the seawanhaka log - Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club

THE SEAWANHAKA LOG
VOLUME 33, ISSUE 3 OF SEAWANHAKA CO RINTHIAN YACHT CLUB AUGUST 2012
L:R: Commo. Hugh Jones, Joe Pickard, J.P. Blaise, Walter Henry, Commo. Bob DeNatale, Robert Fagiola, Commo.
Bill Denslow, Maud Robertson, Diane McGaw, Joe Barry, Jim Brundige, Willets Meyer, Peter Weiler
From the Commodore: Due to the number of special events scheduled at the Clubhouse, the Trustees
were forced to congregate on the Clubhouse roof, for the July board meeting. This had the additional
advantage of inspecting our new weather station and webcam. It was a beautiful evening and we are
fortunate to have such a beautiful vista from that altitude.
The past two months have been active with regattas and events for the entire Seawanhaka family.
Seawanhaka hosted the Seawanhaka Cup (we came in third), The Commodores’ International Cup with
our friends at the Royal Northern (we were second), the Annual Rendezvous, the Dooley Roosevelt, the
Morgan Cup (SCYC won for a third time), the Hinman Masters (only 5th this year), and numerous social
events (Lobster Bake, Hawaiian Luau, New Orleans Night, and 797 members and guests at our 4th of July
Picnic – all of which were first class).
Our enthusiastic juniors traveled to numerous regattas as you will learn in this issue of the Log. In
addition to sailing skills, Seawanhaka’s junior program emphasizes the more critical life-skills of
sportsmanship and team building.
During the next few months some of our members will be meeting with our architects who have been
hired to guide us through the plans for Seawanhaka’s facilities expansion over the next decade. If you
have a particular interest in the process, please contact any of the Flag Officers for our agenda. The
result of this four-month process will be an outline, conceptual drawings and costs for the major capital
expenditures we have been discussing in the Long Range Planning Committee for the past few years.
As we enter the autumn sailing season, come out and watch our teams in the Lee Trophy and the BA Cup
in October, and participate in our Fall Regatta over Labor Day.
SEAWANHAKA CUP
L-R: Commo. Hugh Jones, Ryan Costello, Peter Johnson
Ryan Costello, Peter Johnson, Commo. Hugh Jones
positioning before start
Seawanhaka hosted the 44th Seawanhaka Cup competition on June 15-17th. It has now been 107
years since the first Seawanhaka Cup challenge in 1895. Six teams from around the world competed
for the coveted honor. The defending team was Seawanhaka, having won it during the previous
competition in 2009.
The race committee was able to complete 59 races over the three days despite light and shifty winds
from the east, including several hours each day of no wind.
Seawanhaka finished in second place, behind Southern Yacht Club, after the two round robins where
each team sails all the other teams. Seawanhaka was tied with Southern and Balboa Yacht Club after
the quarter-finals. However, in the semi-finals, Seawanhaka lost twice to Balboa due to several
penalty calls going the wrong way for our team.
The winning team from Southern Yacht Club consisted of Shawn Ryan (helm), Norman Valette and
Thomas Meric. Seawanhaka’s team of Ryan Costello (helm), Hugh M. Jones, Jr. and Peter Johnson
came in third. This means that the venue will shift to Southern’s waters of New Orleans for the next
Cup competition.
Welcoming Cocktail Party
The winning team, Southern Yacht Club
Photo by Cheryl Kerr
ANNUAL RENDEZVOUS
L’Avenir- Commo. DeNatale
Roust- Ian Gumprecht
Bambino- Matt DeNatale
Halcyon- Willets Meyer
RESULTS
-First PlaceCantana,
Daniel Barbiero
-Second PlaceRunaway,
Commo. Glenn
Runaway- Commo. Glenn
Glory- Peter Johnson
Boojum- Anne Mooney
-Third PlaceRoust,
Ian Gumprecht
SCYC WINS NYYC MORGAN CUP- 3RD IN A ROW!
