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Centerport Ice Cream Cup

Centerport Yacht Club Ice Cream Cup takes place as an Area A qualifier for JSA of LIS Optimist Championships. Centerport Yacht Club hosted the Ice Cream Cup, an Optimist regatta for Red, Blue and White Opti fleets in Centerport, New York on Friday, July 31.

Wind speed averaged six miles per hour with gusts up to 21 mph from West to Northwest. Red and Blue fleets started together and White fleet raced separately. After racing finished, participants enjoyed ice cream. CYC Rear Commodore Erik H. Rosanes presented awards, which appeared to be spoons.

 

Results summary:

White Fleet
1. Ellie Gallo (Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club)
2. Reese Woodwor (Cold Spring Harbor Beach Club)
3. Lucas Woodwor (CSH) 
4. Catherine Barry (SEAW)
5. Zachary Klusky (Sea Cliff Yacht Club)

Red and Blue Fleets

1. Victoria Chisari (SCLF)
2. Nathanial Arad (SCLF)
3. Rebecca Schmitz (SEAW)
4. Harry Thompson (Manhasset Bay Yacht Club)
5. Caleb Cogan (Shelter Island Yacht Club)

Blue Fleet

1. Nathanial Arad (SCLF)
2. Rebecca Schmitz (SEAW)
3. Harry Thompson (MBYC)
4. Caleb Cogan (SIYC)
5. Galen Deane (CSH)

Red Fleet

1. Victoria Chisari (SCLF)
2. Erica Scheblein (SEAW)
3. Jake McKenna (CYC)
4. Neil Sawhney (Waterfront Center)
5. Christopher Thompson (CYC)

Felix Hafen and Stacy Back served as regatta Co-Chairpersons, Christopher Schneider as Principal Race Officer and Kevin Keegan as Chief Judge.

See full results here.

View photo album here.

Watch video slideshow here.

Read Notice of Race here and Sailing Instructions here.

Learning Safety at Sea

Safety at Sea allowed juniors to learn and practice safety-at-sea techniques on shore and on the water, while gaining insight into what offshore sailing has to offer. Larchmont Yacht Club hosted Storm Trysail Foundation’s Junior Safety-at-Sea Seminar on Friday, July 17.

Adam Loory wrote in a Facebook post:

Just back from teaching at the Junior Safety at Sea Seminar run by the Storm Trysail Club at Larchmont Yacht Club. 200 juniors came for a morning of classroom sessions and an afternoon of on-the-water practice on 20 different boats ranging from J/105s to 40-footers.

I taught the session on the Quick Stop Man Overboard Recovery, and the biggest take away is that crews need to practice this maneuver frequently on their own boats. Even though racing requires tacking and jibing, most good crews have to do some warm up tacks, jibes, sets and douses at the beginning of each race day to warm up and make these moves automatic.

The same goes for crew overboard practices. The more we do them, the more automatic they will become. I had been sailing for 50 years before I was on a boat that had an actual man overboard, and I am glad it happened on a boat that had practiced. The water was cold that April.

Remember, the life that gets saved may be your own.

Morning presentations covered safety procedures, particularly man overboard recovery and big-boat crew work onshore. Juniors saw and volunteered in inflating a six-man canopied life raft on the water. In the afternoon, sailors practiced performing man overboard drills both upwind and downwind.

Pizza followed upon their return. Advanced juniors participated in a separate agenda later in the evening.

View full agenda here.

See photos here.

Find more information about Safety at Sea Programs here.

McIntyre boasts exciting team racing

The McIntyre Team Race event was once again held at SUNY Maritime in a provided fleet of 18 Zim 420’s. Coaches Brian Clancy (Cornell University), John Pearce (George Washington University) and Chris Klevan (US Coast Guard Academy) led the event with support from local coaches Will Holz, Alec Taylor, Beka Schiff, JJ Monro, Brendan Shanahan and Alex Curtiss.

 

Brian, John and Chris were in unanimous agreement that this was the best in the three years they had participated in the event. It was a lot of fun.

Monday began with a clinic session focusing on passback drills on the water, followed by debrief over lunch. The first round robin was completed in a SW breeze ranging from 6 to 12 mph. AYC came out strong and led after day one.

Tuesday began similarly with great breeze all day, right from the start. The clinic session focused on execution at mark three and team racing in current. Again, local coaches gave support in facilitating the drills and debrief at lunch. Round two brought another SW breeze ranging from 12 to 15mph.

