Tuesday, October 8, 2013

SONAR FLEET 1 NEWSLETTER

FLEET RACING:

SUNDAY OCTOBER 6

It's a shame so many fleet 1 boats can't make it out this time of year. We had five boats go out on Sunday. They collectively had the time of their lives. It was soooo much fun.

The wind was out of the east at 15-20. Here's Norwalk light's (Peck's Ledge) numbers:


Props to PRO Scott Harrison and his RC for getting three races in, a D2 and two W2's

Lee Morrison and team 619... Chris Shapiro, Susan Morrison and Tim Sickinger were pretty much unstoppable. They took the gun in all three races, 

Second went to Bruce Kirby and team 633... Britt Hall, Howard Seymour and Bob Lawrence who finished second on all three races.

Third, winning a tie-breaker, went to Bob Monro and team 605, Francesca, Ian, Michael Rudnick and Janet Grapengeter who beat Team Vespa with Ed Infurna, Ed's sister Julie (who set and jibed the pole despite being on the boat for the first time), Bruce McArthur and Andy Ross.

Also out racing was Team 726 with Michael Aingorn, Sara Rakov and Paul Steinborn. Yes, you read that right. They went out in 15-20 with just three. 

Full results here: http://www.fleet1.org/

That was the good news. Now the really fun part...

Team 619 won one race even after rounding up at one point (good job by Bruce Kirby, who was hot on Lee's heels, in avoiding him).

Team 605 decided to try their luck fishing with their spinnaker in race one. It turned out to be slow. Plus, we don't think they caught anything.

Team 726 apparently thought putting large vent holes in their spinnaker might help their downwind speed... they were wrong.

Team Vespa, who keeps their spin pole on the boom, decided to see what would happen at the leeward mark if they put the shrouds BETWEEN the pole and the boom. Also very slow.

Other than that, with three races including 10 mark roundings, six spinnaker sets and great surfing waves in 15-20, it was pretty much ho-hum. 

Chris, Susan, Lee and Tim with the coveted first place...
oh wait, those aren't the glasses.

Only one more chance to sail. Then it's months and months and months before we do it again.

MONDAY OCTOBER 7

We had a little weather come through. Here's a short video...


NOTES:

Boat haul-out begins Thursday October 17. For those of you who are storing your Sonars at Noroton and are having Ed Morgan wrap them up, the sooner you get your boat ready, the better. Don't make Ed wait until crunch time just before haul-out.

TIME TO START PLANNING...

The 2014 North Americans will be held in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia on August 8-10. This date and location was chosen because it is the week before the IFDS Worlds in Halifax and immediately before the start of Chester Race Week, one of the biggest, best and most fun regattas in North America. 

The OA of Chester Race Week plan to give the Sonars a start if anyone was interested in making a vacation out of the trip and hanging out to do some more racing.

Noroton will be hosting the 2014 ACC's on October 4-5.

CALENDAR:

Last day of fleet racing: Sunday, October 13
Celebration of the Season Party: Sunday October 20, 1600 hours

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

SONAR FLEET 1 NEWSLETTER

FLEET RACING:

Sunday September 29:

Typical for this time of year, this past Sunday turned out to be a great day for sailing. Sunny, mild temps with wind out of the ESE in the 7-9 range. In a word... beautiful.

10 boats were on the line, a pretty good turn-out. PRO Morgan Connor and the RC set up a D course and ran 3 D1's then finished with a W1.

With the line slightly on the short side, crowded starts were typical.

The first race went to Bob Monro and Team 605, followed by Team 500, made up of commodores Jayson/Lyden/Tankoos and Geoff Marshall. In third was Bruce Kirby and Team 633.

Race two saw the same three boats finishing at the top of the fleet only in a slightly different order. First was 633, second was 500 and third was 605.

Race three saw some other boats wanting a piece of the action with Lee Morrison and Team 619 finishing first, Team 500 once again finishing second and Ed Sweeney and Team 454 in third.

Our final race, a quick W1, saw the same three boats from race three at the top but once again a different order. First was Team 500, we guess fourth time's a charm for them, followed by Team 454 in second and Team 619 in third. Whew.

Overall for the day, our winner of the coveted first place glasses was Team 500 with just 7 points...


Second went to Bob Monro and Team 605 with 12 points, followed by Ed Sweeney and Team 545 in third with 14.

Here's a shot by Kip Hewitt of the fleet returning at the end of racing...

What a day.
Sunday September 22:

A very light turn-out due in part to seven Noroton boats participating in the World Championships in Rochester.

Four boats raced two races with Ed Sweeney and Team 454 taking two guns to win the day. Second went to Team Vespa in a tie-breaker over Michael Aingorn and Team 726. Fourth was John Schultz and Paul Norton and Team 616.

ONLY TWO RACE DAYS LEFT.

SONAR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS:



Eric Voss from Rochester YC won the 2013 Sonar Worlds. After that, it was all Noroton as Noroton members took second through seventh place.

Second went to team 506 Evil Empire, with sailing member TK who joined Colin Gordon, Ben Cesare and Bill Lynn.

Third was Team 701 Fast Forward with Peter Galloway, Paul Steinborn, Ched Procter and Sara Rakov.

