Summer 2006 v3.qxd

the insideline
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C l a s s
A s s o c i a t i o n
J/22 Regattas Traveling the Globe
2007 Major Championships Announced
March 9-11 – Midwinter Championship hosted by Southern YC, New Orleans, LA
September 19-22 – North American Championship at Cleveland YC, Cleveland, OH
November 12-17 – Rolex International Women’s Keelboat Championship at Houston YC, La Porte, TX
December 14-22 – World Championship at Point YC, Durban, South Africa
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President
Chris Doyle
Kenmore, NY
[email protected]
716-874-0605
First Vice President
Chris Princing
Saginaw, MI
[email protected]
989-781-2640
Second Vice President
Kelson Elam
Rockwall, TX
[email protected]
972-771-3421
Chief Measurer
Tom Linville
Weems, VA
[email protected]
804-438-6038
Treasurer/Secretary
Terry Schertz
Lakewood, CO
[email protected]
720-394-9951
Technical Committee Chair
Lars Hansen
Golden Valley, MN
[email protected]
763-529-6551
Nominating Committee Chair
Joe Gibbs
Madison, MS
[email protected]
601-856-1086
Executive Secretary
Christopher Howell
Cleveland, OH
[email protected]
440-796-3100
International President
Huib Bannier
The Netherlands
[email protected]
Class Office
P.O. Box 391095
Solon, OH 44139
440-796-3100
[email protected]
Webmaster
Suzie Wulff
Cleveland, OH
[email protected]
Newsletter Editor
Julie Ellsworth
Cleveland, OH
International Class Office
12900 Lake Ave., Suite 2001
Lakewood, OH 44107
440-796-3100
[email protected]
Letter from the President
What a great summer it has been so far. I have been lucky enough that work has only once precluded me from
attending a regatta on my 2006 “wish list.” I hope you have had similar luck. As of this writing, the next regatta on
my list is the North Americans in Minnesota. I have never sailed in Minnesota; I don't think I have ever even been to
Minnesota. So this should be a great new experience.
I encourage more dialog between competitors and Principal Race Officers. I have been around long enough to
remember when The Race Committee Chairperson was viewed as some sort of omnipotent overlord whose decisions
were not subject to debate, were subject to critique only in the Chairperson’s absence, and needed to be divined
through a careful interpretation of the Sailing Instructions and observation of the Flags. The current situation is much
healthier, and PROs are encouraged to communicate to competitors on the water through VHF transmissions.
Competitors continue to hesitate discussing anything substantial with the PRO on the water. I can understand this:
any response by a PRO to a single competitor gives rise to the possibility of a complaint of prejudice.
But there is absolutely no reason for us to not talk with the PROs on land. Substantive discussions with the PROs—
as long as they are done in a constructive fashion—have numerous potential benefits. The PROs should feel more
of an attachment to the fleet that engages in constructive discussions and shares ideas regarding race management.
The competitors should develop a greater understanding and appreciation of what the PRO does. The PRO may get
a better feel for what the fleet wants as far as a racing program: Short races? Long races? Wind velocity cut-offs?
Better races or more races?
This final issue is my current hot button. I would rather not race than race in a bad race and win. When I meet with
PROs, I encourage them to wait until the wind really settles in before starting a sequence. I have attended too many
regattas at which the PRO has attempted to get in one race too many. As far as sailboat racing goes, quality should
not bow to quantity.
Your Class is working on the general issue of the quality of the races we do. We are putting together the Ten
Commandments of Race Management, which will be patterned after PRO guidance that has been used in the
Southwest Circuit for the past few years. Some of the Commandments are fairly obvious, but others are not. In the
former category is “Thou shalt not set a course of less than four legs.” In the latter category are things like “Thou
shalt set a course (and lengthen or shorten legs during the race) to result in a race duration of between 45 minutes
and 1 hour 15 minutes.”
These are in the refinement stage now, but it is your Class’ intention to have the Commandments ready for use at
major regattas in time for the Midwinters, which will be next March in New Orleans.
A final matter requires mention here: There have been at least two incidents of lifting-ring/keel bolt failure since my
tenure began. Thank goodness no one was injured. Please, please, PLEASE examine the keel bolts off of which you
lift your boat, and get the retrofit kit if you are still doing the single-point pick. The problem seems to be particularly
acute for boats spending a lot of time in salt water, but there is no good reason for anyone anywhere to take a chance
on this when the fix can be so simple. We’ll both sleep better if you attend to this.
