October 6 – 10, 2011 is the 42nd United States Sailboat Show, produced annually by U.S. Yacht Shows, Inc. According to Show General Manager Paul Jacobs, this year’s event is chock full of boats, gear and activities along with free weekend seminars and demo rides. Thursday is VIP Day, featuring a modestly increased ticket price for serious buyers who can see the boats and meet with dealers or exhibitors before the crowds converge.

“The show is shaping up to be very strong this fall,” said Jacobs. “It is growing back to the glory days of pre-2008. With all the various activities and show features, attendance should be strong again this year. We draw an audience from all 50 states, with over a dozen foreign countries represented as well. This is truly an international event.”

Geoff McCord, general manager for Bavaria Yachts USA, has already signed up. “Annapolis is the hub of the sailing industry in North America. The Annapolis sailboat show pulls from all 50 states, and all the major players from Europe are here.”

Another exciting promotion is the chance to win the grand prize of a 5-night, 6-day British Virgin Island charter vacation aboard a 40’ Sunsail sailboat from Tortola, BVI.  The boat will accommodate up to six people.  Airfare for two will be provided by the British Virgin Islands Tourist Board. 

Each year, dozens of boats are shown for the first time anywhere and this year is no exception as nearly 20 boats will debut in Annapolis. Some of the new boats being introduced include:

Another new feature is a special “Take the Wheel” seminar series led by Captain John Martino, president and founder of Annapolis School of Seamanship. Martino and his team of highly qualified instructors will lead the instructional sessions to inform boat buyers about boat types and uses, ownership options, navigating the buying process, and the safety and regulatory information integral to operating a vessel.  Boat demonstration rides will be on the agenda in the afternoon.

“Again this year, we are so impressed with the way the sailing industry is supporting this event,” concluded Jacobs. “Our land spaces are all sold out, and even our rental floating docks are all gone.  We are pleased to have nearly 20 new boats premiering here in Annapolis this fall, the complete line of Bavaria Yachts back again, an impressive number of catamarans, the South African Boat Builders, and hundreds of other boats on display.  Some interesting features to entertain, educate, and impress are listed on the show web site at www.usboat.com

Share or bookmark this story:

At 5th in the world rankings, top-seed Pierre-Antoine Morvan and his team have come through on top of the heap at the conclusion of Round Robin racing in the ISAF Grade 1 Chicago Match Cup. But his climb to the top was not easy, as his eight wins was matched by eight wins earned by Phil Robertson and Keith Swinton, with tie-breaks determining them to be in 2nd and 3rd place, respectively, going into tomorrow’s Quarter-Final knock-out series.

Racing today off of downtown Chicago’s Navy Pier varied from slow and laborious to fast and furious, as an approaching cold front accelerated the southwesterly breeze from 6 to nearly 20 knots by day’s end. One casualty of the strong breeze was the spinnaker of Simone Ferrarese, who was luffed hard on the final downwind leg of his close match with rival Bill Hardesty in the Repechage Round that was held to determine the top two of the 7th-12th placed finishers from the first Round Robin.

Hardesty managed to get through this round with CMRC founder Don Wilson to advance to the Quarter Finals, where Hardesty was chosen by Robertson in tomorrow’s first-to-three point series, and Wilson will meet Morvan. The remaining two pairs will be Swinton meeting Corbett, and Alvaro Marinho meeting yesterday’s series leader Taylor Canfield.

In the Consolation round to determine 9-12th places, 9th placed Sally Barkow has chosen to race fellow US Olympic aspirant Genny Tulloch, while their Olympic coach Dave Perry will meet Ferrarese to sail in a one-race knock-out series. Winners of each pair will meet each other to determine 9th place, while the losers will race to determine 11th place.

Racing resumes tomorrow at 9 AM at the east end of Navy Pier, where grandstands are set up for viewing the action, and live commentary is provided by veteran match race experts Geordie Shaver, Scott Dickson, Dobbs Davis and Nathan Hollerbach. Merchandise vendors and nearby refreshments in the nearby Oktoberfest tent will also keep the public entertained on site, while live streaming video coverage will entertain online spectators. And for a lucky few sponsors and media, there will be opportunities to ride on board while racing, another unique feature offered by CMRC.

