Sailing Press, Inc.

01/04/2017

Happy New Year! Scuttlebutt has just posted a video from World Sailing highlighting 2016 sailors. Check out the video here:
http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/2017/01/03/video-epic-year/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Scuttlebutt%204740%20-%20January%204%202017&utm_content=Scuttlebutt%204740%20-%20January%204%202017+CID_15856cf7e03e7fdde7af0d9ef4812cfc&utm_source=Email%20Newsletter

World Sailing offers this tribute to the events and sailors of 2016.

10/27/2016

MAISA Match Race Districts hosted by the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) is now history. Eight teams competed right off the bulkhead at Yocum Sailing Center in Kings Point, NY. The high winds were the story of the weekend with choppy water and winds consistently between 20-25 with gusts in the 30+ range.

While the breakdown boats worked overtime to keep the Sonars together, it was the teams that impressed. They were the heros of the weekend. Between temperatures in the mid-40s and the wind gusts, the teams displayed expert match racing skills.

The photos tell the story: wet, wild, crazy fun. So grrab a cup of coffee or tea and enjoy! You can bet that we will be hearing about some of these teams in the future.

To see all the photos, go to: www.salingpress.com

Final Results:

Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Georgetown University
United States Merchant Marine Academy
Fordham University
United States Naval Academy
SUNY Maritime College
George Washington University
Webb Institute

09/11/2016

USMMA hosted a two-day Laser North qualiying regatta this weekend. 14 competitors joined 3 teams from USMMA: Queens University, Canada, Cornell, Hobart/William Smith, SUNY Maritime and Webb Institute.

PRO Rick Dominique, the Director of Varsity Programs at USMMA, got in 12 races before he called racing for the day due to high winds and 25 knot gusts. For a full report and final scores in this qualifying event, go to: http://scores.collegesailing.org/f13/laser-north/

09/01/2016

Manhasset Bay Yacht Club (MBYC) hosted its 84th Annual Race Week on Aug. 24, 26, 27, and 28. Wednesday night, Aug. 24 was reserved for Ladies Sailing and three teams competed in club Ideal 18s. Aviva Pinto and Roxanne Leamon, Manhasset Bay YC ( #173) with 6 points (1,1,1,3) followed by PWYC team of Dawn Serignese, skipper, Regina Marino and Marlene Fried Berg (8 points). Third place went to PWYC team with Josefina Jervis co-skipper, Tara Zickerman, co-skipper and Maryann Ressa (10) points.

Racing resumed on Friday evening, with a First Warning at 3:00 pm. With 2 races completed on Friday, the teams were geared up and ready to go on Saturday morning with a 10:00 am start. 14 Sonar teams comprised Division 1, with 4 boats each in Division 2 (Manhasset Bay One Design) and Division 3 (Ideal 18s). The United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) sent 6 teams of Midshipmen and one team skippered by Rick Dominique, Director of Varsity Programs.

Saturday was a long day of racing, with challenging wind shifts. At one point in the day, racing was postponed so the Race Committee could reset the racecourse as Mother Nature decided a 180-degree shift might be fun for the racers. By end of day, the tired teams headed for shore, with seven more races under their belt. Sunday brought beautiful weather with sunny skies but absolutely no wind. Teams hung out on the MBYC patio and front lawn at MBYC hoping for a start. While there was some indication of wind, it wasn't sufficient to begin a race. By mid-afternoon all racing was abandoned, and the Award Ceremony took place at 2:30.

There were more than enough races to complete the regatta - 9 in all, thanks to the efforts of the Race Committee, headed by Bill Siener, Principal Race Officer. At the end of the day, the results were in: the team of Midn. Charlie Lomax (Annapolis, MD, '18), Skipper, Cooper Siepert, (Cape Elizabeth, MA '20) main trimmer, Devin Keister, (Slidell, LA, '18) bowman and Max Haubrich (Grayslake, IL, '20) floater, were the overall regatta winners. They nailed it this year and after two days of racing, picked up three very prestigious Perpetual Trophies.

Midn. Max Haubrich, who was not a sailor before the regatta, sailed for the first time on Thursday before the regatta. Friday afternoon was his first day ever racing, and on Saturday, he was part of the crew, assisting Midn. Devin Keister. Way to go Max!

The amazing win by Midn. Charlie Lomax and company, with a performance percentage of 0.963, prompted MBYC Vice Commodore to comment that this team was the “most consistent win in MBYC Race Week history.” So what was their winning strategy that gave them 7 wins out of 9 races? For starters, their focus was getting the boat to “go fast,” knowing their positions on the boat and sticking to them (skipper, bow, trimmer), communicating effectively, and trusting their teammates to get their designated job completed. They also “sailed their own race.” Rather than follow the veteran racers who have competed on Manhasset Bay for years, they kept it simple and just looked for pressure. Add to this mix, planning ahead (i.e. where they wanted to be 4 minutes out, which end is favored?), plus a large dose of fun and you have a winning formula. Midn. Cooper Siepert summed it up nicely, “We had a lot of fun, even in the most stressful situation, we had fun.”