I am pleased to report that Seawanhaka came away from the Morgan Cup with the victory. Given that
the Morgan Cup is the de facto national keelboat team race championship, we are quite pleased to have
won it a third year in a row! The competition was deeper and more widely spread than ever before, with
literally every team able to issue a loss to another. There was no easy win. A year ago you might recall
reading about the team barely qualifying from one round to another and finally achieving a miraculous
come-from-behind victory. Hoping to avoid a stressful roller coaster ride regatta again, this year we
developed a more consistent, precise approach to our team racing strategy. Indeed, despite
the heightened level of play, this provided a relatively smooth passing through the qualifying rounds
and even a slight advantage into the final Gold round. In the end, we won by just one win over Newport
Harbor YC. Still, what a difference just a bit of reflection, planning and focused practice make from one
season to the next!
This year's team was: Andy Herlihy, Greg Stevens, Liz Herlihy, Ryan Costello, Tim Wadlow, Robbie Deane,
Dave Constance, Rich Bell, Joel Hanneman, Chris Murray, Hugh M. Jones, Jr., Kyle Shattuck.
The jubilation was short lived; however, we switch our focus forward, towards a lot of work left in
order to round out a successful season. The team has a training session, the Lee Trophy and BritishAmerica Cup, all at SCYC in the next two months! See you at the Club and on the water!
LADIES SAILING
This season's feast or famine wind situation has really been felt by Ladies Sailing's Wednesday Series Racing.
Between tall ships and the Fourth of July, line squalls and doldrums, so far we've only managed to get in 17
races. On a few days, we even went out under tow and drifted around becalmed, hoping that collective positive
thinking might whistle us up some wind! While racing would have been better, it seems that spending time on
the water with no wind is better than doing almost anything else.
Winners and the Race Committee for the 2012 Squaw
Cup (L-R): June Fisher (RC), Mary Selover, Anne Mooney,
Tracy McRoberts, Julian Fisher (PRO)
Our cup racing has fared a little better. On Saturday,
June 23rd, June and Julian Fisher served as Race
Committee for the Squaw Cup. As the Ladies Club
Championship, this event is actually open to all
Seawanhaka women members, but this year all the
participants were members of Ladies Sailing. Liz
Roosevelt, Tracy McRoberts, and Marianne Nash went
head to head in a three race regatta in the Club
Sonars. The first race, a windward/leeward, twice
around, saw Tracy coming in first and Liz second.
The breeze shifted and lightened, so the second and
third races were only once around. Liz came in first
in the second race, so the third race was really the
decider. Tracy and her crew of Mary Selover and Anne
Mooney nabbed another first and the 2012 Cup.
Our regatta for novice skippers, the Kiwassa Cup, was scheduled for July 18th. Fifteen sailors showed up ready
to race, but the weather did not cooperate. After a couple of hours languishing around our respective
clubhouses, the decision was made to postpone the event.
A regatta that rotates among four different clubs, this year's Morgan Cup was
hosted by Manhasset Bay Yacht Club on Saturday, July 28th. Participating clubs
usually send two teams, but scheduling conflicts resulted in Manhasset Bay, Indian
Harbor, Cold Spring and Seawanhaka sending a single team each. Anne Mooney and
Katherine Reeve represented Seawanhaka, and Maud Robertson and Alexandra
Pennisi sailed for Cold Spring. Liz Roosevelt, Caroline DuBois and Vicki Johnson
came to cheer our sailors on, and, with the price of admission, a folding chair, we
were able to witness a fun morning of racing from the comfort of the "Worry Wart,"
Manhasset's RC platform. In light and shifty conditions, Rita and Vincent Syracuse
and Jeanne Miller worked hard to keep the course square. All the races were
modified windward/leeward, with upwind finishes. Due to the light air, the first two
were only once around. Indian Harbor won the first race, followed by Seawanhaka,
Cold Spring and Manhasset. Anne and
Katherine had never sailed together before,
but after that race they seemed to find their
groove. After some challenging tacking
duels with Indian Harbor, they scored two
bullets in the second and third races, giving
them the day, with second going to Indian
Morgan Cup Winners
Harbor and third to Cold Spring Harbor.
