Sailing Updates From Around The World

B Roll for Rolex Big Boat Series

WHO: 66 sailing teams from across the country

WHAT: 48th Rolex Big Boat Series 2012

WHERE: St. Francis Yacht Club, on the Marina

WHEN: Started Thursday (Sept. 6), concludes on Sunday (Sept. 9)

The four-day regatta, which is in its 48th edition, doubles as the IRC North American Championship and features a new Cat class that mirrors the excitement of the speedy catamarans seen competing in the America’s Cup World Series events held here on San Francisco Bay.

Fast And Formidable
Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup
Porto Cervo, Italy

A fleet of 34 international Maxi yachts are braced for tomorrow’s start to competitive action at the 2012 Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, held in Porto Cervo, Sardinia. Five days of racing are scheduled for the 23rd edition of this annual contest, open to Maxi yachts upwards of 18.29 metres. Boats representing fourteen different countries make up the entry list from the smallest competitor – the 18.30m Mini Maxi @robas (FRA) – to the gigantic 66m Supermaxi Hetairos (CY). A stunning spectacle is always guaranteed when the world’s most technologically impressive Maxis lock horns in the challenging and scenic racecourses offered by the Costa Smeralda and the Maddalena Archipelago.

Ever since its inception in 1980, the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup has represented a rare for opportunity for Maxi yachts to engage exclusively in direct competition. It has also been synonymous with the latest developments in yacht design and technology. 2012 is no exception as three eagerly-anticipated new launches prepare to make their bow: Charles Dunstone’s 30.47m Wally Hamilton (GBR) and two new entries in the intriguing Mini Maxi Rolex World Championship: Hap Fauth’s 21.94m Bella Mente (USA) and the similarly sized Stig (ITA), owned by Alessandro Rombelli.

Edoardo Recchi, Sporting Director of event organizer the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda (YCCS), believes a vintage edition is in store, revealing: “We are very happy to have a fleet of 34 boats with a number sailing here for the first time. The Mini Maxi Rolex World Championship, in particular, will be very competitive because all the Mini Maxis are, from a certain point of view, as good as new, with many having changed keels or rigs.” As Recchi confirms, the week will be a test of each crew’s resolve and endurance: “For the Maxis and Supermaxis five coastal races are planned and for the Mini Maxis and Wallys there will be three coastal races and four windward/leeward races.” Tomorrow, coastal races are scheduled for the event’s five classes (Maxi Racing, Maxi Racing/Cruising, Mini Maxi, Supermaxi and Wally).

A number of this season's most successful boats are in attendance. Sir Peter Ogden’s 18.90m Mini Maxi Jethou (GBR) triumphed in May’s Rolex Volcano Race; Filip Balcaen’s 34.13m Nilaya (GBR) won line honours at that same event and returns to Porto Cervo to defend her Supermaxi class title. Igor Simcic’s 30.48m Esimit Europa 2 (SLO) has enjoyed a stellar year, smashing the race record at the recent Giraglia Rolex Cup before arriving in Sardinia in style, setting a new fastest time between Monte Carlo and Porto Cervo.

The third running of the Mini Maxi Rolex World Championship is likely to be one of the week’s most eye-catching contests. The previous two editions have been claimed by the 21.91m Rán 2 (GBR). Niklas Zennström’s fully professional crew start off as favourites, but the competition will be determined and races decided by the merest fractions. Strength in depth across the Championship is provided by the revamped Jethou, George Sakellaris’ 21.80m Shockwave (USA), Stig and the 21.01m Caol Ila R (USA), the former Alegre – second place finishers in 2010 and 2011 – as Alex Schärer and his crew make the transition from their racer/cruiser of the same name.

Brand-new Bella Mente (USA), counting on the expertise of 2006 ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Mike Sanderson, concedes nothing to Rán 2 in terms of length although the crew have the challenge of tackling the competition for the first time. “We’re really excited,” remarks Sanderson. “The Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup is one of the great events on the calendar, where the fascination is seeing all of the hardware together - a collection of amazing boats in terms of power and sail.” Sanderson is expecting a baptism of fire: “In the Mini Maxi class, the level is very high. The other guys currently have a bit more refinement and finesse including Rán who are a very polished act with a very consistent crew.”

Navigators are facing a difficult time predicting what the week’s weather will provide: “The forecast is really tricky,” confirms Sanderson. “There is a low settling off to the west of Sardinia. Some forecasts are saying 50 knots and others five! So we are in for a pretty changeable week.”

The Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup is organized by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda and the International Maxi Association, prestigious organizations with close ties to Rolex. A first-class social programme is in store, including the Rolex Crew Party and the final Prize-Giving Ceremony, where the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cups and Rolex timepieces will be presented to the winners.

EVENT PROGRAMME

Sunday, 2 September
Inspections, registration and briefing
Welcome Reception

Monday, 3 September
Race(s)

Tuesday, 4 September
Race(s)

Wednesday, 5 September
Race(s)

Thursday, 6 September
Lay day or resail

Friday, 7 September
Race (s)
Rolex Crew Party

Saturday, 8 September
Race(s)
Final Prize-Giving

How To Follow Event??

Further information on the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup may be found at www.yccs.it

Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup
Porto Cervo, Italy
GO WITH THE WIND

The 47 crews from 12 countries and territories present at the 2011 Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup are keeping a close eye on the weather forecast ahead of tomorrow’s scheduled start to this eye-catching regatta. The outlook is lively. After a potent and contrasting cocktail of thunderstorms and benign winds was served over the weekend, predictions are for gusts of up to 30-35 knots for tomorrow’s proceedings. Hitting the ground running will be the order of the day for what promises to be a closely-contested and dramatic week of on-the-water action. Crews were busy training this morning, testing sails and honing manoeuvres. With the wind speed increasing after lunch, and to avoid any unwanted hitches, most crews sat out the afternoon. The regatta is scheduled to start at 11:30 CEST with coastal racing for all categories.

Skippers' Meeting

Skippers' Briefing Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup Video Preview Porto Cervo Marina

Sixteen of the 47 crews will take part in the second Mini Maxi Rolex World Championship, open to yachts from 18.29 - 20.48 metres. Many of these crews have significant miles in their sails after an arduous season’s racing. Some other statistics: eight yachts will compete in the Supermaxi category, those in excess of 30.5m. The largest yacht in attendance is Albert Buell’s Saudade (GER). A mammoth148-ft. It is a privilege that she held in 2010.

