Sunshine Open: Notice of Race

Even thought the SSA clubhouse is closed due to construction, and most of the parking spots in the car parking lot are being used for construction equipment, SSA will continue our incredibly long tradition of hosting the Sunshine Open Laser Regatta (4/21-22), as we have every year since the early 1970s!  This year we are going to have to be a little more innovative with the limited space and facilities, we still plan to have a very fun regatta, with great sailing, tough competition, friendly sailors, beautiful spring weather, starts for both Standard and Radial rigs, as well as fun social events after sailing on Saturday.

This year, we will be going over to Steve Cofer’s house after sailing on Saturday (about 1 1/2 miles from SSA) for a BBQ party at a beautiful location.  Steve kindly hosted our fleet for our Holiday party, and his house is a beautiful place to host a social event after sailing.  We at SSA look forward to hosting many out of town sailors at this event.  As in the past, we will try to arrange accommodations for out of town sailors with our local fleet members.  If you are interested in housing, please either call Dave Sliom at 443-321-3637 or send him an email at dave@dancingbearsailing.com

Notice of Race

Sunshine Open Results

Although the weather for the Sunshine Open on the first day was not very sunshiny, we had beautiful weather for the second day, with abundant sunshine and fresh breezes. (Video) Unfortunately due to the very nasty front that moved through on Saturday, we were unable to get any racing in. All races were postponed for the day with the wind around 30 knots from the east and expected to increase. Thomas Point Light saw 46 knots steady with gusts to 52 knots at one point during the afternoon. A lot of sailors made their way back to SSA for the regatta party in the evening, with the masseuse being very popular and being kept busy the entire time she was there, even though nobody went sailing that day. Bridgette Michaels and her band were also great, keeping sailors and families entertained. Betka’s dinner was also fantastic as always, so the party was a big success. We will definitely look to have a band and masseuse at future events like the Crab Claw.

Conditions on Sunday seemed worse than expected in the morning with breezes from 20-25 knots. This seemed to discourage a few sailors from racing. Still a group of 6 Standards and 6 Radials made it out to the start area for 4 races, run so well by our PRO Mike Waters and his Race Committee. Once we got the first race started winds moderated significantly, droping to around 15 knots with some heavier gusts and some much lighter lulls, which is expected from a westerly.

James Jacob won the Standard fleet, with John McCausland second and Luke Shingledecker third. Dave Sliom won the Radial fleet with John Gebhardt second and Steve Cofer third. James was the top Master in the Standards, with Karen Long the top woman. Dave was top Master in the Radials, with Dorian top woman. Congratulations to everyone!

Full results can be found here.

Sunshine Open Day 1 Video

No racing on day 1 of the Sunshine Open because of a gale warning and storms in the area.  Check out this video:

Sunshine Open This Weekend

The 2011 Sunshine Open will be sailed at Severn Sailing Association this Saturday and Sunday.

This year is going to be a really great regatta for all those that can attend, along with superb spring sailing conditions on the Chesapeake, we will also have a live band (Bridgette Michaels Trio) from 5 to 7 p.m. on Saturday, as well as a professional therapeutic masseuse (Joyce Morrow) who will be providing chair massages to sore sailors when they come off the water.

I hope to see many of you at the regatta, and please, please, please register soon.  The more entries, the more fun the regatta will be.  I am looking forward to seeing many of you at the regatta.

Updates throughout the weekend will be posted on the District 11 Twitter feed @laserdistrict11

 

Sunshine Open Entertainment

I have just confirmed Bridgette and the Band (Bridgette Michaels Trio) as musical entertainment on Saturday of the Sunshine Open.  They will be there to entertain us from 5 to 7 p.m., this is a very entertaining group that often plays at the Boatyard Bar and Grill in Eastport.  In addition, we will havea  masseuse available immediately after sailing to provide some relief for tired and sore sailors.  I think we all know how much one can hurt after a day of Laser sailing, especially early in the season.  As has now become a tradition, Betka of Dark and Stormy’s Cafe will provide dinner on Saturday night with a choice of either grilled salmon or chicken breast.  The 505 fleet will be joining us for the weekend, so I am sure that there will be a lot of sailors enjoying the food, beer, entertainment and massages.

The Sunshine Open is April 16 and 17, which is early season, and a great opportunity for all those sailors in the Northeast to get in some early season sailing on the Chesapeake Bay.  Please pass on information about the regatta to all your Laser sailing friends.  We will have a Standard and Radial rig start, and if we get 6 4.7s we will have a start for them as well.  We will also try to house all out of town sailors in the Annapolis area with Fleet 10 members if at all possible.  With enjoyable spring sailing, live musical entertainment, great food, beer and massages, this is will be a great regatta for all to attend.

Registration is open at sailregattas.com, so please register while you can still take advantage of the early entry discount.  Additional dinner tickets are available for all those not sailing but interested in all the other entertainment.

