2006 Larchmont Jr. Race Week

The Junior Sailing Association of Long Island Sound Newsletter
July 21, 2006
2006 Larchmont Jr. Race Week
What’s Inside
Log Book
2
Impressive performances throughout the classes
Featured Sailor
3
Larchmont Race Week
4
Larchmont Race Week
5
Optis at LYC
6
LYC RW Photos
7
Historic Trophies
8
Opti Rumble
9
Laser ACC
10
The wind gods finally decided to cooperate on the final day of this
year’s Larchmont Junior Race Week, giving sailors one intense day of
racing. For some sailors, they knew that Wednesday was their first
opportunity to qualify for JSA Championship events. For others, it was a
continuation of built up momentum.
Scott Furnary of American Yacht Club continued his strong racing
year, winning the overall Laser division with a dominating performance.
Furnary finished with five points, garnering one first place finish in between
two second place runs. Furnary’s accomplishment came on the heels of a
successful run at the Laser Atlantic Coast Championships, where he
finished in third in the Radial
class. Furnary was also
awarded the Commodore’s
Trophy for best overall
performance during Junior
Race Week.
In the Radials, Brendan
Kopp of Pequot Yacht Club,
and Kelly Crane of Noroton
Yacht Club, finished tied for first
in the overall standings, with
Kopp taking first due to a
Lasers took to the Sound on Wednesday morning tiebreaker. Each sailor finished
in first place for their Division,
Kopp in the Yellow and Crane in the Green.
The Club 420’s also had a tie for first place overall as Angus Page
and Mary Alice Miller of Cold Spring Harbor and Alex Takata and Alex
Lubben of Larchmont Yacht Club finished with six points each. Page and
Miller won the tiebreaker, as well as the Blue Division, en route to victory.
Takata and Lubben won the Red division, while Eamon Glackin and Ian
Stork won the Green Division, finishing just one point out of first overall.
Zach Shapiro and Kevin Dunne from Noroton Yacht Club won the Yellow
Division.
Richard Gregory and Nathan Gleason of Noroton won the
inaugural Pixel event at Larchmont Junior Race Week, finishing in first
thanks to their three first place finishes. Philip deLabry and John
Washburn from Groton Long Point finished in first in the Blue Jay class,
while Meredith Krim and her crew of Margot Cyprus and Melissa Brown
from Manhasset Bay Yacht Club were the top JSA finishers.
See event calendar at www.JSALIS.org
The Ditty Bag
Volume 2006 Issue 6
Published weekly
each summer by the
Junior Sailing Association
of Long Island Sound
1 Woodbine Ave.
Larchmont, NY 10538
914-834-4202 Tel
[email protected] General Email
[email protected] Editor Email
www.JSALIS.org Web
Editor-Patrick McNamee
Log Book
Race Week brings out
the best in Jr. sailors
The 108th Race Week concluded at Larchmont and once again
should be considered a success. The sailors had fun, mingled with one
another, were respectful to each other and got in a full day of racing.
Despite the poor weather conditions that included no wind and oppressive
heat, the sailors all behaved well, for the most part, and followed the kind of
ethics that JSA sailors should.
The sailors should be commended for behaving as well as they did in such extreme conditions
over the two day period. It is not easy for adults, let alone teenagers, to keep their cool and remain
calm during such weather, but the sailors were as easy going and understanding as could be. Many
took the time to go meet new people, while others just simply went and cooled off in the pool.
Except for a few select cases that were handled immediately, it seemed that the junior sailors
did their best to respect the grounds and those running the race. It was important that they realized the
race committee tried their hardest to get them out on the water. However, as we all know, summer on
Long Island Sound can lead to unpredictable weather and the best thing to do is just take it all in stride.
Thanks to the junior sailors, race week was once again the highlight event of the season.
The JSA would like to
thank everyone at
Larchmont Yacht Club
for making this year’s
Race Week another
success!
JSA Web Site: www. JSALIS.org
Sailor Feature-Elizabeth Barry
This week we feature Laser sailor
Elizabeth Barry of Riverside Yacht
Club
Sometimes when a sailor is a successful
racer, they begin to lose sight of what their favorite
aspects of sailing were and focus solely on winning
and getting to the top. Often times this can lead to a
sailor forgetting why they loved sailing in the first
place. Elizabeth Barry is not this person however.
It is true that she is a successful sailor,
garnering numerous top 10 finishes in both local and national regattas. However, she has not let racing take
away from what she enjoys most about sailing. “I love being close to the fish and amongst the birds,” Barry said.
