‘Grand Slam Match Racing Series 2012′    Chicago Match Race Center

Grand Slam Match Racing Series 2012 qualifying events start this weekend in Chicago and Oyster Bay, New York. After last year’s successful debut, organizers from the Chicago Match Race Center (CMRC), Bayview YC (BYC), Manhasset Bay YC (MBYC) and Oakcliff Sailing have expanded their international slate of teams to compete in this year’s Grand Slam Match Racing Series.

In all, teams from eight countries will be represented in this year’s series of four consecutive ISAF Open Grade 2 events: Australia, Canada, Denmark, New Zealand, Poland, Russia, US Virgin Islands, and throughout the US.

‘What began last year as a series to promote the growth of match racing in the US has grown to be a major international series,’ said Oakcliff Sailing’s Executive Director Dawn Riley. ‘The requests for invitations for our event have come in early and hot, with only a few spots remaining.’

The four events of this year’s Grand Slam are held over four consecutive weeks to allow invited overseas teams the best opportunity to optimize their travel costs in one US trip. The schedule is as follows: CMRC’s Chicago Grade 2 Invitational, held over August 17-19 at Chicago’s iconic venue for stadium sailing, Navy Pier, on TOM 28′s; BYC’s Detroit Cup, held in Ultimate 20′s with racing in front of the clubhouse on the Detroit River over August 23-26; the oldest event of the series, MBYC’s Knickerbocker Cup, will be held in Oakcliff’s Swedish Match 40′s in Long Island’s Manhasset Bay over August 29 – September 2; and the Oakcliff International, held over September 5-9.

Besides winning valuable Grade 2 points for the ISAF World Match Race Ranking List, the winning team of the series this year will be determined by scoring the best three of four events. That team will then receive an invitation to the oldest Grade 1 match racing event in the US, Long Beach YC’s Congressional Cup, to be held in March 2013.

‘The Grand Slam series is a valuable addition to our match racing program,’ says CMRC Director Tod Reynolds, ‘because it gives us many overseas entries we’d normally find hard to attract to a Grade 2 event. It also gives a great opportunity to attract new teams to CMRC from qualifying events around the US.’ The Chicago Grade 2 Invitational has two qualifiers: the Oakcliff Spring Clinegatta held this weekend over May 19-20, and the Governor’s Cup youth event hosted by Balboa YC in Newport Beach, CA over July 18-21.

BYC’s Detroit Cup will once again have the Grade 3 Bayview Spring Invitational held over June 9 -10 as its qualifier, and the winner of the main event will get an invitation to the Argo Group Gold Cup in October, an event on the Alpari World Match Racing Tour. According to BYC Fleet and Regatta Director Debi Schoenherr, defending champion Jordan Reece (AUS) will be returning to defend his title this year. ‘We will also partner with Detroit’s Big Brothers/Big Sisters program again to provide racing with the pro skippers for one hour on Saturday,’ says Schoenherr. ‘This was a huge success last year and you should have seen their faces as they took photos wearing [2008 US Olympian] Anna Tunnicliffe’s Gold Medal!’

This year the Knickerbocker Cup will be celebrating its 30th anniversary since its founding by America’s Cup 12 meter syndicate member Ed DuMoulin, who was an early proponent of growing match race sailing in the US and abroad. The event thus has a long heritage in providing international match race sailing, and this year will feature a celebrity pro-am race aboard the Swedish Match 40′s used here and at Oakcliff, as well as a charity benefit for nearby St Francis Hospital. In winning the US Match Racing Championship, Dave Perry has already qualified for an invitation, and the winner will, like the Detroit Cup, also receive an invitation to the Argo Group Gold Cup. The racing schedule was interrupted last year by Hurricane Irene, ‘so we look forward to having more racing this year,’ says Knickerbocker Cup Principal Race Officer Sue Miller.

And the final event in the series, Oakcliff Sailing’s Oakcliff International, will feature more match race sailing in the Swedish Match 40′s, this time further east on Long Island in Oyster Bay, NY. Invitations are extended to the winners of the following three qualifying events: Oakcliff’s Spring Grade 3 Invitational held this weekend over May 19-20, CMRC’s June Grade 2 event held at Chicago’s Navy Pier over June 1-3, or the Oakcliff Summer Invitational held over July 28-31.

‘It’s very exciting to see the interest in open match racing in the US continue to grow,’ says Dave Perry, Chairman of the US Sailing Match Racing Committee. ‘Last year’s Grand Slam generated so much interest, it’s not surprising to have such a strong turnout from the overseas teams, where the series is acting not only to bolster their rankings points, but also prepare them for higher-grade events, such as those on the World Tour.’