Fourth went to Team 810 Bandit, with US Paralympian and new member Andy Fisher, sailing with Jeff Madrigal, Tom Brown and Lee Icyda

Fifth was Team 418 with Lee Morrison, Bruce McArthur, Harry Milne and Geoff Durno

Sixth was Team 390 Friend of the Devil with Alex Meleney.

And Seventh went to Team 772 Crushed with Scott Harrison, Warren Costikyan, Chris Shapiro and Adam Westerman.

Only three point separated fifth through seventh place.

Also racing from Noroton was Rick Doerr and Team Valiant and Bruce Kirby and Team Jack 

Overall a field of 30 competitors from five countries met in Rochester New York to compete for the title of Sonar World Champion.

10 races were sailed in conditions from light and variable to a very challenging final day with winds 18-28 and waves 3-7 feet.

That noise heard out on the course on Sunday was the sound of masts, booms and rudders breaking! 

Also heard was the sound of people hooting' and hollering' surfing down those big waves while throwing off a wake reminiscent of a chase boat at the America's Cup!

Woo… that was fun!

All along, three boats fought hard for #1. Team Rafiki, Team Evil Empire and Team Fast Forward.

In the end, only 5 points separated first and third. 

Team Rafiki won with 21 points, followed by team Evil Empire with 25 and team Fast Forward with 26.

Full results can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/worldsresults

Here are some shots from Sunday's races:








NOTES:


On October 4th, the New York Harbor Foundation is hosting a Regatta and Bash on Governor's Island to Support the New York Harbor School.

It is a fabulous event.   They are reaching out to members of other clubs in the area who might be interested in the cause. 

For more information: http://nyharborregatta.com/tickets/

CALENDAR:

Last day of fleet racing: Sunday, October 13
Celebration of the Season Party: Sunday October 20, 1600 hours

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

SONAR FLEET 1 NEWSLETTER

I knew I was forgetting something...

FLEET RACING:

Labor Day Series

Our labor Day Series turned into one race on Monday, September 2. We did manage to get 15 boats out there on a day that was questionable from the start.

PRO Steve Shepstone managed to get a D1 in the books before calling it a day.

Our race, day and series winner was team Spitfire with Kerry Klingler, Chris Daly, Karl Ziegler and Bill Crane.


Sunday September 15 

Sunday was a different story. The forecast didn't look promising but the reality... 10 kts out of the SW made for a great day on the water.

PRO Craig Sinclair ably assisted by Wes Whitmeyer and their daughters, ran three races. Two W2s and a W1.

Team 500 was really fast and really consistent with finishes of 3, 1, 2 and took the day with their 6 points.

Coming in second with 8 points, despite getting two guns, was Lee Morrison with crew Geoff Durno, Bruce McArthur and Harry Milne. This team was working together for the first time in preparation for the upcoming Worlds.

Third, also with eight points was Scott Harrison and team 772... Adam Westerman, Warren Costikyan and Chris Shapiro.

Team 500: Geoff Marshall and Commodores Randy Tankoos and Bill Jayson.
Missing is the obviously shy Gillian Jayson Graves.

World Championships

The World Championships hosted by Rochester YC begins on Thursday. 30 boats are currently registered including seven Noroton members along with entries from five countries. Wish us luck.

For those left behind, fleet racing will take place on Sunday September 22. In fact, there are four weeks of fleet racing still to go.

TEAM RACING:

The Kirby Cup team race is the Sonar Class Association team race championship, hosted annually by Noroton. This year the event was held on September 7-8. Five clubs participated. Noroton, New York, Boston, Seawanhaks and Vineyard Haven.

PRO Glenn Morrison did a great job orchestrating four round robins despite a very shifty, puffy day on Sunday.

In a re-run of the Grand Masters, Noroton won the event beating New York by a single point.

The Noroton team: Adam Westerman, Jim Linville, Howard Seymour, TK, Britt Hall,
Scott MacLeod, Brenda Crane, Bruce Kirby, Scott Herling, Basil Lyden,
Peggy Hersam, Rob Crane and Bill Crane.
There are a lot of great shots taken by Carolyn Wilson and David Hawes on the Noroton website photo gallery. Here are a sample:













Finally, a short (5 min) video of some of the action:



NOTES:

If you are thinking of replacing your trailer pad covers, KC Hart has uploaded a pdf to the Sonar section of the NYC website that shows a very simple, step by step procedure to help you through the process.

Steve Caccam has good friend, Rob Coster, up the coast at Madison Beach Club where they have a Sonar in need of a used mast. If you have one you would like to sell, please contact Steve.

Amy Gross-Kehoe, the new Deputy Waterfront Director at SUNY Maritime College is in need of used Sonar sails for their offshore team to use in practice. If you are interested, you can make a tax deductible donation to the SUNY Maritime program. They need a main, but could certainly use a jib and chute. Contact Amy at: akehoe@sunymaritime.edu


CALENDAR:

2013 World Championships: Rochester YC, September 18-22
Last day of fleet racing: Sunday, October 13

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

SONAR FLEET 1 NEWSLETTER

FLEET RACING:

After retiring Sonar 418 on a winning note (just kidding, see you out there next Sunday), we asked TK to write up his thoughts on last Sunday's racing, with 11 boats on-the-line. Here they are...

Sunday August 25 turned out to be a lovely day for a bit of yachting.  Southwest breeze at 8-9kts to start on a flood tide.

