JibeTalk

Pixels and Blue Jays Wrap Up Season At Roton Point

 

(James Haranzo and Brooks Daley of Noroton YC cross to flatten the boat during Pixel Champs)

The JSA of LIS Pixel Championship and Blue Jay National Championship were sailed earlier this week, on August 8 and 9 off the shores of Rowayton and Norwarlk, Connecticut. Roton Point Association, collaborating with Noroton and Norwalk yacht clubs, played host to the event, which welcomed 71 sailors and 44 boats over the two classes.

The first day of the regatta brought a light, shifting northerly, and each class was able to complete four races.

"The wind was a bit unsettled as all northerlies are along that coast, and in both fleets the lead boats handled the situation very well, tacking on the knocks and taking advantage of lifts," said Bruce Kirby, Principal Race Officer and Pixel designer. 

On Day 2, breeze built to a steady 13-knot easterly, for what Kirby deemed "perfect sailing weather." Both classes completed two races before heading back to shore before afternoon thunderstorms set in.

"In the Pixel class, skippers and crews were able to enjoy some planing and wave riding," he said.

Kirby was impressed by the boathandling he saw on the water, saying, "I was surprised at the speed of some of the spinnaker sets and douses. The top boats looked like Olympic hopefuls, even though some of the crews were just out of Optis."

He also noted that the importance of finding the right settings on the boats came into play, particularly when stronger winds set in on the second day of the regatta. 

"The crews with the right setttings had nice even mast bends, which helped flatten the main, and they were able to point higher and keep the boat flatter, which made a big difference," he said.

Katie DeVore and Callin Campbell, of Larchmont Yacht Club, topped the competition in the Pixel fleet, winnning five out of six total races. Taylor Hart and Julia Dunne, from Noroton Yacht Club, and Andrew Roth, and Richard O'Leary, from American Yacht Club, rounded out the top three. 

"In the end, it was all about consistency," said Dunne, who crewed to a second place finish with skipper Taylor Hart. "Everyone had a bad race or two, but the boats with the fewest errors came out on top." 

Coming off fresh from a victory at Larchmont Junior Race Week, Ella Simkins, Lena Scarpulla, and Kayla McKenna of Centerport Yacht Club (pictured above, with perpetual trophy) finished first in the Blue Jay class and captured the national title. Alex Haughton and Alex D'Agostino, and Noah Christiano and Ryland Parker, all from Pettipaug Yacht Club, notched second and third place finishes. 

Full results can be found at the JSA Regattas page

Photos courtesy of Clemmie Everett and Julie Dunbar

 

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!

Good, Clean (and Green) Fun at the Pequot Invitational

In the infinite wisdom of Kermit the Frog, it's not easy being green. Kermit, however, was not present at the Pequot Invitational - a 'Clean Regatta' pledging to reduce waste and eliminate plastic botles - earlier this week. 

Pequot Yacht Club played host to over eighty sailors competing in their 57^th annual Invitational Regatta from Sunday, July 31st through Tuesday, August 2nd. Young sailors between the ages of 11 through 15 competed in a fleet of 41 Pixels.

Light to moderate winds out of the south were the order of the day on Monday as the sailors completed two races before the race committee was forced to cancel racing for the day by early afternoon with the growing threat of thunder squalls. Tuesday was catch up day as the race committee again battled a morning shifting breeze to complete four races before the mandatory 2pm cutoff.

For many sailors, this event was their first “away” regatta in a two (or even three!) person boat. Sailors from New York clubs are housed by local families, and for sailors and parents alike, this is a logistical step up from the Opti regattas most are used to. Pequot hosted a dinner and a dance for the sailors on Monday night, which offered a chance to meet and mingle with sailors from other clubs.

Pequot is a small club as far as “footprint” is concerned, but for over the past 50 years the club has rounded up the necessary army of volunteers (this year led by Pamela Aris, Tim Clarke and Pam Toner) to get sailors registered and boats inspected and launched on Sunday and back out of the water on Tuesday with good racing in changing conditions over two days (thanks to the great efforts of PRO Evan Olmstead and his team).

 In the “Blue” Pixel Open Division, Katie DeVore and Caillin Campbell from Larchmont YC showed both dominance and consistency in finishing first (with a second finish representing their “drop” race). Andrew Roth & Richard O’Leary from American showed great consistency of their own, finishing second. James Haranzo and Brooks Daley from Noroton finished third.

