The past 3 years, I have had the opportunity to do a good amount of Hobie 33 sailing each late summer and fall. There are some things I have witnessed regarding this boat that I thought was worthy of noting. When in doubt, I recommend contacting Juan Mauri or utilizing Mauri Pro Sailing and the Hobie 33 Tuning Guide for additional information. I just noticed today that they are in the process of revamping the Hobie 33 Class Association website.

My Notes:

Being that the Hobie 33 boats I have sailed on have been moored during the season, I have discovered a noticeable speed boost after cleaning the hull. The keel and rudder are the most important areas to focus on when cleaning the bottom of the boat.

Crew weight is another critical aspect of sailing this boat.  The Hobie 33 is a relatively light boat for its size.  This year we started trying Juan Mauri’s recommendation of having a crew of 7 persons and weight of 1050 pounds.  This was very helpful compared to previous years where we had sailed with less people and less weight.  Most recently, we sailed a big regatta with a crew of 9 people weighing closer to 1300 pounds and we did even better.  I remember during the race that we were all thinking we could have even used another person or more weight for much of the race.  The sailing conditions for this race were 11-17mph with gust up to 22mph.

One of the major topic of discussions with the boat owner has been the lines utilized during racing.  It is my opinion that one should always try to use the thinnest lines recommended for control lines and rigging.  I have came to this point of view after 30 years experience in smaller boats. In the smaller boats, the compelling reason for utilizing thinner lines is that they simply go out faster.  I also find they tend to get fouled up less and are easier to untangle when those occasions rise.  When appropriate, it is simple enough to make braided handles and wrap the handles with some electrical tape to make grip and strength a non-issue.  I also agree with Mauri’s point of view that lines should be at the minimum needed length for similar reasons.

Spinnaker work was also a big focus this summer. After much practice, I can see the points Juan Mauri made in his tuning guide now.  The Spinnaker seems to fly best when it is stretched out a bit.  What I mean by this is that one wants the pole on the mast to be level at all times except when gybing and doing a pole dip. From dinghy sailing, I was always coached to try to level out the clews of the Spinnaker when downwind sailing.  However, one wants to ensure that the Windward Clew is not able to rise above the Leeward Clew, this is very important.  When in doubt, one should have the Windward Clew slightly down of the Leeward Clew or ensure there is sufficient downhaul on the pole to prevent it from rising above. The boat will feel sloppy and a bit out of control when the Windward Clew rises above the Leeward Clew.

The other interesting observation was during upwind sailing.  Sometimes the boat would feel a little funky when flat, but the boat speed would always be good when it felt it like that.  When in doubt, keep the boat flat and aim for an Apparent Wind Angle of 27-30 degrees, the boat seemed to moved well in this zone.  When the big puffs come, ease the jib an inch and keep driving for speed.  The other thing I noticed was that during tacks, the boat would seem to drive well by keeping the Mainsheet tight and letting the Traveler slide to the new Leeward side during the tack.  Once situated on the Windward side of the boat, bring it back to centerline.  The boat would accelerate nicely by doing so if the genoa work was keeping pace.

Rigging Questions to be Answered:

Mainsheet Block Placement – One of my biggest pet peeves with the Hobie 33 default setup is that the mainsheet block resides behind the traveler. This setup consistently causes tangles with the traveler during tacking situations.  It also forces the mainsheet to be moved behind the traveler during tacking maneuvers forcing the skipper to take on mainsheet duties.  I can see from Mauri Pro Sailing’s Mainsheet and Traveler System Page that there does not appear to be a system where the mainsheet block resides on the traveler track.  This would seem like a logical setup to me, enabling the skipper and crew better boathandling options during tacking maneuvers.  I don’t see anything in the class rules that would forbid such a setup, but I would like to have a conversation with some class members before proceeding with such a purchase. I do find the Harken Windward Sheeting Car – Midrange boat setup to be enticing though. The other thought I have is whether it’s class legal to put some kind of wire shackled extension at the end of the boom?  This extension would utilized to reduce the amount of mainsheet that would need to be trimmed or eased by reducing the distance between the the two blocks.  It would seem logical to do this since it doesn’t seem possible to trim the Mainsheet into two-blocked. I’m not sure how long an extension I would want there yet, but it would most likely be between 8-12″.