Elsewhere 23 Maxi yachts will lock horns in the category of racing dedicated to the 24.09-30.5m racers. The fastest of these is predicted to be Igor Simcic’s Esimit Europa 2 (SLO). Sir Irvine Laidlaw’s 82-ft Wally hybrid Highland Fling (MON) is expected to provide her closest rival. In terms of nationalities, the largest contingent is unsurprisingly from Italy, with 16 of the 47 crews from the peninsula. The 12 British-flagged yachts represent the most significant foreign collection.

Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup Video Preview

Ready to race

Peter Craig is the Principal Race Officer. He and the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda (YCCS) Race Committee are braced for an intense week. “As usual it is a terrific fleet broken into four different classes,” enthuses Craig, “the Wally’s are as strong as ever, with 11 boats for a very close competition. Then there are the Mini Maxis going for the Rolex World Championship and there’s no telling how that is going to end up. Plus there will be some excellent racing in the Maxi racer/cruiser and the Supermaxi classes.”

Finding the balance is an important part of the race committee’s mission. “There’s four starts every day, a lot of action and some of the best talent you will find anywhere in the world,” explains Craig, “every day we hope two classes will compete in windward/leewards with multiple races and the other two classes in a coastal race. It is a real challenge for the race management team to get it done and get it done right, making sure the coastal race is taken care of whilst giving real quality windward/leewards.” Admittedly, the role of Principal Race Officer is not always an easy one. “In any sport if the competitors are talking about race officials or referees you are not doing your job well,” continues Craig, “so hopefully you won’t hear my name spoken very much! We are looking to give everyone fair racing and just the amount of racing they want.”

Porto Cervo Marina

The conditions for the first few days look attractive, a forecast which has brought a smile to those looking for a bit of adventure: “The weather looks challenging and is going to produce big breezes early in the week and then taper off. We may have some upper end breeze on Tuesday and Wednesday, right on the edge inside the strait of Bonifacio, so that will be interesting.”

As crews around the resplendent marina unload equipment, conduct training debriefs and discuss tactics, Craig closes: What stands out is the talent, just look at the afterguards across the board in all four classes. It is like a who’s who and that raises the game for everybody. The best people in the world are sailing here this week….

Who is who

Craig’s eulogy undoubtedly includes Francesco de Angelis and Juan Vila, two men who have ticked almost every box in the sport.

De Angelis is part of the afterguard on the 68-ft Alegre (GBR): “We have had two days of practice just to get familiar again with the place, go through the sail inventory and make sure everything is ready to go. The wind is expected to build for tomorrow, the weather in this part of the world is variable though and we will see how strong it is.”

Alegre has had a busy campaign of offshore racing and the transition to five intense days of competition has to be a considered one: “It is a different game, from long offshores to the windward/leewards,” adds de Angelis, “however, the team is very experienced and you just have to change your frame of mind and practices. Certainly in these races, you have less leisure to perform manoeuvres.”

In terms of competition, Alegre which finished in second in the 2010 Mini Maxi Rolex Worlds, is braced for a charged week: “Rán are definitely strong competitors,” closes de Angelis, “we have to be consistent, make no mistakes as we face strong competition. However, we are not just two boats competing, you have to deal with the other fourteen as well.”

As navigator on the 100-ft Esimit Europa 2 (SLO), Vila has been focusing on the potential weather forecast and diverse course options: “The first days promise fresh breeze and exciting racing, which with our boat means we have to be careful as we will be reaching fast speeds. We’ve taken some heavy weather jibs onboard and the offshore mainsail, in case we race in strong weather. It is good to have some different configurations.”

Profound knowledge of the courses is not always enough as Vila continues: “Most of us have sailed here many times, which will help, but you can never say that you know all the rocks, which makes it very tricky sometimes especially as so many can stick out.”

To pull out a few other star names in attendance: Jochen Schümann, three-time Olympic Gold medallist, is calling tactics on Sir Lindsay Owen Jones’ 94-ft Wally Magic Carpet (GBR), Adrian Stead is part of the afterguard on Niklas Zennström’s Rán (GBR), defending Mini Maxi Rolex Worlds champion, and America’s Cup legend Brad Butterworth is a new addition as tactician on the Mini Maxi Jethou (GBR).

For Peter Lerbrandt, owner/skipper of the 62-ft Vertical Smile (DEN), hitting the speeds of some of his Mini Maxi Rolex World rivals, is not on the agenda: “We are prepared but not expecting to win, we are more a cruiser and here to enjoy ourselves as well. We like the shorter courses after all the offshore racing (Vertical Smile competed at both the Rolex Volcano Race and the Giraglia Rolex Cup) and for me it is the first time sailing here.”

Maxi Progress

Gianfranco Alberini has served as Secretary General of the International Maxi Association (IMA) since its foundation 30 years ago on the back of the first Maxi regatta in Porto Cervo. He was also former Commodore of event organisers, the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda (YCCS). Perhaps better than anybody he is in the position to judge the outstanding progress made in the Maxi class during that period.

“As in the other yachting classes there has been strong change from the beginning,” explains Alberini, “at the beginning of the 1980s the Maxi fleet was limited in numbers and in dimensions. To have Maxi boats of 100-ft was not even considered at the beginning. The changes in technology and the characteristics of the boats are greater than could have been imagined. The Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup represents the top annual event of the calendar as it is the event where we have largest number of Maxis present.”

On The Agenda

Racing commences, tomorrow, Tuesday 6 September and concludes on Saturday 10 September. Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, along with the International Maxi Association (IMA) and title sponsor Rolex, will provide a lavish array of first class social events including Saturday's final Prize Giving Ceremony, where the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup trophies and Rolex timepieces will be awarded.

How To Follow Event

Further information about the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, including the entry list and live tracking during the event, may be found at yccs.com

To receive daily reports and to download high-resolution images, copyright-free for editorial purposes, register online at www.regattanews.com. Video recaps of news and action from the course will be available during the race on the regattanews video gallery and the regattanews Podcast. In addition, regular updates for media regarding the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup will be available on the regattanews.com Facebook and Twitter feeds.