The Race Committee for the day, USA-733 (Kevin Sheehan, Palmer Sparkman and friends) teed up D1 for race 1.

On 506 (owner Colin Gordon making a guest appearance, Commodore Carolyn Wilson, Wynne Shapiro, and yours truly) we liked the left side of the first beat and the slightly  favored pin end made the decision on where to start somewhat easy.  Colin nailed the pin end start which jumped us out to a 5-6 boat length lead right off the starting line.

Fast Forward (Galloway, Steinborn, and others) had good wheels up the beat and chopped the 506 lead down to about three boat lengths by the weather mark.  506’s small lead quickly went to zero when 506 up-chucked a huge fur ball on the set.  By the time 506’s old bow guy (yours truly) managed to clear the mess, Fast Forward drew even just to leeward.  At this point 506 turned Commodore Wilson loose with the spinnaker and managed to get just enough room to jibe to port and cross Fast Forward.  An amusing rules discussion ensued with rules cited that were eliminated years ago.  At least no one hailed ‘mast to beam’!

506 rounded the leeward mark with a small lead over Fast Forward.   Not trusting our upwind speed on an old mainsail design that we are still trying to sort out, 506 covered hard to sneak out the first.  In the processed 454 (Sweeney and company) got a bit right on the final beat and grabbed second just in front of Fast Forward.

Second race (D1 again) was similar to the first.  Launch off the pin, get ground down upwind in what is now a dying SW ester by Fast Forward and 619 (Lee Morrison, Susan Morrison, Commodore Peter Wilson, and Don Vasta).  Fast Forward rounded the top mark first five lengths clear of 619 with 506 another four lengths back.

Again 506 turned Commodore C. Wilson loose with the spinnaker.  And as Colin put it, ‘Commodore C. Wilson vs Commodore P. Wilson in the spinnaker flying caged death match to the finish’.  Or at least to the leeward mark.

Fortunately for 506, Commodore C. Wilson crushed the run and 506 rounded the bottom mark with a 6 boat length lead and hung on to the finish.  619 came in second, Fast Forward third and 454 fourth to take second for the day on a tie breaker with Fast Forward.

From there the only race of the day that counts.  To the hoist!


"Gather 'round laddies for seafaring tales of courage and survival!"

The Labor Day series is this coming Sunday and Monday, 9/1-2. Awards for the Sonar fleet will be handed out after racing on Monday.

2013 SONAR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS:

The World Championships are just three weeks away. Registrations are growing with 26 boats currently committed from four countries. Among those are seven Noroton boats. Anyone else?

A late fee of $150 kicks in next Monday, September 2. 

There are crew opportunities available as well. 

Find out more HERE

If you have not already done so, please register online here: http://www.sonar.org/

TEAM RACING:

THE KIRBY CUP

The Kirby Cup, hosted annually by Noroton, is the Sonar Class Association team race championship. This year the race is scheduled for September 7-8. We have six teams participating: Noroton, Seawanhaka, NYYC, Vineyard Haven, Texas Corinthian and reigning champion Boston Yacht Club.

Please keep in mind there will be no fleet racing on September 7.


Wallace C. Ross

Wallace C. Ross, former Noroton member, prominent yachtsman, pioneer sail maker, businessman and author, passed away on August 23, 2013 in Vero Beach, Florida. He was 90.

Wally created Ross Marine, Inc. which built the original mold and financed the Sonar class in the late 1980’s.

Click HERE for an obituary written by his step son and Noroton member, Doug Bora.

CALENDAR:

Labor Day Series: Sun-Mon, Sep 1-2
Kirby Cup: Noroton YC, Sat-Sun, Sep 7-8
2013 World Championships: Rochester YC, September 18-22
Last day of fleet racing: Sunday, October 13

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

SONAR FLEET 1 NEWSLETTER

FLEET RACING:

Despite the forecast (how many times do we say that?) of no wind, we ended out sailing in a pretty consistent 6 kts out of the east.

With 10 boats racing, PRO Paul Norton and his RC did a nice job getting in three D1's.

For race one, an outgoing current helped the left side pay off nicely. Scott MacLeod and Team 506 took the greatest advantage of the current and got to the windward mark first. They were able to hold on to first the rest of the way and took the gun. Following closely behind in second was Team 418 (NOT a typo) with Geoff Durno, Bruce McArthur and Harry Milne. Third was Bruce Kirby and Team 633.

The second race was pretty much the same as the first. Once again Team 506 got to the windward mark in first and held on for the win. Second this time was Team Fast Forward while third went to Team 418 (OMG).

For the third and final race, the current was pretty slack. The pressure seemed slightly greater on the right so that side paid off. Ed Sweeney and Team 454 made use of that strategic change to get to the windward mark in first, followed by 418 (what's gotten into those guys) and Fast Forward.

Team 454 held onto first and took the gun while Fast Forward was able to pass 418 for second. 418 finished the race in third (break these guys up).

The overall for the day looked like this:

Bruce McArthur, Geoff Durno and Harry Milne
1st: 418 with 8 points
2nd: 506 with 9 points (winning the tie-breaker)
3rd: 701 with 9 points


As always, full results can be found here: http://www.fleet1.org/

2013 SONAR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS:

The World Championships are just four weeks away. Registrations are starting to grow with 24 boats currently committed from four countries. Among those are seven Noroton boats. I hope there are still several boats from fleet 1 who are planning on making the trip to Rochester. 