Official Partners of the CMRC include Eurex, CME Group, Newedge, City Inns family of hotels, and Line Honors, which is the Official Clothing Supplier to CMRC.

Tod Reynolds

See Chicago Match images

Results:

1) Morvan 8-3

2) Robertson 8-3

3) Swinton 6-2

4) Canfield 5-3

5) Corbett 5-3

6) Marinho 5-3

7) Wilson 4-4, 3-2

8) Hardesty 4-4, 2-3

9) Barkow 3-5, 4-1

10) Ferrarese 2-6, 2-3

11) Tulloch 2-9,  2-3

12) Perry 2-9,  2-3

Share or bookmark this story:

The Event
The annual Blue Chip Championship had 24 different qualifying champions attending from all of the 2011 class regattas this year around the United States. It is a rare regatta in that you have to earn your way into the event by sailing well at previously held events during the course of the year. A traditional regatta with a long history of great racing on a crazy tight, fun and fast lake called Spring Lake located near Grand Haven, Michigan.

Highlights
Oh boy here we go! Does that sound like the beginning of the National Championship highlights from two weeks ago. Well it was pretty close to same thing weather wise. It was predicted to be raining and in the high 50s for the whole weekend. However we got lucky and had three great races with some sun on Saturday. PRO Steve Schiller along with Nancy and Pete Price made a great call ending Saturday before race 4 started and before the ice cold rain started late in the day. Winds for these for three races were varied. Race 1 light/medium, Race 2 Crazy Ivan light, Race 3 strong medium. For Sunday three races with a gray overcast sky and occasional drizzle. Winds were good though out of the east and we had two light mediums and one medium air race to finish up races 4-6. So we got them all in and I think everyone would agree that 5 of the 6 were great races.

Saturday night highlights were our traditional dinner at the Arboreal. Rick Trester the current commodore of the Inland Yachting Association gave a great update on all the current happenings within the I.L.Y.A. Eric Hood brought everyone up to speed on current news from Melges Performance Sailboats and also some new things happening with the MC Scow both boat and sails. Also, updates and early promotion of the 2012 MC Scow National Championship at White Lake , Michigan was discussed.

The Racing and Learnings From The Event
There is a lot to talk about here. PRO Steve Schiller gave us great lines but you have to realize when you are on lake where locals say welcome to Spring Lake where “Nature Smiles For Seven Miles” and the lake is only a couple of hundred yards wide at the most – guess what . The breeze can be a little shifty. However, even though this is a tricky lake it is a lake where on this particular weekend the breeze was down on the water and showing. So you just had to pay attention big time in the last 60-90 seconds pre start and be ready to move quickly to another spot if possible. The line was set up for 24 boats to start and some small change left over. Starting was fun, was challenging but it also was very serious because all of there quickly discovered that the first 90-120 seconds of these races much was put in place for the rest of that race. Not the end of the world but it was a big piece of doing well at this regatta. So key learning – flexibility with not much time left before the start. Sort of like approaching a gate. I loved sailing on Melges 32s because not so much on starts but for sure at gates the trigger many times was pulled in the last 10-15 seconds on which way were going. Very fast, very exciting , great boat handling is key to being successful. Same with starting be nimble and ready to change. Other key learnings for Spring Lake sort fell back on three things we talk about a lot. Staying in the dark water, great boat handling through your tacks and clean air. I can tell you twice during this event I got camped on a couple of times which all of us did during the tight racing but it really sets you back quickly in the tight skinny races courses we had. So paying attention to best available pressure, anticipating what the nearest boats next to you are doing and really working hard on great quick tacking. The new board system is really fantastic as it is two steps instead of three when tacking. No way to convert old boats sorry. So back to dark water. Please know and learn this when sailing. All lakes are different. If you do not go out and pre-sail the course before racing you are setting yourself up for some “misses”. You need to know if the air is showing early, on-time, late and/or if it is up and off the water or down on the water.

