2014 Season Schedule

2014 is shaping up to be Sail Sheboygan’s biggest and most exciting season yet. Events will appeal to and attract the best Opti, Thistle and Lightning sailors from all across the country and conclude with the only US stop of the Women’s International Match Race Series.

Sail Sheboygan will welcome our Midwest Optimist sailors back July 12 and 13 for the Great Lakes Championship. This event was last held in Sheboygan in 2012 and attracted 50 sailors from not only the Midwest, but also from the east coast and Florida.

The Thistle Class returns to Sheboygan July 26 through August 1 for the Thistle National Championship. The 8-day event kicks off with the Women’s National Championship. Up to 100 boats are expected to compete in the following 5-day Championship that will crown the class champion.

 

August will feature the Lightning Women’s, Juniors and Masters North American Championship prior to the 2014 Lightning North American Championship. This event is a World’s qualifier and is also expected to attract up to 100 boats over the 9-day event that begins August 7.

The ‘big’ boats will line the river once again August 15 through 17 for the GL70 Regatta. The 3-day event will feature a mix of buoy and distance races.

The season finale features a return of the world’s top women match racers competing for the beautiful Buddy Melges trophy and a prize purse of $10,000. The women will race the Sail Sheboygan fleet of Olympic Elliott 6m boats September 23 through the 28.

Mark your calendars now to be part of the excitement these national and international events will bring to the season. More information will be published on each event page as it becomes available.

Season Summary:

• June 21-22 Lightning Midwest Districts
• July 12-13 – USODA Great Lakes
• July 26 27 – Thistle Women’s & Junior’s National Championship
• July 28-Aug 1 – Thistle National Championship
• August 7-10 – Lightning Women’s, Junior & Masters NA’s
• August 10-15 – Lightning North American Championship
• August 22-24 – GL70 Regatta
• September 23-28 – The Buddy Melges Challenge, WIMRS

US SAILING Match Racing Championship

Sheboygan’s lakefront will be the site of the 46th year of the US SAILING Match Racing Championship. The event is being organized by Sail Sheboygan and hosted by the Sheboygan Yacht Club September 18 through 22, and is slated to bring our nation’s most talented sailors to our waters. The last large-scale match racing event held in Sheboygan was the ISAF Nations Cup in September of 2011.

Ten teams representing their home sailing clubs will face off over the 4-days of scheduled racing in a combination of round robin and elimination stages. Each team will race every other team once for seating into the next stage. The top 8 teams will advance to a quarter-final round with the winners advancing to a semi-final series. The semi-final winners will advance to the final round where the winner earns the coveted Prince of Wales Trophy and is named US SAILING Match Racing Champion.

The 2012 winning team of Taylor Canfield, Stephanie Roble, Maggie Shea and Janel Zarkowski representing Chicago Match Race Center brought the trophy back to Chicago for only the second time in its 45 year history. In fact, the event has been won by Midwest clubs only five times. The east coast club of Pequot Yacht Club in Connecticut and west coast club of Newport Harbor in California have each taken the trophy 5 times.

Invited skippers will have earned the right to compete in the championship through either winning a regional US SAILING qualifier or through their finishes in other graded match racing events. The fleet of expertly maintained Sail Sheboygan Sonars will be raced by the 3-person crews. Local Principle Race Officer, David Bronson, will manage the racing schedule. Chief Umpire for the event is Jeff Borland from Annapolis, Maryland.

An Opening Reception welcoming sailors, race officials and US SAILING representatives will take place at the Sheboygan Yacht Club Thursday, September 19 beginning at 6:30 pm and the closing ceremony and prize giving will take place one hour upon completion of racing Sunday, September 22nd. The best viewing areas of the racing will be behind Blue Harbor Resort or on the South Pier. For more information or to attend any of the functions, please email Kathy Lindgren at kathy@sailsheboygan.com.

Area E/K Qualifier Results

It was a tails of two round robins; the first RR was dominated by Madison sailor, Phil Morley and the second witnessed a huge comeback by the Chicago Yacht Club team skipped by Michael Whitford. Whitford was winless coming into the second round robin but then started it off with 3 big wins a row. Whitford was pitted against Graham in the 4th flight and suffered his only loss of the second round robin. The loss also meant he lost the tie breaker to Graham. Whitford’s strong second round robin finish pushed him into the 4th place position winning a tie breaker over Mark Johnson of Neenah.