Genoa Trimming – I find it very easy to be overpowered as a genoa trimmer on the Hobie 33.  It is also very difficult to get the Genoa in sufficiently by hand when the breeze is on.  One thing we learned this season is that when the boat would get overpowered and want to round upwind, it is very critical to ease the jib so that the skipper can keep the rudder in the water and keep the boat driving without rounding upwind. This is very challenging work for the trimmer since one needs to get down to the crank constantly to bring the genoa back in.  Ultimately, crew weight on the rail would be preferable. I notice on Mauri Pro Sailing’s Genoa Trimming Page that there are some options for a Double Sheave (HAR1632) and Double Control Block (HAR1515).  I would really like to see a photo of this setup in action, I am confident that this could alleviate the muscle beach effort struggling with the Genoa.

Vang, Cunningham, and Outhaul – Here is another area where I think more photos of the rockstar setups would be helpful to see in action.  I notice that Mauri’s Tuning Guide mentions a 6:1 outhaul system but it is confusing on how to implement that system.  The Vang and Cunningham systems sounds similar to what one may see on a Laser these days, but it would also be helpful to see photos illustrating their implementation.

Control Lines and Rigging (See Hobie 33 Owner Guide for Line Lengths):

When in doubt, I recommend purchasing a little extra lineage and trimming down after testing out the lengths on the water. Leave extra lineage for your Vang, Outhaul, and Cunningham braided handle loops at the ends.  Apply electrical tape to improve grip on the handles.

• Backstay Control Line – 1/4″ New England Rope Sta. or 1/4″ Spectron
• Main Halyard – 5/16″ New England Rope Endura Braid with a Key Pin Shackle. (Exit Port Side of Mast)
• Genoa Halyard – 5/16″ New England Rope Endura Braid with a Heavy Duty Snap Shackle. (Exit Starboard Side of Mast)
• Spinnaker Halyard – 1/4″ New England Rope Endura Braid with a Snap Shackle. (Exit Starboard Side of Mast)
• Topping Lift Line – 1/4″ New England Rope Sta. (Exit Starboard Side of Mast)
• Outhaul Line – 1/4″ Spectron for holding Line, Endura Braid for purchases. Optional: Take off both ends of boom and replace outhaul system, use 6:1 Harken micro block system and 3/16″ prestretch line.
• Vang Line – 5/16″ New England Rope Endura Braid with an Eye Splice or 1/4″ Spectron line with an Eye Splice.
• Cunningham Line – 1/4″ Spectron for holding Line, Endura Braid for purchases.
• Downhaul Line – 1/4″ New England Rope Sta.
• Genoa Sheet – 3/8″ New England Rope Sta. At least 2 sets.
• Mainsheet – 3/8 inch. New England Rope Sta.
• Traveler Control Line – 1/4″ New England Rope Sta.
• Twing Line – 1/4″ New England Rope Sta.

Below are the parts of the Hobie 33 Class Rules I find most interesting, the full class rules can be found at http://www.hobie33class.com/hobie33-class-rules.htm

Spars (From the Class Rules):

a) The spars (mast, boom) shall not be altered except the internal halyards and control lines may be exited at the owner’s discretion.

b) Spinnaker pole maximum length including fittings shall be 13.125′ measured with the pole in place from the front centerline of the track on the mast to the pole end where the guy touches the forward bearing surface inside the jaw. The minimum diameter shall be 2″. The pole may be constructed of carbon fiber.

Running Rigging (From the Class Rules):

a) Running rigging may be of synthetic rope or wire. Kevlar and/or spectra lines are permitted.

b) Spinnaker boom foreguy may be rigged with 2:1 purchase.

c) A boom vang with a maximum 8:1 purchase with an integral jamming cleat is allowed. Solid vangs are permitted providing they are not hydraulic.

d) Backstay purchase shall not exceed 16:1 and shall be by block and tackle method.

e) Two mainsheet traveler control lines with a maximum of 3:1 purchase.

f) Types of mainsheet blocks and cleats are optional but may not be located more than 1.0′ from the traveler track.

g) One cunningham control using a maximum of 6:1 purchase, and cleated at the mast. Block and tackle method only.

Sails (From the Class Rules):

a) The use of any material is allowed.

b) One mainsail, four jib/genoa head sails, and three spinnakers may be used while racing. Two additional spare Class legal sails may be carried while racing in the event of sail failure.

c) The mainsail, jib and genoa, may be fitted with transparent windows of any material.

d) The sails shall conform to the ISAF Rules unless specified herein.

