The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society brought their “Fantasy Sail” regatta to San Diego Yacht Club on December 1, 2007. This event was the culmination of 43 Leukemia Cup Regattas held around the country during the last year that together raised more than 3.5 million dollars for LLS. Regatta participants invited to sail in the Fantasy Regatta individually raised more than $8500 each for LLS. Collectively, 80 skippers were invited to the San Diego event and were responsible for raising almost 1.5 million dollars of the total raised for LLS.

The skipper’s meeting was lead by LLS National Chair Gary Jobson and featured an up to the minute brief on the inner workings of the America’s Cup by our own Staff Commodore Dennis Conner.

The San Diego J-105 fleet rallied behind the cause and 15 owners donated their boats for the day including: Air Boss - Jon & CarolAnn Dekker, Blink - Steve & Lucy Howell, Cheetah - Hugh & Diane Bennet, Hibiscus - John Buchanan, Odin - Andy & Camille Rasdal, Jet Stream - Larry Boline & Bob Kyle, Pholly - Bill Logan, Sanity - Rick Goebel, Speedplay - Michael O'Connell, Triple Play - Chuck Driscoll, Viggen - Joe Dagostino, Zuni Bear - Rich Bergmann.

The sailors were divided up among the boats with most crews not having meet each other prior to a welcome reception the night before. Never the less, they charged across the start line like they were racing for gold. The course was laid in San Diego harbor and featured a start at Shelter Island, a beat out past Ballast Point, followed with a run down to Seaport Village and the Aircraft Carriers, then finishing back at Shelter Island. It is even possible that the spectators had the most fun shadowing the fleet on Troy Sear’s amazing 139’ schooner ‘America’ donated to the LLS for the day.

A wonderful dinner was held Saturday evening in the main dining room and highlighted by Gary Jobson’s presentation of a fabulous multi-media retrospective on the sport we all so love – sailing!

The 2007 Hot Rum Regatta marked the 50th year this event has been promoting sailing fun and friendship. Started by Herb Sinnhoffer in 1957, the Hot Rum is synonymous for pursuit style racing and the parties afterwards. To quote Herb…” The Hot Rum is a fun race…to be able to meet afterwards and make friends.”  This year, there were 149 boats entered and were met with wonderful weather for each of the three races. We also had an unusually high number of protests filed (nine total). The race committee would like to remind everyone that it is important to sail for fun and to sail safely.

The history committee wants to point out that the Sinnhoffer Perpetual for the Overall winner is missing some winners – specifically – the Overall Winner for the years 1992, 1994, 1995 and 1998. If you have any information on this, please contact the Sailing Office.

Thanks as always to our sponsor Mt. Gay Barbados Rum for the hats and a tasting of their newest product “Silver Eclipse” due out in 2008.

By Marlieke de Lange Eaton: Annapolis, MD (10/29/2007)

After three days of intense racing on Chesapeake Bay where the leadership board changed several times, Chuck Nichols (San Diego, Calif.) led his team of San Diego Yacht Club to victory at the U.S. Offshore Championship.

Going into the final day, the top four teams were within five points of each other and anyone could have returned home the new U.S. Offshore Champion. But Nichols and his seven crew members (San Diegans Kyle Clark, Wayne Terry, James Sakasegawa, Matthew Brown, Kelly McKeown, as well as John Reiter of Carlsbad, CA, and Bruce Buddenhagen of La Quinta, CA) were prepared and quick out of the gates for the day's first race to take a bullet.

The pressure was on for the final race and the U.S. Naval Academy team led by Chris Hamilton took an insurmountable lead, or so it seemed. However, at the second weather mark, Hamilton misjudged the layline and strong ebb and was forced to tack twice at the mark and ended up hitting the mark too. Nichols’ team capitalized on the mistake and surged into the lead while Navy spun. John Hoag’s team from Seattle, one point ahead of Hamilton going into this final race, appeared in the picture and set their chute simultaneously with Navy. A spirited battle erupted down the final run with both crews recognizing that the stakes for second overall were on the line.

At the end, Nichols won the race securing the regatta while Hamilton held off Hoag by half a length to tie on points but earn second on the tiebreaker while Hoag graciously settled for third. Defending champion Robert Hobbs of Davis Island Yacht Club put up a good fight but ended finishing fourth overall.

The last time a Californian team won the U.S. Offshore Championship was in 1998. This is the first time in the history of the regatta that a team from San Diego Yacht Club takes home the Lloyd Phoenix Trophy.

For complete results, daily reports and photos from the U.S. Offshore Championship, please visit the event website.

PREVIOUS WINNER OF THE LLOYD PHOENIX TROPHY

2007 Chuck Nichols, San Diego, CA
2006 Robert Hobbs, Tampa Bay, FL
2005 Greg Storer, Branford, CT / US Naval Academy
2004 Marc Eagan, Metairie, LA
2003 Hank Stuart, Rochester, NY
2002 Scott Sonnier, Southern YC, LA
2001 John Hoag, Normandy Park, WA
2000 Keith Ives - Alamitos Bay Yacht Club, CA
1999 John Leitzinger - Tacoma, WA
1998 Mark Noble - Santa Barbara, CA
1997 Scott Sonnier - New Orleans, LA
1996 Keith Ives - Alamitos Bay YC, CA
1995 John R. White - Annapolis YC, MD
1994 Robert Hughes - Macatawa Bay YC, MI
1993 William "Sledd" Shelhorse - Hampton YC, VA
1992 Roy Disney - Los Angeles YC, CA
1991 Steve Garland - Hingham YC, MA
1990 Charlie Scott - Annapolis, MD
1989 Charlie Scott - Annapolis, MD
1988 Mason Chrisman - Charleston YC, SC
1987 Buddy Friedrichs - Gulf YA
1986 Lee Demarest - Houston YC, TX

HISTORY OF LLOYD PHOENIX AND THIS REGATTA

Lloyd Phoenix graduated from the United States Naval Academy, class of 1861. He served in the Civil War and witnessed the battle between the Monitor and the Virginia in 1865. After resigning and going into business he became a yachting enthusiast and Rear Commodore of the New York Yacht Club.

In his most famous yacht, the 171 ft. schooner, Intrepid, he won the Club's 1909 "The Cruise" Trophy which was discovered in 1960 in a storage locker by Shirley Engle, wife of Capt. Aubrey D. Engle, CO of the Naval Station.

Capt. Aubrey arranged for the Naval Academy Sailing Squadron to put up the trophy in honor of Lloyd Phoenix as a means of improving relations with the civilian yachting community by bringing sailors from Chesapeake Bay yacht clubs to compete with a midshipmen team in the Luders yawls. When the USYRU Offshore Council sanctioned a national championship for offshore yachts in 1985, the Trophy was offered by NASS for the first match which was held at the U.S. Naval Academy in the Luders yawls.

Former USYRU Executive Director, John Bonds, who had been Commodore of NASS, was instrumental in the reformatting of the event and its coming under the custody of USYRU as a national championship.

It is a fleet racing competition in offshore keelboats on a closed course except for one long-distance race. Teams representing each of the US SAILING Areas are seeded through Area eliminations or by sailing resume, plus one U.S. Naval Academy team. Each team must have competed in at least five regattas in IOR, IMS, PHRF, MORC or Portsmouth Numbers rating systems in its respective Area during the current season. Since 1994, racing has alternated between the Naval Academy in the Navy 44s and Long Beach Yacht Club in Catalina 37's. The Trophy is on display in the Robert Crown Center at the United States Naval Academy. The only two-time winning skipper is Charlie Scott representing the NASS."

