Chalk Talk Nationals Edition - Women's Preview

Chris and Jane look at the Sperry Top-Sider / ICSA Women's Semifinals and Finals taking place May 30-June 2 at Austin Yacht Club in Austin, TX. There are 27 teams total: 18 compete today and tomorrow morning to see who will move on top Finals. The top nine from Semifinals will face the nine teams who won automatic Finals berths this spring at their district qualifiers. Also up for discussion: Quantum Female College Sailor of the Year.

It's not too late to win Sperry Top-Siders for your college team! You have until June 6 to get the most US Sailing College memberships: http://ussailing.org/college

Daily Lift

In 18 knots of breeze, Laser X is about 10 seconds early for the start, so her helmsman leans back and drags his upper body in the water for 5 seconds, effectively slowing the boat and permitting a proper start. Having witnessed this, a competitor protests Laser X. You are on the protest committee; how do you decide this? Come back tomorrow for the answer.

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Erik Storck of the U.S. Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider is competing in the 2012 Olympics in the 49er class.  In 2004 Erik won the U.S. Youth Championship in the Club 420 Class.

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Craig Leweck shares the purpose of an event website: Provides competitors with event information in advance, communicates competition information to others, gives event sponsors a greater amount of exposure, and allows for archiving information.

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Jay Kehoe shares his perspective on Jr. Sailing in that it is essential that an organization's Learn to Sail Program receive the most funding and retain the best coaches. Would you build a house with your least expensive materials on the foundation?

US Sailing Statement on Kiteboarding Decision

Prepared by Dean Brenner, US Sailing Board Member and Chairman, Olympic Sailing Committee

Every four years, difficult decisions are made about Olympic sailing events. The choices made always leave some part of the sailing community frustrated and feeling, at least on some level, disenfranchised. I say this as a former Soling sailor who was quite upset with decisions made in November 2000, and a long-time keelboat sailor who did not agree with the recent decisions to exclude keelboats from the Games entirely. I know, first hand, how it feels to have the part of the sport I care most about excluded.

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In 2011 US Sailing supported and funded disabled sailing programs, including the USOC’s Military Sailing Camp for disabled men and women in the service.

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Learn about Vectran with Steve Maddox. Vectran is one of the newest high-tech lines made from liquid crystal polymer. It is made with very strong fiber with minimal stretch and no propensity to creep. It has excellent abrasion resistance and is not subject to fatigue like Aramids. The material has poor UV resistance so needs to be used inside a cover.

Summer Sailstice Sailing Celebration

By John Arndt

Summer Sailstice - June 23, 2012

What’s the point of a global sailing celebration?  The diversity and factions within sailing often seem to pit sailor against sailor competing for attention for their particular form of participation.  Summer Sailstice, now in its 12th year, is conceived as a way to unite this diverse and widely dispersed sailing culture by bringing visibility, showcasing the varied paths to participation – and having some fun getting all sailors to sail ‘together’ wherever they are.  

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Paige Railey of the US Team Sperry Top-Sider will be competing in the 2012 Olympics. The Laser Radial sailor is a three-time champion at the US Junior Women's Singlehanded Championship.

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Racing tip by Dave Perry - Avoid Denial: In most situations, you know if your start is going to be good or not by the final minute before the gun. The sooner you can realize you aren’t going to break on through to the front row; the sooner you can tack and head for the right, while looking for a better hole or a lane on port tack in clear air. Remember, no one can go anywhere before the gun, so use all the time before the gun to find a better position.

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Team Building - The closer your junior sailing program staff is, the better your program will be and the greater likelihood of your staff returning next. Building a close staff can be done by doing team building exercises during staff orientation, cookouts, staff outings, competitions, etc.

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Gary Jobson gives incite to yacht clubs. In regards to membership, clubs are tribal in nature and the emotional component is important to consider. People like the sense of belonging.

Chalk Talk Episode 10

In this regular season finale, Chris and Jane recap the ICSA Semifinals, qualifying 18 teams to the ICSA/Gill Coed Dinghy Nationals in Austin. Get yourself caught up before the Big Show, beginning May 30 with ICSA/Sperry Top-Sider Women's Semifinals.

College sailors: you have only two weeks to get your team in the running for Sperry Top-Siders! Get your US Sailing College Membership at http://ussailing.org/college. The team with the most members gets outfitted by Sperry Top-Sider.

Don't miss Chris Love Productions' coverage of the 2012 ICSA Nationals, Presented by Maclaren. More details at http://2012nationals.collegesailing.org.

Daily Lift

Nick Turney of North Sails gives you some tips on mast butt placement, before you can step your mast you need to make sure that your mast butt is in the correct positions. Your mast butt controls your rake; the angle of the mast in the boat controls the position of the center of effort over the center of resistance. Too much rake aft, or the shortening the distance between the top of the mast and the back of the boat will generate weather help while too little mast rake, or moving the mast tip forward will generate lee helm.

Sailing After College… What now?

By Caitlin Niemic

A year ago, I was a stressed out college senior who didn’t know what the future held for me after graduation.  I knew I had to enter the “real world” but wasn’t sure how.  Not to mention, this would be the first time in seven years that I wasn’t going to teach sailing.  After applying for what seemed like hundreds of jobs in my field, Communications, I thought wouldn’t it be great if I could just teach sailing year-round?  That’s when I began my search for a career in the field of… Sailing.