Barry has become one of the JSA’s most successful sailors. Last year Barry consistently finished in the
top 10 at numerous JSA events. Racing in a Radial last year, Barry earned an eighth place finish at the Law
Trophy, which she followed up with a seventh place finish at Eastern Districts. A few weeks later at Cedar Point
Race Week she took home a second place finish, and capped off the season with a third place finish at the
Laser Championships.
This year has been much of the same for Barry, as she has continued to perform well, despite sailing in a
Standard rig for some of her races. She started out in a Radial, finishing in fifth place at the US Youth
Championships in Michigan. “Because it is a resume regatta, the skill level is way higher. You know that the
people you are competing against are some of the best youth sailors in the US. So as a result, if you mess up a
start, or capsize, or somehow fall behind, it is much more difficult to work your way back through the fleet,” she
said.
She sailed a Standard at the Law Trophy this year, narrowly missing qualifying for the Smythe Trophy
with a third place finish. Racing the Standard rig was a little different for her, however. “I noticed that it went a tad
bit faster,” she said.
At the Laser Atlantic Coast Championship Barry enjoyed yet another accomplishment as this time she
was the top women’s finisher in the Radial class. She finished in tenth overall. A few days later she took home
the third place prize in the Laser division at Larchmont Junior Race Week.
All of her success does not come without preparation, however. “I make sure that before the first day of a
regatta I rig my boat slowly, and make sure everything is perfect,” Barry said.
Her preparation continues once she hits the water. “Once I am out on the course I speed test with a
couple of other people and then split tacks to see if one side of the course is favored.”
As for all of her success, Barry says she would never reveal her secrets. But she does know one reason
that she has been able to be so successful on the water. “I believe that the amount of time I have spent in the
boat sailing has been the biggest factor. When I was little my dad would always stress that the key to success
was TOT, or time on tiller. The more time you spend in the boat concentrating on getting better (not just cruising
around) the better you will get.”
Do you know someone you would the Ditty Bag to Feature? Contact the JSA office at [email protected]
or at 914-832-4202
3
July 21, 2006
Larchmont Junior Raceweek
When racing on Long Island Sound, sailors know that the wind is unpredictable. They also know that most of
the time it will not cooperate with the racing schedule, as was the case at Larchmont Junior Race Week last year.
With that it mind, why would this year be any different?
With record breaking temperatures scalding the area, no wind days meant that the first two days of racing
were abandoned.
Racing was attempted on the first day of the regatta, but no wind forced sailors to come in without completing
a race. On Tuesday, sailors never got out on the water as scorching temperatures and still air once again canceled
another day of racing.
Jim Koehler, the owner of the Dingy Shop,
has been to countless regattas since starting his
business more than 14 years ago and he knows the
dangers that can happen when kids aren’t able to sail
for a few days. He also knows that when he is at
Larchmont, he does not have to worry about any of
those dangers.
“The organizers do a great job orchestrating
this event, the kids never look bored or that they’re
going to start trouble and there’s always activities for
them; you don’t see that at other places,” Koehler
said.
Despite not being able to get any racing in
over the first two days, sailors were still having a
good time at race week. Each club was given a
Photo Courtesy The Photoboat/thephotoboat.com
section of the lawn to claim as their own and from
Sailors found other ways to keep busy during the heat, like swimming off
there new friendships and fun games were created.
boats on the Sound
Larchmont’s Director of sailing, Lincoln White,
was proud of the way that the sailors coped with the difficult situation. “The sailors and instructors handled
themselves as sailors should at a regatta, even under the extreme heat and lack of wind,” White said.
“We’ve been socializing a lot with the other sailors,” said Peter Kutzen, a member of Norwalk Yacht Club.
“We’ve been swimming and talking with sailors that we’ve never met before,” Patrick Aylward added.
With the record breaking temperatures over the two days, swimming was one of the most popular activities
among the sailors who were waiting to see if they were going to go out on the water. Knowing that race week has
had bad luck with wind in the past, however, meant that some sailors came prepared.
“Larchmont is notorious for having no wind, so some kids come prepared with movies and other stuff,”
Kutzen said.
Among the most popular items brought by junior sailors were their iPods, Frisbees, soccer balls, playing
cards and tanning lotion.
“I’ve been playing a lot of cards, swimming, listening to my iPod and getting in some reading too,” said Liz
Pisano, a member of Cold Spring Harbor Beach Club. “It’s been nice and relaxing.”