Mainsail (From the Class Rules):

a) The headboard may be of any material.

b) The cross width measurements shall be taken from the three-quarter and half points on the leech, located when the head is folded to the clew for half-height points, and when the head and clew are folded to the half-height point to determine the three-quarter points.

c) The maximum three-quarter height-width between the leech and the nearest point on the luff, including the luff rope, shall not be more than 4.75′

d) The maximum half-height width between the leech and the nearest point on the luff, including the luff rope, shall not be more than 8.0′.

e) The sail shall have four battens.

f) The top batten shall not be less than 7.0′ below the top of the headboard.

g) At least one reef may be built into the mainsail. The bearing surface of the cringle, delta ring or reefing devise in the leech shall be fitted not less than 11.5′ measured in a straight line, from the clew.

h) Cunningham holes may be fitted in the luff. A leech tensioning cringle may be fitted in the leech as well as a leech line. Camber line are also permitted.

Jib (From the Class Rules):

a) 100% foretriangle or less jibs may be fitted with reefing attachment points or devices.

b) A leech line is permitted as well as camber lines.

Genoa (From the Class Rules):

a) The genoa shall not be greater than 155 % of the foretriangle and a minimum size at the owner’s discretion.

b) The leech shall not be convex.

c) A leech line is permitted as well as camber lines.

Spinnakers:

a) The spinnaker shall be a three-cornered sail, symmetrical about its centerline.
(Asymmetrical sails may be allowed in non-Class events)

b) The sail laid out on a flat surface, shall be measured when folded in half about its centerline, with the leeches superimposed. Sufficient tension shall be applied to remove wrinkles and creases along line of measurement.

c) The length of the leeches shall not be more than 36.625′. D) The maximum girth shall not be more than 23′

Fixed Fittings and Equipment to be Carried When Racing (From the Class Rules):

a ) The minimum standard equipment that shall be carried are: eight floor boards, port and starboard pipe berths, companionway hatches, and safety gear as specified by the organizing authority.

b) Anchor and rode of suitable weight and strength for anchoring vessel must be carried at all times.

c) An engine able to propel the vessel at an adequate speed shall be carried on board at all times.

During the past 7 months, I have been volunteering to tutor people in a Library Geek program at the Westhampton Free Library. Many of my appointments have dealt with laptops and trying to cleanup the computer and improve its overall performance. For this article’s purposes, I am going to make the assumption that the computer is running Windows XP or Windows Vista Operating System.

The first thing I check out is the system properties. Right click on My Computer or Computer, and choose “Properties”. On Windows Vista, one will also need to click on Advanced system settings located in the left section of the window under Tasks. On the Advanced tab, click on Performance Options. Choose custom under Visual Effects, then proceed to uncheck the options that start with Animate, Fade, or Slide. These are unnecessary bells and whistles that don’t give much benefit but eat up computer resources.  As you flip through the many tabs in the System Properties, there are additional features one can safely turn off.  On Windows XP, one can turn off error reporting but get notified of critical errors. Turn off Remote Assistance or Remote Desktop. The other important thing to look for in this section is System Restore, check the option to configure drives independently here.  Navigate to the C Drive, move the slider down towards 1 percent. I usually like to keep a reserved space of 700-800MB for System Restore but if 1 percent is greater than that, so be it. Once completed making these changes, be sure to choose apply and then ok.

The next thing I do is right click on Recycle Bin and choose properties. Once again, I like to reserve 700-800MB for the Recycle Bin but if 1 percent is greater than that, so be it. Between the System Restore and Recycle Bin modifications, one will gain valuable hard drive space back and reduce the reserved space the operating system utilizes, which ultimately reduces unnecessary bloat.

Along the same lines, I next head towards the Control Panel and choose Internet Options. On the General tab, I click on settings under Browsing History. Here I like to reserve 250MB for Temporary Internet Files and choose zero for days to keep pages in history.

In the Control Panel, I usually will customize the mouse and keyboard properties to the person’s preferences as well.

Next, I right click on the taskbar and choose properties.  On the various tabs for Taskbar and Start Menu Properties, I usually choose to uncheck the hide inactive icons setting, group similar taskbar buttons, and the history of recently opened files and programs.

I also right click on the desktop and choose properties or personalize. On the various tabs, I look for the drop-down to utilize Cleartype to smooth edges of screen fonts. In this same section on Windows XP, there is another drop-down menu where I choose Scroll instead of Fade.  One should be able to find these settings under Appearance, and then effects. On Windows XP, I also look on the Desktop tab and customize desktop and uncheck the desktop cleanup wizard. One should also add the Computer and Documents icons to the desktop if they are not already there.

After tweaking the above settings, I will next proceed to the Add/Remove Programs or Programs and Features in the Control Panel. Remove unnecessary programs or outdated ones as well. On the left side of this window, one will see Add/Eemove windows components or Turn Windows features on or off. Here one can turn off the Indexing Service, Games, Outlook Express, MSN Explorer, and Windows Messenger if you do not utilize them.

