US Sailing Singlehanded Championship Area C Elimination & Orange Coffee Pot Regatta

This spring the 2012 US Sailing Singlehanded Championship Area C Elimination will be a one-day event held at Surf City Yacht Club in Surf City, New Jersey on June 2.  It will be held in conjunction with the 41st Orange Coffee Pot Regatta.  The top man and woman will qualify to sail in the US Singlehanded Championshipon July 26-29 at Sail Sheboygan in Sheboygan WI.

The US Singlehanded Championship is a regatta run each year by US Sailing consisting of the best singlehanded sailors from around the country.  24 Men will compete in the standard rig while 24 women compete in the Radial rig.  Sailors can win a berth by being the winner of one of several major Laser Regattas, by being the National Champion in the Sunfish, Finn and MC Scow Classes, or by winning one of the area qualifiers.  To be selected for the Singlehanded Championship Sailors must be 16 years of age, a US Sailing Member and to qualify from Area C, must reside in sailing areas for CBYRA, BBYRA, MAYRA, NJYRA or DCYRA.

For more information and the Notice of Race.

2012 US Sailing Singlehanded Championship Area C Elimination

This spring the 2012 US Sailing Singlehanded Championship Area C Elimination will be a one-day event held at Surf City Yacht Club in Surf City, New Jersey on June 2.  It will be held in conjunction with the 41st Orange Coffee Pot Regatta.  The top man and woman will qualify to sail in the US Singlehanded Championship on July 26-29 at Sail Sheboygan in Sheboygan WI.

The US Singlehanded Championship is a regatta run each year by US Sailing consisting of the best singlehanded sailors from around the country.  24 Men will compete in the standard rig while 24 women compete in the Radial rig.  Sailors can win a berth by being the winner of one of several major Laser Regattas, by being the National Champion in the Sunfish, Finn and MC Scow Classes, or by winning one of the area qualifiers.  To be selected for the Singlehanded Championship Sailors must be 16 years of age, a US Sailing Member and to qualify from Area C, must reside in sailing areas for CBYRA, BBYRA, MAYRA, NJYRA or DCYRA.

Laser District 11 Championship: Sailing World

Tim Zimmerman is a writer for Sailing World and was a competitor at the 2011 Laser District 11 Championship  hosted a few weeks ago at Fishing Bay Yacht Club and he’s written a blog article about his experience at the regatta:

Don’t get me wrong. The regatta itself, the District 11 Laser Championships, was not terrible. In fact, it was fantastic. Hosted by the smoothly-run, beautifully-situated, Fishing Bay Yacht Club down in Deltaville, Va., on the southern Chesapeake Bay, the regatta was blessed with excellent winds, a great crowd of sailors, and a Laser-loving chef, Alain Vincey, who cooked up a spectacular Saturday-evening dinner. Even the camping was nice.

Read the rest of the article on Sailing World’s blog.

Jon’s Laser District 11 Championship Regatta Highlight Film

Here’s Jon Deutsch’s highlight film from this weekend’s Laser District 11 Championship Regatta at FBYC.

2011 District 11 Championship and US Sailing Singlehanded Championship Area C Elimination Results

Nice wind and plenty of racing were just two of the themes from the 36-boat District 11 Championship and US Sailing Singlehanded Championship Area C Elimination at Fishing Bay Yacht Club May 14-15.  John MacCausland, from Cooper River Yacht Club, posted 4 bullets and 3 seconds to win the standard rig District 11 Championship and the berth at the US Sailing Singlehanded National Championship in July.  Eric Reitinger from Brant Beach Yacht Club finished second while Luke Shingledecker from Severn Sailing Association finished 3^rd.

Radial Start by Stephen Boling Photography

In the Radial fleet Mathew Schofield’s (AYC/SSA) consistency with all top 3 finishes pushed him to the podium as the top Radial and top junior.  Austin Powers was the top Fishing Bay Yacht Club sailor finishing second while Ben Buhl, also from Fishing Bay Yacht Club round out the top 3.  Dorian Haldeman from Severn Sailing Association was the top woman and won the Women’s berth in the US Sailing Singlehanded National Championship.

The racing on Saturday saw overcast skies and winds hovering in the 12-14 range most of the day from the south east.  All of the starts were clean on the generous line.  The first 3 races were 5-leg windward lewards.  The wind increased briefly for the 4^th race of the day and a triangle was run with some pretty screaming reaches.  The final race of the day was another Windward-Leward.