Chris Doyle, US Class President
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The J/22 Southwest District Circuit has had to fight some unusual
weather extremes to date in 2006. The first regatta of the year,
at Chandler’s Landing Yacht Club near Dallas in March, saw 23
boats participate, as the forecasted cold and wet discouraged some
regulars. The weather forecast was accurate, as storms around
the Dallas area kept threatening too much wind or lightning.
One race was completed on Saturday, finishing in a blinding rain;
the committee tried to start a race on Sunday, but an approaching
storm with hail and wind sent the competitors back to shore, ending
the regatta prematurely.
The second Dallas regatta, at Rush Creek Yacht Club, was held in
typical Texas April light to moderate lake winds, and saw essentially
the same number of competitors, 31, as in 2005. The high point of
the regatta was the Texas Hold’em Poker Tournament after the
Saturday evening dinner. Among others, brothers Keith and
Gary Zars showed that they are not newcomers to poker…so be
forewarned. Bryan Calk beat Kelson Elam to win the regatta on a
tie breaker.
The May circuit stop, part of the Dallas Corinthian Yacht Club
Leukemia Cup Regatta, gave us weather extremes again. An early
indication came Friday night, as the tornado sirens sounded in
Denton. Some competitors chose to stay home, leaving 19 boats to
face the wind, which built to over 40 mph during the first race,
stressing the equipment and the teams. Although the wind dropped
back into the 20s later in the day, the waves stayed atypically high for
a Texas lake. As sometimes happens on Texas lakes, the wind went
very light for the second day. This did not prevent a sense of humor:
after the mid-race 180° wind shift, the windward mark RC boat
radioed that the course still looked square to them. Rob Johnston’s
Diesel Snack was the final winner.
After only two races on Saturday, the light winds made it difficult for
the race committee to set a course Sunday morning, and a final shift
before the gun allowed boats from both the pin and boat ends to lay
the weather mark on port tack. Bryan Calk was consistent in the
light wind, for his second win of the year.
In July, the circuit traveled north to Oklahoma City Boat Club,
where 25 boats faced the summer heat. Light air on Saturday
allowed only two races, giving everyone a chance for a late
afternoon siesta or to begin drinking early. After a very
hearty dinner, the Saturday postmortem by the lead boats
produced several pertinent observations. The crew on
the lead boat noted that they had never spent so much
time reaching around a race course. And, when
racing in temperatures over 100°, 1 1/2 gallons of
water per crew is not enough; you need more
to make it through a full day of races. More
typical OKC winds did arrive on Sunday,
improving everyone’s sense of humor.
Kelson Elam held onto a one point
lead over Rob Johnston for the win.
After the August doldrums,
the J/22 Southwest District
continues with two
regattas, in Austin and
Houston. Visiting
boats are, of
course, very
welcome.
In June, the circuit left Dallas for South Texas, at Canyon Lake Yacht
Club outside of San Antonio. Here the winds went really light, and
very shifty, challenging the 21 competitors. In the first race, the lead
boats first tacked to starboard as they rounded the weather mark.
Photo Courtesy: Nicholas Monske
Southwest District Fights Weather to Have Fun
By Bill Mitchell, District Governor
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Buffalo Welcomes
J/22 Eastern Great
Lakes Championship
By Peter Huston
The Buffalo Yacht Club played
host to 40 boats in the J/22 Eastern
Great Lakes Championship from
July 22-23. The winners were
Terry Flynn with Dave Van Cleef
and Paul Grenauer. The top boat
from western New York was Kevin
Doyle, Vic Snyder and Adam Burns
from Buffalo Harbor SC, just one
point behind Flynn and company.
Full results are posted at
www.j22buffalo.com.
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The regatta was superb in all respects—the
biggest thing, of course, is the racing. In
addition to serving as Regatta Chair, Joe
Gelsomino was also Race Committee Chair.
He ran five races on Saturday in variable
conditions of breeze out of the NE to E
between 8-15+ knots, with a driving raining
not making it exactly easy on anyone.
Sunday morning brought clear skies, but no
wind, so Joe wisely postponed until the
breeze filled and settled. Two great races
were run.
On-the-water help came from the ever present Chuck Chilcott, setting marks as he does
so well and so often for so many events
locally. Chuck is an “A” grade mark-setter,
capable of working any big event anywhere.