The Results
Great racing throughout the fleet. Everyone was focused on not winning the famous “Gutter Ball” which goes to the last competitor who sails in every race. All skippers finished all races this year by the way. We have had some wimps over the years try to back out of this qualifier for the “Gutter Ball” but everyone ” was in it to not win it” this year. Seriously though the racing was tight , tough and at the end of the day only three sailors stayed in the top ten every race. Justin Hood won with a 1,1,4,5,1,7 and a 9 point lead over second place Cam McNeil with who had 28pts. Other race winners were Chris Hawk of Keuka , N.Y. Who won a close battle with Ehood during race 3. Then Andy Molesta came charging out of the box with a solid victory on Sunday morning for race 4 narrowing the gap with Justin Hood down to 1 point going into race 5. Last race was won by Dan “Squad Car” Fink our class commodore who put in a solid strong performance this regatta and finished third overall.

So here are the top 10 and Division Winners
Justin Hood 19, Cam McNeil 28, Dan Fink 32, Andy Molesta 33, Jamie Kimball 34, Brett Hatton 50, Ehood 51, Ted Keller 55, Richard Blake 57 and Chris Hawk 74 Top Youth and Top Woman was Allison Price, Top Grand Master was Rick Trester , Top Master was Eric Hood and Gutter Ball with big smiles and actually the first Blue Chip invite for 2012 was Mark Hardenbergh.

Too see all the race scores go to www.mcscow.org and they should be there shortly. Chris Eggert has 60 great photos at his Facebook Page.

Some great racing still available but like the Geese we need to start going south. MC Masters at Beaufort, SC and Halloween at Augusta during October and then the S.E.

Share or bookmark this story:

27 September 2011 – The U.S. Melges 24 Class Association (USMCA) is proud to usher in what will be the third largest U.S. National Championship in class history. Hosted by Lake Geneva Yacht Club (LGYC) in Fontana, Wisc., forty-five Melges 24 teams from all across America and beyond anticipate a great event packed with awesome competition and camaraderie, while the club will celebrate the end of its 2011 sailing season in grand finale, performance sailboat racing style.

The Midwest District of the Melges 24 Class in the U.S. brings the largest constituency of teams. A whopping 28 entries call Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Montana, Ohio and Missouri home. Other states being represented include California, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Colorado, New York, New Jersey and Florida. The USMCA is also quite proud to make the Nationals an international affair by welcoming teams from Canada, Australia and Ireland. 

Reigning Melges 24 U.S. National Champion Alan Field on WTF is back, ready to defend his title. Field has always been one of the fleets toughest teams on the course and clearly, with a top ten finish at the World Championship this past May, he will be a top teams.

Others expected to do well include Charleston Race Week Champion Kristen Lane on Brickhouse, Mike Dow on Flying Toaster, 2011 World Championship runner-up Brian Porter on Full Throttle, Midwest District Governor August Hernandez on High Voltage, Paul Hulsey on Hoodlum Racing, Peter Cucci on Matador, Corinthian World Champion Bruce Ayres on Monsoon, Bora Gulari on New England Ropes/Air force 1, and former North American Champion Argyle Campbell on Rock n’ Roll.

With such a strong showing from the Midwest, for sure it will be interesting to see how well the home-court advantage teams such as A Scow legend Tom Freytag on Wicked Feet and long-time E Scow sailor Henry Colie on Babs does. Lake style, performance sailboat racing is sure to mix things up and those that sail in it often will certainly be bringing a wealth of knowledge and experience with them

Share or bookmark this story:

Louie’s Lucky 13th Last Regatta is in the books — and no one who participated will ever forget it. The race went under postponement before boats left the docks due to waterspouts (waterspouts?!?!?) sighted in Lake Michigan. There was a prolonged heavy downpour as Principal Race Officer John Strassman and members of the Louie’s Committee watched radar images of the weather systems on Lake Michigan. It was hoped that the intense weather would blow through and allow sailors to leave the docks to race. However, multiple cells of intense weather continued to pop up on radar and the National Weather Service issued a Special Marine Warning for the waters off Milwaukee. Reluctantly, our PRO and the Louie’s Committee decided that activity on the Big Lake was unsafe and at 11:45 announced that racing for Louie’s 13th was abandoned.

