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Sailing
C420 high schoolers in Florida.
Club 420, 2022 Season, has Concluded with Two Local Southern California Teams on the Podium
By: KATHERINE M. CLEMENTS
BLUE POINT, NY— After six months, two countries, and 44 individual races at four major events, the Club 420 Association’s Triple Crown Award came down to the last races of the final regatta for the 2022 season, Aug. 5-7. Two local teams placed in the tournament, Peter Busch and Cam Spriggs from San Diego taking home second and Read Decker and Sophia Mulvania from Newport Beach taking home third.
The Triple Crown was established in 2013 to honor youth sailors (skipper and crew) for achievement in winning on aggregated points in a series of designated championship races in the Club 420 sailboat throughout a single year. Events that count toward this point series include the Club 420 US Nationals, Club 420 Canadian Nationals, Club 420 North Americans, the Buzzards Bay Regatta, and other significant events designated by the class.
This is the ninth season of the series championship, which determines the top teams and the top individual athletes, both skippers, and crew, who earn the most points throughout the series of four high-level competitions:
• Club 420 Association Midwinter Championship for the John V. Hanson Trophy held annually at the US Sailing Center of Martin County (Jensen Beach, FL) itos Bay Yacht Club (Long Beach, CA)
• Club 420 North Americans at Buffalo Canoe Club (Fort Erie, ON)
• South Shore Championship at Sayville Yacht Club (Blue Point, NY)
Thirty-seven teams registered for the series representing all regions of the association, including the US, Canada, and the US Virgin Islands. Scoring for the series in 2022 is a high-point system, with each team receiving one drop.
The 2022 winners were:
breaker with 112 points.
Third Place: Read Decker and Sophia Mulvania (Newport Beach, CA) with 112 points.
“We are excited to have had so many excellent youth sailors participate,” said Association Executive Director Dillon Paiva. “The quality of the competition is quite high, and I think this has made this season-long competition quite exciting. The point spread throughout the season was very close, and the top 3 wasn’t determined until the final regatta.”
The Club 420 Association was established in 1980 to promote, foster, encourage and sponsor one-design sailing for youth sailors. Individuals who will be twenty-two years old in the year of an event may not compete in Club 420 regattas.
How to Use Different Styled Flares
Ahoy Sailors, now that you know which SOLAS and USCG-approved flares to have aboard your vessel, let’s talk about how the various styles operate and how to handle them. Then, stay tuned for your next lesson where we discuss the harbors available to boaters along the 40-mile coast of Southern California.
Flares are part of the United States Coast Guard’s nighttime visual distress signal safety requirements for certain vessels using the nation’s waterways. Pyrotechnic Flares are a part of life for boaters and are to be used only in cases where an emergency response is required. Knowing how to correctly launch/use these pyrotechnics before setting sail is important, and the helpful techniques that keep you safe while handling them are important too.
Practice mock drills to rehearse the basic steps listed below. It is not permitted to launch flares without permission from both the USCG and local authorities (check regulations in your area if outside of the U.S.). But you can train with your crew before you cast off for cruising so your crew will know what to do if the captain becomes hindered.
In addition, if you find yourself in a bad situation, always remain on your boat if it is safe to do so. It is much easier to see a boat than a swimmer, and it is easier to operate a flare from a stable foundation and not while treading water.
It’s also a good idea to conserve your aerial signals until you are fairly certain you have been spotted by help as an effort not to waste “one-time” signals. One-time signals are just that, useable only once, unlike flare guns or electronic flares. Once you’ve sighted help, the U.S. Coast Guard recommends you fire two aerial flares, one immediately after the other, so that rescuers can confirm the sighting and the direction of the signal. If using a parachute flare, one is fine as it has an adequate burn time to confirm sighting and position.
