by Maggie Glynn from Belle Haven Club. Christopher Lukens from Riverside Yacht Club received the Sportsmanship award.

For full results, see the JSA Regattas page. 

- Report and photo courtesy of Barry Gold. 

 

Outside the JSA of LIS: Weekly Roundup

USODA National Championship: 

Opti Nationals took place at the Houston Yacht Club from July 17-24th. Long Island Sound area sailors put up a strong showing in both team and fleet race portions of the event. Larchmont Yacht Club took first in the team race, with Team LISOT (black) coming in a close second. 

For fleet racing in the Gold Fleet, Ty Ingram (LYC) placed 9th, Will Logue (Riverside YC) 10th, and Christine Klinger (LYC). In the Silver Fleet, Matt Logue (Riverside YC) finished 6th, Bram Brakman (Noroton YC) 8th, Antonia Bentel (Seawanhaka Corinthian YC) 10th, Charlotte LeClue (Stamford YC) 11th, and Cooper Yeager (Indian Harbor YC) 12th. 

Event page with news, results, and photos is here.

C420 North Americans

The 2011 Club 420 North American Championship just came to a close in Ridgeway, Ontario. Over 100 boats competed in the regatta, which was sailed off the shores of Lake Erie from July 21-24. Malcom Lamphere and Riley Legault won the event, which saw twelve races over four days. Max Simmons and Nick Barta from Norwalk Yacht Club placed third overall. Fiona Walsh of American Yacht Club sailed with Lily Katz for a 15th place finish, and Casey Klinger of Larchmont Yacht Club, sailing with Julia Rew, finished in 19th. 

Full results are here.

U.S. Singlehanded Championship for the O'Day Trophy:

39 of the nation's top Laser sailors met in Cascade Locks, Oregon to compete at the U.S. Singlehanded National Championship on July 21-24. The Columbia Gorge Racing Association hosted the event, sailed in full rig Lasers for men and Radials for women. Frederick Vranizan of Shoreline, Wash. won the men's fleet, and Christine Neville of Oakland, California won the women's fleet. As the O'Day is an event for any adult sailors above the age of 16, two JSA of LIS juniors proved they could hang with the tough competition. Catherine Shanahan of Stamford Yacht Club finished 9th and Amy Kuble of Cedar Point Yacht Club finsished 16th. 

Event website with news, results, and photos is here.

Opti photo credit Dave Hein

Russell Clarida and a Long Way To Opti Worlds

Matt Clarida had the ultimate inside scoop at the United States Optimist Dinghy Association (USODA) Team Trials this past March - his younger brother, Russell, was competing. Matt wrote an account of the high stakes at play as some of the nation's best Opti sailors competed for a spot on the international circuit.  Matt is a rising high school senior and editor at his student paper. He is a member of Pequot Yacht Club and currently coaches C420s at Norwalk Yacht Club. 

This past May, optimist sailors from all across the country gathered in San Francisco for the most competitive event on the USODA calendar. Many JSA and LIS sailors made the trip out to the San Francisco Bay for USODA Team Trials, an event where the top 35% of Opti sailors compete for spots on Team USA for a number of international regattas.

 Russell Clarida, an Opti sailor from Pequot YC, was vying for a spot on the national team at the regatta, which was held over May 4-7 at San Francisco Yacht Club in Belvedere, California.  Clarida began the regatta respectably, picking up a 16 after being bested off the line by fellow JSA sailor KB Knapp.

“Off the line, I was covered by KB,” he recalled, “and she was flying that race.”

In Race 2, a yellow flag penalty for a rule 42 infraction complicated matters, and though Clarida fought for a 7^th place finish, he wasn’t happy to pick up a yellow flag so early in the event. However, Day 1 ended with a good start and upwind leg in Race 3, followed by a strong downwind.

“It was the best downwind of my life,” Clarida said after the race, which he won.

The breeze came up on Day 2 and Clarida, who entered Race 4 in ninth overall, looked to move up in the standings. He did just so, notching another bullet in Race 4. In the fifth race, Clarida unfortunately earned a second yellow flag and was forced to retire from the race on that start. Sailing with no margin for error, he relied on his starts to stay in the game, getting off the line well in Race 6 and leading at the top mark en route to a third place finish.

Day 3 brought winds of 22 knots, and once again Clarida was in his element.  After the second day with a first 1^st, DNF, and a third 3^rd  Clarida the young sailor had moved into a respectable fourth place overall. He took Race 7 by a narrow margin after gaining the lead at the final mark. Unfortunately, he pushed the line in Race 8 and picked up a Z-flag, which added 18 points to his finish.

 “He really had to win that race, after picking up the Z-flag,” a spectator said. Clarida did just that, crossing the line first and, with the Z-flag, earned19 points for the race.  

Clarida entered the final day of the regatta in third place overall, fighting to keep his spot on the world team with constant fear of a third yellow flag, which would end his regatta. In the morning, the breeze was light, but Russell played the first beat very well after a bad start to finish second in Race 9. In Race 10 he crossed the line third but was given yet another penalty, the Z-flag, and his finish earned him 21 points.  

After yet another penalty, Clarida said, “I couldn’t make another mistake- I didn’t want to be the kid who missed worlds because he made too many mistakes.”

This attitude was warranted, but it had its consequences. Clarida rounded the windward mark in 28^th in Race 11, but fought back to eighth in the race that would save his regatta. In Race 12, Clarida solidified his spot on the world team, finishing third (with no penalty!) and ending a career regatta.

Clarida's second place overall finish at the event earned him a spot on Team USA. 

“Really every day," Clarida explained after the regatta, “I would wake up and tell myself ‘you can’t get another yellow flag.’ I was really worried that I would ruin my regatta with these penalties. Luckily, I sailed well and got my fair share of good luck. But really, for the whole event, I was sailing on edge.” 

This December, Clarida will join four other US Opti sailors and travel to New Zealand for the Opti Worlds.

Full results of the event can be found here, and Sailgroove coverage is here. 

Editor's note: Russell Clarida has since continued his trail of successes, most recently finishing third at USODA North Americans earlier this July and earning the North American Champion title as a result.  

Photo credit Dave Hein.