Daily Lift - Offseason Planning by Bob Adam

Fleet Maintenance by Bob Adam of Zim Sailing - Ask yourself these questions about your fleet after the season - Do we patch our boats to squeak one more year out of them? Do we clean them up to sell? When is the right time to turn our fleet? What boats are right for us? Waiting until next season can create more work and at a greater expense!

College Sailing Recap: Women’s Regis Bowl

By Samantha Bobo

Boston University hosted last weekend’s Regis Bowl, a women’s collegiate sailing event, on the Charles River in Boston, Mass. Sixteen teams readied themselves for what would prove to be more challenging conditions than any other venue seen this season. Previous winner, Dartmouth, was back and with a decent showing at their home event last weekend. Also looking to contend were the Tufts Jumbos who’s B division pair placed second in the Mrs. Hurst Bowl last weekend. Yale, Brown, URI and Harvard were also looking to show collegiate sailing that their ladies are the best in NEISA.  In spite of the variability in the wind and pressure, the Roger Williams Lady Hawks proved their tenacity in the tricky conditions winning the event by 15 points over second place Tufts. Third place Yale rounded out the top three with an overall score of 130 points.

Chalk Talk Season 7 Episode 1: Season Premiere!

Welcome back to Chalk Talk!  We're also happy to welcome back US Sailing as our presenting sponsor for this 7th season of the show.  Each week we'll tell you about all the movers and shakers in college sailing and point out who to watch in the upcoming weekend.

If you or someone you know is a college sailor, we have an amazing deal: a four-year US Sailing membership just for college sailors, at a fraction of the cost of the full adult membership.  Sound good?  http://ussailing.org/college for details and to sign up now.

This week we look at the regattas past and future and take a hard look at the issues surrounding the current Nationals media contract scandal that has been rocking the ICSA email list.  Is this the first you've heard of it?  See below for resources to get you caught up.

Spread the good word!  Like Chalk Talk on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/collegesailingchalktalk

This week's show:
Weekend Review  1:29
Upcoming Weekend  3:07
Predictions   3:52
Feature Story:   5:04

Resources:
Techscore (All ICSA Results)      http://scores.collegesailing.org
Hood Results        http://goo.gl/SQXXr
St. Mary's Fall Results      http://goo.gl/jMPVs
The "Open Letter" by Fran Charles    http://goo.gl/oa3RB
ICSA Executive Committee Statement to Chalk Talk http://goo.gl/qAj6m
Mitch Brindley Letter to Board of Directors   http://goo.gl/XB9Jp

Daily Lift - Speaker Series

What is the US Sailing Speaker Series? The Speaker Series program was first created in 2005 as a grassroots, educational series delivering high quality seminars to cruising and racing sailors nationwide. Our speakers discuss a wide range of relevant sailing topics, from racing rules and tactics to cruising and sailing around the world. US Sailing will provide a speaker and cocktail party for your club and members. The cocktail party is provided by Old Pulteney and can take place before or after the speaking segment. Want to host? Contact Brian Welsh at brianwelsh@ussailing.org.

Daily Lift - Sponsorship Tip

If your looking for a sponsor, keep in mind that most national sponsors require 6 to 8 weeks to evaluate a sponsorship proposal. - Ken Taylor

Daily Lift - Setting up the hull

Setting up the hull: Most of the time, you will probably leave the hull rigged, but it's always a good idea to give it a quick look over before you leave the dock just to make sure it's safe and ready to go. Check over the hiking straps, bailers and airbags.

Daily Lift - Maintenance Tips from Nick Turney

Are you looking for ways to help maintain the integrity of your mast and all its parts? Nick Turney recommends several products.

Harken McLube is a dry teflon based lubricant which can be used on areas you do not want to be penetrated by salt water. T-9 is a grease lubricant which can be used on moving parts such as sheave boxes and spinnaker pole tracks. Harken One Drop is another grease lubricant for use on moving parts. Tefgel can be used on turnbuckles to prevent corrosion and also aid in lubrication.

College Sailing: Mrs. Hurst Bowl Recap

By Samantha Bobo

Teams from all over the country convened on Mascoma Lake in Enfield, NH last Saturday for the Mrs. Hurst Bowl, hosted by Dartmouth College. Twenty-two teams, including powerhouses Old Dominion, Boston College, Yale and Roger Williams, came to duke it out at this women’s intersectional.  Connecticut College, the 2011 winners, were back to try and defend their title. Last year’s second place team and 6th ranked Yale was also in the field of teams. Georgetown and Old Dominion were also vying for a top three finish with the help of new freshman. After two days of windy, shifty conditions the Yale Bulldogs were able to assert their dominance with Claire Dennis and Katherine Gaumond crushing B division with a lead of 45 points over second place Tufts, as well as a solid third place finish by their A division pair - Emily Billing and Amanda Salvesen. This strong finish in both divisions indicates that the Yale ladies could be a force to be reckoned with through the rest of this fall season.
 
Competitors on day one were greeted with chilly weather and a building north-northwest breeze. Considered to be “truly champagne conditions,” the wind was a steady 15 knots with gusts to 20 and the sun was shining brilliantly into the valley as the ladies took to the water. There were steady, whitecapped waves rolling down the lake as the race committee blew the first start at roughly 10:00am that morning.