Once your aerial flare has been witnessed, you must make sure your rescuer can pinpoint your location by using handheld flares. The surface-to-surface sighting range on the water is approximately three to five miles, depending on boat elevation. If a rescuer is five miles away and running at 20 miles per hour, it will take 15 minutes to reach you. Therefore, you should have a minimum of 12 minutes of signal burn time for a solid homing signal. Handheld flares last approximately three minutes, so it is recommended you have six to be on the safe side as not all boats travel that fast.
Five Steps to Prepare the Launch of a Marine Flare:
Follow the Instructions
Before you fire or launch a flare, read the instructions and look at the illustrations. Then, make sure you understand how to open the marine flare. Never assume that you take off a cap and ignite it. With some flares, you must remove one cap; others require that you remove a second cap.
If you use a flare gun, flare pistol, or flare launcher, learn how to load it before you need to use them in a real-time emergency. Some flare gun shells load from the inside of the barrel and others from the outside. Read the manufacturer’s instructions first. Do this before setting sail to ensure you are well versed in operating the flare before you’re faced with an emergency.
Marine flares expire 42 months after the manufacture date per the Coast Guard requirements, so check the expiration dates on your flares and signals. If they have expired or will expire during the boating season, it is required by law that they are replaced.
Wear Eye Protection
It is best if you protect your eyes at all costs. Hot flare slag could blow back toward you if the wind changes direction. Handheld flares drip melted elements as they burn, called slag. Everyday eyewear or sunglasses offer some protection, but heat-resistant goggles are more adequate in protecting.
Face Downwind
Move to the boat’s edge, put your back to the wind, brace yourself as the vessel pitches and rolls, and always double-check that you are facing downwind.
Aim with Caution
Keep a pair of heat-resistant gloves handy because flares can get relatively warm. Hold a handheld or parachute flare in your non-dominant hand. Hold a flare gun in your dominant hand.
Hold your arm straight out at about a 45 to 60-degree angle. With handheld marine flares, cock your wrist to slant it away from you. These flares drip slag, and you want hot slag to leak in the water, not onto your forearm, wrist, or hand.
Look Away Before You Fire
Shift your eyes so that you look to one side away from the flare, flare gun, or parachute when you ignite it. This gives additional protection to your eyes. Next, drop the expended flare body or shell casing into the water or a bucket filled with water.
One last Tip:
While flares are classified as flammable, they are generally safe and stable if stored correctly. There is no threat of mass explosion, nor is there any threat of an individual flare exploding. They should be stored in a cool, dry place away from excessive heat above 167 degrees and away from sparks or flames. The standard recommended storage temperatures are 40 to 90 degrees. Do not expose flares to water for periods longer than 10 minutes.
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Safety at Sea Seminar to Take Place in October
By: JORDAN B. DARLING
Check out the Safety at Sea Seminar, hosted at the California Yacht Club in Marina del Rey Oct. 8-10 with moderator Captain John A. Miller.
Miller is a United States Coast Guard MM Master 100T with over 45 years of on-the-water experience. Miller has completed most of the available American Sailing Association sailing courses and is a certified ASA instructor. Additionally, he has organized, conducted, and instructed many US Sailing Safety at Sea Seminars in SoCal, certifying over 800 sailors, cruisers, racers, and power boaters. In 2021 Miller was nominated to become a US Sailing Safety at Sea Moderator.
There will be three courses offered over the weekend:
The two-day course will begin at 8 a.m. on Oct. 8 and 9 and will run until 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 8 and 4:30 p.m. on Oct. 9. The safety course is for everyone, cruisers, powerboaters, and sailboat racers. The course complies with World Sailing Offshore Personal Survival Course guidelines and is a required certification for ARC, Newport to Bermuda, TransPac, and the Pac Cup. The course covers safety and disaster training that makes sailors safer and more prepared on the water. The certification is good for up to five years, and the first day of the course can be taught online.
This course is $350. To register for the class, see https://sailaweigh.org/ course-details.php?course=int-l-offshore-sas-2-day-cyc-2022.
