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Around the World of Sailing
13 June 2001
News: Chicago NOOD Preview
This Friday's sees the second Midwest stop for Sailing World's
series of NOOD regattas. Host club is Chicago Yacht Club,
racing to take place on Lake Michigan.
Last years regatta saw 282 entries an all time record for a
NOOD regatta. This year another huge fleet will sail in 24
different classes. Sailing will be on a one design, level
and PHRF handicap basis.
The biggest class in # of starters will be the Tartan 10's.
Defending champion Bill Buckles and Liquor Box are entered
along with Nuts the class winner at the Detroit NOODS.
Biggest class in size is the Great Lakes 70's. 11 are entered
including the new to the Great Lakes Evolution and defending
champion Equation.
Several classes will race for more than just NOOD honors. The
S2 9.1 class will hold it's North American Championships with
defending champion Kato entered. The Beneteau 40.7 class will
name a North American champion with defending NOOD winner
La Tempete entered. The Sydney 38's will hold their nationals
while racing in a PHRF class that has the first of the new
Farr 395's sailing.
Links: Entry List
http://www.sailingworld.com/nood/2001/06_chicago/entries.html
Note on Docking at CYC
http://www.sailingworld.com/nood/2001/06_chicago/cyc_dockage.html
Theme: Weather
Available on line at:
http://www.torresen.com/atwos/2001/ju/0613/ms.htm
This month's series of theme articles covers Weather and how
it can affect your maritime pursuits.
The forecast for Muskegon today is pleasant, warming up to the
80's with 5-15 knot south winds. A chamber of commerce day!
What might be occurring in the atmosphere to bring about such a
weather prediction? In this case a high-pressure system.
High-pressure systems are masses of air whose pressure is
higher than surrounding areas. These areas form as air cools,
then becomes denser and sinks. As the air seeks to move
towards lower pressure it is deflected to the right meaning
high pressure systems have clockwise air circulation.
Today there is a high-pressure system with a pressure of 1016
millibars north of Lake Huron. According to the National
Weather Service this high pressure, "WILL MOVE SOUTHEAST AND BE
CENTERED EAST OF CAPE COD BY FRIDAY MORNING." Near Kansas is a
low pressure system. Its central pressure is 1000 millibars.
When you see the H marking a high pressure system on the
weather map you can often expect moderate conditions.
Additionally winds typically flow from high pressure to low
pressure. So don't expect wind near a high. Rather look for
a corresponding low and that will tell you where to expect
wind. In the case of Muskegon as the high moves out, the
Kansas low will take affect. As the area becomes a low
pressure one, wind will flow to it. Thursday's outlook is for
15-25 knots of wind.
Links: Weather Map
http://www.intellicast.com/LocalWeather/World/UnitedStates/SurfaceAnalysis/
News: Close Finish at College Dinghy Champs
Available on line at:
http://www.torresen.com/atwos/2001/ju/0613/ms.htm
The final of the three spring championships in Collegiate
Sailing the co-ed dinghy championships was a dramatic
competition. Hosted by the University of Rhode Island in
Narragansett RI all 18 races were necessary.
After 2 days and 12 races, Boston College held the lead over
Georgetown by 6 points. There were 6 races remaining for both
the A & B divisions.
Georgetown then took a brief lead. By races 15&16 Boston
College had enough top 3 finishes to regain the lead. Then
after 3rds in both divisions in race 16, Harvard went to the
lead. After a 1st place by Dartmouth's B division boat they
were 2nd with Harvard 1st and Tufts 3rd. One race for both
A&B divisions remained.
In the A division race Tufts was 2nd with Dartmouth 5th and
Harvard 16th. This left Tufts and Dartmouth tied entering the
regatta's final race.
Tuft's seniors Tufts seniors Adam Deermount and Lisa Keith
scored a 9th in the race, with Dartmouth 14th. Harvard's 5th
would not regain the lead.
Final results were Tufts 215, Harvard 217 and Dartmouth 220.
Links: Results
http://www.collegesailing.org/2001/0608/finalresults.htm
Tufts University Jumobs
http://ase.tufts.edu/sailing/
2001 Ronstan All Americans
http://www.collegesailing.org/00awards/01allamer.htm
News: Boat Smart
Available on line at:
http://www.torresen.com/atwos/2001/ju/0613/ms.htm
Boat Smart is a weekly column written by Chief Tom Rau, Group
Grand Haven, U.S. Coast Guard and appears in a number of
newspapers. Chief Rau has been writing and promoting safe
boating since 1986. Many of his columns are taken from real
life experiences from Station Muskegon, where Chief Rau is
currently serving, or from the Group Grand Haven Area of
Responsibility.
When 18-year-old Seaman Apprentice Candice Frie picks up the
telephone at Coast Guard Station St. Joseph, Michigan she
instantly becomes a maritime expert to the caller. Frie, as
with so many young watchstanders at Coast Guard stations,
receives these calls daily and is expected to provide the
caller with information, however slightly related to the
marine environment.
Heck, even this old senior chief struggles answering some
public inquiries. For example, Chief Hinken and I received a
telephone call last year at Station Muskegon from a man
wanting to know the length of a league, as in Jules Vern's,
"21 Leagues Under the Sea." For a moment, we thought the
caller might be a contestant on the "Who Wants to be a
Millionaire" show. (By the way a league is approximately 3
statute miles in English speaking countries, although I
suspect Vern had something less in mind.)
