Mike Quigley vs. Mortgage Interest Deduction

I find this troubling, not only as an avid Lake Michigan sailor, but also as a real estate professional.

The same arguments in favor of home mortgage interest deduction apply to the boating industry, if not more- the boating industry represents the livelihood of many interconnected jobs in building, selling, maintaining and enjoying recreational boating.

View Illinois’s 5th Congressional District (CHI) in a larger map

The Illinois 5th Congressional District map appears to include Diversey Harbor, but not Belmont Harbor.

View Illinois’s 5th Congressional District (CHI) in a larger map

Quigley, Walz, Peters Introduce Bill to End Subsidies for Luxury Yachts
Tuesday, 03 May 2011 13:29

WASHINGTON—Today, U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (IL-05), along with Reps. Tim Walz (MN-1) and Gary Peters (MI-9), introduced legislation to eliminate taxpayer subsidies for yachts. The Ending Taxpayer Subsidies for Yachts Act will amend a tax provision that allows boat owners to write off their mortgage interest payments if they classify their boats as second homes.

“There’s absolutely no reason why taxpayers should subsidize luxury yachts,” said Quigley. “As we work to address our budget challenges, closing this frivolous tax loophole is a no-brainer.”

“We’re going to have to make some hard decisions to tackle our national debt, but this isn’t one of them,” said Walz. “Closing this tax loophole restores the Mortgage Interest Deduction to its original purpose; helping middle class families realize the American Dream through homeownership.”

Currently, taxpayers are allowed to deduct mortgage interest for up to two homes from their tax returns. Yachts equipped with bedding, toilet facilities, and a kitchen qualify even if they aren’t used as a primary residence. The Ending Taxpayer Subsidies for Yachts Act would limit the tax deduction to only those who use their boats as a primary residence.

“We need to get the deficit under control, and that means simplifying the tax code and eliminating special interest tax giveaways like the Yacht Loophole,” added Peters. “Homeownership is part of the American Dream and we should encourage it, but yacht owners don’t need any special handouts, especially in the middle of a budget crisis.”

In 2004, there were approximately 500,000 pleasure boats in the United States large enough to qualify for the tax break, but only around 100,000 people live full time on boats according to the 2000 Census.

The proposal is included in Quigley’s Reinventing Government: The Federal Budget Part II. The report is due out next week and will include detailed cost-saving recommendations to follow up on Part I, which focused on transparency in the budget process.

Source: Mike Quigley press release
http://quigley.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=480%3Aquigley-walz-peters-introduce-bill-to-end-subsidies-for-luxury-yachts&catid=19%3A2011-press-releases&Itemid=24

Note the discrepancy in the fake analysis? 2000 census figures are compared to 2004 boat statistics (without source reference). Never mind that we just completed a 2010 census, or that the current year is 2011…

Here’s how the media fabricates information:

The Hill directly copies information from the press release, publishing the unsourced numerical data as if it were factual news:

http://thehill.com/blogs/on-the-money/domestic-taxes/159065-house-lawmakers-urge-elimination-of-tax-subsidy-for-yachts

But The Hill is honest enough to inquire, and report:

The IRS doesn’t differentiate between mortgage types so there is no data available to calculate an exact amount of money the legislation would save, an aide told The Hill.

Nor is there any analysis of the jobs and positive economic impact of the original mortgage interest deduction as it currently exists with regard to boat ownership.

Perhaps Quigley and his over-taxing colleagues can examine the studies prepared for justifying the funding of additional harbors for Chicago?

Unfortunately, it seems they would rather perpetuate the false narrative that taxing more is the solution to the economic problems created by government over-spending.

By Liam Ford
Tribune reporter
8:36 a.m. CDT, April 16, 2011

Anyone trying to get around downtown this morning may have to wait to cross the Chicago River as bridges go up on the first day of Chicago’s bridge lift season.

Bridge lifts accommodate sailboats moving from where they are housed during the winter months on the South Side, up the South Branch of the Chicago River to harbors along Lake Michigan.

Bridge lifts started along the South Branch about 8 a.m. and will continue until about 2 p.m. They are expected to impact downtown mostly between 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.

The lifts for boats headed outbound to the lake will take place every Wednesday and Saturday through June 29, according to the Chicago Department of Transportation. They are scheduled to start around 9:30 a.m. on Wednesdays and 8 a.m. on Saturdays; downtown will see bridges going up between about 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on Wednesdays, and 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. on Saturdays.

Dating back to the days when the Chicago River and other city waterways carried large amounts of commercial traffic, the city boasts more movable bridges than any other city in the world. Today, the total number of movable bridges is about 36, down from 43 in the mid-1990s.

The first bridge over the river, at Kinzie Street, was built in 1834, the year after Chicagoans elected their first village council. Most of the city’s bridges are bascule bridges, a type of bridge pioneered with the building of the Cortland Street Bridge, built in 1902, according to the Encyclopedia of Chicago. A bascule bridge uses giant counterweights attached to the shore ends of two interlocking bridge leaves to raise the bridge.

From Chicago Breaking News:
http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/news/local/chibrknews-chicago-bridge-lifts-start-today-20110416,0,4672423.story

Looks kinda slow, eh?

Goose Island brewery announced its acquisition by Anheuser-Busch this week.

A stalwart sponsor of local sailing regattas, and the favored choice of local beer drinking afficionados, Goose island was once a proud symbol of business success and skillful brew mastery, throughout the “Windy City” and the entire region.

The news was heralded by the company as a necessary step toward expanding production capacity to meet the ever-growing demand, which surpassed the output of the local brewery facilities.

In answer to beer enthusiasts’ concerns about quality, a spokesperson explained, “a highly scientific analysis of the local beer will allow Anheuser-Busch to manufacture mass quantities of Goose Island beer, much like it currently produces Budweiser today. By carefully studying the flavors of local Goose Island beer, and learning how to duplicate it exactly in large-scale factory production facilities, Goose Island beer made by Anheuser-Busch will actually taste more identical and authentic than beer made by Goose Island ourselves!”

Other concerns, however, were left unanswered. Why couldn’t Goose Island expand its business and its facilities locally? The loss of another successful business in Illinois to acquisition by an offshore foreign interest reflects the unintended consequences of government which over-taxes, over-spends, over-regulates, and over-burdens individuals and businesses of all sizes.

The problem at the national level is demonstrated by the previous loss of Budweiser to an overseas company.

Similarly, the local obstacles to Goose Island’s accelerated growth are largely due to a system of corrupt government and its intrusion into private business enterprise in Chicago, Cook and Illinois over the last 80 years or more.

However, on an upbeat note, Goose Island announced that it will respond to the business changes with a new direction in marketing.

The 312 beer, named after the Chicago telephone area code, was created to identify Goose Island as a Chicago landmark, and differentiated itself by appealing to an initial audience of trendy city dwellers, who were early to discover and enjoy Goose Island beer, even if only by chance, being more conveniently available in the local environs of the city.

“Goose Island beer is no longer a Chicago beer,” remarked the spokesperson. “In fact, we are no longer an American beer. So it no longer makes sense to name our product based on silly rivalries between faux urban hipsters and suburban poser wannabe’s.”

“Chicago itself is a provincial backwater of political crime and corruption, which we no longer can afford to be closely associated with. Look at Illinois- it’s considered a joke by the rest of our own country. Clearly, that is not in our best interest to promote.”

“We must disavow our past local connections. We are now part of the global economy, forced out of both our hometown and our home country by bad policies which thwart true business growth and economic freedom.”

“We have chosen a new product identity, which preserves the original concept. Our new product identity also strengthens and acknowledges our ownership by an offshore foreign company.”

“Today we can announce that 312 Beer will be renamed after the international telephone dialing prefix, and be known as ‘011’.”

When asked if Goose Island had plans to craft a special forty ounce malt to be distributed by the Jesse Jackson family relatives’ Budweiser distributorship in Chicago, the spokesperson said, “no comment.”

Thursday unveiling for Northerly Island plan

November 28, 2010 11:04 AM
What’s left of the former Meigs Field would be turned into a nature sanctuary and park, under plans to be unveiled this week by the Chicago Park District and its design team.

Plans for what is now called Northerly Island include stripping the old terminal building of its walls, transforming the internal structure into an open-air pavilion. The area would also include an underwater paradise for fish, plants and birds and an eco-friendly concert venue near Adler Planetarium.

“It’s an amazing project,” said Bob O’Neill, president of the Grant Park Conservancy and Advisory Council.

The public meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the Chicago Architecture Foundation, 224 S. Michigan Ave.

The design team is led by Chicago architect Jeanne Gang of Studio Gang Architects, which designed the award-winning Aqua tower, and JJR, a landscape architecture and urban design firm.

Aviation advocates who want to restore Meigs Field as an airport will not likely participate. Steve Whitney, president of Friends of Meigs Field, said the group feels shut out of the design process and therefore will not attend.

“They just want input from the people who support what they want,” he said.

Indeed, park officials are adamant about developing the 91-acre peninsula into a serene and natural playground. The peninsula is on the migratory route for birds flying from Canada to South America.

“The framework plan incorporates designs for a multiseason use, and has green-friendly elements in the design,” Park District spokeswoman Zvezdana Kubat said in an e-mail.

Initial designs for the peninsula — refined from concepts introduced at a public meeting a year ago — include turning the old terminal building into an open-air pavilion free of walls and glass, common and often fatal obstacles for birds migrating through Chicago.

A harbor for aquatic wildlife would be on the peninsula’s east side — opposite the boat harbor on the west side. Rock formations would be built underwater to attract plants, fish and birds.

And architects will unveil a permanent design plan for the temporary 7,500-seat Charter One Pavilion venue, including a “green” roof. Funds from future concerts would help pay for the peninsula’s upkeep, O’Neill said.

“There’s no city in the world that has this opportunity right now,” he said. “You have this enormous area in the front of the city, with the skyline and everything, and to turn that area into a world-class nature area is unprecedented.”

— Erika Slife

via Chicago Breaking News

Donald Wilson Jr. looks to turn his Chicago Match Race Center into hub of international sailboat competitions

Melissa Harris
CHICAGO CONFIDENTIAL
October 28, 2009

A 1997 headline in the Tribune declared Donald Wilson Jr. the “whiz kid” of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.

Now 41, Wilson, founder and CEO of DRW Trading Group, a derivatives trading firm, is trying to turn Chicago into a worldwide center for competitive sailing.

Earlier this year, he launched the Chicago Match Race Center, which has swiftly grown for one reason: Wilson’s wealth. This winter, he’s scouting for corporate sponsors for the center’s 2010 regattas, new members and, most of all, skilled competitors. Wilson won the center’s first regatta here in June.

“Defacto, it’s run as a benevolent dictatorship, because I’m paying for it all,” he said, declining to say how much money he has invested.

In match racing, identical sailboats race head to head on a course, usually with on-the-water umpires.

Wilson began sailing as a teenager in Switzerland and moved back to the United States to attend the University of Chicago, graduating in 2 1/4 years. He once paid $102,600 in a charity auction to observe a prestigious yacht race from onboard, serving as the so-called 18th man.

Wilson rents space for the center from the Chicago Park District at the north end of Belmont Harbor. And, so far, he has purchased eight new racing boats, four boats for umpires and a 70-foot houseboat that acts as a clubhouse. He also is buying four highly coveted boats for a new Olympic women’s sailing event.

The center’s top race this year attracted competitors from New Zealand, Japan and Europe.

“It’s only taken (the center) one year to make an impact on match racing in this country,” said Jake Fish, a spokesman for the United States Sailing Association. “Another interesting thing is that they really take care of their umpires, paying for all of their travel expenses. So they’re attractive for race management as well.”

Facing the worst financial crisis of his 20-year tenure, Mayor Richard Daley plans to slash city funding for Venetian Night, a festival that his father began as mayor more than 50 years ago.

And that places the future of Chicago’s longest-running public party very much in doubt.

City officials said today they can no longer afford the $100,000 for fireworks or the $200,000 to police crowds estimated at more than 500,000.

“Operational costs exceeded the sponsorship revenue,” said Cindy Gatziolis, spokeswoman for the Mayor’s Office of Special Events.

Leaders of the Chicago Yachting Association, which organizes Venetian Night, said city officials had not informed them of the event’s demise.

Mayor’s Office of Special Events (Venetian Night webpage, already deleted…):

Venetian Night is the longest running event that the City of Chicago produces, and was once a multiple day event that featured a beauty pageant and parade on State Street in addition to the lighted boat parade and fireworks show on the waterfront.

Saturday:

Sunday:

June 10, 2009
BY FRAN SPIELMAN City Hall Reporter

Navy Pier has more than tripled its surveillance network — with cameras so sophisticated, they can pick out a face in a crowd six blocks away — thanks to a $4.2 million Homeland Security grant designed to prevent a lakefront terrorist attack.

The Navy Pier network marks the first installment in a four-year-old plan known as Operation Virtual Shield. It calls for linking 1,000 miles of fiber optic cable into a uniformed homeland security grid, with surveillance cameras capable of spotting suspicious activity from one end of Lake Shore Drive to the other.

Until now, Navy Pier’s nine million annual visitors and surrounding lakefront waters have been watched by 60 black-and-white cameras in fixed positions. They were linked to an even more primitive control center on the pier.

The new network includes 200 rotating surveillance cameras so sophisticated, they can pick up a face in a crowd six blocks away. To speed response times, they’re linked to the 911 center, the nearby Marine Unit and to the Chicago Police Department’s Near North District.

Forty of the cameras are located indoors, including the Winter Garden and Navy Pier garage. The 160 outdoor cameras monitor the main entrance, the east end, and exterior perimeter.

Vince Gavin, director of special projects for Navy Pier, said there’s even a special camera trained on the inlet between Navy Pier and the Jardine Water Filtration Plant, one of Chicago’s most vulnerable terrorism targets because Lake Michigan water is purified for drinking there.

“When a boat penetrates the east end of that inlet, that camera focuses on the boat, a horn will go off and an audible message will go out: “Leave this area immediately. You’re subject to a $5,000 fine by the U.S. Coast Guard,’ “ Gavin said.

“Then, we monitor the boat. If the boat continues, the Marine Unit’s got it. A Marine Unit boat is over here in two minutes.”

Installed in February, the new cameras have already been used to catch at least one pick-pocket and nab someone who was damaging a store that had closed for the night. They can also pinpoint boating accidents and drowning victims or monitor emergency response to Lake Michigan plane crashes.

Parents who take their young children to Illinois’ most popular tourist attraction can also breathe a little easier.

“If we had a lost child, [investigators would ask], ‘Where did you lose him? We can focus in on that area. What was he dressed like? Okay, we’ve got a boy fitting that description.’ You don’t have to run around and up and down. It provides so much of a quick response. … And the facial recognition — it’s as close as I’m looking at you,” Gavin said.

The next round of lakefront surveillance cameras will be installed around McCormick Place, Soldier Field and the Museum Campus, thanks to a $6.8 million Homeland Security grant awarded in 2007.

Seventeen cameras — 11 of them infra-red — will cover the area from Oak Street Beach all the way to 3900 South. That’s because on flat land, there’s a visibility of one mile at night and two miles during the day, Gavin said.

And what about Navy Pier and lakefront patrons who are not comfortable being watched?

“Walt Disney [World] has probably been doing this for years,” said Ray Orozco, executive director of the city’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications.

Chicago Sun-Times: Navy Pier triples number of surveillance cameras

UPDATE:

According to this IBM press release, Navy Pier is “the top-visited tourist and leisure destination in the Midwest, welcoming more than eight million visitors annually”, having “an economic impact of more than one billion dollars annually”.

IBM Press Release: IBM Launches Intelligent Security System at Chicago’s Navy Pier

CBS “48 Hours”: ‘Operation Virtual Shield’ discusses the homeland security impact of Chicago’s camera surveillance system, also highlighting its striking inability to protect against terrorist attacks that remain undetectable or which take place outside of the limited camera surveillance areas.

going…

Going…

GONE!