The sailors and race committee were treated to great food and camaraderie Saturday night.  We were lucky to have all of the rain come through in the evening hours rather than while racing.

Standard rig mark rounding  by Stephen Boling Photography

Sunday was another beautiful day with mostly sunny conditions and a little less wind this time from the south.  While the shifty winds might have given the RC a few fits trying to set a square starting line, they were no match for locals Dan Herlihy and Jon Deutsch winning 2 and 1 of the 3 races on Sunday respectively.

The front of the Radial fleet was hotly contested between Matthew Schofield, Ben Buhl and Austin Powers all racing in a tight pack up top.  Dorian Haldeman put 9 points between her and runner-up Karen Long (SSA) to secure her title.  Cheryl Ryan finished 3^rd in the Women’s division.

All in all it was a wonderful weekend of racing.  The weather cooperated, the racing competitive, the food fantastic and the sailors had a lot of fun.  David Lee and his crew on Race Committee did an excellent job running races. We’d like to thank Fishing Bay Yacht Club for hosting our District Championship and we’re looking forward to having the Laser sailors back October 14-15 for the Chesapeake Bay Laser Masters Regatta.

Complete Results can be found here.

Some off the water photos are posted here and on-the-water photos by Steven Boling Photography have been posted here.

Jon Deutsch’s onboard highlight video is here.

1st Radial & 1st Junior Matthew Schofield; 1st Woman Dorian Haldeman; Event Chair Jon Deutsch; 1st Standard John MacCausland

Welcome to the Laser District 11 Championship

For everyone who will be joining us for the Laser District 11 Championship and US Sailing Singlehanded Championship Area C Elimination this weekend I would like to welcome you to Fishing Bay Yacht Club. We have a great regatta planned and a great group of competitors coming so it should be a lot of fun.

The great news about the weather for this weekend is that we should have good wind. Not the epic wind of the Masters regatta we’ve had the past couple years, but a nice ~10-15 out of the South East. The not-so-great news is that the current weather forecast has a chance of rain and storms for both days. We’ll keep our eyes sky and do our best to sail around whatever is thrown at us.

A few notes for those who are new to FBYC or reminders for those who have been here before.
DOCUMENTS
Here is the Notice of Race
And the Sailing Instructions have now been posted to the club website

ENTRY LIST
http://www.fbyc.net/Registration/Reports/RPTPublic?event_id=1074

We are expecting about 35-40 boats.

 

DIRECTIONS
Directions to FBYC can be found at: http://www.fbyc.net/Club/Directions

PARKING AND LAUNCHING
Anyone arriving on Friday is more than welcome to go for a sail. Please park boats either in the ‘Laser Coral’ directly in front of the main club-house, or in the field directly adjacent to the pool. Please park cars around the outside of the Laser Coral or along the fence on the west side of the club property.

There are two launching ramps. The first is the concrete ramp between the club and the pool. The other is the grass ramp on the east side of the property. At the bottom of both is a beach for leaving dollies, etc while we are sailing. Hoses for wash down are located near the junior shed at the top of the grass ramp, and between the isles of Flying Scots and Mobjacks.

REGISTRATION & CHECK IN
Registration and check in will be open from 8am to 9:45am Saturday morning. If you have pre-registered you still will need to check in. Please help us keep things running smoothly by checking in as soon as you are parked an settled, but before rigging your boat. Dinner tickets and pinnies will be distributed at check-in. (here’s what the pinnies look like)

BREAKFAST
We will have breakfast available both Saturday and Sunday morning at the club starting around 8am. It will consist of muffins, bagels, coffee and juice.

DINNER
Dinner will be served at approximately 6:30pm Saturday evening. The exact time, not sooner than 6, will be determined once everyone is off the water and we can be sure everyone has had adequate time to de-rig and clean up. We’ll try to get Alain a fast tow in so dinner doesn’t get pushed back too much. Water, soft drinks, beer and wine will be available and are included in the dinner.

LUNCHES AND SNACKS
We will have water and Gatorade available on the water on Saturday and as supplies allow on Sunday. The boat with these supplies will be announced at the skippers’ meeting.

WEATHER Saturday the temperature should be in the 60-70’s mid-day with wind 10-15 out of the SE. Sunday is lighter winds and similar temperatures. Slight chance of thunderstorms both days.