The Louie’s Committee announced on VHF Channel 72 that activities at the Milwaukee Ale House would proceed as planned. The Cutlass Award for the Most Uniquely Attired Crew would be awarded. The Crewfest Challenge Award would be given to the winner. Awards of various kinds would be bestowed. And — of course — Louie’s Live! would still take place. But first, we needed to determine the winners of Louie’s 13th Last Regatta.

Item 7.2 in the Louie’s Last Regatta Notice of Race reads as follows:

So…at 3:30, the skippers in the Flaming Damsel Section queued up in the cul-de-sac on Buffalo St. to dash down Water Street to Chicago St. when the traffic got light. While we anticipated the thirty or forty hearty skippers, we did not expect that the ENTIRE bar and dock crowd would pour onto Water Street to watch the fun. Spectators lined both sides of the street for the full length of the block to watch the Race. When traffic disappeared and the light on Water Street turned red, a loud “THREE, TWO, ONE” was called and the race was on. To call it a “Race” may be a stretch — someone was being pushed down the street in a dock cart while holding a mast and sail. Someone else was carried down the street in a hammock suspended from a spinnaker pole. There were several wipe-outs on the wet street as the ‘runners’ literally tripped over one another in an effort to win the race. Several skippers ran in costume. It was madness — and classic Louie’s. As one sailor observed, “You thought it was a bad idea to go sailing in a little rain and a better idea to have forty sailors run down the middle of Water Street in traffic.” Well…it IS in the Notice of Race.

At the end of the block, Mike Sabinash from the Sabinash Family entry Sabotage was the winner. Dressed as a barnyard rooster, Jeremy Burns from Heatwave came in second. Coming in third was Greg Adams from Sociable. The crew of one of the two Crazy Diamonds in the race came in last to claim the Flounder. The scene on Water Street had turned into a bit too much of a merry carnival for the second race for the Solomon Juneau Section to be run. With no second race to be run, the Louie’s sailors returned to the docks.

The end of the race did not signal the end of shoreside activities. The Milwaukee Ale House/Mount Gay Rum free rum pour was under way. The crew of Mai Tai launched water balloons to the delight of the crowd. The teenage crew of Rafiki sold burgers to add to their donation to Louie’s. The crew of Impetuous hoisted their incredibly battered and imaginatively decorated mainsail as a prop for their Men At Work costume entry. Boats braved the weather and rafted up in the river. The crew of the 67 foot Defiance arrived on the scene, only to find that the water was not deep enough for them to dock their boat, though they got serious style points for trying. In spite of the abandoned race, hundreds of Louie’s sailors arrived at the Milwaukee Ale House by boat, car…and by dock cart and by hammock.

The Solomon Juneau winners were — with the unanimous agreement of all present — awarded their top three winners and last place finisher by drawing cards. Not perfect — but we had waterspouts! The results were Second Edition in Third Place, Ed Purcell’s F-Stop in Second Place and Don Doggett’s Simmer Hours in third. Dirty Rat drew the low card and is the Solomon Juneau Flounder winner.

We Live Auctioned several items from the stage — Matt Suminski was the most generous auction buyer, vastly overpaying for a Harken Rolling Duffle. Our photographer, Chris Gribble took photos and our new Louie’s Film-maker, Chris Coyne, shot as much footage as he could.

The Most Uniquely Attired Crew award was a tough one this year, with excellent entries abounding. Alice Martin and her crew on Painkiller V were resplendent as Alice in Wonderland, complete with all of the characters from Lewis Carroll’s classic book. Adam Berger and his Men At Work Crew were hard at work. Harry Corbett and his James Bond crew from TFWB Relentless were marvelous, as were the dancers from Skelday and others. In the end, (Pregnant) Snow White and the Seven Dwarves from the lovely Hope were the winners of the Cutlass.

As always, every finishing boat earned a First Place flag — everyone wins at Louie’s. Given that no one sailed, a First Place brag flag was given to the skipper of every boat present. First, Second and Third place overall flags, Lands’ End Jackets and Milwaukee Ale House beer went to every overall winner from the two fleets.