FINAL RECAP: by Rich Roberts

Savannah, Sydney, Athens ... and Qingdao! John Lovell and Charlie Ogletree's Tornado tour of Olympic sailing venues marches on after they pulled off a comeback for the ages by winning the last four races to outscore Robbie Daniel and Hunter Stunzi by one point---the first time in the 16-race regatta that the latter didn't own at least a tie for first place. Thus, Lovell and Ogletree, who turned 40 together Thursday, will try to upgrade their 2004 silver medals to gold next August.

In winds of 5 1/2 to 8 knots, they won Sunday's races by 59 and 71 seconds, after their protest Saturday against Daniel/Stunzi and Norman and Gary Chu for team racing against them was disallowed the night before. The competition got feisty at times.

"We’ve consistently come up trumps this week in our spirited pre-start match racing against our younger opponents, but they have displayed an uncanny ability in getting out of jail more times than we care to remember," Ogletree wrote in their daily newsletter. Lovell said, "Robbie and Hunter pushed us harder than we've ever been pushed in Trials conditions. We just kept thinking every day, 'We're still not mathematically eliminated. We can still win.' We finally got 'em in the last start when we pushed them off on the committee boat."

DAY 7 RECAP: by Rich Roberts

Going into Saturday, Charlie Ogletree's daily newsletter report said, "We must now win all four remaining races [against leaders Robbie Daniel and Hunter Stunzi] over the weekend to go to China." Two down and two to go---with a joker in the deck.

After winning both races comfortably Saturday by 2:28 and 3:28 in wickedly wimpy winds topping out at 5 1/2 knots, Ogletree and skipper John Lovell filed a double protest against Daniel/Stunzi and Norman and Gary Chu for team racing against them. If that failed to fly in a hearing under way as this went to press, they will still have to win both of Sunday's final races to win the right to race in their fourth Olympics and improve on the silver medals they won in 2004. They trail by one point, but Daniel/Stunzi hold the tiebreaker card with more second-place finishes. Both teams have won seven races.

DAY 6 RECAP: by Rich Roberts

It was back to swapping 1-2 finishes like the first four days, and Robbie Daniel and Hunter Stunzi will settle for it in their battle  with triple Olympians John Lovell and Charlie Ogletree.

Ogletree said after Thursday's 4-3 slide on their bitter mutual 40th birthday, "We dug ourselves a hole, that's for sure." His comment on the light-air day: "Talk about Qingdao conditions! All we needed was more tide and some jellyfish."

But they seemed to be digging their way out when they won Friday's first race by 1:56 in 5-8 knots to pull within two points, until Daniel/Stunzi responded with a 20-second win---almost a photo finish in this class---in breeze building to 9-12 to restore their three-point lead with four races to go. Third-place Colin Merrick and John Sampson capsized and finished last in the first race.

DAY 5 RECAP: by Rich Roberts

Playing wispy winds of 4-5 knots for all they were worth, Robbie Daniel and crew Hunter Stunzi won both races to break away from their week-long arm-wrestle with John Lovell and Charlie Ogletree to take a three-point lead---the first of five days that hasn't ended with them tied with the three-time Olympians and 2004 silver medalists.

Daniel and Stunzi maintained their streak of all 1s and 2s, but Lovell and Ogletree slipped to a 4-3---their worst two finishes. Stunzi said, "Finally, we've broken that awful tie."

They made their best gains downwind, passing Lovell / Ogletree on the first run leading to an incident at the leeward mark when the latter held starboard right-of-way. "We were going to duck them and they were hunting us," Stunzi said. There was a protest and Lovell / Ogletree did a penalty turn that cost them critical distance. "The wind was so light that we weren't flying a hull at all today," Stunzi said. "It's in the stronger wind that they seem to have a significant edge."

DAY 4 RECAP: by Rich Roberts

John Lovell of New Orleans and Charlie Ogletree of Kemah, TX have sailed a Tornado catamaran for their country in the last three Olympics, won silver medals at the most recent Games in Athens in 2004 and are now trying for their fourth in a deadlocked battle with Robbie Daniel and crew Hunter Stunzi. The teams have been dead even with 1-2 records after each of the four days of racing.  

That probably means that even with Wednesday's lay day off Lovell and Ogletree won't have time to celebrate a special occasion. They both turn 40 on Thursday, but they're less concerned about blowing out candles than how the wind is going to blow. Yes, they were born on the same day in 1967, which just about puts them in their primes for a sport where Olympic medalists tend toward maturity, and their rapport remains strong.

Both are married and Lovell has a 2 1/2-year-old son, Nick. "We've been good friends for a long time," Lovell said, "and we've been successful."

Ogletree: "We're just a couple of old guys who still get along."

These guys have swapped 1-2 finishes the first four days in as tight a two-boat contest as possible. John Lovell/Charlie Ogletree won Tuesday's first race in 8-10 knots of breeze by 29 seconds, and Robbie Daniel/Hunter Stunzi won the second in 12-14 by 49 seconds.

Lovell said, "We're a little bit frustrated, but Robbie's sailing excellent. The boat speed's about the same, and it seems like the one that gets off to the favored side on the first beat can stay in front." Lovell/Ogletree have been match-racing their rivals for the favored side in the pre-starts, "but they've been good at getting out of the pins," Lovell said. "We're hoping for stronger wind. The forecast is for 20 knots [on the day off Wednesday]. That's just our luck."

DAY 3 RECAP: by Rich Roberts

This may have to be settled with a coin flip because there isn't much separating these two teams on the water. Robbie Daniel/Hunter Stunzi and three-time Olympians (silver in 2004) John Lovell and Charlie Ogletree have swapped 1-2 efforts all three days. The former won by 1:26 in the first race sailed near Mexico, then after the course was moved to the 49ers' vacated site up the beach Lovell/Ogletree won by 2:31, although in the 4-8-knot winds the margins were not indicative of how close it was.

One of their secrets: "We learned how to deal with San Diego's terrible kelp," Ogletree wrote in a pre-regatta report. "When you're going 20 knots, hitting a kelp island can make you very slow."

DAY 1 RECAP: by Rich Roberts

If anyone was going to play spoilers for John Lovell and Charlie Ogletree's to reach their fourth Olympics, it figured to be Robbie Daniel and crew Hunter Stunzi. They swapped firsts and seconds to set the stage for a week-long scenario of high-performance sailing.

"We're happy with the day," said Daniel, who spoke of leads changing on subtle shifts in winds building to 18 knots on Coronado Roads by day's end, of covering Lovell/Ogletree with a dozen matching jibes to the finish of the first race, and of Lovell/Ogletree "attacking before the start" of the second race. "They’re a lot faster when the wind comes up," Daniel said. "We didn't change gears for it."

EVENT PREVIEW

After several days of measurement and several months of planning, the Tornado Olympic Trials are set to kick off. Friday night the Opening Ceremonies at SDYC will occur at 6:00 PM, followed by the first day of competition on Saturday at noon in the Coronado Roads off of Point Loma.

Six Tornado teams from across the country have been practicing here in San Diego since prior to the Tornado Nationals in late September.

