16 minute read
Sailing
Sailors at San Diego US Open Prepare for Youth Champs
By: KATHERINE M. CLEMENTS
SAN DIEGO— On June 19, The San Diego edition of the West Marine US Open Sailing Series concluded after three days of beautiful racing in the Pacific, with wind at 8-10 knots and a 3-5-foot sea swell across the weekend. Title Sponsor West Marine and National Sponsors Gill Marine and Gowrie Group are committed to efforts that grow the series as a domestic training platform looking towards the Olympics.
The first stop on the West Coast swing, the San Diego event, included the ILCA 4, ILCA 6, ILCA7, 470, 29er, Snipe, and Finn classes. In addition, the event hosted the 29er National Championship and the U.S. Singlehanded Championship for the O’Day and Hanley Trophies.
“It was awesome to see the tight racing across all the fleets,” said Circle B PRO Becky Ashburn in a June 21 press release from U.S. Sailing. “As Race Committee, we were excited to see both seasoned veterans and the future of Olympic classes out on the racecourse this weekend.”
29er:
US Sailing’s representatives for Youth Worlds had a banner weekend in the 29er fleet. Ian and Noah Nyenhuis, brothers who will represent the Men’s 29er, took first place, while Sammie Gardner and Alice Schmid, who will represent the Women’s 29er, took second. Miles Julien and Jake Julien took third.
ILCA 7:
Fresh off a development camp in Long Beach, sailors from the Olympic Development Program (ODP) fought for domination in the ILCA 7 fleet. It was close for ODP Sailor Leo Boucher and teammate Nick Sessions, but Boucher ultimately bested his teammate, taking first by four points. Benjamin Smith, also on the ODP, placed third. The top three men in the ILCA 7 were eligible to compete for the George D. O’Day Trophy during the event, the U.S. Singlehanded Championship trophy open to men 17 years and older in the calendar year of the event. U.S. Singlehanded Results.
The George D. O’Day Trophy is sailed for in singlehanded boats, and the winner is known as the United States Singlehanded Champion. The competition is open to representatives of Yacht Racing Associations belonging to the U.S. Sailing Association and the yachtsmen and women representing the Inter-Collegiate Yacht Racing Association, U.S. Youth and U.S. Women’s champions.
US Sailing and other host yacht clubs helping to organize at venues in Florida and California, the six-stage West Marine US Open Sailing Series is seeking to fulfill the demand for a racing and training platform based in the United States to provide a path to the Olympic Games for prospective athletes.
Organized by US Sailing and hosting yacht clubs at venues in Florida and California, the six-stage West Marine US Open Sailing Series strives to fulfill the demand for a racing and training platform to provide a path to the Olympic Games for prospective athletes based in the United States.
ILCA 6:
The competition was tight in the event’s largest fleet. Robby Meek, winner of the Ft. Lauderdale event last winter, came in first by six points. US Youth Worlds representative in the Men’s ILCA 6, Peter Barnard, took second, and Katherine Doble, US Youth Worlds representative in the Women’s ILCA 6, came in third.
“Helen Hanley Trophy – U.S. Singlehanded Championship trophy open to women 17 years and older in the calendar year of the event in the ILCA 6: Katherine Doble was awarded the Hanley Trophy, while Zoe Ziskind took second and Oakley Cunningham came in third. U.S. Singlehanded Results,” said the press release.
ILCA 4:
French sailor Gilda Dondona took the win in the ILCA 4 class, winning every race except one, which ultimately was dropped. Max Brameld placed second, and Landon Stahl took third.
470:
A group from the High-Performance Center at St. Francis Yacht Club in San Francisco comprised the 470 fleet at this event. Kyra Phelan and Dylan Murphy dominated the group and won every race. Their teammates Brooke Schmelz & Josh Goldberg placed second, and Samantha Hemans and Alec Von Kerckhove placed third.
Finn:
The San Diego Finn class was a full force for this US Open event. Erik Lidecis, a long-time resident Finn sailor, won first place with 12 points. Ukrainian, Anatolii Nosara, placed second with 20 points, barely beating American Rob Coutts, who took third place.