Weather: http://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/findweather/getForecast?query=23043 Wind: http://co-ops.nos.noaa.gov/ofs/cbofs/wind_forecast.shtml Tide: http://www.mobilegeographics.com:81/locations/2861.html Weather Buoy (located 2 miles NW of the sailing area in the Chesapeake Bay: http://www.buoybay.org/m/sting.php Nautical Chart of Fishing Bay

CAMPING
Camping at FBYC is welcomed and encouraged. For those who are camping, please camp only the designated area. The designated area for camping is on the North side of the property near the east bathhouse. There will be a sign.

There are 3 buildings on the club property and each has restroom/shower facilities. Feel free to use whatever is most convenient.

OTHER
Please note that pets are not allowed on FBYC property. Please leave your pets at home.

That’s about it. I should be around the club around 3pm on Friday. If you have any questions I prefer email jon@laserdistrict11.org and will have access to it throughout the weekend. I can also be reached by phone or text message at 804-305-1244

Please drive safely and see you this weekend.

Jon Deutsch
Event Chairman

District 11 Championship a Week and a Half Away

Sailors are coming from all over to sail in the District 11 Championship May 14-15 at Fishing Bay Yacht Club.  Not only is this event the Grand Prix Championship worth 20 Grand Prix points, but the top man and women win the right to represent Area C (VA, MD, NJ, DE, west PA) in the US Sailing Singlehanded Championship.

We’ve got got sailors coming from Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina and one (Rob Overton) flying in from overseas to sail.  Check out the entry list so far.

With 30 sailors already committed to coming, we should easily top 40 by race day.  Sign up now to be sure we will have a pinnie for you.  Check out the NOR and see you there!

District 11 Championship NOR

The Notice of Race for the Laser District 11 Championship & US Sailing Singlehanded Championship Area C Elimination has been posted and online registration is now open. The program will include starts for both Standard Rig boats and Radials.  If 5 4.7s register, there will be a start for them too.  The top finishing male entrant in the Standard Rig fleet and the top female from the Radial fleet will qualify for the US Sailing Singlehanded Championship in July.  There’s also 20 ILCA-NA Grand Prix points up for grabs in each of the fleets.

Fishing Bay Yacht Club in Deltaville, Virginia will be hosting the regatta on May 14-15 and has a fantastic program lined up.  FBYC is famous for it’s Chesapeake Bay Laser Masters regatta each fall.  For those who haven’t reached masters vintage, this is a great opportunity to sail at a beautiful club with a great sailing location on the mouth of the Piankatank Regatta.  FBYC has beach launching, plenty of room to rig, and space to tent camp.  Or if you are not up for camping, there’s a couple motels and some nice B&B’s a short distance from the club.  Included in the registration for competitors are a Saturday night dinner as well as breakfast both mornings and after race beverages.

The first so many registrants will a get unique and useful regatta souvenir.  Supplies are limited, so register early!

District 11 Championship Date

Fishing Bay Yacht Club will be hosting the 2011 District 11 Championship on May 14-15, 2011.  Fleets for standard rigs and radials are expected.  The top twenty boats in each fleet will receive up to 20 Grant Prix points in the International Laser Class Association North American Region Grand Prix Series.

The event will also serve as the US Sailing Singlehanded Championship Area C Elimination.  The top men’s sailor in the standard rig fleet and the top woman in the Radial fleet will win a berth to compete for the George D. O’Day trophy at the US Singlehanded Championship on the Columbia River Gorge on July 21-24.

About District 11

The 11^th District of the International Laser Class Association North American Region covers Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and West Virginia.  With 12 fleets around the Chesapeake Bay and Deep Creek Lake, hundreds of sailors race Lasers each year.  40+ laser regattas are held annually in the district in addition to dozens of other race days including weeknight racing and winter frostbite sailing.  Each year District 11 sponsors a championship regatta for both Standard and Radial rig fleets to crown their champion and award 20 points in the ILCA-NA Grand Prix Series.  http://laserdistrict11.org

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.  24 Men will compete in the standard rig while 24 women compete in the Radial rig.  Sailors can win a berth by being the winner of one of several major Laser Regattas, by being the National Champion in the Sunfish, Finn and MC Scow Classes, or by winning one of the area qualifiers.  To be selected for the Singlehanded Championship Sailors must be 16 years of age, a US Sailing Member and to qualify from Area C, must reside in sailing areas for CBYRA, BBYRA, MAYRA, NJYRA or DCYRA.

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