- Colin Merrick and John Sampson
- Robbie Daniel and Hunter Stunzi
- John Lovell and Charlie Ogletree
- Norman Chu and Gary Chu
- Sarah Newberry and Drew Wierda
- Olli Jason and Patrick Giles

TORNADO NATIONAL CHAMPIONS: JOHN LOVELL & CHARLIE OGLETREE

Congratulations to Americans John Lovell (Southern YC) and Charlie Ogletree (Houston YC) for winning the 2007 Tornado National Championship at San Diego Yacht Club! Lovell / Ogletree finished in the top two in all but one race during the championship regatta.

Finishing second was the German team of Johannes Polgar and Florian Spalteholz, followed by Americans Robbie Daniel and Hunter Stunzi in third place.

Next up for the Tornados is the Olympic Trials which kicks off from San Diego Yacht Club on October 3rd.

TORNADO NATIONALS - DAY 2
Photo Gallery

On Wednesday the sailors awoke to another beautiful day in San Diego.  By the time the Tornados were out to the course, the wind had already started to diminish, but the first race was started in approximately 5-9 knots. The word for the day was SHIFTY to say the least.

Throughout the day several of the top teams took turns producing tremendous leads.  In the first race it was the team of Polgar / Spalteholz who shot out in front, eventually followed by Lovell / Ogletree and Daniel / Stunzi.

In the second race it was the Daniel / Stunzi team who shot out over a minute in the lead ahead of Polgar / Spalteholz only to get nudged out of 1st by the Germans by the time they got to the finish, missing a couple of good shifts, followed by Lovell / Olgetree.

By the time the third race got started, the race committee was hoping for enough wind to finish the race before the time limit.  For the spectators it could be described similar to watching grass grow compared to the normal high speed antics of the Tornado fleet.  This time it was the Puerto Rico team of Figueroa / Hernandez who simply ran away from the fleet finishing in a different time zone than the rest of the Tornados

At the end of the day the top 3 boats were Lovell / Olgetree with 10 points, Polgar / Spalteholz with 11 points and Daniel / Stunzi with 18 points.

With one more day of racing left, the fleet is hoping for 3 races on Thursday with reasonable breeze.  In addition to the races, the fleet should be able to get in enough races where they will have a throw out in the scores.

TORNADO NATIONALS - DAY 1 RECAP

After a very long and slow sail for some and a tow for others, the 12 international competitors found their way out to the race course only to find a postponement flag and a race committee praying for wind.

After struggling to find enough wind to start a race, the committee was disappointed when they had to abandon the race because the boats did not reach the first mark within the prescribed time limit of 20 minutes.

Without missing a breath of air, the race committee picked up anchor and moved the course to where they had enough wind to start a race.  Although they did not have much wind, the 1st race of the day was started with slightly less than 5 knots and built to an average of about 5 knots.  

Although the light winds are not desired for normal racing, the San Diego area was chosen because of its light conditions to emulate the light conditions of Quindo, China where the 2008 Olympic games will be sailed.

The Greek team were off like a shot and had established a big lead by the time they got to the first mark. Unfortunately, the gaskets that had been replaced the previous day began to come off and they lost their lead and eventually finished 5th in the race, then retired for the rest of the day to be able to replace the gaskets.

When all was said and done and multiple positions changed with the varying winds, the finish order was Lovell / Ogletree, Polgar / Spalteholz, Mittlemeier / Mittlemeier and Daniel / Stunzi.

The second race found much of the same wind speed and the race committee was quick to get another race off.  This time it was Polgar / Spalteholz that shot out in front with an incredible lead finishing approximately a minute ahead of the second place team of Lovell / Ogletree.

At the end of the first day and after 2 races, the team of Polgar / Spalteholz stands in first palce followed by Lovell / Ogletree, Mittlemeir / Mittlemeir and Daniel / Stunzi.

Back in September 2006, the Tornado Class sent 12 teams to SDYC for the US National Championships followed by the Olympic Pre-Trials regatta. These regattas had entries from 4 countries other than the US including Brazil, Germany, Canada, and Puerto Rico.

The 2007 Tornado Nationals, to be held just off shore of Point Loma and hosted by San Diego Yacht Club September 24-27th, is proving to be quite the international event.

An event that normally attracts North American sailors only has been a draw for top sailors from all over the world. This year Greece, Germany, Puerto Rico, Brazil, and of course Canada and the USA will be represented.

The American boats are using the Nationals to warm up for the US Olympic Trials that begin on October 3rd in the same location.   As a result of the upcoming Trials, the Americans have enlisted their international friends to come in and help them tune and train.  As a result the bar has been raised and the competition is expected to be tough, with some of the best boats in the world here to compete.

The USA fleet who will compete in the Nationals and go onto compete at the US Olympic Trials will consist of past Olympic medallists Johnny Lovell and Charlie Ogletree, 3 time past Olympic Trials participant Robbie Daniel with his new partner Hunter Stunzi,  twin brothers Norman and Gary Chu, Drew Weirda and Sara,  Collin Merick and John Sampson who will sail with Lars Guck for the Nationals, and Olli Jason and Patrick Gillies. 

Tornado Nationals Racing begins on the September 25th with an expected 2-3 races each day and will last thru the 27th.

SDYC's Race Committee is scheduled to be on the water for 15 of 19 days during these competitions (more if you include the J Fest regatta slipped in between the Nationals and Trials). Thank you in advance to all the dedicated volunteers who are taking much time out of their schedule to help make these events run smoothly and professionally.

Canadian Olympic-Training Regatta, Kingston Provides Great Competition for SDYC Laser Sailor

Written by Paige Johnston (8/24/07):
The Canadian Olympic-Training Regatta, Kingston lasted 5 days and was truly one of the best experiences a Laser sailor could wish for. Being that we are nearing the Olympic Trials, this event featured many of North America's top Laser sailors that are currently training to represent their respective countries for the 2008 Olympics, and this made the competition outstanding.

Kingston, Ontario provided all of the sailors with intense sailing and with the combination of talent and challenging conditions; everyone found themselves having a bad race or two. Over the 5 days, we completed 12 races, 4 of which were part of the qualifying series to split the fleet of 108 boats into two flights.

I managed to sail well enough to continue on in the Gold flight with the best of them, however the remainder of the regatta proved difficult. Throughout the next eight races, most of my finishes ranged in the 20s with one in the low 30s, but two black flag disqualifications destroyed my overall score with only one throw-out, dropping me down to 38th in the final results.

No matter the scores, however, I learned a great deal from this regatta; honing my starting skills, boat speed and tactics while sailing with the best in North America. Again, I want to thank SDYC, and specifically the SDYC Competition Fund Committee for your continued support in my endeavors.

Stadel Wins Etchells Fleet 4 Season Championship

CYC member Pat Stadel (c)and her crew Jim Hunt (l) and Jon Carey (r) won the 2007 Etchells Fleet 4 Championship (group picture)  According to Pat, she owes her success to the crew, who made it out for each race, no matter what the weather.  In addition to the nice “keeper trophies” shown in the group photo, Pat received the Robert A. Hastings Perpetual Trophy.  This trophy was given to the Corinthian Yacht Club by Etchells Fleet 4 on September 9, 1973 in recognition of Bob Hasting’s efforts to establish the Etchells Class in Marblehead.