These public inquiries have inundated stations for years. At
times, these questions place information demands on Coast
Guard personnel that extend far beyond their expertise as
search and rescue responders, and in return the Coast
Guard loses the opportunity to pass effective information to
boaters.
The information drought is about to end. Thanks to the magic
of the internet, callers can now visit Group Grand Haven's new
information-rich web site, which offers answers on a host of
maritime subjects. The senior people who help put this site
together possess years of experience at Coast Guard search and
rescue stations and have probably answered nearly every
imaginable question, however remotely related to the maritime
environment. Now, let's take a glimpse at Group Grand Haven's
new information rich web site.
The web site address: www.uscg.mil/ghaven, or you can link to
it in www.boatsmart.net
When you enter the web site, click on the link called "2001
Newsletter Web Links", which zips to page 3 of our 2001
newsletter. Here lies an assortment of information treasures
that fall under three headings: "Lake Michigan Navigation &
Weather", "Boating Safety", and "General". Let's peek first
at the "Lake Michigan Navigation & Weather" menu.
Lake Michigan Navigation & Weather Menu. These links offer
incredible weather tracking devices, such as Michigan State
University's Lake Michigan's water temperature readings. The
National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) link
provides actual Doppler radar images of Lake Michigan cloud
movements and their intensity. Another NOAA link provides
"wave data" which is brand new and is truly remarkable. This
incredible site allows you to move your mouse arrow around
Lake Michigan to a particular location, say, Grand Haven
Michigan. Click the mouse and you will see a digital printout
of the water heights in that location. The site also offers
wind speeds. What's more, the site offers 'Webcams' at various
waterfront locations like Muskegon's harbor entrance where
real-time sea conditions can be viewed.
The Army Corps of Engineer's web site offers information on
Great Lakes water levels and predictions and conditions,
critical information to boaters in light of low water levels.
The Navigation Chart's link lists nautical charts that you can
order. Now, let's look at the second web site menu, "Boating
Safety".
Boating Safety. The Boating Safety page shows boating safety
courses offered by the Coast Guard Auxiliary, US Power
Squadrons (USPS), Sheriff Marine Departments, and the DNR for
Michigan and northern Indiana. The site offers points of
contact (POC) for these courses with phone numbers and e-mail
addresses. E-mail a POC and they will advise you what courses
are currently available, or they will place you on a class
roster and will notify you at a future date where and when
the classes will be conducted. If you click on a safety
class, you will find a list of contacts, and a link to the
Auxiliary and USPS national sites which provide course
descriptions and materials. The DNR site also offers POCs and
course descriptions, as does the sheriff marine department
page- it's a must visit site for those pursuing Personal Water
Craft (PWC) certificates.
The "Home Boating Safety Courses" links to the marine sheriff
page and home courses for PWC certificates. Some sheriff
departments provide take home courses, others do not. Check
the sheriff department in your location for their policy. The
site also offers links to home courses for those seeking a
captain's license for carrying six or less passengers ('Six
Pack') and master licenses.
The web site also offers Coast Guard Auxiliary and USPS
"Vessel Safety Checks" with POCs in Michigan and Indiana and a
full description of what to expect during a "Vessel Safety
Check". This site includes wonderful material and a great
opportunity to get your boat checked by boating experts. Now
that we've covered important web-site safety issues let's
quickly move on to general maritime information offered on the
web site.
General. Under "General" you will find a link to the Coast
Guard Recruiter's web site. Boy, do stations receive lots of
these calls! This site should answer most questions including
recruiter's telephone numbers . Group Grand Haven posted a
page called "2001 Major Marine Events on Lake Michigan". The
page provides times, locations, official spectator regulations
and boater observation zones for these marine events in which
the Coast Guard will provide security.
Under General you will also find a list of phone numbers for
Lake Michigan Municipal Marinas from St. Ignace to Michigan
City. These contacts are critical in light of low water
levels. We urge boaters heading for these ports to call ahead
for water-depth advisories. Incidentally, the Newsletter's
page three offers telephone numbers for all Lake Michigan
Coast Guard stations and weather numbers.
Coast Guard Captain's License and Documentation inquirers
often ring at Coast Guard Stations. This site links to our
Licensing Documentation web site. It a must stop for those
seeking a 'Six-Pack" license, or master license. Another site
links to DNR Hunting and fishing licenses and recreational
vessel registration information.
Lastly, there's the link to the Boat Smart column. The column
is edited by Group Command and much of the material comes from
actual search and rescue cases. This writer enjoys unfettered
access to our Group Search and Rescue command center, and to
boat crews who provide valuable on-the-water input. These
dedicated hard working guys and gals are my heroes, from
seaman apprentice all the way up to the Group Command. I
simply could not write the column without their experiences
and shared insights.
One of those shared insights comes from Commander Roger Dubuc,
Commander Coast Guard Group Grand Haven and former Assistant
Chief of Search and Rescue on the Great Lakes, and, I might
add, an avid recreational boater. He hit the nail on head when
he said that the marine environment is a very dangerous
environment. The Group web site's primary purpose then is to
provide useful information to boaters so they may arm
themselves against that hostile environment. Boat Smart-
please give it a visit.