West Coast Tour - The Two American Red Bull Youth America's Cup Teams

by Kate Sheahan
West Coast Tour Coordinator

Click to check out Two American Red Bull Youth America's Cup Teams, a set on Flickr.

AYSF on San Francisco Bay / Kate Sheahan

"We really did come from nothing, everything is built from the ground up. By winning we want to prove that for any kid who wants to do something like this, it is entirely possible. You don't need to be rich. You have to be smart. You have to be creative. You have to have the willpower and a little luck doesn't hurt; but ultimately if you work hard enough, anything can happen. We want to encourage more people to reach and step out of the box." Ian Andrewes, AYSF

The bills don't end once the sailing begins. The two American Red Bull Youth America's Cup teams may have Red Bull branding and

West Coast Tour - Long Point Race Week at Catalina Island

by Kate Sheahan
West Coast Tour Coordinator

West End of Catalina Island, courtesy of the Catalina Conservancy

You save, you get a slip, you get a boat, you might do the Summer Wednesday Night Beer Can Races and a lot of family-style cruising around your neighborhood waters - then what. If you are looking to broaden your "backyard" and have a bit of an adventure, then what better race than the three-day, three-part, Long Point Race Week complete with 40 boats sailing to, from, and along Santa Catalina Island. Catalina Island is a manageable 22 miles south-southwest of Los Angeles and the perfect taste of, fairly safe, offshore racing - but you can commute home at night. Who would want to miss the hosted festivities ashore at Whites and Moonstone

West Coast Tour - Melges 20 & 24 Pro Classes

by Kate Sheahan
West Coast Tour Coordinator

On board M24 Team Embarr for 2013 Worlds prep in SF Bay, CA

The easiest part of winning is to say you want to win, but as U.S. Rolex Yachtsman of the Year and Team Samba Pa Ti tactician, Terry Hutchinson, reminds us: "You have to be true and committed to the process of winning. As a pro sailor, you have to be willing to put in the hours to develop a winning combination, which takes a high level of work ethic every day that you show up to the boat." 

Some may worry that the pro racing classes have created a bit of an arms race, but as you will hear from some of the best in the business, the most important steps to success come from within. Hear what owners and pro sailors think are important qualities to building team camaraderie, and ultimately race wins, as they prepare for the 2013 Melges 24 World Championship in San Francisco this fall.

West Coast Tour - Dave Hughes, Olympic 49er Coach and US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider 470 Sailor, Talks about current at the San Francisco Bay Model

by Kate Sheahan
West Coast Tour Coordinator

When any waterman arrives in San Francisco it is helpful to pay a visit to the The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Bay Model in Sausalito to get up to speed. I stopped by with Dave Hughes, Olympic 49er Coach and 470 Sailor for US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider. In addition to his Olympic sailing, Dave works as a pro sailor and his next big event is the Melges 24 Worlds beginning October 1st in San Francisco's Berkeley Circle. Hear Dave explain how the current movement one can study at the Bay Model translates to important considerations in rig tune and sail choice for the ebb and flood tides on the actual racecourse.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Bay Model is a three-dimensional hydraulic model of San Francisco Bay and Delta areas capable of simulating tides and currents. The Model is over 1.5 acres in size and represents an area from the Pacific Ocean to Sacramento and Stockton, including: the San Francisco, San Pablo and Suisun Bays and a portion of the Sacramento - San Joaquin Delta.

While the Bay Model is still operational, it is no longer used for scientific research but is instead open to the public alongside educational exhibits about Bay hydrology. It offers a unique opportunity for teachers and students to learn about the geography, topography, ecology, and the human and natural history of the San Francisco Bay and Delta. The dynamic nature of the model allows students to observe tidal action and visualize currents and eddies, as they would actually occur in the Bay and Delta.The model is located in the Bay Model Visitor Center at 2100 Bridgeway Blvd. in Sausalito, CA.

Next, come aboard as Dave Hughes and I sail the Melges 24 Pacific Coast Championship at San Francisco Yacht Club with Olympic gold medalist Nathan Wilmot and team "Embarr." Follow the West Coast Tour on Twitter at @USSailing. 

Click to check out The West Coast Tour Schedule

West Coast Tour - A-Class Catamaran North Americans in Long Beach, CA

by Kate Sheahan
West Coast Tour Coordinator

After the 1993 Tornado Worlds, Olympic silver medalist and Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year, Pease Glaser, and husband Jay Glaser sailed their first A-Cats during a trip to Sweden. They were smitten, with more than each other, and vowed to help start a class in the United States. Pease, of Long Beach, CA, explains that the A-Cat class took a foothold in the U.S. in 1997 when Alamitos Bay Yacht Club hosted the World Championship. Over twenty-five years later the fleet is stronger than ever and has returned to its American birthplace in Long Beach for the International A-Class Catamaran North American Championship.

A-Class catamarans are the fastest single handed racing boats in the world, nearly all carbon and weighing as much as a competitor at a minimum of 165 pounds. Bob Hodges of Covington, LA and Pontchartrain Yacht Club describes, “there is nothing like going up wind at 10 knots and downwind at 20. We have world champions and Olympic champions, so there is always a great challenge to do well within the class.”

A collection of innovators themselves, class members are allowed to modify their boats within an 18 x 7.5-foot box. Chris Batchelor of Mission Bay Yacht Club, San Diego, points out that, “it is a developmental class, so events like the NA’s give competitors a chance to sail against a variety of boats. What is amazing is that although there are many different sail, mast, platform and board combinations, they all seem to tune together so the speed difference is not great. It ultimately comes down to who is sailing the boat.” Pease Glaser adds, “the boats are easy to sail, but hard to sail well.”

Bob Hodges recalls that, “when curved boards came out several years ago there was a lot of discussion that the class did not want to turn in to a foiling class, like a moth, however it is moving in the direction of an AC 72 in a very controlled fashion.” One of the first steps are the rudder winglets that have sprouted to temper fore and aft pitching, making the boats much more enjoyable to sail in breeze. Curved daggerboards, spaced at 1.5-meters, lighten the displacement and create a planing effect. He feels, “everything is moving in a really good direction, in terms of boats going faster and being easier to sail,” – an excellent status for class growth.

Matt Struble of San Diego, CA, built his as a design research and development project for Nissan Design. He explains that, “Nissan design is very open and forward looking, and automobiles like the Nissan LEAF, which have no fuel and no exhaust pipe, parallel sailboats – both friendly to the environment.” The A-Cat has become an opportunity for Nissan to explore new techniques, new materials, new process.” 

Jeremy Herrin of Sarasota, FL built his boat with his father. Felix Herrin smiles when he says, "where else is a Dad going to get the chance to spend 500 hours working with his sixteen-year-old son.” Their boat won its first regatta in Islamorada, FL. Next on the work list is a new rig and rudders as they await class-wide plans for foil packages.

Follow the West Coast Tour on Twitter at @USSailing as I check out the San Francisco Bay Model with US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider member - Dave Hughes, as he preps for the Melges 24 Worlds this fall, and then come aboard as we sail the Melges 24 Pacific Coast Championship at SFYC with Olympic gold medalist Nathan Wilmot on the mighty Embarr.

Click to check out The West Coast Tour Schedule

International A-Class Catamaran North American Championship 2013, a set on Flickr.