If you have not already done so, please register online here: http://www.sonar.org/

TEAM RACING:



The Morgan Cup is a varsity event held at New York Yacht Club's Harbor Court. This year's race was on August 9-11. Noroton was one of 12 teams to compete. The following are some thoughts by Vice Commodore Lee Morrison...

Reflections on the Morgan Cup

Quick reactions, precise tactics, and amazing boat handling make labeling the Morgan Cup "intense" a bit of an understatement.  This event pits some of the best sailors in the country, including collegiate all-americans and olympians, in evenly matched Sonars and lets them duke it out in 15 minute races - 87 of them in 3 days.  Its quite the experience.  There are always new lessons to be learned.  Here's one I won't soon forget:  "Ace in the hole"  

A team has an "Ace in the hole" when one boat on the team is in 5th and in control of an "enemy" in last place.  If your team has the "Ace" and at the same time your team also has a boat in first, then your team is winning the race.  Like all sport, when your team is winning, things are good.  But, if you are the Ace being controlled by the enemy, things can get brutal.  

We were sailing downwind with chute up in 10-15 kts of beautiful Newport seabreeze.  But, unlike those that go to sea for relaxation, in team racing you don't go straight for very long.  I'm focused on trimming the chute; gybing, luffing, diving, when seemingly out of nowhere comes a boat, without a spinnaker, luffing us hard.  The enemy did it in a controlled deliberate way giving us just enough room and time to keep clear.  It's chaos on our boat: pole to the headstay, trimming feet of spinnaker sheet while simultaneously slipping to leeward because the cockpit sole on which I'm standing is now heeled 25 degrees.   But Windward must keep clear of Leeward - the rules are clearly understood. There's some yelling as each skipper pushes the rule's boundary pertaining to the inches of proximity between the leeward boat's bow and the windward boat's stern quarter.  But, counter to some perceptions of team racing, the yelling isn't malicious.  Its deliberate and direct.  The leeward boat wants control not contact.  We are the enemy's "Ace in the hole" and it's our opponent's job to keep us in last.  As an added bonus, they disrupt our boat handling increasing the gap between us and our only salvation - a teammate that would come back to help us.

But, sometimes the best defence is a good offence.  We're 50 yards from the leeward mark and have a chute up - the enemy doesn't.  How hard can this be?  It takes a few seconds but we get the boat back under control and headed for the next mark.  The chute is barely full and we're rolling into a gybe.  Its not unexpected.  We need to get the enemy to our right and then gybe to back to starboard tack to take control.   Of course, the enemy understands this as well, and without spinnaker is still more maneuverable than we are.  So, before we can gybe they, in team race lingo, "give us a bump" - another hard luff.  This time however, we never quite got the pole back on the mast and the boat is again practically head to wind, heeled, chute luffing, the boat is stalled and headed the wrong way.  Not malicious, but effective.  

As it worked out in this race, another enemy boat made a mistake and fouled giving our team a winning 1-2 combo with us in a distant 6.  We got lucky.   

Team racing in the Morgan is competitive sailing at its most exciting best: fast paced with frequent position changes. There is also a simplicity in team racing that is very appealing.  The boats are supplied which means you hop aboard when its your team's turn to race and take a break when its not.  With 18 boats, 6 teams compete simultaneously in three separate races. When things are rolling, there is only 3 minutes between starts - paying attention is critical.  Finally and also important to how the game is played, when skippers can't agree, vigilant umpires are ready to step in with a definitive ruling.    

There are no age restrictions in the Morgan, but the majority of participants are young - typically in or a few years out of college.  The exact demographic that every sailing club in the country wants to attract.  At Noroton this is the most at risk group for dropping out of sailing.  

This year's Noroton team, the first ever to attend the Morgan Cup, finished 8th out of 12.  A solid start on which to grow participation and the competitiveness of team racing among Noroton's younger sailors.  Beyond Noroton providing a venue and equipment for practice, Noroton's successful Hinman and Grandmaster's teams benefited tremendously from the multi-generation sparring among the three teams.  I am personally grateful for the opportunity to sail with our younger sailors and to hear their thoughts about sailing, team racing, and Noroton.  It was a great experience and I hope to get a chance to sail in the Morgan again.

Lee Morrison

THE KIRBY CUP

The Kirby Cup, hosted annually by Noroton, is the Sonar Class Association team race championship. This year the race is scheduled for September 7-8. We have six teams participating: Noroton, Seawanhaka, NYYC, Vineyard Haven, Texas Corinthian and reigning champion Boston Yacht Club.

Please keep in mind there will be no fleet racing on September 7.

FLEET 1 COOKOUT

The fleet 1 cookout which was postponed from last Sunday due to the forecast, has been rescheduled for this coming Sunday, August 25. So far the forecast looks like a nice day so please plan on staying after racing to enjoy whatever the Infurnas and Orners have planned.

CALENDAR:

Fleet Barbecue: August 25 after racing
Labor Day Series: Sun-Mon, Sep 1-2
Kirby Cup: Noroton YC, Sat-Sun, Sep 7-8
2013 World Championships: Rochester YC, September 18-22

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

SONAR FLEET 1 NEWSLETTER

FLEET RACING:

First a little catching up...

SUNDAY AUGUST 4.