In the “Red” Pixel Open Division Chris Brown & Benjamin Kasper from Black Rock Yacht Club posted three bullets on their way to a solid first place finish. Tucker Leicht, Teddy Knowles and Christopher Pace from Larchmont finished close to the top in most of their races to grab second place. Taylor Hart and Julia Dunne from Noroton finished third. 

The Invitational once again featured a Pixel “Novice’ Division. There was much emerging talent to be found in this division and these novices really showed their stuff.  Cedar Point Yacht Club’s Andrew Breschard and Christian Myers finished no lower than second (of the races they “kept”) to finish first. Peter Sauer and Zachary Steuer, also from Cedar Point posted two first place finishes of their own on their way to a second place overall finish. Julia Wilson and Caroline Wolstenholme from Pequot finished third.

This year, Pequot collaborated with ‘Sailors for the Sea’ to pledge to make this a ‘Clean Regatta’, by embracing a large scale recycling effort and distributing water in insulated stainless steel bottles replacing the use of plastic.  At the same time, the ‘Clean Regatta’ pledge raised the awareness of our junior sailors to the importance of the health of our oceans.

While launching a full-scale effort to go completely green in one single regatta can be overwhelming for clubs, regatta chair Pamela Aris noted the importance of taking small, but critical steps.

“It can be very expensive for clubs to do it all at once, but you can go green in stages, over the course of a couple regattas. The single most important step is to eliminate the use of plastic bottles,” she said.

Pequot Yacht Club’s Commodore, Bruce Kueffner said, “Pequot’s 57th Invitational in August marks the first Green JSA of LIS event. (Junior Sailing Association of Long Island Sound’s member clubs host close to fifty regattas annually). We intend to recommend this be a precedent for future JSA events.  Sailors for the Sea’s support has been instrumental to our Invitational’s success.”

For results in full, see JSA Regattas page. 

- Report compiled by Tim Clark and photos courtesy of Daniela Clark and PhotoBoat.com.

Going Green in Pixels: Pequot YC to Host 57th Invitational Next Week

The registration deadline is coming up for the Pequot Invitational Regatta next week. This is a great opportunity for sailors to race in Pixels and have the opportunity to qualify for JSA of LIS Pixel Championships later this summer.

Nearly 100 sailors will race in Pixels off Southport Harbor for two days when Pequot Yacht Club plays host to its annual invitational regatta from July 31 to August 2. Registration and check-in for the event kicks off on Sunday evening, with racing to follow on Monday and Tuesday. Pequot has made arrangements for charter boats for those who are interested.

Pequot has collaborated with Sailors for the Sea to pledge to make this a 'Clean Regatta,' by embracing a large scale recycling effort and distributing water in reusable bottles. For the past few years, Sailors for the Sea has been sponsoring Clean Regattas for junior events, college sailing, big ocean races, and everything in between. These events aim to produce less material waste and reduce the amount of debris in the water and on the shore. We believe this is the first of what will be hopefully many Clean Regattas for JSA clubs in the future. 

For more information on registering for this regatta, see the JSA regattas page for event details. 

Sailors prevail through light air at Larchmont Junior Race Week

Three days, five boat classes, one dance, 33 total races, endless ice cream, and nearly 500 sailors.

All of this added up for another successful Larchmont Junior Race Week, held last Monday through Wednesday at Larchmont Yacht Club. The regatta, which celebrated its 85^th consecutive year this summer, remains one of the highlight events on the JSA of LIS calendar.

Over the course of the event, the weather remained hot and the winds light, which made for tough racing conditions. Though there were several postponements mixed in with the racing, each class was able to complete multiple races.

Sailors relax on the lawn before the awards ceremony

Russell Clarida of Pequot Yacht Club won the William S. Luckett Memorial Trophy as the top finisher in the C420 class, as well as the Commodore’s Trophy for best overall performance at Race Week.  His crew, Sophie Kay, also from Pequot, won the Crew Prize. Clara Robertson of American Yacht Club won the O’Donnell Trophy for a female sailor showing outstanding sportsmanship and seamanship.  Thomas McHugh from Black Rock Yacht Club won the George S. Hills Trophy for his first place finish in the Laser radial class. Will Gallagher from Larchmont Yacht Club, who finished first in the Pixel Class, won the Bamberger Trophy. Finally, Chris Browne, from Black Rock Yacht Club, was awarded the Windjammer Trophy for demonstrating outstanding seamanship and sportsmanship. 

(LYC sailors Teddy Knowles, Tucker Leicht, and Will Gallagher placed first in Pixels. See the LoHud for a feature article on the trio.)