Snipe:
The Snipe class joined the regatta this year, a new edition, as they prepare for their National Championship at San Diego Yacht Club in July. Mary Baker and Diana Waterbury took first place over Rick Arneson and Gus Wirth. The youth team of Peter Busch and Cam Spriggs took third place.
This year, sailors from any country competing in Olympic classes in the Olympic configuration were eligible for prize money over three California events, a first in US Sailing history. Athletes were awarded $1,000 for first place, $500 for second, and $250 for third.
Remaining 2022 US Open Sailing Series West Coast Events July 15-17: Long Beach, California August 12-14: San Francisco,
California
Know Your Navigation Tools
Ahoy Sailors, now you know what not to do while sailing. Your next lesson is a breakdown of manual and analog navigation tools, how to use them, and how to keep your boat on track. Then, stay tuned for your next lesson, which will explain how to use a VHF radio.
By: KATHERINE M. CLEMENTS
Navigating a boat is nothing like navigating a vehicle on land. There are no lanes or roads, only a few signs other than basic navigational markers that outline significant channels, and you may have to contend with fog or an inability to see land or landmarks. Becoming a marine navigational expert takes years of accumulated knowledge and advanced learning. However, if you have a firm grip on the basics, learning how to navigate a boat in most inland and nearshore waterways in average weather conditions becomes very doable.
Navigating a Boat
1. Decide on your method of navigation: electronic or traditional/analog navigation. 2. If using electronic navigation, start by operating your GPS or chartplotter. 3. Note your real-time position, speed, and direction of travel. 4. To get from point “A” to point “B,” create a waypoint or a stopping point on your journey. 5. String waypoints together to create a route; utilize autopilot when applicable. 6. Use a compass, charters, parallel rulers, and dividers for traditional navigation. 7. Stay within sight of land and use major landmarks as points of reference.
Electronic Marine Navigation Further Explained
Modern tech is to thank for the GPS/ chartplotter. First, it made navigation much easier to understand. You can pull up an electronic map, which shows your real-time position, speed, the direction of travel, and more.
Locating your position is as simple as looking for the boat icon or GPS coordinates on-screen. However, to get from point “A” to point “B,” you’ll have to create a waypoint. Depending on your chartplotter’s advance, this could mean scrolling a cursor across the chart, then creating a waypoint by pressing a button. In other cases, you might have a touchscreen and only need to tap the position you’d like to make a waypoint. Next, you’ll want to press a “go-to” button or give the screen a swipe, per your chartplotter. With the navigation from your present position to the waypoint initiated, the chartplotter will provide you with a compass course to steer. Most chartplotters also have one or more steering screens to choose from, which will display both the preferred compass course and the one you’re currently following. Use the chartplotter menu to pull up this steering screen, and you’re ready to follow the unit as you steer an accurate course to the waypoint. You can also plot multiple waypoints and string them together throughout a route.
The most important thing about creating waypoints and routes and then navigating to them is to look closely at the chart. In addition, make sure you won’t be trying to cross any rugged obstructions like land, restricted areas, or waters that may not allow your boat its minimum draft, which is how much water your boat needs to avoid running aground.
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According to NOAA, Electronic Navigational Charts (ENC) are vector data sets that support all types of marine navigation. Initially designed for large commercial vessels using a sophisticated navigational computer called an Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS), ENCs are now also being used on simpler electronic chart systems and “chart plotters” on many types of ships and by recreational boaters. NOAA ENCs help provide real-time ship positioning and collision and grounding avoidance.
Traditional Marine Navigation
Electronics can and do fail, so it’s also essential to understand the tools you need in case of analog navigation and keep them aboard your boat at all times. These tools include: A compass Charts for the waterways you travel Parallel Rulers Dividers
As long as you’re within sight of land and major landmarks, you can figure out where you’re going with these instruments.