Wednesday, the final day called for less than ideal sailing conditions and the plan was to start the third round right away taking knowledge and discussion from the previous two days into account. It was a light Westerly about 5 to 8 mph and was dying. Once current kicked into full ebb, it became quite difficult to navigate the racecourse. Sailors and coaches headed in for an earlier lunch break after completing 17 of 21 anticipated races (81%).

Breeze never materialized from that point forward and teams were unable to head back out to complete the round. However, the team racing appendix allows for incomplete rounds to be counted so long as 80% was completed.

Noroton and AYC tied for the lead with a 13 to 4 win-to-loss record. Noroton won two of three head to head meetings and took the championship. Riverside was not far behind and after a slow start (3 to 3), managed to finish the event with a 9 to 1 record and overall record of 12 to 5, just behind the leaders.

Racing was challenging but it was clear that competitors enjoyed team racing against their JSA rivals. New teams joined in on the action this year. One can only hope that more will follow suit next year. Big thanks to SUNY Maritime and Rob Crafa for hosting for three days and providing motor boats and marks.

- Contribution from McIntyre Head Coach Brian Clancy

See photo album here.

View results here.

Head Instructor Workshop prepares instructors to coach sailors

Head instructing sailing means more than teaching sailing. It means managing other instructors, working with parents and more. At the Head Instructor Workshop on June 11 at Beach Point Club, this year’s 35 head instructors, program managers and other senior staff learned from experienced coaches on how to instruct in order to prepare for a successful summer season.

Beginning the meeting, Jeff Bresnahan, head coach at Connecticut College’s sailing program discussed difficulties about teaching to the whole class. Instead of teaching to the top level sailor, he advised instructors to consider all sailors and their different learning styles.

Additionally, Jeff discussed instructor liability and strategies for handling water bottle and trash situations in sailing programs.

Following, Clemmie Everett, former Sailing Director at Noroton Yacht Club and JSA Board Member talked about working with types of sailing instructors as a lead instructor.

Clemmie warned instructors to stay positive, set goals and communicate, while leading by example in order to manage the veteran, the newbie and other instructor personalities.

Next, Kevin Broome, Sailing Director at American YC spoke on safety and best practices. He noted the importance of setting sailors up for success, including by checking the weather.

“When in doubt, don’t go out” and “If you’re unsure, it’s time to moor” Kevin wrote on the PowerPoint presentation.

Also, Kevin demonstrated to instructors a safety kit, which carries items instructors need on the water.

At last, Alicia Martorella, Sailing Director at the WaterFront Center described ways to stay GREEN in sailing.

Participants exchanged contact information at the end of the workshop.

Day-In-The-Life of a Junior Instructor

Name: Adriano Atallah 

Age: 15

Teaches at: Horseshoe Harbor Yacht Club Junior Sailing Program 

Resides in: New Rochelle

Sailing Experience: Two Years 

 

"All of our consulers in training are perpetually helpful to have as sailing instructors. Not only can they lend us a second pair of ears, eyes, and hands, but it also helps prepare them for the responsible role which they will presumably endow." Says Horseshoe Harbor Yacht Club Head Instructor Caroline Farina. 

For this article, I took a look at a day for Adriano Atallah, a Junior Instructor at Horseshoe. 

Adriano Atallah usually wakes up at 6am. Not because he’s he needs that long to get ready for the day, but because he’s studying Latin for school and Arabic out of interest. After an hour of studying, Adriano eats breakfast, packs his lunch and heads out. Commuting by bike, he leaves his New Rochelle house at around 8am to get to Horseshoe Harbor Yacht Club at 8:30. Then his work day begins. Campers arrive at 9am, so for the half hour before kids are at the club, Adriano and the other instructors get ready for the day. This could consist of planning the day’s events, cleaning boats, preparing sail parts, etc. When sailors begin to arrive, Adriano welcomes them, and then goes down to the docks with them to help prepare their boats. At Horseshoe Harbor, only Optimist and Pixel dinghies are available to sailors, and Adriano helps out with campers in the Optis. After a morning on the water, sailors and instructors come back in for lunch, which is usually spent just hanging out with the kids, playing Ping-Pong, cards, or foosball. After lunch, the sailors re-rig and head back out. “Out on the water, we’re usually practicing maneuvers and doing mock races,” Adriano told me. “Of course, we still leave time for fun. It’s not uncommon that the day ends with a follow-the-leader game, or something along those lines.” After derigging and cleaning up the dock area, sailors leave. However, Adriano and the entire instructor staff clean up the deck at Horseshoe, lock up the sailing equipment for the night, and after the clean up is done, he heads home. 