Katherine Reeve & Anne
Before the awards ceremony, we enjoyed a
Mooney
lovely lunch where we got to catch up with
old friends and make some new ones. Formerly an active participant
(just look at the trophy cup!), American was interested in competing
this year, but the timing didn't work out. Next year is our turn to host,
and it would be great to see American back again.
Morgan Cup
JUNIOR ACTIVITIES
Seawanhaka Junior Sailing has enjoyed a
wonderful season. The sailing program, comprised
of sixty junior sailors and ten OptiMates, was filled
with enthusiastic juniors who were eager to learn.
As a result, all of our sailors progressed
tremendously and made good friends and great
memories over this summer.
The Junior Senior Challenge took place on July 4th .
There was an incredible turnout for the event! The
wind and weather cooperated. The regatta was
competitive, and the juniors were victorious!
July 4th, Junior-Senior Challenge
Participants raced in many classes this year. We
had a large Opti fleet with over a dozen participants. There were seven Laser sailors and three doublehanded boats. It was great to see such enthusiasm from both the Senior club and the Junior club!
All of our Optimist Racers worked diligently on and
off the water with our Optimist Racing Staff. The
three racing coaches were Juan Carlos Romero, Attila
Hodacs and Tomas Ruiz De Luque.
The Optimist Racing Team participated in the
Centerport Optimist Regatta on Friday, July 6th .
Seawanhaka had incredible results overall with eight
sailors coming home with silver. In the red fleet, Jack
Glenn came in first, Peter Barron came in third and
Jane Hanley came in seventh. In the blue fleet, Jack
DeNatale took first, Thomas Rice took second and
Walter Henry took fourth. In the white fleet, John
Team Seawanhaka at Centerport Opti Regatta
Eastman took first, Madeline Rice took second and
Gage DeNatale took fifth. This was the highest success rate of any yacht club on Long Island Sound.
Seawanhaka had great results but more importantly great team camaraderie amongst the kids. Teamwork
and leadership on the course led to a winning combination for our sailors.
John Eastman & Gage DeNatale
Coach Tomas, Jane Hanley, Madeline Rice,
Isabella Charon, Coach Juan Carlos
The Optimist Racing Team also participated in the Shelter Island Optimist Regatta on Tuesday, July 10th .
In this regatta, the Seawanhaka Optimist Racers continued to come together as a team. In the red fleet,
Peter Barron took third and Jack Glenn took sixth. In the blue fleet, Thomas Rice took first, Jack DeNatale
took second and Walter Henry took third. Seawanhaka swept the blue fleet with first, second and third
place! In the white fleet, Seawanhaka also had incredible results, Madeline Rice took first, John Eastman
took fifth and Gage DeNatale took sixth.
JUNIOR ACTIVITIES
The weather conditions for the Douglaston Optimist Regatta on July 20th did not cooperate, but our
sailors were relentless and persevered to stay out on the water! As a group, we had Ella Barry, Erica
Scheblein, Justin Smith, Jack Farrell, Bennett Kudder, Jack Glenn and Austen Flink compete. In the red
fleet, Jack Glenn took second and Bennett Kudder took fifth. In the blue fleet, Jack Farrell took seventh
and Erica Scheblein took twelfth. In the white fleet, Ella Barry took fourth and Austen Flink took seventh.
Seawanhaka had an exciting experience at the
Noroton Team Racing Event July 17-18th .
Seawanhaka had enough sailors to send three
teams. The sailors overcame all struggles to
succeed. Leading up to the event, the sailors
had very little wind for practice but focused
on theory. Nonetheless, they excelled and
worked together to win. The regatta was very
well run by chief judge Peter Wilson, USODA
board member and international judge.