The Real Pirates are in your government; taxing, borrowing and spending too much.

Field Museum has some pirates, too.

Through October 25, 2009.

http://www.fieldmuseum.org/pirates

Today is Chicago Tea Party Day.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123975867505519363.html

Just say “NO!” to Big Government.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2009-04-14-biggovernment_N.htm

Update:

Representative Jan Schakowsky, D-IL, released a statement in response to “tea parties” being held on Tax Day.

Chicago Tribune: reports:

Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, a Chicago Democrat, said in a statement that the protests were “an effort to mislead the public about the Obama economic plan” and called them “a shameful political stunt.”

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-il-taxdayprotests-il,0,2920655.story

Here’s the entire press release by Jan Schakowsky:
http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/il09_schakowsky/pr_teaparties_04_15_09.shtml

Needless to say, we do not support the views of Jan Schakowsky.

Batavia Man on Ship Attacked by Somali Pirates
Local sailor: We practiced evading pirates
“We are under attack by pirates, we are being hit by rockets. Also bullets”
http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2009/04/batavia-man-on-ship-attacked-by-somali-pirates.html

“I’m not a pirate, I’m the saviour of the sea”
Who are the pirate bands menacing commercial and tourist shipping off Somalia? Our writer meets one of the leaders
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article6100783.ece

Northwestern University Sailing Team
Wet Your Willie 2009 Spring Regatta
April 11-12, 2009

Cameraphone pictures from Saturday-

A sunny day with good breeze from the north.

Conditions were much colder than it looks!

Pirates on Lake Michigan have attacked boats and towns during the 1800’s, wreaking havoc and mayhem in their search for booty in regions such as Beaver Island, the Manitous and Grand Haven.

WBBM Newsradio 780 reports:

CHICAGO (WBBM) – While the world watches the Somali pirate drama, there’s a story to be told of pirates right here on Lake Michigan.

Lake Michigan was home to a few pirates from the 19th and early 20th centuries.

The headline: Wholesale robbery by pirates on Lake Michigan. The date: October 10, 1855, in the New York Times.

The Times reported on people in the area around Saugutuck, Michigan, “thrown into the most intense excitement by the operations of a gang of marauders, who are reported to be Mormons from Beaver Island.”

But it wasn’t other ships that were attacked, it was land-based stores.

Half a century later – and almost 101 years ago – “Roaring” Dan Seavey took control of a Great Lakes cargo ship and sailed it to Chicago.

He reportedly got control of the 40-foot schooner Nellie Johnson in Grand Haven, Michigan, by out-drinking its captain and crew – then stealing it.

The Sun-Times reports that Seavey “found no fortune in his pirating: He was unable to sell the load of cedar posts in Chicago and was captured back near his home in Frankfort, Michigan.”

This J/30 was too big for “Will It Blend?”.

Bonzai Dragon, J/30
Sail Number 41838.
Hull Number 346.

The Corinthian Yacht Club is hosting its Sailboat Crew Development School beginning April 22 at the club at 601 W. Montrose Drive. The five week class, from 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesdays, provides training in basic and intermediate crewing skills to those 18 and older. The training takes place on land though students are asked to dress for the outdoors. Fee is $110 and includes book and materials. Send the completed application form and check to Jim Janik, 5256 W. Warner Ave., Chicago, IL 60641-1469. The form and more information are available at www.corinthian.org.

Chicago Sun-Times mentions:

Then at Monroe Harbor, a possible home to Olympic rowing and swimming competitions, sailboats rocked on the choppy waters, its masts emblazoned with the Chicago 2016 bid team’s logo.

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/olympics/1512352,olympics-international-committee-chicago-040509.stng

Lake Michigan Sail Racing Federation
1st Annual Survey Results

LMSRF has compiled the results of the 1st Annual Survey including all of the essay answers (minus the ones that weren’t “G” rated) and has them available for all Lake Michigan Sailors to review. We especially encourage all Organizing Authorities to listen to what the Sailors want. By responding to the needs of your customers, your events may grow and provide better satisfaction for all concerned.

Read the full results at:
http://www.lmsrf.org/survey_2009/survey_2009.htm

As a reward for completing the survey, 2 sailors out of 133 who provided their names in a random drawing have won free memberships in LMSRF for the 2009 season. Congratulations Lake Michigan Sail Racing Federation Members:
Jon Fischer
Paul Murray

Sincerely,
Donald Thinschmidt
LMSRF Commodore

The Fordham Spire is the latest project in the history of Chicago’s architectural development.

Today, Reuters highlights the slowing of construction of the Spire as emblematic of the worldwide economic slowdown.

We look forward to the successful completion of the Fordham Spire, for its inspired origins, innovative design, and physical beauty as a landmark achievement bringing another source of pride and character to Chicago for all to admire and enjoy.

REUTERS:– Global Recession Stalls Skyscraper Construction:
http://www.reuters.com/article/bondsNews/idUSN1729195720090323

We attended a preview last week of the Chicago 2016 Olympics Bid Committee presentation for the Olympics selection committee.

The venue for sailing was identified vaguely as offshore the Burnham Harbor entrance and McCormick Place. The venue for rowing was located at Monroe Harbor between the Shedd Aquarium and Navy Pier. Details were sparse and these locations may be subject to change.

Dislocation of boats from the harbors during Olympics and construction was not mentioned. There are many other aspects of the Olympics bid that have greater priority in the bid presentation, let alone if Chicago is chosen as host city.

The Chicago bid is a responsible effort to address the concerns and requirements brought on by hosting the Olympics, local politics and financial controversies notwithstanding. The bid focuses on solving the many logistical and pragmatic concerns that are involved in the overall project, including attention to winding down after the Olympics. In this regard, the Chicago bid is considered very strong among the other possible host cities, due to its solution-oriented approach and the local geography, Olympic village and infrastructure providing a good host location.

However, it was noted that unforeseeable and unknown factors impact the host city decision. For example, one country recently sent a delegation of schoolchildren to vote whimsically for their city of choice.

The planned new 31st Street harbor is included as a component of the Olympics bid.

The upcoming timeline of the selection process includes Olympics selection committee visit to Chicago in April, and ultimately the final decision made on October 2, 2009 in Copenhagen, Denmark. The decision will be made by a series of votes in a process of elimination, removing one city each round until the winning host city is chosen.

Regardless of the outcome of the Olympics bid, the city of Chicago will purchase the approximately 37-acre Michael Reese Hospital property before the end of June 2009. The Michael Reese property will have a TIF tax benefit for its developers.

Current Illinois governor Pat Quinn has pledged to increase the state’s Olympic guarantee to $250 million, adding to the city’s previously-announced guarantees. The Illinois budget is long overdue and still undecided, having been delayed by Blagojevich and the fiasco surrounding his arrest and the Burris senatorial appointment. Currently, the Illinois budget has a deficit more than $11.5 billion, according to Quinn.

Today on WLS 890 AM radio, Quinn described the state’s Olympic guarantee as third in line after Chicago’s $500 million guarantee and the bid committee’s $500 million guarantee funded by “private insurance”. Interestingly enough, the recent controversies in the news involve similar transactions, as AIG is a major insurer of government, and the city has been plagued with scandal involving city ties to insurance agency schemes locally.

Pat Quinn also highlighted the problem of road potholes throughout the state, and stated his goal to fix the roads, even aspiring to be the “pothole governor” if that were to be his legacy.

Potholes were in the news earlier this week, as the city generated more controversy by rebuilding roads in the vicinity of the Olympics site, while ignoring necessary road repairs throughout the city, particularly in nearby neighborhoods that have been neglected for years.

If you are interested in supporting the Chicago 2016 Olympics bid, the bid committee is seeking financial support and commitments by institutions or investors to demonstrate to the Olympic selection committee that there is sufficient financial backing to meet the guarantee requirements and establish the feasible likelihood that the overall project and infrastructure can be developed and completed successfully to host the Olympics.

In particular, if you represent a banking institution, investment company or other organization that can provide written documentation of your level of commitment to investment, underwriting or lending on behalf of the project, please contact the bid committee, or contact us for specific contact information.

Chicago’s Mayor Daley has stated on numerous occasions that US President Obama would be a key factor in influencing the 2016 Olympics bid selection favorably, by dint of his high official rank and connection to Chicago serving to impress and wow the selection committee.

Apart from the audacity of offensiveness in Obama’s gaffe, one must now wonder if Obama reflects favorably or not on Chicago in the eyes of the Olympics selection committee.

Too bad politics does not have the same rules as the Olympics, because our country certainly voted for amateurs to occupy the White House this term.

Unfortunately, although his chaotic and ill-considered policies are driving up the price of gold and emptying the pockets of taxpayers for years to come, Obama is not winning any gold medals for his presidential abilities.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=7129997

Lake Michigan Sail Racing Federation invites you to two seminars this Saturday March 21, 2009 at Crowley’s Yachtapalooza – Free! Forward this announcement around to your friends.

New Racers and What Crews Should Know 9:00-10:00AM
Learn how to get involved with sailboat racing and what it really takes to get a boat to the starting line.
by Glenn McCarthy

2009-2013 Racing Rule Changes 12:00-2:00PM
Learn about changes to the racing rules for 2009-2012.
by Dr. Warwick Coppleson & Glenn McCarthy

For directions and other seminars go to http://www.crowleys.com

August 21-22, 2009
Columbia Yacht Club

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society invites the greater Chicago yachting community to raise their sails for the 13th Annual Leukemia Cup Regatta. Sailboats will be competing on separate courses in a variety of categories while having the opportunity to raise funds to find a cure for blood cancers such as leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma.

For more information call 312.568.7735 or email Juliette.DeCarlo@lls.org. You may also visit www.leukemiacup.org/il to register online.

http://www.leukemiacup.org/il

RACING RULES & SAILING SHARP SEMINAR
 
The seminar is designed around the concept that knowing the racing rules of sailing, makes racing an enjoyable and safe contest while using one¢s skill, seamanship, and applying the principles of sportsmanship, and fair play.
 
The conversation will include all elements of a race and the 2009-2012 rule or rules that apply. Seminar handout material will be given to each participant. The event is open to all sailors, including those racing under one-design and handicap rating systems and in junior programs. The seminars are hosted by yacht clubs around the shore of Lake Michigan.
 
Facilitators include US Sailing Judges: Allan A. Teske, Robert Sargent, Nancy Glover, Ted Jones, Andrew J. Kiener, Dennis Bartley
 
The cost of the seminar is Twenty Five Dollars ($25.00). A lunch is included in the cost of the seminar and will be provided by the host club. The starting time for all sessions will be 09:00 local time and end at 16:00   Bring your rule book. New rule books will be available for sale.                        
 

Session dates and host clubs

1. March 7, 2009      Chicago Corinthian Yacht Club, Il. 773-334-7575

2. March 21, 2009      Waukegan Yacht Club, Il. 847-623-4188

3. April 4, 2009      Muskegon Yacht Club, Mich. 231-755-1414

4. April 18, 2009      Boyne City Yacht Club, Mich. 877 731 1422

5. April 25, 2009      Macatawa Bay Yacht Club, Mich. 616-335-5815

6. May 2, 2009      Columbia Yacht Club, Il. 312-938-3625

FILL OUT, TEAR OFF AND MAIL WITH CHECK
 
Name
Phone #
Address
Boat name & Sail #
Session No.          
 

Make the check payable to: Allan A. Teske, RR&SS Seminar
Mail To: 9900 South Longwood Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60643
Phone: 773-239-4440    email: ateske821@aol.com

Summary budget documents for 2009 are available online.

The capital expense budget remains a work in progress, with plans for two new harbors pending bond financing now on temporary hold.

http://www.cpdit01.com/resources/budgetbook/

A team at Michigan State University has discovered how to create sort of a “Love Potion No. 9” to attract an invasive species of fish out of the Great Lakes.

Originally from the Atlantic, the lamprey is usually considered a parasite. But in the Great Lakes it has achieved the status of predator. Researcher Nicholas Johnson says the fish is killing off other large predator species and has “completely changed the ecosystem.”

Lampreys use their suction-cup-like mouths to attach to other fish and feed off their blood. Their prey is often left for dead, giving the lamprey the moniker “the vampire fish.”

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service spends $20 million annually to control the jawless fish. Now they may have a new weapon to combat the invasion — lamprey perfume.

The substance is created from the pheromones the male lamprey releases to attract females during mating season. Johnson and his team are using it to redirect the females into traps.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=101892336

Daley’s inability to provide anything more than a limited financial guarantee could make it difficult, if not impossible, for the city to win the 2016 Summer Games, many Olympics experts say.

Chicago Olympics boosters are scrambling to increase taxpayer support for the 2016 Games to shore up a fundamental weakness in their bid just weeks before international officials arrive to evaluate the strength of the city’s pitch.

At the heart of the push is a statistic that Chicago officials have not mentioned: No city in the past quarter-century has won the Games without a blanket guarantee to cover all financial risks.

Chicago will not make such a guarantee, but Mayor Richard Daley and other leaders of Chicago’s plan won a pledge this week from Gov. Pat Quinn to raise the state’s share of the guarantee by $100 million, to $250 million. State lawmakers moved to fast track the guarantee Thursday, and Quinn said time was of the essence with Olympic officials scheduled to visit in early April.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-olympics-boost-taxpayers13mar13,0,7167962.story

Jim Scherr resigns as head of United States Olympic Committee
Resignation of USOC chief executive hurts key image of continuity

“I was disappointed. I don’t think it helps in any way, but I don’t think it damages us,” Chicago 2016 Chairman Patrick Ryan said Thursday. “[But] I was shocked. I’m surprised. Not happy.”

In the four years before Scherr took over, first as acting CEO and then permanent boss, the USOC had four presidents, four CEOs and four marketing directors.

The stability since his arrival allowed the USOC and Chicago to establish what both sides called an unprecedented partnership to promote a U.S. bid. Ctvrtlik, the USOC vice president of international relations, has a key role in that partnership.

Now Chicago must waste time and energy before the Oct. 2 vote for the 2016 host in trying to explain why the USOC once again has an new CEO. Stephanie Streeter of Neenah, Wis., was given the job on an interim basis.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/chi-06-usoc-jim-scherr-resignatimar06,0,614314.story

CNN Sports Illustrated takes a look:

Scherr’s abrupt resignation leaves questions throughout USOC

sportsillustrated.cnn.com – Brian Cazenue – Inside Olympic Sports

Jim Scherr’s abrupt resignation as Chief Executive Officer of the U.S. Olympic Committee leaves several questions: Why is he out, what does it mean for the USOC and could his resignation affect Chicago’s chances to land the 2016 Olympics when the IOC awards those Games in October? Is an organization that had righted its ship after years of dysfunction now setting itself up for another era of wayward management or merely adjusting its priorities in a tough economy?

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/brian_cazeneuve/03/06/brian.cazenue/

Proposed Illinois Luxury Tax on Boats Withdrawn From Consideration
Boating organizations, including NMMA, were prepared to testify

Chicago, IL

February 26, 2009 – Today, the Illinois State Legislature’s Revenue and Finance Committee decided not to move forward with HB 451, a bill to impose a five percent luxury tax on vessels sold in Illinois over a purchase price of $200,000. Mark Adams, vice president of sportshows for the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA), along with opponents from six different marine-related organizations and businesses, attended the hearing to testify in opposition to the tax. However, before testimonies could be heard, the committee echoed industry concerns about the tax and withheld a motion to take up the legislation.

The proposed tax would have had a devastating effect on Illinois’ marine businesses, causing buyers to hold off on buying boats or cross state lines to make purchases. In the early 1990s, a similar national luxury tax on boats was enacted, only to be repealed two years later because the tax cost more to collect than the revenue it earned. The tax also led to 19,000 lay offs, cut boat sales by 40 percent, pushed tax revenue from boat sales to below pre-luxury tax levels and forced several brands of boats into bankruptcy.

