JibeTalk

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.

JSA’s McIntyre Team Race Next Week

 

Junior sailors on the East River at last year's McIntyre Team Race

Sail in the McIntyre Team Race!

Whether you are a veteran team racer or new to team racing, the McIntyre Trophy Team Race clinegatta is the perfect event for you to kick off the summer racing season. 

The clinegatta takes place at SUNY Maritime College in the Bronx, New York on July 6 to 8, Monday to Wednesday.

Part of the time includes a clinic to enhance your team racing skills. The rest is devoted to intense racing on the East River. 

If you want to go, be sure to ask your club to make arrangements for its team of six sailors by end of Friday, July 3. The NOR is available here. 

If your club has enough sailors for more than one team, you may be able register two teams. Or, if your club does not have six sailors for a team, you may combine sailors from your club and another club to form one team.

The coaching team of three top-notch college coaches is a great reason to attend. Brian Clancy, head coach at Cornell University will lead the clinegatta, along with John Pearce from George Washington University and Chris Klevan from the US Coast Guard Academy. Biographies of these coaches may be read here.

All you need to bring is your personal sailing gear and lunch; SUNY Maritime provides equipment and 420 boats, and your club provides a coach with a support boat.

Do you want to compete in the McIntyre Team Race Championship? Talk with your head instructor and have your team registered by July 3. Or email to JSA office [email protected] to see if we can help match you in combined teams of six sailors from various clubs.

We'll see you at SUNY Maritime on July 6.

Sailors Learn to Stay Safe on Big Boats at Annual Safety at Sea Seminar

With Junior Race Week over, Junior Sailor’s attentions were on another event happening two days later. The annual Junior Safety at Sea seminar, hosted by the Storm Trysail Foundation.

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, where about 200 junior sailors practiced the skills they learned in the morning. 

The morning started off with a presentation by Boris Hermann from Hamburg, Germany- navigator of  “Maserati”, the upgraded Volvo 70 that is now breaking world sailing records. He told the junior sailors of his sailing journey from Manhattan to San Francisco, how he kept safe on the trip and how the feat was accomplished.

After the initial briefing, the junior sailors split up into four different groups – three of the groups went to classes, while the other group (The newly introduced “Level 200” advanced program for 28 junior sailors) took to the water immediately.

On land, sailors got to experience three different workshops, concerning working as a crew on a big boat, survival at sea, and how to recover a man overboard. 

Down on the docks, Peter Bauer, Ann Myer, Rudi Millard, Bob Behringer worked with junior sailors to rig a boat, and talked about the importance of doing your role out on the water. 

Inside the junior clubhouse, Adam Loory told the sailors about what to do in a man overboard situation, which was practiced later that day.

And inside the main building of LYC, sailors were taught about survival when out on big boats.

“I really found the survival at sea class (taught by H.L. DeVore & Gino Bottino) really interesting. They told us about how to stay in contact when sailing, and how to use what you have as remedies. It’s definitely something that I’ll use out on the water,” junior sailor Wynn Simmons told me.

After the morning, sailors headed out in 22 boats to race. Upon return, a pizza party was thrown. “I know I’ll be coming back next year,” Hector McKemy told me.

For more details about the event, read this earlier JibeTalk post by Marcy Trenholm and Lisa Schinella

 

Elite Coaches Lead 3-Day McIntyre Team Race Clinic and Regatta

 

Coaches Brian Clancy, John Pearce, and Brian Swingly pause for a photo before going out to run the last day of racing.

With college out for the summer, Long Island Sound junior sailors took over the sailing center at SUNY Maritime July 8-10 for the annual Malcolm McIntyre team racing clinegatta.

The clinegatta, which is a combination of a clinic and a regatta, lasted three days and attracted over 60 moderately advanced to advanced junior sailors.  Sailors were grouped into eight teams of six to eight sailors, and while many of the teams drew sailors from a single club, one team combined sailors from three clubs into one group.  Sailors competed in collegiate-rigged C420s (no spinnaker or trapezes), with three boats per team.

One of the major draws of this year’s clinegatta in particular was the quality of the coaching staff. Lead coach Brian Clancy is the head coach of the Cornell University Sailing Team; assisting him were Brian Swingly, the head intercollegiate sailing coach at the US Coast Guard Academy, and John Pearce, the head coach of George Washington University’s sailing team.

“I think it’s nice that instead of PROs that you can’t really talk to, you have these great coaches instead,” explained Colin Alexander, a participant from American Yacht Club.

“The coaches were very informative,” Lindsey Guadagni, a junior sailor from Sea Cliff Yacht Club, shared after the event.  “Their engaging and helpful teaching style is amazing.”

For many sailors, team racing was not something familiar.  A good number of sailors found the clinegatta a nice way to explore a new kind of sailing.