Although many people came to the Ale House, a lot of sailors did not. Louie’s Live was much briefer than usual, and in spite of the small turnout, Louie’s Sailors raised almost $50,000 for Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, with total proceeds including merchandise, live auction items and other donations yet to be tallied. The Third Place fundraiser is Jim Kelly’s Bounder. Second Place is Adam Berger and the crew of Impetuous. The winner of the Maggie Bersch Trophy for the biggest fundraiser was Adam Brotz/Preston Wake on the Chance/Twister entry.

Local Sailor Ken Quant said, after the epic footrace down Water Street, “People will be talking about today for twenty years!” Louie’s Lucky 13th Last Regatta, complete with waterspouts, water balloons, running roosters, pricey duffle bags and generous sailors, will certainly be remembered as the most unique Louie’s to date. Thank you to all Louie’s sailors, all of our generous sponsors and all the staff and doctors at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin. We will see everyone at the Louie’s Thank-You Party on Thursday, November 6th at 6:00 pm at the Milwaukee Ale House, when we will announce total proceeds from Louie’s Lucky 13th Last Regatta.

http://www.louieslast.org/

Share or bookmark this story:

At the end of every E-Scow season since 1966 the Pewaukee Yacht Club has hosted the Blue Chip. To better understand the event, one has to know the E-Scow class. The National Class E-Scow Association (NCESA) has almost 90 years of history with fleets spanning the Midwest, the Finger Lakes of New York, the Jersey Shore, down to South Carolina, and west to Grand Lake, Colorado. To judge the quality of E-Scow sailors is to index the very best that American sailing has to offer: National, International, World and Olympic Champions and legends are scattered across the historic records.
The E Blue Chip is an invitational event for the top finishers from all the major events on the E-Scow calendar each year. Pewaukee’s strong scow tradition and ideal location (smack in the middle of Wisconsin and ILYA) makes it a perfect stage for an ultimate showdown between the top sailors in the class from across the country each season. Taking it one step further, the Blue Chip committee goes outside of the class to find a sailor of note to join in the fun and test their mettle against the seasoned class veterans. The guest list is a laundry list of great sailing talent including Dennis Conner, Lowell North, Hans Fogh, Jonathan McKee, Steve Benjamin, Gary Knapp, Tom Ehman, Gary Jobson, Paul Cayard, Mark Reynolds, Ken Read, Russell Coutts, Courtney Becker-Dey, Dave Perry, Betsy Allison, Carl Buchan, Vince Brun, Morgan Reeser, John Lovell, Peter Holmberg, Dave Ullman, Liz Baylis and last year, Bora Gulari. Ironically, those are the Non-E-Scow sailors, competing against legends in their own right who had earned invitations to the event such as Buddy Melges, Bill Allen, Gordy Bowers, Brian Porter, Harry Melges, Tom Burton, and Dick Wight among others. The “Mystery Guest” gets the advantage of a good boat, new sails, and a great local crew, but has little time to prepare in what are some odd boats to sail. The E is very fast, sensitive on the helm, but ultimately difficult to get a handle on because of the need to sail with constant heel.
The 2011 E Blue Chip was an experience unlike any other for me. Some of the legendary sailors on the list above that I spoke to about it demanded that I make every effort to attend. I especially wanted to be there to follow in the footsteps of not only my parents, Bill and Sherri, who attended the event in the 80s and 90s (finishing 2nd in 1990), but also of my grandparents on both Dad’s and Mom’s sides, since they have significant histories in the class. The Toms River Campbells are strong advocates for the class in New Jersey after having retired from actively sailing. Likewise are the Wilders on Keuka Lake in New York. Needless to say the entire family was happy to hear that part of the new generation of Campbells would get the opportunity to sail in an E boat at the Blue Chip. Bringing my wife Jacqueline to the event was a big priority for me ahead of time. What I didn’t realize was what a statement it would become for her to race the entire regatta with us, more on that later.
We arrived midday Thursday to sunny skies and nice breeze, in time for a little practice with a few of the local teams from Pewaukee and the surrounding lakes. What we didn’t know was that Thursday’s westerly would be the steadiest and most pleasant breeze of the entire weekend! It was really great to be able to get out and sail with our local hot-shot crew of Jim Campbell (no relation, besides a common interest in the Blue Chip!) and our boat’s owner Matt Schmidt, who had just come off a victory at the C-Scow Blue Chip a week prior.
Thursday is traditionally a pork-chop dinner hosted by the PYC Commodore and Board. Walking over, I was surprised to run into what was effectively a PYC Board meeting around the grill pit. The club consists of a dining hall/reception space with a kitchen and a separate bar, but anything the club lacks in luxury and decor, it has in genuine hospitality and friendship to anybody who comes to visit.
Friday morning arrived with a chill. The northerly breeze was in, but light, so we started our series 250 yards off the PYC docks and sailed windward/leewards the short distance across the lake. We rigged up and discovered that part of the Mystery Guest’s role is sailing the regatta with a large Question Mark “?” on your mainsail. I joked in my toast Saturday night that the Question Mark is befitting of the mystery guest not only because the other sailors are wondering: “Who are those guys?” but the mystery guest himself (or herself) is also left wondering things like “What the heck are we doing here? Are you guys sure we should be heeling this much? How did we just go from 5th to last on one leg? Why is Pewaukee’s code letter V? Why did we stay so late at the party last night?” The Question Mark was certainly the symbol of the weekend for us as I asked “How are we managing to do this?” as we led through the first leeward gate of the regatta. We did slip back to 6th in the race, but the next two races of the day we got out into two solid leads. We gave away a 250 yard lead to finish overlapped with two boats across the finish line to win race two. Then we stretched and gave away well more than that distance to only slightly more comfortably win race three.