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One of the easiest ways to lose a sailboat race is to not communicate clearly. Whether its with other boats on the course, as we talked about in Week 11, or within your own boat, any words between sailors should be concise, effective and with the other sailor’s interest in mind. Because I’ve talked about communication with other boats so much I’m going to focus on internal communication within one boat for this week’s rule.

From 420s to 100 footers, the effectiveness of our communication with one and other can be critical to the outcome of our day on the racecourse. Effective communication on the boat can be summed up in three easy steps:

1. Plan out the action and discuss what words to use

This first step is the most important and takes lots of practice. When you’re racing with just one other person, communication can be limited to very few actual words, because you learn how to trust and then anticipate your teammate’s moves, capabilities, and pattern recognition. Through practice, we learn what to look for and what to listen for from our teammates. We also have the opportunity to ask questions and reassess our communication style if need be.

For instance, in the star boat, i knew it would take my crew 4 seconds to be fully prepared to gybe in more than 10 knots of breeze, and 2 seconds in less than 10 knots of breeze. I would have to adjust my communication style for when I wanted to gybe depending on the breeze. If I just yelled out “Gybing” and threw the helm over, then Ian might not be in the correct position to do his job correctly and we might have a bad gybe. Instead, I would say “Standby to Gybe,” thus ensuring that Ian was ready for my call. Then I could say: “Ok, Gybing,” and allow him his time to get properly set up. Ironically, without getting the initial attention of your teammate, the maneuver might actually take more time than if you just yell out “gybing.” The conversation up to that point would also be indicating that a gybe was coming up. We would probably be talking about our options, our course heading to the next mark, our lane choice, or the breeze on the race course. As we talked about it, then the entire team knows we’re getting ready to gybe.

In a boat with lots of role-players that tactical conversation doesn’t always get heard all around the boat. It doesn’t always need to, but it always helps to review the decision with the team before it happens. Even if the anticipatory call is: “Be ready for a maneuver here!” then the team can clean up their stations and listen carefully for the tactician or the skipper’s next call.

2. Be consistent

Lots of practice and discussion of our communication points will enable us to be consistent from maneuver to maneuver. Anybody that races with me on small boats knows that I tend to chatter quietly about what I’m seeing, feeling and thinking. Sometimes that can be confusing, but I am very careful to use simple words when we’re going to make an actual maneuver. On big boats I use those same simple words even though I’m generally very quiet and in more of an observant mode. Whenever we’re about to make a maneuver, I will ask my teammates to be ready and listen up by saying: “Standby.” That word means very simply: keep doing what you’re doing, don’t move around and give away to anybody else that we’re getting ready to maneuver, but make sure that you know what you’re next move will be, and LISTEN for the next call. Often I will have reviewed our plan before I ask the team to Standby. We might be setting the spinnaker, or dousing at a leeward mark, or getting ready for a tack, or getting ready for a gybe, but regardless, the first call of the maneuver is “Standby.”

The only thing that my team is allowed to do when I say “Standby” besides listen is to respond: “HOLD!” if they can’t make the maneuver. There are a thousand reasons to say “HOLD!” Maybe the spinnaker sheets are tangled and need a quick fix. Maybe there is some traffic on the course that they know I can’t see. Maybe there is an override on a winch that won’t come out. This simple moment between: “Standby” and “Go” allows the entire team to check their stations and be mentally prepared for the maneuver. This brief glance can save your race.

After the “Standby” call is made, the next word is to execute the maneuver. “Tacking…” or “Gybing…” or “Hoist!” but always with the same words every time. If you say “Helm’s Alee,” then say that every time. Don’t say “Tacking,” then “Helm’s Alee,” then “Ready about,” then “Arriba!” Just keep it simple and keep it consistent. Your team relies on your words.

3. Use names

Lastly, when we’re communicating within teams, it is important to use names when making assignments. This is my biggest pet peeve when I’m racing with big boat teams. Skippers and tacticians like to yell out, in the middle of a bear-away: “Ease the vang!” What good does that do? If Bob (who’s job it was to ease the vang) hadn’t already remembered to do so, why will he think you’re talking to him? If the Robert, next to Bob on the rail hears it and realizes that Bob forgot, he might drop what he was supposed to do and reach for the vang. Now, both Robert and Bob are not doing their assigned jobs.