“It’s a nice break from fleet racing,” shared Alexander.  “It’s a good change of pace.”

“It’s cool being able to work with the rules and outsmart your opponent,” described Chris Graves, a sailor from Noroton Yacht Club.  “That’s what I really like about team racing.”

American Yacht Club sailors make their way to the racecourse Wednesday morning.

The breeze was moderate for most of the regatta, but held up well enough for three full series of races.  Current was also a bit of a significant factor due to the regatta’s location on the East River.

“We’re dealing with a lot of current,” explained Clancy, the lead coach.  “However, we've been fortunate to have great breeze and a lot of time on the water.”

Clancy normally coaches at the college level, so this clinegatta was something a bit unusual to him as well; however, he considered it “fun to do.”

“It’s different teaching younger sailors,” explained Clancy.  “At these events there’s just so much to learn; a lot of these sailors have not done team racing before and you deal with a lot of experience levels.”

Sailors faced a new set of challenges each day. Current prevailed over wind in day one where the left side of the course created a passing lane which made unthinkable comebacks possible.

Day two had a consistent strong southrly breeze with a side sweeping current from the west. The playing field was much more even on both sides which created more tactics and less strategy in getting around the race course.  The day ended with a three way tie between Amercan Yacht Club, Noroton Yacht Club, and a team with a combination of sailors from Oyster Bay (Cold Spring Harbor Beach Club, Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club and The WaterFront Center).

Day three was similar to day two with the same breeze direction but current moving in the opposite direction. Boats that made it off the line first got to the pressure first and the gaps between boats on the first upwind grew quickly.

The Riverside Yacht Club team won first place, while American Yacht Club’s team took second place, the Oyster Bay team placed third, and Noroton Yacht Club was fourth. Only one point seperated each of the these four places, indicating how competitive the McIntyre was this year. 

Full results are available on the JSA website, and photos from the event are accessible on the JSA of LIS Facebook page.

Tyler Paige contributed to this article.

Elite College Coaches to Lead 2013 McIntyre Team Racing Clinegatta

Junior sailors compete in last year's event in SUNY Maritime's 2-year old C420s.

Are you a high school sailor looking to improve your team racing skills, or even become a better fleet racer?  Besides being very intense and incredibly exciting, team racing actually helps you improve your fleet racing skills as well!  Anyone who has team raced before will tell you that boat-handling is key for team racing, and by practicing your boat-handling in an intense team racing environment, you will inevitably improve your boat-handling for fleet races.  Moreover, team racing demands a very close understanding of the racing rules of sailing, which can help you in fleet races too.

The coaching team of three top-notch college coaches is also a great reason to sail in the McIntyre.  Lead coach Brian Clancy is the head coach of the Cornell University Sailing Team; assistant coach Brian Swingly is the head intercollegiate sailing coach at the US Coast Guard Academy, who was recently named Coach of the Year by the New England Intercollegiate Sailing Association; and John Pearce, assistant coach, is the head coach of George Washington University’s sailing team.

Whether you are a veteran high school team racer, or have never team raced before, the McIntyre Trophy Team Racing Championship Clinegatta is the perfect event for you to attend to kick off the summer racing season.  The clinegatta takes place at SUNY Maritime College in the Bronx, July 8 to 10 (Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday). Part of the time is a clinic to enhance your team racing skills. The rest of the time will be devoted to intense racing that you will remember for many years.  SUNY Maritime provides the equipment and boats, all of which are just two years old and in excellent condition! All you need to bring is your personal sailing gear and lunch.

If you haven’t team raced before and are looking for something different and exciting to do to start off the summer, why not try team racing?  Each team consists of three C420s (collegiate-rigged, no spinnakers and no trapezes), for a total of six boats competing in each race.  The low point scoring system is used, and whichever team has the lower combined total points wins the race.  The courses are generally smaller and faster than those in fleet races, and so you may be able to get in 15 or more races each day. 

Sailors team race at last year's event.

Here is a very important part: you must have your club register a team of 6-8 sailors by July 2 at 5pm.  Only the first 12 teams to register will be able to participate, so if you want to go, be sure to ask your club to make the arrangements. The slots fill up every year, so don't delay!  Extra sailors may sub in and out but all 8 team members must attend all three days of the clinegatta.

If your club has enough sailors for more than one team, you may be able register two teams, if there is room.  Alternatively, if your club does not have six sailors for a team, you may combine sailors from your club and another club to form one team.

The first place team gets its name engraved on the 1943 permanent trophy. If your team wins first, second, or third place (which you have a 25% chance of doing with 12 teams), you get a plaque to hang in your junior clubhouse and a keychain for each member of your team.

Will you be competing in the McIntyre Team Racing Championship? Good! Now, work with your head instructor and get your team registered by July 2 and we'll see you at SUNY Maritime.

