Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Sonar Fleet 1 Newsletter, September 23, 2009






Sonar Fleet 1
Noroton YC


Racing News:

The Kirby Cup team race, hosted by Noroton YC was held last weekend. Sailed in Sonars, teams represented were Noroton YC Fleet 1, Marblehead, MA Fleet 14, Texas Corinthian YC Fleet 13, New York YC Fleet 15, Vineyard Haven YC Fleet 28 and Seawanhaka YC Fleet 24.


The following is a nice write up of the event by Karl Ziegler:


The 2009 Kirby Cup was held last weekend at Noroton Yacht Club under sunny sky's and fickle winds that would prove as tricky as the final score was. A remarkable level of talent showed up to contest for the title of the Sonar Class Association's team racing champion. Teams representing Noroton, Seawanhaka Corinthian, and New York Yacht Club joined those traveling from Marblehead, Texas Corinthian and Vineyard Haven Yacht Clubs for the right to receive the trophy from none other than Bruce Kirby himself who hails from Rowayton and was on hand to be part of the action.

Racing was extremely competitive from the start with the local team from Noroton Yacht Club, represented by skippers Tom "TK" Kinney, Lee Morrison and Steve Shepstone demonstrating good speed and smart team racing to take the lead going into the second day. Hot on their heels only a half point back were Vineyard Haven YC, and the team from Marblehead. Showing no signs of jet lag were the sailors from Texas Corinthian who were only another half point behind. With the top four teams separated by only a single point, the regatta seemed poised for a dramatic finish. But Sunday proved to be too beautiful for the wind to show up, and the regatta ended with the scores as they were on Saturday.


Wes Whitmeyer and his race committee team received tremendous accolades at the awards ceremony for running thirty great races on the event's only day. Chief judge, Peter Wilson presented team captain and event organizer Lee Morrison the trophy, along with the help and inspired remarks from Mr. Kirby. For winning the event,
Noroton Yacht Club gets the honor of hosting the event again next year. They're left to pray for more wind and the same quality of sailor to return next year to guarantee another success.

Rick Doerr wins the Sonar Class in the Skandia Sail for Gold Regatta 2009!


Held from September 14th to the 19th at Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy, the venue for the 2012 Olympics, the Skandia Sail for Gold Regatta is open to all Olympic Classes.

Rick Doerr with crew Maureen McKinnon-Tucker and Hugh Freund pulled out a victory in an extremely competitive fleet of nine boats from eight countries!


On the podiu
m With Rick and his crew are:
2nd: John Robertson, Hannah Strodel and Steve Thomas (GBR)

3rd: Jourden Bruno and Eric Flageul (FRA)

© onEdition 2009

Congratulations Rick (AKA Alphonsus to his international friends!)


Sonar World Championships:


We have hit 50 entries for the 2009 Sonar Worlds! With the expectation of a couple of last minute entries, we will surpass the most recent and largest worlds yet - 51 entries at Marblehead in 2007.


Only a week before the events begin. We are holding our final count down to the Worlds meeting this Thursday, 7:30PM at Noroton.

We still need volunteers, particularly next Wednesday. Please consider stopping by on Thursday at 7:30p and raising your hand to help out next week.


Fleet Racing
:

Our last fleet race of the season is coming up this Sunday, September 27. It is also the last opportunity to race before the Worlds!


The current forecast is for a nice SSW breeze at 10 mph with a 40% chance of a little liquid sunshine. I hope to see everyone out there on the line!


Peter’s Corner: Rule’s questions and answers from Senior Judge Peter Wilson.

Answers to last week’s questions:


Click on image to enlarge

In situation #1, there is room for blue to duck yellow, and she chooses not to. No foul. If there had not been enough room, then Green breaks rule 19.2(b).

In situation # 2, blue is obligated to tack once she calls for ‘room to tack’, whether or not grey tacks and is no longer an obstruction. Blue breaks rule 20.1(c).


Check it out:


I guess creating this newsletter and posting it on http://fleet1news.blogspot.com/ wasn’t enough for me. I still felt unfulfilled so I created a new online destination for everyone. It is a new social network for all things Sonar. You can find it by clicking on the following link:

http://sonarclass.ning.com/

It is a work in progress but the cool thing is everyone can participate! If you have any questions, whether it be rules or measurement or whatever, just create a forum discussion. Anything you want to blog about? Just do it! Add or check out events. Download photos or video. Create groups (I created a Fleet 1 group for any discussions specific to our our fleet). It’s kinda like a mini Facebook or MySpace only interesting!


