JibeTalk

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

 

Long Island Sound area sailors qualify for 2012 Olympics

At the ISAF Sailing World Championships in Australia, all the US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics sailors have qualified the USA for a country berth in their respective Olympic classes.

Those of us who sail on Long Island Sound and nearby waters are especially pleased to see some of our neighbors who were junior sailors from about ten years ago punch their tickets this weekend to the Olympic games in 2012.
 
Having a wildly successful final day was Rob Crane (Darien CT) with first and a second for 14th overall in the Laser fleet, a huge leap from 33rd at the start of the day. “It’s unbelievable,” said Crane. “I’m thrilled to have a day like that in arguably the hardest fleet in the world." Way back in 2000, Rob was the JSA of LIS Radial class champion and also the JSA season high-point champ. And earlier this past summer he came back to help some of the current juniors as a coach at the JSA Advanced Racing Clinic.   

Erik Storck (Huntington NY) with Trevor Moore ended up 9th overall in the 49er fleet after a frustrating gear failure in the medal race. As a junior, Erik skippered to win the US Junior Sailing Doublehanded Championship for the Bemis trophy in 2002 and the US Youth Sailing Championship in 2004. More recently he has helped coach the high school teams that sail out of The Waterfront Center in Oyster Bay NY.  

Other top scoring sailors from the Long Island Sound area included Amanda Clark (Shelter Island NY) and Sarah Lihan who were 12th in the Women’s 470, and Debbie Capozzi (Bayport NY) on Anna Tunnicliffe’s Team Maclaren, with Molly Vandemoer, who won gold in the Women’s Match Race.   

  
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

Read the details about all the USA sailors on the USSTAG news feed , on the USSTAG blog and listen to audio interviews with the sailors.

And for overall coverage see the Perth 2011 ISAF Sailing World Championships website. 

2012 Olympic sailing cities reach out to young people

A  group of UK teenagers are working hard to ensure the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games do not pass by the youngsters in Weymouth and Portland.
 
The Young Ambassadors of Weymouth College have been to the past Olympic sailing site in China and recently to London to gather information on how best to involve the local community in next summer’s sailing competition.

Their visit to London followed a 2010 trip by several Young Ambassadors to Beijing, to find out about the Olympic legacy of the 2008 Games on young people in China, where they were amazed to find out about how many youngsters volunteered. 

They think of inspirational athletes and a major sporting event that will put Weymouth and Portland on the map. 2012 should be all about getting young people to make the most of opportunities at the Olympic Sailing Games.

Read the full article in the Dorset Echo

 

JSA Instructors In Denmark

Sailing is about lifelong friends on a year-round basis in any location.

Some of the JSA of LIS instructors from 2011 have been studying in Denmark, and they invited others to celebrate Thanksgiving with them in Copenhagen.

The photo shows Pequot YC instructors Bryan Stephan, Sarah Hamm and Morgan Cirillo, with Pequot head instructor Tory Lynch, Cedar Point YC head instructor Brendan Kopp, and Noroton YC head instructor Tim Clark.

 

Are you attending the US Sailing National Sailing Programs Symposium?

The US Sailing National Sailing Programs Symposium is scheduled for January 11-14, 2012 in Long Beach, Calif.

The JSA of LIS board has regularly sent representatives to the NSPS and we encourage our member clubs to think about attending as well.

The NSPS is the premier event for sailing education in the United States, bringing together program directors, instructors, volunteers, parents and industry representatives to share and learn best practices with one another about running, maintaining and improving sailing programs. The goal is to have participants come out of the symposium with ideas to apply to their own sailing programs to make them better and help them grow.

JSA of LIS office has summarized the preliminary agenda so you may easily view the topics to find those that interest you.

See all the details about the symposium on the US Sailing NSPS web page.

 

 

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.

 

 

Storm Trysail promotes Junior Safety at Sea

The Storm Trysail Foundation has posted a recap of their Junior Safety-At-Sea Seminars that were hosted during 2011 in Newport RI, Larchmont NY, Annapolis MD and Perth Amboy NJ.

Approximately 300 junior sailors – ranging between the ages of 12 and 20 – were taught the importance of safety when sailing on big boats through classroom sessions, dockside demonstrations and on-the-water experience.

Now Storm Trysail is looking to expand these programs across the country. It is working with US Sailing to create guidelines that will assist volunteers in other regions to host a Junior Safety-at-Sea Seminar.

Rich du Moulin, who heads up the Junior Safety-at-Sea effort, said, “We want to make this program accessible and easy for people who have never done this before. If there is a strong interest in a given place, we can get some Storm Trysail Club members to help set up the lesson plan, work with them as mentors and possibly help with seed funding.” 

For more information:
-See summary about the Safety-At-Sea Seminars on the Storm Trysail Foundation website.
-Also see the detailed training curriculum posted on the offshore section of the US Sailing website.

 

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).