Etchells Fleet 4 was founded in 1971 but was blocked from racing by an MRA rule that stated that no class would be given a start without proving that it could produce a minimum of six yachts, not only registered on paper but also ready to race.  The fleet began to race in 1972, with such notables as Ben Smith, Joe Duplin, Paul Di Naploi, Kurt Pearson and Bill Douglass listed as the winners of the various series’.  By 1975 the Etchells had moved to the top of the starting line with 15 Etchells sailing out of CYC alone.  The Hastings Perpetual is on display in the Corinthian Yacht Club and Pat is delighted to be included amongst the list of winners.

SDYC Dominates at Adams Cup Trials

Written by Julie Mitchell (8/24/07):
On July 29, Team SDYC competed in the US Women's Sailing Championship Area J Eliminations for the Adams Cup held at Southwestern Yacht Club in Etchells. There was a small but competitive group of racers consisting of one team from SDYC adn one team from SWYC. Team SDYC was skippered by Mary Brigden-Snow, with Stacey Szabo, Samantha Treadwell and Julie Mitchell. Team SDYC enjoyed a short day of racing by winning 3 straight races to qualify for the US Women's Sailing Championship, the Adams Cup. Thanks to the Challenge Committee for making it possible for us to win this regatta and hopefully bring home the Adams Cup in September as we did in 2000.

Coronado Islands Attract 14 Yachts from San Diego - Results

July 14-15, 2007 -- Light breeze and upwind sailing were the themes on Day 1 of the Yvonka Race, as 14 yachts headed south from the start at Zuniga Jetty looking for the puffs as they headed to the finish at South Coronado Island. The race was a pursuit start, with Peter Opsal (Lou Lou, Catalina 36) leading the fleet off the line at 12:00. The last yacht to start was Rich Reineman aboard the classic 10 Meter Branta at 12:47.

There were 3 stand out yachts in the first race, all choosing to take a more westerly route where they caught enough wind to easily finish at the head of the fleet. The others were drawn to the east into the depths of the Coronado Roads to fight kelp beds, patchy winds and current. Drew Neidringhaus (Houn Dawg, Serendipity 43) lead the fleet to the finish in just over 3 hours, followed by Jim Oberg (Cytation, Cal-40), and Rich Reineman (Branta, 10 Meter). 5 yachts failed to make the 1600 PST time limit and motored in to enjoy the calm waters behind the South Coronado Island and the last few hours of sunlight. David Koos (Second Wind, Columbia 50) used all but 20 seconds of the time limit as he snuck across the finish line just ahead of the 1600 deadline, ending just under 5 hours of time racing on the course.

As the crews settled into their anchor positions, the Race Committee prepared to host an ‘apre-sail’ gathering, complete with water taxi. Participants brought a variety of horsdoevres and libations as well as stories, strategy, and tall tales to share with their fellow competitors. The social aspect of this race is a tribute to the wife of John X, Yvonka, as he established this race as a tribute to his wife.

The 14 yacht fleet dwindled to 12 for the Sunday race, which showed slightly better wind ranging from next to nothing to 9 knots in some spots. The wind settled in to a more SW direction which allowed those carrying spinnakers to use them. Several yachts took advantage of the pre-start-line motor rule in the SIs (1.2) that allowed competitors to motor all the way up to the start line to coast thru a dead spot and catch the breeze coming through the saddle of the island which lay just a few hundred yards beyond the start line. On the trip home, Branta managed to shave nearly 40 minutes off their course time from Saturday and took 1st place in the 2nd race, and 1st overall for the regatta.

Ed Sanford (Creative, J/105) sailed two strong races over the weekend and used a strong Day 2 start and sw winds to fill his spinnaker all day to take 2nd place on Day 2. Houn Dawg was rail to rail with Endymion (Chuck Driscoll, Driscoll 48) nearing the finish, but wound up on the wrong side of a gybing duel and to leeward of Endymion’s massive spinnaker without the horsepower to pass down thru their lee. Cytation, sailing a better line, held their course to finish third just a minute ahead of Endymion (4th) and Houn Dawg (5th)  (5 seconds apart!) which helped them pass Houn Dawg in the final standings for 2nd place overall. X-Dream (Scott Owen – X 365) finished just 50 seconds further behind the Endymion/Houn Dawg duel.

Besides the finishes on the score sheet, if awards were to be given out, the RC would first thank Chuck Driscoll as regatta Chair (there’s not much to do, but the littlest things help!) and John X as the founder, then we would recognize Branta for best toy selection (snorkel, paddle, sail), Legacy or Endymion for best power assist at the start, Lou Lou for best spirit on the race (couldn’t finish either race this year and one race last year…), X-Dream for youngest crew member (2+ yrs.), Spellbinder for the shipshape award (spent 6 hours cleaning the boat Saturday night), and Pasha II for the single-hand award. I am sure we could come up with an award for everyone, but we’d rather you joined us next year and experienced it for yourself.

Sailing Office Out.

SDYC Wins Third Consecutive Lipton Cup - Results

June 9-10, 2007 -- Scheduling nine races for the Lipton Cup seemed like a lot on Friday during the pre-event Thompson Cup Regatta, but quick courses required for that amount of racing made for a really interesting event. Races were set on short courses - .5 to .7 nm with average time for the races at around 35 minutes. This kept things fairly close.

SDYC's Bill Hardesty and his crew, largely intact from last year's defense, jumped out to a commanding lead, albeit with a couple of 'issues' for the Jury to consider Saturday night. They won one and lost one, which brought the rest of the fleet back in touch with "Bow 10".

So on Sunday, with a 4 point lead on Cortez Racing Association's entry Sanity skippered by Rick Goebel, and only 4 more points separating the rest of the intimate 6 boat fleet, the obvious tactic for Hardesty was to cover the threat.

Posting finishes of 3, 4, 3 was indicative of that strategy, and at least one circle to exonerate themselves from a crowded mark rounding. Doing the math after eight races had SDYC in the lead by 6 points over Straight Edge from Southwestern Yacht Club sailed by Chris Winnard and CRA one point further back. Hardesty decided to open the throttle and clearly won the last race of the contest and the 94th running of the Lipton Cup.

Thanks to John Folting and Chuck Driscoll and their legion of loyal Race Committee troops for their hard work and to Cliff Thompson and his crew for their planning and execution of another exciting Lipton Cup.

And special thanks to Southwestern Yacht Club (Chris Winnard, Straight Edge), Coronado Yacht Club (Scott Harris, Triple Play), Cortez Racing Association (Rick Goebel, Sanity), California Yacht Club (Doug McLean, Invisible), and Santa Barbara Yacht Club (Larry Harteck, Repeat Offender) for their participation and support of this prestigious west coast competition for the Sir Thomas Lipton Cup.

Sailing Office Out.

May 4 – 6, 2007 weekend marks San Diego Yacht Club’s 10th running of the Leukemia Cup Regatta and the 35th running of its regional Yachting Cup Regatta for offshore PHRF and One Design boats.

This year, the Yachting Cup crew trophy shirts were emblazoned with this idea – “Finest City, Finest Regatta, Finest Crew” – and we probably could have added to that slogan – “Finest Weather”.  The weather was, in a word – AWESOME. If you had to showcase sailing in San Diego, this weekend would have been the one to do it. Clear skies, warm on shore, cool on the water, 10 – 15 kts of breeze from the west. It just doesn’t get much better.