Final results: Division 1: Sonars: 1. Midn. Charlie Lomax, USMMA ( #817), 2. Ted Toombs, MBYC, #678, 3.Sue Miller, MBYC, #451, 4. Bahar Gidwani, YRALIS, #781, 5. Midn. Connor Sexton, USMMA, #815, 6. Bob Baskind, YRALIS, #568, 7. Rick Dominique, USMMA, #772, 8. (Tie): Midn. Ben Manning, #816 and Midn. Ethan Neubelt, USMMA, #820, 10. Midn. Scott Johnston, USMMA, #819, 11. Midn. Ben White, USMMA, #818, 12. Bob Kirtland, MBYC, #396, 13. Neil Berkow, YRALIS, #442, 14. Bill Palafox, North Shore YC, #479.

Division 2: Manhasset Bay One Design (MBOD): 1. John Silbersack, #1), 2. Claus Larsson, #9, 3. Don Richardson, #23 and 4. Lewis Lane, #26. Division 3: Ideal 18s: 1. Vince Syracuse, #113, 2. Guy Crawford, #174, 3. Adam Hess, #176, and 4. Joe Cwietniewicz, #177. Crew names unavailable.

Photos from this event and other events are available on www.sailingpress.com.

08/24/2016

The 2nd Annual Governor's Cup Regatta is the combined effort of Huguenot YC, City Island YC and Manhasset Bay YC. This year Huguenot YC hosted the event. 35 teams from around Long Island Sound participated in 6 divisions.

The weather was threatening from the south and another front coming in from the west. But the thunder and lightening storms that could be seen in the distance avoided the teams, but the wind was a bit of a challenge.

Race Committee set up the start just east of Ex*****on Rocks Lighthouse and sent them off on a downwind start couterclockwise around Hart Island, finishing back near Ex*****on Rocks Lighthouse. At one point they passed the mouth of Manhasset Bay on their way to the finish and got lucky...it was pouring in Manhasset Bay but the Sound missed the downpour.

The final results are on YachtScoring at:
http://www.yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=2878

08/23/2016

Many thanks to friend, Barby MacGowan, Media Pro Newport, for information on the 2016 Ida Lewis Distance Race.

Congratulations to Steve Benjamin, and his team on SPOOKIE who, after almost 13.5 hours of racing, was first to finish at the Ida Lewis Distance Race, Aug. 20. SPOKE won the Russell L. Hoyt Memorial Trophy for best elapsed time in IRC division and the Commodore's Trophy for best corrected time for the second year in a row.

Steve, who was named 2015 Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year, among tons of other well-deserved accolades, is a member of Sailing Press' Advisory Board. Click here to read about him on our website: http://www.sailingpress.com/PAGES/About

Other YRA members who had a podium finish: 2nd - PHRF Spinnaker 1 Divisions: Oakcliff Farr 40 Black - Youth and PHRF Doublehanded : 2. Oakcliff Ker 11.3, Sean O'Halloran.

For full Press Release: http://www.ildistancerace.org/2016/
For complete results: http://www.yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=1665

PHOTOS:
1. Steve Benjamin's TP52 SPOOKIE won line honors and the IRC Division of the Ida Lewis Distance Race, Photo Credit: Cate Brown
2. SPOOKIE at the Ida Lewis Distance Race, Photo Credit: Cate Brown
3. Oakcliff Farr 40 Black accepting Aren't Kits van Heyningen Trophy Photo credit: Robbie Benjamin

08/16/2016

Over 100 boats converged on The Waterfront Center for the annual Opti Champs. This regatta is the "end of the line," "top of the heap" regatta. Each boat was invited to the event based on past racing performance in this season.

The kids were eager, primed to get out on the water and do their best. Their energy and enthusiasm was palpable. Unfortunately, Mother Nature missed the memo that she needed to bring at least a little bit of wind for these junior sailors.

So these photos are part of the waiting game that sometimes is part of sailing on Long Island Sound in August. By the time your photographer (me) left in early afternoon, racing was still in postponement. But there is always hope - tomorrow, Tuesday, Aug. 16 is the second day regatta. Let's hope for some wind!

08/14/2016

After four days of light and fluky wind (except for Saturday), Christophe Killian, a young racer who is making his mark in match racing, beat out 7 of the best match racer teams in the world to take the top spot at the Oakcliff International. For his efforts he wins $10,000 prize plus bragging rights.

According to Scott Guinn, Oakcliff's Director of Communications/Public Relations, Christophe Killian, along with Howard Meyers, Jack Thompson, Avi Lessman, and Chris Johannessen, won their second event in two weeks at Oakcliff. The team came in first in the Oakcliff Grade 3 Match Race a week ago.

Considering the talent pool of this year's Oakcliff International and Killian's comment, “Everybody was dialed in this weekend, nobody was giving us an inch.” his win is all the more amazing.

This is the first event in the Grand Slam Series, with two more events to follow at Bayview YC in Detroit, MI and Chicago Match Race Center. By the end of the series, we will have the overall winner. Stay tuned for more information about the Grand Slam series as it unfolds.

For full press release and results, go to: www.oakcliffsailing.org/blog

08/12/2016

Oakcliff Sailing in Oyster Bay, NY is hosting their Oakcliff International from Thursday, Aug. 11 through Sunday, Aug. 14. This is a Grade 2 match race that includes Bayview YC in Detroit, MI and the Chicago Match Race Center. Each event awards winners and at the concluion of the series, an overall winner is crowned.

These photos were taken on Day 1 on Thursday. An interesting series of event right at the finish. Notice the crew member rapidly getting the young man back on board...this is because the Racing Rules of Sailing say that boats must finish with the same sailors they started with. AND this was RIGHT at the finish line. Kind of exciting!

For more information about the Oakcliff International, please go to www.oakcliffsailing.org. And check back here for more photos!