“While we understand Illinois must address its looming budget deficit, we are pleased the committee realizes a counter-productive tax like this one is not the answer,” said David Dickerson, National Marine Manufacturers Association director of state government relations. “Despite assurances from the bill sponsor that similar measures will not be pursued, we will continue to monitor any new legislation moving forward,” Dickerson said.

National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) is the leading association representing the recreational boating industry. NMMA member companies produce more than 80 percent of the boats, engines, trailers, accessories and gear used by boaters in the United States. The association is dedicated to industry growth through programs in public policy, market research and data, product quality assurance and marketing communications.

Oops! Even after racing in these events, I was unaware of Northern Trust past race sponsorship.

(Maybe such obscurity is the reason why they no longer participate? It’s a purely speculative observation, but we wonder about such things.)

We recognize the challenges and hard work involving race sponsorship, and offer our thanks to all race sponsors and volunteers for the efforts that make sailboat racing possible.

(Of course, you knew that already, so it should go without saying. But we like to say it again anyway.)

TMZ reports on lavish parties, gifts and entertainment by Northern Trust, after receiving $1.6 billion US government bailout funds and laying off 450 employees.

http://www.tmz.com/2009/02/24/northern-trust-bank-bailout/

Sounds like an ideal sponsor!

In all seriousness, we disagree with the tone of the TMZ article.

Note that in a capitalist society with economic freedom, private enterprise shall be rewarded for its success. Rather than condemn Northern Trust for its business decisions, responsible news media should be well-advised to identify Northern Trust as a leader in its industry, avoiding the many banking pitfalls that beleaguer our economy today.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090222/bs_nm/us_northerntrust_1

It is a failure of the government to disburse $1.6 billion in US taxpayer funds to a banking institution which does not require it.

We support all efforts by individuals and private enterprise to generate their own financial success and wealth, and remain highly skeptical of government interference with market economics.

Kudos to TMZ for questioning the role of Congress and our federal government in failing their responsibilities to taxpayers.

Update- some additional thoughts:

1. Sailboat racing requires a certain level of economic prosperity. Thus, it benefits racing to support policies which promote prosperity, rather than denigrate capitalism and successful private enterprise.

2. Interestingly, the Northern Trust statement responding to the TMZ article highlights the charitable contributions made to the community.

Apart from exercising social responsibility, it brings to mind the notion that event promotion supporting charitable efforts often yields greater rewards, both tangible and intangible, than sponsorship based on purely commercial interests.

Locally in Chicago, it would serve well to find an affluent sponsor to promote sailing to replace the loss of ABN AMRO’s highly visible participation in major local events.

The growing continued success of Windy City Match Race and the Leukemia Cup regatta demonstrate the value of charitable efforts combined with sailboat racing events.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/29283701

http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=1039849853

Thank you to all traders taking a stand.

Chicago2016.org – Chicago 2016 Olympic Bid Committee website.

Citizen Media Law Project – Chicago 2016 v. Frayne – vexatious litigation by US Olympic Committee and Chicago 2016 Olympic bid organization against Chicago2016.com website domain.

Don’t Give Up The Ship – Chicago Yachting Association and Columbia Yacht Club boating advocacy support for Chicago 2016 Olympics.

The International Olympic Committee will choose the 2016 Olympics host city on October 2, 2009.

Boat owners warned: Don’t make waves over Olympics rowing plan

Yacht club group tells members it fears retaliation from city if they protest proposal for Monroe Harbor

By Laurie Cohen, Kathy Bergen and David Heinzmann

Tribune reporters

February 12, 2009

Lots of boaters are unhappy with plans to use Monroe Harbor as the rowing venue for the 2016 Olympics should Chicago win the Games, but you won’t hear many complaints.

The Chicago Yachting Association, an umbrella group for 15 yacht clubs in the Chicago area, has asked members to keep a lid on it, noting in a memo obtained by the Tribune that yacht clubs “are vulnerable to retribution.”

Mayor Richard Daley’s office and the Chicago Park District have made it clear “that they do not wish to talk about issues that may be confrontational until after October 2009,” according to the memo by an association committee charged with formulating an approach to the city’s Olympic plans.

City officials say they aren’t trying to stifle dissent before Oct. 2, when the International Olympic Committee, which values popular support, selects a host city. But critics of the bid, from parks activists to concerned taxpayers, believe boosters have worked to suppress public criticism and withhold potentially controversial information.

The three-year Chicago campaign to win the Summer Games has been a study in how to carefully control the flow of information, with details parceled out only to the extent required to satisfy Olympic officials. The team has cited the intense competition among the finalists, which include Madrid, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo, as a reason for keeping portions of its playbook private.

But critics want more information. The bid campaign “is not a very transparent process, and that makes it frustrating for us,” said Peggy Brennan, vice commodore of the historic Columbia Yacht Club, who wants more details on how use of Monroe Harbor as the rowing venue would affect boaters.

“When taxpayer dollars are involved, you’d like to be a little more transparent on these things,” said Allen Sanderson, who teaches economics at the University of Chicago.

Now, in formal bid documents due Thursday, Chicago and its rivals had to answer an extensive battery of tough questions from the IOC. The bid team has been saying for months that its book, to be released publicly in Chicago on Friday, will answer many remaining questions.

But other significant questions that aren’t required to be addressed will continue to go unanswered, including an accounting of donations to fund Chicago’s nearly $60 million effort to win the Games, information that would show who pitched in the most for one of the mayor’s favorite causes.

Chicago-area residents, while largely supporting the bid, doubt some of the city’s claims. A Tribune poll this month found that many Olympics supporters, as well as a vast majority of those opposed to bringing the Games here, don’t buy Daley’s pledge that private funds would cover nearly all the costs.

So far, the city hasn’t been quick to own up to the financial risks taxpayers would have to bear. Over time, it became known the city would make a variety of commitments, from a $500 million guarantee against the potential of operating losses to picking up the cost of city services and purchasing the site for an Olympic Village, for ultimate resale to a private developer.

Visit www.chicagotribune.com to continue reading this article.

Article:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/chi-thu-olympics-transparency-20feb12,0,7405895.story

T-10 Fleet Gathering at Goose Island (Clybourn) Friday 2/6 @ 6:30

A reminder and notice to those who were not on the original Evite invitation:

T-10 folks, friends, and potential crew are gathering at Goose Island Brew Pub (on Clybourn in Lincoln Park), Chicago tomorrow at 6:30pm.

It will be a great time to catch up with friends, crew and many of the new potential crew-members who visited the T-10 boot at Strictly Sail!

If you are interested in racing with the T-10’s this summer, come check it out, remember, you’ve tried the rest now sail with the best!

We can make you a winner!

 
Get sailfastchicago.com updates easily and conveniently on your Apple iPhone:

1. Use built-in Safari browser or your favorite RSS reader app. We have been using Free RSS Reader with good results. It is a free app you can download from the App Store.

2. Enter the following link:
https://www.sailfastchicago.com/site/feed/

Now you can enjoy fast, easy, convenient updates from sailfastchicago.com!

We have found that RSS feeds are an excellent way to get mobile updates from all your favorite sites.

LMSRF has put together a survey to learn what racing boat owners and
crews want in racing from organizing authorities, ideas on how we can
grow participation and how we are doing overall. >>>The most important
message we wish to send is to forward this link to all of your crew
members, your fleets, and get input from as far and wide across Lake
Michigan as possible. We can’t emphasize this enough.<<< Results will be tabulated and shared on the LMSRF website for all of us to learn from (G-rated responses only!). We expect to incorporate your thoughts in the 2009 season plans. Thank you, now here's the link and please respond fully. http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=oVlcxmEdZjcg16hfO70Kzg_3d_3d

Sincerely,
Donald Thinschmidt
LMSRF Commodore

Area III’s Section Break Committee is looking for input from boat
owners to improve racing in the PHRF sections.

We have sent 130 boat owners email inviting them to participate in our
survey on section breaks, rating rules, etc. You can see the results of
the current 41 responses at http://www.drapers.us/Multi-Design .

If we missed you because we didn’t have the correct email
information or if you didn’t race last year but plan to this year,
please contact Don Draper to get your survey invitation.

On the other hand, Quantum Sails funded sponsorship for Sailing Anarchy’s presence at Key West Race Week. Apart from generating controversial attention as per usual, the powerboat used by Alan Block “Mr. Clean” interfered with racing, requiring redress for the competitor affected. This occurred AFTER receiving warning of numerous complaints from competitors. link

From our perspective, it’s difficult to imagine how these choices by Quantum Sails benefit anyone. Do they benefit Quantum Sails’ profitability? We have no idea. Does it really matter? How much embarrassment does Quantum need to fund in order to achieve their promotional goals?

Sailing Anarchy “Editor” Scot Tempesta has raised some eyebrows among the Flying Tiger fleet, by attempting some underhanded methods to exclude a well-respected and liked competitor from participation:

Flying Tiger thread on SA

Meanwhile, Sailing Anarchy contributors have apparently paid more than $14,000 to fund a delusional effort to launch an America’s Cup challenge…

Who’s Donated?

Where is the money?

…add to the list of things that make you go, “hmmm….”

One Question:

Will the boat be named after Donald Crowhurst…

…or Bernie Madoff!?!

Only monohulls will be eligible to race in the new Double Handed Division. 

While multihulls are not eligible to compete in the Double Handed Division, they will have the option to sail in a double handed configuration within the Multihull Division. 

Skippers and crews wishing to compete double handed (in either the Double Handed Division or the Multihull Division) must seek approval from the Race’s Selections Committee. In addition to the normal Race prerequisites, double handed applicants must document the following: 

• Skipper has completed 1,000 nautical miles of sailing as a skipper of the boat to be entered, or a similar boat design;
• Skipper has completed a non-stop passage or race under sail of not less than 100 nm and not less than 24 hours;
• Crew has completed 1,000 nautical miles of sailing, either as a skipper or crew member sailing on the boat to be entered, or a similar boat design; and
• Both skipper and crew have significant racing experience.

These are minimum requirements. Most, if not all, successful applicants will far exceed these requirements, and will be able to demonstrate significant short handed racing experience.

Full text:

Today, Chicago Yacht Club announced further details about opportunities for sailors wishing to race double handed in the 2009 Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac. 2009 marks the 101st running of ‘the Mac,’ the world’s longest annual freshwater sailing distance race. The 101st Mac will start off Chicago’s lakefront on Friday, July 17, 2009 and Saturday, July 18, 2009.

Only monohulls will be eligible to race in the new Double Handed Division. Monohulls at least 27 feet LOA will be considered for entry in this division, as will monohulls that are: 1) at least 21 feet LOA; 2) designed and optimized for short handed distance sailing; and 3) have an ORR positive stability index of 110 degrees or greater. All boats competing in the Double Handed Division must comply with the 2009 Mackinac Safety Regulations (“MSR”). The 2009 version of the MSR, which will be published within 30 days, will contain several items applicable only to double handed entrants. This division will be scored using the Offshore Racing Rule (“ORR”), and will start on Saturday, July 18, 2009.

While multihulls are not eligible to compete in the Double Handed Division, they will have the option to sail in a double handed configuration within the Multihull Division. This year, the Multihull Division will require a minimum crew of two, and a minimum LOA of 24 feet. (Multihulls less than 26 feet LOA entered in the 101st Mac must sail in a double handed configuration.) All Multihull Division entrants must meet the requirements of the 2009 MSR for multihulls. Double handed entrants within that division must additionally meet MSR requirements applicable only to double handed sailors. If sufficient multihull double handed entries are received, the Mackinac Committee will create a double-handed section within the Multihull Division. All multihulls will race under the rules of the Great Lakes Multihull Racing Association (“G LMRA”).  

Skippers and crews wishing to compete double handed (in either the Double Handed Division or the Multihull Division) must seek approval from the Race’s Selections Committee. In addition to the normal Race prerequisites, double handed applicants must document the following: 

· Skipper has completed 1,000 nautical miles of sailing as a skipper of the boat to be entered, or a similar boat design;
· Skipper has completed a non-stop passage or race under sail of not less than 100 nm and not less than 24 hours;
· Crew has completed 1,000 nautical miles of sailing, either as a skipper or crew member sailing on the boat to be entered, or a similar boat design; and
· Both skipper and crew have significant racing experience.

These are minimum requirements. Most, if not all, successful applicants will far exceed these requirements, and will be able to demonstrate significant short handed racing experience. The Selections Committee pays especially close attention to the experience portion of each competitor’s profile. Applicants wishing to sail in a double handed configuration must ensure the individual crew profiles are as specific, complete, accurate, and compelling as possible, and fully demonstrate compliance with the MSR requirements applicable to double handed entries. In particular, applicants should include specific information concerning relevant passages.

Participation in the 333 statute mile race from Chicago Yacht Club to Mackinac Island, Michigan is by invitation only. Generally, if a sailor has competed in one of the last four Macs as a ‘Person In Charge’, he or she will automatically receive an invitation to compete in the 101st Race. Returning competitors seeking entry in a double handed configuration should update crew profiles as appropriate, and then e-mail with a note asking to be considered. Sailors who are not eligible for an automatic invitation may request an invitation through the official Race website at www.chicagoyachtclub.org/racetomackinac

Chicago Yacht Club looks forward to staging a world-class sailing race for skippers and crews. Should you have any questions about participating in the 101st Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac, please contact Amanda Matta, Race Coordinator at 312.861.7777 or at

ISAF announces:

The ISAF Sailor Classification Commission is pleased to announce that it will be holding a presentation and panel discussion at next week’s Acura Key West 2009.

Article here:
article

Updated – More from National Geographic:
article 1
article 2
video

CNN reports:

Rob Gauntlett, the youngest Briton to summit Mount Everest, died in a climbing accident along with another mountaineer in the French Alps, the British Foreign Office confirmed Sunday. Both were 21.

he bodies of Gauntlett and James Atkinson were found Saturday in the Mont Blanc area. Weather conditions were reported to have been clear and cold in Chamonix at the time.

Gauntlett scaled Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak, in 2006 just days after his 19th birthday, along with 19-year-old James Hooper, his Web site says. He shattered the previous British record set by Bear Grylls at the age of 23.

Last month, National Geographic Adventure magazine declared Gauntlett and Hooper “adventurers of the year” for their 26,000-mile journey from one of Earth’s magnetic poles to the other using only skis, sleds, sails and bicycles.

Gauntlett said on his Web site that completing the journey was his proudest moment.

“We had spent three months on a 60-foot yacht sailing across the world’s most brutal ocean. A year before I had done virtually no proper sailing, so to be thrown in at the very deep end was a little scary at times,” he admitted.

Full article here:
article

More articles:
National Geographic article
The Independent article
BBC article
NY Times article

Race To Mackinac Committee announces:

I am pleased to announce that Chicago Yacht Club will have a booth at the Chicago Strictly Sail boat show this year. Additionally, we will be hosting a presentation at the show outlining our plans for, and answering your questions about, the 101st Race to Mackinac.

The presentation will begin on Saturday, January 31st, 2009 at 11:45 AM in Room 323 on Navy Pier. Please join us for this presentation and/or stop by our booth at the show.

Race To Mackinac Committee announces:

And, on the evening of the 31st, Chicago Yacht Club will host the annual Pink Pony Party at its Belmont Station. The party will begin at 6 PM. Everyone is welcome.

The Club will serve a casual dinner (entrees range from $12 to $15, inclusive of tax and gratuity), and will offer a live band and numerous giveaways. The Pink Pony itself reportedly will be making the trip down from Mackinac Island to join the fun. Please contact the Front Desk at the Monroe Station (312-861-7777) to make your dinner reservations.

One of the many iPhone software applications now available is an open source app that directly supports updating and editing the content published on www.sailfastchicago.com via iPhone.

Contact us if you have news you want to share quickly to promote more sailing interest, or if you would like further information or assistance to better use technology for your organization or sail racing team.

A 300-year-old journal of a British explorer who saved the real-life Robinson Crusoe and defeated pirates of the Caribbean has been discovered.