This year, 107 boats across 12 fleets sailed on two race venues. To better facilitate racing, an inner and outer mark were planned for both venues to spread out the fleets along with a completely independent finish line to let the signal boat concentrate on starts and course management independently of the finishes.

A strong westerly filled in Saturday and built to a steady 12-14 knots until the conclusion of racing.  There was a considerable, although not ‘large’, swell running across both courses creating a few ‘sea state’ casualties.  Three races were run for both venues.

Sunday, the Race Committee decided to shift the A Venue (Ocean course) south into the Coronado Roads to accommodate a more northerly wind direction and potential large swells. The breeze filled from the west and shifted right late in the day with winds from 12 to 18 kts.

A quick glimpse at the fleets:
As usual, the J-105 fleet was the largest with 21 entries. Tom Coates’ Masquerade, down from San Francisco mixed it up with SDYC’s Dennis Case’s Wings. Case ‘blinked’ on Sunday with a 5-3 to Coates’ 1-1 which gave Masqerade the win.

The perennial Schock 35 fleet enjoyed a class start with six entries with exceptionally tight racing between the top four boats – within one point after three races and only four points between them after five races. Congrats to winner Dave and Don Michaelis on Mako.

The Beneteau 40.7s had 8 boats on the line, but they were a feisty and competitive bunch.  Aggressive starts complete with OCS’s and four different race winners in five races kept things interesting. Their focus was obviously on one another as half the fleet managed to miss a course change and sailed to the wrong course in Race 3. The protest committee decided the sound signal that accompanied the course change was not heard clearly, thus the change was confusing and they tossed the race for the Beneteau fleet only. (Hummm!) Undaunted, the RC hustled to get the Beneteau’s a make up race on Sunday. In the end, Cliff Thompson’s Super Gnat won the rumble.

The Farr 40s are back! It is good to see these great One Designs making a come back in Southern California. Six boats rallied on Venue A, won by the Farr 40 West Coast Class President Dave Voss on Piranha.

New to the Yachting Cup One Design score sheet was the Flying Tiger class. Although there were a few more boats racing just a couple of weeks ago, six boats were out in the ocean fighting it out. John Paquin’s Elusive finished one point ahead of Scott Tempesta/John Rickard’s Anarchy in a close contest.

Jed Olenick’s J-120 Doctor No came out and scored a pair of bullets on day two of racing. This tied him up with day one leader John Laun on caper. Each had 10 points, 2 first place finishes, 1 second, and 2 thirds. Having won the last race, Olenick won the tie breaker and received the first place trophy. Congratulations on a close contest!

As for the PH divisions – they were alive and well sailing under Time on Time handicapping as part of the Ullman Inshore Championship Series. A quick thanks to Bruce Cooper for his assistance with handicap sheets, ratings and class breaks.  The PH rating bands were tight (PH 1=49 sec.; PH 2, PH 3 and PH 5 each = 39 sec.; PH 4 = just 24 sec.) with 9 boats in each class save PH 3 with 8 boats.  PH racers made up 41% of the competitors.

In PH 2 it was all The Doc – Dr. Laura Schlessinger’s J-145 was on a tear all weekend. With the exception of the last race, the closest competitors’ corrected time to The Doc was 1:13 at best.  John Carroll’s Arana managed to come within just 15 seconds corrected of The Doc in Race 5.  Too little too late.  Everyone on The Doc looked like they were having fun – what’s not to like when you have five bullets on your score card! Nice work Dr. Laura.

In PH 4 – interestingly, this 9 boat fleet was all from out of town. Winner J-35 Team Rival posted just one win in Race 3 and kept it close the rest of the time to claim the top prize. The J-35 Breakaway won 3 of 5 races but couldn’t recover from a mysterious 8th place in Race 1.

PH 5’s winner Al Castillon / Brian Folkman’s CF 33 Hot Rum nearly scored a ‘Dr. Laura’ with straight bullets until Race 5 missing first by just 55 corrected seconds.

In the ‘sport boat’ class a.k.a. PH 3 – Geoff Longenecker ‘s Melges 30 Nemisis powered its way around the course to a first place overall. In the two races he placed second, he missed first by just 3 and 5 corrected seconds respectively.  Don’t let crew think that teamwork doesn’t matter.  It DOES!

And in PH 1 – there were several interesting things – with 9 entries, after 5 races there were 3 pairs of ties and the other 3 competitors were within one point of another competitor. Every place was up for grabs through the last race! And the winner didn’t win a single race. The 1D48 Chayah co-skippered by Oscar Krinsky and Chris Redman was well on their way to a podium finish with three bullets on day one.  However, they swapped play books with Staghound and struggled with two 6th place finishes on day two. Staghound posted a pair of bullets for day two but that wasn’t enough to offset their 13 points gathered in day one.
Meanwhile, Robert Youngsjohns DK 46 Zephyra kept it close and won their class with second and third place finishes. He almost gave it away in Race 5 with a fifth place finish just 4 seconds corrected ahead of Chayah in sixth.  Another 4 seconds and there would have been a three way time for first with Chayah’s three bullets providing the trump. NOT.

There were many classes this year that had outstanding competition. After all, that is the goal of a regatta.  The Yachting Cup’s Overall winner trophy could have gone to the winner of the largest class, or the boat with straight bullets, or the winner of a tie breaker.  However, the Yachting Cup chose to reward Youngjohn’s Zephyra and his crew for their effort and tenacity in a class where ‘change’ was the name of the came. Close finishes, course changes, venue changes, overall lead changes and persistence in the face of never having won a race dictated this year’s Yachting Cup overall winner. Congratulations to the entire crew of Zephyra!

There is a cast of dozen’s to thank. At the top of the list is Regatta Chair Karen Yingling.  Starting late and finishing at the top.  Excellent work Karen.  Thanks to Marilyn Foster (Protest) and John Folting (Race Committee) for their organization and oversight. An outstanding thanks goes to PRO Bruce Greene and Susan Graff on Venue A and Wayne Coulon (and his boat Apollo) and Danielle Richards on Venue B for their work.

The guys setting the marks on the course are kind of like the sewer guy on your boat packing chutes, etc. They do the dirty work and don’t get a lot of recognition. Thanks to Gary, Mike, Louie (and his boat Altair), Brent, Jeff, Jared, Don R., Frank, Don G., Hugh, Karen, Dave H., Jim (and his boat Protector), John, and David L. for doing it – you all rock.

And all those nice photos – brought to you by Glennon Stratton of GTS Photos driven by Woody Hunt and his trusty Mako Adelante. Thanks for bringing it to us!

And lastly, thanks to all the competitors, friends and volunteers that chose to spend their hard earned weekend with us…Thank you.

Sailing Office out.

3/31/07 – Newport Beach, CA – It just wouldn’t be a match racing event at Newport Harbor Yacht Club without fog.  Three of the past four match racing events at the club have had at least one day with severe fog, and the final day of the 2007 Pacific Life Yacht Club Challenge made it four out of five.  The morning dawned with light breezes and a thick layer of condensed moisture that arose from the intersection of warm air and cool sea surface temperatures.  Check out the morning satellite image here.  Notice that dense patch right over Newport Beach (coastal, east and slightly north of Catalina Island)?  Ouch.