International Media Contacts

Key Partners (KPMS)
Giles Pearman
M: +41 79 348 0023
T: +41 32 724 28 29
F: +41 32 724 28 33
giles@kpms.com
regattanews.com
kpms.com

YCCS Press Office
Jill Campbell
Yacht Club Costa Smeralda
Via della Marina,
07020 Porto Cervo (SS),
Italy
T: +39 0789 902200
F: +39 0789 91257
pressoffice@yccs.it
yccs.com

Ida Lewis Distance Race 2011
Beautiful Conditions Highlight Late Season Favorite

NEWPORT, R.I. (August 21, 2011) – This past Saturday morning (August 20), as the sun was barely peaking out from behind the horizon, the Ker 11.3 Oakcliff Racing, with its double-handed crew of Claudia Delahoy and Jeffrey MacFarlane (of Oyster Bay, N.Y.), began its entrance back into Newport Harbor after becoming the first boat to cross the finish line in the 2011 Ida Lewis Distance Race (ILDR): the only distance race that starts and finishes in Newport, Rhode Island. Delahoy and MacFarlane, who had never sailed together before, mastered the variable wind conditions on the 104 nm Buzzards Tower course, making it back to Newport by 5:44 a.m. after starting on Friday off Forth Adams at 1:05 p.m., with the rest of the 35 boat fleet.

ILDR_PHRF: PHRF Class start off Fort Adams in Newport, R.I. (photo credit Onne van der Wal).

“We didn’t get any sleep the whole time,” said Delahoy, explaining that the winds were much more consistent than originally forecasted, especially for those who took the southern route around Block Island rather than the northern route, which had lighter breeze. “We kept planning that if the wind died off we could take some breaks, but it didn’t and so we didn’t stop pushing. I think that is what got us the lead in the end.” The strategy worked and Oakcliff Racing took home first in the PHRF Double-handed Class, correcting out a little under one hour ahead of Jason Richter’s (Mt. Sinai, N.Y.) J/35 Paladin.

Ron O’Hanley’s (Newport, R.I.) Cookson 50 Privateer finished first on corrected time in the IRC Class – consisting of eight boats sailing the Block Island Course (150 nm) – and finished the race in just over 19 hours, earning him the Ida Lewis Distance Race Commodore’s Trophy along with the perpetual Russell L. Hoyt Memorial Trophy for best elapsed time.

“We kept the boat going the whole time, and it wasn’t until we headed back into Newport that it started to get light,” said O’Hanley. “We’ve had just about every finish position in this race – second, third, fourth, fifth – but this will be our first year winning our class.” O’Hanley has sailed in every ILDR but one and found Stephan Frank’s (Darien, Conn.) 69’ custom sloop Gracie and Christopher Culver’s (New York, N.Y.) Swan 42 Blazer, which finished second and third respectively, to be the biggest competition throughout the race.

ILDR_Gracie: The Custom Sloop 69.5’ Gracie won the Youth Challenge and took second place in the IRC Class. (photo credit Onne van der Wal).

Gracie followed Privateer less than an hour behind on corrected time, and 14-year-old Kate Nota (Narragansett, R.I.) took the helm as the boat crossed the finish line. “This was my first offshore racing experience and definitely the highlight of my summer,” said Nota who was accompanied by 11 other youth sailors and four adults, which qualified the team for the Youth Challenge, where more than 40% of the crew must have reached their 14th birthday but not turn 20 prior to the race’s start. The team not only took home second in the IRC Class but also was presented with the Arent H. Kits van Heyningen Trophy for their youth division performance.

In the PHRF Class, the largest class in the fleet with 20 boats, Tristan Mouligne’s (Newport, R.I.) Quest 30 Samba took the top spot winning the Lime Rock Trophy, sailing the Nomans Course (122 nm) in just over 21 hours. “After rounding Sakonnet Point we decided to go offshore to hopefully get some better breeze on our way over to New York and that worked out pretty well,” said Mouligne. Besides the light lulls coming back into Newport for the finish, Samba experienced fairly steady breeze and was able to beat Bob Manchester’s (Barrington, R.I.) Aerodyne Wazimo and Robert Johnstone’s (Newport, R.I) J/111 Fleetwing, which finished second and third, respectively.

“My brother and I did the Bermuda One-Two Yacht Race in June on Samba and we won that as well,” said Mouligne. “It was really great winning the two big offshore races of the summer.”

Steve Clark’s (Warren, R.I.) canting keel ketch Red Herring took home the perpetual Lois J. Muessel Memorial Trophy for best elapsed time in the PHRF Division, while Jeff Rabuffo’s (Middletown, Conn.) Swan 44 Xenophon won the PHRF Cruising Spinnaker Class.

Starting Line sponsors for the 2011 Ida Lewis Distance Race were North Sails, New England Boatworks, City of Newport, and Doug Ferguson and Family. Contributing sponsors were Dockwise Yacht Transport, Flint Audio Video, Gosling’s Rum, Mac Designs, Narragansett Beer, Newport Shipyard, Newport Tent Company, Rig Pro Southern Spars, SailorsNightVisionCap.com and Sea Gear Uniforms and Zblok.

For more information, go to www.ildistancerace.org or the race’s Facebook Page.

More About the Ida Lewis Distance Race

The Ida Lewis Yacht Club introduced the Ida Lewis Distance Race in 2004 as the only round trip distance race to begin and end in Newport, R.I. Conceived as a biennial event, its next running was 2006, but by then the response from competitors was strong enough that it was clear the race should be held annually in the same popular "late season" time slot of mid- to late August. A Youth Challenge, whereby teams comprised of more than 40% junior sailors qualify for a special trophy, was introduced in 2010 and has been a catalyst for other such youth divisions offered in offshore races. The event, which will enjoy its seventh edition in 2011, is a qualifier for the 2011 New England Lighthouse Series (PHRF); Northern and Double-Handed Ocean Racing Trophies (IRC); and the US-IRC Gulf Stream Series.

Top-five Results
Ida Lewis Distance Race

Friday, August 20, 2010

Place, Yacht Name, Type, Owner/Skipper, Hometown

Class 1 - IRC (IRC - 8 Boats)

1. Privateer, Cookson 50, Ron O'Hanley, Newport, R.I.
2. Gracie (Youth), Custom sloop, Stephan Frank, Darien, Conn.
3. Blazer, Swan 42, Christopher Culver, New York, N.Y.
4. Catapult, J/122, Marc Glimcher, New York, N.Y.
5. White Rhino, Swan 56, Todd Stuart, Newport, R.I.

Class 2 - PHRF (PHRF - 20 Boats)

1. Samba, Quest 30, Tristan Mouligne, Newport, R.I.
2. Wazimo, Aerodyne 37.66, Bob Manchester, Barrington, R.I.
3. Fleetwing, J 111, Robert Johnstone, Newport, R.I.
4. Mischief, Lyman-Morse 40, David Schwartz, Smithfield, R.I.
5. COCO, Swan 36, Ian Scott, Newport, R.I.