The safety seminar has three-course options to prepare sailors for emergencies and all weather conditions.
The refresher course is a one-day event that will start at 8 a.m. on Oct. 9. The course is a One-day International Offshore Safety at Sea Hands-on Training ONLY Course and requires sailors to have completed a US Sailing Sanctioned International Offshore Safety at Sea Course with Hands-on Training twoday [ISAF Offshore Personal Survival Course] within the last 10 years. This is a $300 course. To register for the class, see https://sailaweigh.org/course-details. php?course=refresher-sas-cyc-2022.
US Sailing Sanctioned SAS Hands-on Training Only
This one-day course will run from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For the hands-on course, sailors must have completed a US Sailing Sanctioned Offshore Safety at Sea Course within the last 12 months and completed the Online Offshore Safety at Sea Part Two (Units 11-15) or have completed the online Offshore Safety at Sea Part One (Units 1-10) and Part Two (11-15) before attending. Attendees seeking a US Sailing Sanctioned International Offshore Safety at Sea Hands-on Training Certificate that meets World Sailing Guidelines for Offshore Personal Survival (either through a One-day Hands-on Only course or a Refresher course) have to take the Offshore Online Safety at Sea Part Two (Units 1115) prior to attending. The cost of the Online Part Two (Units 11-15) is included in the registration fee for this course. This certification is good for five years from the date of the course. The course is $300; registration can be completed at https://sailaweigh.org/course-details. php?course=hands-only-sas-cyc-2022.
ON THE HORIZON
By: JORDAN B. DARLING
2022 Lady Driver
Race (Sept. 11)
VENTURA— The Ventura Yacht Club will host a random leg race featuring Lady Drivers on Sept. 11, starting near the Mandalay Buoy. At least one Lady crew must be on board and at the helm during the race. There is a skipper’s meeting at 8:30 a.m. at VYC. After the race, trophies will be presented at VYC, where skippers, crews, and guests are encouraged to join. There is a $45 entry fee, $40 for current US Sailing members, for the race, which can be paid online during registration at https:// venturayachtclub.org/racing/. For more information, contact VYC Race Chair Jim Dembowski at (805) 2560770 or email him at dembowje@pacbell.net.
Bugay Single Handed
Race (Sept. 12)
SANTA BARBARA— The Santa Barbara Sailing Club will host the Bugay Single Handed Race on Sept. 12 in Santa Barbara Harbor and around Oil Platform C. The race is open to all PHRF yachts. Sailors must be current members of a club recognized by the Southern California Yachting Association or another regional sailing association who are in good standing with their respective classes. Random Leg PHRF handicaps will be used, and handicap ratings will be applied per PHRF certificate or by listing, if not certified. There is one race scheduled for the day, with a skipper’s meeting before the race and awards to be held after at SBSC. The Jack Bugay Perpetual Trophy will be awarded to the boat with the lowest overall corrected time. A $15 entry fee is due by 10 a.m. on Sept. 12. Registration can be completed at https://www.sailsbsc. org/events/bugay-single-handed-race.
Argosy Regatta (Sept.
17-18)
LONG BEACH— The American Legion Yacht Club will host the Argosy Regatta on Sept. 17-18 in Long Beach. The regatta is open to boats with or without a PHRF rating, and one-design boats of the same manufacturer type can request to be scored against each other. There are three races planned for the weekend, with two courses set for Sept. 17 at 11:55 a.m. the first course starts near the Santa Ana River jetty and will finish near Mark 38 in Long Beach Harbor while keeping drilling platforms EMMY and EVA to the starboard and passing through Angel’s Gate. The second course of the day will follow the same instructions. On Sept. 18, racers will need to pass through Queen’s Gate Long Beach Harbor, keeping the platforms to port, and will pass through a virtual gate southwest of the platform EMMY to finish. There is a $40 entry fee for entering the individual days and a $75 fee for the weekend. Registration can be completed at https://www.regattanetwork.com/ event/25047.