Mascoma Lake is a challenging venue to sail for even the best sailors, as the surrounding mountains act as barriers creating strange shifts that come across the lake in puffs that could either make or break your race. The key to success in such shifty conditions was to distinguish the difference between a small knock and a massive header. The right and left shifts tended to be huge, lasting 3-5 minutes at a time, allowing boats in phases to come almost close to layline in one tack. It came down to doing one’s prestart homework on which side is favored now? How long do I have till it shifts back? Starting in phase, in pressure, and on the lifted tack was essential to good position in every race. The surrounding geography was hilly and caused the sides of the course to fill before the middle, so if one was stuck on the midline as a shift came through, they could expect to stall and drop back a few places. This feature made playing the sides strategic, in that one had to commit to a side and almost guess at which was going to be the favored side in the end. After sailing four sets in both A and B division, racing was called for the day with the Yale Bulldogs were on top by a solid 38 points, followed by Boston College and Tufts.

On day two, the sun was shining and the wind, while still puffy and shifty had calmed to an easy 6-12 knots. Teams showed up to rig at 9:30 am and took to the water for a 10:15 am first start. The A division sailors took to the water first, showing the spectators and waiting B sailors on land that they could expect the same “inconsistent consistency” they had experienced the day before. The gusts were smaller and at points the wind would die almost entirely, then fill again from the sides, which made being caught in the middle a near “death” sentence. This made catching the correct shifts and being in phase off the line even more important than it had been the day before, because the pressure was just as inconsistent as the wind direction. After numerous general recalls, and one race abandoned, the race committee concluded the day with two more sets for both divisions for 12 races total.

The Mrs. Hurst Bowl is a women’s ICSA event named for the wife of Captain Hurst, a naval officer who came to Dartmouth College to reform the ROTC program and coach the sailing team. Congratulations again to Yale for winning the 2012 Mrs. Hurst Bowl and thank you to Mrs. Hurst for providing the incredibly tasty baked goods for the event. Dartmouth College would also like to thank alums Ed Jude Glackin ('11) and (Bernie Roesler '12) for dedicating their time to their former team and helping run the event.

For more info and full results click on the link below:
http://scores.collegesailing.org/f12/mrs-hurst-bowl/

Daily Lift - Knots to MPH

 Did you know that 1 knot of breeze is equivalent to 1.15078 mph?

Daily Lift, Dave Perry's Racing Tip #6

Dave Perry points out that all bad starts are a result of a violation of one or more of six basic rules for getting a good start:

#6 Only try to win the start at the leeward end when you are 100 percent sure that you’ll win it.

For more tips and advice from Dave Perry see his book Winning in One Designs

Daily Lift - Dave Perry's Starting Tip #5

Dave Perry points out that all bad starts are a result of a violation of one or more of six basic rules for getting a good start:
#5 If you feel like being conservative and hanging back at the start, do it only at the windward end.

Come back next week for more Dave Perry starting tips!

Daily Lift - Dave Perry's Starting Tip #4

Dave Perry points out that all bad starts are a result of a violation of one or more of six basic rules for getting a good start:
#4 Don’t ever go in to leeward of a boat in final seconds before the start unless you are 100 percent sure you’ll make it out into clear air on the other side.

Remember to come back tomorrow for more starting tips from Dave Perry!

Daily Lift - Dave Perry's Starting Tip #3

Dave Perry points out that all bad starts are a result of a violation of one or more of six basic rules for getting a good start:

#3 Start as close as possible to the boat to windward of you, and as far as possible from the boat to leeward of you.

Remember to come back tomorrow for more racing tips from Dave Perry!

Daily Lift: Dave Perry's Starting Tip #2

Dave Perry points out that all bad starts are a result of a violation of one or more of six basic rules for getting a good start:
#2 Start close to or at full speed, regardless of where you choose to start.

Remember to come back tomorrow for more starting tips from Dave Perry!

Dave Perry's Starting Tip #1

Dave Perry points out that all bad starts are a result of a violation of one or more of six basic rules for getting a good start:

1. Don’t get to the line too early and have to stop and wait for the gun.

Come back tomorrow for another starting tip from Dave Perry

Daily Lift - Fundraising Campaigns

There are several examples of different types of fundraising campaigns:

1. General or Broad Base Campaign (Annual Appeal) - smaller contributions
2. Membership
3. Major Gifts
4. Targeted Capital Campaign (bricks and mortar, endowment, scholarship fund)

Daily Lift - Fundraising Process

Successful fundraising requires a long-term commitment and investment.  It is not a short-term effort.

Process:

1. Suspects to prospects
2. Prospects to commitments
3. Commitments to cash
4. Renewal efforts

Daily Lift - Fundraising Basics

Here are a few considerations when setting out to generate funding for a sailing program:

• Understand/Define your target audience - suspects
• Tailor Message - emmotionally
• Priority and Expectations - where your program fits with potential donors

Daily Lift - Rules Quiz

As the powerboat approaches the sailboat from astern, the overtaking powerboat must keep clear. The overtaking boat must keep clear regardless of whether it is a powerboat or another sailboat. The one exception is large barges or vessels that are confined to deep channels of water.

Daily Lift - Rules Quiz

A sailboat is being approached from astern by a powerboat. The powerboat is rapidly gaining on the sailboat and is on course to run over the sailboat. Which boat must keep clear? Come back tomorrow for the answer!