To get more advanced at this point, click Start, Run, and type in regedit. Go to edit menu, then find, type in MenuShowDelay. Right click on the MenuShowDelay, choose Modify, and enter 0 and choose ok. One can also modify the registry keys for WaitToKillAppTimeout, HungAppTimeout, and WaitToKillServiceTimeout to values of 1000.

After all the above tweaks are completed, I will next run Microsoft Update and update everything available. Be sure to update your programs such as Adobe Reader, Flash Player, RealPlayer, Quicktime, Itunes, Divx Player, and Java. Be sure to have an Antivirus program, I prefer AVG Free. On Windows XP, one can download and install the Startup Control Panel. In Windows Vista, one can choose Windows Defender from the Control Panel, and choose Manage Startup Programs on the left-hand side.

The final part of the process is to focus on the System Tray. All icons in the system tray are currently running processes on one’s computer. Right click on these system tray icons and look for settings, preferences, or options and look for opportunities to prevent some of these programs from running on startup. Hope this helps some of you to speed up your computers.

One thing I have noticed over the past few sailing seasons is that many sailors are unsure about how much vang tension to put on a sunfish rig. While there is methods out there to adjust the vang while sailing, the majority of sailors set it and forget it during a race.  Deciding how much vang tension to put one is one of the toughest things to judge on a Sunfish.

The Sunfish has a lanteen rig with the length of the boom being 164 inches and the foot of the sail measuring around 160 inches.  With the design of the rig being the way it is, the majority of racing sailors will be able to trim the mainsail enough when sailing upwind to negate the effects of having any vang tension.  The main time I find the vang helpful in upwind sailing is when the wind is strong enough that one needs to sheet out the main sail consistently in order to keep the boat flat.  In these cases, one would want plenty of vang tension on so that when you ease the main, the end of the boom by the outhaul cap does not raise and ultimately make your sail more baggy.  That being said, I find the most important part of the vang tension is for downwind sailing speed.

The way I setup my vang tension for the day is to sail dead downwind or even by the lee on both tacks prior to the start of the first race of the day.  What I’m looking at is the outer leech panel just above the sunfish on the sail.  With the proper amount of vang tension one will obtain the proper leech tension to avoid the the leech opening up or spilling off air. Ultimately, one will be able to maintain better pressure in the outer portion of the sail above the sunfish. This will be advantageous against competitors when trying to maneuver the boat downwind as well as sailing by the lee.

The next question that most people would naturally have at this point in the discussion is how to tell if they have too much vang tension on.  I’m not entirely sure the proper words to describe how the sunfish sail will appear with too much vang pressure on, but focus your eyes towards the bottom of the sail, below the window, from the gooseneck back towards the outhaul and cunningham cleats.  In this area of the sail, it will definitely look a little funky like it being choked off or something.  If it is very strong winds, this shouldn’t be too big an issue.  However, in the moderate and lighter winds, one may want to ease the vang off some and try sailing downwind to see if the leech will hold pressure without opening the leech and spilling off air.  The more one practices with these settings, and focusing eyes to the proper parts of the sail, the easier it will become to judge putting vang tension and ultimately the improvement in downwind sailing speed will be there for sure.  Best of luck.

In April 2009, I purchased my very first smartphone, a BlackBerry Curve 8330.  Even though I had been a techie for many years now, this decision brought me to the next level.  The BlackBerry became my new laptop on short trips, using it for navigation, local search, emails, instant messaging, social networking, news, and even as a portable entertainment center for music and movies.

I instantly could see I would rely heavily on this device, and therefore wanted to maximize its usage in every regard but especially in staying connected with people.  Contact information and calendar management soon became a big deal to me.  I could be organized and motivated like never before.

The first thing I did was reach about to a bunch of people I knew had used BlackBerries and inquired about their favorite applications, and where they went to research for further information.  While I had received a great amount of feedback from people, their was one commonality I found in the responses from every techie that I had asked. Download the Google Mobile App, Gmail, Google Maps, and Google Sync.

This was hands-down the best recommendation I had received. The Google Mobile App was simply a bundle of applications similar to how the Google Pack is offered on computers. Within that application, installing Google Maps and Gmail was as simple as could be. The key element to the whole equation was the Google Sync application. By using that application, one can sync all their contacts from Gmail on the computer wireless over-the-air directly to their BlackBerry.  The same functionality exists with the Google Calendar application where you can sync it to your BlackBerry native Calendar over-the-air. One can also sync multiple calendars using this functionality.