Compass
A compass tells you which direction your boat is heading in, north, south, east, or west, as measured in degrees relative to magnetic north. There are 360 degrees representing a full circle. So, zero degrees on the compass is north, 180 degrees points south, 90 degrees to the east, and 270 degrees leads to the west. So, your compass will tell you what direction you’re traveling at any given time. In navigation, bearing is the horizontal angle between the direction of an object and another object or between it and that of true north. So, you’ll be steering a zero-degree bearing if you’re cruising to a restaurant for lunch directly to the north. If it’s to your south, you’ll drive a 180-degree bearing, and so on.
Charts
Charts are just maps of the water and waterways. Charts have unique markings for water depths, channel markers, lighthouses, and restricted areas. NOAA produces charts for US waterways which can be viewed online for free but to get printed versions, you must purchase charts or books of charts, for larger areas, from a NOAA-certified agent. You can also pick up charts and chart books for your local waterway in virtually any marine supply store.
Parallel Rulers
Parallel rulers are two rulers attached by a pair of swiveling arms, so you can swing the rulers close together or far apart while consistently remaining parallel. You can walk the rulers across a chart by doing so repeatedly. This is important because it will allow you to determine the exact compass bearing of any course you may want to steer. All charts have a compass rose with all 360 degrees printed on them. Place the ruler on top of the chart, on the course line you’d like to steer. Then walk the rulers to the compass rose. Now you know what compass bearing you need to steer your boat on to run the course.
Dividers
Dividers have two arms attached at one end and can be pulled apart to different widths at the other. These are used to measure distance. All charts have a key that shows scale by miles and nautical miles. Hold the dividers up to the scale and pull them apart until the arms width equals the chart scale for a mile or any increment of miles. It is common to see one, five, ten, or even 20-mile increments depending on the chart’s scale. When the dividers are set, they can be used to measure the distance between any two points on the chart.
Marine Navigation Basic Tasks
With these tools in hand or at the helm, you can accomplish three basic navigational tasks: figuring out where you are, where you want to go, and pursuing the course to get there.
Where are you at?
Locate three charted landmarks like navigational aids, bridges, or water towers on shore to figure out where you are. Point your compass (pointing your boat unless you have a handheld compass) at these landmarks one at a time. Record the bearing. Then set your parallel ruler on the compass rose to match the bearings and, one by one, walk them until they intersect with the landmark for the corresponding bearing. Then draw a line down the edge of the ruler. After doing all three lines, they will intersect to create a small triangle, and that’s your location.
How to Navigate to Where You Want to Go
This is a matter of identifying your location and destination, then determining the corresponding compass bearing between the two locations. Finally, set your boat’s compass to match the bearing, and you’re all set.
Following a Course
Now that you know how to get a bearing, following the course is easy. Of course, it would help if you steered the boat to keep the compass on your desired bearing. You’ll notice that keeping a boat on the course can be difficult, especially with smaller, faster boats. However, if you can keep your path within five or so degrees of the intended route, you should consider it a job well done.
The SailGP Australia team is dominating the third season so far, holding on to a strong winning streak
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Sail GP Season Three Underway and Australia Leads the Pack
By: JORDAN B. DARLING
The second event of the third season of Sail GP took place over Father’s Day weekend in Chicago and saw Australia come out on top with an impressive comeback holding on to their winning streak.
Australia fought the odds when they slipped into the finals. After a mediocre first day of racing and a last-place placement in the fourth fleet race, the team from the land down under slipped into the final three-boat winner-takes-all race by just a point above New Zealand.
“We came dead last in the fourth race and thought our chances of reaching the final, let alone winning it, were over,” said Tom Slingsby, leader of the Australia team, in a Sail GP press release. “I thought mathematically it was almost impossible to make the final race. Somehow, we turned it around, and fortune went our way.”
The final race was between Australia, Great Britain, and Canada, which is a direct parallel to the first event of the season held in Bermuda in May.
According to Sail GP, the Aussies picked up a 99 percent fly time in light wind conditions, which allowed them to dominate in the finals, creating a copy of their victory in Bermuda.
They kicked off the final with a perfect start forcing the other two teams to follow from the get-go, allowing Australia to hold on to a strong winning streak.
