This past June, three of my friends and I competed in the 2019 Youth Match Racing Championship, commonly known as the Rose Cup. We were excited for many aspects of it, first and foremost it was hosted by SDYC and would be raced at city front, which made everything surrounding the event much easier. Also, it was a reunion of sorts, as “B” Lindsay who had moved to Florida almost ten years ago, was back for the summer. Jack Plavan, Matt Dorgan, and I all grew up sailing with her so it was very cool to have us all four on a boat together. For me personally, I was also very excited as it was my first major match racing regatta as a skipper.
My brother Jack and I met in early October in Stamford, CT at the Stamford Yacht Club to compete at US Sailing’s Annual Championship of Champions. As the name indicates, it is the collection of champions from various North American and US National championship regattas.
Sailors ranged across many classes and SDYC was well represented with Jack and I, as US 29er Nationals winners along with Kelly Holthus, Open Bic NA winner sailing with Bill Hardesty.
Congrats to the Pointers on an excellent 2nd Place finish among 24 team from around the country at last weekend's PCISA Girls Invitational. Full Results
Check out these great shots from markset hero, Coach Jack Egan!
Congratulations to Junior Commodore Piper Holthus and the entire Junior Board on a fun and successful Junior Invitational Regatta! The 2019 event included a Radial fleet of five boats, which together with Sabots brought the regatta to 102 boats, cresting the century mark for the first time in many years.
Conditions were challenging on both our La Playa and "outside" Shoal courses; with shifty winds, massive ebbing current in the bay, and kelp paddies snagging boats in both locations.
The USA Finn Association (USAFA) is proud to announce a new USAFA Travel Grant Program. This program is tailored to help young Finn sailors to travel and participate in Finn regattas around North America. All the USAFA members in good standing who didn’t reach their 26th birthday on the first day of the eligible event may apply for a grant. USAFA obligates to reimburse up to $400 in travel expenses for the eligible sailors. For more details about how to apply for the program visit: http://www.finnusa.org/usafa-https://islandsrace.com/documents/
Over 100 sailors in seven Olympic class fleets made their way to San Diego this weekend for the 2nd annual San Diego Olympic Classes Regatta. Skippers and crews of all different skill levels sailed in five races on their designated Pacific Ocean course, besides the Finn and Snipe fleets, who sailed seven races over three days.
Olympic hopefuls Nevin Snow and Dane Wilson led the 29er coaching team at the recent pre-SDOCR clinic at SDYC. Forty two youth sailors from all over California attended the three-day clinic held in late August in three of the Olympic development classes (29ers, Lasers and Int’l 420s). Additional 29er coaches included Chuck Eaton, JP Barnes, Giselle Nyenhuis and Pearce Mendoza. Both JP and Pearce coached one-on-one on a 29er to ensure that several brand-new skiff sailors had a very steep learning curve in two loaner boats that are part of the High-Performance Youth Sailing activity at SDYC. The head Laser coach was Mission Bay’s Doug Hart with new SWYC Junior Director Jackie Hollander assisting. JJ Fetter and Shawn Bennett volunteered to coach the four i420 teams.
On Sunday morning, all the sailors heard an inspiring talk by Nevin and Dane about their 49er campaign that focused on the importance of goal setting. Several parents donated support to the clinic including Morgan Spriggs and Steve Shughrou who were on the water in safety RIBs, Gordon Wanlass brought his motorboat from Newport Beach to run practice starts and short-course races and the Holthus family loaned their RIB to the clinic. Plus Paula Schmid provided snacks at the end of each day for the tired and hungry sailors and pizza on Saturday night. The next clinic will be for 29ers only and will be held on September 21-22.
What a week at NHYC! Great job, Team SDYC sailors, coaches, and parents, taking on the challenging 2019 INSA Junior Sabot Nationals.
Congratulations to 2019 Champion, Anton Schmid! Anton's had quite a run this summer, repeating his Sabot II Invitational (U12) title, winning A fleet at the Dutch Shoe; and now we're researching to see if there's ever been a younger Junior Nationals champ. Nice work, from our A fleet Captain!
St Francis Yacht Club in San Francisco was the host for four days of challenging city front sailing for the c420 North American Championship. With the water temp in the 50’s and the air temp only in the 60’s, we all wore full spray gear and wetsuits. Not to mention, most days had a lingering fog layer concealing the sun for most of the sailing time.
The trip started with an unfortunate 2 hour plane delay which limited our only practice time sailing next to the Golden Gate Bridge. However, my crew, Ximena Escobar, and I were able to fit in about an hour of sailing in the early evening. The conditions lived up to the legend of San Francisco sailing, with 20 knots, 1- foot chop, and frequent capsizing which would be a trend over the next few days of racing. On the first morning of the regatta, 93 boats launched on a single launch ramp starting right at 10am with a noon start.
Nine fleets have been invited back to San Diego for the 2nd annual San Diego Olympic Classes Regatta (SDOCR) on September 7-8, 2019. With the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games in sight, the San Diego Yacht Club introduced this new event in 2018 to provide a venue for sailors to train and compete in international, high-performance classes. The regatta will include two courses in Coronado Roads, allowing for national level management and competition.
Invited Fleets: 29er; 49er; Finn; I420; Laser; Laser Radial; Nacra 15; Star; Snipe
The 29er U.S. Nationals were held on the Columbia River Gorge, a sailing venue notorious for high winds and flat water. This was the first time my brother, Ian, and I would be sailing there. When we arrived at our campsite where we would be staying for the regatta, we were dumb struck by the shear awe of the venue.