This does take time and patience for every sailor to understand every job assignment on the boat, but it pays off in spades when you see a job that needs doing and you can assign the right person to do the job. When the skipper says: “Hey Bob, ease the vang” he’ll reach right for it. If the skipper yells: “Ease the vang” nobody might reach for it.

Communication on sailboats is always a work in progress, but hopefully this is a good start. Planning our words carefully so nobody is confused when you say “Put the bow down” to the skipper, and the bow man responds by going down below. Using the same calls and timing for each maneuver alleviates much of this confusion as well and helps everybody else organize their maneuver checklists as well. Using names clears up mistaken assignments and guarantees everybody is happier at the end of the day, unless you were calling Robert: Bob, instead of the other way around. That might get confusing

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MUSKEGON, MI – Cost savings on waterfront restoration on a dozen sites along Muskegon Lake’s south shore will allow for more environmental work to be done this summer.

Dave Alexander | Muskegon ChronicleThe city of Muskegon-owned land below Lakeshore Drive will have shoreline restoration work done this summer.

The $10 million National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration grant will now pay for work along the Lakeshore Trail bike path below Lakeshore Drive. The work will be along the city of Muskegon-owned waterfront property from the Lakeshore Yacht Harbour on the east to the former Amoco tank farm property on the west.

The Muskegon City Commission unanimously approved the shoreline restoration work earlier this week. No city funds are needed for the project.

The work will improve the views along the bike path and provide a more natural shoreline environment for fish and wildlife, according to project manager Kathy Evans – an environmental planner for the West Michigan Shoreline Regional Development Commission. WMRDC is managing the grant that was obtained by the Great Lakes Commission.

The 2009 NOAA grant has restored a dozen sites along the lakeshore from private residences on Edgewater Street on the west end of the lake to the city’s Richard’s Park on the east end. Major work was done on the Grand Trunk dock property in the Lakeside Neighborhood and the Ryerson Creek area just northeast of downtown Muskegon.

The grant work will be done this construction season, Evans said. The lakeshore restoration project fund has less than $1 million left, she said. Those funds are being used by environmental engineers J.F. New to design the work below Lakeshore Drive. Project officials will put the restoration work out for bids in the coming weeks.

Dave Alexander | Muskegon ChronicleThe site includes the Lakeshore Trail and a railroad track along Muskegon Lake.

“The work will be done this summer,” Evans told city commissioners. “We understand that the bike path is there and we will do the work so as not to interrupt its use.”

Invasive plants, non-native trees, broken concrete and the waste wood buried along the shoreline from the Lumber Era will all be removed. The site will be replanted with native wetland plants, shrubs and trees, Evans said.

Property owners having sites improved with the NOAA funds agree to a conservation easement that keeps the shoreline natural. The city site below Lakeshore Drive will have areas not restored so that in the future the city can build fishing piers or walkways from the trail to the water’s edge, Evans said.

The goal of the Muskegon Lake restoration work is to improve the recreational use of the shoreline, improve the aesthetics and create a more natural habitat for fish and wildlife. In the long term, the environmental cleanup work is to ultimately remove Muskegon Lake from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s “area of concern” list of contaminated areas.

The city owns 34.6 acres of land in a narrow strip between the base of the hill along Lakeshore Drive and the water’s edge. The Lakeshore Trail bike path follows the city property along with railroad tracks that once served the former Sappi paper mill facility to the west.

The city owns the contaminated former Amoco property immediately to the west, a site that continues to be cleaned of petroleum. The oil company property was purchased through the proceeds of the city’s sale of the Chase Hammond Golf Course, funds that built the Lakeshore Trail bike and pedestrian pathway, city officials said.

The NOAA lakeshore restoration grant already has provided the funds for an extensive cleanup of the shoreline of the Amoco property.

The city purchased two acres immediately east of the Amoco property in 1998 from the Community Foundation for Muskegon County for $18,000 as part of the bike path project. The remainder of the wetlands owned by the city has been in public hands for decades. City officials said they do know the history of how the city obtained the site.

Email: dalexan1@mlive.com

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Down To The Wire — Ryan DeVos Wins East Coast Championship

West Palm Beach, Fla. – Two more crazy races were conducted in Palm Beach, Florida on Sunday leaving Ryan DeVos on Volpe with winning America’s Cup helmsman Ed Baird as tactician and crew of Scott Nixon, Sam Rogers, Mike Hill, Drew Weirda and Scott Martins as 2012 Melges 32 East Coast Champions. In second overall, Jason Carroll on Argo finished with equal points, yet lost the tiebreaker to DeVos. From Italy, Lanfranco Cirillo’s Fantastica remained in the hunt all day to finish third overall.