Full article here:
article

United States Maritime Academy a.k.a. USMA Chicago is once again pleased to be offering it’s USCG Approved Captain’s Licensing Program at Columbia Yacht Club on Chicago’s beautiful Lakefront. An Introduction to the licensing process as well as a Q & A meeting will be held at Columbia on Thursday February 19 at 7:00 PM.

This session is FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC with NO OBLIGATION. There is FREE parking in the Columbia lot under the LSD

Classes begin Tuesday February 24 through April 18. Successful completion of the training will qualify you for your Masters License up to 100 gross tons as well as the OUPV (six Pack) license.

USMA Chicago is authorized to give the TEST. You do not have to drive to Toledo or St. Louis USCG REC to take the exam. You test right in the same familiar classroom and with the same students you studied with.

For additional information contact:

Captain Fred Swastek 773-578-6852

Captain Al Grigalunas 312-259-5125

or visit our web site at: www.usmaritime.us

USMA Chicago “the benchmark of Captain’s Training”

any others missing from above?

good luck and reprazent

Goose Island and Mount Gay once again defy the weather, the economy, and the lack of boats at Key West!

Key West 2009 Send Off Party
Goose Island Wrigleyville, 3535 North Clark Street
Friday January 9th- from 6pm
Larry Hinds at 8pm
Action sailing videos
The Mount Gay Girls and their wares
Raffle for the Leukemia Society
$5 painkillers, with $1 to the Leukemia Society
Relaunch of Mount Gay XO
Parking $10 in the Addison/Starbucks lot (tell the attendant that you are going to Goose for the discount)
All Welcome!

After years as a money manager, Thierry’s passion remained sailing, Bertrand said. From the age of six, the Paris-born Thierry was most at home on a boat, engaging in regattas and aspiring to become a naval officer.

Full article here:
article

ISAF – http://www.sailing.org/rrs/

US Sailing has supplemental free downloads, but does not provide the rules online.

US Sailing – http://www.ussailing.org/rules/

 
Now you can show your friends what it looks like when you encounter a dark weather front out on the lake…

This picture captures the ghostly tendrils descending from the gray skies where a gap in the cloud cover is indicated by sunlight highlighting the phenomenon.

The distinctly gothic elements of the cloudy overcast, dark water, and architecture of the distant Chicago skyline on the horizon on a cold and gloomy November afternoon contrasted sharply with Roy Disney’s “Morning Light” sailing documentary playing in local theaters at the time.

Photograph shot on Saturday, November 15, 2008.

after racing 100’s of miles…

Fog 26219, Stingray 250 and Tango 258 – Beneteau 36.7’s

racing within boatlengths of each other through Grays Reef and Straits of Mackinac

…and only miles to go to finishing!

www.first367.com

another great day

long courses well-chosen to provide more racing, amidst rapidly changing conditions

spectacular views, interesting weather challenges

more later

another great night

more later

This rare early-morning post is brought to you courtesy of the 5.2 magnitude earthquake which woke us up today at 4:37 AM in Chicago.

Here is the live map update of the USGS intensity report, based on questionnaire responses:

The earthquake from a sailing perspective-

Boats already in the harbor should be safe – no tsunami has been reported. Boats on land stored in shock-proof cradles should also be OK.

Interestingly, the North Sails Event Weather Service listserver sent an empty email out to recipients within a few minutes after the earthquake. Note the tell-tale signature 1970 timestamp, an artifact which indicates the host computer time had reset or otherwise been lost, such as waking up from a power outage or other unplanned restart, very likely a direct result of today’s earthquake.

UPDATE 10:19 AM – Aftershock!

Aftershock tremors rumbled buildings again here in Chicago around 10:16 AM. Loose objects mysteriously rattled eerily for a few moments, as if haunted by ghostly poltergeists, and settled down with no evidence or damage remaining. Still, the aftershock also measured a considerable 4.6 magnitude.

This weekend marks another tradition as the Chicago sailing season approaches. Crowley’s Yacht-A-Palooza arrives this Saturday, March 29, 2008.

“This year we have decided to Lu’au for Yacht-a-palooza. The event, as usual, will feature big discounts on selected store items, the Nautical Donations Flea Market tent, guest speakers, workshops, featured vendors, food, a pig roast, entertainment and prizes…and admission is FREE!”

Here’s more information provided by Crowley’s:

Saturday, March 29, 2008
8:00 am – 5:00 pm

Come join the crew of Crowley’s Yacht Yard for our annual event –
Yacht-a-palooza. This year we are having a lu’au – pig roast and all –
in addition to our usual schedule of seminars, vendors and sale in the
Ship’s Store.

This year’s seminars will focus on money-saving do-it-yourself
workshops, racing and cruising sail trim, boating safety, important
information for evey sailor to have and Lake Michigan stories.

Vendors include North, UK and Quantum Sails, ACR, Mustang Survival,
Ocean Kayaks, Columbia Yacht Club Sailing School and, of course, Lake
Michigan Sail Racing Federation.

Admission is free so grab your grass skirt and coconut bra and come
spend the day with us. We’re starting summer now!

links:

Yacht-a-palooza Seminar Schedule

Yacht-a-palooza Vendors List

2008 Yachta-a-palooza Brochure (PDF)

Crowley’s Yacht Yard

CBS reports, as of Mar 13, 2008 12:48 US/Central:

North Suburban Marina Catches Fire For Second Time
Skipper Buds In Winthrop Harbor Sustained $12 Million Damage Last Month; Caught Fire Again Thursday

WINTHROP HARBOR, Ill. A fire broke out Thursday at a boat marina in the far north suburbs that sustained about $12 million in damages in another fire just last month.

The fire swept through Skipper Buds boat sales warehouse, at 215 Nortpointe Dr. in Winthrop Harbor just off Sheridan Road, near the Wisconsin border.

Skipper Buds bills itself as “the largest marine dealer in the Midwest.”

The marina also caught fire on Feb. 15, striking one of several large steel-clad buildings where boats are stored for winter on trailers.

The 4-11 alarm fire took six hours to extinguish. Twenty different fire departments were sent to the scene.

According to Scott DeSoto, commodore of the club, only four boats suffered severe damage in the Feb. 15 fire. “By 9:00 AM Saturday, many Skipper Buds customers had already received personal phone calls and emails from Dennis Ellerbrock and or Skipper Buds staff,” he wrote on the club’s web site.

But damage was estimated at $12 million.

Officials said that fire appeared to be accidental. Further information about the latest fire on Thursday was not immediately available.

The Lake County News-Sun’s Frank Aberholden contributed to this report.

Source: CBS 2 Chicago

Mooring cans in secret location are covered with snow, destined for Monroe Harbor as the weather warms.

Photo gallery here

Quantum Sails has opened a new sail loft in Chicago, located at 524 West 26th Street. Map

Quantum press release here.

We can’t help but notice that the loft is down the street from Crowley’s previous location at 2500 S. Corbett.

Crowley’s Yacht Yard moved a couple of years ago, so a good opportunity was just missed. According to Quantum, a Chicago loft has been a “long term goal”.

In any event, the new loft promises to be a welcome convenience for Chicago sailors, supplementing Quantum’s nearby Wisconsin loft and other sailmakers such as Doyle, North and UK.

In this picture by Thomas Delany, a backhoe rips the metal walls from building 215 at Skipper Buds on North Point Drive in Winthrop Harbor to expose the fire in the building which housed 100 boats for winter storage. Source: News-Sun

A fire that caused approximately $12 million in damages in a boat storage facility at Skipper Buds Marina looks to be accidental.

The 4-11 alarm fire that brought firefighters from 20 different departments Friday started in the back of the large building that was packed with boats. Deputy Chief Ron Levin said that an employee was apparently working on a boat, left, and when he returned there was too much smoke to go back into the building.

Because of the weather and the way the fire was situated in the back of the building, Fire Chief Neal Wollert called for extra manpower and for departments that had foam units that are often used around airports and types of chemical fires. He also made a special request for ladder trucks.

The warehouse had a sprinkler system that authorities noted slowed the progress of the fire considerably. Several boats were damaged and all have smoke damage and others closer to the fire may have some heat damage.

The State Fire Marshall’s office was called in to help investigate the blaze and on Monday inspectors were checking the building to see if it was structurally sound and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency was on hand to check for leaking chemicals and supervise some of the clean-up.

The Winthrop Harbor Yacht Club praised Skipper Buds for reaching out and contacting customers who had boats stored at the facility, which is located just west of North Point Marina.

According to Scott DeSoto, commodore of the club, only four boats suffered severe damage. “By 9:00 AM Saturday, many Skipper Buds customers had already received personal phone calls and emails from Dennis Ellerbrock and or Skipper Buds staff,” he wrote on the club’s web site.

“Credit for quick response needs to be given to Winthrop Harbor, State of Illinois personal, Skipper Buds and ALL the surrounding municipalities,” he said.

The fire was struck after 6 hours.

Source: Frank Abderholden, Lake County News-Sun

CBS reports, as of Feb 15, 2008 11:02 am US/Central:

Fire Breaks Out At Winthrop Harbor Boat Warehouse
Skipper Buds Says It’s ‘Largest Marine Dealer In The Midwest’

WINTHROP HARBOR, Ill. (CBS) An extra-alarm fire broke out Friday morning at a boat sales warehouse in far north suburban Winthrop Harbor near the Wisconsin border.

A fifth alarm was called for the fire at Skipper Buds boat sales warehouse, marina and repair shop, according to a Winthrop Harbor fire dispatcher.

Skipper Buds is located at 215 Northpointe Drive just off Sheridan Road and is the “largest marine dealer in the Midwest,” according to their website.

The fire was burning in one of several a large steel-clad buildings where boats are stored for the winter on trailers. The blaze broke out at 8:30 a.m., and firefighters struggled fighting the fire fueled by plastics and synthetics.

Crews from both Illinois and Wisconsin municipalities responded to the scene.

There were no reported injuries.

Source: CBS 2 Chicago

 

Strictly Sail Chicago has become an annual mid-winter tradition for local Chicago and midwestern sailors.

If you have attended before, you know what to expect. If you have not attended before, you should plan to go.

Here are a few brief items to look for at the show.

The Beneteau 40.7 Fleet and Chicago T-10 Class Association are among some of the racing associations represented.

The University of Illinois Sailing Club will be selling t-shirts to raise funds for sailing activities and competition in Midwest Collegiate Sailing Association (MCSA) regattas.

Hedlund Marine will exhibit four new LaserPerformance (formerly known as Vanguard) sailboat models, plus new Hobie and Gill sailboats. “This show will be the first time most of Chicago has seen an SB3”, according to John Porter, “and it is also the North American debut of the Bug, a new boat for juniors.”

Harken introduces the innovative new RigTune Pro digital tension gauge and new Black Magic MKIV Loop Block, AirBlock, Flip-Flop block and other designs.

A discount Navy Pier parking coupon is available here.

 

Press Release:
13th ANNUAL STRICTLY SAIL CHICAGO OPENS ITS DOORS JANUARY 31 – FEBRUARY 3
Sailors Worldwide Gather at Navy Pier for Nation’s Largest Indoor All-Sail Boat Show

CHICAGO – Strictly Sail Chicago, the largest indoor sailboat show in the country, will be held January 31 – February 3, 2008 at Navy Pier. More than 20,000 sailing enthusiasts are expected to attend the four-day event to see the latest sailboats and sailing accessories on the market. Launched in 1996, Strictly Sail Chicago is an annual tradition for thousands of sailors meeting in one place to jump start the ailing season and check out the latest sailboats, gear and accessories.

The festivities begin Thursday, January 31st and will not end until the final bell sounds on Sunday, February 3rd. This four-day sailing extravaganza features the latest and greatest the sailing industry has to offer. You’ll find the latest boat designs and the designers, the newest sailing gear, accessories and hardware from the industries top suppliers and the most up to date charter information from more than 250 exhibiting companies from around the globe.

When: Thursday through Sunday, January 31 – February 3, 2008
Thursday and Friday: 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Saturday: 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Sunday: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Where: Navy Pier, Festival Halls A & B, 600 E. Grand Ave., Chicago, IL 60611

Admission: $12 – Thursday and Friday (Adults)
$15 – Saturday and Sunday (Adults)
$24 – Two-Day Adult Pass
$25 – Family Pack (2 Adult, 2 Child Tickets) – available online only
FREE Children 15 years and under (when accompanied by an adult)
$65 – Strictly Sail Yacht Club Membership (4-day pass; exclusive membership benefits) – available online only

Features: A variety of comprehensive seminars, interactive displays and special events will be featured at Strictly Sail Chicago 2008. Beginners can learn sailing basics, while experienced sailors are introduced to new techniques and technologies. Sailing adventure cruisers, authors and experts will share their experiences at sea. Attendees are encouraged to bring children along to enjoy the Kids Club, an activity center designed for junior sailors to build their own sailboat models, draw “sailboats of the future,” learn knot tying and race boats in the makeshift “lake” on the show floor.

“Due to the increasing popularity of sailing over the past 13 years, the show has seen consistent growth in exhibitors, seminars and show features,” said Kevin Murphy, show manager. “Strictly Sail Chicago is designed to introduce the sport to sailing novices while providing seasoned captains with the latest and greatest in sailing information and products.”

EXHIBITOR LIST:

3rd Coast Cruising
AB Marine, Inc.
Active Yacht Brokerage
Aere’ Inflatable Fenders
Alerion Express
Algae-X International
All About Eyes
American Sail, Inc.
American Sailing Association
Aquadutch- YSH LLC
ATN Inc.
Author’s Corner
Avalanche Jewelry
AWLGRIP North America
Bainbridge International
Battery Service Corporation
Bavaria Yachts USA
Bay Breeze Yacht Charters
Beneteau 40.7 Fleet
Beneteau USA, Inc.
Beverage Solutions International Wine Cellars
Bitter End Yacht Club, Int’l., Inc.
Blue Water Sailing
Bluegreen Resorts
Boat Leather
Boat Tailors
Boathouse of Madison
Bomon, Inc.
Bottomsiders, Inc.
Brig Inflatable Boats (Canada Gate)
Burnham Park Yacht Club
C Cushions, Inc.
C. Sherman Johnson Co., Inc. Johnson Marine
Cali-Optics Importer
Canadian Yacht Charters
Canal Street Marina & Yacht Yard
Catalina Yachts
CCYC Rhodes 19 One Design Racing
CDI
Celestaire, Inc.
Charleston Yachting
Chesapeake Performance Models
Chicago Area Council Sea Scouts
Chicago Maritime Festival NFP
Chicago Maritime Society
Chicago Park District-Westrec Marine
Chicago Sailing
Chicago T 10 Association
Chicago Tribune
Chicago Yacht Club
Chicago Yachting Association
Chutescoop / V.F. Shaw Co., Inc.
Clamptite- Ray Silvey Co.
Columbia Yacht Club
ComNav Marine Ltd.
Corum Swiss Timepieces
COTESI
Crowley’s Yacht Yard, Inc.
Crow’s Nest Yachts
Discovery Yacht Charters
Doyle Sailmakers
Dutchman/MVB Inc.
e Sailing Yachts
Edey & Duff LTD
Edson International
Ella Vickers Recyced Sailcloth Collection
Elvstrom Sobstad
Euro Marine Trading, Inc.
Explorer’s Guide, Mariners Training
EZ Hang Chairs
Fair Wind Sailing School
Fairclough Sailmakers, Inc.
Fawcett Boat Supplies, Inc.
Festiva Sailing Vacations
First Mate
First Mate’s Cabin
Flex-O-Fold North America, Inc.
Florida Yacht Charters & Sales, Inc.
Flying Scot, Inc.
Forespar Products Corp.
Friends of Monroe Harbor, Inc.
Frigoboat/CLIMMA
Garhauer Marine
General Boats International
Great Lakes Cruising Club
Great Lakes Sailboat Co., LC
Great Lakes Scuttlebutt Magazine
Great Lakes Single Handed Society
Gunnar’s Yacht & Ship
Hammond Port Authority
Hanse Yachts US
Harken, Inc.
Hayn Marine
Hedlund Marine, LLC
Helly Hansen Great Lakes
Henri Lloyd North America
Heron Landing
Holland Yacht Sales
Hood Yacht Systems Division of Pompanette
Hoofers Sailing Club
Hooper’s Yachts
Horizon True Camera Mounts
Hunter Marine
Hutchins Co., Inc.
Illiana Yacht Club
IMTRA Corporation
Interlux Yacht Finishes
Irish Boat Shop, Inc
Irish Boat Shop, Inc.
Island Blu Outfitters
Island Boat Lettering
Island Packet Yachts
Isotherm by Indel Marine USA
J Boats Inc. Midwest
J World San Diego
Jackson Park Yacht Club
Jan Guthrie Yacht Brokerage
J-Boats Midwest
Jeanneau America
Judd Goldman Adaptive Sailing Foundation
Karma Yacht Sales
KAS Associates, Ltd.
Kimberlite Assemblers Inc.
KTI Systems Inc
Lake Michigan Performance Handicap Racing Fleet
Lake Michigan Sail Racing Federation
Landfall Navigation
Larsen Marine Service, Inc.
Latitudes and Attitudes
Lattitude Yacht Charters
Leukemia Cup Regatta
Lewmar, Inc.
Line Honors Performance Sailing Supply
Loadmaster Trailer Company, LTD.
Mack Boring & Parts Co.
Mack Sails
Manitowoc Marina
Mariners School, Inc.
Mark Enterprises, Inc.
Marriott Vacation Club International
MARTEC Eng. Corp
Maryland School of Sailing & Seamanship
MASTLIGHT.COM
Mauri Pro Sailing
Melges Performance Sailboats
Mercury Marine A Division of Brunswick
Michigan City Sailboat Charters
Michigan State University Sailing Club
Midwest Open Racing Fleet
Midwest Yachts, Ltd.
Midwestern Collegiate Sailing Asn.
Milwaukee Yacht Club
National Butterfly Association
National Inland 20 Scow Sailing Assoc
Nautical Fishwife, LLC, The
Naviganto LLC
Nestegg Marine
New England Ropes, Inc.
Newcoast Financial Services
Nickels Boat Works, Inc.
North Point Marina
North Sails
North Shore Villas & Yacht Club
Northern Breezes Sailing Magazine
Northern Breezes Sailing School
Northland Yachts, Inc.
Northwest Sailing Association
Novis Marine Ltd. Tartan Yachts and C&C Yachts
Ocean Equipment
OCEANair Marine Ltd.
Offshore Marine
Olson’s Classic Yachts
Orleans Trail Marina
P.Y.I., Inc.
Performance Sailing Gear
Performance Yacht Services LLC
Pettit Marine Paint Division of Kop-Coat
Phoenix Resins Inc./MAS Epoxies
Photo Info Booth
Pinnacle Yachts
Poli Glow Products, Inc.
Port Sanilac Marina
Poseidon International
Prism Polish
Quantum Sail Design Group
Quinte Canvas Mfg.
Racine Riverside Marine, Inc.
Racine Yacht Club
Raymarine, Inc.
Reach the World – Chicago
Redpoint Ropes Manufacturing
Re-E-Power
Rentner Marine
Rescue Tape/Harbor Products, Inc.
Rhumbline Regatta
Rigging Only
Rob Swain Sailing School
Rolls Battery Engineering C/O Surrette
Ronstan International, Inc.
Sabre Yachts
Sail Care, Inc.
Sail Chicago
Sail Magazine
Sail Place, Inc
Sail Place, Inc.
Sail Sheboygan LLC
Sailboat Sales Co. at Crowley’s Yacht Yard
Sailing Angles, Inc.
Sailing Magazine
Sailors World Marina & Boat Club, Inc
Sailrite
Sailtime Chicago
Samson Rope Technologies
Scandia Marine Products Inc.
Scandvik, Inc.
Sea Fever Gear
Seaworthy Publications
Selden Mast, Inc.
Seven Seas Cruising Association
Sheridan Shore Sailing School
Shields One Design Sailing Assoc. Fleet #3
Show-Me Products
Simrad, Inc.
Skipper Marine Development
Skyway Yacht Works LLC
SLAM
Southwind Marine LLC
Sport-A-Seat Paradise Co.
St. Louis Sailing Center, Inc.
Starboard Sun Corp.
Suncor Stainless, Inc.
Sunglass Connection
Sunsail
Superior Charters, Inc.
Superior Marine Service, Inc.
Team One Newport, Inc.
The Canvas Store
The Moorings, Ltd.
The Nantucket Bagg Co.
The Sailing Company
ThorUSA
TopGallant Merchants
Torresen Marine, Inc.
TruStep / Island Blu Outfitters
Tufted Topper
U.S. Yachts
UK Halsey Sailmakers
Ultimate Hat & Skippers Belt
Uncommon U.S.A.
United States Coast Guard Auxiliary
United States Power Squadron District 20
United Yachting Mfg.
University of Illinois Sailing Club
University of Michigan Sailing Team
University of Minnesota Sailing Team
University of Wisconsin Sailing Team
US Sailing Assoc.
US Spars, INC
Vari Propeller USA Div. of Epifanes NA
Voyager Ocean Passages
Voyager Windvanes Inc.
W. M. Black & Co.
W.D. Schock Corporation
Walker Bay Boats, Inc.
Waukegan Port District
Wayfarer Candle Company
West Marine
West Shore Marine
Wichard, Inc.
WindPath of Michigan
WINSLOW LifeRaft Co.
Yacht Works, Inc.
Yachting Vacations
Zarcor
Zuse Inc.

For more exhibitor info, click here

Contact us if you have more news or announcements to promote on www.sailfastchicago.com.

NOTICE: Jan 30, 2008. The Chicago met data and webcam are down until further notice. Due the station’s remote location, and our reliance on the City Water Department, we probably won’t get out there until spring. Please refer to www.ndbc.noaa.gov for marine weather data in the Chicago vicinity.

NOTICE: Current Meteorological Conditions Not Available

http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/metdata/chi/

The breeze is strong at 18 to 20 knots, and expected to peak 1000 – 1300 Eastern time. It is the Race Committee’s intention to complete three races today.

DIVISION 4 is the course for Chicago sailors to keep an eye on today, as Jack-A-Roe is one of the only boats representing Chicago among the leaders- defending third place and competing within striking distance of placing higher.

For live on-the-water updates on all four race courses, click here

Click here for daily Race Week News from 2008 Acura Key West

Update: Three races have been completed, and the results are in…

Congratulations, Jack-A-Roe!


 



 

Press Release:
Sweet Victories and Smiling Faces at Acura Key West 2008
— Sunny Skies and 20 Knot Winds Make Perfect Final Day

The emotion was palpable as Barking Mad owner Jim Richardson and tactician Terry Hutchinson embraced in a huge, heartfelt bear hug.

Groovederci skipper Deneen Demourkas sported a huge smile and giggled as she climbed back on the dock after being thrown in the water by jubilant crew members.

Numbers owner Dan Meyers wore a look of complete satisfaction as he leaned against the lifeline in the stern of his state-of-the-art race boat at the end of a long week.

Those are the undeniable signs of victory.

Acura Key West 2008, presented by Nautica, was among the strangest and most challenging in the 21-year history of the regatta. However, what the sailors, especially the winners, will remember is a spectacular final day of racing and the final results.

“I think the race committee did an amazing job this week. To hold eight races in three days is really quite amazing,” said Thomas Coates, winner of J/105 class aboard Masquerade. “It was a tough situation with too much wind on one day and too little wind on others. Peter Craig and his team made the right decisions all week as far as when to send us out and when to keep us ashore, when to race and when not to race.”

Things didn’t look good on Wednesday night after two of the initial three days of the regatta were cancelled due to bad conditions. Making matters worse was the fact the forecast for Thursday was for a second straight day of light, fickle breeze.

However, Mother Nature did an about face and brought a solid 12-knot northerly that enabled organizers with Premiere Racing to get in two races on Thursday. Things got even better on Friday with a northeasterly bringing 16-20 knot winds that allowed for three more races to be held.

“This was a classic Key West day. It was breeze on with warm weather and sunshine. You couldn’t have asked for a better final day,” Melges 24 winner Dave Ullman said.

Craig, who has been event director for the past 15 years, was pleased the action-packed final days transformed the regatta into a rousing success.

“I think the sailors tend to forget what happened early in the week and remember what happened at the end. We did well in that regard because the racing the last two days was outstanding,” Craig said. “It was Chamber of Commerce conditions today so I would think we sent everyone home happy.”

Richardson used the word “ecstatic” to describe his reaction to winning Farr 40 class for the first time in 11 trips to Key West. The Boston resident and crew of Barking Mad accomplished that feat in dramatic fashion, winning the eighth and final race to capture a tiebreaker with Mascalzone Latino. Because the Farr 40 class had seven different winners during the week and the point spread among the top boats was so narrow, Barking Mad earned the prestigious Acura Trophy as Boat of the Week.

“It’s hard to win any regatta in this class and it has been especially difficult for us to win this particular regatta,” said Richardson, who has been second in Key West on several occasions.

Mascalzone Latino, the two-time defending world champion owned by Vincenzo Onorato of Italy, led Barking Mad by one point going into the final race. Richardson got a great start and sailed at the front of the 25-boat fleet throughout, passing Mean Machine to move into first place on the final downwind leg then holding off a hard-charging Mascalzone Latino. Both boats finished with 29 points, but Barking Mad won the tiebreaker by virtue of having more first place finishes.

“Vincenzo has a great program and a terrific crew. To be able to beat those guys in such a hard-fought regatta is very gratifying,” Richardson said.

Hutchinson, tactician for Emirates Team New Zealand in the last America’s Cup, has been sailing with Richardson for nearly a decade and understood how much this victory meant to him. The two men have become extremely close over the years with Richardson serving as the godfather for Hutchinson’s youngest child.

“Jim has won just about every major event in this class and Key West was the final piece of the puzzle. It’s nice to see good things happen to good people,” Hutchinson said.

Seven of 10 crew members aboard Barking Mad were sick all week with a nasty stomach bug. Hutchinson also had to train a new bow team on the fly.

“We had some unique challenges this week and we overcame them. For the team to gut it out and fight hard from start to finish was real rewarding,” Hutchinson said.

Defending Key West champion Alinghi, skippered by Ernesto Bertarelli, finished ninth. The Swiss syndicate that is two-time winner of the America’s Cup, started slow and was never really in contention. Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark steered his Farr 40 Nanoq to a very respectable 11th place result. His Royal Highness was pleased to have improved two places from last year and vowed to return.

“We always enjoy coming to Key West. It is much nicer here than it is in Denmark during January,” he said. “The wind and the weather here are generally quite good.”

Competition was also extremely close in Melges 32 class, which saw a significant increase in entries and caliber of competition at Acura Key West 2008. Star, skippered by Jeff Ecklund of Ft. Lauderdale, FL, finished fifth or better in six of seven races that counted in edging New Wave by two points and capturing the Midwinter Championship.

“The class is getting better and better all the time and this was probably the most competitive regatta we’ve ever had,” said Ecklund, who had boatbuilder Harry Melges aboard as tactician. “All the top teams are going really fast and you’ve got to be on your game at all times. I think the key was that we had terrific boat preparation and awesome crew work all week.”

Demourkas led the M30 class from start to finish in winning Key West for the second time in four years. Scott Nixon of the Quantum loft in Annapolis called tactics for Demourkas, a Santa Barbara resident who won three races and finished no worse than fourth in the other five.

“We were doing it the hard way all week. We had to work our way up from the back of the fleet in a bunch of races, but we kept fighting. The team did an excellent job. I’m very proud of them,” she said.

Ullman put together a tremendous final day to fourth to first in Melges 24 class, largest of the regatta with 46 boats. The California sailmaker steered Pegasus 505 to a stellar line of 1-2-1 on Friday to finish three points ahead of week-long leader Blu Moon (Franco Rossini, Switzerland).

“Our team likes sailing in the breeze. We are happy whenever it gets above 15 knots,” said Ullman, who has won Melges 24 class five times in Key West. “Obviously, we had a great all-around day. We started well in all three races, sailed at the front and were never really in trouble.”

Charlie Ogletree (tactician), Brian Hutchinson (bow), Andy Escort (jib) and Pablo Saldano (traveler) comprised the crew for the 62-year-old Ullman, who counted no result worse than a sixth in capturing the Midwinter Championship for the class.

Coates completed an incredible accomplishment by winning J/105 class for the fourth consecutive year at Acura Key West and also garnering the Midwinter Championship. The San Francisco native and his team on Masquerade won five of eight races and led the 34-boat after each day of the regatta and finished with a low score of 13 points – an incredible 42 points better than runner-up Eclipse (Damian Emery).

“This regatta always attracts the top programs in our class so we certainly are very pleased to have won here four years in a row,” Coates said. “I think it looks a lot more lopsided than it really was. We trailed boats in every race and were challenged considerably.”

IRC 1 class was comprised of the 10 largest boats in the regatta and Meyers’ new Judel/Vrolijk 66-footer proved the most consistent of them all. America’s Cup veteran Hamish Pepper called tactics for Meyers, who won five of eight races in compiling a low score of 10 points – four better than runner-up Flash Glove, a TP52 owned by Colm Barrington of Ireland.

Update:
Back in Business at Acura Key West 2008
— Two-Race Day Brings Much Rejoicing

 



 

Press Release:
Back in Business at Acura Key West 2008
— Two-Race Day Brings Much Rejoicing

There was much rejoicing around the Conch Republic on Thursday. The wind gods smiled on Acura Key West 2008, presented by Nautica, delivering excellent racing conditions and bringing much joy to both competitors and organizers.

Early forecasts for Thursday were not favorable and talk on the dock was that another day of racing might be lost. Racing had been abandoned on Monday because of too much wind and Wednesday as a result of too little.

However, event director Peter Craig emerged from an early morning meeting with his four principal race officers with encouraging news. Commanders’ Weather, which has been spot-on all week, issued a forecast for building breezes in the afternoon and the Premiere Racing team believed it could conduct at least once race.

Craig wisely held the fleet of 262 boats onshore in the morning while waiting for updated information. Since the forecast still looked promising at noon, the AP Flag (postponement) came down and the armada of racing boats was sent out to the Atlantic Ocean.

Lo and behold, conditions proved even better than expected with the wind starting at 5-8 knots from the southwest then clocking around to the north and increasing to 12 knots. That allowed for two races on all four courses and resulted in an awful lot of happy faces when the boats returned to port.

“What a surprise! We had very nice sailing conditions today, the best we’ve had all week,” said Dave Ullman, who holds fourth place in Melges 24 class. “It didn’t look promising last night, but if any of us could really predict the weather we would be in a different business.”

There was minimal shakeup in the standings with the lead changing hands in only five of 16 classes. However, the difference between the first and second boat in the other 11 classes is six points or less and things could change dramatically before this series concludes. It sets the stage for an historic final day at Acura Key West 2008 with organizers moving the first gun up one hour and planning to conduct three races.

For two decades, there have been very few three-race days at Key West. Now, in the 21st season of the largest winter regatta in North America, there could possibly be a pair of three-race days. Prospects of that happening are quite great as the forecast is for 15-20 knot winds on Friday.

“It’s the first time we had no racing on Monday and it’s the first time we’ve had more than one race on Friday,” Craig said. “This has been, without question, the most challenging week weather-wise in my 15 years of running this regatta. To be able to race on three days and quite possibly get in eight races is rather incredible considering the circumstances, and ultimately I think the competitors will go home happy.”

There was a change atop the ultra-competitive Farr 40 class with Barking Mad jumping from third to first on the strength of a bullet in yesterday’s second race. Skipper Jim Richardson has finished sixth or better in the 25-boat fleet for all five races and now holds a four-point advantage over opening day leader Mascalzone Latino.

“We had a good day. We didn’t do anything fancy, sailed fairly conservatively in the race we won,” said Terry Hutchinson, tactician aboard Barking Mad.