While many commented they were having fun even though there was no racing, the itch to do so was still
(Continued on page 5)
JSA Web Site: www. JSALIS.org
Larchmont Junior Raceweek
(Continued from page 4)
present. “I’m disappointed, it would have been nice to
get some racing in,” said Daniel Robertson of
Northport Yacht Club, “but there was no wind.”
“We want to try and get in at least a few
races, plus a lot of people are relying on this for the
qualifying for the Law next year so hopefully the wind
will pick up so we can have one race at least,” said
Kutzen.
The iPods, Frisbees and playing cards galore
were finally removed from Larchmont’s front lawn on
Wednesday, however. While the sailors were having
fun in the sun, the real reason they were here was to
race. And once racing got underway on Wednesday,
the competitors could not have been happier.
“It was a lot of fun,” said Bryn Colum of Milford
Yacht Club. “It was just such a relief to be able to
finally get out there after sitting here on land all
week,”
Photo Courtesy The Photoboat/thephotoboat.com
Sailors were thrilled to finally get out on the water in
Larchmont
After two days of unbearable heat and little to
no wind, the winds came out in full force on
Wednesday, topping out at about 15 knots. “Early in
the day it was pretty much dead, but then at 12 the
wind was at least 15 knots and they didn’t allow
Pixels to put up spinnakers,” said Marek Zaleski of
Noroton Yacht Club.
Even though the wind was a welcome
commodity after sitting ashore for two days, it came
heavier than expected. “The wind was really heavy
out there, I didn’t expect it,” Colum said.
For some sailors, however, the craziness of
the day did not deter the amount of fun they had on
the water. “It was such a relief, even though it got so
hectic,” said Peter Tresnan from Centerport Yacht
Club. “At first it was basically whoever got in front first
was going to win, but at the end of the day it was
unbelievably fast.”
If one phrase could exemplify the weekend, it
would be that of Noroton Yacht Club sailor Reid
Secondo, who said, “it was typical Larchmont, on the
third day we finally got some wind.”
5
July 21, 2006
Opti Day at Larchmont
Close Sailing marks an exciting
day of Opti Sailing
During Larchmont Junior Race Week, there was
uneven weather and even more uneven winds. When
Junior Race Week was technically over it was time for
over 200 Optimist sailors to take center stage at
Larchmont, with the Opti Open for Area B and C that is
an unofficial part of race week.
The young junior sailors had better luck than that
of their older counterparts as the weather for the Opti
open was near perfect for sailing. There were much
cooler temperatures than in the previous days and the
wind was present from the early morning. Larchmont’s
Sailing Director Lincoln White credited Topical Storm
Beryl, which was coming towards Long Island Sound,
for the high winds. In fact, the wind may have even been
too much for some of the Opti sailors, but it was a
welcome sight after so many no wind days.
Photo Courtesy The Photoboat/thephotoboat.com
The Opti sailors got some of the best wind all week at LYC
Thanks to the windy conditions, Bobby Johnston
from Weeburn, said that, “it might be easier for people in
the red fleet today.” His prediction came partially true as
Olivia Crane of Noroton won the Red Fleet with a
resounding victory, winning all four races held.
Crane was outdone, however, by another
superb performance. Declan Whitmeyer also of
Noroton also won all four races in the Green Fleet,
giving him a victory by 16 points ahead of the next
closest sailor. For his efforts, Whitmeyer was awarded
the William S. Leboutillier Trophy, which is awarded to
the Opti sailor who has the best overall performance.
A pair of Larchmont Yacht Club sailors
also took the top prize in their respective fleets.
Andrew Schlegel won the Blue Fleet by a slim two
point margin thanks to consistent sailing that scored
him no lower than fourth. Emma Brinkman of
American Yacht Club finished in a close second. Drew
Gallagher captured the Yellow Fleet by virtue of a
tiebreaker after he, Pequot’s John Cuccio and
Noroton’s Megan Grrapengeter-Rudnick finished with
eight points each. Gallagher’s two first place finishes
lifted him to victory.
Charles Bocklet of American Yacht Club won a
closely contested Light Blue Fleet, where only four
points separated fifth and first place. His consistent
sailing was key as he earned three top three finishes.
JSA Web Site: www. JSALIS.org
An Opti sailor prepares to go for an adventure on his boat
“Poseidon”
Photos from Race Week
All photos are courtesy The Photoboat at
www.thephotoboat.com
A link to more photos from Race Week can be found on the
JSA Website under Regattas.