The biggest challenge that lay before us was the fact that the Gorge is a river, which meant that water was always going to be pushing you somewhere and that it can completely change the way that you have to think about racing. Luckily for us, we had two days of training beforehand to get used to the current and when the first day of racing came we were feeling confident in the skills and knowledge that we had.
Nearly 200 sailors, both junior and senior, competed in the annual Dutch Shoe Marathon (DSM) today. This iconic regatta begins at the San Diego Yacht Club and finishes at the Coronado Yacht Club, a trek that for most junior sailors is their longest distance race yet. This year marks the 47th annual running of this Southern California right-of-passage.
Mission Bay Yacht Club’s Paige Tillson, 11, (C Fleet) came in first with a solid lead throughout the entirety of the race. Behind Tillson in second place was Siena Nichols (C Fleet) of Balboa Yacht Club, who pulled into the position in the second half of the race. Battling hand in hand with Nichols was Caleb Everett (C Fleet) of Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club. The three were able to hold their position in the front of the fleet right from the start.
When asked how it felt to win the Dutch Shoe Marathon, Tillson answered, “It’s exciting, but I’m also really tired.”
The Dutch Shoe Marathon, summer’s iconic San Diego Yacht Club and Coronado Yacht Club tradition, calls locals and tourists to watch or partake in a day of Sabot sailing on July 19, 2019. Over 150 of both junior and senior sailors from Southern California yacht clubs race from SDYC to Coronado Yacht Club, a distance longer than many juniors will sail throughout the summer.
Junior Sailing Head Coach Molly Pleskus comments on the regatta. “The Dutch Shoe Marathon is a race for everyone. The high level, young and old racers looking to cross the line first, adults wanting to get back in a sabot for a bay cruise, and kids stocked up on candy for fun Friday sail. The Dutch shoe brings out new sailors and old for a fun and rewarding sailing tradition!”
The Sign up sheet for the JCAT 8/18 is now at the front desk at the SDYC. The Junior Coastal Anglers Tournament (JCAT) is usually meant for our SDYC Junior Anglers ages 8 and up who are able to bait their own hooks and cast independently. This is a TOURNAMENT with trophies and prizes in different categories so the kids are expected to fish 100% on their own! The JCAT is a 3/4 day trip on the Sea Watch out of Seaforth Sportfishing on Quivira Road. (7am-5pm) The charter is free of charge, however rod rentals are $25 per person, there is a charge for galley food, and you are expected to TIP the deckhands.
Lowell North, a true legend in the world of sailing, has left us for fair winds and good sailing up above, but what North built and left will always be.
Lowell Orton North, born on December 2, 1929, in Springfield, Missouri, passed away today, but will always be remembered for his competitive successes and for creating the North Sails empire from just a little loft in San Diego in 1957. The loft was positioned on what is now referred to as the “North lot” where the dry storage is currently at SDYC.
From the beginning, his was a scientific approach. As an aeronautic/aerospace engineer, was among the very first sail makers to embrace computer modeling. He hired other champion sailors (“tigers”) to demonstrate and sell his products. Lowell’s innovation, creativity and spirit is what has shaped his business into the successful company that it remains to be today.
On the water, Lowell was renowned for his results in the Star Class, he medaled in 12 World Championships over 25 years and won gold at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City. He also won a bronze medal in the Dragon at the 1964 Tokyo Games. It was during this time that North Sails was first getting off the ground, and Lowell met many people who would become key players in its expansion.
Sail on Lowell North and thank you.
Ships 1992 & SDYC’s youth from Ship 1886 team up and CRUISE TO VICTORY at the 2019 Long Beach Invitational Regatta! The combined team posted the best score of eleven Sea Scout programs and best units from Western Los Angeles County, Orange County, Inland Empire, and even Las Vegas! The Long Beach Invitational is known for its fun, casual atmosphere. The LAMI San Pedro and San Diego Yacht Club Sea Scouts brought their "A game" to win the event!
Over the weekend of February 8th through 10th, Saint Pete's Yacht Club hosted the 2019 Valentine's Day Regatta. This regatta brings Opti and Laser sailors from all over the country. Since I was the front runner in the Luff-In Series, I was selected to represent SDYC for the Saint Pete's Exchange and go sail Opti's for the weekend down in Florida.
Over February 16-18, my skipper Jack Egan and I traveled to Jensen Beach Florida to compete in the 2019 C420 Midwinters. Although we had traveled to Florida twice before for Orange Bowl, we had never sailed Midwinters before, and were eager to sail a new event.
This year the US Sailing Center Martin County would be the hosts for C420 Midwinters East. 103 boats congregated in Jensen Beach for this event from February 16th to the 18th. I met up with my crew, Ximena Escobar, at the San Diego airport on Thursday. We had one full day of travel and one full day of practice with the coaches in Florida. Orlando greeted us with warm weather as we left the rain behind in San Diego. The weather would hover around 80 degrees and 70% humidity the entire weekend.
Over the President’s Day weekend, Miami Yacht Club hosted the first of the two 29er qualifiers for the Youth World Championships that will be held in Poland this summer. Three teams from the West coast traveled to the Florida to compete. With the wind expected to be light we had high hopes of doing well.