Hutchinson, an Annapolis resident who was tactician for runner-up Emirates Team New Zealand in the last America’s Cup, said anything could happen with three races being held on Friday.

“Obviously, I’d rather be where we are at the moment, but at the same time we have to sail very well tomorrow in order to hold this lead,” he said.

Mascalzone Latino, the two-time defending world champion owned by Vincenzo Onorato, was still first overall after placing second in Race 4, but was over the starting line early in Race 5 and wound up 12th.

Twins, skippered by Erik Maris of France, also had a solid day with finishes of first and third to move into third place in the overall standings. “The regatta is very tight and we are pleased to be in contention. Barking Mad and Mascalzone Latino are the best boats – very fast, consistent and strong tactically. It will be difficult for us to stay with them,” said Maris, seeking his first Farr 40 victory in four trips to Key West.

Groovederci, skippered by Deneen Demourkas of Santa Barbara, Cal., maintained its lead in M30 class after getting the gun in Race 5. Demourkas, class winner at Key West in 2005, said her team sits atop the standings in spite of itself.

“We’ve done everything the hard way. We’re not going the right way and we’ve had some boat-handling issues,” she said. “We have really put ourselves through the wringer. Fortunately, we have recovered from all our mistakes and have managed to hang on.”

Thursday marked the 10th wedding anniversary for John and Deneen Demourkas, who have both been skippering separate entries in Key West for years. John, who is sailing a Farr 40 also known as Groovederci, wisely booked dinner reservations at Louis’ Backyard, one of the most popular restaurants in town.

Blu Moon, the Swiss entry skippered by Franco Rossini, remained atop the Melges 24 class by counter-balancing an 18th in Race 4 with a victory in Race 5. Helmsman Flavio Favini said the team will be hard-pressed to hold off the likes of WTF (Alan Field), Tresvailles.com (Benoit Charon), Pegasus 505 (Ullman) and Full Throttle (Brian Porter), all of whom are within striking distance.

“There is still a long way to go and things can change quickly in this fleet… as we showed today,” Favini said. “Tomorrow should be windy and we are looking forward to some great racing.”

Jeff Ecklund sailed Star to a first and a third yesterday to take over the lead in Melges 32 class, which has proven incredibly competitive at Acura Key West 2008. Ecklund and tactician Harry Melges have been sailing together for 15 years and certainly found the chemistry on Thursday.

“We had a great day and it felt good. The wind conditions were to our liking and we found some special speed,” said Ecklund, a Ft. Lauderdale resident. “Hopefully, we can find the same groove tomorrow and keep our nose clean. This is the strongest field we’ve ever seen in the Melges 32 and it is still anybody’s event.”

Samba Pa Ti, a TP52 owned by California native John Kilroy Jr., vaulted from third to first in the overall standings of IRC 1 – another class comprised entirely of professional crews. Kilroy posted a pair of seconds on Thursday and has now finished no worse than third through five races.

Two teams have built comfortable leads going into the final day. Masquerade, skippered by Thomas Coates of San Francisco, holds a seven-point cushion in J/105 and is closing on a fourth straight title in that 34-boat class. Rumor, skippered by John Storck Jr. of Huntington, NY, has notched bullets in three of five races and now leads J/80 class by 11 points.

PHRF National Championship Standings
1, Bad Girl, J/100, Robert Armstrong, St. Croix, 19.4 points
2, Emocean, J/120, Will Hanckel, Charleston, S.C., 19.0
3, One Up, Wyliecat 30, Lincoln Schoenberger, Bridgeport, Conn. 18.7
4, Temptress, SR-33, Robert Hibdon, Charleston, S.C., 18.6
5, Britsar, Tartan 10, Ken Schram, Detroit, Mich., 18.2
6, Stark Raving Mad, J/125, James Madden, Newport Beach, Cal., 18.00
The IRC, Farr 40 and Melges 32 classes take their first step toward the highly regarded Acura Grand Prix trophies, awarded to the combined winners at the conclusion of the Acura Miami Grand Prix in March.

 



 

Press Release:
Mother Nature Throws Curve at Acura Key West
— Racers Enjoy a Day Off in Conch Republic
It’s been feast or famine at Acura Key West 2008, presented by Nautica.

Organizers and competitors alike have been frustrated by the fact winds have been either too strong or too light on two of the initial three days of the largest winter regatta in North America.

A northeasterly that held steady in the range of 25-30 knots forced cancellation of racing on Monday. Mother Nature delivered the opposite end of the spectrum on Wednesday with a southeasterly providing a mere three knots of pressure and forcing officials with Premiere Racing to abandon again.

“The wind never reached the threshold at which we felt we could have a quality, fair race,” event organizer Peter Craig said. “Our race committee has certain standards and we are not going to sacrifice quality in order to just get in a race.”

Division 4 managed to start a race in what Principal Race Officer (PRO) Wayne Bretsch called “sail-able” conditions. However, the bulk of the fleet had not reached the first weather mark when the wind died to two knots or less and Bretsch pulled the plug.

“In my opinion, it appeared to be an unfair race. The wind was fluky and better on one side of the course than the other,” Bretsch said.

While there is always a concern the wind will improve after the boats are sent back to the harbor, in this instance the reports from Commander’s Weather were spot on.

“Based on the forecast I just received at 2 p.m., the decision we made at noon was the correct one,” Craig said. “I think from the sailor’s standpoint, better to get back to the beach and have the entire afternoon to get out and take advantage of all that Key West has to offer rather than bobbing around on the water waiting for wind.”

Some teams headed to the various bars and restaurants around Historic Seaport, filling the tables at Schooner Wharf, Turtle Kraals, Conch Republic Seafood and the Half Shell for a late lunch and drinks. Crew members from the TP52 Flash Glove were a bit more industrious with tactician Rob Greenhalgh quickly arranging a fishing trip.

“Some guys went fishing, others played golf while some just decided to relax with a few drinks,” skipper Colm Barrington said.

Craig said it was only the second time in the 21-year history of the Key West regatta that two days of racing were cancelled. Forecasts call for light winds again on Thursday with a front moving in to provide heavy air on Friday.

Fortunately, breezes held steady at 15-20 knots on Tuesday and enabled PROs Ken Legler (Division 1), Bruce Golison (Division 2), Dave Brennan (Division 3) and Bretsch to complete three races apiece.

Now that Acura Key West 2008 race days have been reduced, there is tremendous pressure to perform in the remaining races. Vitesse, a Swan 42 skippered by Jon Halbert of Dallas, Texas, stands third in class – four points behind first place Tiburon (Mark Watson) and only one point astern of Bandit (Andy Fisher).

“Tomorrow and Friday now become very important. Because the regatta has been condensed, each race counts more than ever and the whole mindset changes,” said Farley Fontenot, tactician aboard Vitesse. “I think you will see most teams become a bit more conservative because there is little margin for error.”

While all 16 classes remain up for grabs, there are also two major championships to be decided. France has taken the early lead in the 11th International Team Competition for the Nautica Watches Trophy. National pride is at stake as 11 countries field three-boat teams comprised of a Farr 40, Melges 32 and Melges 24.

France, led by the fourth-place standing in Farr 40 class of Twins (Erik Maris), has scored 31 total points thus far. Defending International Team champion Switzerland, led by Melges 24 leader Blu Moon (Franco Rossini) is just one point behind.

With each passing year, the International Team Competition gains traction with more entrants asking to participate. Danilo Salsi, skipper of the Farr 40 DSK Comifin, organized Team Italia.

“We are very excited to be sailing on behalf of our country. We think this side competition is very clever. It gives you a double goal for the week, another trophy to try to win,” said Andrea Casale, crew member aboard DSK Comifin. “You want to do well as an individual entry and you also want to help the team.”

Armando Giulietti’s Melges 32 Hiroshi and Riccardo Simoneschi’s Melges 24 Giacomel Audi Racing are the other members of Team Italia, which got off to a tough start.

“It’s great because it gives you a chance to get close with crews from two other boats. You have to communicated with one another and commit to working together,” Casale said.

Another battle is beginning to develop for the PHRF National Championship, which was introduced at Acura Key West 2007 and proved quite popular. PHRF 4 leader Bad Girl, a J/100 owned by Robert Armstrong of St. Croix, seized the early lead under the scoring system created by rating expert Bruce Bingman. However, PHRF 3 leader Temptress, an SR-33 owned by Robert Hibdon of Charleston, S.C, is just three-tenths of a point behind. However, anything could happen since the championship is based on a combination of best average corrected speed, tightness of class competition as determined by the corrected time spread between first and fifth place finishers along with the number of boats beaten relative to the possible number that could have been beaten. Thus, a single bad race can play topsy-turvy with the results.

PHRF National Championship Standings – 1/23/08
1, Bad Girl, J/100, Robert Armstrong, St. Croix, 19.8 points
2, Temptress, SR-33, Robert Hibdon, Charleston, S.C., 19.5
3, Stark Raving Mad, J/125, James Madden, Newport Beach, Cal., 18.3
4, Britsar, Tartan 10, Ken Schram, Detroit, Mich., 18.3
5, Emocean, J/120, Will Hanckel, Charleston, S.C., 18
6, One Up, Wyliecat 30, Lincoln Schoenberger, Bridgeport, Conn.

Jobson Sailing – www.jobsonsailing.com

Sailing World – www.sailingworld.com

ESPN – www.espn.com

 

Press Release:
Both Familiar Faces and Hot Newcomers Win the Day at Acura Key West 2008
— Three Race Day for All Classes

As the results rolled in during the first day of racing Acura Key West 2008, presented by Nautica there were a lot of familiar names finishing at the front.

Winners in the Melges 24 class included such perennial contenders as Franco Rossini and Riccardo Simoneschi. By day’s end, Masquerade was in her usual perch atop the J/105 class. Two-time defending world champion and past Key West winner Mascalzone Latino seized the early lead in Farr 40. Dan Meyers, who has raced a variety of big boats in Key West, showed off his new Numbers while moving quickly to the top of IRC 1. Other opening day pacesetters with a history of success at Acura Key West include the J/80 Rumor and the Mumm 30 Groovederci.

However, there were also some newcomers atop the leader board after Day 1. No Naked Flames, a brand new Sllim 37 owned by Irish brothers Andrew and Carl Allen, performed well right of the box in taking the lead in IRC 2. Stark Raving Mad, James Madden’s new J/125, also posted superb results while showing it could be the boat to beat in PHRF 1. Meanwhile, the Swan 42 class made its one-design debut at Acura Key West with Tiburon, owned by Mark Watson of Newport, R.I.,

Action at Acura Key West 2008 was scheduled to begin on Monday, but high winds and heavy seas forced regatta organizers to abandon on all four courses without starting a race. Winds were still strong, but more manageable, on Tuesday – blowing steady between 17-20 knots out of the east. That enabled officials with Premiere Racing to complete three races for all classes – the first time that has happened in the 21-year history of the popular regatta.

“To get in three races at a regatta of this size and a venue of this nature can be a daunting challenge. That is a significant number of classes on four separate courses and requires precision race committee work,” event director Peter Craig said. “Factor in that we have to hear protests and hand out awards at 6:30… it makes three races in one day quite a feat.”

Craig had high praise for regatta scorers Tom Fisher and Jeff Johnson, who had to sort through three races worth of results involving 262 boats under a severe time crunch so the nightly awards ceremony could start on time.

Mascalzone Latino, skippered by Vincenzo Onorato of Italy, put forth an impressive performance in seizing the overall lead in Farr 40 class on the first day of racing while also earning the Sperry Top-Sider Boat of the Day honor.

America’s Cup veteran Adrian Stead called tactics for Onorato, who steered Mascalzone Latino to a pair of seconds and a third place finish in three races on Tuesday. Barking Mad (Jim Richardson, Newport, R.I.) and Mean Machine (Peter de Ridder, Monaco) are tied for second with 10 points, three behind the Italian entry.
“Leading after the first day means nothing. Obviously, we really want to lead after the last day,” said Onorato, who won Farr 40 class at Key West in 2006. “For the morale of the crew, it is nice to start off well.”

Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark had a solid opening day with a pair of Top 10 finishes and stands 11th overall in the highly-competitive 25-boat fleet. Defending Key West champion Alinghi, the Swiss boat skippered by Ernesto Bertarelli, had a tough opening day and stands 13th overall.

That Alinghi, the two-time America’s Cup winner, could suffer a pair of back-of-the-fleet finishes shows how strong the Farr 40 class has become, Onorato said.

“This is the second year that we have come to this regatta in the role of world champion and that is a lot of pressure. It is hard to maintain that high standard in this class because the level of competition is always going up,” Onorato said. “You have to come to these regattas mentally prepared and your team must constantly improve.”

Numbers, the second largest boat in the entire 262-boat fleet, had a superb day in grabbing the lead in IRC 1 class. The Judel/Vrolijk 66-footer, owned by Dan Meyers of Newport, R.I., won two races and was runner-up in the other.

“We’re still trying to figure out how to push the boat around the course better,” said Meyers, who took delivery of the new design in the fall. “Our crew work was okay today. We had a couple problems at the leeward mark roundings. That is something we need to work on as the week progresses.”

Blu Moon, a Swiss entry skippered by Franco Rossini, built a relatively comfortable nine-point lead in Melges 24 class – largest of the regatta with 46 boats. Flavio Favini steered Blu Moon to a tremendous line of 1-1-2 for a cumulative score of four points.

Dave Ullman, a four-time winner of Acura Key West, is lurking in third place. Simoneschi, sailing a chartered Melges 24 for his regular sponsor Giacomel Audi Racing, won the third race and cannot be discounted.

“We are still figuring out how to tune the boat. We had problems with boat speed in the first race, but had it set up better by the third race,” Simoneschi said. “We had very good sailing conditions today. It was really fun going downwind with the big waves making for fantastic surfing.”

Masquerade, skippered by San Francisco native Thomas Coates, is seeking to win J/105 class for an unprecedented fourth straight year. Coates and his veteran crew of West Coast sailors, got off to a good start with a pair of bullets sandwiched around a third. However, Brian Keane and his Massachusetts-based team on Savasana, also had an outstanding day and are just three points behind.

“We liked our starts and had the boat going fairly fast, but the competition is fierce once again and we’ll have our work cut out for us to maintain that lead,” Coates said.

No Naked Flames was commissioned by the Allan brothers for the purpose of being part of the Irish team for the 2008 Commodore’s Cup. It was designed by Mark Mills and has America’s Cup veteran Chris Main on the helm.

“Considering that today was the first time we have ever hoisted the spinnaker on this boat, we are obviously quite happy with our results,” Main said of a stellar line of 1-4-2 that gave No Naked Flames a tiebreaker advantage over the Swan 45 Murka 2. “For the first day of our first regatta, it is really pleasing to be leading the class. If we can continue to get good starts and fine-tune our crew work throughout the week, we will be fine.”

The IRC, Farr 40 and Melges 32 classes take their first step toward the highly regarded Acura Grand Prix trophies, awarded to the combined winners at the conclusion of the Acura Miami Grand Prix in March.

Follow the results and the racing at Premiere-Racing.com. Blogging from all four courses, Kattack race tracking, and daily video reports will bring the action home. Be sure to check ESPN.com each evening for a 4-5 minute Gary Jobson production that will feature racing highlights of different classes each day.

Reduced winds were observed, and boats on all four courses (except Corsair 28R class) set sail, but as wind continued to increase, ultimately, all racing was abandoned for the day.