Australia has taken the SailGP Championship title twice and is the team to beat this season and is currently leading the board at 20 points, just three points ahead of second and third places, Canada and Great Britain.
The Australian team has four America’s Cup winners, Tom Slingsby, Kyle Langford, Kinley Fowler, and Sam Newton, who were part of Oracle for the USA in the 2013 Cup, and two-time Australian Female Sailor of the Year, Nina Curtis.
The US team, led by Jimmy Spithill, finished third place in the last fleet race but missed the mark to make it to the finals; the team is sitting at seventh place on the leaderboard with nine points.
The next event will take place in Great Britain’s Ocean City, Plymouth, July 3031. For more information, see the SailGP website at https://sailgp.com/.
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ON THE HORIZONS
By: JORDAN B. DARLING
NEWPORT BEACH— South Shore Yacht Club will host the Crew of 2 Around Catalina Yacht Race July 16-17, starting approximately 200 yards south of Balboa Pier. The race is open to boats over 18 feet with a valid PHRF Rating; crews will have only two people on board. There are two courses to choose from. PHRF and ORCA racers will start at Balboa Pier and sail around Catalina before returning to the pier. The Ship Rock course will take sailors from the pier to just north of Isthmus Harbor before returning to the pier, leaving Ship Rock to port. Racing will begin at 11 a.m. on July 16. The race committee will record times until 5 p.m. on July 17; after 5 p.m., skippers will need to record their own times. There is an $80 entry fee which includes two commemorative tee shirts, due by July 13 at 5 p.m. Awards are set to be passed out at the SSYC clubhouse at 5 p.m. on July 17. Registration is open at http://www. southshoreyc.com/.
SAN DIEGO— The Point Loma Yacht Club will host the 2022 Crew of Two Race Around Coronado on July 16, starting in the vicinity of Buoy 9. The racing area will cover the areas in and around San Diego Bay, Los Coronado’s Islands, the Pacifi c Ocean, and parts of Mexican waters. The regatta is open to all members of clubs and organizations recognized by US Sailing. To race in PHRF classes 1 and 2, boats will need to have a current Rating Certifi cate from PHRF San Diego; for classes 3 and 4, boats will require a PHRF manufacturer’s rating but do not need to be certifi ed. In addition, boats in classes 1-3 must have two crew members, including the skipper on board at all times, and class 4 boats can have more than two members. Class breakdowns look like: Class 1 Spinnaker PHRF - Flag #1 Class 2 Non-Spinnaker PHRF - Flag #2 Class 3 Multihull Spinnaker P Spinnaker and Non-Spinnaker Flag #3 Class 4 Open Class Monohull Spinnaker and Non-Spinnaker - Flag #4
There is a $20 fee for the race for racers who are not a part of the PLYC, and there is no charge for members. Registration is due by 5 p.m. on July 5. In addition, there will be an afterrace party and awards ceremony on July 17 at the Point Loma Yacht Club. For more information, contact Race Chair Jaimie Anderson at jpanderson@ sandiego.gov. To register for the race, see https://www.regattanetwork.com/ event/24782.
2022 Ventura Cup Regatta (July 16-17)
VENTURA— The Ventura Yacht Club will host the Ventura Cup Regatta July 16-17, just south of the Ventura Harbor Whistle buoy. The regatta is a team racing event and will be raced in over windward/leeward closed courses. One team will consist of three monohulled boats with a minimum of two crew members on each boat. There is a $150 entry fee per three-boat team, and entries are due by July 9 at 5 p.m. To enter the race, email the VYC Commodore at venturayachtclub@gmail.com with the names of the competing boats and each boat’s rating certifi cate. Several social events are scheduled on the regatta weekend, including an awards ceremony with complimentary hors d’oeuvres and music on the patio. For more information, contact the Commodore Dave Boatner at marinerenterprise@gmail. com, Ventura Cup Chair Susan Howard at howard-susan@sbcglobal.net, VYC Race Chair Jim Dembowski at dembowje@pacbell.net, or call the VYC Offi ce at (805) 642-0426 or email the offi ce at venturayachtclub@gmail.com.