Now, the central place for my contact management on my BlackBerry would be my computer which is way easier for me to enter information in.  I was able to export contacts from my other email account address books, and import them into Gmail.  I was able to cleanup and organize the contact cards a lot better on the computer. Ultimately, I could now choose to delete my BlackBerry Contacts and Calendar databases at any time, and I would be able to sync it back  using Google Sync.

This comes in very handy when doing upgrades to your BlackBerry or if it crashes on you, it would have to be a bother to have to ask for hundreds of contact’s information again. With the ease of a computer to manage contacts, it now makes sense to add restaurants, place of interests, home addresses, work addresses, and other information most people don’t usually enter on their mobile phones.  By having this information, I can easily get directions to locations using Google Maps without having to type anything.  I can do local searches using a variety of applications.  I also can feel safe and secure knowing that my calendar and contacts will always reside safely on Gmail and Google Calendar, and can easily be restored to my BlackBerry without even hooking up a cord to a computer.

In an internet world with over 300 million internet users on facebook, and millions more on other social networking sites such as Twitter, MySpace, FriendFeed, Digg, Stumbleupon, Delicious, Flickr, Picasa, and YouTube to name a few; one would be insane not to look at this potential audience and ponder how they can attract these visitors to their website.

While in the process of re-launching this website, I had to get some clarity of what my vision would be for this site.  Originally when I launched this website back in 2004, I wanted a domain to practice my web design skills, test out content management systems, practice with hand-coding and stylesheets, and a storage place on the web that was all mine.

Over the next few years, I used the site as a showcase of web design and development projects as well as being a tool for soliciting new business. At the height of my freelance business, I was maintaining over 20 websites.

As I entered 2009, I found that I was really in a position that I no longer wanted to solicit new business projects.  I actually have withdrawn my participation from many ongoing projects due to time constraints and other commitments.  I do still take on select projects from time to time, but did not need a website going for that purpose.  So, what would the new vision be for this website one would ask…

I have recently decided to launch my site as more of a blog site where I would write articles on relevant topics of interest.  I wanted my site to be able to showcase photography from my travels and sailing competitions.  I wanted to integrate as much social media into my website as possible to solicit feedback and to promote the visibility of my website.  I also wanted to create content that would be beneficial to its readers and not as much a journal of my personal life, even though I acknowledge that will be a significant portion of the site as well.

Over the past 6 months, I have been tutoring people at the Westhampton Free Library as part of their Library Geek Program.  I found that many people there are interested in learning similar things and just have difficulty finding a trusted source of information.

Over the past 6 years while working at the Village of Westhampton Beach, I have maintained over 60 computers, dealt with surveillance cameras, maintained their website, and done a tremendous amount of network administration. I have also done a fair amount of freelance work in these areas.

I have close to 30 years of sailing experience, teaching for almost a decade, and competed internationally in Olympic Classes Regattas and World Championships.  I have always had a passion for sports, recreation and leisure, and fitness training.

With all this life experience and an established network of people in my life, I knew I had the background to write articles that could be beneficial to people.  The remaining question was how to get the word out, and how to enable visitors to participate in the process.

Building a community is a common goal for many websites. In order to do this successfully, Visitors need to be able to do a few things when they visit your website in order to get involved in the process. Among the desired interactions are the ability to login easily, provide feedback through commenting, share content and bookmark your site, and read your content in a manner that is preferred by them such as email alerts or getting postings delivered on their favorite BlackBerry/iphone/newsreader applications.

To accomplish these tasks on this website, I have integrated a few third-party applications to make my life easier and enhance the visitor experience. The first thing I wanted to be able to do is enable email alerts, I utilized a service called FeedBurner which is currently owned by Google. This service is excellent. It will send subscribers and email digest of articles posted on a scheduled basis if they wish or to subscribe to your newsfeed in their favorite newsreader application or online service.

Next, I utilized a wordpress plugin call sexy bookmarks that provides the Share the Love logo at the bottom of each post on this website and has visually appealing buttons that allow visitors to share articles to their choice of social networking sites. These sites currently include Facebook, FriendFeed, Twitter, MySpace, Digg, StumbleUpon, Technorati, Delicious, and Google Bookmarks.  Sharing is caring…

My next task was to allow users to login via their choice of social media profiles so that they could skip having to create a new account to make a comment or provide feedback on this site, they can simply login via their existing social media credentials.  So far, I have chosen to use Gigya Socialize which enables users to login using either their Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, or Yahoo accounts.  I also integrated Google Friend Connect which allows users to connect via their Google, AOL, or OpenID accounts.  These are all ways to increase engagement on the website.

My next few steps will be finding ways to further integrate my site with the popular social networking sites out there.  I am currently looking at ways to connect my site effectively with my Flickr, Picasa, or Facebook Photo Albums. I will look into video sites such as YouTube for further integration opportunites.  I will be looking for further opportunities to promote my blog on the world wide web, especially utilizing the social networking sites.