“The early forecasts were not good but was looking promising from 0800-1100 with our two boats on station reporting wind velocity and sea state less than that predicted. By late morning our forecasters thought the bottom end of their predicted wind range would be what we’d see, making the decision to head out a logical one. With the C28R class having a 22kts upper end, the decision was made to keep them on the beach. It wasn’t until noon, after the Division 1 Signal Boat was on station for a bit, that they started recording puffs above 28kts – the Melges 32 class dictated upper end – hence the call to send them home before the rest of the fleet. At 12:30 all PRO’s reported conditions “on the edge” of what one would want to start a race in. This coupled with the fact that it’s Monday with 4 days of racing left made it a bit easier decision for us to abandon before we got in a sequence.” ~ Peter Craig, Event Director

For more online coverage, please visit these recommended links:

Premiere Racing – www.premiere-racing.com

Sailing World – www.sailingworld.com

Paul Cayard – www.cayardsailing.com

 

Check out the photo sequence of Melges 32 Savannah, sail number USA 140, wiping out during spinnaker practice after race abandonment on 2008 KWRW Day 1: http://picasaweb.google.com/georgeatwood/KWRW

 

Press Release:
Tough Conditions, Tough Decisions at Acura Key West 2008
— Heavy Air Forces Cancellation of Day 1 Races

Acura Key West 2008, presented by Nautica came in roaring like a lion!

A storm front hit the southernmost point in the continental United States in the wee hours of Sunday morning and lingered. When Monday dawned and the largest winter regatta in North America was due to begin, a fierce northeaster was delivering consistent winds ranging 25-30 knots and routinely gusting higher.

Event chairman Peter Craig huddled with his four principal race officers and the decision was made to postpone sending the 262-boat fleet out for two hours. Because the Corsair 28 class has a maximum wind range of 22 knots for racing, regatta organizers and skippers agreed to keep the lightweight trimarans on the beach. While some of the Corsair 28 owners were anxious to test themselves in extreme conditions, common sense prevailed.

“If you’re out in survival conditions, it just makes it too difficult to compete. No one wanted to break gear on the first day,” said class veteran Bob Harkrider of August, Ga., who placed second at this regatta last year.

Premiere Racing sent out two committee boats first thing in the morning to take wind readings and gauge the sea conditions. They were recording waves at 6-8 feet and Harkrider said the spirited, high-performance Corsairs spend all their energy preventing disastrous knockdowns in such a sea state.

“In those types of conditions, safety becomes a serious concern,” he said.

Just after 11 a.m., Craig and company sent the remainder of the fleet to the four racing circles with the pronouncement that no racing would begin until 1 p.m. By noon, the Division 1 signal boat was reading regular puffs above 28 knots, exceeding the upper end of the wind range dictated by the Melges 32 class so those 27 boats were sent back to shore.

Regatta officials had hoped the wind would stabilize at a reasonable level in order to hold one race for the remaining 10 classes, but all four principal race officers reported conditions that were clearly “on the edge” and the decision was made to abandon all racing without beginning a starting sequence.

“These are the toughest days for our race committee because we recognize that people have spent considerable time, effort and resources to come to Key West. We want to do our utmost to give them five full days of racing,” Craig said.

“However, on the first day of a five-day regatta, we do not want to push the envelope. We want to err on the side of caution. All four of our principal race officers are extremely experienced and in their collective opinion, the conditions today were just too severe for the majority of the fleet.”

Craig admitted the decision may have been different if it was Thursday and one day of the regatta had already been lost due to lack of wind or too much wind. “Certainly, the fact this is Monday was a major factor. You don’t want all sorts of boats breaking equipment when they still have four more days of racing to go,” said Craig, adding that rough seas were also a “significant consideration.”

Forecasts call for winds to decrease to the high teens on Tuesday morning then ultimately drop to 8-10 knots by the afternoon. Craig said Premiere Racing will “work very hard” to complete two or three races on Tuesday.

“We announced this as a 10-race series, but we will not sacrifice quality for quantity,” he said. “If we get in eight or nine quality races that are a mixture of heavy, medium and light air, I think most of the sailors will be satisfied.”

One would expect the professional sailors in the Farr 40 class to be most disappointed about the cancellation of racing on Monday, but the majority understood and agreed with the decision.

“I’d say the wind was definitely in the upper limit of what we can race in. There’s a difference between sailing and racing. When you have 25 boats rounding marks in tight quarters, things can get pretty hairy in 30 knots of breeze,” said Chris Larson, tactician for Alex Roepers on Plenty. “Considering this was the first day of the first regatta of the year and all the teams are still shaking out the cobwebs, it was the right move.”

Roepers is a new owner in the highly-competitive class, having made his debut at the 10th Anniversary Regatta off Miami in December. He also races a Swan 45 and is making the adjustment from helming with a wheel to a tiller.
“This was still a good day for us. Our owner had never been out in these types of conditions in this boat and with a tiller,” Larson said. “It was quite challenging, but Alex was able to gain some valuable experience. We were planing at 14 knots with the main and small jib. We sailed upwind and downwind, did a couple tacks and a couple spinnaker sets then called it a day.”

Dave Ullman, four-time winner in the Melges 24 class, said there could have been carnage in the 46-boat fleet had Division 3 PRO Dave Brennan decided to race.

“It was absolutely the right decision. The wind was well over the top and there’s no reason to go out there and drop rigs or break up equipment,” Ullman said.

The Midwest Open Racing Fleet (MORF) website has been updated with the 2008 Racing Schedule.

(Note: The MORF home page indicates the schedule is preliminary as of January 3, 2008.)

The Lake Michigan Sail Racing Federation (LMSRF) Area 3 2008 Preliminary Schedule is now online, download PDF here.

(Note: as of now, the 2008 Race Schedule/Results link on the LMSRF Area 3 website has not been updated.)

Chicago endured sub-zero temperatures as the coldest days of the winter season arrive here.

The automated NOAA weather station located on the Harrison-Dever Crib stopped transmitting data this morning around 8 AM CST. It is unknown whether the fault was due to the extreme cold weather, but it is a likely explanation. We all rely on this important source of weather data during the sailing season, which holds our interest during the cold winter months when the local weather doesn’t allow sailing. We hope it is fixed and online again soon.

Meanwhile, the Acura Key West Race 2008 presented by Nautica begins tomorrow. Boats and sailors have been arriving during the week. Winds were gusting to 35+ knots on the last full practice day, as many crews opted to finish preparing their boats onshore rather than go out sailing.

Typically, there is little or no sailing presence at the show, despite the boating and recreation focus. One would expect attendees of a large, well-publicized and heavily-sponsored boat show would have interest in learning more about sailing. Conversely, one would expect the local sailing community to better use this event as an opportunity to promote local sailing activities. Unfortunately, that seems not to be the case.

Strictly Sail Chicago follows only one week later, as an entirely separate event. Although it is a welcome gathering for midwest sailors in the middle of winter, marketing sailboats and sailing to the more highly-focused audience lacks the exposure provided by the larger, better-advertised and better-supported Chicago Boat Show. It seems less than ideal that the Chicago Boat Show is under-used for promoting sailing.

Apparently, the show organizers, the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA), have finally arrived at the same conclusion. Shows in Virginia and Baltimore this year introduced Sailfest to test the waters of introducing more sailing at the boat shows.

NMMA and Sail America Launch New Sailfest Ventures

CHICAGO, July 24, 2007 – As a means of stimulating sales and providing additional opportunities for businesses in the sailing industry, the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) and Sail America are launching a new “Sailfest” venture at two upcoming NMMA consumer boat shows: The Virginia In-Water Boat Expo, taking place September 14-16; and the Baltimore Boat Show, being held January 23-27, 2008.

In addition to adding the “& Sailfest” tag to the end of boat show titles, the updated show format will feature a mini Strictly Sail show including: Sailboats, gear and accessories; sailing seminars; and other special sailing-related events. The Sailfest shows will be marketed to attract sailors in both the Norfolk, Virginia and Baltimore regions and complement existing show advertising to promote the two events.

“Sailfest was created as a response to boat show attendees asking to see more sailboats at shows where powerboats were primarily featured, as well as a strong desire on the part of exhibitors seeking ways to get their products in front of a larger audience” explains Kevin Murphy, national show manager for Sail America and the Strictly Sail events. “The overall goal of adding a more sail-focused component to these two events is simply to expose Sail America members’ products to more potential buyers.”

Murphy says the Virginia and Baltimore events are test cases for the Sailfest show. If the concept proves successful, the plan is to incorporate additional sail-focused components into future NMMA-produced consumer boat shows and events.

For more information, visit virginiaboatexpo.com, baltimoreboatshow.com, or contact Kevin Murphy at (401) 841-0900, ext. 28; kevin@sailamerica.com.

Sail America, an independent affiliate of NMMA, is the trade association that represents the U.S. sailing industry and plays a vital role for all companies involved in providing sailing-related products and services. Sail America has more than 500 members and works hard to promote the health and growth of sailing.

The National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) is the leading association representing the recreational boating industry. NMMA member companies produce more than 80 percent of the boats, engines, trailers, accessories and gear used by boaters and anglers in the United States. The association is dedicated to industry growth through programs in public policy, market research and data, product quality assurance and marketing communications.

Venue costs to host the 2016 Olympics in Chicago are estimated at $900 million, plus an “Athlete’s Village” costing another $1 billion.

It is believed most host cities report net losses due to hosting the Olympics- does anyone believe Chicago will prove to be an exception?

Chicago says Olympic venues would cost estimated $900 million
By Deanna Bellandi, Associated Press Writer

CHICAGO — Athletes and spectators won’t have to go far to enjoy the Summer Games and experience life in America’s third-largest city if the 2016 Olympics come to Chicago.

Athletes will row, cycle and play volleyball at downtown venues within walking distance of some of the city’s best museums. In as quick as a six-minute drive, athletes can get from their village to the Olympic stadium in a South Side park. And office workers and high-rise dwellers will likely catch free glimpses of some of the competition from their perches high above the lakefront.

It’s all part of a tightly centered games clustered around downtown that Chicago organizers are trying to sell to the International Olympic Committee as the ultimate in urban, pedestrian-friendly Olympics.

“It’s one thing to be compact, but it’s another thing to be walking distance,” Olympic gold medalist Mike Conley said Tuesday as Chicago 2016 organizers unveiled the plan they submitted to the International Olympic Committee.

Organizers of past Olympics have tried to group the majority of venues together. The Olympic Park in Homebush Bay was the centerpiece of the Sydney Games, for example, while most of the activity in Athens was at OAKA.

But those areas were outside of the city center. Homebush Bay was more than 10 miles west of downtown Sydney, while the Parthenon was a good bus ride from OAKA.

Chicago’s plan clusters the majority of venues in four sites near downtown and along the shores of Lake Michigan, the world’s fifth-largest lake.

Ninety-one percent of athletes would be within 15 minutes of their venues. The trip from the athletes’ village to the stadium – that Ryan says during the games would be a six-minute drive because of dedicated Olympic lanes – is at most 14 minutes in normal traffic, according to the bid document.

“The plan envisions the games woven into the landscape of Chicago’s century-old lakefront and in walking distance” of many cultural and entertainment attractions and sports facilities, said Patrick Ryan, chief organizer of Chicago 2016.

“We believe Chicago promises a spectacular Olympic experience in the center of our city, in the heartland of this great country,” Ryan said.

Details of the plan – which includes 16 new permanent and temporary venues and money to make existing venues Olympic caliber at an estimated cost of $900 million – were included in a questionnaire submitted to the IOC and released by Chicago bid organizers.

It does not include a $1 billion athlete’s village, a public-private venture officials said will be built regardless of whether Chicago gets the games.

Chicago would hold the games July 22-Aug. 7, 2016. The paralympics would follow Aug. 18-28.

Chicago 2016 organizers estimated the games would generate $2.5 billion in revenue just from domestic marketing, including sponsorships, licensed merchandise and ticket sales. Organizers would give 500,000 free tickets to Chicago schoolchildren.

“The people of Chicago will experience these games like no people of any Olympic city before them,” said Doug Arnot, operations chief for Chicago 2016.

As Chicago released its bid documents, details also emerged Tuesday about the other six bid cities’ plans.

Tokyo said 95 percent of its competition venues would be within five miles of downtown. Organizers in Madrid, Spain, said the eastern edge of its city would be the focus for the Olympics. There would be 15 competition venues there, and all but five of the 30 venues would be about seven miles from the city center.

Chicago organizers said their plan for clustering the Games downtown and near Lake Michigan is unique.

“Compact is one thing, it’s where it’s compact,” Arnot said. “We’ve taken the very heart of the city and put so much of the games right there. That is unparalleled in any games.”

Besides Chicago, Tokyo, and Madrid, the other bid cities are Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Baku, Azerbaijan; Doha, Qatar; and Prague, Czech Republic.

The IOC will whittle the seven applicant cities to an unspecified number of candidate cities in June. The IOC will select the host city in October 2009.

Chicago’s price tag is likely to grow if history is any guide. Costs for the 2012 London Olympics are now more than more triple original estimates, topping $19 billion.

The Chicago bid documents don’t give a total price tag for the games, but Ryan said comparisons to London’s ballooning costs aren’t fair. London is undertaking a major urban redevelopment as part of its games, including decontaminating land from years of industrial use. Chicago is not.

“Have you been to the East End of London recently? That’s been a desolate area for centuries. This is a rebuilding of something that is critical to London,” Ryan said.

Of Chicago’s 27 venues, 22 already are built or would be temporary structures. The Olympic stadium will carry the biggest price tag, costing nearly $386 million in 2007 dollars. But an unidentified developer was part of the design process, and already has committed to building it for that amount.

The questionnaire submitted to the IOC by Chicago and other bid cities covers everything from competition venues and financing to security and transportation. It’s part of the process for the IOC to pick a host city next year.

Chicago 2016 estimates it will spend $49.3 million in its bid process, and that assumes it will be one of the finalists chosen in June. Ryan pledged all of that money will come from private sources. More than $32 million already has been raised.

Chicago, Madrid and Rio are considered the early favorites, and Madrid organizers wasted no time in pointing out flaws in Chicago’s bid. Mercedes Coghen, Madrid’s leader, called Chicago’s bid “a little general.”

“I think it’s the little things that (the IOC) really wants spelled out,” she said.

While Ryan declined comment on other bid cities, he said he didn’t understand where Coghen’s criticism was coming from.

“I don’t really know what she would mean by that,” Ryan said. “She hadn’t seen our document yet.”

—

AP National Writer Nancy Armour contributed to this report.

—

On the Net:

Chicago’s bid file can by found on the Chicago 2016 Web site: http://www.chicago2016.org

The Associated Press

Source: Associated Press / USA Today

Chicago tries to change city’s perception for 2016 Olympic bid

By Don Babwin, Associated Press Writer

CHICAGO — They came from the Netherlands and Mexico, from Scotland and Italy. On a cold January day, tourists descended on Chicago’s Millennium Park just as they do when it’s warm and the crowded ice skating rink turns into a crowded restaurant.
As the city prepares to make public a detailed explanation of its bid for the 2016 Olympic Games on Tuesday, organizers say such scenes help illustrate that Chicago is a global city with the cachet to host the most global sporting event of all.

But those same tourists reveal something else: the stubborn perception that, long since the stockyards, steel mills and gangsters like Al Capone disappeared, Chicago remains a gritty city of belching smokestacks and dangerous streets.

“I thought it would be more industrial than it is,” said Carol Morrison, of Edinburgh, Scotland.

“They think it’s a very criminal city,” Teresa Speller, said of her countrymen in the Netherlands.

Those supporting Chicago’s Olympic bid know that changing the city’s image among outsiders – particularly among foreigners – is crucial if they are to convince the International Olympic Committee to pick Chicago.

“The great assets of Chicago have to be made known to the world,” said Patrick Ryan, leader of the city’s 2016 organizing committee.

He said most international travelers do not venture past the east or west coasts, so they’re far more familiar with cities like New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Foreign visitors to Chicago say their friends back home simply don’t think of the Lake Michigan city as a vacation destination.

What they know about Chicago often comes from movies and television shows. Some, like “The Untouchables,” are outdated and others, like “The Fugitive” and “ER,” often paint the city as a somewhat ominous if not downright violent place.

And more recent events that made international headlines – including the trial of aging mobsters and the videotaped beating of a bartender by an off-duty police officer – have only fueled the stereotypical image of Chicago.

“Al Capone, crime, grit,” Nancy Caldwell, a teacher in Great Britain, said on a visit to Millennium Park this month. “Generally most Brits see it like that.”