McIntyre Team Race Champs at SUNY Maritime Was Fun, Yet Intense

Sailors head to the course on a C420 for the first round of team racing on Monday morning.

Team race enthusiasts from eight JSA LIS clubs came out to SUNY Maritime College in the Bronx last week for the 2012 Malcolm McIntyre Team Racing Championships.

The teams of 6-8 sailors competed in dozens of races over three days, from July 9 to 11.  The event was technically a clinegatta (part-clinic, part-regatta), although almost all of the time was spent racing. The competitors enjoyed the format, mainly because of the fun yet intense mood of the event.

“It was very competitive, especially in the top 4,” said David Bigelow, an instructor from Norwalk Yacht Club, following the conclusion of the last race.  “I really believe it enhances the sailors’ ability to fleet race as well.”

“I’m here because it’s a fun experience and I want to improve my team racing skills,” Kelly Wiegold, a competitor in the regatta from Riverside Yacht Club who also team races for her high school, explained in an interview before the clinic on the first day.

Sailors return to shore for lunch after completing 14 races Monday morning.

Many other sailors also commented positively on the quality of the coaches who taught the clinic and ran the races.  Returning from last year was Michael Collins, Head Dinghy Coach at Kings Point.  Collins was assisted by John Singsen, also from Kings Point, and Mac Mace, who is a coach at Larchmont Yacht Club and a member of the College of Charleston sailing team that won the 2012 college team racing national championships.

One thing the participants seemed to enjoy particularly was that the coaches provided feedback at the end of each race, mentioning tactics the sailors executed well during the race and citing instances in the race where sailors showed room for improvement.  Competitors also liked the chalk talks given by the coaches on the first day of the clinic.

“I really liked that we were instructed so well about how to team race,” Liam Monarchio, a returning participant in the event from Sea Cliff Yacht Club, said after the awards ceremony.  Monarchio enjoys team racing because he feels it is a nice break from fleet racing, and takes pleasure in being able to work “with my teammates and getting to use lots of cool tactics.”

Members of the winning team from Noroton Yacht Club express their joy Wednesday afternoon after winning the regatta.

“My favorite thing about this event is that it is the 1st college-type of regatta that junior sailors get to experience,” Head Coach Collins commented, recalling how he enjoys returning to coach at the regatta every year.  “It’s a really cool part of the sport”

Noroton Yacht Club took home 1st place this year, while Riverside placed 2nd, and Larchmont received 3rd.  Full results are available on the JSA website www.JsaLis.org on the regatta documents page.

Photos from this event and many others are on our Facebook page (“JSA of LIS”).  If you don’t already “like” us, do so right now to ensure you don’t miss any updates, photos, or videos in the future!  The photos from this event are in an album here, so click the link and check them out!  Also check out the video coverage of the event here!

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work for the McIntyre Team Racing Championship

NY Maritime team racing near the Throgs Neck Bridge

Are you a high school sailor looking to improve your team racing skills, or even become a better fleet racer?

Besides being very intense and incredibly exciting, team racing actually helps you improve your fleet racing skills as well!

Anyone who has team raced will tell you that boat-handling is key for team racing, and by practicing your boat-handling in an intense team racing environment, you will inevitably improve your performance in fleet races.  Moreover, team racing demands a very close understanding of the racing rules of sailing, which can help you in fleet races too.

Even if you haven’t team raced before, it's a different and exciting way to start off the summer.  Each team consists of three C420s (collegiate-rigged, no spinnaker and no trapeze), for a total of six boats competing in each race.  The courses are generally smaller and faster than those in fleet races, and so you will find that you may be able to get in 15 or more races each day.

The McIntyre Trophy Team Racing Championship, held July 9 to 11 (Monday to Wednesday) at SUNY Maritime College in the Bronx, is the perfect event for you to attend to kick off the summer racing season.  This is a clinegatta, which is both a clinic and a regatta in one event. The clinic format will include on-the-water drills, land-based sessions covering team racing tactics, team racing rules and a review of the regatta format. The clinic portions may be mixed in between, or before and after, the intense racing that you will remember for many years.  What’s more, SUNY provides the equipment and boats, all of which are less than a year old!

Teams may be composed of 6-8 sailors, and extra sailors may sub in and out (though all 8 must attend all three days of the clinegatta).  Only the first 12 teams to register will be able to participate, so if you want to go, be sure to get your club's registration in soon.

If your club has enough sailors for more than one team, you may be able to register multiple teams.  Alternatively, if your club does not have enough sailors for a team, you may combine sailors from your club and another club to form one team.

The first place team gets an engraving on the 1943 Malcolm McIntyre perpetual trophy, currently in the custody of Larchmont Yacht Club. The winners for the last 4 years were Beach Point 2008, Riverside 2009, Cedar Point 2010, and Larchmont 2011. Bring home the perpetual trophy to your club and have your team added to that list as 2012 winner.