7
July 21, 2006
Famed Larchmont Trophies
Four of Larchmont’s most
revered trophies are given
out at the end of Junior
Race Week
Every year at the end of racing during
Larchmont Junior Race Week, there are two trophies
that are given out that are considered to be among
the most prestigious a JSA sailor can win. This year,
Scott Furnary of American Yacht Club and Declan
Whitmeyer from Noroton Yacht Club were the two
junior sailors that took home these trophies.
Furnary was the recipient of the Commodore’s
Trophy, which is given to the sailor who the race
committee felt had the best overall performance of the
Race Week. Furnary finished in first place overall in
the Laser Division, winning one race while garnering
second place finishes in two others.
Whitmeyer had an even more dominating
performance in the Opti division. He finished in first
place in all four races in the green division, earning
him the William S. Leboutillier Trophy, which is
awarded to best overall Opti sailor. His performance
left him 16 points ahead of the next closest
competitor.
These trophies have a long history with
The Commodore's Trophy
Larchmont Yacht Club that makes them so
The William G. LeBoutillier Trophy
prestigious.
The
Commodore’s Trophy was donated by Cmdr. Sydney
Rogers for winner of their class & best performance as
deemed by the Commodore and the Race Committee
chair. It goes back to about 1957, but its silver vase dates
from the early 1900’s.
Leboutillier was crew with Corny Shields and his
son Glit Shields in 1952 when their boat won the first ever
Mallory Cup, the US Men’s Champs. Leboutillier later
donated the Revere bowl he won as his Mallory prize as a
trophy for Ladies’ Day during Race Week. After that event
lapsed, the bowl was rededicated for the Opti sailor with
the best overall performance.
Other trophies awarded at the end of Junior Race
Week include the William S. Luckett Trophy and the
O’Donnell Trophy. Angus Page and Mary Alice Miller from
Cold Spring Harbor won the Luckett Trophy thanks to their
first place performance in the C420 class.
The O’Donnell Trophy, which is given to the girl
under 18 years of age who consistently shows
outstanding seamanship and sportsmanship, was
The Boat Locker
awarded to Kelly Crane of Noroton Yacht Club for the
Rack storage and rack trailers for your club
second consecutive year. The trophy is named in memory
1543 Post Road East
of LYC Regatta Committee Chairman Cynthia Parthemos’
father, James. The trophy was donated to give recognition
Westport, CT 06880
to the girls who participate in junior race week. Crane
203-259-7808
finished in a tie for first in the overall Radial standings and
www.boatlocker.com
won the Green division.
JSA Web Site: www. JSALIS.org
Pequot Opti Rumble
By David Frasco- The Pequot Yacht Club annual Opti Rumble got one race completed in shifting, light
winds that completely died multiple times during the regatta. 92 kids started the race and Catherine Shanahan
from Stamford Yacht Club took first place in the Red Fleet, Connor Hansen from Stamford Yacht Club captured
first in the Blue Fleet and Matthew Raymond from Cedar Point Yacht Club took top honors in the White fleet
race.
The sailors took to the water at 9:30 Sunday morning hoping to race 4-6 times throughout the day. The
race committee, headed by Pequot Yacht Club’s Charlie Reynolds, tried to start a race at 12:30 after a no wind
morning but that race had to be abandoned due to lack of wind. J.J. Monro, a Blue fleeter from NORO was
leading the race around the first mark but most of the field had yet to cross the starting line when the race was
abandoned.
The kids swam, ate, drank lots of water and floated on their Opti's waiting for winds. "It's Long Island
Sound, sometimes we never get wind and sometimes we have too much. It's just sailing," Bridgette Foster from
Pequot Yacht Club said.
11 of the 13 area C yacht clubs participated in the first Area C race of the summer.
The shifting winds made sailing difficult in Pequot
RYC Teased by light winds
Sailors got ready for a full day of sailing, hoping to have good wind
No Winds Cancel Riverside Optis
By Andree Pruett-The
day started off with heat and
humidity and zero wind - RYC
greeted over 106 sailors who had high expectations that the placid waters of Long Island Sound might magically
find some wind from some direction. There was a light on-shore breeze that allowed the fleet to exit the harbor
at the appointed hour and get out to the starting area - only to see the AP flag rise when the first sequence was
supposed to begin. The haze had filled in and prevented a real wind to come through.