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When Anna Tunnicliffe won a gold medal in the women’s singlehanded dinghy (Laser Radial), she was the first American woman to bring home sailing gold in 20 years.

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Rainy day idea: Human Knot. Get a group of kids together, everyone stands in a close huddle and holds the hand of two different people but not of anyone directly next to you. Once everyone has two hands the human knot has been created! You must unchain the knot without letting go of each others hands. Have fun problem solving and team building!

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Dave Perry simpifies starts for us, "Just like buying a new home, the key to getting a good start is location, location, location."

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Junior Sailing Staff Selection: A competent staff is the cornerstone to a successful program. Staff is ultimately the benchmark by which the program will be measured. It is the front line, and interacts with users every day. Their effectiveness as leaders, friends, teachers, problem solvers, and role models will determine whether your program is worthwhile and memorable.

Chalk Talk Episode 9

The regular college sailing season is winding to a close, with the last few districts finalizing their Nationals spots.  This weekend we begin the post season with the ICSA Semifinals in Annapolis.  Chris and Jane give an in-depth look at this regatta and point out the teams to watch this weekend for the 18 spots to ICSA / Gill Dinghy Nationals in June.

College sailors, the team that brings in the most college memberships will be outfitted by our partner Sperry Top-Sider.  Tuffts University currently leads this contest, but there is plenty of time to bring your team into the lead.  Find more info about our special $95 four year College Membership.

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"There is no one right way to develop a strong foundation for your children, but by thinking about the values and ideals you want your child to build in the sport of sailing, you can be more confident that you are making the right decisions for YOUR family."- Jessica Mohler

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The U.S.A. is the undisputed leader in Olympic Sailing with a total medal record of 59, with 29 of those medals won over just the last six Olympiads.

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Building Effective class websites with Doug Stumberger: Know your users. There are a variety of people who will visit your site, including those looking to learn more, the casually interested, people on a mission to buy/sell or find crew, those participating in the class and you cannot forget family and friends!

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Dave Perry recommends to duck to escape if you need to. If you are on port tack heading right in search of clear air, avoid the temptation to leebow a starboard tacker! Unless you will be tacking into a clear air lane that you can hold for at least a minute, the tack to starboard is normally more costly than ducking the starboard tacker. Remember, if there is a port tack boat overlapped to leeward of you that is about to duck a starboard tack boat, she has to give you room to duck as well (see rule 19.2(b)).

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SunAWARE explains that UPF 50 (Ultraviolet Protection Factor) means that the material would block 49/50 UV rays.

Chalk Talk Episode 8

The season is already winding down with the final inter conference last weekend and the last of the Nationals qualifiers this weekend. Find out whose season is ending and whose is just beginning--even if you think you know, we've got a few surprises for you. Plus, the last Sailing World national rankings and the last Better Know A District. Don't be the last to know: watch Chalk Talk right now.

College sailors! Win Sperry Top-Siders! Sign up for your US Sailing membership at http://ussailing.org/college

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Dave Elwell emphasizes that every yacht club should host something that is unique and makes the club special, for example New York Yacht Club promotes it’s tradition for hosting signature events.

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At the 1992 Olympic Games of Barcelona, the Sailing venue was included as part of the Olympic Village for the very first time.

Sailing Fitness with Bow Down Training

On the Wire

By Chris Herrera

I had my first experience crewing a 49er in Palma, Spain with Erik Storck. I have previously crewed a 470 with both Stu McNay and Amanda Clark. Sailing on these boats gives me a feel for what the athletes go through. Although I have been building programs for athletes that both skipper and crew both boats for approximately six years, this was my first time actually doing the work on the boat.

In this blog entry, I will take this first-hand experience and incorporate what my body felt into the workouts I build, while giving you tips.

2012 NEISA Team Race Championship

By Kelly Stannard

The 2012 NEISA Team Race Championship was hosted by MIT at the Wood Sailing Pavilion on the Charles River in Cambridge Massachusetts this past weekend. This event determined which three NEISA teams earned berths to the ICSA Team Race Nationals. With twelve talented teams, racing was tight and the fight for the top three spots was intense. This was to be expected with the amount of capable teams sharing the similar goal of being in the top three. After a qualification round, teams were broken into a top eight and a consolation round, two full rounds of top eight were sailed before the final round of six.

At the end of the day Sunday, there was a three-way tie for first with the top teams all finishing with a record of 13-6. Boston College went 2-1 against both Roger Williams and Brown and Brown went 3-0 against Roger Williams. With these tie-breakers Boston College takes first, Brown second, and Roger Williams takes the third berth to the ICSA Team Race Nationals.

Daily Lift

Dodge Morgan was the first American to sail solo nonstop around the world aboard the 60-foot sloop American Promise. Mr. Morgan slipped into the port of St. George, Bermuda, at 1:31 p.m. on April 11, 1986, completing the 27,000-mile circumnavigation in 150 days 1 hour 6 minutes. He had sailed out of Bermuda on Nov. 12, 1985. The voyage — often through roiling seas and occasionally past icebergs — shattered the previous record of 292 days set by a British sailor, Chay Blyth, in 1971.