Class 3 - PHRF - Double-Handed (PHRF - 4 Boats)

1. Oakcliff Racing, Ker 11.3, Jeffrey MacFarlane, Franklin Lakes, N.J.
2. Paladin, J 35, Jason Richter, Mt. Sinai, N.Y.
3. Lark, Beneteau First 40.7, Edmund Flynn, Marlborough, Mass.
4. Wildeyes, Quest 33, Teri & Pete Binkley, Branford, Conn.

Class 4 - PHRF - Cruising Spinnaker (PHRF - 3 Boats)

1. Xenophon, Swan 44 MKII, Jeff Rabuffo , Middletown, Conn.
2. Vixen, S&S Swan 44, John Wayt, Jamestown, R.I.
3. Liberty Call, Hallberg Rassy 44, Matthew Pilon , Middletown, R.I.

Transatlantic Race 2011
North Atlantic Odyssey

Information Courtesy Of Media Pro International, J2 Communications & Events (UK), New York Yacht Club

Newport, R.I. USA (July 22, 2011) – As “an extended adventurous voyage,” the odyssey that is the Transatlantic Race 2011 was a defining event in ocean racing, as well as in the lives of the sailors aboard the 26 competing yachts. The race made history with the establishment of a new record – crossing 2,975 miles of ocean from Newport, R.I. to The Lizard on the south coast of England – and was the result of a successful collaboration between the Royal Yacht Squadron (founded in 1815), the New York Yacht Club (1844), the Royal Ocean Racing Club (1925) and the Storm Trysail Club (1938).

“This race will bring together generations, to build character and to reaffirm values,” said Commodore Robert C. Towse, Jr., during the send-off celebration held at New York Yacht Club’s Harbour Court clubhouse two days before the first yachts departed. “The cold North Atlantic may test that purpose, but at The Lizard finish those boats and their crews will have earned one of the hardest of sailing distinctions.”

On June 26, cannon fire from the iconic Castle Hill Lighthouse signaled the beginning of the historic ocean adventure. It was the first of three staggered starts, implemented so that yachts ranging in size from 40’ to 289’ would finish off The Lizard in close proximity to one another. And, over the three weeks the yachts were at sea, thousands of armchair sailors were captivated by the drama as it unfolded. Using state-of-the-art satellite communication systems, life onboard was beamed to a global audience as the competing yachts raced across the desolate North Atlantic. An ice gate established by the Race Committee prevented the fleet from going too far north, but sea temperatures lower than 4º Celsius were recorded during the race and sea fog obscured the sun for days on end.

Representing 10 nations, the 26 entries were crewed by world-class professionals as well as Corinthian amateurs. The youngest competitor was just 16 years of age, the oldest 80, and the yachts themselves were just as diverse. The 289’ Maltese Falcon was nearly three times the length of any other participant and the fleet included maritime creations from high performance canting keel Maxis to pocket rocket Class 40s. All 26 yachts entered were destined to finish but each has written a different story.

On June 26 the sunshine burned off the morning fog as the first start of the Transatlantic Race 2011 got underway with six of the smallest yachts beginning their journey across the Atlantic in champagne sailing conditions. With four fathers and five sons onboard, local favorite Carina got away to a great start with Rives Potts, Jr. (Essex, Conn.) at the helm. Within a few days, Carina had extended on the fleet by some by 400 miles. Later in the race, however, an area of high pressure mid-Atlantic was to be their nemesis, as well as that of many others.

There was high drama for the second start of the Transatlantic Race 2011 on June 29. With the 14 yachts on final approach and the breeze building, three boats were caught over early and were forced to turn back just as the mighty Maltese Falcon was bearing down on the line. Announcing its intentions with a bone-rattling blast of air horns, the 289’ Perini Navi set sail for the open ocean. Zaraffa made the best start as 80-year-old Huntington Sheldon (Shelburne, Vt.) held the helm, hoping to emulate his Transatlantic win of 2003. The second start was also notable for the inclusion of the Volvo 60 Ambersail, the first-ever Lithuanian yacht to compete in a Transatlantic Race. “To see our flag flying at the New York Yacht Club was very special,” said skipper Simonas Steponavicius (Vilnius, Lithuania). For the next few days the North Atlantic would fail to live up to its notorious reputation as light winds frustrated the 20 yachts taking on this North Atlantic odyssey.

“If we were looking to set an Atlantic record, we would choose to leave today,” said a smiling Peter Isler (San Diego, Calif.), navigator on Rambler 100, on the morning of July 3 as Newport was bathed in warm sunshine giving an indication he knew conditions were about to change. A low-pressure system was sweeping across the Midwest, right on cue, to give the fastest boats in the Transatlantic Race 2011 a blistering start. As if by magic, grey clouds rolled in as the Maxi fleet powered up in the starting area. Beau Geste, skippered by Karl Kwok (Hong Kong) got away well and showed a clean pair of heels to the giants of world offshore racing. It was not long, though, before the 100’ Maxis, ICAP Leopard, skippered by Clarke Murphy (New York, N.Y.), and Rambler 100, skippered by George David (Hartford, Conn.), caught up. PUMA’s Mar Mostro, helmed by Ken Read (Newport, R.I.), and the Oakcliff All-American Offshore Team’s Vanquish were the two smallest yachts in the class but their crews could not be more different: Vanquish sailed by young sailors with little offshore experience, and Mar Mostro bristling with Volvo Ocean Race winners. The PUMA was on the prowl and by the end of the race the black cat had caught its prey.

The 20 yachts that had preceded the high performance fleet had a significant head start, but it wasn’t long before Rambler 100 was running them down, ripping through the Atlantic swell at speeds in excess of 25 knots with PUMA’s Mar Mostro in hot pursuit. Within three days, Rambler 100 was leading the entire fleet, but what was surprising was that ICAP Leopard was well off the pace. It was July 4 when ICAP Leopard heard a big bang which, unfortunately for them, had nothing to do with celebrating America’s birthday. The bowsprit had sheered off and the Leopard was badly wounded. The crew rallied round and mitigated the danger of the carbon fibre spear smashing into the hull, but without the sprit, the chance for a race win was effectively over just 36 hours into the race. Rambler 100 and PUMA’s Mar Mostro continued to power ahead as fast as the wind could carry them, and sometimes even faster.

By July 8, however, most of the fleet could not ride the weather system and soon would be languishing in the vacuum and turbulent waters left behind. Using guile and no less amount of skill, several yachts managed to escape the windless zone, including Zaraffa and Jazz, skippered by Nigel King (Lymington, U.K.). Phaedo, the Gunboat 66 owned by Lloyd Thornburg (St. Barthelemy), managed to escape the clutches of the 1100-ton Maltese Falcon in the light air. But it was a short-lived freedom as all, bar the leading boats, were entangled in the eerie calm that spread across the mid-Atlantic.