Top finishers, by class:

Blue Jay: Ella Simkins/Lena Scarpulla and Kayla McKenna (Centerport Yacht Club) in 1^st, John Martin/Matthew McAndrew (Douglaston Yacht Squadron) in 2^nd, and Miles Ripka/Alessandra Sager (Sea Cliff Yacht Club) in 3^rd.

Pixel: Will Gallagher and Tucker Leicht/Teddy Knowles (Larchmont Yacht Club) in 1^st, Taylor Hart/Julia Dunne (Noroton Yacht Club) in 2^nd, James Haranzo/Brooks Daley (Noroton) in 3^rd.

C420: Russell Clarida/Sophie Kay (Pequot Yacht Club) in 1^st, Sean Cornell/Peter Sterflinger (Centerport) in 2^nd, and Clara Robertson/Mary Robertson (American Yacht Club) in 3^rd.

Laser Standard: James Barry (Stamford Yacht Club) in 1^st, Mark Zaleski (Stamford) in 2^nd, and Andrew Schlegel (Larchmont) in 3^rd.

Laser Radial: Thomas McHugh (Black Rock Yacht Club) in 1^st, Travis Bobley (Sea Cliff) in 2^nd, and Christian Langalis (Norwalk Yacht Club) in 3^rd.

(L: C420 winners Sophie Kay and Russell Clarida, R: Laser winner James Barry)

For results in full, see the JSA Regattas page. More pictures are available here.

Light Air At Long Island Sound District Regattas

 

Light air was the name of the game for sailors competing in the open qualifying events for the JSA Championships at last week’s District regattas. Last Thursday, June 7, Noroton Yacht Club and Norwalk Yacht Club played host to the Eastern District regattas, with C420s and Laser full rigs competing at Noroton, and Radials and Pixels at Norwalk.

While it took some time for the breeze to fill in at both Eastern District regattas, a consistent 4-5 knot southerly did enable a full day of sailing at both venues. However, the breeze wasn’t as cooperative across the sound at Western Districts. Sailors waited for the wind all day at Sea Cliff Yacht Club, but conditions were unfortunately too light to sail and late thunderstorms threatened.

At Eastern Districts, Noroton YC Head Instructor Tim Clark saw the light air as an advantage.

“It was great that the Race Committee was able to get so many races in with the tough conditions early on. This is probably the best introduction to the season we could ask for – it’s not too windy, so new kids won’t be overwhelmed. We have a lot of new Laser sailors today, and if it was blowing 15 out here, it wouldn’t be fun," said Clark.

(First time 420 sailors Tucker Hersam and Jack Daley, of Noroton, after winnng the first race of the day)

In the 420 fleet, Jack Cusick and Henry Dumke (Pequot) won the day, while James Barry (Indian Harbor) came in first overall for the Lasers.

(Windward mark rounding, race 2, Laser full rig)

Next door at Norwalk, James Haranzo and Daley Brooks (Noroton) won the Pixel Open Division, and Corey Sabia and Lindsay Walsh (Norwalk) won the Pixel Novice Division. Gillian Boehringer finished first in the Radial fleet.

Sailors finishing in the top 40% of their fleets at these regattas qualified for the JSA Championship regattas, which will be held during the second week of August. 

Congratulations to all on a great day of sailing, and thank you to the Race Committees and program staff at all the clubs for running the regattas smoothly and safely.  

For event results in full, see the JSA Regattas page. Additional coverage and photos from the 420/Laser portion of Eastern Districts can be found on Twitter and Picasa. 

 

At Pequot Junior Yacht Club, Keeping the Tradition Alive

To kick off the summer season, many clubs take a leaf out of history’s book for their annual commissioning ceremonies.

Ship commissioning dates back to the ancient world, when dignitaries in ancient Greece would wear olive wreaths, drink wine in honor of the gods, and pour water on new vessels as symbols of blessing.

In more modern times, naval fleets assembled for ceremonies where officers read commissioning directives and raised pennants for new commands. In recent years, naval commissionings remain formal ceremonies, with addresses and guests gathering to celebrate new officers.

There were no olive wreaths at Pequot Junior Yacht Club’s commissioning ceremony, but there was plenty of pomp and circumstance to go around as members met in late June to mark the official opening of the summer season.

The junior flag officers are elected by their peers at the final awards night in the prior summer. They then assume leadership roles in the junior program for the following year. The PJYC officers officiate the commissioning ceremony, attended by sailors, club members, and senior flag officers.

Bridget Clarke, this year’s Junior Fleet Captain, commented on the ceremony.