Be sure to sign up for email alerts or bookmark this site to your favorite social networking sites while you are visiting.  More coming soon.

Just a quick note on a setting change I made on my BlackBerry which I recommend. First, open your messages application (email), then click on the menu button and choose options. Under Options, choose General Options, scroll down to SMS and Email Inboxes and choose Separate.

This gives you a separate inbox to receive text messages and your email messages. However, it still delivers a copy of your text messages and BlackBerry Messenger messages to your email inbox for those who prefer that. By doing this, it makes it much easier to take advantage of the BB Messenger built-in, and separates emails and text messages in separate folders making it easier to manage.

The cool thing about BB Messenger is that it acts like all the other instant messengers.  Unlike the others, one cannot shut it down unless you completely uninstall the application. Rather than deleting the application, I recommend taking advantage of its great features. All PIN messages in that application do not go towards your monthly sms text count because it utilizes your data plan. Adding friends on that applications will reduce or eliminate the need to use other third-party instant message applications and, in turn, save valuable resources (file free memory) to speed up your BlackBerry. Another nice function is the ability to send voice notes and address book cards (vcf files) to other messenger contacts.

Anyways, I use it and highly recommend using it to others. My BB PIN is 31f0554d. Feel free to send me a friend request.  Post your PIN in the comments section below if you are interested and I will add you if you prefer.  Thanks for visiting my site.

Over the past few days, I have been testing out many different solutions for making status updates to various social networking sites whether on a BlackBerry, laptop, or desktop.

Overall, the most effective method in my opinion has been using an instant messenger client called Google Talk and sending an instant message status update to a service HelloTxt (im@hellotxt.com). Using this method, one can simultaneously update your status messages on Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter. Regardless of whether you are using  a computer or blackberry, one can certainly go to the website hellotxt.com and update your status through there if you prefer that over instant messaging. For me, I like the google talk option because it is quicker on the blackberry and simple enough to use on a computer. Hellotxt also can make updates to additional sites such as Flickr for photos and Delicious for link-sharing. One can also email updates to Hellotxt, however, the problem I ran into there is that I use an email signature that I don’t want going into every status update. Some people may desire that for promotional purposes.

There were other services such as Ping.fm that accomplish this task as well, however, they seemed to have a significant lag time when updating your twitter status. Still, not a bad option, if needed.

If you take MySpace and Blackberry usage out of the equation, there are other options equally as good if not better. The first thought that comes to mind is using Tweetdeck. Tweetdeck is an Adobe Air application for use on computers, not blackberry. Adobe AIR is a little-known application bundled with the latest version of Adobe Reader 9. They have an application gallery available with Adobe AIR which has some great applications. I have tested a few so far…Accuweather by Stratus, DeskTube, eBay Desktop, MePing, Ping on AIR, Tweetdeck, Thwirl, and Seesmic Desktop to name a few of them. Out of all of these, I think Tweetdeck is the greatest application. With TweetDeck, it is simple to update your facebook and twitter statuses, as well as view all your friends status updates on both networks. The interface is sweet and it is definitely cool to be able to monitor both networks in one application.

One other option that has great potential is Digsby. Digsby is an all-in-one connector meaning you can get all your instant messenger clients into one application, as well as connecting the application to Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace. This could be a great application with all that functionality in one program, the major drawback is the interface is pretty low-tech. Some people may really like that part of the application, and it is certainly a simple option for pulling all your social networking and instant messaging into one application. I definitely recommend giving it a try to see for yourself.

The questions remaining in the research:

When will this functionality be available for Facebook Profile Pages for Organizations, Businesses, Fan Pages, or groups?

Are there are any limitations to MySpace pages for Artists, Musicians, Comedians, etc. using the same functionality as individual profiles?

Will there be the ability to configure more than one account twitter/facebook/myspace on these solutions?

Is there a hellotxt application available through Adobe AIR?

24 boats showed up to compete at the Rehoboth Bay Sailing Association in Delaware this past weekend, June 21-22nd, 2008. Sailors travelled from at least 6 states for the competition including Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, New York, and New Jersey. Among the competitors were former Sunfish Regional champions and place winners, in addition to one former North American Continental Champion David Davies, whom shared the hotel costs with me over the weekend.