Meanwhile, Rambler and PUMA’s Mar Mostro were experiencing their defining moments of the race. The wind was dying and the big decision was how to hook into another weather system which was slowly moving in from the north. The problem was how to get to it, judging where to cross the windless zone and to get onto the new pressure at the right angle. It was like trying to jump onto a merry-go-round, and while Rambler 100 did a good job, PUMA was even better.

On Sunday, 10 July, at 16h 08m UTC, Rambler 100 was the first yacht to cross the finish line of the Transatlantic Race 2011. The elapsed time for Rambler 100 was six days, 22 hours, eight minutes and two seconds. which established a new record for the 2,975 nautical mile course from Newport, R.I., to Lizard Point, South Cornwall, U.K.

“For the first 80 hours of this race we were ripping along,” said David at the finish. “Towards the end we hit a few holes in the wind but we feel very happy about the time. Crossing the Atlantic in under seven days is pretty exhilarating. Kenny Read is about 100 miles behind us with his PUMA Team. The odds are he is probably going to win the race on corrected time.”

David’s hunch was right. PUMA’s Mar Mostro crossed the finish line at The Lizard at 05:40 UTC on July 11, and once calculations proved that none of the 24 yachts still racing could beat them on handicap, PUMA’s Mar Mostro was declared winner of IRC Class One and IRC Overall for the Transatlantic Race 2011. And, even with a four-day head start, it would be more than 24 hours before another yacht would cross the finish line. In time, Zaraffa, Phaedo and Jazz finished to claim well-deserved victory in their respective classes.

On July 15, more than a dozen yachts completed the race, providing some dramatic close encounters in a dash to the finish. From IRC Class One, which took the final start of the Transatlantic Race 2011 on July 3, Beau Geste was followed eight minutes later by the Oakcliff All-American Offshore Team’s Vanquish, and 13 minutes later, Sojana, the grand ketch skippered by Peter Harrison (Reigate, U.K.) had completed the race as well. In IRC Class Two, Christoph Avenarius and Gorm Gondesen’s Shakti and Jens Kellinghausen’s Varuna had enjoyed a match race across the ocean. The two Simon Rogers 46-footers, both based in Hamburg, Germany, had barely been out of sight of each other for 16 days. Varuna was first to cross the line, with a mere three-minute lead, but Shakti won the duel on corrected time to claim second in class. Prodigy, owned by Chris Frost (Durban, South Africa), was to finish less than an hour later to take fourth place overall.

In IRC Class Three, Ambersail became the second yacht to finish the race followed by Scho-ka-kola, skippered by Uwe Lubens (Hamburg, Germany), however, neither yacht was to make the class podium on corrected time. The youth team on Norddeutsche Vermogen Hamburg had put in a stellar performance in the second half of the race, as did Snow Lion, skippered by former NYYC Commodore Lawrence Huntington (New York, N.Y.), to claim second and third, respectively, in the division. Ourson Rapide skippered by Paolo Roasenda (Vedano al Lambro, Italy) finished just before dawn to complete the race.

Tony Lawson’s Class 40 Concise 2, skippered by Ned Collier-Wakefield (Oxford, U.K.), had one of the best performances of any yacht in the early part of the race, putting an impressive 300-mile lead on their class rival, Dragon, skippered by Mike Hennessy (Mystic, Conn). However, the mid-Atlantic doldrums wiped out their advantage as Dragon, sailing double-handed, not only caught Concise 2 but also passed the six-strong British youth team. In a fight to the finish, Concise 2 managed to get ahead and take the line by less than half an hour.

All of the yachts in IRC Class Four finished the race on July 15. Class line honors went to the oldest yacht in the race, Nordwind, the 86’ yawl skippered by Hans Albrecht (Germany). Carina and British Soldier, crewed by members of the British Army, were engaged in a battle royal. While Carina was well ahead on corrected time, it did not stop the two yachts having a close-reaching duel through the night -- within touching distance of each other. British Soldier won the race to the line by less than a minute, an astounding finish after nearly three weeks at sea, and while Carina looked likely to win Class IRC Four on corrected time, their hopes were about to be dashed. Before the day was out, Dawn Star, co-skippered by Bill Hubbard and his son Will Hubbard (both New York, N.Y.), finished The Transatlantic Race to claim the class victory by less than an hour. Jacqueline IV, the McCurdy & Rhodes 42' skippered by Robert Forman (Bay Shore, N.Y.), finished the following day to beat British Soldier on corrected time and claim third in class.

As the last yacht to finish, Sasha, skippered by Albrecht and Erika Peters (Munich, Germany), experienced the roughest weather conditions of any yacht in the race. As they approached The Lizard a storm took hold in the Western Approaches with very high waves with overhanging crests, large patches of foam turning the sea white with rage, and large amounts of airborne spray, which dramatically reduced visibility.

After 22 days at sea, Sasha came screaming through the finish line in a dramatic conclusion to the Transatlantic Race 2011. With all yachts and sailors safe in port, there is now time to reflect: on the incredible record set by Rambler 100; the bonds forged while racing across the North Atlantic; and the lessons of dedication and courage that every valiant soul that completed the challenge will value forever.

Final Race Results Here

Sponsors of the TR 2011 are Rolex, Thomson Reuters, Newport Shipyard, Perini Navi and Peters & May, with additional support by apparel sponsor Atlantis Weathergear.

For more information, visit http://www.transatlanticrace.org/. Follow us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/TransatlanticRace2011 and Twitter @TransatRace2011 http://twitter.com/TransatRace2011.

More about the Transatlantic Race 2011

The Transatlantic Race 2011 charts a 2,975 nautical mile course from Newport, R.I., to Lizard Point, South Cornwall, England. Pre-start activities will take place at the New York Yacht Club’s Harbour Court clubhouse in Newport, while awards will be presented at the Royal Yacht Squadron’s Cowes Castle clubhouse on the Isle of Wight. Three separate starts – June 26, June 29 and July 3 – featured 26 boats ranging from 40 to 289 feet in length. In addition to winners in seven classes (IRC Class 1 Racer, IRC Class 2 Racer, IRC Class 3 Racer/Cruiser, IRC Class 4 Racer/Cruiser, Classic, Class 40, and Open), whichever yacht finishes the course with the fastest elapsed time will set the benchmark for a new racing record from Newport to Lizard Point, to be ratified by the World Speed Sailing Council. Rolex watches will be awarded to the record holder and the overall winner (on corrected time) under IRC.