The 2012 East Coast Championship was graciously hosted by the Sailfish Club of Florida in conjunction with Rybovich Marina, consisting of eight races over three days.

Sunday marked the final showdown with only five points separating the overnight leaders. The first race was key as DeVos came on strong, loving the big 18-20 knots of breeze, most notably on the last downwind run to win. John Kilroy’s Samba Pa Ti led for most of the race, but was overtaken right at the line by DeVos. Mark Plaxton’s INTAC had a great race to finish third and Cirillo was fourth. Carroll, who was OCS at the start recovered well to take fifth.

The last race brought on rain showers and a building breeze. Big waves made for great planing conditions downwind. Plaxton took an early lead only to be overtaken by Alec Cutler on Hedgehog late in the game. Cutler found just the right groove in Race Two commanding the lead at the final top mark to extend for the win. DeVos was fast upwind, rounding second, chasing Cutler to the finish. They finished first and second, while Carroll grabbed third ahead of Kilroy in fourth and Cirillo in fifth.

MANY THANKS ALL AROUND
This is the first time the fleet has ever raced in West Palm Beach and there are many individuals to thank. In particular, the IM32CA thanks the 16 teams that traveled from all over the world making it a successful event. Palm Beach conditions proved to be a challenging place to sail. The IM32CA is appreciative of PRO Hank Stuart, Deputy PRO Paul Gingras and his entire Sailfish Club of Florida Race Committee Members and support staff.

The 2012 Melges 32 East Coast Championship would not have been possible if it were not for the kindness and generosity of John Taylor and Bill Koch for the use of their boats for Race Committee duty, but also to Ninkasi Racing for providing the much needed complimentary beer apres racing each day. Thanks to Samba Pa Ti, Volpe and Delta Racing Teams for the use of their marks, equipment and ground tackle during the event. The staff at Rybovich Marina was incredible, most especially to the impeccable hospitality of Wayne Huizenga, Jr. and Anthony LaCavalla.

A very special thanks is extended to the Palm Beach Sailing Club for hosting the Friday night barbeque that was much enjoyed by all the teams.

TOP TEN RESULTS (FINAL, After eight races)
1.) Ryan DeVos, Volpe; 1-[14]-2-11-9-2-1-2 = 28
2.) Jason Carroll, Argo; 5-3-[14]-1-10-1-5-3 = 28
3.) Lanfranco Cirillo, Fantastica; 2-5-[16]-5-6-5-4-5 = 32
4.) Mark Plaxton, INTAC; 8-1-13-7.5/RDG-8-[14]-3-6 = 45.6
5.) Steve Rhyne, Mojo; 4-12-[13/ZFP]-7-1-3-[15]-10 = 50
6.) John Taylor, Ninkasi; 6-4-9/ZFP-5.5/RDG-3-[15]-10-12 = 51.3
7.) Alex Jackson, Leenabarca; 12-2-3-3-[14]-12-9-11 = 52
8.) Alec Cutler, Hedgehog; [16/ZFP]-13-12/ZFP-4-2-10-11-1 = 53
9.) Pieter Taselaar, Bliksem; 9-[17/RAF]-1-2-11-16-7-7 = 53
10.) Joel Ronning, Catapult; 7-6-15/ZFP-9.3/RDG-9.3/RDG-9.3/RDG-6-9 = 55.9

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As promised this next instalment about penalties in Match Racing is taking one around the pin-end of the finish.

The rules prescribe that you are not allowed to taken penalty within the zone. But that is only for the zone of a rounding mark! The pin-end of the finish is not a rounding mark, it is a passing mark. Therefore penalties are allowed in that zone.

The big advantage of taking your penalty around that mark is that you can finish directly after having completed your penalty – even with little boat speed – by bearing away to the line. It is one manoeuvre that – if you’ve done your training – has been done a hundred times before.

The Blue boat with the outstanding penalty needs to be approximately 4 to 5 boat lengths ahead, to be able to complete the penalty and still finish first. She enters the zone clear ahead and Yellow must give mark-room in position 1. Blue luffs after passing the mark and makes sure that her spinnaker head is below the goose-neck. (Something that has to be done before passing head to wind, that’s when Blue is starting to take her penalty)

Passing head to wind she losses her mark-room under rule 18.2(b) and must keep clear under rule 21.2.
As soon as Blue has reached a course 90 degrees from true wind the penalty is complete. (in position 6). She’s on port tack and Yellow is on starboard tack. So Blue is still keep clear boat. But because she now has an overlap with Yellow and is within the zone, rule 18 again switches on again. Blue is inside boat and Yellow must give her mark-room, under rule 18.2(a). Blue is already at the mark, so she’s entitled to sail her proper course. Which is to bear away and finish as soon as possible. Yellow must gybe or sail by the lee, to give Blue that room.