If your team wins first, second, or third place (which you have a 25% chance of doing since there are only 12 teams), you'll get a plaque to display permanently in your clubhouse, and a keychain for each member of your team.

So go ahead, get your team together and have your head instructor register you pronto! The NOR is posted on the JSA website Regattas page.

 

Ten Teams Compete For McIntyre Team Race Trophy

Blessed with great breeze, sunshine and ten of the top teams in JSA, the 2011 JSA of LIS Malcom McIntyre Team Racing Championship was a resounding success!

SUNY Maritime College played host to this three-day event held at the beginning of the week over July 10-12. More than 70 sailors started the event with two hours of clinic and a quick lunch before getting on the water for racing at 1:30. Coaches Michael Collins (Kings Point) and Blaine Pedlow (ex-KP coach) ran 25 races for the teams just on the Eastchester Bay side of the Throggs Neck Bridge in a 12-knot southerly. Both Larchmont and Riverside were on top going into Tuesday, each owning a 5-0 record in the first round robin.

Tuesday brought another gorgeous day of sailing on Long Island Sound, with 40 races completed and the completion of the first round robin in a 10-14 knot westerly. Sailors were challenged by a strong current and puffy wind, but did a great job of adapting and working together in teams. American A & B finished the first round robin tied for third, behind Larchmont and Riverside. Competition was close throughout the fleet, with all clubs racing well and earning wins.

On Wednesday there was more great wind - three days in a row - and once again the teams took to the water for more quality racing. The fleet was split into two groups to determine the championship; the top four would sail a round robin and teams 5-10 would race their own round of six teams.

Seawanhaka and Noroton each tallied four wins in the round of six, with Cedar Point and Sea Cliff A each finishing strongly with three wins apiece. Sea Cliff B and Norwalk sailed well, losing several close races at the finish.

In the final four, Larchmont continued their dominance, wrapping up three wins and finishing the regatta 12-0. American B finished strong, going 2-1 and earning second place. AYC A and Riverside ended tied, with Riverside winning the sail-off for third.

All in all, this was a great event that challenged the sailors in the clinic and on the water. It was great to hear teams calling "great race" to each other and showing the sportsmanship that makes JSA a great organization!

Many thanks are due to Chuck McCarthy who organized the regatta for JSA, Rob Crafa from NY Maritime and the coaches Michael Collins and Blaine Pedlow.

Congratulations to Larchmont Yacht Club for winning the 2011 McIntyre Team Race!

For final result, see JSA Regattas page

- Report compiled by Blaine Pedlow

McIntyre Trophy Team Race Coming Up Soon

JSA sailors will have the opportunity to shake things up a little bit at the upcoming Malcolm McIntyre Trophy Team Racing Championship, to be held July 11-13 at SUNY Maritime College in Throggs Neck, NY. The event will be sailed in collegiate 420s, with no spinnakers or trapezes. 

The McIntyre is both a clinic and a regatta, designed to build and develop foundations in team racing. For high school sailors who look to continue team racing into the summer, this is the perfect opportunity to brush up on skills and pick up some new ones. For those new to team racing, the event will not only introduce new skills, but also help hone fleet racing abilities, particularly in terms of boathandling and tactical smarts. 

The clinic involves on-the-water drills, land-based sessions covering team race tactics and rules, and a review of the round-robin regatta format. Blaine Pedlow, sailing director at the US Merchant Marine Academy and former Head Coach at SUNY Maritime, will lend his expertise in leading the clinic. 

Sailors will put their newly acquired knowledge to test in the regatta portion of the event. Two or more clubs may combine to form one team of three boats. Each team whose entry is accepted must send a minimum of six sailors and a maximum of eight, plus one coach or instructor. If space is avaialable, some clubs may be able to have A & B teams.

Entry deadline: Next Tuesday, July 5. Maximum of 12 teams will be accepted.

Event dates: July 11-13. Clinic and racing will run from 9 a.m. to 5-6 p.m., depending on breeze. The times of the clinic portions of the regatta will be given at the discretion of Blaine Pedlow and may be mixed in between, or before and after races.

NOR: Available here

Spring Laser Regatta and Youth Match Racing

Here are two events that have registrations due this week.

The first is for the Spring Laser Regatta at American YC, Rye NY, on this Saturday, June 18. This is an open event for any Laser Standard or Radial sailor, regardless of age. The NOR and entry form are available on the AYC website.

The second is the Oyster Bay Youth Match Racing Clinegatta (clinic and regatta) at Oakcliff Sailing Center on July 14-17. Entries are due this week (one month in advance) from sailors 16 – 22 years old. For details see the Oakcliff website.