The Transatlantic Race 2011 is also the centerpiece of the Atlantic Ocean Racing Series (AORS), which includes the Pineapple Cup – Montego Bay Race, RORC Caribbean 600, the Annapolis to Newport Race, Rolex Fastnet Race, Biscay Race and the Rolex Middle Sea Race. Of the seven races in the AORS, three races, including the TR 2011 must be completed to qualify for a series victory. Each race is weighted equally in overall series scoring with the exception of TR 2011, which is weighted 1.5 times. All entered yachts are scored using their two best finishes in addition to the TR 2011. Awards for the AORS will be presented in November, 2011, at the New York Yacht Club’s Annual Awards Dinner in Manhattan.

France's Day, But Irish Remain Front-Runners

Ireland remains the runaway leader after day two of the 2010 Rolex Commodores’ Cup. Those chasing, led by 2008 winners GBR Red, with strong competition for second from France Blue in third and the potent Hong Kong team in fourth, did a good job to minimise the damage inflicted today: the Irish managing to extend the gap over the second-placed team, but only by 2.5 points.

Conditions were perfect for today’s two races with brilliant sunshine and more breeze – 14-17 knots from the northwest for the first, dropping off to 10-15 for the second. First up was an inshore race around the length and breadth of the eastern Solent, followed by a shorter windward-leeward course set off Hill Head on the mainland shore.

In the big boat class race one saw a rare corrected time tie between Anthony O’Leary’s Ker 39 Antix (IRL), maintaining her perfect scoreline for the Irish team, and Nicolas Loday and Jean Claude Nicoleau’s Grand Soleil 43 Codiam in France Blue. While Antix remains the boat to beat among the big boats, it was Codiam that scored two bullets today.

“I think the conditions were ideal for our boat, which is a bit heavy and ideally needs about 15 knots,” commented Nicolas Loday, racing his fourth Rolex Commodores’ Cup, but his first in the Grand Soleil 43. “It is a boat that goes very well with flat water. It is not at all a boat that goes fast in the big waves or the choppy seas you get in the Channel. So today the conditions were perfect for this boat – like yesterday, but yesterday we made wrong tactical decisions. Today we kept close to the other boats and this paid off very well.”

Perhaps it was coincidence, but in Class 2 another Grand Soleil 43 shone today with former RORC Commodore Peter Rutter’s Quokka 8 (GBR Red) scoring two bullets ahead of UNCL Commodore Marc de Saint Denis and Géry Trentesaux’s Coup de Coeur (FRA Blue) and Ireland’s marinerscove.ie, belonging to David Dwyer. Quokka 8 rates at 1.103 under IRC compared to Codiam’s 1.110 as the French boat has a larger sail plan.

“We didn’t feel on fire yesterday losing one race by 6 seconds and another one by less than a minute,” explained Peter Rutter. “We needed to sit down and think - we did that last night and it’s come out fantastic. We have a different way of trimming the main and we are also making sure that people only stop hiking out when given permission to. So, a bit more dictatorial, but it worked really well and the crew felt really happy.”

Rutter felt their performance today was to down the change in crew work rather than having the ideal boat for the conditions. “It wasn’t that different from yesterday, a little more wind. We stopped being stupid really.”

In the flat water and moderate conditions, the smaller higher-rated boats did seem to suffer today. Marinerscove.ie the Class 2 boat from the all-powerful Irish team struggled to post a 4-2. “We are in a 39-foot boat racing against 43-foot boats which rate significantly lower than us - it is very hard for us especially in the medium to upper wind ranges,” commented her tactician, former America’s Cup helmsman Andy Beadsworth. “After the first race we said ‘we sailed well, for sure we could have done some things cleaner and smarter, but we were never going to beat those guys’. That was the reality.”

In the second race Beadsworth was particularly pleased when his call to go left up the first beat came good, despite dissenters on board. They ended up reaching the weather mark a minute ahead of the competition.

The South African team is still trying to get out of its own way, lying seventh equal with GBR White after day two. Their mid-sized boat, Mike Bartholomew’s King 40 Tokoloshe has been based in the Solent for two years, but Bartholomew says they have been struggling to get off the line cleanly. “It is essential in this type of racing. The races are being won and lost in the first 30 seconds. We have had four races where we haven’t done that and we are paying the price. It has been very tight racing. We are disappointed we haven’t done better than we have. We know what we are doing wrong and it is a case of trying to correct it.”

In Class 3 Marc Alperovtich and Jerome Huillard’s A-35 Prime Time won today’s first race for France Yellow, while Robert Davies’ Roxy 6 took the second for the Irish. But once again it was France Blue that came to form with Samuel Prietz’ X-40 Goa claiming second in both today’s races.

“Yesterday we had some minor difficulties with boat handling,” admitted Prietz, a past Codiam crewman, for whom this is also his fourth Rolex Commodores’ Cup. “We haven’t sailed together since June, so yesterday we didn’t do so well. We missed a couple of opportunities in tactics, also we were not able to point high enough comparing to some other boats - so not really promising. Today we sailed much more relaxed, with a much better mood inside the team.”

Tomorrow, the complexion of the Rolex Commodores’ Cup changes with the start at 10.30 BST of the 24-36-hour offshore race. The weather is also expected to take a turn for the worse with the passage of a front tomorrow afternoon. According to meteorologist Mike Broughton, working with the Irish team, this will bring with it 20-plus knot winds, before conditions lighten on Wednesday night, and then fill in again on Thursday. “It means it won’t be a complete lottery. There will be no thermal switch off,” he advises.

Offshore in waves with a mix of wind conditions, along with the rigours of racing at night, maintaining focus with little or no sleep, perpetually on the rail, after up to 36 hours of racing – will a new group of boats come to the fore? Past experience indicates that the French and British teams have proved strongest in the Rolex Commodores’ Cup two-and-a-half points scoring offshore race. And, if there are stronger gradient winds - will the Irish continue to be the class act? We will not have the final answers to these questions until Wednesday, but by tomorrow night we may some pointers. All yachts will be carrying tracking units with the positions presented at: http://commodorescup.rorc.org

Steve Clark’s Aethon will be among seven speed machines competing at the Little America’s Cup later this month.