Boom?

There’s one other thing – besides getting the spinnaker down in time – that is your boom. With bigger boats the boom is almost at a ninety degree angle and really sticks out. In rounding the mark it happens that the boom sticks out so far, that the end is over the mark and over the line. Rule C7.2(d) however dictates that the boat must completely be on the course side, after having completed her penalty, before she can finish. Part of the boom may never be on the correct side. So she can’t finish.

If the RC gets a heads up from the umpires about the leading boat having an outstanding penalty, they watch – particularly that boom – so see if Blue ever manages to get completely to the course side, before crossing the line for the second time.

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pril 11, 2012 11:27 AM

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Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac prepares for il Mostro’s arrival
 

Chicago Yacht Club announces that it has received a request for invitation from the famous Volvo Ocean 70 Puma Ocean Racing boat il Mostro (Italian for ‘the monster’).

The 70-foot Goetz Custom Boats Volvo 70 was recently purchased by Chicago Yacht Club member Peter Thornton with the specific goal of bringing honors for the famous Royono Trophy back to Chicago Yacht Club.

The Royono trophy is awarded for the first monohull to cross the finish line. Mr. Thornton will retain the signature name for the boat ‘il Mostro’ and will berth her in a location yet to be determined in Chicago’s harbor system.

‘I purchased the boat with the goal of sharing the race with my family and friends with whom I race with,’ said Thornton.

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ANNAPOLIS, Md., March 20, 2012 – Inflatable Life Jackets – which automatically or manually inflate with the tug of a pull cord – have been around over 25 years, but there are still quite a few misperceptions about how these life saving devices work. The BoatUS Foundation set out to debunk some of the myths:

1. Inflatable life jackets are zero maintenance - Let’s face it, pretty much nothing on a boat is zero maintenance. Before you head out for the day, simply check to ensure the CO2 cylinder is screwed firmly in and you can see the green indicator tab. Once a year, take it out and blow it up with your mouth, wait overnight, inspect for wear and check for leaks.

Repacking is a task made simple – a few folds and a tuck – as instructions are found printed inside the cover flap. Most life jackets that automatically inflate when you hit the water also have small dissolvable components that periodically need replacement, but it’s a simple process. A rearming “kit” comes with everything you need.

2. One size fits all - While most inflatables are sized as “universal adult,” all have adjustable cinch straps that will provide a good fit for nearly every size of grown-up on the boat. Inshore-type jackets tend to be less bulky and are more compact than those jackets designed for offshore use. There are no inflatables for kids under 16, but the BoatUS Foundation is working with other national boating safety groups and the US Coast Guard to increase support for inflatable jackets that are more suitable for kids.

3. Not a lot of choices – Actually, there are. Once you get past a range of colorful designs, there are two basic styles of inflatable life jackets: over-the shoulder suspender-style and waist-fitting belt pack. All US Coast Guard-approved inflatable life jackets have a mark showing its type and how it should be used. A big advantage is that inflatables can provide nearly twice the buoyancy of similarly-rated foam life jackets, and are also are better in terms of righting a person in the water, when compared to some other traditional types.

4. Inflatable life jackets are too expensive – Inflatable life jackets start at under $100. That is a real expense for some, but consider that a cheap life jacket that no one will want to wear is as useless as a hook without the worm. Belt pack types tend to be less expensive than suspender style, while automatically-inflatable types or those with extras like an integral sailing harness increase the price.

5. Inflatable life jackets are uncomfortable - Baloney! Inflatable life jackets are compact, don’t trap body heat, give full body movement, and can be as unobtrusive as small bait pouch attached to your belt. Look for one that has a neoprene chafe guard around the neck and one that can be adjusted to prevent it from shifting from side to side.

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How would you like to splice your own dock line at the Strictly Sail Chicago Boat Show? Torresen Marine will be leading an interactive line splicing demonstration where attendees will learn splicing skills and make their own 20′ dock line for free!Both Torresen Marine and Samsom Rope will be on hand to give splicing directions. Many spools of Samson three-strand line and a splicing table will be in the booth.   

This will be Torresen Marine’s largest Strictly Sail Chicago exhibit to date with a 400 square foot booth. We are happy to have Samson Rope on board with us. Stop in to booth number 444 to share in the fun.

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