Conditions were tough on the first day with
light winds and shifty conditions but the RC
L-R: Jack DeNatale, Thomas Rice, Jack Glenn, Walter
managed to finish two round robins by the
Henry, Ryan Hennessey at the Noroton Team Race Event
end of the first day. The second day, the RC
managed to have one race that decided the tiebreaker between Larchmont and Seawanhaka. After two
long days of racing, the results are as follows: In the blue fleet, Thomas Rice, Jack DeNatale, Ryan
Hennessey, Jack Glenn and Walter Henry took first. In the red fleet, Madeline Rice, Peter Barron, John
Eastman, Gage DeNatale and Jack Farrell took fourth. In the green fleet, Justin Smith, Bennett Kudder,
Ella Barry and Erica Scheblein took fourteenth.
The coaches were impressed to see that, as a team, the Optimist Racers were committed to their
teammates and took their careers as sailors to the next level. In the Junior Club, we strive to teach our
sailors valuable lessons. In addition, we are proud when we see that our sailors are growing in knowledge
and Corinthian spirit!
The C420/Laser group has also been working very hard with our
coaches, Bitsy Whipple and Ryan Schmitz, to compete as fleet
racers and team racers. Thus far, the sailors have participated in
the Law Trophy, Western Districts, the McIntyre Team Racing
Championships and the Sears Cup.
The Law Trophy was an opportunity for our older junior sailors to
prove themselves as competitors. Sailors are permitted to
participate in the Law Trophy if they had qualified for champs the
year before. Edward Lebens, Gerard Eastman, Gretta Farrell and
Jake Scheblein were the competitors representing Seawanhaka
this year.
In Western Districts, the Seawanhaka sailors saw success from all of their hard work. The Laser fleet,
coached by Ryan Schmitz, had excellent results. There were forty-one Laser Radial competitors. Gerard
Eastman took second, Connor Hennessey took sixth, Edward Lebens took seventh and William Charon
took thirtieth. SCJYC is proud to have such a competitive Laser class. The C420 class, coached by Bitsy
Whipple, also performed well. There were twenty-four teams in the C420 fleet. Jake Scheblein and Gretta
Farrell took twelfth. Claire Glenn and Julia Annunziato took nineteenth.
JUNIOR ACTIVITIES
During the McIntyre Team Racing Championships, Team Seawanhaka came together and worked
diligently to learn the principles of team racing. This was a three-day event, July 9-11th . Seawanhaka sent
seven sailors to the event: Edward Lebens, Claire Glenn, Jake Scheblein, Julia Annunziato, Gerard
Eastman, Gretta Farrell and Connor Hennessey. In total, there were sixty-eight sailors present at the
event, with ten teams competing. Seawanhaka came in fourth after Larchmont during a tiebreaker.
The Sears Cup, hosted by the Waterfront Center, was
sailed in Sonars. Istvan Kopar and Bitsy Whipple
were coaches at the event. The elder juniors were
eager to sail this year, and Seawanhaka had two
teams present! Gerard Eastman, Gretta Farrell and
Claire Glenn were on one boat, while Edward Lebens,
Jake Scheblein and Connor Hennessey were on
another. Seawanhaka came away with fourth place
too!
Gerard Eastman, fourth from the left, won first
place at Larchmont Junior Race Week
Congratulations to Gerard Eastman, who won first place in
the Larchmont Junior Race Week, July 16-18th . Edward
Lebens took ninth place and Connor Hennessey took
fifteenth place.
L-R: Isabella Charon, Jane Hanley,
Gabrielle Schmitz, Jack Farrell,
Erica Scheblein, Ella Barry
Seawanhaka Junior Sailing had a summer filled with
competition and recreation. At Seawanhaka, our sailors
have the drive to be successful out on the race course but
also like to enjoy themselves while at camp. This summer,
our junior program had various theme days at camp to
bolster Seawanhaka pride and promote team spirit.