Steve Clark Looks to Retake “Little America’s Cup” at International C-Class Catamaran Championship

Barby MacGowan, Media Pro Int’l
barby.macgowan@mediapronewport.com
+1 401-849-0220

Willy Clark
wvc6@cornell.edu
+1 401-714-4192

Newport, R.I. (August 5, 2010) – Steve Clark has been dreaming of winning back the Little America’s Cup for the USA ever since he lost it to Canada in 2007. In 1996, Clark’s 25- foot C-Class Catamaran Cogito (pronounced with a soft g) had blown away designers and engineers with its mammoth wing sail and unmatchable speed, and with helmsman Duncan MacLane and crew Erich Chase it handily defeated Australia’s defender Edge IV on Port Phillip Bay to win the International C-Class Catamaran Championship, fondly referred to as the Little America’s Cup. Cogito became and remained the gold standard of C-Class Catamarans for the next eleven years, a place in C-Class cat history to which Clark wishes to return by entering his new boat, Aethon, launched earlier this year, in the 2010 Little America’s Cup, set for August 22-28 off Newport.

Clark’s goals for this Cup are oddly reminiscent of what they were for the 1996 event. Clark’s first experience in the C-Class had been in 1985 when he was involved in Patient Lady VI’s unsuccessful defense of the Cup, losing to Australia’s Victoria 150. It was largely this defeat that drove Clark to develop Cogito. Now, his “Cogito Project” is back where it started: testing a new boat and taking aim at winning the Cup back again.

The 2010 Little America’s Cup, to be headquartered at the New York Yacht Club’s on-the-water clubhouse Harbour Court, will host a total of four countries (US, Canada, England, France) and seven boats, including Alpha, the boat with which, in 2007, Canadian Fred Eaton wrested the Cup from Clark. Clark will skipper Aethon with crew Oliver Moore (Marion Mass.), while his second U.S. entry Cogito—yes, the same Cogito that held on to the Cup for 11 years—will be sailed by A-Class North American Champion Lars Guck and bronze medalist Andrew Gaynor (both Bristol, R.I.).

According to Clark, Cogito, still very much a competitive boat and sailed by a crack crew, has every bit as much chance at winning as any of the C-class cats, but it is Aethon that now has Clark’s heart and limitless energy behind it. ”The plan was always to wait and build a new boat only when the old one had been beaten, but I’ve really been wanting to build Aethon for ten years” said Clark, noting that the two boats have been trial-testing in Bristol all spring and summer.

To say that a C-Class catamaran is an amazing boat is an understatement. “Everything about the C-Class is extraordinary” said Clark. “Just getting a boat to the regatta and competing is a significant achievement.” There are few design restrictions on the class beyond length (25 feet), beam (14 feet) and sail area (300 square feet), and there is no weight minimum. The sail plans (hard wing sails) and blades are so efficient that once the C-Cats fly a hull, they can sail through patches of almost no wind at all by simply using their own apparent wind.

Seven of the fastest boats in the world, on the same course, at the same time—that’s how the Little America’s Cup will start off. Then, after nine fleet races, pairs for match racing will be established and a winner will eventually be determined.

But if the Americans want to win the Cup they have to first get by the Canadians. Since winning the Cup with Alpha, Fred Eaton’s team has not been idle, producing Orion in 2008 and Canaan in 2010. They expect to bring all three boats to the starting line on the 22nd with Eaton and Magnus Clarke aboard Canaan and BMW-Oracle skipper James Spithill and A-Class world champion Glen Ashby slated to sail Alpha. Pending major wing repairs, Rob Paterson and an as-yet-unnamed helmsman should sail Orion.

England’s “Team Invictus” will be returning to the C-Class circuit after an unsuccessful first challenge in 2004 with Invictus I. The English, led by Norman Wijker, now have Invictus II, which features a new wing and a more polished program overall. Paul Larsen of Sail Rocket will take the helm of Invictus II while Gordon Kaiser remains as crew.

Representing continental Europe will be Antoine Koch and Jean Baptiste Levaillant of France. The French have chartered 1985 Cup defender and 2004 silver medalist Patient Lady VI from the Canadians and will be at the event primarily to get their feet wet as they plan a future campaign.

Seven boats and four nations mark the most competitors and countries at a C-Class event in more than two decades. Winning the America’s Cup for the USA--it’s a tall order but one that is familiar to Steve Clark.

Sailors, designers, engineers, and lovers of high-speed action can inspect the boats at close range for days prior to the event at Sail Newport, Fort Adams. From August 21 onwards boats will be stored at NYYC. For more information, visit www.nyyc.org.

Photo Credit ICSA - Cappy Capper, winner of ICSA’s 2010 Graham Hall Award for Outstanding Service by a College Sailing Professional ICSA

2010 ICSA Hall of Fame
Inter-Collegiate Sailing Associtaion Inducts Reynolds and Capper

Newport, Rhode Island (June 10, 2010) – The Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association (ICSA) recently acknowledged the contributions of two individuals to the sport of college sailing by inducting them into the ICSA Hall of Fame. James Tod Reynolds (Summit, N.J.) received the Student Leadership Award and Holland C. ‘Cappy’ Capper (Wayzata, Minn.) was recognized with the Graham Hall Award for Outstanding Service by a College Sailing Professional.

The ICSA Hall of Fame was established in 1969 to acknowledge the competitive achievements of undergraduates as well as the service contributions of individuals whose efforts helped in the establishment, growth and development of college sailing. In recognition of their significant service to the organization, the names of these inductees will be added to the permanent ICSA Hall of Fame display located in the Robert Crown Sailing Center at the U.S. Naval Academy (Annapolis, Md.).

Graham Hall Award – Holland C. ‘Cappy’ Capper (Wayzata, Minn.) has been honored by ICSA with the Graham Hall Award which recognizes organizers, administrators, advisors or coaches who have served the best interests of college sailing at the club/team, conference or national level.

The nomination for Capper noted that he was “an outstanding college sailing professional as an educator who provides insight, skill development and motivation to sailors and coaches alike.”

In addition to holding positions as head coach for both the University of Minnesota (Minneapolis, Minn.) and University of Saint Thomas (St. Paul, Minn.) Sailing Teams, Capper is Director of the Wayzata Community Sailing Center (WCSC). Since arriving in Wayzata in 2005, his strong emphasis on sailing in the community has fostered the growth of WCSC into a nationally-recognized program. A 2008 article in Sailing World categorized Wayzata as one of “Five Great Sailing Towns You May Not Know About” and cited the sailing center, which teaches hundreds of children to sail each summer, as playing a big part in receiving that designation. Last summer Capper started an adaptive sailing program at WCSC – which included blind sailors and wounded warriors – with a goal of fielding a competitive disabled sailing team within three years.