On March 31st, the SDYC PC fleet welcomed members of the Duxbury YC to team race with our PCs. It was a terrific event with our east coast guests being hosted by fleet and club members alike. We were all happy to return the kindness offered by the DYC when several from our group went back east last year to team race with their "Pintails".

Fleet Captain, Bennet Greenwald, (with the help of several fleet members) arranged for parties and dinners that were enjoyed by all. The weather was perfect with 10-15 K winds and beautiful sunny skies. As always our thanks to John Folting for putting a great Committee Boat team together.

Last year the DYC bested our intreped sailors making the Duxbury group winners of our "Pickford Trophy". This year the trophy will have the SDYC name inscribed as the winner! Jack Sutphen and his crew did well and made sure that the PC would not lose the honors! PC Fleet Captain Bennet Greenwald came in second. See the complete race results.

Sperry Top-Sider NOOD Regatta at San Diego Yacht Club

Winners Named in 14 one design classes; Tempesta and Flying Tiger Anarchy named overall winner

San Diego, Calif. (March 18, 2007) – After 82 races on three race courses for over 1,000 sailors in 14 one-design classes, Sunday’s final day of racing at the Sperry Top-Sider NOOD Regatta in San Diego came down to one overall winner. The Boat of the Regatta went to the Flying Tiger Anarchy, owned by Scot Tempesta (San Diego) and John Rickard (San Diego) who received a Sunsail charter during the 2007 Sperry Top-Sider NOOD Regatta Championship, later this year in the British Virgin Islands, where they will compete against the overall winners from each stop on the nine-regatta Sperry Top-Sider NOOD circuit.

“Wow, we are overjoyed and I’m not exactly sure we deserve it,” said Tempesta moments after receiving the award given to the best performing boat out of all entrants. Organizers said that in the two years of NOOD regattas choosing the Boat of the Regatta in San Diego was the most difficult decision to make based on outstanding performances in many of the competing classes. “This is the first foray for the boat into racing, in terms of one design, and to get the overall win for the Flying Tiger is pretty impressive for the class,” said Tempesta. “We have worked hard on the boat and we have to make sure it’s understood that Keith Lorence has been instrumental and key. He was on the boat that came closest to beating us. He sailed with us when we won the Midwinters. Personally speaking, I don’t think we’d be as far along without him.”

Victory almost didn’t happen; the last race came down to Anarchy and Slip Kid, owned by John Folvig (Poplar Grove, Ill.) to determine the class winner. Slip Kid had won the first race of the day; Anarchy finished second. “We were worried, within the first five minutes,” he said of the last race. “We were hauling and feeling good, and then five minutes later, we weren’t. We were pretty nervous. But, we felt if we got second, they could not beat us.  So they had to win the race. We obviously were good enough to have the ability to stay up there with him and not let anyone else get in there, although there were some boats nipping at our heels.

“What’s funny is I think everybody thinks that they’re not doing nearly as well as they are,” he continued. “The view from off the boat is entirely different than on the boat. On our boat we thought for sure … everyone else always looked better.” Also onboard were co-owner John Rickard with crew Danny Shields, Eric Shampain, Alan and Meredith Block, and Ken Blackington.

This weekend’s racing may seem the culmination of decades worth of sailing, but Tempesta has barely raced a boat in years. “I’ve been out of the competitive sailing loop for so long, even though I’m involved in other ways,” he said. “I took a hiatus and have a family and have my talk radio show. I think I’ll quit the sport now. I’m happy to be back, winning makes it. It’s the best sport when you win.” Neil Senturia’s (La Jolla, Calif.) Occam’s Razor finished in third place.

Rusty Nelson and his Wild Card hung onto the lead in the J/80 class by winning the final race. Second place was Curt Johnson (Los Angeles, Calif.) on Avet, with Paul Rendich (Babylon, N.Y.) on Clipper in third place.

The largest class competing – the J/105 class with 23 boats – saw no changes in the top two positions from yesterday. Gary Mozer (Beverly Hills, Calif.) and his Current Obsession won the challenging class, beating second-place Doug Werner’s (San Diego) Javelin. Both were tied with 18 total points, but Mozer won on the count back, a tie-breaking system that rewards a better finish against the next competitor. Dennis & Sharon Case’s Wings finished third, edging out Tom Coates (San Francisco, Calif.) on Masquerade by one point.

In the J/120 class, only one race was sailed. John Laun (San Diego) continued his winning form from yesterday and posted a bullet to take the nine-boat class victory. Second and third places remained unchanged from yesterday with Peter Zarcades (San Diego) on Meltemi and Jed Olenick (Olivehain, Calif.) on Doctor No, respectively. However, Doctor No was tied on  16 points with CC Rider, owned by Chuck Nichols (San Diego), and Jim, owned by John Snook (Aliso Viejo, Calif.). By virtue of the count back, Doctor No finished in third place.

With one race sailed in the Beneteau 40.7 class, the possibility that yesterday standings could have stood was high. All Kirk & Kathy O’Brien (San Diego) on Drumshanbo had to do was put in a solid performance. An unfortunate sixth-place finish combined with a second by Armando Silvestre (Coronado, Calif.) on Estela-B and the win went to Estela-B and a third for the O’Briens. Despite a win by Cliff Thompson (San Diego) on Super Gnat, it wasn’t enough to break into the top three.

Anthony Wetherbee (Dana Point, Calif.) on Commotion was impossible to beat in the J/109 class. With three first-place finishes and only one second, in the first race, Wetherbee took home the trophy over second-place Electra, owned by Tom Brott (Cypress, Calif.) and Linstar, owned by John Shulze (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.), in third.

Two additional races were sailed in the International 14 class. Kris Bundy (Seattle, Wash.) capped off an impressive weekend with a 1-2 to win the 18-boat class over Paul Galvez and Archie Massey (Mission Viejo, Calif.). Brad Ruetenik (Encinitas, Calif.) was third.

After the jury threw out yesterday’s second race in the 29er class, the standings changed slightly with Cameron Biehl moving up to first place, switching places with Judge Ryan, while Jen Morgan remained in third going into the final day. Biehl did not compete in the class’s final race today, which moved him into fourth overall. Judge Ryan (Santee, Calif.), Jen Morgan (Alameda, Calif.) and Oliver Toole (Santa Barbara, Calif.) finished 1-2-3 in the race, the same finishes overall.

For more information on the Sperry Top-Sider NOOD Regatta in San Diego including reports, photos and full results with exclusive photos and videos by Sailing World Associate Editor Tony Bessinger, go to www.sailingworld.com.

The 2007 Sperry Top-Sider NOOD Regattas will sail next into Annapolis, Md., April 27-29. The hosts for 2007 include Boston, Mass.; Chicago, Illinois; Detroit, Mich.; Houston, Texas; Larchmont, N.Y.; San Diego, Calif.; St. Petersburg, Fla.; and Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Sperry Top-Sider is the national title sponsor of the NOOD Regatta in San Diego which is presented by Sailing World and Mount Gay Rum. Support sponsors include Gill, Sunsail, North Sails, Budweiser Select, Flying Tiger Boats and Active Network.

For more information on the 2007 Sperry Top-Sider NOOD Regattas, including a full schedule for each location, please visit www.sailingworld.com.