Tom Lewin, who owns a J/22 that he let a
couple of really raw rookies use so they
could hack their way around the race course
(that would be your humble author who
learned exactly how busy things get in the
middle of a J/22), served a pin end boat in
his 22 foot Wellcraft.
Tom Nowak also served as a signal boat.
Thanks to everyone who assisted the on-thewater elements of the regatta.
Ashore, there was a ton of support from
members and staff. The Jordan family has
been traveling the regatta circuit beating the
drum for this regatta for over a year. Kelly
Jordan is sort of the de facto cheerleader for
the Class locally, and no doubt her thoughtful and timely communications helped to
drive attendance. Bud Jordan helped run
boat launching and hauling—the results of
which were evident by the fact that the last
two out-of-town boats were on their trailers
within 30 minutes of everyone hitting the
dock after the “race to the hoist.”
From a general organization point of view,
all the essential elements of fun for a regatta
were evident and well thought out. The
facility looked great, information on anything that was needed was easily obtained,
and the shore-side parties well planned and
attended.
This will be a regatta that anyone who has
any interests in J/22s will want to put on
their calendar for next year. For those from
out of town who live in the southern part of
the country where sailing isn’t so great this
time of year due to the heat and/or limited
wind, you can come to western New York
and bookend two weekends of J/22 sailing
by racing in this event, followed by the legendary Levels at Youngstown YC the next
weekend. There’s plenty to do for a family
around western New York in the summer, so
bring the family for a vacation.
Now, consider for a moment what the
Buffalo Yacht Club has done in the past two
years. It was not that long ago when there
were only a handful of J/22s in this town.
The dry sail facility, with the two three-ton
hoists, didn’t even exist this time last summer. Two years ago, that was an ancient
marine railway used only for winter storage
of members’ boats, the space being completely unused in the summer months. As
the fleet of J/22s grew from three to 30+
locally in less than three years, more storage
was required. There was considerable
“debate,” much dissent, and a lot of tension
between various member factions within the
Buffalo Yacht Club over the development of
the “south yard.” Eventually reason prevailed, a healthy debate was had and concerns by some members addressed, with the
result being a first-class facility that is now
proven to be capable of hosting world class
events. What purpose is there for a yacht
club to exist other than to primarily be
about racing sailboats, and having the ability
to host world class regattas? The Buffalo
Yacht Club can now say they have proven
they meet this purpose.
The leaders of this change at the Buffalo
Yacht Club are all the types of people who
like to deflect credit for accomplishment to
others, and I’d miss someone important who
is deserving of mention if I started naming
names. But the fundamental point is that
this was a club that had a very long tradition
of excellence within the sport that had let its
reputation slide for a variety of reasons.
This regatta was not the end of this process;
it is just the start of the next stage of having
a place that will help to create more world
class sailors, and a place that will host world
class events. The, at times painful, evolution
the club has gone through in recent times
will pay dividends for years to come. Terry
Flynn and crew are just the first of many
world class sailors that will come to the
Buffalo Yacht Club and elevate the standard
of sailing further in all of western New York.
Congratulations to everyone who made
this regatta a success—and to those within
the Buffalo Yacht Club who had the vision
and determination to make all of these
changes to the club happen. The sport of
sailing is better off because of what all of
you have done.
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Team Branche Bureau Crowned 2006 J/22 World Champions
Team Branche Bureau, comprised of Jeroen den Boer,
Truus Vissia, Martijn Punt and Sanne Botterweg,
became the new J/22 World Champions at ASNQ in
South Brittany, France. Held from June 30 through
July 7, the Dutch team finished with 48 points, edging
out the second place team (Pijl Witte, Huib Bannier,
Paul Manuel and Landre Jan Willen) by two points.
Results were not determined until the final race.
Competitors from The Netherlands finished in each of the top
ten positions. Twelve races were completed amongst 43 teams,
with sailors competing from countries ranging from France,
The Netherlands, South Africa, Italy and the Cayman Islands.
Last year’s champion, Tjarco Timmermans, finished in third
place; and the 2003 champion, John den Engelsman, was right
behind him in fourth place.
Visit the regatta website at www.j22worlds2006.com
for complete results, photos and specific information.