Friday night was a great chance for us to catch up with our family hosts on the lake, the Gutenkunsts. Coming from a legendary Pewaukee family, John and his wife Lesa lived in San Francisco for many of the years I grew up in San Diego, letting us cross paths many times, but never having met. The Blue Chip does brings people together and the Gutenkunst family is but one example of many people we met at the regatta, only to find out we already have many friends in common.
Saturday had only a slightly better outlook for breeze as it shifted into the northeast, with very patchy conditions making starting the first race of the day very difficult. Unfortunately, massive holes and wildly shifting breeze dominated the first race of the day as a nasty thunderstorm disrupted the race. We scanned far and wide for any hint of pattern, but were mostly left scratching our heads as people glided past us in private zephyrs. I would be lying if I didn’t tell you we were dead last around at least one mark in that race. We only managed to climb back to 13th place because we sailed the entire last beat with our spinnaker up, skating past a few unlucky boats. We had to make something of a comeback after lunch and were able to take an early lead in race five. This time we were actually able to extend on our lead and cross the line in comfort. We felt as if we had redeemed ourselves slightly from a tough day, and sat second in the standings to Pine Lake’s Jim Gluek.
Saturday night is the formal dinner at PYC. Steaks about a mile thick with delicious sides all around were combined with good cocktails and great conversation as each team was introduced by regatta chairman Todd Haines. I gave a short presentation about my Star campaign, showed some photos and videos of big wave Starboat sailing and talked about the Olympic venue in Weymouth, the Olympic Trials process, and talked a bit about the CISA Clinic and the importance of getting more people, including youth sailors, involved in the sport in a high-quality way. While on my soapbox, I got to make a case for sailing the E-Scow with four people. Often teams will bring a fourth sailor to events, but if breeze is light, that person gets to watch from the boat, or worse, the dock. There was never a doubt in my mind that we would sail with four for the entire regatta. Heck, we needed the weight to heel the boat over downwind. The extra hands for roundings are critical and an extra set of eyes on a shifty lake is always an asset. I added to my case that sailing with four is a great way to get young sailors involved in the sport. I have never forgotten my childhood memories of sailing at what seemed like mach 3 on the E-Scow. I guarantee those experiences racing with my parents, grandparents and close friends of theirs were the reason I love, succeed in, and am compelled to promote the sport of sailing.
Unfortunately for our competitors from Lake Mendota, the team sitting in last place on Saturday afternoon is challenged to walk the bar in their skivvies. This was clearly on Pewaukee team Tobin Tornehls’s mind Saturday afternoon, inspiring them to a regatta-best fifth place finish and forcing Patrick Heaney and team into the spotlight. The “bar walk” is just one of the hilarious and great traditions the regatta has developed over the years. It should be noted that any team that accepts the bar-walk-challenge is officially the recipient of the first invitation back to the event next year!
Sunday had the best breeze of the weekend. The easterly allowed the race committee to stretch the course and we sailed a five leg windward-leeward with 1.1 mile legs. Jim, Matt, Jackie and I only needed to beat the X-751 team, but we didn’t help ourselves by having a rough start and having to chase down our target in shifty conditions near the top of the beat. We rounded about fifth and, after a terrifying gybe where we nearly turned over early in the leg, were able to get into our own water and round the bottom third. There was no catching the local heroes aboard V-222 racing with Bob Biwer. We did force them to tack up the last beat, but were a few lengths behind as they took the bullet in the last race. We were second. Luckily, second place was enough to overtake Jim Gluek and take the 2011 Blue Chip title. The breeze wouldn’t cooperate enough for a seventh race, but we were happy in any case.
What can I say? We were so excited on board the “?” we could barely contain our grins. We lucked into a great series and made a little history as the only mystery guest team since Dennis Conner in 1977 to win the event. There have only been six mystery guests in the top three in the 46 year history of the event.
Our goal to be top three was not the only expectation exceeded. I was astounded by the overwhelming hospitality of the people of Pewaukee Yacht Club and the E-Scow class in general. The class has made an enormous impact on my family. I dare to say the E-Scow is the single biggest reason we continue to enjoy the sport and have so many sailing friends around the country. Heck, my parents met at an E-Scow Easterns! With this Blue Chip experience, Jacqueline and I can more fully understand why those connections run so deep. I cannot thank our hosts, the PYC membership, the Blue Chip committee, our competitors, and our teammates enough for allowing us the opportunity, much less the support to win the regatta.
Jackie and I joked after Saturday that we were going to work hard in coming years to make sure we could qualify for an invitation through some other E-Scow regattas just so we could come back to the Blue Chip. Well, apparently by winning we’re grandfathered into an invitation for life. I know we’ll return to the event in the future. Besides that, I’ve joined the great list of “former mystery guests” and look forward to harassing future potential mystery guests to clear their schedules and get out to Pewaukee to meet the best the E-Scow class has to offer!