About Sperry Top-Sider

Since 1935, Sperry Top-Sider has been the leading brand of footwear for those who love the water.  From its introduction of the world’s first siped rubber outsole for non-marking traction, to advanced technical fabrication to combat the elements, Sperry Top-Sider remains the vanguard of high-performance amphibious footwear and apparel.  Available around the globe in fine independent, marine, outdoor and department stores, Sperry Top-Sider is the official footwear of US SAILING, and is also worn by members of the U.S. Naval Academy and the Navy SEALs. Based in historic Lexington, Massachusetts, Sperry Top-Sider supports a wide-range of water-related activities through its many sponsorships, including ACURA Key West 2007, the Adopt-A-Billfish Foundation, National Safe Boating Council, Sperry Top-Sider NOOD Regattas and countless others.  Sperry Top-Sider is a division of the Stride Rite Corporation (NYSE:SRR). For more information, please visit www.sperrytopsider.com.

SanSan Diego, Calif. (March 17, 2007) – The luck of the Irish smiled down today upon the 160 boats competing in the Sperry Top-Sider National Offshore One Design (N.O.O.D.) Regatta in San Diego, Calif. With 10-12 knots of wind and a mostly clear sky above, 14 one-design classes competed – six began their series yesterday, while the additional eight took the day off. Three races were run on each of three race courses, two on the ocean and one on the Bay.

On the near ocean course, Course A, the J/105 and J/80 classes joined the Beneteau 36.7 and Catalina 36 classes for the day. Rusty Nelson and his Wild Card set the pace for the J/80s by winning the first two races. With past J/80 world champion Kerry Klinger onboard, the team holds a slight lead over the 10-boat class.  In second place is Curt Johnson (Los Angeles, Calif.) on Avet. Johnson, the defending class champion, was feeling the pressure of a repeat victory. “We are trying to do it again,” he said. “It will be an uphill battle. At this point, I’d rather be ahead by a point than behind by a point.” Although he is a San Diego regular, Johnson was surprised by the current’s affect on the racing. “Usually in San Diego it’s not that big of an issue, but today it was…strange,” he said. “The first two races, the wind shifted left. It wasn’t a typical San Diego day, but the last race was. The wind filled in and we won the race.” With only two days of racing, every race counts. So tomorrow the Avet crew will change their plans slightly. “We will still hope for the best, but we’ll check on the current since we didn’t play it well today.” Paul Rendich (Babylon, N.Y.) on Clipper is in third place.

On Course B, the far ocean course, Scot Tempesta and John Rickard (San Diego) continue to lead the Flying Tiger class on Anarchy, however Slip Kid, owned by John Folvig (Poplar Grove, Ill.), won all three of Saturday’s races to move into second place overall, only three points behind first. Neil Senturia’s (La Jolla, Calif.) Occam’s Razor fell to third overall. The Flying Tiger was the only class on this course that raced yesterday. Today, three classes joined in the fun: the Beneteau 40.7, J/109 and J/120.

On the Bay course area, the International 14, Flying Dutchman, 505 and Ultimate 20 classes continued adding scores from yesterday’s opening day, while the 29er and Buccaneer 18 classes joined for a first day of racing. All but the I-14 class sailed three races. The race committee sent the skiff boat class on two longer races where Paul Galvez and Archie Massey (Mission Viejo, Calif.) continued their winning ways, posting a 3-1 for 9 points total. Second and third places switched with Kris Bundy (Seattle, Wash.) in second and Brad Ruetenik (Encinitas, Calif.) in third.

Sunday is the final day of racing where winners in all classes will be named along with the Boat of the Regatta, whose skipper will receive a Sunsail charter during the 2007 Sperry Top-Sider NOOD Regatta Championship, in the British Virgin Islands, where they will compete against the overall winners from each stop on the nine-regatta Sperry Top-Sider NOOD circuit.

Sperry Top-Sider NOOD Regatta Sails into
San Diego March 16-18
Warm Southern California Weather Draws Large Fleet

San Diego, Calif. (March 13, 2007) – Later this week, the Sperry Top-Sider National Offshore One Design (N.O.O.D.) Regatta sets sail to San Diego Yacht Club (SDYC). From March 15-18, competition in 14 one-design classes will take place in three venues: San Diego Bay, Coronado Roads and the Pacific Ocean under the supervision of Principal Race Officer Sue Reilly and the SDYC race committee. While many of the 146 boats registered to date are California based, a significant number represent 11 U.S. states and Bermuda. The overall winner in San Diego will receive a Sunsail charter during the 2007 Sperry Top-Sider NOOD Regatta Championship, in the British Virgin Islands, where they will compete against the overall winners from each stop on the nine-regatta Sperry Top-Sider NOOD circuit.

Although the Beneteau 36.7 class is relatively small with 10 entries, that doesn’t mean there will not be challenging competition. “There will be several top contenders from around the country,” said Chick Pyle, the Southern California fleet captain and the 2005 San Diego NOOD overall champion. “Since we started as a class here four years ago, we have always welcomed charterers because the guys back East have cabin fever from a long cruel winter and their boats are still on the hard under snow and ice. San Diego in March is an easy sell.” Don Finkle (Lewiston, N.Y.), a two-time San Diego NOOD champion, is returning as is Chuck Bayer (Detroit, Mich.), who won his class in 2006 at both the Annapolis and Detroit NOODs. Pyle said that local Marty Burke (Redondo, Calif.), a past West Coast champion, also will put on a strong showing.

With 21 boats set to compete, the J/105 class is the largest. Masquerade, owned by Tom Coates (San Francisco, Calif.) is the current J/105 Southern Circuit leader and will be one to watch in this competitive class.

The Sperry Top-Sider NOOD Regatta at San Diego has the distinction of being the only stop on the circuit for the Catalina 36 class. “Last year was the first year for the Catalinas and we had 5 boats on the line, so the interest from the Catalina 36 owners is growing,” said Brad Poulos (San Marcos, Calif.), the fleet captain and third-place in 2006. “The International Catalina 36 Association has sanctioned this event as the Southern California championship. Last year Dave Flint, on Isle Run, won the first place in the regattas and earned the championship title with three first-place and two second-place finishes, out of seven races. Obviously Dave is the guy to watch. However three of the six skippers have just added new sails to their inventory and are definitely going to give Dave a run for it.”

The newest class to the San Diego NOOD is the Flying Tiger. With the class’s first one-design regatta showing at the SDYC Midwinters, held last month, the winning duo of John Rickard and Scot Tempesta (Carlsbad, Calif.) will be the ones to watch in the eight-boat fleet.

One of the smallest boats and quite possibly one of the most exciting to watch is the 29er. The two-person skiff is known for quick maneuverability and downwind speed. Eighteen entries will face stiff competition from recent 29er Midwinter champions Emily Dellenbaugh (Easton, Conn.) and crew Briana Provancha, and from runners-up at that regatta, Judge Ryan (Santee, Calif.) and Hans Henken. The 29erXX rig will be utilized by the female teams as it is one of the boats currently being evaluated by the International Sailing Foundation (ISAF) for inclusion in future Olympic Games.

Additional one-designs competing include:  the 505, Beneteau 40.7, Buccaneer 18, Flying Dutchman, International 14, J/109, J/120, J/24, J/80 and Ultimate 20 classes.