The race Committee made a number of valiant attempts; twice teasing winds came out of the South,
prompting the Committee to act quickly and start the red/blue and white fleets. Unfortunately, those winds disappeared too fast so that that the boats were making better distance backwards towards the starting line. The
Committee was forced to abandon the races and, after several hours, abandoned the day to a collective sigh of
relief by competitors.
9
July 21, 2006
Laser Atlantic Coast Championship
This year’s Laser Atlantic Coast
Championships were held at Sayville
Yacht Club, which is located on Great
South Bay. JSA sailors performed
admirably at the event, which has both
junior and adult sailors.
Scott Furnary accepts his 3rd place
award in the Radial Class
JSA Sailors proudly represent
Long Island Sound at one of
the biggest Laser events of the
year
The top JSA finishers were Tedd
Himler, of Manhasset Bay Yacht Club, and
Scott Furnary, of American Yacht Club, in
the Radial class and Alex Weiksnar, of
Cedar Point Yacht Club, and Cameron
Cullman, of American Yacht Club, in the
Standard Class. Himler, who won the U.S.
Youth Championship, finished in second
place, while Furnary, who won the overall
Laser competition at Larchmont Race
Week, finished in third place.
Also competing in the Radial class was Elizabeth Barry of
Riverside Yacht Club. Barry, who finished in third place at this year’s Law
Trophy Regatta, finished in tenth place. Besides giving Barry another top
10 finish in a highly competitive event, her tenth place finish made her the
highest women’s finisher. She was one of only two women to finish in the
top 20.
Weiksnar, who also competed in the U.S. Youth Championships,
finished in fourth place in the standard division. Cullman, who will be
competing for the Smythe Trophy next month, finished in tenth place.
Barry was the top women’s finisher in the
Radial class
The JSA would also like to congratulate Sam Weiksnar, Harry Weyher, Kelly Crane, Matt Zupon, Paul
Wefer, Will Vernon and all the other JSA sailors who competed at Sayville Yacht Club.
Question of the Week
It is once again time for the Ditty
Bag question of the week.
This week’s question is about an old tradition that occurs at the end of
Larchmont Race Week. At the conclusion of Larchmont Race Week on Sunday
afternoon, the returning race committee boat received a 17-gun salute from the
cannon on the lawn of the club. Each salute presented from shore was returned by
the committee boat for a total of 34 shots—a cacophony of noise with the billowing
smoke and powerful scent of black powder, just like the finale at the 4th of
July fireworks. The question is, why are 17 guns fired for this salute (hint: this salute is rooted in naval
tradition)?
Submit your answer to [email protected] by August 2nd. The sailor that gives the fullest correct response
will have their answer published in the Ditty Bag. Good luck!
JSA Web Site: www. JSALIS.org
Where on Long
Island Sound?
More photos
from Race
Week!!!
Do you know where
this week’s location is?
Hathaways
carries the latest
equipment for the
junior sailor.
Visit our convenient
location in
Stamford, CT !
Performance Clothing
♦ Smocks & Bibs
♦ Dry Suits
♦ Hiking Boots
♦ Sailing Gloves
♦ Sailing Shoes
♦ Sunglasses
♦ PFDs
This is part two of our weekly
“Where was this photo taken on Long
Island Sound” contest. This week’s photo
can be found at the bottom of the page.
The rules for the contest remain
the same from last week. All sailors who
answer the question correctly should
send their responses to
[email protected] with the subject
titled as, “where on LIS?” All answers
should be submitted by August 2.
Ultra Light Rigging
♦ Sheets
♦ Halyards
♦ Blocks
♦ Shrouds
♦ Turnbuckles
♦ Swaging
♦ Nicopressing
♦ Opti-parts
♦ Thule Car Racks
Each week there will be a random
winner for the opportunity to ride on the
boat, America II, which is now based in
Greenwich, CT. America II competed in
the America’s Cup in 1987 and at the
end of the summer all of the winner’s will
be allowed to take one guest on the boat
for a once in a lifetime ride.
Full Service Sail Loft
♦ Sail Repair
♦ New Sails
♦ Battens
♦ Sail Numbers
♦ Sail W ash
Look out for next week’s photo
and your chance for a ride on America II.
Photo credit Enrique Torres
Anyone who would like
to submit photos of race
week to be published on
our website can send
them to [email protected]
or [email protected]
11
Exit 6 I-95
184 Sell eck Street
Stamford, C T 069 02
www.hat haways.com
203-324-9581
July 21, 2006
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