 

Sunshine Open NOR Posted

The Notice of Race for the Sunshine Open at Severn Sailing Association on April 16-17 has been posted.  Starts are planned for Standard Rigs and Radials.  4.7s if enough pre-register.  The start/finish times have been moved up an hour on Sunday to enable some out-of-towners to make the trip and housing is available for those who ask early.

Day 2 Sunshine Open and US Sailing Singlehanded Championship Area C Elimination

Severn Sailing Association’s Sunshine Open had 43 sailors for 4 races over two days of overcast weather and light to moderate winds. Eric Reitinger (Brant Beach YC) won the 34 boat Men’s Standard rig fleet while Kim Couranz (Severn Sailing Association) won the 9-boat Women’s Laser Radial Fleet.

Saturday started out slow with a long sail out to the course in little wind. Eventually the wind filled in to just over 5 knots and we got the first race off. It was an Olympic course with a really wide wing mark. After the first 3 legs the RC smartly shorted course to ensure the race was finished within the time limit. Gary Hurban picked the shifts right and picked up the first bullet.

After a brief postponement following the first race, the wind filled in to around 10 and a second race was sailed. In this race Luke Shingledecker (SSA) got the gun. The forecast had called for rain to move into the area in the afternoon, but other than a few sprinkles, nothing materialized.

After racing on Saturday, the sailors were treated to a Yngling keg and a great Steak, Chicken or Salmon dinner.

On Sunday the sailors arrived at the club to find no wind in sight. The first warning had already been moved up an hour to try and get more races in on Sunday as only 2 races were run on Saturday. The RC towed all of the boats to the race course. Once there, the committee boats anchored with the lasers streaming behind for over 2 hours in the 2-3 knots of current. By 1 PM the wind finally started to fill in to just over 5 knots and a race was started.

Despite the left side of the course looking great at the bottom of the course, it was the right side that had more pressure and a better angle/current combination. John Gebhart (SSA) was the first to discover this and got an early lead at the top mark. James McKenna (SSA) caught John on the downwind and wound up first across the line.

The wind continued to build despite the horizon starting to look a little ominous. The forecast had been for severe thunderstorms to move in late in the afternoon. Nothing materialized. The final race was sailed in 10-15 on a long 5 leg course. Luke Shingledecker (SSA) got another bullet and was followed by David Schoene (SSA).

Eric Reitinger didn’t win a race, but his consistency paid off. Eric was in or among the lead pack of boats in every race, and his 3, 2, 6, 3 was enough to give him 8 points over Luke Shingledecker in 2nd. David Schoene finished 3rd followed by Bob Tan (SSA) and Brady White (SSA).

In the Radial fleet Lauren Schoene (SSA) took 3 bullets, but a 6th in the first race was too much to overcome and Kim Couranz’s bullet and 3 seconds gave her 1st overall. Kayla Ellis finished 3rd followed by Margaret Podlich (SSA) and Dorian Haldeman (SSA).
Both Eric Reitinger and Kim Couranz won the opportunity to represent Area C at the Men’s and Women’s US Sailing Singlehanded Championship held at Pensacola Yacht Club on July 29-August 1st.

Despite the dismal forecast, the folks at SSA including PRO Mike Waters and the rest of the RC did a fantastic job with the conditions they were given. And thanks to Fleet Captain Dorian Haldeman for putting everything together.

Complete Results

Sunshine Open and US Sailing Singlehanded Championship Area C Qualifier Day 1

After a long sail out to the race course and a delay while we waited for wind, we managed to get in 2 races on what was a long day on the water.  The first race was sailed in about 5 knots.  We sailed an Olympic course with a really wide wing mark.  The second race was was windward leward in 10-15.

Eric Reitinger (Brant Beach YC) leads the 32 boat standard fleet followed by Luke Shingledecker (SSA) and Ted Morgan (SSA).

Kim Couranz (SSA) is first in the Radial fleet.  There’s a 3 way tie for second between Lauren Schoene (SSA), Kayla Ellis, and Margaret Podlich (SSA).

A change to the SI’s has been made putting the first warning on Sunday at 10am.

Division: Laser (34 boats)