The group of competitors were treated to beautiful sunny weather and wind conditions that increased each day as it progressed between a range of 7-15mph, with the occasional gust over 20mph. Race Committee Chairman Dave Racine setup excellent Modified Olympic courses with each leg being approximately a halfmile for races totaling 3 miles in length. The starting lines were very square to the wind, probably one of the finest jobs of line-setting that I have personally witnessed. The benefit of the squared starting lines was that we did not have 1 general recall for the entire regatta. In addition, I would like to thank all of the people involved with the regatta for their excellent hospitality. I especially enjoyed the Saturday evening meal which highlighted Pulled-Pork, veggies, breads, and some fine dessert selections.

On day 1, the fleet managed to complete 4 competitive races all decided by less than 100 feet distance separating first and second place, with 2 of the races won by just boat-lengths. However, at the end of Day 1, Brian McGinnis amassed four first-place finishes to end the day with 4 points total. 2nd place on Day 1 went to John Meier of Virginia totaling 12 points, 3rd place to Steve Evans of Delaware with 16 points, 4th place to Sarah Lester of Delaware with 20 points, and 5th place to Chris Raubacher of Delaware with 24 points.

The interesting element of the day was the upwind dynamic; each layline provided sailors with a small lift as they approached the mark on that tack. However, when in doubt, I tended to choose the right side as it seemed their may have been a slight velocity benefit on that side. Each race brought with it a little more wind and waves as the day progressed, I can recall sliding back my gooseneck slightly before each new race. Consistent downwind speed throughout the day was the necessary edge that propelled me to cross the finish line first in all the days races. One thing I noticed is that I personally sailed with much more vang on then the other sailors, I think this contributed to my downwind speed advantage.

Day 2 was very similar to the first day as far as the weather conditions go, the only difference being that we were not on the water as late on Sunday as the previous day. Soon after reaching shore at days end Sunday, I noticed the wind howling again as it had around 3-4pm the previous day. With the wind starting at around 7mph for the first race, Brian McGinnis managed to pull off another 1st place finish, virtually clinching the regatta unless something catastrophic was to happen. Brian McGinnis finished the regatta off with a throw-out race of a 7th place, followed by a 2nd place finish in the final race to complete the regatta with 7 points total and earning him not only the Regional Championship, but qualifying him for the 2009 Sunfish World Championship currently destined for Nassau, Bahamas. The next 2 races really became a dogfight for second place in the regatta. Steve Evans pulled off a 2nd place, then 1st place, in the last 2 races to come from behind and capture 2nd overall in the regatta with 15 points. John Meier stayed consistent throughout and held on for third just a few points behind.

Written by Brian McGinnis for submission into the Sunfish Class Windward Leg Magazine

Social:

Spring Break was a blast. Harpoon Harry’s and Spinnaker Beach Club were good times. Camping at the St. Andrew’s Bay Yacht Club was the popular thing to do, I would estimate at least half the sailors camped out for the week, making the experience all the more fun. Thanks again for all the hospitality.

Team Racing Nationals:

3 races were contested on Wednesday, March 12th, 2008. 3 teams consisting of 4 team members each dualed it out for the Team Racing National Championship.

At the end of the day, Chip Clifton, Peter Wuescher, Lee Montes and Brian McGinnis were crowned the new national champions. Each race of the day was closely contested. In the first race, our team would have appeared to have the race all locked up by the first mark having 3 team members (Chip Clifton, Lee Montes and then myself) leading the race. However, the first 2 sailors missed the offset mark, and by the time they went back and rounded, a comeback was certainly necessary. As the 3rd sailor around the mark, I did my best to slow up all the sailors and allow my team members to get back in it. By the leeward mark, Chip had made it back to 2nd and was on the chase after Rob Eberle for 1st. By the end of the race, Chip won it, Rob Eberle finished 2nd, and we took the 3 and 4 positions to clinch the race.

The other race pitted Chip Clifton vs. Karl Kleinschrodt. However, Karl backed off the sprint race to assist his teammates, this strategy ultimately backfired. Karl basically crushed me, however in the process, we were able to spring Peter Wuescher into 2nd, with Karl ultimately finishing 3rd and myself hanging on for a tightly contested 4th place. Our team finished undefeated on the day and received nice trophies in the end.

US Nationals at Midwinters:

10 races total were held over the next 3 days for the Sunfish Singlehanded US National Championship.

The first day’s racing brought us out into the big bay, having 40 sailors sailing over an hours sail out to the course. 3 races were held that day, the first 2 races in 7-8mph conditions and the last race building to 10mph. The first 2 races were dominated by Chip Clifton (1998 US National Champion) who worked his speed and smarts to the left side of the course and finished with 2 bullets to show for it. The last race of the day was a bit breezier and saw the rise of Hank Saurage’s run to the ultimate championship.