A shifty (+/- 25º), puffy (8-18 kts) day greeted the 11 boats that made it out racing. PRO Luke Raymond did a great job getting three races in, a D1 followed by a D2 then back to a D1.

Playing the shifts was critical and who does it better than Team 701 Fast Forward? Well, on this particular day, no one.

Team Fast Forward finished the day in first place with 8 points, including two bullets in the first and third races.

Team 701: Peter Galloway, Justin Marks and Paul Steinborn
Following closely in second, just one point behind was Bob Monro and team 605. Third went to Team 726 with Michael Aingorn, Sarah Rakov and Paul Steinborn (Jr.). 726 also took the gun in the second race meaning a Steinborn was involved in every win today!

SUNDAY AUGUST 11

Racing today turned out much better than expected. A pretty consistent SW breeze at 7-8, with puffs as high as 11, allowed us to get three races in, the first being the Rear Commodore's race. PRO Ed Sweeney ran a W2 under the watchful eyes of Rear Commodore Peggy Hersam.

Racing was close. Check out this shot of the leeward mark where virtually every boat in the fleet can be seen approaching the mark together...


Fun, am I right?

In the end, the Rear Commodore's race and the day was won by Team Fast Forward with Peter Galloway, Jim Linville, Cooper Pellaton and Paul Steinborn with a total of only 4 points. Second went to Team 506 with Scott Macleod, TK, Andy Morrell and Josh Morrell with only 6 points while third was Rick Doerr and team 674 with 13 points.

The Ideal 18's also had enough boats for a start (yeah!). Kate Morgan sailing #202 with Chap Tomanek also won both the Rear Commodore's race and the overall for the day.
A bunch of winners! Team Fast Forward with Kate and Chap

One unexpected "competitor" came through the middle of the course, and finish line, in record time on Sunday:

No Gun... he must have missed the windward mark.


TEAM RACING:

Over the past three weeks, Noroton participated in three team races at New York Yacht Club's Harbor Court in Newport RI. The Grand Masters on July 27-28 (skippers must be at least 55 years old, with crew 45+.), the Hinman Masters on August 3-4 (skippers must be at least 45 years of age, with crew 40+) and the Morgan Cup this past weekend, a varsity event with no age restrictions.

Each week we raced against clubs like St. Francis, Southern, Texas Corinthian, St. Petersburg, NYYC, Seawanhaka and Eastern, making these races as national in scope as it can get.

As you probably know, Noroton beat NYYC in the final race of the Grand Masters regatta and thereby won the event. For the Hinman, the racing was extremely close between Southern, St. Francis and Noroton. In the end, one close lose to St. Francis was the difference between winning the regatta and ultimately third place, just two points out of first. 

For the Morgan Cup, one of the country's most competitive team races, Noroton missed an opportunity to sail in the final Gold round robin by just one point. We finished 8th out of 12 which means we'll get invited back, giving us another chance next year.

Between the three races, 30 different members were able to sail on Team Noroton. Our participation increased national awareness of our club and our program by successfully competing against some of the best sailors in the world. 

Congratulations to everyone involved.

2013 SONAR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS:

The World Championships are just five weeks away. Registrations are starting to grow with 23 boats currently committed. Among those are seven Noroton boats. I hope there are still several boats from fleet 1 who are planning on making the trip to Rochester. 

If you have not already done so, please register online here: http://www.sonar.org/

FLEET 1 COOKOUT: 

Our next, and final, cookout is coming up this Sunday, August 18. Please plan on staying at the club after racing and enjoy whatever goodies the Infurnas and Orners have planned.

CALENDAR:

Fleet Barbecue: August 18 after racing
Labor Day Series: Sun-Mon, Sep 1-2
Kirby Cup: Noroton YC, Sat-Sun, Sep 7-8
2013 World Championships: Rochester YC, September 18-22

Thursday, August 1, 2013

SONAR FLEET 1 NEWSLETTER

FLEET RACING:

Sunday proved tricky as usual with a dying easterly.  Pro Brit Bischoff got 3 D 1’s off in a ripping flood tide. 11 boats sailed which was remarkable given many of our regulars where in Newport defending and winning the Grand Masters team race at New York Yacht Club.

The first race proved to be relatively typical. Ed Sweeney got a great start and never looked back. Coming in second were the Raymonds with your's truly in third.

The second race was, in a word, tricky. With the wind dying, the last windward leg was masterfully sailed by team Danilek, as Beth went right, then left and then split the uprights. There were multiple lead changes this time as the wind and pressure varied greatly throughout the small course. Once again, second place went to the Raymonds. Third was Sweeney.

The third race was light wind. The right paid off big as the wind clocked that way and the fleet was dispersed by half a leg.  Team Jack pulled off the win, and once again, showed us all how its done. Second place went to Gary Coventry and Team 646 while third was TK and Team 506.

The overall for the day went to Ed Sweeney and team 454 with 8 points. With Ed were Alan Desantis, Leo Schlinkert and Art Collins.

Airbrushed photo by Scott Harrison


Second for the day with 10 points was Raymond and team 654. Third was TK and team 506 with 11 points.

Scott Harrison

Full results posted here: http://www.fleet1.org/

TEAM RACING:

In case you have not heard, Noroton took first place in the Grand Masters team race at New York Yacht club - Harbor Court.