Top 10
48 points – Jeroen den Boer, Truus Vissia, Martijn Punt, Sanne Botterweg (Netherlands)
50 points – Pijl Witte, Huib Bannier, Paul Manuel, and Landre Jan Willen (Netherlands)
56 points – Tjarco Timmermans, Ivan Peute, Jurjen Feitsma, Fanny Van Leeuwen (Netherlands)
73 points – John den Engelsman, Sven Machielsen, Robert Janssens (Netherlands)
78 points – Peter Peet, Ted Duyvestijn, Fred Moerman (Netherlands)
84 points – Ronald Veraar, Jan Willem Van Dort, Bas Heijckmann (Netherlands)
86 points – Diederik Forma, Duncan Schaaf, Mark Gelderen Van (Netherlands)
90 points – Sjoend Wassenval, Lotje Van Hooydonte, Jeoffrey Scheffen (Netherlands)
96 points – Ewoud Van Bennekom, Hessel Van Bennekom, Francois Van Vliet (Netherlands)
103 points – Eelco Blok, Bart Snel, Niels Blok (Netherlands)
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Rolex International Women’s Keelboat
Championship Sets Sail To Houston Yacht
Club In 2007
Organizers of US Sailing’s Rolex International Women’s Keelboat
Championship have announced that Houston Yacht Club (HYC) in
La Porte, TX will host the next regatta from November 12-17, 2007.
Held biennially as part of US Sailing’s adult championship schedule,
the event provides women sailors of all ability levels with high-quality racing and an opportunity to compete against top national and
international sailors, while providing skills development and mentoring to young women through the Rolex Next Step program.
Ginny Garrett (Houston), past commodore of the HYC, will serve as
chair of the local organizing committee, while Liz Merrifield Filter
will step into the role as chair of US Sailing’s Women’s International
Keelboat Committee, which oversees the Rolex IWKC. Founded in
1985 by US Sailing and considered one of the world’s pinnacle
events for women sailors, the Rolex IWKC utilizes the International
J/22 Class keelboat, suitable for four-person teams.
“Moving the prestigious Rolex IWKC around the United States is an
important idea especially since it is a US Sailing championship,” said
Liz Merrifield Filter, a five-time Rolex IWKC competitor and current
member of the US Sailing Team in the Yngling class. “As a local
Annapolitan, I saw what the event brought to our fleet and to the
women in our area. Women who had never considered participating
got involved; we had first-time sailors, first-time skippers and even
had a couple of women buying their own boat for the first time.
Rotating the Rolex IWKC brings that level of excitement around the
country while maintaining a very special international event.”
Filter added that the regatta format has been shortened in response
to suggestions from past competitors. “The 11-race format will continue, but we plan to race on three days. Racing will be preceded by
two days for registration, measurement and a practice race,” said
Filter. “As always, evening social events will culminate with the traditional Rolex gala and awards presentation where a Rolex timepiece
will be awarded to the winning boat’s skipper.”
HYC was one of the first yacht clubs in the world to adopt the
International J/22 Class keelboat. Over 20 J/22s typically race in the
popular local regattas such as the Leukemia Cup and Lands End
NOOD Regatta, as well as on the Southwest Circuit where large
fleets compete near San Antonio, Dallas, Houston and New Orleans
throughout the summer.
Local preparation is well under way in the Houston area, with HYC
members stepping up to volunteer for the long list of related committees. “HYC has long been a pioneer in women's sailing,” said
Garrett. “We hold two annual women skipper regattas ever year, one
requiring all-women crew, and in the past we have hosted the U.S.
Women’s Sailing Championship for the Adams Cup. We have also
conducted an annual sailing camp for women for the last 25 years,
as well as numerous clinics. We are very excited to be hosting the
Rolex IWKC and believe it will be a crown jewel in the Club’s history
of supporting women’s racing.”
For past competitors, the change marks a new challenge in the regatta’s 20-plus year history. “I think it is going to be a good change of
scenery for the event,” said Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year Sally
Barkow (Nashotah, WI), the defending Rolex IWKC champion who is
currently training with her team of Debbie Capozzi and Carrie Howe
for a berth at the 2008 Olympic Games. “Having sailed and coached
there, I know what a great facility the yacht club has and how good
the conditions can be. So overall, it should provide a fantastic challenge for everyone! We look forward to 2007.”
Leading the Race Committee will be Jim Tichenor (Houston), who
will serve as Principal Race Officer. The Notice of Race will be available in November 2006 online at www.ussailing.org/riwkc.
While the regatta typically attracts between 30 and 50 teams representing eight to 12 countries, with foreign teams consistently finishing in the top 10, it does not require qualification for entry, only
that each team become a member of its country’s national governing
authority for sailing. Previous competitors have included Olympic
medalists, America’s Cup and Volvo Ocean Race veterans, world
champions and Rolex Yachtswomen of the Year, in addition to
women of all ages with varying levels of racing experience.