The next 5 races were run in even breezier conditions, around 14-18mph. Due to the lingering T-storms in the area, the race committee brought us back to the little bay out in front of the yacht club. The top sailors scores grew fiercely close by the end of the day, with Hank Saurage coming out on top after grabbing 2 more bullets (races four and six) and remaining consistent throughout the day. 2002 US National Champion Todd Edwards also won 2 races that day (races five and eight) and at the end finished the regatta in 3rd place overall. Greg Gust (5th at the 2007 Worlds) won race 7 that day ultimately finishing the regatta in 4th place overall. Greg’s win was especially impressive considering he had to re-start after being called over early at the start. Unfortunately for Greg, he did have to accept a 20% penalty on that race (scoring him a 9 for the race). Chip Clifton remained in the hunt but an OCS that day had done some considerable damage to his victory hopes, and at the end finished in 5th place overall.

The last 2 races were a showcase of the talents of 2-time World Champion (1995, 2006) and 2001 US National Champion David Loring as he scored 2 bullets to finish as the regatta runner-up. David sailed consistently throughout but really came to form on the last day. The last 2 races were also sailed in the little bay in front of the club due to lingering T-storms in the area. Best guess on the wind would be somewhere around 10-14mph for the day.

Rounding out the top ten were Karl Kleinschrodt and Don Brennan in 6th and 7th place overall. 1976 US Olympic 470 Class Representative and 2008 International Masters Champion Tom Whitehurst finished 8th overall. 2000 US National Champion Zane Yoder finished 9th place overall. 1980 North American Continental Champion Joe Blouin rounded out the top 10.

Yours truly finished in 11th place overall and was the top sailor from North of the Mason-Dixon line.

Additional Notes:

Big improvement over past performances for me at Midwinters regattas. It was a very top-heavy fleet and was some fast racing on the course. Current was a major factor in all sailing areas there. In the small bay, there was also a point off to the left upwind that had many of the top sailors racing towards it looking for the lift that they received coming out of that corner. It was possible to compete at the top of the fleet by going right upwind if you were committed enough to get all the way up into the current one would find there in the small bay. Conditioning was pretty good for me at this regatta. Areas of improvement are leg strength and bicep muscles (was tough 2-blocking). I was actually surprised how much people were trimming the mainsheet upwind as the wind strength grew. I rarely sheet in as much as I was seeing the top sailors do so there in Panama City. The larger version mainsheet block might be helpful in this scenario.

The following workout plan was developed in conjunction with a certified trainer and friend.  The goal of this workout was to develop a more focused workout approach in order to avoid over-training. I began utilizing this training regime in January 2008 in order to train for the Sunfish US Nationals at Midwinters.  I did achieve great results with this plan and decided to share it for the benefit of anyone.

The plan calls for planned workouts Monday-Thursday focusing on specific body parts mixed in with core training on off days or post-workout.  It’s important not to neglect flexibility and balance training for ultimate results.

The cycle part of the workout is that every 4 weeks you mix up the number of repetitions and weight utilized accordingly.  The recommended repetitions are between 8-12 unless otherwise specified.  If 10 Repetitions is goal, you should not be able to do any more than 12. If you can, raise the weight. Prior to each workout routine, a 10-15 minute cardio warmup is recommended to get the muscles properly warmed up. Do not exceed 15 minutes or you will take away from your overall workout results. Abs should be performed every day 5-15 minutes. Mix up the routine by using stability ball, medicine ball, and crunches. Flexibility should alse be done every day post-workout.

(next 4 weeks) Split Routine (a) / (b)

Workout (a) Lower Body – Monday/Wednesday

• Treadmill/Elliptical Progressive Warm-up
• Deadlift 4 x 10
• Smith Machine Squat 4 x 10
• Dumbbell Step-up 3 x 10
• Jump Squat (Dumbbell) 3 x 12 *20 lbs. dumbbells
• Lever Seated Leg Curl 3 x 10
• Calf Raise 3 x 12

Workout (b) Upper Body – Tuesday/Thursday

• Upper Body Ergometer Warm-up
• Bench Press 4 x 10 (1st set light)
• Lat Pulldown (to the chest) 4 x 10
• Shoulder Press 3 x 10
• Seated Cable Row 3 x 10
• Standing Cable Flys 3 x 10
• Lateral Raise 3 x 10
• Barbell Bicep Curl 3 x 10
• Lying Tricep Extension 3 x 10

Workout (c) – Weekends, Either Day

• Hip Abductors/Adductors
• Wall Sits
• Glutes
• Hip Circuit on Mat
• External Rotations (Rotator Cuff)
• Stability Ball Exercises