The 2007 Sperry Top-Sider NOOD Regattas will sail into nine cities in 2007, including Boston, Mass.; Chicago, Illinois; Detroit, Mich.; Houston, Texas; Larchmont, N.Y.; San Diego, Calif.; St. Petersburg, Fla.; Annapolis, Md.; and Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Created by Sailing World in 1988, the NOOD Regattas attract close to 2,000 boats and more than 30,000 competitors and spectators annually. Each event in the series features three days of sailboat racing for one-design models from 20 to 70 feet in length. In addition to local sailors, sailing’s top stars — including America’s Cup and Olympic champions — are well-represented at the NOODs. Competitive sailors rate the NOODs as the top national event in each region of the country.

Sperry Top-Sider is the national title sponsor of the NOOD Regatta in San Diego which is presented by Sailing World and Mount Gay Rum. Support sponsors who will join the event include Gill, Sunsail, North Sails, Budweiser Select, Flying Tiger Boats and Active Network.

For more information on the 2007 Sperry Top-Sider NOOD Regattas, including a list of entrants and a full schedule for each location, please visit www.sailingworld.com.

The 2007 US Women’s Snipe Nationals held Saturday, February 24 and Sunday, February 25, was hosted jointly by Coronado Yacht Club and San Diego Yacht Club in the breezy but flat waters of south San Diego Bay.

Saturday morning the early breeze was a little south of the predicted thermal northwesterly. The 1100 warning for the first race started on a course axis of 250 degrees. However about 30 minutes into the first race, the NW thermal arrived and clocked the breeze right to about 300…all at once. This caught some of the pre-race favorites on the wrong side of the course and with no discards, it resulted in some extra ‘keeper’ points.

Aimee Graham managed a win in the second race but was one of those caught by the ‘righty’ in Race 1 that added 9 points to her score. With a bullet in the first race and a third in the second race, Sarah Davis from Coronado Yacht Club was leading the fleet and looking strong after two races, and tied with Barb Tillson.

Race 3 belonged to Fiona McLean, with sister Aine Fretwell placing 3rd and taking the lead in the series with 11 points on the day. Right behind were Barb Tillson and Sam Treadwell each with 12 points, and Aimee Graham in 4th with 14.

Sunday, February 25 was cloudy with two different breeze systems competing. A frontal system with approaching rain clouds from the southwest dominated the first course until midway through the final run, when it banged right (sound familiar?). In the tight quarters of the top four competitors, it was still anyone’s race, but the leaders became the chasers, and vice versa. Samantha Treadwell did a great come from behind to take first followed by Tillson, Graham and in fifth, Fretwell.

The Race Committee squared up the course and Race 5 began in the biggest breeze of the day (14 kts). Fretwell had an early lead and two great upwind legs, but got caught from behind on both runs and finished 3rd for a series total 4th place/19 points. Aimee Graham (defending 2006 Women’s Snipe Champion) was also in the hunt and got her second win of the series, but couldn’t shake the extra points from Race 1, finishing in second overall with 18 points (winning a tie breaker with two 1st places to none) over Barb Tillson (3rd overall).

Samantha Treadwell (defending 2006 Women’s Snipe Champion CREW) and crew Julie Mitchell finished the final race in second place which put them solidly in first place as the new US Women’s Snipe National Champion.

Many thanks to The Suddath Companies and Full Plane Sailing Gear for their continued support of this Women’s Championship. Big shout outs are due to several groups involved in this event: to Regatta Chair Steve Stewart and Karen Butler for their hard work getting everything organized. To Principal Race Officer Michael Foster and the San Diego Yacht Club Race Committee for their efforts in the shifty conditions. To the World Class Boat Boys for all that they do. To Coronado YC as a gracious venue and Saturday night party host. To San Diego Yacht Club for hosting the Sunday awards dinner. And to the 15 Women’s Snipe Teams that chose to spend their weekend competing in this venerable one design class – Thank you very much.

NATIONAL OFFSHORE ONE DESIGN (NOOD) REGATTA IS ALMOST HERE! ARE YOU SIGNED UP?

This month the Sailing Office will assist with one of the three biggest regattas SDYC hosts this year – the National Offshore One Design regatta (NOOD). Three courses, 160+ boats, 15 fleets, hundreds of people and hopefully some nice weather. It will be one of the few times during the year where the Race Committee will quite literally use every tool in the shed…people, assets, facilities and venues. Thus, our offer stands – if you, or someone you know would like to spend an active day on the water working with the Race Committee, please encourage them to look us up or have them call us (in the Sailing Office). If you can‘t get a crew together, come on down and offer to assist the Race Committee. We’ll make room.

On the other hand, if you own one of the more than 15 one designs that will be hosted by SDYC for the NOOD Regatta March 16 – 18, don’t mess around – get your entry in today. Visit the Sailing World web site for Notice of Race, entries to date and more or just visit our SDYC Race Info page and click on the NOOD Regatta link. Fleets must have seven or more boats to receive a start in this event and must have the minimum # of entries by March 5th. There is a $50 late fee for entries received after March 8th.

We would like to thank the 14 people that signed up for the Race Committee Open House on January 27. Race Committee Chair John Folting welcomed everyone along with Regatta Manager Jeff Johnson. Together, they presented a broad overview of race management along with a more specific review of positions and equipment that make up the Race Committee on race day. Next, the participants were divided into three groups and rotated between hands-on demonstrations of timing on board Corinthian, mark set gear dock side and scoring programs in the Sailing Office. Finally, they reconvened upstairs in the Staff Commodore’s Room for lunch and a review of important points with a Q &A wrap up.

Sailing Office out.

Thank you to everyone who participated in our 101 days of racing in 2006, and for the support of our dedicated group of Race Committee volunteers.

The 2007 Racing Calendar is available now, including a printable calendar for your records. Check our website for the most current listing of event dates. On the right side of this page you'll find links to the Upcoming Events, with popouts for the Race Documents as they become available. Online registration is available for just about all events, and we encourage you to sign up online at your convenience.

Saturday January 27th the Race Committee will be hosting a an Open House to introduce new volunteers to the responsibilities and equipment of the RC. Our purpose is to take the great wealth of knowledge of our veteran Committee members and bring in new participation to help drive the quality events we host throughout the coming years. Give us a call in the Sailing Office for more information or to let us know you'd like to attend, members and non-members welcome. Come join our team!

Other notable events for 2007 include:

The monthly series of One Design Weekends attracts several of San Diego's most popular fleets in competitive weekend events. Sign up online each month and join the fun.

Women's Snipe Challenge / Nationals, February 24-25. Registration is open now.

The annual Lands End NOOD Regatta, March 16-18. Six boats makes a fleet, so start making plans with your fellow sailors to make it out for one of SDYC's largest events of the year.

The Leukemia and Yachting Cup, May 4-6. Another of SDYC's major annual events that is not to be missed.

Both the Beneteaus and J Boats will be hosting events on back-to-back weekends in Septembeter (Beneteau Cup, Sept 22-23, J-Fest, Sept 29-30) which will bring out the masses for some of the more competitive fleets at the club.

The highest profile event of the year will be the Tornado Olympic Trials, 12 days of the highest level of competition. After hosting the Tornado Nationals and Olympic Pre-Trials in 2006, we look forward to having the fleet back in October.

The Hot Rum Series will land on 2 Sundays in November and the first Sunday in December.

Happy New Year!