For more information about the 2007 Rolex IWKC, contact Ginny
Garrett at [email protected] or at 281-471-6131.
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Platinum
Sponsors
Mark Barker
Cleveland, OH
Platinum Sponsors have
contributed $500 to the U.S. Class
Gold Sponsors
SAFE
William Harshman
Stone Mountain, GA
John McGowan
Jackson, MS
Stephen Paidosh
Orono, MN
Christopher Howell
Lakewood, OH
Fletcher Bauman
Annapolis, MD
Elizabeth Paszkiewicz
Tulsa, OK
Gold Sponsors have
contributed $100 to the U.S. Class
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TeamHall
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Jack Hardway photo
Dave Moffet (Hall project manager),
Karl Anderson, and Chris Larson at
the 2004 Worlds.
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Class
Flags
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News from the Southeast District
Ironman Regatta, BSC, Birmingham, AL
May 20-21
The second stop on the J/22 Southeast Circuit kicked off with
a cookout on Friday night organized by BSC J/22 Fleet Captain,
Trent Richardson. Early arrivals from Atlanta, Jim Morang
and Bill Harshman, together with assorted family and crew,
joined local J/22 sailors for grilled hamburgers, chicken and
potato salad.
On Saturday, it was blowing 15 with very shifty and sudden
gusts, which made for exciting sailing. Ten J/22s battled the
shifty breeze and each other around the racecourse during
four races. Mark roundings were crowded, and the shifty
breeze put additional pressure on the crews when jibesets were in order. There was little room for error on the
downwind runs, and several broaches were the result.
After racing, tired sailors enjoyed cold beer, a BBQ dinner and
live entertainment. Here is an eye witness account from a
non-J/22 sailor, “Some combination of J/22 and/or Buc sailors
accompanied by electric and acoustic guitars, an improvised PA
and a well-lubricated audience treated us to rousing renditions
of Tom Dooley, What Shall We Do With A Drunken Sailor and
the classic Banana Song (“Day-O, Day-ay-O, Daylight come and
me wanna go home ..."), to name a few. It actually sounded
quite good.” Unfortunately, there were no “American Idol”
scouts on the scene.
The breeze moderated on Sunday, and the sailing was
more routine. The final results found Sean Clare in first,
Sarah Morang in second and Rob Bourquin in third.
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C a l e n d a r
October 7-8
September 2-3
Western Great Lakes District Championship at Lake
Fall J/22 Regatta at the Rochester YC, Rochester, NY
October 21-22
Minnetonka, MN
September 2-4
Equalizer at PPYC (Southeast District)
CBYRA Race Weekend at Eastport YC, Annapolis, MD
September 8-10
October 21-22
Fall Classic at Tred Avon YC, Annapolis, MD
J/22 East Coast Championship at Annapolis YC,
November 4-5
The Miss Piggy at LLSC, Atlanta, GA
Annapolis, MD
November 4
September 9
J/22 One Day Fall at BSC, Birmingham, AL
September 9-10
AYC/SSA J/22 Fleet Championship at Severn Sailing
Association, Annapolis, MD
54th Harvest Moon Regatta at the Atwood YC,
November 18
Turkey Bowl at Eastport YC, Annapolis, MD
Sherrodsville, OH
September 11-15
J/22 North American Championship at Wayzata YC
on Lake Minnetonka, Minneapolis, MN
J/22 Midwinter Championship hosted by Southern YC,
(www.j22northamericans.com)
New Orleans, LA
September 19-22, 2007
September 16-17
Leukemia Cup at BSC (Southeast District)
September 23-24
The Lake George Club, Diamond Point, NY
September 30
November 12-17, 2007
Rolex International Women’s Keelboat Championship
at Houston YC, La Porte, TX
Fall Flail at Eastport YC, Annapolis, MD
September 30-October 1
October 7-8
McDougal at HIYC, Nashville, TN
October 7-8
Hospitality Regatta at JYC (Southeast District)
S t a t e s
December 14-22, 2007
J/22 World Championship at Point YC, Durban,
Octoberfest at PPYC, Nashville, TN
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J/22 North American Championship at Cleveland YC,
Cleveland, OH
Lake George Open Regatta / Northeast Championship at
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March 9-11, 2007
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South Africa
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