SDYC Finn Fleet headed to South Bay to race in Coronado Yacht Club's small boat regatta with SDYC taking the top five positions. Overall winner was Jr. Staff Commodore Mike Dorgan, followed in second by his 18 yr-old son Matt Dorgan and on the podium in third, Gregg Morton. Seven races were sailed over 2 days in mostly medium air with wind shifts as big as 30 degrees, keeping the fleet on their toes.
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.
The Star boat is often seen as one of the finest, most challenging classes to compete in. It requires dedication and hard work to be successful. This weekend, 26 sailors made their way out to the Pacific for the Star Western Hemisphere Championship, where a handful of sailors proved just how dedicated they really were.
By the end of day three, the majority of the top five sailors on the scoresheet were already determined. On the final day, day four, the order barely budged. Carl Buchan, sailing with his son Jamie Buchan, won the last race and the series overall. Following in second was Brian Ledbetter sailing with Magnus Liljedahl. In third place was Eric Doyle sailing with Payson Infelise.
It’s been a slow start for the Star Western Hemisphere Championship as unfavorable conditions swept through San Diego on Wednesday, postponing the start of the regatta due to high wind and seas. On Thursday, twenty-six sailors launched their vessels and eagerly headed out past Point Loma to the ocean venue ready to sail. However, the extremely light winds didn’t help pick up the pace.
The current overall standings show Carl and Jamie Buchan in first with 5 points, Allan Terhune and Ian Coleman in second with 7 points, and Ben Mitchell and Patrick Powell in third with 12 points.
Star sailing legend Carl Buchan has quite the extensive sailing background, proving his experience by standing in first place overall. Fellow Olympians John Dane and Brian Ledbetter did not stray too far behind, all making it in the top five on the scoresheet at the end of day two. However, their sailing resume and success didn’t stop them from facing the other intense competitors on the water.
Congratulations to Mike Nicoletti, Kara Voss, Parker Mitchell and Chris Nesbitt, winners of the 2019 US Match Race Championship Qualifying event in San Francisco over the weekend. The Championships will be held October 3-6, 2019 in San Francisco, hosted by St. Francis Yacht Club. Team SDYC last won the Match Race Championship in 2016.
The Sailing World Annapolis NOOD Regatta concluded May 5 with torrential rains taking a break for the final day’s race action. SDYC’s Bruce Golison and his Midlife Crisis crew (Steve Hunt, Erik Shampain and Jeff Reynolds) secured a convincing victory in the J/70 fleet, the largest of the regatta with 30 boats. Midlife Crisis won five of the eight races in posting a low score of 13 points – 18 points better than the runner-up, Travis Odenbach from New York.
Thank you to all of those who have contributed and followed Team SDYC’s preparations for the New York Yacht Club (NYYC) Invitational Cup. As the team is getting ready to begin practicing this month, here is a brief update and summary for those of you who are not yet aware.
In 2009, NYYC hosted the first Invitational Cup for amateur sailors from all around the world. For yacht clubs in the United States, entry is only earned by winning the Resolute Cup.
Last September, San Diego Yacht Club (SDYC) earned its first ever bid for the Invitational Cup as Tyler Sinks, Nick Martin, Nick Kaschak, and Max Hutcheson won the Resolute Cup for SDYC. Jake LaDow, Carissa Crawford, Drew Freides, Erik Shampain, and Tori Porter will join the Resolute winning team for the Invitational Cup which will be held September 7-14 in Newport, Rhode Island.
There were plenty of high-fives, handshakes and celebratory cheers back on the docks after the final day of San Diego Yacht Club’s Yachting Cup. Congratulations were exchanged and comradery was shared, but one class stood out this weekend and left their mark on the 2019 Yachting Cup. The Farr 40 class, hosting boats from all over the world, started off their class series at SDYC’s premier regatta of the season. Seven Farr 40 boats from the class joined us in the Pacific, their large sails taking over the Far Ocean course.
Wolfgang Schaefer, owner of Struntje Light, dominated over eight races this weekend, earning him and his crew the title of Overall Yachting Cup winners.
Day two, North Sails Race Day, of San Diego Yacht Club’s Yachting Cup was really day one for the majority of the competitors. Nine more classes joined the Pac52s and Farr 40s in the Pacific today for their first opportunity to place on the scoresheet. This year, only two ocean courses are housing over 70 vessels, making for some tight racing… literally.
Rounding the marks alongside a boat over double his size didn’t bother Jeff Janov, owner of J/70 Minor Threat. “The race committee did a great job keeping things separated as well as they could. We saw some of the boats some of the time, but it never caused a problem. It has the potential of causing tension, but it went well. We picked up a good shift towards the end and our crew did a great job…”
The Yachting Cup, San Diego’s premier inshore regatta of the season, kicked off today with a big boat show on a wide open Pacific Ocean course. The high-performance Pac52 and Farr40 classes lead off today, and are also using this regatta as a part of their class series. Tomorrow, these two classes will be joined by the four others on the Far Ocean course, and five more classes filling the Near Ocean course. Both courses are located just south of Zuniga Jetty in the Coronado Roads and compete through Sunday.
It was close all day for the boats in today’s three races. Wolfgang Schaefer’s Struntje Lightis finishing day one in first place for the Farr40 class, followed by Rick Goebel’s Insanity in second and Mick Shlens’ Blade II in third.