I hope everyone will sign in and try it out. The more we use it, the more we’ll want to use it.


This week’s events:

Sunday 9/27 - Last fleet race before the Worlds


Upcoming events:


Tuesday 9/29 - Sunday 10/4 - Sonar World Championships


Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Sonar Fleet 1 Newsletter, September 15, 2009








Sonar Fleet 1
Noroton YC


Last week’s version of team 500. Now we know their secret weapon!

Racing News:

The northerly last Sunday did its usual thing...shifty, puffy conditions. Still, at the end of the day, we got in three races thanks to PRO Chris Zaleski and his RC.

The LIS Championships at Sachem’s Head attracted some of our fleet, Lee Morrison, Scott Harrison and Peter Galloway to be precise, but we still managed to get 10 boats on the line. Winning the day was team 500 (l to r above) Randy Tankoos, Bill Jayson, Gillian Jayson and Will Graves. Second went to Ed Sweeney and third was Kevin Sheehan with partner Palmer Sparkman.

Here are the results:

Jayson 1 5 1 = 7
Sweeney 3 2 3 = 8
Sheehan/Sparkman 4 1 5 = 10

Each race was a D2. It is interesting to note that there was only a 2 minute separation between the first and last boats for each race. So even the last place boats had lots of action at each mark rounding...trust me, I know! :(


LIS Championships:

As I mentioned, Fleet 1 had three boats participate in the LIS Championships. Scott Harrison, with crew Warren Costikyan and Adam Westerman finished third behind two local boats. Peter Galloway finished 4th and Lee Morrison finished 9th.


Kirby Cup:


The Kirby Cup team race, hosted by Noroton YC is coming this weekend. Sailed in Sonars, teams represented are Noroton YC Fleet 1, Marblehead, MA Fleet 14, Texas Corinthian YC Fleet 13, New York YC Fleet 15, Vineyard Haven YC Fleet 28 and Seawanhaka YC Fleet 24.

Spectators are welcome to come out to watch the racing from Volunteer which will be on station in the vicinity of the race course. If you are not familiar with team racing, you should come and check it out. The races are short with lots of action so there is very little down time!


Peter’s Corner: Rule’s questions and answers from Senior Judge Peter Wilson.

Answers to last week’s questions:


Click on image to enlarge

If we take the zone away, when Blue becomes overlapped to leeward of yellow as a result of yellow crossing head to wind in her tack, blue can luff to prevent yellow from completing her tack so long as she gives yellow room to keep clear. Yellow is subject to rule 13, and must keep clear. Blue does not have to let yellow complete her tack.

However, as this incident happens inside the zone at the pin end of the finish, some other rules come into play that put some other obligations on blue. As the boats were on opposite tacks when the first of them (yellow) entered the zone, rule 18 does not apply at position 1 or 2. However, once yellow passes head to wind both she and blue are on port tack at position 3. Now rule 18.2(a) applies and blue must immediately begin to give yellow mark-room. And, as neither boat is fetching the mark (see definition of fetching), rule 18.3 does not apply.

Yellow is entitled to mark room, which is room to sail a seamanlike course to the mark and then her proper course while at the mark. Blue cannot luff up to force yellow to steer a course at or above the pin because this is not ‘to the mark’. At position 4 yellow has come down to close-hauled and blue is still a little above close-hauled, giving yellow mark-room.

After yellow passes head-to-wind in position 3, she is still a tacking boat and then in position 4 a windward boat, so she must keep clear of blue, which she does. If there is contact between yellow and blue at position 3 or 4, as long as yellow is sailing to the mark she will be exonerated from breaking rule 13 or 11, and blue would break 18.2(a). Blue must be very careful trying to break up the slam dunk inside the zone and is taking a big risk once yellow is on port tack.

This week’s question:



Click on image to enlarge

Fleet Racing:

As a reminder, there will be no fleet racing this Sunday, September 20, due to the Kirby Cup.

I Have Way to Much Time on my Hands:

I guess creating this newsletter and posting it here wasn’t enough for me. I still felt unfulfilled so I created a new online destination for everyone. It is a new social network for all things Sonar. You can find it by clicking on the following link:

http://sonarclass.ning.com/


It is a work in progress but the cool thing is everyone can participate! If you have any questions, whether it be rules or measurement or whatever, just create a forum discussion. Anything you want to blog about? Just do it! Add or check out events. Download photos or video. Create groups (I created a Fleet 1 group for any discussions specific to our our fleet). It’s kinda like a mini Facebook or MySpace only interesting!