Hawaiian Day, Olympic Day, Pirate Day and the Battle of the
Bays Regatta were filled with fun, laughter and entertainment. On Hawaiian Day, the juniors enjoyed
limbo, freeze dance and Hawaiian food. Next, our juniors
got competitive with Olympic Day. The sailors shouted
their team chant, played Tug O’ War, and ended the day
with dodge ball, soccer and running bases. The teams
fought for the title of Olympic champion and Team
Germany ended up victorious! Root beer floats followed
the day’s activities! During Pirate Day, our sailors went on
a long treasure hunt. The hunt led them to a treasure
chest filled with candy at the creek. They ended the day
enjoying lunch at Sand City and swimming together.
Lastly, the Battle of the Bays Regatta was a blast for the
children and the parents. The 3rd Annual Battle of the
Bays Regatta had an impressive turnout with 60
competitors. The day was off to a slow start with little
wind but the weather cooperated for the Race Committee
to get off one race! Team Seawanhaka won the Battle of
Team Seawanhaka at home during the
the Bays Cup! The day ended with the silent auction, an
3rd Annual Battle of the Bays
eighteen foot waterslide and a delicious clambake! Thanks
to all the participants who made possible a generous donation to the Friends of the Bay.
2012 NEW MEMBERS
EMBERS
2012 has been a great year for new membership. As previously reported, we have been fortunate to
attract a large, well-qualified group of new members and candidates to our Season member
program. We have welcomed the following 16 Class A members, 4 Class B members and 2 NonResident members:
Class A Members
Peter Bentel
Arnic Blatt
Paul G. Broder
Henry C. Clark
Christopher Davis
David Howe
Edward Khalily
Christopher Lanning
Joseph Lopez
John Macaskill, Sr.
Karen Martin
Douglas L. Paul
Thomas W. Purcell, Jr.
Konrad Schwarz
Pascal Franchot Tone
Allen J. Underwood II
Class B Members
Shamin J. Ahmed
George Fisher Baker
Luke DeNigris
Jared Gianatasio
NonNon-Resident Members
Keith Bloom
Alexandra Oelsner
In all, we have elected the following 10 Season A members, 6 Season B members and 3 Season NonResident members:
Season A Members
William Charon
Sandeep Jauhar
Daniel R. Knopf
Alex Koundourakis
Gulbir Madan
Stewart L. Palmer
Robert S. Pitts
James Simpson
Theodore B. Smith, Jr.
John Westerman
Season B Members
Colin Anderson
James Gardiner
Morgan S. McCauley
Matthew Restaino
Katherine R. Reeve
Danielle M. Rounds
Season NonNon-Resident
Members
Jason P. Andris
Kaisley Audett
Robert V. Croker
The primary purpose of the Season Membership is to give the Club and the prospective new
members an opportunity to become better acquainted both around the Club and on the water. As
Labor Day weekend approaches, the Sponsors, this year’s Season members, and each of our Regular
members are reminded to take advantage of the remaining opportunities to do so. The success of
the program depends upon your cooperation.
HOUSE COMMITTEE
Double Rainbow seen from SCYC
Fourth of July Celebration
As summer draws to a close, we would like to report on what a great, although hot, summer this has
been. We kicked off the summer with a traditional Hawaiian Luau. Everyone had a great time including all
the folks who have visited us for the Seawanhaka Cup and the Commodores’ International Cup. They
were great sports and more than happy to join the lovely Hula dancers on the stage, which if they were
not exactly the best Hawaiian dancers, they certainly provided the most amusement.
Fourth of July was the usual smashing success with a record turnout of 797 attending the party. A
special thanks to Caroline, our food and beverage manager. She and her staff had to break down all of
the tables and decorations at 5 p.m. in order to avoid a torrential downpour. They then had everything
reset for the 7 p.m. start of the party.