 

McIntyre Team Racing Clinegatta: A Coach's Perspective

by Brian Clancy, head coach of the Cornell University Sailing Team

 

The McIntyre Team Race was held again this year at SUNY Maritime College in the Bronx, NY. Registered teams arrived on Monday the 6th, following the 4th of July Holiday weekend. The forecast was better than expected for this time of year and that made for great sailing conditions on the East River. A huge thank you goes out to Rob Crafa, Waterfront Director at SUNY Maritime for supporting the event.

Monday began with a morning briefing and an on the water skills session led by the three college coaches who were brought on board. Brian Clancy, Head Coach at Cornell University led the coaches along with John Pearce from George Washington University and Chris Klevan from the US Coast Guard Academy. The plan for the event was a triple round robin, meaning 21 races for each team.

Racing got underway on Monday around 2pm and just over half of the 1st round was completed. It was clear that American YC team 1 would be tough to beat, but Riverside YC 2, Larchmont YC, and Noroton YC were also sailing quite well. After the first day American 1 led with a 5-0 record.

On Tuesday the forecast was expected to mimic Monday, and it did. Racing began earlier in the day with the plan of finishing round 1 and also a 2nd round. It's difficult to run 38 races in one day, but the breeze allowed for teams to rotate quickly. On the water umpiring was provided by the coaches and many rules situations were addressed, which is common for team racers. The event was run very similarly to a college sailing event. In total 56 races had been completed at the end of day 2, and each team had sailed 14 races. American 1 led with a 13-1 record with Riverside 2 and Larchmont tied with a 10-4 record heading into the final day. Breeze to this point had ranged from 8-20 mph throughout the days and although Day 3 was expected to be lighter, we still expected to get through another round.

We had a short wind delay in the morning on Day 3 and had the opportunity to go over the rules situations from the previous day of racing. Racing got underway just before lunch with a nice SW breeze filling in. The 3rd round was completed just before 3pm with the winds cooperating and our goal of 84 races was completed. American 1 slipped a bit in the final day with a 3-4 record and a 16-5 record overall. They won on a tie-break over Riverside 2 who also carried a 16-5 record to finish 2nd. American won 2 of the 3 races when the team met head to head. Larchmont YC was standing alone in 3rd with a 14-7 record. 

There was a 3 way tie for 4th between American 2, American 3 and Noroton which was broken by the record when those teams met. All teams from 4th-6th finished with a 11-10 record, but American 2 went 4-2 in those races to finish 4th, while Ameircan 3 finished 3-3 to finish 5th and Noroton went 2-4 in those races to finish 6th. Riverside 1 finished 7th with a 4-17 record and SYC/WFC finished 8th with a 1-20 record. Full

It's important to note that team racing does not take into consideration the competitiveness of each race on the scoresheet, it's simply listed as a W or an L. The racing was highly contested throughout and those teams that finished with more losses than wins were still competing very well. The scoresheet may be viewed here.

Thank you to Chuck McCarthy of the JSA for organizing the event again this year and Rob Crafa for making the facilities available at SUNY Maritime.

 

Training after the Summer for Junior Sailing Instructors

If you are a sailor who plans to become a Level 1 Small Boat Instructor next summer, now is a good time to take a Safe Powerboat Handling (SPH) course. This skill is not taught during the Level 1 course, yet you will be tested - so be prepared!  

Scheduled SPH courses: During the first half of September are the final SPH courses scheduled for 2013 in our area. One- and two-day courses are available:

• One day Accelerated Safe Powerboat Handling:  This eight hour hands-on course is for anyone who wants to learn how to more safely operate a powerboat or improve their on-the-water boat handling skills and already has a State Boating Safety Certificate or USCG license.

                Sept 7 – Essex CT, Pettipaug Sailing Academy
                Sept 15 – Bronx NY, SUNY Maritime College Waterfront 

• Two day Safe Powerboat Handling:  This sixteen hour, classroom and hands-on course is for anyone who wants to learn how to safely operate a powerboat, improve their on-the-water boat handling skills and wants to earn a State Boating Safety Certificate and/or a limited U.S. Coast Guard License.

                Sept 7-8 – Oyster Bay NY, The Waterfront Center
                Sept 14-15– Bronx NY, SUNY Maritime College Waterfront

• Other locations: Additional SPH courses are available on the US Powerboating calendar.