Full Results: http://e-scow.org/2011/09/andrew-campbell-wins-2011-blue-chip/

More photos hopefully coming on www.CampbellSailing.com

Share or bookmark this story:

Whitefish. A simple but complicated name.

In the past, when I saw whitefish on any restaurant menu, I thought it was a certain type of fish. Later, I learned “whitefish” didn’t really have a definition. Fish described as whitefish on menus might refer to any white-colored fish, such as cod, whiting, haddock, pollack, etc.

In Michigan and other Great Lakes states, the term whitefish refers to a specific freshwater native fish, coregonus clupeaformis. The Great Lakes whitefish is found in cold water up to 200 feet deep and generally is caught by commercial fishermen, not by hobby or sport fishermen.

Great Lakes whitefish have a long history. Native Americans, particularly the Chippewa and Ottawa tribes, have fished for Great Lakes whitefish for hundreds of years, before European explorers reached this area.

And once Scandinavians settled the Great Lakes area, they used native whitefish and trout in their traditional fish-boil dinners.

The Michigan Sea Grant College Program, a cooperative effort of the University of Michigan and Michigan State University, is a promoter and educator of all things Great Lakes, including the native whitefish. The Sea Grant Program recently released a whitefish cookbook, “Wild Caught and Close to Home: Selecting and Preparing Great Lakes Whitefish.” It’s a compilation of 55 recipes from restaurant chefs, fishermen and culinary educators from Illinois, Michigan and Minnesota.

The book is great for those just learning to cook fish as well as experienced cooks. Sometimes people get in a rut with favorite fish recipes. This book can help get people out of the rut by introducing a variety of fish cooking methods, including frying, sauteing, stir-frying, steaming, poaching, broiling, grilling, roasting, baking, smoking and pickling.