Here's a great write up from NYYC:



Pictured above, left to right: Melissa Shepstone, Basil Lyden, Carolyn wilson, Jim Linville, Peter Wilson, Steve Shepstone, Susan Morrison, Bob Monro, Lee Morrision, Bruce McArthur and Bill Jayson (Photo: Stuart Streuli/©New York Yacht Club.)

Congratulations to the Noroton Team which won another Grand Master’s Championship this past weekend sailed in Sonars at Harbour Court in Newport. Details below are courtesy of NYYC website:

Peter Wilson was succinct when asked about the secret to Noroton Yacht Club’s third consecutive win in the New York Yacht Club Grandmasters Team Race Regatta. “Practice,” said the NYC’s team captain [above, holding platter, with his teammates].

Then he elaborated: “The older you get, the more you have to rely on doing what you know as opposed to knowing what to do. The only way your do-what-you-know expands is with practice. You can’t just study it, you have to do it. We practice, on average, one and a half times a week.”

The Grandmasters Team Race—skippers must be 55 or older, while crew must be at least 45—is a relatively new event on the team racing calendar. It was first run in 2010 and Noroton Yacht Club has now won it all three times it was sailed; the event was not held in 2011 due to Hurricane Irene.

As was the case last year and in 2010, the host New York Yacht Club team was a close second. This year, the two teams entered the final race—of the 62 sailed over two days on Narragansett Bay—tied on points, the winner of that race taking the regatta.

“It could’ve gone either way,” said Wilson of the final race, which was decided within feet of the finish line when the New York Yacht Team was whistled for a rules violation. “The lead changed hands three times in a 12-minute race. They sailed very well.”

Southern Yacht Club beat Texas Corinthian Yacht Club for third place through a head-to-head tiebreaker. The other teams that competed in the event, in order of their finish, were: Ida Lewis Yacht Club/Storm Trysail Club, St. Francis Yacht Club, St. Petersburg Yacht Club and American Yacht Club.

While the grandmasters team racing schedule is currently sparse, Wilson is hopeful more clubs will follow the lead of the New York Yacht Club and create events for veteran team racers.

“For the older sailors like myself and my wife Carolyn, we now have something to really energize us in our later sailing years,” said Wilson. “You get tired of fleet racing, but team racing is exciting: you sail many more races, you win some, you lose some, and even if you don’t come out with a great record you remember the races you won. It’s just more personally satisfying.”

2013 New York Yacht Club Grandmasters Team Race Regatta
Final Results:
1. Noroton (Darien, Conn.) Yacht Club, 14 points; 2. New York Yacht Club, 13; 3. Southern (New Orleans) Yacht Club, 11; 4. Texas Corinthian (Kemah, Texas) Yacht Club, 11; 5. Ida Lewis (Newport, R.I.) Yacht Club/Storm Trysail (Larchmont, N.Y.) Club, 6; 6. St. Francis (San Francisco) Yacht Club, 3; 7. St. Petersburg (Fla.) Yacht Club, 2; 8. American (Rye, N.Y.) Yacht Club; 1.5.

(above copied from NYYC web site with thanks…)

Next up... The Hinman Masters this weekend, August 3-4.

REGATTAS:

The Atlantic Coast Championships were held in Marblehead this past weekend in conjunction with the Marblehead NOOD.

Two boats made the trip from Noroton... Rick Doerr and Zach Shapiro. Zach took the gun in race two helping him finish in 5th overall but even better, he took third in the ACCs. Just .3 points behind (that's right, .3) was Dr. Doerr who also took the gun in the ninth and final race of the weekend.

The 2013 Sperry-Top Sider Marblehead NOOD Regatta winner Skip Shumway from Rochester took the Sonar class title and the overall trophy while Eric Voss, also from Rochester won the Atlantic Coast Championships.

Full results can be found here: http://www.sailingworld.com/nood-regattas/marblehead/2013-sperry-top-sider-marblehead-nood-results

Here is a video debrief with Skip:




It's now time to register for the New England Championships. The regatta is hosted this year by Vineyard Haven YC on Martha's Vineyard. This has always been one of the best regattas of the year from both a venue and wind perspective. 

The NOR can be found on the SCA website: http://www.sonar.org/

CALENDAR:

New England Champs: Vineyard Haven YC, August 9-11
Fleet Barbecue: August 18 after racing
Labor Day Series: Sun-Mon, Sep 1-2
Kirby Cup: Noroton YC, Sat-Sun, Sep 7-8
2013 World Championships: Rochester YC, September 18-22

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

SONAR FLEET 1 NEWSLETTER

FLEET RACING:

Sunday was one of those typical Long Island Sound days. Light wind, lots of current.

Vice Commodore and PRO Lee Morrison, back from a well-earned vacation, was able to get two races in, the first being the Vice Commodore's race.

Some say the starting line for the first race was a little skewed. Maybe. But how bad could it have been? A little simple geometry and we have a line the appears perpendicular to the wind...


:-) Anyway...

We had our biggest turn-out of the year with 17 boats racing. The first race, a W2, had the best wind of the day with about 7 knots out of the SE, no wait, East.

As usual, tight races with crowed mark roundings were the norm. In the end, the race was won by Jim Linville and team Fast Forward with Peter Galloway and Paul Steinborn

Peter Galloway and Jim Linville
Second place went to Team 506 with Karl Ziegler, Matt Cohen, Wynne Shapiro and TK. Third was Team 772 with Scott Harrison, Chris Shapiro, Adam Westerman and Don Vasta

For the second race, a D1, the wind really got light. We had two general recalls after most of the fleet was pushed over the line by the out-going current. 