Club-arranged SPH courses: During this fall or next spring you may organize an SPH course at your own sailing venue and/or a group of sailing programs in an area may organize a course together. It's also helpful to include juniors age 13 and older, as well as other adults. All you need is a Powerboat Instructor.  Rob Crafa, Director of Waterfront Programs at SUNY Maritime College, can help you find one if you contact him at 718 - 409 - 7460 or [email protected] 

Instructor Trainers: Our Long Island Sound area needs good Instructor Trainers to teach the US Sailing Level 1 courses here.  If you know an outstanding instructor (or if you are an experienced instructor yourself), now is a good time to contact US Sailing to apply for a future Instructor Trainer course and earn money teaching next season's Level 1 Instructors.  There is a BIG need for good Instructor Trainers on Long Island Sound. So think about this opportunity to use your sailing experience to help in our area. Contact Cristen Schifino at US Sailing for information. 

Sailors Learn Big Boat Safety at Annual Safety at Sea Seminar

Larchmont firefighters demonstrate how to extinguish diesel fuel fires.

As Junior Race Week drew to a close, junior big boat sailors and instructors came to Larchmont Yacht Club on Friday July 19 for the annual Junior Safety at Sea seminar, hosted by the Storm Trysail Foundation.  Over 210 people attended this year’s event.

The seminar is a day-long safety skills workshop that incorporates mini classes in the morning with a practical component on large yachts in the afternoon, during which participants practice the skills they learned in the morning.

Most participants came to the seminar hoping to boost their knowledge of sailing safety and learn how to be prepared on the water.  For some, this was their first year sailing big boats, and they were still unfamiliar with many of the differences between big boats and dinghies.

“I’m looking forward to learning how to be safe on the water,” explained Tommy Glover, a sailor from Riverside Yacht Club in Greenwich, CT.

“I came hoping to learn some skills I can use on the Beach Point Overnight Race,” shared Michaela O’Donnell, a sailor from Black Rock Yacht Club in Bridgeport, CT.

Four classes were given in the morning.  One that many sailors found exciting was the fire prevention and fighting class, taught by members of the Larchmont Fire Department.  During the class, firefighters lit a diesel fuel fire and demonstrated how to use a fire extinguisher to put it out.

“Fire prevention was fun because we put out actual fires,” recalled O’Donnell.  “But we also learned some valuable lessons.”

Another class that had high reviews was about man overboard recovery.  Teacher Adam Loory showed sailors and instructors numerous videos demonstrating different recovery techniques and when to use them.

“The video about the man overboard was informative,” described Max Lipkin, a sailor from Stamford Yacht Club in Stamford, CT.  “I liked the presenter.”

Another class that morning was about weather and storm preparation, presented by Bob Behringer.  There was also a class given by Kelly Robinson and Ann Myer about practical sailboat equipment, including winches, storm jibs, tethers, and jacklines. 

On the dock, sailors learned the importance of using tethers and jacklines on big boats.

After the morning classes, Henry Marx demonstrated to all of the sailors and instructors how to properly use a flare and smoke signal for on-water distress. 

Once that was done, sailors and their instructors boarded 21 sailing yachts and set out to practice the skills they had learned in the morning.  The afternoon’s agenda included man overboard drills, sail reefing, and checking the boats for general safety.

“I think going out on the boats was really helpful,” explained Hanna Pierce, a sailor from Indian Harbor Yacht Club.  “Since we get talked at a lot in the morning, we get to go out and try those skills in the afternoon.”

“The setup is perfectly designed for us to learn in the morning before we go out and practice in the afternoon,” shared Glover.

The day concluded when the sailors returned from the water with a pizza party for everyone involved.
The day could not have been possible without the support of many volunteers and other sponsorships.

“Sponsorships like West Marine and Landfall Navigation make this possible,” explained Rich du Moulin, the seminar’s moderator.  We have huge volunteer support,” du Moulin added.  “People have loaned 21 boats and their own time today, and not a single person gets paid a dollar.”

For more information about Storm Trysail Foundation and the Safety at Sea program, please visit their website. For photos from the seminar, please see the JSA of LIS Facebook page.

 

 

Belle Haven Club Hosts Area B Opti Regatta

Sailors launch their optis into the water amid a sweltering heat wave.

Text by Ryan Davidson, Head Junior Sailing Instructor at Belle Haven Club.  Photo by Michele Smith, regatta organizer.