I hope everyone will sign in and try it out. The more we use it, the more we’ll want to use it.


This week’s events:

Saturday 9/19 - Sunday 9/20 - Kirby Cup team race.


Upcoming events:


Sunday 9/27 - Last fleet race before the Worlds

Tuesday 9/29 - Sunday 10/4 - Sonar World Championships

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Sonar Fleet 1 Newsletter, September 8, 2009





Sonar Fleet 1

Noroton YC




A group of real winners!
(l to r) TK, Randy Tankoos,
Ed Sweeney, Susan Morrison,
Lee Morrison, Peggy Hersam
and Commodore Jayson

Racing News:

We were able to get six races in over the Labor Day weekend. Sunday was the best day of the year with a fairly consistent 14 knot ESE (110º-120º) breeze. The chop that generally comes with an easterly did not disappoint either.


After three races on day one, with 15 boats on the line, we had a tie for first between the Cranes and Team 500 comprised of Bill Jayson, Randy Tankoos, Kathy Hoyt and Ned Jones. In third was Lee Morrison, just three points behind.


Labor Day racing was a slightly different animal with the east wind down to about 5 knots. But we still had some chop so there’s that!

Winning the day was Lee Morrison with 7 points in three races.. His crew consisted of wife Susan, Don Vasta and Marya Schmidt. Second was Colin Gordon with crew TK (aka Tom Kinney), Mike Huang and Duke Young sailing Sonar #384. Third was Rick Doerr with 11 points.


The overall for the two days, including one drop-out looks like this:

Gordon (OCS) 1 3 5 1 3 = 13
Morrison 3 (5) 5 4 2 1 = 15

Jayson 2 6 2 (7) 4 5 = 19

Sweeney 1 (10) 7 6 6 2 = 22


We have lots of great pictures from Sunday thanks to PRO Peter Galloway! The pictures can be viewed by going to:


http://gallery.me.com/petergalloway/100052

I would also like to thank our PRO for Monday, Michael Rudnick and his great RC!


Kirby Cup:


The Kirby Cup team race, hosted by Noroton YC is less than two weeks away. Sailed in Sonars, teams represented are Noroton YC Fleet 1, Marblehead, MA Fleet 14, Texas Corinthian YC Fleet 13, New York YC Fleet 15, Vineyard Haven YC Fleet 28 and Seawanhaka YC Fleet 24.


We are still seeking used 2003-2007 North mains and jibs to be used in Kirby Cup racing. If you have sails you would like to loan us, please put them in the upper living room preferably before next Monday evening. Jibs should be labeled with the sail number on the tack (so, we know who they belong to).


Spectators are welcome to come out to watch the racing from Volunteer which will be on station in the vicinity of the race course. If you are not familiar with team racing, you should come and check it out. The races are short with lots of action so there is very little down time!


LIS Championships:


The LIS Championships, are this coming weekend, 9/12-9/13 at Sachem’s Head YC in Gilford, CT. This is a great opportunity, and maybe the last, to get some really great competitive racing in before the Worlds.


On-line registration is available for this regatta. Just go to the Members Only section of www.sonar.org, then Regattas -> Event Registration to register.

Sonar Seminar:


We had a great turn-out for the Sonar seminar last Saturday. Many thanks to Peter Galloway and Brian Hayes for taking the time to share their thoughts on everything from rigging to sail trim to race course management.

We would also like to thank Ched Proctor for his assistance during the on-the-water portion of the seminar.


Peter’s Corner: Rule’s questions and answers from Senior Judge Peter Wilson.

Answers to last week’s questions:

Click on image to enlarge

Answer: There is no clear answer because the definition Obstruction makes yellow an obstruction for both blue and green not only when they are both behind her, but also when they overlap her. ‘A boat racing is not an obstruction to other boats unless they are required to keep clear of her, or give her room or mark-room…’


Blue claims that green did not give her room to keep clear of yellow once green chose to go below yellow, and therefore broke rule 19, which exonerates blue from breaking 18.2(b) with respect to yellow.