Capper is considered an integral resource by the Midwest Collegiate Sailing Association, one of the seven conferences that make up the ICSA. By offering guidance and encouragement, he has influenced other teams in MCSA: while running events he has allowed students the opportunity to take a leadership role, and he has encouraged his assistant coaches to help other teams and serve on ICSA committees.

Born in Chicago, Capper’s first sailing experience was racing in a Sunfish at age five, with his father, on Lake Michigan. They finished second “and I was hooked for life,” said Capper. He has two sisters who are also avid sailors, and he credits his seamanship skills to his Dad [Holland Capper of Manistee, Michigan]. “We did a lot of cruising before we got into racing. Dad was a self-taught sailor and we weren’t let out of the cockpit unless we learned a new knot. We learned how to hang a fender, drop an anchor, and anything that went overboard was an excuse for a man overboard drill. I never felt like it was a bad thing, it taught us the importance of why you do things, and do them properly. There was always a purpose and value. Recently I realized what a good teacher he had been.”

Capper picked up another “family sport” at age three – skiing. He would go on to compete as a youth in amateur competition on the FIS North American Tour. He pursued an Olympic ski campaign and also competed on the Peugeot Grand Prix Professional Ski Racing Tour. He also gives back to that sport – as a Level 1 Certified Coach for the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association.

At first, teaching sailing was just a summer job. But it became a career. He was the Sailing Master at Columbia Yacht Club in Chicago for 10 years, during which time he met and married Martha with whom he has two teen-aged sons. Capper then became Executive Director of the Lake Minnetonka Sailing School in Minnesota and during his 10 years at LMSS he ran three different facilities at three different yacht clubs, managing 28 instructors and over 100 boats owned by the school.

Over the years Capper has provided the tools for sailors of all levels to advance their skills and develop their love for sailing. A US SAILING Level 3 Certified Coach as well as a Master Instructor Trainer, he co-authored the Level 2 Coaches Manual with Betsy Alison. He has been conducting certification for coaches at the ICSA winter meeting and approaches the process in a way that makes sense to the professionals who may think they don’t need to be certified since they are already college coaches. “I bridge the gap between professional college coaches and the US SAILING certification program, and I’m really proud of that,” said Capper.

“Last year I crashed in a mogul field skiing and broke my neck in three places, both arms, had massive internal injuries and spent nine days in intensive care. I had to fight my way out of that to get back to walk and coach again. The kids that watched me go through that to coach again at a national level… I think that gave them the idea [to nominate him for the award]. And then I started getting congratulations,” explained Capper of the surprise that he was the recipient of ICSA’s Graham Hall Award.

“It’s an amazing honor. As an athlete you watch all these pro sports and you see the top people being inducted into the Hall of Fame. It makes you feel like you are at the pinnacle of the sport to be inducted. My dad wanted to know if they gave me ring.”

Photo Credit GTSphotos.com - left to right = Tod Reynolds receiving the ICSA Student Leadership Award from ICSA President Mitch Brindley

Student Leadership Award - James Tod Reynolds (Summit, N.J.), a graduating senior from Northwestern University (Evanston, Ill.) has been honored with the 2010 James Rousmaniere Award for Student Leadership which recognizes an undergraduate whose efforts have made a significant contribution to the development, progress and success of his or her club or team, conference, or the ICSA.

Reynolds has been a consistent leader throughout his career in college sailing, starting in freshman year when he was elected a Captain of the Northwestern University Sailing Team (NUST) and organized a 27-person spring training trip to Texas. Splitting time between coaching three days a week and his own practicing and racing, he propelled his teammates to both the ICSA Women’s and ICSA/Gill National Championships in 2008. His impact helped swell the team to 67 members.

During Reynolds sophomore year he orchestrated the purchase of 12 new 420s to replace the team’s existing fleet, and implemented a replacement program which ensures the team will receive new boats every four years. In his junior and senior years, Reynolds expanded his service to college sailing by serving on the MCSA Executive Board. As MCSA Race Chairman he organized the first MCSA Match Racing event at Sail Sheboygan, a US Sailing Center, and worked with teams to develop new events.

Elected MCSA Commodore, Reynolds also worked with Chicago Yacht Club to strengthen the Timme Angsten Memorial Intersectional, laid the ground work to create the MCSA Foundation, and served on the ICSA Board of Directors where he played a major role in revamping the ICSA Sloop National Championship which will become a match racing event when it is held in the fall of 2010.

The nomination for Reynolds noted that what made him unique was his “dedication to high standards, well researched and informed thoughts, consistency, and ability to run meetings. He demonstrates professionalism, objectivity, and passion that excites and motivates others to be better sailors and leaders. His efforts have led to the success of others. Tod has not only accomplished goals and tasks as a college sailor, he has used his skills and talent to better his team, conference and college sailing.”

Born and raised in Summit, New Jersey, Reynolds grew up in a sailing family and is a member of Island Heights Yacht Club. “There are a bunch of great local clubs and good sailors that came from that area. We pushed each other to do well. I did a little sailing in high school. The team was me and my brother, and any two girls we could find to sail with us. We even made it out of our district a couple of times.” Reynolds, whose father Buzz was nationally ranked in the Finn class, acknowledged having briefly thought about his own run in that Olympic class boat. “I got a little taste for that kind of competition at the worlds, but I have other interests.” Explaining that he has been match racing with fellow college sailor Taylor Canfield, Reynolds said he can see himself going on the world match racing tour some day. For now he plans to put his engineering degree to work – come October he will start control system design for nuclear subs at Electric Boat in Groton, Conn. – and see how things work out.

“For me the most significant part of college sailing was seeing NUST become more consistent and progress as a team. My focus was to lay a foundation where it will continue to grow. I founded an alumni board and while students will always be in charge with the day-to-day operations, the alumni can help so there isn’t a huge learning curve every year. In the University’s eyes it also gives more confidence that there is something behind the team, that it’s more than just a group of undergrads. “

“It’s pretty cool,” said Reynolds of the Student Leadership Award. “I had an awesome four years in college and I really enjoyed trying to grow the sport. It’s nice to be recognized for it.”

Finalist for the 2010 Rousmaniere Award: Seth Whitmore, Queen's University ‘10.

Intercollegiate Sailing Association - ICSA is the governing authority for sailing competition at colleges and universities in the U.S. and some parts of Canada. It is divided into seven conferences that schedule and administer regattas within established geographic regions: Middle Atlantic (MAISA), Midwest (MCSA), New England (NEISA), Northwest (NWICSA), Pacific Coast (PCCSC), South Atlantic (SAISA), and Southeastern (SEISA).

For more information, please visit www.collegesailing.org.

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