In the end, the second race was won by Team 506, with Fast Forward in second and Team 627 with Will Vernon, Corey Vernon, Kat Nestor and Bill Vernon, in third.

For the day, we ended with a tie for first between two boats each with three points and a three way tie for third. As you can guess from the above, Team 506 won the day by taking the gun in the second race, giving Team Fast Forward second place.
Team 506
The three boats tied for third each had 12 points. Bob Monro with Team 605, Morgan Connor with Team 654 and Tom Ross with Team 620. The tie-breaker went to Bob Monro on the strength of his fourth place finish in the first race. Joining Bob was Eric Ploumis, Michael Rudnick, Francesca and Ian Monro.

Full results posted here: http://www.fleet1.org/

CONDUCT ON THE RACE COURSE:

Now... We all saw "mistakes" out racing on Sunday. In fact, there are "mistakes" every week. We can be a very aggressive fleet but we almost NEVER protest anyone. The result is that the person who made the "mistake" doesn't do his turn (or two).

It's not everyone, some of us are honorable and after realizing they made a mistake, do a turn even if no flag is raised but too many of us feel that if no one protests, they have "gotten away" with their aggressive behavior.


If boats continue to be aggressive, we should also be more aggressive about using our protest flags. It's time to say...


There, I feel better.

REGATTAS:

Last chance to register for the Atlantic Coast Championships. They are being held this coming weekend in Marblehead.

This is the third in the "Road to the Worlds" series and a great opportunity to sail against some top boats we don't normally see.

Register here: http://www.sailingworld.com/nood-regattas/marblehead

The New England Championships are being hosted by Vineyard Haven YC on August 9-11. The NOR is available from the SCA website: http://www.sonar.org/

As we all know, the world championships are being held September 18-22 in Rochester NY. After speaking with the regatta chairs, we now have commitments from teams coming in from the UK, Canada and New Zealand.

The goal is to get 45 boats on the line. Fleet 1 will play an important part in reaching that goal. I believe we can get 15 boats up there but we need your help. The time to start planning is now. The regatta is Wed-Sun so get your team together, get the time off from work, book your hotels and register. The registration fee is refundable if plans change but, like everything else, the sooner you do it, the easier everything becomes (and less expensive).

TEAM RACING:

Our next big race is this weekend, July 27-28. Noroton is participating in the Grand Masters event at NYYC's Harbor Court in Newport.

The Grand Masters is followed by the Hinman Masters on August 2-4 and the Morgan Cup varsity event on August 9-11 both also at NYYC's Harbor Court.

The Sonar team racers are planning to practice this evening, Tuesday July 23 and Saturday morning. There are crew spots available, so if you're interested in sailing, please let Clemmie know at Noroton YC Team Racing: norotontr@gmail.com

CALENDAR:

ACC: Eastern YC, July 26-28
New England Champs: Vineyard Haven YC, August 9-11
Fleet Barbecue: August 18 after racing
Labor Day Series: Sun-Mon, Sep 1-2
Kirby Cup: Noroton YC, Sat-Sun, Sep 7-8
2013 World Championships: Rochester YC, September 18-22

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

SONAR FLEET 1 NEWS

FLEET RACING:

Sunday turned into a pretty good day of racing. We had 14 boats on the line. With a fairly consistent southwest breeze at 6-8 knots and a solid RC (despite some radio communication challenges), yours truly as PRO was able to run three races, a W2, D1 and W1.

Current proved to be an issue, forcing general recalls in each of the first two races. Once underway, the racing was tight with three different boats taking the gun and six different boats with top three finishes.

Team 500 lead the fleet, pretty much start to finish, in the first race, followed by Bruce Kirby with Scott Harrison's team 772 in third.

The second race was won by Team 506 with Karl Ziegler, followed by Scott Harrison and Ed Sweeney's team 454.

In the final race of the day, Fast Forward took the gun followed by Ed Sweeney and Karl Ziegler.

In the end, we had a tie for first and a tie for second. Ed Sweeney and Peter Galloway each finished with 11 points. Winning the second place tie-breaker on the strength of his bullet in the third race was Team Fast Forward.

For first place, Karl Ziegler and Scott Harrison each finished with 9 points. Karl and team 506 won the tie-breaker with a bullet in the second race.

Full results: http://www.fleet1.org/


First place tie (l to r) Scott Harrison, Chris Shapiro, Karen Harrison, Adam Westerman,
Charlotte Saxe, TK, Karl Ziegler and Matt Cohen
(Click on the picture to enlarge it)
Here are some great shots taken by Joanna Bridges on the pin boat.  Click on each image to see a larger version. More can be found in the club website photo gallery:














REGATTAS:

There are two more chances to participate in major Sonar regattas prior to the world championships. The Atlantic Coast Championships are being held the weekend of July 27-28 at Eastern YC in conjunction with the Marblehead NOOD.

Registrations for the ACC are starting to come in. In addition to the local boats, there are currently three boats going from Rochester, one from Nova Scotia, one from Nyack, and (so far) one from Noroton.