Green, however, claims that blue could have easily seen that she (blue) would not be able to go between yellow and green and still give mark-room to both of them, so she (blue) was not compelled to break rule 18.2(b). Green also says she broke no rule as she was entitled to mark-room from blue and was simply taking the room to which she was entitled.


It is likely that the definition of obstruction will be changed for 2010.


This week’s question:


Click on image to enlarge


This week’s events:


Saturday 9/12 - Sunday 9/13 - LIS Championships at Sachem’s Head YC.

Sunday, 1:30p – Fleet racing


Upcoming events:


Saturday 9/19 - Sunday 9/20 - Kirby Cup Team Race

Tuesday 9/29 - Sunday 10/4 - Sonar World Championships

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Sonar Fleet 1 Newsletter, September 1, 2009





Sonar Fleet 1
Noroton YC

Racing News:

The dog days of summer seem like they have finally hit. Just in time for September!

We were able to get in one light air race Sunday before the breeze completely died. Too bad to, we had a nice turn-out with 15 Sonars on the line including our new Guest of the Fleet, Jen French.


Jen is here from St. Peterburg, FL to participate in the US Disabled Sailing Championships being held at Riverside YC on September 10-13. She is then going to race with us in the Sonar World Championships.

Back to yesterday’s race. Peter Galloway took the gun with crew (left to right above) Ched Proctor, Jim Linville and Peter. Not pictured was Paul Steinborn.


Rounding out the top three were Lee Morrison in second and Rick Doerr in third.

Sonar Worlds:


On-line registration is now available. Go to the Members Only section of www.sonar.org, then Regattas -> Event Registration to register.


Entries must be received by September 8 or be subject to a $75 late charge. That is only one week away so get those entries in!


LIS Championships:

Less than two weeks until the LIS Championships, scheduled for 9/12-9/13 at Sachem’s Head YC in Gilford, CT.

This is a great opportunity, and maybe the last, to get some really great competitive racing in before the Worlds. You have until this Friday, September 4 to register and avoid a late charge.


On-line registration is also available for this regatta. Once again, just go to the Members Only section of www.sonar.org, then Regattas -> Event Registration to register.


Guests of the Fleet:


We have a couple of guests sailing with us at Noroton. Pictured are (l to r): Tim Ripley who is a guest of the 2.4 fleet, Andy Ross and Jen French. Also pictured is our own Rick Doerr.

Both Tim and Jen will be competing in the US Disabled Sailing Championships.


Sonar Seminar:

The Sonar seminar will be held this coming Saturday, September 5. The day’s schedule remains the same. Arrive at Noroton at 10:00am. Plan to stay until 5:00pm.


Peter’s Corner:
Rule’s questions and answers from Senior Judge Peter Wilson.


Answers to last week’s questions:






In both situations, as long as port has a seamanlike escape for each course alteration made by starboard, then starboard does not break 16.1. It is port's obligation to take action to keep clear. See the recent ISAF Q&A 33 http://www.sailing.org/tools/documents/QA2009033-[7441].pdf.

In the upwind situation port does not take avoiding action when starboard alters up, and breaks rule 10 when starboard ducks to avoid contact. In the downwind situation port waits to attempt crossing, and still has time to avoid, so no infraction on her part. However, by waiting until the last minute to avoid contact, she increases the risk of being found by a PC to have broken rule 10 if starboard has to avoid.


Proper course does not come into play in either scenario, as an upwind starboard is not restricted to sail above closehauled (unless restricted by 17 in an overlap situation), and downwind she can bear off as much as she wants so long as she gives the port boat room to avoid her.

This week's question:





This week’s events:


Saturday September 5, 10:00a-5:00p
– Sonar Seminar hosted by Peter Galloway and Brian Hayes

Sunday, 1:30p
– Labor Day Series, Day 1

Sunday, 6:00p-10:00p
- Lobster Bake!

Monday, 1:30p
- Labor Day Series, Day 2


Upcoming events:


Saturday 9/12 - Sunday 9/13
- LIS Championships at Sachem’s Head YC.

Saturday 9/19 - Sunday 9/20
- Kirby Cup Team Race

Tuesday 9/29 - Sunday 10/4
- Sonar World Championships


Caption Contest:


Now it’s time for our second caption contest! Submit captions for the picture below. The winner, picked by yours truly, will get something. Not sure what, but something. :)




My offer, to get things started, is: “No I said knit one, pearl TWO.”

Rules:
What rules? We don’t need no stinking rules!!!!