The Commodore’s Reception and Raft-Up, also a great favorite of the members, was as usual, very well
attended. Again, special thanks to Frank Mavronicolas for bringing his beautiful yacht, Maverick, over
from Huntington to anchor the raft- up. The party was followed by a new event, New Orleans Night.
Judging by the enthusiastic response of the members that attended the party, we will certainly be
continuing this event for quite some time.
We are looking forward to Labor Day weekend with the traditional end of summer party. This year, we
are featuring a Blue Brother’s Band, which should be a really upbeat event. Looking forward to seeing all
of you there!
Fourth of July Celebration
HAWAIIAN LUAU
COMMODORES’ RECEPTION & RAFT-UP
UPCOMING EVENTS
Blues Brothers End of
Summer Party
Sunday, September 2nd
Annual Fall Regatta
Monday, September 3rd
Cocktails- 1830, Dinner- 1930
Labor Day Salty Dog
Monday, September 3rd
1730-2000
Ladies Sailing Closing
Dinner & Awards Ceremony
Friday, September 28th
Starry Night Cocktail Party
at Piping Rock Club
Friday, September 14th
1800-2100
Oktoberfest Salty Dog
Sunday, September 30th
Cocktails- 1830, Dinner- 1930
1730-2000
Lee Trophy
October 6-7th
British American Cup
October 10-13th
Decommissioning & Annual
Sailing Awards Dinner
Saturday, October 20th
Oyster Roast
Saturday, October 27th
Cocktails- 1830, Dinner- 1930
The Log is Published With
In Memoriam
Christine Hutchings
March 6, 19341934July 29, 2012
Wife of long time member
Robert E. Hutchings
Editor: Commo. Park Benjamin III
Layout: Danielle Bozenko
Contributors: Commo. William R. Denslow, Jr.,
Walter E. Henry III, Laura Henry,
Vicki Johnson, Priscilla Palmer, Andrew P.
DeNatale, Commo. Robert E. DeNatale,
Caroline Cosgrove, Kelly Holst, Cheryl Kerr
COMMODORES’ INTERNATIONAL CUP
This year’s Commodores’ International Cup, hosted by Seawanhaka, was first raced for in 1982. This
year’s competition between Seawanhaka and the Royal Northern & Clyde Yacht Club of Rhu, Scotland was
the 15th in the series. The Cup dates from 1906 when it was presented to Cord Meyer by the then
Commodore of the New York Yacht Club, Cornelius Vanderbilt. In 1982, the family of Commodore
Charles G. Meyer, grandson of Cord Meyer gave the Cup to become a permanent trophy for team racing
competition between The Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club and The Royal Northern and Clyde Yacht
Club. The competition was scheduled during our Independence week celebrations and was scheduled for
a maximum of 21 races with 4 Sonars to a side. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate, with little
wind and temperatures hovering near 100 degrees with high humidity allowing only 8 races to be
completed. Final score was RNCYC 6.5 and SCYC 1.5 thus sending the Cup to Scotland and the
Commodore’s Buckle to our showcase in the Clubhouse. Seawanhaka has challenged for a rematch in
Scotland 2 years hence.
Seawanhaka’s team consisted of Peter Troxler, team captain and skipper, Jean-Pierre Blaise, Mark,
skipper, & Nina DeNigris, Kirsten Dunlaevy, Ned Glenn, Aileen & Ian Gumprecht, Commodore Hugh M.
Jones, Jr., skipper, Wayne Marciano, Karen Martin, Tracy McRoberts, Bam Miller, Anne Mooney, skipper,
Elizabeth Mooney, Colin Morse, Michael Obuchowski, Robyn Philip-Norton, Gary Van Dis.
A significant number of club members pitched in to participate on Race Committee, Umpire and provide
housing for our guests from Scotland and we offer them all a round of thanks for their assistance in
making this CIC a memorable occasion.