The Semi-Finals began Sunday Morning is a steady 10 knot northerly breeze. Lars Hansen sailing for Wayzata Yacht Club led off the start line in each of the 3 semi-final races sailed and handily disposed of Phil Morley sailing for Hoofers Sailing Club. Matt Graham, sailing for Bayview Yacht Club also had no trouble beating Whitford in 3 races. Graham and

Whitford traded leads in the second race when Whitford was able to prevent Graham from tacking around the windward mark, but the lead then went back to Graham when he was able to obtain an inside overlap at the leeward mark.

Morley beat Whitford in the single Petit-Final knockout race to secure 3rd place. In a surprisingly penalty-free Final, Hansen displayed great boat speed to win 2 consecutive races for the regatta win.

Both Lars Hansen and Matt Graham earn berths at the US Match Racing Championship being hosted by Sail Sheboygan and The Sheboygan Yacht, September 18 to 22. Congratulations to both!

Final Results:

1. Lars Hansen, Wayzata Yacht Club
2. Matt Graham, Bayview Yacht Club
3. Phil Morley, Hoofers Sailing Club
4. Michael Whitford, Chicago Yacht Club
5. Mark Johnson, Neenah Nodaway Yacht Club
6. David Niemann, Mendota Yacht Club

Rose Cup final wrap-up – Dave Perry

The Rose Cup has been a fantastic event. I have attached the press release which has the results information, and the group photo from the event. For the complete results and to watch the great video Chris Love took of the racing, go to the event website at:www.sailsheboygan.com/Rose-Cup-2013.php.

Sally Barkow and I were very impressed with the level of improvement in all eight teams throughout the two days of clinic and three days of racing. Every sailor at the Rose Cup is a better sailor than when they came to Sheboygan five days ago. And I suspect that each is eager to go match racing again and use their improved skills and strategies.

Today began with sunshine and clear visibility, but no wind. The race committee moved the race area to an area north of the usual race course in an effort to find wind. They were rewarded. The first race was run in 5-7 knots and smooth water, with more pressure right towards the land. In both races, the boat that won the right won the race. The petite-final series for 3rd and 4th turned out also to be the Balboa Yacht Club selection series for their spot in the Governor’s Cup. Christophe Killian’s team put Ryan Davidson’s team under pressure right from the opening move with a textbook fake Dial Up. Under pressure and early for the start, Davidson cleverly tacked around the committee boat with about 45 seconds to start. Killian tried to stay on the other side of the committee boat and hold Davidson from starting, but the keelboat slowed too much after the tack, and Davidson sailed under Killian and out to an early lead. Defending the right, Davidson extended his lead and held on for the win.

In the first final match, newcomer to the Rose Cup, Scott Buckstaff’s team from the San Francisco Yacht Club faced defending champion Will Holz’s team from the Chicago Yach Club. Buckstaff’s team had won the round robin as well. The prestart was strong by both boats and the race began with a classic split start, with Buckstaff on the right. Holz looked strong after the start, but soon the right pressure moved Buckstaff into the lead, which he extended throughout the race.

In the second petite-final race, the wind built to 7-9 knots. It was Davidson who put Killian under pressure in the prestart, but both boats did a good job getting off the line, with Davidson to leeward and ahead of Killian. At the first cross it was Killian in control of the race, as he tacked directly in front of Davidson, pushing him left. Killian led at the first mark by two lengths. After simo gybing with Killian, Davidson was able to soak in to leeward of Killian on starboard. The two boats went through the gate at almost the same time, with Davidson on the right. It was Davidson by two lengths at the second windward mark. Nearing the finish, Killian simo gybed on Davidson, collapsing Davidson’s spinnaker. Davidson gybed away and Killian chose not to go with him. When they came back together, Killian gybed on Davidson’s wind, but Davidson smartly sailed low keeping his wind clear, and won the race, and the series, by less than a length.

In the second race of the finals, Holz had Buckstaff on the ropes for most of the prestart, but went back at him one too many times, and lost his control and was late getting back to the line. As a result Buckstaff got off to a large lead and there wasn’t much opportunity for Holz to get back into the race.

Good match racing by these young sailors is promising for their future, and the future of youth match racing in the U.S. The Rose Cup event provided an excellent event for them to learn new skills, meet new peers, and get more excited about match racing and sailing in general.

Sail Sheboygan, the Sheboygan Yacht Club and the US Sailing Center of Sheboygan did an outstanding job making the sailors feel at home, welcomed, well fed, and well looked after.

We are excited that the Rose Cup moves to the East Coast next year, and it will be hosted by Oakcliff Sailing and the Seawanhaka Yacht Club, June 18-22, 2014 in Seawanhaka’s Sonars.

We are also excited that five of the eight skippers at the Rose Cup this year have qualified for the Governor’s Cup, the prestigious international youth match racing championship, as a result of their finishes at the Rose Cup.

Momentum for youth match racing in the U.S. is building. The intercollegiate national sloop championship is done with match racing, and the 2013 college nationals are in St. Petersburg, FL, host for the 2012 Rose Cup, in the end of November in their Sonars. Many of the 2012 and 2013 Rose Cup sailors will be competitng to represent their schools at that event which is great. I reminded the sailors to check the calendar on the US Sailing website and select “Match Racing” to learn about the match racing events this summer, in addition to checking the calendars at Oakcliff Sailing and the Chicago Match Racing Center. There are regattas and clinics that the kids would greatly benefit from by attending. I have them all on a mailing list and will continue to inform them of opportunities into the future.

I thank all of you for your support of U.S. youth match racing, as I think it is a great bridge discipline from the tremendous sailing and training the 15 and under sailors get in the U.S. to the adult sailing they will be doing in their 20’s…and beyond.

In particular, I want to thank again our sponsors for the 2013 Rose Cup, as because of their support we have been able to keep the entry fee very affordable for our youth sailors so that the cost to play is not a barrier to play. Thank you to Gill, Harken, Line Honors Outfitters, North U, North Sails, Sail Sheboygan and the Newport-Balboa Sailing and Seamanship Association.

Rose Cup Youth Match Racing Championship – Update, Dave Perry

We had a great day and a half of clinic in perfect breeze and weather. Sally Barkow has been a tremendous coach, and all the sailors learned the specifics of sailing and racing the Elliotts quickly.

Yesterday (Friday) was exciting as we started with a postponement on land to wait out a major thunderstorm that went right overhead – literally! The kids then sailed out into 20 knots of breeze that quickly built to 30 knots and huge waves! They had some great rides and a couple even set their chutes, but it was just too much and in we came.

After a good discussion from Sally on sailing the Elliotts in heavy air, we went back out in about 10-15 knots and had four great races.

Today began sunnier, and the first start went off right on time, but then the wind immediately died to nothing. Then it switched 180 degrees and came in from the seabreeze direction, but unfortunately it brought in the fog as well. Pretty soon, you couldn’t see one end of the starting line from the other! The fog lifted a bit, and the race committee valiantly started a race, only to see the fog come back in, and the race abandoned. We brought them ashore for lunch and to wait for some breeze.

Finally, around 2:00, the fog lifted and the breeze arrived at around 8-10 knots, and we had four flights of some really great match racing.

We then moved right into the Semi-finals and Consolation series, which we had to shorten to a best of 3 for the Semi’s and a 2 race sudden-death knock-out series for the 5-8 positions.

The breeze lightened to around 5 knots for those series, and by the end the fog was back in, but not before we complete both the Semi’s and the Consolation series.

Though both Semi’s ended up 2-0, the racing was closer than the score suggests. Last year’s Rose Cup winner, Will Holz from the Chicago YC, with crew Clay Danly and Alex Woloshyn, beat Christophe Killian, Jack Martin and Harrison Vandervort from the Balboa Yacht Club. In the other Semi, Scott Buckstaff, Corey Lynch and Sammy Shea from the San Francisco Yacht Club defeated Ryan Davidson, Brendan Folkman and Gregg Kent from the Balboa Yacht Club.

In the Consolation Series, Harrison Hawk, Kyle Comerford and Liam Harr from the Annapolis Yacht Club came from behind to defeat Jack Thompson, Michael Sabourin and Charlie Welsh from the Newport Harbor Yacht Club in the race for 5th and 6th. And Charlie Lalumiere, Ben Garber and Carter Simard from Falmouth, ME defeated Matt Wordell, Matthew Coughlin and Ben Manning from Fairhaven, MA for 7th and 8th overall.

Tomorrow we sail the Finals and Petite-finals (both are best of 3), beginning at 10am, wind and weather permitting. The 12 sailors from the 5th through 8th place teams will ride with the umpires and coaches to see that perspective of the game.

I hope you all have had the chance to watch the video high-light reels Chris Love has created from yesterday and today’s racing. It is posted on the event website as well as on the event facebook page. Many of you have “Liked” the Rose Cup facebook page, which is very helpful. I encourage you all to visit that page. We have the video and candids, including the group shot of all the competitors and umpires, etc.

I will be updating the results tomorrow as well after each race. They too can be found on the event webpage.

We continue to thank our sponsors Gill, Harken, Line Honors Outfitters, North U, North, Sail Seboygan and the Newport-Balboa Sailing & Seamanship Association for their generous support of the Rose Cup.