“I felt privileged to wish luck to all the sailors in the audience. Now I realize that the commissioning is not only the chance to reunite with past summer friends, but also the chance to be positive for the upcoming season. Beginning the sailing program with a content attitude will only benefit our time as junior sailors,” said Clarke. 

For Clarke, and many others at Pequot, club traditions such as these play an important role in having memorable and successful summer seasons. 

“In every Pequot commissioning, we will remember our past summer memories and focus on creating new ones," she said.

Pequot's junior sailing program chair, Tim Clarke, said the commissioning ceremony "allowed us to point out some of the awards that Pequot sailors had won over the winter or past years. This included the Everett Morris, the Clinton Bell, and the Thomas Fowler. So it was a nice way to showcase the JSA of LIS tradition in the context of the Pequot tradition."

Images: Top - PYC sailors and families, Bottom - Junior Flag Officers at PJYC, L-R: Nathan Arndt, Vice Commodore; Bridget Clarke, Fleet Captain; Karl Forst, Mentor Leader; David Watkins, Commodore. Photographs courtesy of Tim Clarke.

Checking the PFDs

Junior sailing programs on Long Island Sound know that use of US Coast Guard approved Personal Flotation Devices has been a long-time US Sailing rule, and a JSA of LIS rule as well.

This year JSA regatta host clubs are reinforcing adherence to the rule by asking sailors and instructors to show their USCG approved PFDs (not the CE approved European styles) when they arrive at regatta registration. And of course monitoring that PFDs are properly fastened when on the water.

 
As example of this procedure, this photo shows Karen Nye, a judge at this week's Indian Harbor Yacht Club Commodore Law Trophy Regatta, inspecting a PFD at the registration table. Karen reported full compliance  - 100% had US Coast Guard approved PFDs.

US Sailing Summer Road Show wants to visit you

 
 

The inaugural US Sailing Summer Road Show will be making stops at sailing organizations from Maine to Maryland to participate in a variety of events including regattas, junior clinics, and community outreach programs, adult learn to sail seminars, and other sailing events.

The Summer Road Show team will be on the road from Memorial Day (May 30) through Labor Day (Sept. 5).

Here are a few ways US Sailing's Road Show can participate in your organizations’s events and programs:

• Regatta or Site Visit
  US Sailing will stop by your regatta or event and provide a fun interactive experience to promote sailing and share information about some of its products and services. 
• Clinics
  The US Sailing Road Show team can host a one day/afternoon clinic for youth programs at Yacht Clubs and community sailing centers, or help out during an already established clinic.
• Youth Program or Sailing School
  The US Sailing Road Show team would love to help instruct at your Junior Program or Sailing School for the day. Their Level 1 certified Instructors are happy to help out and coach for a day at your program or sailing school.

If you'd like to have the Road Show team visit your event,  to give it more exposure or just a little support, please submit your invitation to the team. All clubs and community sailing centers located from New England to the Mid-Atlantic are eligible.

Cold Spring Harbor BC Hosts Pixel/Blue Jay Champs and Blue Jay Nationals

Yesterday marked the end of the summer season for the Blue Jay and Pixel classes. 25 Pixels and 8 Blue Jays competed in the annual JSA championship event. Additionally, CSHBC hosted Blue Jay Nationals concurrently for a fleet of 14 boats. The conditions were a bit light, and luckily the sailors were able to avoid the rain on the afternoon of the second day. The winners of the Blue Jay Nationals were David Peck and Shawn Pellissier of Niantic Bay YC with impressive straight bullets. This marks the third time that a member of the Peck family has taken home the win. The perpetual trophy is on permanent display at the Mystic Seaport in the Sparkman & Stephens Room. 

The top finishers for the Pixel fleet were:

1. John Lane and James McGuire (Roton Point)
2. Theodore Bresolin and Daniel Philip (American)
3. Lindsay Doyle and Sarah Owen (Cedar Point)  

For the Blue Jay JSA Champs:

1. Tiernan O'Rourke, Matthew Goodman, and Ashley Sheerin (Seacliff)
2. Liam Murphy and Carley Ridini (Centerport)
3. Miles Ripka and Ian Coughlin (Seacliff)

And for Blue Jay Nationals:

1. David Peck and Shawn Pellisier (Niantic Bay)
2. Tiernan O'Rourke, Matthew Goodman, and Ashley Sheerin (Seacliff)
3. Catalina Feder and Laila Morgan (Cold Spring Harbor)

Read the full results here. Thank you to the RC and Cold Spring Harbor BC for hosting this event, and congrats to the sailors for getting to champs and sailing a great summer!