Pos	Sail	Boat	Skipper	1	2	Total Points	Pos
1	178838		Reitinger, Eric	3	2	5.00	1
2	182860		Shingledecker, Luke	7	1	8.00	2
3	194512	SEAFOOD	Morgan, Ted	6	3	9.00	3
4	175231		White, Ryan (Brady)	5	5	10.00	4
5	186565		Coberly, Chad	4	11	15.00	5
6	188095	Cocktails	Schoene, David	8	8	16.00	6
7	160195		Tawastjerna, Greg	13	4	17.00	7
8	177190		Coberly, Bill	2	16	18.00	8
9	183826		Tan, Bob	12	7	19.00	9
10	188702	Otter	Link, Roger	11	9	20.00	10
11	177346		Hurban, Gary	1	23	24.00	11
12	171075		Hinsch, Holger	10	17	27.00	12
13	175592	sailregattas.com	Gebhardt, John	16	14	30.00	13
14	159785	Backspace	Deutsch, Jon	15	15	30.00	14
15	194519		Hecky, Mike	20	12	32.00	15
16	187741		Clifton, Tip	21	13	34.00	16
17	196065		McKenna, James	14	20	34.00	17
18	170644		Hesse, Erich	30	6	36.00	18
19	168566		Tobin, Quinn	26	10	36.00	19
20	197136		na	23	19	42.00	20
21	167487		czarniak, andrew	25	18	43.00	21
22	170355	Brendan McAndrews	McAndrews, Brendan	9	35/DNC	44.00	22
23	38699	Sheila	Downes, Buck	17	27	44.00	23
24	133021		Prabhakar, Rohan	22	22	44.00	24
25	178857	Second Life	Glass, Adam W	28	21	49.00	25
26	180536		Cofer, Steven	24	25	49.00	26
27	192031	Samba	Linares, Carlos	27	24	51.00	27
28	194520		Sliom, David	18	35/DNC	53.00	28
29	173674	Atomic	Young, Peter	19	35/DNC	54.00	29
30	12990		Shaw, Thomas	29	26	55.00	30
31	187977		Bruzik, Peter	31	35/DNC	66.00	31
32T	173969	New Trick	Meller, Alexander “Ali”	35/NoFin	35/DNC	70.00T	32T
32T	182815		Reinke, Eric	35/NoFin	35/DNC	70.00T	32T
32T	194547	Liana Laser	Caruso, Jeffrey	35/NoFin	35/DNC	70.00T	32T

Division: Laser Radial (10 boats)

Pos	Sail	Boat	Skipper	1	2	Total Points	Pos
1	194577		Couranz, Kimberly	1	2	3.00	1
2	188921		Schoene, Lauren	6	1	7.00	2
3	189986		Ellis, Kayla	2	5	7.00	3
4	187868		Podlich, Margaret	3	4	7.00	4
5	168474		Haldeman, Dorian	8	3	11.00	5
6	190462		Hurban, Joan	5	6	11.00	6
7	153006		Westphal, Sandy	4	8	12.00	7
8	173258	laser	Long, Karen	7	7	14.00	8
9	168424		Lamb, Elaine	9	9	18.00	9
10	196147	Love Tap	Love, Ashley	11/NoFin	11/DNC	22.00	10

Sunshine Open – Early Registration Ends Friday

The 2010 Laser Sunshine Open and U.S. Singlehanded Championship Area C Elimination will be held at Severn Sailing Association April 24-25.

Two days of top notch Laser racing, dinner and regatta souvenir included in entry fee. Top male Standard rig and top female radial qualify for the US Singlehanded Championship in Pensicola, FL July 29- August 1

As usual, our fabulous SSA Chef’s David and Betka will be preparing something spectacular for our regatta dinner. Additional dinners are available for purchase $20.00
Menu is below:

Choice of Rib Eye Steak or Grilled Salmon with Cilantro Sauce
Pesto Pasta
Sauteed Vegetables
Ginger Cake with Rum and Caramel Sauce

Early registration deadline is Tomorrow Friday, April 16th!!

Online registration is available at www.sailregattas.com

NOR is available here.

Hope to see you at the Sunshine Open!!!

About the US Sailing Singlehanded Championship

The US Singlehanded Championship is a regatta run each year by US Sailing consisting of the best singlehanded sailors from around the country. US Sailing runs a dozen or more championships each year such as the youth championship, match racing, multihull, etc. Although the singlehanded championship is sailed in Lasers (men) and Radials (women) this year, sailors from the Sunfish, Finn, MC Scow and a few other singlehanded classes are invited. This years championship will be held at Pensacola Yacht Club on July 29-August 1.

As a District 11 sailor, why would I be interested in this? Sailors qualify for the regatta by winning a major event, or by winning a local qualification. The system works very similarly to how the US Open works in golf or tennis. So every District 11 sailor (and District 10) have the opportunity to qualify to sail in the US Singlehanded Championship. The way to do this is by sailing the Area C qualifier. Area C covers most of District 11 and District 10. Our qualifier will be held at Severn Sailing Association on April 24-25.

Since the event is being sailed in conjunction with the Sunshine Open, it is possible to sail the Sunshine Open and not be part of the qualifier. If you are not from Area C or aren’t eligible then you can just sail the Sunshine Open. For those who are eligible for the qualifier, you can enter to win a bid to the US Sailing Singlehanded Championship. To be eligible for the singlehanded championship, you must be 16 years of age, a US Sailing Member, reside in or regularly compete in CBYRA, BBYRA, MAYRA, NJYRA or DCYRA. And you must be sailing a standard rig for the men and a radial rig for the women.

This is a great opportunity to go represent our area in a national championship. Come sail in the qualifier for your chance to sail in this prestigious event!

For questions about the event see the NOR or contact the Area C representative Jon Deutsch