This is the third in the "Road to the Worlds" series and a great opportunity to sail against some top boats we don't normally see.

The New England Championships are being hosted by Vineyard Haven YC on August 9-11. The NOR is available from the SCA website: http://www.sonar.org/

As we all know, the world championships are being held September 18-22 in Rochester NY. After speaking with the regatta chairs, we now have commitments from teams coming in from the UK, Canada and New Zealand.

The goal is to get 45 boats on the line. Fleet 1 will play an important part in reaching that goal. I believe we can get 15 boats up there but we need your help. The time to start planning is now. The regatta is Wed-Sun so get your team together, get the time off from work, book your hotels and register. The registration fee is refundable if plans change but, like everything else, the sooner you do it, the easier everything becomes (and less expensive).

TEAM RACING:

Our next big race is coming up July 27-28. Noroton is participating in the Grand Masters event at NYYC's Harbor Court in Newport. The Grand Masters is followed by the Hinman Masters on August 2-4 and the Morgan Cup varsity event on August 9-11 both also at NYYC's Harbor Court.

The Sonar team racers are planning to practice Thursday evening and Saturday morning. There are crew spots available, so if you're interested in sailing, please let Clemmie know at Noroton YC Team Racing norotontr@gmail.com

FLEET 1 COOKOUT:

Our thanks to Jan and Chip Raymond for hosting last Sunday's cookout. Perfect weather, great food, terrific location and you can't beat the company... it doesn't get any better.

We still need a volunteer to host the cookout scheduled for August 18. Please raise your hand if you are willing to lend it.

CALENDAR:

ACC: Eastern YC, July 26-28
New England Champs: Vineyard Haven YC, August 9-11
Fleet Barbecue: August 18 after racing
Labor Day Series: Sun-Mon, Sep 1-2
Kirby Cup: Noroton YC, Sat-Sun, Sep 7-8
2013 World Championships: Rochester YC, September 18-22

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

SONAR FLEET 1 NEWS

FLEET RACING:

Our 4th of July series was scheduled to take place on Thursday, July 4 and Sunday, July 7.

Thursday's weather was as good as it gets on Long Island Sound in July. Racing was no different. The PRO for the day was Commodore Randy Tankoos, who ran three races including the Commodore's Race which was the first race of the day.

12 boats were on the line. Of those only two managed to finish all three races with top 5 finishes...team 506 with Karl Zeigler, Scott Macleod, TK and Samantha MacLeod who had finishes of 1, 2, 3 and Team 500 with Will and Gillian Graves, Sam Knapp and James Antoszewski, with finishes of 3, 4, 5. All other boats had at least one mid-fleet finish.

At the end of the day, there was a tie for third between team 500 and team Fast Forward, each with 12 points. The tie-breaker went to Fast Forward with Peter Galloway, Paul Steinborn, Adam Westerman and Cooper Pellaton on the strength of a first place finish in the second race.

Second place was team 454 with Ed Sweeney, Art Collins, Leo Schlinkert and Alan Desantis, who finished the three races with a 2, 7, 1.

First place was team 507 with a total of only 6 points (see above).

Sunday was not as exciting. In fact, with too little breeze to work with, PRO Jim Crane (thankfully) kept us on the dock until abandoning racing for the day.

So, Thursday's finishes became the final results for the series.

First Place:

TK, Peggy Hersam and Karl Ziegler

Second Place:

Art Collins, Ed Sweeney and Leo Schlinkert
Full results: http://www.fleet1.org/

REGATTAS:

There are two more chances to participate in major Sonar regattas prior to the world championships. The Atlantic Coast Championships are being held the weekend of July 27-28 at Eastern YC in conjunction with the Marblehead NOOD.

The New England Championships are being hosted by Vineyard Haven YC on August 9-11. The NOR is available from the SCA website: http://www.sonar.org/

As we all know, the world championships are being held September 18-22 in Rochester NY. After speaking with the regatta chairs, we now have commitments from teams coming in from the UK, Canada and New Zealand.

The goal is to get 45 boats on the line. Fleet 1 will play an important part in reaching that goal. I believe we can get 15 boats up there but we need your help. The time to start planning is now. The regatta is Wed-Sun so get your team together, get the time off from work, book your hotels and register. The registration fee is refundable if plans change but, like everything else, the sooner you do it, the easier everything becomes (and less expensive).

TEAM RACING:

Our next big race is coming up July 27-28. Noroton is participating in the Grand Masters event at NYYC's Harbor Court in Newport. The Grand Masters is followed up by the Hinman Masters on August 2-4 and the Morgan Cup varsity event on August 9-11 both also at NYYC's Harbor Court.

The Sonar team racers are planning to practice Thursday evening and Saturday morning. There are crew spots available, so if you're interested in sailing, please let Clemmie know.

Noroton YC Team Racing norotontr@gmail.com

FLEET 1 BARBECUE:

Our next barbecue is scheduled for this coming Sunday, July 14, after racing. Please plan on staying for dinner.

CALENDAR:

Fleet barbecue: July 14 after racing
ACC: Eastern YC, July 26-28
New England Champs: Vineyard Haven YC, August 9-11
Fleet Barbecue: August 18 after racing
Labor Day Series: Sun-Mon, Sep 1-2
Kirby Cup: Noroton YC, Sat-Sun, Sep 7-8
2013 World Championships: Rochester YC, September 18-22