I had a difficult time choosing a recipe to include with this story, as I am a fan of fish. Most of the recipes sounded appealing to me and are on my “to cook” list.

Things to know about Great Lakes whitefish

Courtesy Photo | Michigan Sea Grant Authors: Eighteen chefs in the Great Lakes region contributed to “Wild Caught and Close to Home, Selecting and Preparing Great Lakes Whitefish,” including Northern Michigan University culinary professors Deb Pearce and Chris Kibit.

• They are very heart-healthy. One 3-ounce serving of Great Lakes whitefish has more omega-3 fatty acids than pink or sockeye salmon.

• Great Lakes whitefish are a good source of niacin, vitamins B-6 and B-12, with small amounts of other vitamins.

• Besides being good for you, Great Lakes whitefish are local. They don’t have to be shipped from the ocean or from halfway around the world. They are from Lake Michigan or Lake Superior.

• Silver-scaled whitefish weigh an average of 2 to 4 pounds.

• Properly frozen and wrapped whitefish fillets may be stored in the freezer at 0 degrees or below for about three months.

• Fresh whitefish should be refrigerated at 35-40 degrees, and cooked within two days. Once cooked, whitefish may be kept in the refrigerator a maximum of
3 days for best flavor.

• Three simple ways to tell when fish is fully cooked: First, the fish is opaque; second, when you insert a fork, the flesh easily flakes apart; and third, the fish is slightly firm to the touch.

Share or bookmark this story:

‘Canada’s Cup 2011′ 　　 Canada’s Cup 2011The hotly contested Canada’s Cup match race sailing competition concluded today with Team Vincere of the Royal Canadian Yacht Club of Toronto, Canada, winning by an overall score of five wins and three losses over Team Heritage of Macatawa Bay Yacht Club of Holland, Michigan. The Canada’s Cup trophy returns to the Royal Canadian Yacht Club awaiting a future challenge from US sailors.http://www.canadascup2011.us/.

Teams headed out to the race course knowing the contest would be decided on the last and final day. Team Vincere had a slim one race lead going into the final day with an overall score of three wins and two losses. The first team to win five races would take home the sterling silver trophy created by Tiffany’s.

The boats attacked the course, closely watching each other in anticipation. The first race of the day began in rough seas and good breeze. Both boats were close together at the first mark with Vincere rounding the mark first. Both boats surfed the waves downwind with several gybes each to the mark. Vincere increased their lead slightly, rounding the second mark approximately seven seconds ahead of Heritage. Vincere had a strong upwind leg, increasing their lead to 25 seconds at the third mark. Heritage surged downwind on the final leg, almost catching Vincere at the finish line. Vincere expanded their lead to four wins and two losses, needing just one more win to capture the championship.

Heritage had a strong start in the second race with both boats tacking in heavy seas toward the first mark. Heritage edged Vincere at the first mark by one boat length. Both boats surfed the waves downwind again, with Heritage gaining ground to lead by four boat lengths at the second mark. Heritage protected their lead, covering Vincere in the final legs using classic match racing techniques to win the race by 34 seconds.

After Vincere changed out a damaged jib halyard, the third race began with a clean start. The competitors tacked upwind on mostly opposite tacks, with Vincere taking a slight lead at the first mark. Heritage sailed to left side of the course, with Vincere choosing the right side of the course for the downwind leg. Both boats were still close together at the downwind mark. Vincere had a strong upwind leg, leading by approximately 30 seconds at the third mark, which proved to be too big of a lead for Heritage to make up. Vincere won the final race by 24 seconds to win the Canada’s Cup championship by an overall score of five wins and three losses.

Vincere will take the Canada’s Cup home to the Royal Canadian Yacht Club (RCYC) in Toronto, Canada. In approximately two years, the RCYC will issue a challenge to defend the Cup on their home waters of the northern shores of Lake Ontario.
The final racing results for the series will be posted on the Canada’s Cup website http://www.canadascup2011.us/

Share or bookmark this story: