Breakwater News Update

Friday, June 06, 2008

 
Skippers and others,

I'm not sure what is going to happen in Division 3 (non-spin). So far only 1 boat has been assigned there, but there are a few that might join there. At this point we will probably have Plurabelle always starting with the Div 1 boats and sailing the same course in case we later merge her in with Div 1. PHRF ratings aren't really meant to be used combining spinnaker boats with non-spin boats. If we don't get more boats in Div 3, the Race Committee will try to come up with a solution that is as equitable as possible.

See BYC website for the results for the first Summer Series race (6/4/08).

Yours in Sailing,

Joan Worthing
BYC Scorer
posted by Breakwater 6/06/2008 04:41:00 PM

Tuesday, June 03, 2008

 
Skippers and others,

The Race Committee is sorry that we took so long to get the Summer Series NOR and SI's out to you, but we have been furiously emailing back and forth to try and get the best wording ever in both of them.

Of course you should read them over carefully, but let me note a couple changes that may interest you.

1) 8.2 We changed the percent of races counted from 60% to 70%.
2) Section 6 has been updated to better reflect what we have been doing for the past several years.
3) Section 7 has been tweeked a bit from the last May SI's.
4) Division splits are left like last year, but the Race Committee may elect to put boats that fly asymmetric spinnakers in with the sprit boats. They may choose to do the same for really fast sport boats, like the Mumm 30.

Attached are both the Summer NOR and the Summer SI's in both MS Word and pdf formats.

Yours in Sailing,

Joan Worthing
BYC Scorer
posted by Breakwater 6/03/2008 10:15:00 PM

Thursday, May 29, 2008

 
Skippers and others,

I still need PHRF Certificates from those highlighted in yellow. Please email or Fax them to me ASAP.

Attached is a more printable version of what is below.

Yours in Sailing,

Joan Worthing
BYC Scorer
JoanWorthing@optonline.net


Date: 5/28/08 See Website for PDF of Race Results

A special note from David Jannetti regarding their DNF:
Jibber 'rocked and rolled' last night. The crew was in 'stitches'. Unfortunately the translation is that we hit an uncharted rock or bus in 13.1' of depth at 7 kts and stopped dead. Then we rolled off and one of our crew headed off to Peconic Bay Medical Center for stitches - 6 to be precise. Unfortunately we're out of Sprit Fest and an undetermined number of future Wednesdays as Jibber Jabber visits Dr. Fiberglass.All's well that ends well. Everyone will survive and now has more character. Viva Wednesday nights!
A special note of thanks to Chris Dowling, Gossip, Instant Karma and others for expressing their concern for our welfare. David said that they run GPS tracking every race and can pinpoint the rock. He will let us know where "Jibber Rock" (or is "Jabber Rock" better?) is in a future email.
posted by Breakwater 5/29/2008 05:00:00 PM

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

 
Skippers and others,

I was notified last night that Osprey is retiring after finishing for the 5/14 race, since they didn't honor N14. As you know, Plurabelle has also retired after finishing. I will be sending out an updated version of the 5/14 results tomorrow afternoon.


The PHRF numbers still highlighted in yellow are for the boats that I haven't received a PHRF certificate. Most of you have let me know to which rater you have sent the form , please email or fax your PHRF certificate to me as soon as you receive it.


Date: 5/21/08 SPINNAKER DIVISION 1 Start Time 6:57:00
Course: B-A(s)-CS(s)-D-N8(s)-BW Tide: Ebb to flood Wind: SW 13 -18kts
BOAT NAME OWNER/SKIPPER PHRF TCF FINISH ELAPSED CORRECT PLACE
JIBBER JABBER (J-109) David Jannetti 69 1.0501 7:49:12 0:52:12 0:54:49 RAF(11)
GOSSIP (J-109) Steve Kenny/Greg Ames 69 1.0501 7:49:26 0:52:26 0:55:04 1
SKOOT Jim Vos 69 1.0501 7:49:51 0:52:51 0:55:30 2
BUCKAROO Bruce Tait 90 1.0156 7:52:47 0:55:47 0:56:39 3
INSTANT KARMA(J-109) David Betts/Charlene Kagel 69 1.0501 7:51:03 0:54:03 0:56:45 4
OSPREY George Martin 115 0.9774 7:56:28 0:59:28 0:58:08 5
PURPLE HAZE Lee Oldak/Dan Kalish 45 1.0924 7:50:52 0:53:52 0:58:51 6
ICE-NINE Tom Stewart 82 1.0285 7:54:35 0:57:35 0:59:13 7
WHITE LIGHTNING Jim Smyth 96 1.0062 7:55:56 0:58:56 0:59:18 8
ROXANNE Wayne & Carol Morse 81 1.0301 7:55:14 0:58:14 0:59:59 9
ATLAS Tom Walsh 168 0.9053 8:17:36 1:20:36 1:12:58 10
RIDIN' POINT Duane Miller 117 0.9745 DNC


Date: 5/21/08 NON SPIN DIVISION 3 Start Time 7:02:00
Course: B-A(s)-CS(s)-D-N8(s)-BW Tide: Ebb to flood Wind: SW 13 -18kts
W/PENALTIES OWNER/SKIPPER PHRF TCF FINISH ELAPSED CORRECT PLACE
SWANSWAY Chris DiSunno 123 0.9658 7:41:48 0:39:48 0:38:26 1
PLURABELLE Andrea Bourel 127 0.9601 7:57:35 0:55:35 0:53:22 2
IMPROMPTU Sean Leary 142 0.9393 7:59:43 0:57:43 0:54:13 3
WAVE EQUATION B. Dinsmore/J. Worthing 124 0.9644 7:59:59 0:57:59 0:55:55 4
SATORI Dr. Peter Dyner 142 0.9393 8:04:50 1:02:50 0:59:01 5
BELLATRIX Camerino/Gaites/Frizell 207 0.8587 DNC

There was no gas in the RC, so that delayed them a bit, then the anchor dragged so they had to reset it, the starting machine was preset to do 3 horns at the start instead of 1, and then Div 1 was over anxious and there were 2 general recalls. The RC boat did a great job each time in promptly getting the next start going. Because of the late start, the RC boat shortened the Div 1 course to be the same as the Div 3 course. On their 3rd attempt Roxanne and Jibber Jabber were over early. Jibber Jabber says that they only dipped the line, so they have retired. Roxanne rerounded.

The RC boat protested Swansway for not rounding "D", but later withdrew it because Swansway did leave "D" to port even though they went directly to N8 from CS. The RC boat will be careful to not put a button hook turn in the course again. They knew that port roundings are generally safer than starboard roundings and didn't realize how a boat could interpret it.

Yours in Sailing,

Joan Worthing
BYC Scorer
posted by Breakwater 5/28/2008 05:08:00 PM

Friday, March 07, 2008

 
BREAKWATER YACHT CLUB, INC.
A Community Sailing Center

1988 -2008 our 20th Anniversary

A letter from the Commodore:

This year will be the 20th Anniversary of the Breakwater Yacht Club.

Breakwater YC has come a long way from its’ humble beginnings under the tent to the beautiful facility we have now. None of this could have been accomplished without you, the members and supporters of Breakwater Yacht Club.

In what started as just a group of sailors on Wednesday nights, in 20 years, we have built a beautiful Club House, established our own fleets of Optis, JY’s and Lasers. We have even added a J80 to the mix. Over 3000 children have attended our Junior Sailing Program and have experienced the joys of sailing. Many of these children went through our programs on BYC funded scholarships.

With your membership and support we can continue on this track!

Please note that on our 2008 Membership form we have added two new classifications of Membership:

A Supporting Membership for $500.00 which provides for a tax deductible funding of 1 Jr. Scholarship and

A Sustaining Membership for $1000.00 which provides for a tax deductible funding of 3 Jr. Scholarships.

Both of these membership levels include your annual membership fee. If you have already been a member you are not subject to a new assessment for changing your level of membership.

For the Racers this should be a very exciting year. The warm weather has allowed us to keep Frostbiting right through March! And our Frostbiting Series will run Sundays through April 27th. Our fleet of Lasers are available for racing to all of our Adult club members for a minimum fee.

May 7th Wednesday Night Racing will begin with the May Cup. Please welcome our new regatta chairman Olaf Neubert.

May 31st & June 1st Breakwater YC will once again be the host of Sprit Fest, an expanded version of the J80 events we have hosted in the past. We expect over 30 boats to participate in this one-design championship event for the J 80, J 105 and J 109.

For the Cruisers, June 26th, begins our second year of Thursday Night Sailing which will continue thru August. Think of it as an open house for sailing. Experience sailing on other people’s boats as well as our club boats without the pressure of racing. This could be a good night to get the wife and kids out. I’ll be looking for our members with boats to participate! Maybe you’ll find new crew and some new friends. A family BYOB barbecue follows the evening’s sail.

Please use our website, http://www.breakwateryc.org to keep you updated on all our club activities. While you’re there please check out the member boat section and add your boat to our virtual model wall.

Don’t forget that the BYC Commissioning and Break the Ice Social will take place Saturday, April 26th.

Here’s looking forward to another awesome year at Breakwater Yacht Club Community Sailing Center. More Sailing, More Fun!

Lee Oldak,
Commodore
Breakwater YC
ommunity Sailing Center
posted by Breakwater 3/07/2008 11:24:00 PM

Saturday, January 13, 2007

 
A letter from the Commodore:
I am very excited about what the Board Of Directors have planned for this year and you will see many new activities in addition to the programs that we already offer at Breakwater.

For the Racers this should be a very exciting year. The warm weather has allowed us to keep Frostbiting right through January! And our Frostbiting Series will run Sundays thru April 22.Our fleet of Lasers are available for racing to all of our club members for a minimum fee.

April 25 will be our first ever Skippers Meeting for the May Cup! This will be followed by an UK Rules Quizzes Seminar hosted by Chuck Ulmer of UK Sailmakers.

June 2nd & 3rd Breakwater YC will be the host of Sprit Fest, an expanded version of the J80 events we have hosted in the past. We expect over 30 boats to participate in this one-design championship event for the J 80, J 105 and J 109 Classes.

For the Cruisers, June 21st, the first day of Summer marks the debut of Thursday Night Sailing which will continue thru August. Think of it as an open house for sailing. Get to sail on other people’s boats as well as our club boats without the pressure of racing. This could be a good night to get the wife and kids out. I’ll be looking for our members with boats to participate! Maybe you’ll find new crew and even make some new friends to take with you on our Club Cruise August 4th & 5th.

All of these events take planning and we could use your help! February 2nd 5:30-7:30 will be the first of two volunteer nights scheduled for this Winter.

Please use our website, http://www.breakwateryc.org to keep you updated on all our club activities. While you’re there please check out the member boat section and add your boat to our virtual model wall.

Don’t forget that the BYC Commissioning and Break the Ice Social will take place Saturday, April 28th.

Here’s looking forward to an awesome year at Breakwater Yacht Club Community Sailing Center. More Sailing, More Fun!

Lee Oldak, CommodoreBreakwater YC Community Sailing Center
posted by Breakwater 1/13/2007 12:13:00 PM

Friday, November 24, 2006

 
BYC Annual Meeting
November 11th, 2006

Present: 65 members in good standing, 30 = a quorum.


1. Welcome – The Commodore thanked everyone for coming. Meeting started at 1700 hrs. He explained the process for the election, since this is the first year using the Nominating Committee. He then introduced the Nominating Committee. He explained members eligible to vote are those who have paid the annual dues by June 1st.

New Business – the Annual Election
For Commodore: John Niewenhous said the Committee has interviewed two qualified candidates for the position of Commodore. John asked if there were anymore nominations from the floor. There were none and therefore the nominations were closed. The Committee asked each of the candidates to introduce themselves. Bruce Tait went first, followed by Lee Oldak. Members were then asked to cast a ballot and they were collected. The count was 35 for Lee Oldak and 30 for Bruce Tait.
For Vice Commodore: Laura White has agreed to run again for Vice Commodore. No one stood to run against her. Steve Brennan made a motion that the Secretary cast one ballot, which was seconded and all approved. The Secretary then cast one ballot for Laura White to maintain the position of Vice Commodore.
For Secretary: Chris DiSunno has agreed to run for the position of Secretary and the Nominating Committee finds him qualified to do so. Chris said a few words about himself. No one stood to run against him. Gayle made a motion that the Secretary cast one ballot, which was seconded and approved by all. The Secretary then cast one ballot for Chris DiSunno to take the position of Secretary.
For Treasurer: Bill Burford has agreed to run for the position of Treasurer and the Nominating Committee finds him qualified to do so. No one stood to run against him. Gayle also made a motion that the Secretary cast one ballot, which was seconded and approved by all. The Secretary then cast one ballot for Bill Burford to take the position of Treasurer.
For 3 yr. Director – Sharon Horn has agreed to run for the position of Director for the 3 year opening and the Nominating Committee finds her qualified to do so. No one stood to run against her. A motion was made that the Secretary cast one ballot, which was seconded and approved by all. The Secretary then cast one ballot for Sharon Horn to take the position of Director for a term that will expire 12/31/09. The other Director positions for the same term, were filled by the officers that were stepping down: Fred Stelle, Debbie Skinner and Gayle Pickering.
For 1 yr. Director – Nancy Neumann has agreed to run for the position of Director to fill the position vacated by Chris Dowling and the Nominating Committee finds her qualified to do so. No one stood to run against her. Peter made a motion that the Secretary cast one ballot, which was seconded by Fred and approved by all. The Secretary then cast one ballot for Nancy Newman to take the position of Director for a term that will expire 12/31/07.
For 1 yr. Director – Mark Webber has agreed to run for the position of Director to fill the position vacated by John Niewenhous and the Nominating Committee finds him qualified to do so. No one stood to run against him. A motion that the Secretary cast one ballot, which was seconded and approved by all. The Secretary then cast one ballot for Mark Webber to take the position of Director for a term that will expire 12/31/07.

Fred asked the Directors to introduce themselves, which they did.
One last order of business is to elect the member of the Nominating Committee to be elected from the membership. Audrey nominated Darcy to remain in this position for the following year and Gayle seconded the motion. Darcy agreed and all voted in favor.
John made a motion to adjourn the meeting and was seconded by Peter seconded. Motion carried and the meeting was adjourned.

Minutes respectfully submitted by Deb Skinner
posted by Breakwater 11/24/2006 09:52:00 AM

Monday, November 13, 2006

 
THE VOTES ARE IN..........
Your new BYC Board of Directors for 2007

• Commodore Lee Oldak
• Vice Commodore Laura White
• Treasurer Bill Burford
• Secretary Chris Disunnno

Directors

• Fred Stelle
• Bruce Tait
• Audrey Niewenhous
• Gayle Pickering
• Peter Dyner
• Sharon Horn
• Dan Kalish
• Jane Babcook
• Debbie Skinner
• Barry Browning
• Mark Webber
• Nancy Neumann

posted by Breakwater 11/13/2006 01:53:00 PM

Sunday, October 29, 2006

 
Formula To Get More Boats Racing

(October 2, 2006 - Scuttlebutt received the following story from Bob Johnstone, J/Boats co-founder and supreme marketer of the sport. Bob was the race director for the event he describes below, which he finds as a fool-proof approach to getting boats on the race course)

Imagine having a captain’s meeting and dinner the night before a charity pursuit race, then enjoying the 3 hour (12 mile) round-the-islands race, followed up by a postrace awards and cookout that evening. Note the 4 keys: (1) Two parties book-ending the race; (2) a charity race; (3) a pursuit race; and (4) a round-the-island race. Any one key can work, but when you combine all four, then success is assured.

The "figure-eight" course

Such was the case with the 2nd Annual Boston Harbor Islands Regatta (BHIR says “Be Here!”) on Saturday, September 30, 2006. With 108 boats from a Marshall Catboat to a 2006 Bermuda Race class winner, the BHIR was 27% bigger than the inaugural of 85 local boats last year. This is October 1. Off-season. Here’s the scene: After a Captain’s Meeting, sponsored pre-race dinner and live auction Friday evening at the 5-Star Boston Harbor Hotel ($30 with free beer and wine and sun setting over the Harbor), the 108 boat fleet from 22 to 45 feet in length started Saturday at 10AM on a 12 mile “figure-eight” benefit, pursuit race around Boston Harbor Islands National Park.

After the race, the fleet anchored off Ft. Warren on Georges Island to enjoy a Redbones barbecue with the upbeat sounds of a Swing Dixie Quintet. Thirty etched crystal bowls were awarded to the top youth, female, master, family crew, classic yacht and yacht club team (best placing 3 boats) as well as to class and overall winners. Other sponsors were Harpoon Brewery, Starbucks, Cape Cod Potato Chips, Silver Platters and Whole Foods. Ninety Island Alliance host volunteers welcomed the fleet. City water taxis ferried the crews back and forth to boats anchored off Georges Island. Everyone left at 5PM for a sunset cruise home, to end a perfect day. A real happening! Next year may see a fleet of Outward Bound pulling boats, a tour boat schooner, and a bevy of mini-transat 6.50s. Keep pushing the envelope of inclusiveness!

'Superstition' wins 2005 race (by Andrew Sims)

Pursuit races get the boats out. Witness FIGAWI or the Maine Retired Skippers Race. Even Hull YC’s traditional “Great Chase Race” two weeks earlier drew 90+ boats. Novices don’t have to deal with intimidating starts, slow boats are leading for most of the race, the drama lasts until the finish and the first boat to finish wins. Even spectators can figure that out! Only 45% of the boats had PHRF certificates; 4 skippers were helming in their first race; only 12 of the boats were built after 1999; 39% sailed without spinnakers and there were no protests. The idea is to be welcoming, encourage participation and have fun.

Even the RC can relax a bit. Time-on-Time conversions of PHRF ratings indicate that if the race needs to be shortened for lack of wind, no problem. The crossover point of the handicap intervals in secs/mile (TOD) or secs/hour (TOT) in a 12-mile race is under 3 hours after the start of the slowest boat. Plan to finish the race in 3 hours to make the party, no matter the distance sailed.

Sailing now has its formula to impact the sport. If implemented several times a year in every harbor in America, the results could be stunning. Try it, they’ll like it. For more info on the Boston Harbor Islands Regatta: www.bostonharborislands.com/regatta


posted by Breakwater 10/29/2006 08:22:00 AM

Monday, June 05, 2006

 

Gary Jobson

Other Sailing Trends: • A Day on the Bay • (Taped) Live from Athens As Pirates of the Caribbean blasted through the mist off the entrance of Chesapeake Bay, I could hear that fabulous music from the Walt Disney movie in my head. Thanks to the immense help of Kimo Worthington, Mitch Brindley and Brian McCauley, we had arrived at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel about 10 minutes before Pirates was about to pass through. Skipper Paul Cayard, who is a long time friend, was allowing me to race up the Chesapeake Bay on his Volvo Open 70. Very cool! After 4,872 miles, Pirates was comfortably in third. But the vagaries of the Chesapeake Bay kept the final result in question. My transfer was made at the northeast end of the tunnel under the lee of the island there. Cayard slowed the boat from 20 knots down to about 8 and I hopped aboard off Brindley's RIB. Whew, made it. I took a deep sigh of relief. That water looked cold. Once on board I received a hearty welcome by Paul, Jerry Kirby, Justin Clougher and the rest of the Pirates crew. Within two boatlengths, we were back over 15 knots. Under the rules, I was not allowed to steer, hike out or give advice. But I did have my trusty Hi-Def camera to record the voyage. It was drizzling and choppy but here is the best part: the crew of Pirates was just enjoying the moment just being aboard the boat, sailing fast. I was the first guest to be on the boat on a long distance leg. In the back of my mind was the resourcefulness of this crew who had saved the boat when they had keel box problems soon after the start on November 12. Things were clearly better. As we turned the corner up the Bay, the wind dropped. But still we were sailing at 11.8 knots. That wheel looked mighty inviting to me. Maybe, another day? The onboard interviews I conducted with Paul, Jerry and some of the others can be seen at www.vssailing.com and the Maryland Public Television series that is airing on many PBS stations throughout the USA. I also collected material for ESPN. The Pirates crew works with great efficiency. They work the boat through every wave and make adjustments for every puff. The watch system works perfectly. Down below, Cayard and navigator Jules Salter analyze several weather reports. The boat's performance is calculated as a percentage of VPP. Not surprising the boat sails at 99% - 100% most of the time. As the sun set everyone was in a reflective mood. I explained to Paul about my cancer battle and he made an analogy between life's struggles and sailing. He said, "prepare for the lulls and enjoy the puffs." What a nice way of looking at things. After dark the wind turned light. The crew changed sails endlessly. This was one time being on a boat I was glad I didn't have to help. Moving those sails around looked like hard work. As the sun came up we were just south of the Annapolis Bay Bridge. We even hit bottom for about one minute. No problem. The sail was backed and we were free of the mud. The boat crossed the line cleanly and there were heartfelt handshakes all around. For me, it was a real pleasure to be part of it for 18 hours.

posted by Breakwater 6/05/2006 02:58:00 PM

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

 
A Letter from BYC's RC Chairman
Welcome to the 2006 sailing season!

It is that time of the year again! The weather is moderating and the water is warming. Boat covers are coming off and the smell of fresh bottom paint is wafting through the boatyards. The marinas are open and the winter stakes are disappearing. Time to start getting your paperwork in order!

The Regatta Committee has been meeting on the first Mondays of the month at the club house to get this summer’s sailing calendar together. All members have been welcome to attend and voice their opinions. We have been working on Notice of Races, Sailing Instructions, Entry forms and fees regatta formats and our budget. We have held a Race Management Seminar at the club to certify Club Race Officers. You will notice that entry fees have increased. This is to deal with the ever increasing cost of fuel.

We are working to increase the Sag Harbor Cup to become a premier summer event with two days of racing in PHRF and One Design classes! We will be resurrecting the Pina Colada Regatta Division for cruising boats that would not normally be found on a race course. This regatta is a fundraiser for the Junior Sailing Program and High School Sailing Team. Please show your support!

This year we have added an incentive for you to get your entry forms and PHRF Certificates to us in a timely manner. If you pay for the May Cup, Summer Series and the Fall Series up front you will get a significant discount! Be a member of US Sailing and you can save an additional $15 off! We will be adding a Rules Quiz to the website for you to brush up on your knowledge of the rules! Check it out and see how much you really know!

Here is an area where we need your help. We need to increase participation in our non-spinnaker division. We need to encourage people to come out and try racing. This is where our new blood comes from! I ask each and every one of you to go out and find boat owners that would like to come out on Wednesday nights and join us!

Finally, we will have three protest committees in place. Now protests can be heard in a fair and timely manner. This is important to make sure that Breakwater Yacht Club provides the highest quality racing on the East End of Long Island!

Again I welcome you to the 2006 Summer Sailing Season! See you on the water!

Sincerely,
Chris Dowling Regatta Committee Chairman

posted by Breakwater 4/26/2006 12:35:00 PM

Tuesday, April 18, 2006

 
The 720 rule is a great alternative to retiring from the race, but it
also requires that you make a quicker decision about what to do. With
the 720, you can’t take a lot of time to think about whether your were
right or wrong. You have a short window of opportunity right after the
incident, and then the 720 option is no longer available.

US Appeal 60 provides a good summary of how quickly you must do a 720.
It says, “Rule 44.1 permits a boat to take a penalty ‘at the time of the
incident.’ Rule 44.2 requires the boat to sail well clear of other boats
as soon as possible after the incident and ‘promptly’ complete two 360
degree turns. Together these rules require a boat that decides to take a
penalty to do so as soon as possible after the incident. The rule does
not provide for time for a boat to deliberate whether she has broken a
rule. If she delays in doing her 720 penalty, she is still liable to be
disqualified.”
posted by Breakwater 4/18/2006 09:31:00 AM

 
Check this vidio out! This is one of the slower boats. http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/media/06/poc/0215.mov
posted by Breakwater 4/18/2006 09:28:00 AM

Thursday, April 06, 2006

 
TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD AMENDS POLICY TO ALLOW CO2 CYLINDERS THROUGH AIRPORT SECURITY

For boaters traveling by air to enjoy boating away from home, bringing along a CO2 cylinder for their self-inflatable personal flotation device (PFD) through airport security was frequently not an option due to a policy set by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). But after a recent request from Glenn McCarthy, a member of US SAILING's Safety-At-Sea Committee, the TSA amended its policy, allowing boaters to travel through security checkpoints at airports nationwide with a CO2 cylinder. US SAILING cautions boaters that while this change in TSA policy allows boaters to carry a cylinder through airport security, the decision on whether the cylinder can be taken on board a plane still lies with the airline company the passenger is flying with. US SAILING recommends that boaters check with the airlines directly to find out if the CO2 cylinder can be taken on board.
> To read the full story, please visit http://www.ussailing.org/News/2006/tsa.htm.
posted by Breakwater 4/06/2006 05:27:00 PM

Thursday, March 30, 2006

 
MINI TRANSAT
"Our goal is simple," said skipper Clay Burkhalter. "It is to win the 2007
Mini Transat on a U.S. designed and built boat with a U.S. sailor at the
helm." The 30th Transat 6.50, popularly called the Mini Transat, will start
in September 2007. The 4240-mile singlehanded race starts in La Rochelle,
France, stopping in the Canary Islands and finishing in Salvador da Bahia,
Brazil.

Rod Johnstone, Burkhalter's uncle, designed Acadia USA 575. The boats'
basic specs are LOA = 6.5 meters (21 feet), BOA = 3 meters, draft = 2
meters. Mast length is nearly twice the LOA and they carry about 400 square
feet of sail area upwind (1200 feet downwind). An American-designed boat
won the Mini Transat in 1979, but since then none have contested the
French-dominated race. In 2003 American Jonathan McKee's Team McLube was
leading by 100 miles when his mast broke 500 miles from the finish. Four
American sailors are preparing boats for 2007.

Entrance is limited to 72 sailors who must qualify by completing a
1000-mile non-race solo sail and a 1000-mile solo race on an Open 6.5 Meter
Class or 'Mini'. Acadia was launched in late February for sea trials and
several admirers were overheard saying, "She looks like a J!" In the spring
Burkhalter will complete a 1000-mile qualifying solo sail in Florida and
the boat will be shipped to France. - http://www.teamacadia.org

Photos of the launch: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/06/0328
posted by Breakwater 3/30/2006 12:37:00 PM