On Monday, July 15, 92 JSA sailors braved the sweltering heat to compete in the Belle Haven Club's Opti Area B Open Regatta in Greenwich CT. Starting with a light northerly breeze, the first flight of races helped everyone get in their groove and settled in to the racing mentality.  However, due to conflicting pressure systems, wind direction proved to be very elusive and unsettled.  Racers sometimes experienced 180° wind shifts while on the course.  

The challenging weather scenarios definitely taught everyone to be patient, be aware of the weather, and adjust their sails and direction accordingly.  Although some sailors succumbed to the heat and wanted to give up, or lost focus, everyone snapped into gear whenever their starting sequence began. Like any regatta, there were moments of brilliance, frustration, letdown, and triumph, but each competitor gave it their all.

In the end, six races were completed in red fleet, and four in blue and white fleets.  In first place in red fleet was Chris Lukens from Riverside Yacht Club; meanwhile in blue fleet Michelle Lahrkamp from American Yacht Club won first place, and in white fleet, Robert Lundberg from Larchmont Yacht Club took home first place.  For full results, please see the JSA website regatta results.

 

 

Manhasset Bay YC Junior Sailors and Instructors Share Plans for Fun Summer

 

Instructors work closely with sailors to ensure they learn how to sail while having fun.

At Manhasset Bay Yacht Club, approximately 70 sailors take part in the summer junior sailing program lead by around a dozen devoted instructors.  For new sailors, the sport can be challenging at first, and young kids may get discouraged early on.  

Yet at Manhasset Bay, sailors keep coming back every day with grins on their faces excited for a fun day of sailing.  Interested in learning more about their program and finding out what makes it such a fun experience for its participants, JSA of LIS Media visited the program on Friday and got the scoop from the sailors and instructors themselves.

Manhasset Bay’s junior sailing program is a full-day program that incorporates on-water sailing instruction with learning nautical skills on shore.  Throughout the program, individual instructors have different methodologies and strategies on how to teach; however, for most, a huge focus is placed on making learning fun, enjoyable, and engaging.

“We try to make our drills and learning activities into games,” explained Anne Wachowicz, a third-year instructor for beginner Optimists.

Particularly with beginner sailors, instructors seek to instill a passion for sailing that will lead them to become lifelong sailors.  First, however, they must get the sailors to know their boat and feel confident sailing it.

“I want to make them feel comfortable in their boat,” shared Kristin Hanley, an instructor for beginner Pixels and Blue-Jays, returning for her fourth summer at Manhasset Bay.  “I feel that when they’re comfortable they have more fun.”

“We definitely try to not scare them,” added Wachowicz.

At the same time, in more advanced classes geared towards racing sailors, the fun and games get toned down a bit, in favor of more serious racing practice.  These classes also tend to draw older sailors who generally prefer to be taught straightforwardly.

“There are fewer games and they learn a lot as advanced sailors,” remarked Robert Wands, a third-year instructor for advanced Pixels.  “And as older sailors, they like that.”

Some of the sailors themselves really value their time spent with their instructors, and can see them as both a teacher and a friend.

“We have a lot of fun together sailing,” explained Carter Shields, a fourth-year Laser sailor.  “But we still work hard.”

“I think the instructors really prepare us to race because they do lots of drills and start practices,” shared Nicky Fuhrman, an advanced Pixel sailor.  “But they’re all fun, and that helps keep us motivated.”

 

Aliandra Homayuni helps a group of eager junior sailors practice tying knots.

An aspect of Manhasset Bay’s program that distinguishes it from many other clubs is its on-shore program.  Taught by three dedicated on-shore instructors, the program teaches sailors practical skills such as knot tying, navigation, and signal flag reading as well as some non-sailing related activities, like yoga and arts.  

“I think it’s important that they learn these skills before they go out on the water, then they know them well and can apply them while they’re sailing,” explained Aliandra Homayuni, one of the three on-shore instructors.

There are also themed “Fun Fridays” that give sailors and instructors alike a fun event to look forward to every week.  Themes include a patriotic day, Halloween, and a jersey day.

“I’m looking forward to Halloween,” claimed second-year Opti sailor Lucas Vermeulen.  “I’m getting dressed up for it.”

Overall, sailors find the Manhasset Bay program captivating and practical in different ways, and there is surely no shortage of cheerful instructors eager to help them enjoy learning how to sail.

“We have a great group of kids here,” described instructor Hanley.  “So far, we’re having a great summer!”

Want to get featured on this blog?  If you would like to feature your junior sailing program in JibeTalk, please contact Brendan Rogers, News Editor, at (516) 507-9070 or [email protected]