Lost in all this, say Ryan and others, is the natural beauty of a city on the shores of one of the nation’s largest lakes, the gleaming skyscrapers, beautiful parks, museums and other cultural attractions.

“The gap between the reputation and the reality of Chicago today is the greatest for any major city in the world,” said Marshall Bouton, president of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.

Ryan said the challenge facing Olympic bid committee is to make Chicago a lot more familiar to those in far-off countries – especially members of the IOC.

The IOC will select a host city in October 2009. Besides Chicago, Madrid, Spain; Tokyo; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Prague, Czech Republic; Doha, Qatar, and Baku are bidding to host the 2016 Summer Games.

“We have a significant number of global companies,” Ryan said. “These are people who travel the world and they’re going to be speaking out on behalf of Chicago.”

The city already had begun marketing itself internationally. In recent years, for example, the Illinois Bureau of Tourism brought in food writers from overseas in an effort to promote the city’s top restaurants. And chefs such as Charlie Trotter and Rick Bayless have been profiled in publications around the world.

“Three, four years ago it was all Chicago deep dish pizza,” said Jan Kostner, the bureau’s deputy director. “But fine dining has really caught on and today there is a huge awareness of that.”

In 2005, Time magazine named Mayor Richard Daley one of the nation’s top five big-city mayors. That year, a Boston Globe correspondent called Millennium Park “the best urban public park I’ve ever seen, anywhere, and that includes some famed ones in places like Rotterdam and Paris.”

The next year, The Economist published a flattering story about Chicago’s “revival.” After years of industrial decline, fleeing companies and racial tensions, Chicago was, the magazine wrote “a city buzzing with life, humming with prosperity, sparking with new buildings, new sculptures, new parks and generally exuding vitality.”

Still, there is concern that it’s not enough, that the city should be doing much more – and spending a lot more.

Together, the budgets of the city’s convention bureau and the city’s tourism office are less than $19 million, with another $1 million spent by the Illinois Bureau of Tourism to market the city and state overseas.

By comparison, the budget for New York’s marketing and tourism organization, NYC & Company, is $40 million. The budget for the Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau, Inc. in Florida is $64 million and the budget for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority is a whopping $211 million.

A study organized by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs released in October said Chicago is being dramatically outspent overseas by other cities, including New York, which spends $15 million “on international tourism promotion alone.”

NYC & Company wouldn’t comment on how much it spends overseas, but said it opened nine new offices around the world last year, bringing the total to 16 – or 13 more than Illinois.

Even so, Kostner said the number of international visitors to Illinois climbed more than 8 percent last year.

And when they come?

“It is much more visually stunning than I was expecting,” Morrison said. “I wasn’t really prepared for the reality.”

The Associated Press

Source: Associated Press / USA Today

Olympics 2016
Jan 15, 2008 10:12 pm

Chicago 2016 Could Be Profitable Despite Price Tag

Madrid may be European favorite, but its venues are away from the center of the Spanish capital, unlike Chicago’s plan

Reporting: Jay Levine

CHICAGO (CBS) ? The Olympic-sized price tag to host the 2016 Summer Games is estimated to cost $900 million, according to organizers – and that’s just for the venues. As CBS 2’s chief correspondent reports, the city should still make a profit, and that may give us a leg up on the other bidding cities.

In addition to that, Chicago Olympic organizers estimate the Athlete’s Village will cost another $1 billion. CBS 2’s chief correspondent Jay Levine reports on why they’re predicting the games will still be in the black and how Chicago’s vision for the 2016 games compares to the ideas of the other bidding cities.

Grant Park would be in the middle of what Chicago Olympic officials call the Central Cluster, for 19 Olympic sports, the international press center and the Athlete’s village.

Most of the venues already exist and the village will be built with private money, and as a result, Chicago believes those construction costs of $900 million will be more than offset by more than $3 billion in revenue in from sponsorships, broadcast rights fees and ticket sales.

“Chicago 2016 is without question, the most thoroughly prepared bid the USOC has ever taken forward,” said Darryl Seibel of the United States Olympic Committee.

A new Olympic stadium in Washington Park, accounts for the lion’s share of construction costs–$385 million. It’s one of only five of 27 sports venues which need to be built.

“We will build permanent structures only when there’s a viable legacy of after use for the venue — no white elephants,” said Chicago 2016 CEO Pat Ryan.

Chicago’s compact Olympic plan with four clusters of sports venues, less than 15 minutes from the Olympic village, is similar to other applicant cities – but as Mike Conley Sr. of World Sport Chicago said, “there’s one thing to be compact and another thing to be walking distance.”

“It is in fact, you can walk from venue to venue. It is in fact, you can walk from your hotel to the venue, and it is in fact, that you can enjoy the vibrant city of Chicago while you’re enjoying the games,” Chicago 2016 vice president Doug Arnot said. “It’s the fact that we’ve taken the very heart of the city and put so much of the games right there — that is unparalleled in any games.”

Chicago’s $3 billion+ revenue projection is far more than any of the other applicants. It includes $1.28 billion from sponsorships, $705 million from ticket sales, $170 million from merchandise. The rest will come from the IOC, the Paralympic Games and other revenue sources.

Chicago’s price tag is likely to grow if history is any guide. Costs for the 2012 London Olympics are now more than more triple original estimates, topping $19 billion.

Chicago 2016 estimates it will spend $49.3 million in its bid process, and that assumes it will be one of the finalists chosen in June. Ryan pledged all of that money will come from private sources. More than $32 million already has been raised.

But it’ll take more than optimistic financial projections to convince the IOC that Chicago’s the best choice. Ryan says the spirit of Chicago has already had an impact as evidenced by Chicago’s reaction to winning the U.S. bid last April, and its enthusiasm for international boxers last fall weren’t lost on IOC officials.

“They saw the spirit of the people of Chicago,” Ryan said. “They’re talking about that, that buzz is out there in the IOC world.”

That’s Chicago’s hope anyway.

The IOC will narrow the current list of seven applicant cities to four or five approved candidates this June. The IOC will select the host city in October 2009.

Chicago would hold the games July 22-Aug. 7, 2016. The paralympics would follow Aug. 18-28. Organizers would give 500,000 free tickets to Chicago schoolchildren.

As Chicago released its bid documents, details also emerged Tuesday about the other six bid cities’ plans.

Tokyo said 95 percent of its competition venues would be within five miles of downtown. Organizers in Madrid, Spain, said the eastern edge of its city would be the focus for the Olympics. There would be 15 competition venues there, and all but five of the 30 venues would be about seven miles from the city center.

Rio de Janiero, thought to be Chicago’s toughest challenger seems to have benefited from hosting last year’s Pan Am games, refining its plan for 2016. But while Chicago projects revenues of $2.5 billion dollars plus money from the IOC, Rio says it’ll take in just $700 million.

“Very weak it seems for a country that will be having the Olympics for the first time,” said Olympic expert Ed Hula of aroundtherings.com. “The most populous country in South America, a continent with 400 million people, you’d think they could do better than that.”

Hula helped CBS 2 analyze the applications from Rio and the others — including Tokyo, which proposes an ambitious ocean-front site on reclaimed land.

“The price tag for this is very expensive and you have some venues, for example the rowing venue, they want to locate out there — the price tag is $300 million,” Hula said.

Madrid may be the European favorite. But its application appears much less polished and its venues away from the center of the vibrant Spanish capital.

“Seems a bit scattered, seems a bit spread out from what Chicago’s offering,” Hula said.

And then there’s Doha, the first Arab nation to bid for the games. Its oil-rich leaders are offering over $10 billion to build venues and improve infrastructure.

“How can you ask a country to host the Olympic Games when it can’t field a competitive team in many of the sports that are on the Olympic program?” Hula said.

We don’t know much about Prague because it’s not making its application public reportedly due to political problems with the bid in the Czech Republic. That’s not a good sign. And there’s no word from Baku in Azerbaijian, either.

On paper, Chicago seems to have the right stuff. And if the revenue numbers are correct, there’s no need to worry about taxpayers having to foot any bills. Just like the last three Olympics held in the U.S, Chicago is likely to make a big profit.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

(© MMVIII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

Source: CBS 2 Chicago

Steve Pelke is the proud new owner of Stingray, a Beneteau 36.7.

We expect Stingray will be very competitive in the growing 36.7 one-design section.

Congratulations, Steve!

The Beneteau 36.7 North American Championship will be held in Chicago this year.

The 2008 NA’s take place September 2 – 6, 2008, hosted at Chicago Yacht Club by the Lake Michigan Beneteau 36.7 Fleet.

But, unfortunately, circumstances have included the loss of too many Chicago area sailors in recent months. It is with sadness and respect that we give recognition to these individuals, in priority over other less somber sailing news.

Tom Kennedy passed away suddenly at the end of 2007. He was the owner of Blu Interlude, Beneteau 47.7, sail number GBR 7237. According to sources, Tom was unexpectedly stricken with a heart attack. Paramedics were called to his home after Tom felt chest pains, but he suffered a massive attack prior to their arrival and could not be revived.

Marty Bernstein raced regularly on Blu Interlude and shares this memorial tribute in remembrance of Tom Kennedy:

Tom was one of the nicest gentlemen on Lake Michigan or anywhere. It was a tremendous shock for his crew, his family and friends. Hundreds turned out for his send off at St. Clement Church, and spent nearly three hours at an open mic at the reception following, telling stories and remembering a true sportsman.

His first boat was Q-11, Robin, back in the day when Chicago had a sizable Q-Boat fleet. That was followed by the new Robin with the Shields fleet in Belmont Harbor. When his business prospered, he added the Ben 47.7 Blu Interlude, doing the last five Mac races on her.

His generosity knew no bounds; he frequently implored the crew to take the boat out sailing when he was out of town. Tom couldn’t bear to have her just sitting on the mooring and the crew missing all the fun. Though fiercely competitive on the race course, the object was fun, no raised voices, no harsh words.

If you met him just once, you were his friend. The Chicago fleet won’t be the same without him.

Fair winds and gentle seas, sailor. We will miss you.

About the Blu Interlude photo (www.sailfastchicago.com):

Unfortunately, I did not get to know Tom, but sailed against Blu Interlude in the 2007 Tri-State Regatta. I shot the picture above during the St. Joseph, Michigan to Michigan City, Indiana leg of the race. Blu Interlude, Raven and St. Francis were the only three boats who ventured out into Lake Michigan, as the rest of the fleet all took a shore route. Raven passed Blu Interlude to windward, forcing Blu Interlude to tack into shore. Raven soon followed her in, but St. Francis continued on. After a period of little or no wind, the wind filled in with a change of direction, and St. Francis finished the race without ever tacking once, remarkably enough, finishing second-to-last in her section, but winning a moral victory by finishing ahead of Raven. Blu Interlude finished somewhere ahead of both of us.

I was new to St. Francis and the racing section, and thus not well-acquainted with Tom or Blu Interlude, but the owners and crew of St. Francis all had good things to say about Tom and his crew. He will be missed and remembered fondly.

The infamous, fun-filled, action-packed annual Key West Race Week send-off party for Chicago racers continues…

KWRW was originally founded by Chicago sailors, and over the years Chicago has had a very strong presence represented among the competing boats. Chicago participation seems to have declined in the past few years, however. Perhaps that is partial inspiration for the small name change for the Key West party. Anyhow, the annual Key West party in Chicago is always a fun gathering of sailors and friends.

Hope to see everyone there!

Here’s the announcement, courtesy Tony Bowker of Goose Island Brewpubs:

Goose Island Brewpubs are once again hosting a winter ‘ice breaker’ with the support of our friends at Mount Gay Rum. The invitation follows. I hope to see you there.
Cheers!
Tony

Sailor, relieve your cabin fever at the umpteenth annual Key West Race Week Kick-Off Party. This is for everyone with a Key West attitude, not only for those lucky enough to have a KW ride, or sporting enough to have sent their own boat.

Please note the change of venue to:

Goose Island Wrigleyville, 3535 North Clark St.
(Red Line to Addison or park in the lot on Addison opposite Wrigley Field)

Friday, January 11th – 6pm
Map: link

As usual, you can drink Mount Gay Rum cocktails for a cause and enjoy special pitchers of Goose Island’s ales, locally crafted form the waters of Lake Michigan.

Everyone welcome. Even power boaters! Just make sure they can navigate to Wrigleyville, not the pub on Clybourn.

ZION, Ill. — A body that washed onto Illinois Beach State Park near Zion on Wednesday is that of a missing north suburban kayaker. The body has been confirmed to be that of Walter Doroba, 44, of 4461 Country Trail in Gurnee, according to Lake County Coroner Dr. Richard Keller.
The body was found washed ashore at Illinois Beach State Park just south of the Zion Nuclear Plant just after 3 p.m. Wednesday by a park employee, according to a Lake County sheriff’s police release.
An autopsy conducted Thursday on the well-preserved body determined the cause of death to be drowning, Keller said. Cold weather and chilly waters may have contributed to the preservation, he said.
Doroba was pronounced dead at 4 p.m. Wednesday at Illinois Beach State Park.
Doroba was last seen on Lake Michigan about a mile from the Waukegan Harbor shore about 3:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 28, according to Lake County sheriff’s police.
Shortly after he disappeared in late October, Dorobaâ€s kayak, life vest and paddle were found by searchers, Lake County sheriff’s police Sgt. Chris Thompson said. Search and recovery efforts were terminated Nov. 1.
Doroba was a novice to kayaking. He had recently purchased the kayak, and Oct. 28 was his first trip on Lake Michigan, Thompson said.
The criminal investigation division of the sheriffâ€s police is investigating, Keller said.

Source: http://www.nbc5.com/news/14730199/detail.html

In the grim aftermath of Walter Doroba’s death, the Chicago Area Sea Kayakers Association (CASKA) has published kayaking safey information here: http://www.caska.org/safety.htm

on tv right now…

Dirty Jobs – “Bridge Painter”

Mike Rowe and the Dirty Jobs crew travels to Michigan to work with the Mackinac Bridge Authority on one of the world’s largest suspension bridges. Mike goes to great lengths, and heights, braving 50 mile per hour winds while helping paint the bridge. -Discovery Channel

2008 Proposed Area III Schedule

5-17 Jacobs Day 1 / BPYC
5-18 Jacobs Day 2 / BPYC

5/24 Reinholtzen / CCYC
5/25 Olympic Cup / CCYC

5-31 Chicago – MC (or distance substitute) / ColYC
6-1 MC – Chicago (or distance substitute) / BPYC

6-7 Colors Regatta / ColYC (non Area III)
6-8 Colors Regatta / ColYC (non Area III)

6/13 NOOD / CYC (non Area III)
6/14 NOOD / CYC (non Area III)
6/15 NOOS / CYC (non Area III)

6-21 Chicago – Waukegan / WYC
6-22 Waukegan – Chicago / GLYC

6-28 Hobelman / CCYC
6-29

7-5 Kaczmarek – CCYC
7-6 Mayor Daley / ColYC

7-12 Lutz / JPYC
7-13

7-19 Mac / CYC (non Area III)
7-20

7-26
7-27

8-2 Commodore’s / ColYC
8-3 Fran Byrne / ColYC

8-9 Zukasky / BPYC
8-10 Horton / BPYC

8-15 Verve / CYC (non Area III)
8-16 Verve / CYC (non Area III)
8-17 Verve / CYC (non Area III)

8-23 Lukemia Cup / ColYC (non Area III)
8-24

8-29 Chicago – St Joe / ColYC
8-31 St Joe – MC / MCYC
9-1 MC – Chicago / JPYC

9-6
9-7 Commodore’s / CYC

9-13 Clark / CYC
9-14

9/20 MORF Open / MORF
9/21 MORF Open / MORF

Reportedly, the J105 and T10 fleets have decided NOT to sail to Michigan City in the 2008 Tri-State Regatta, opting instead to sail home to Chicago on Sunday.

Photo by Scott Berry, as seen on WGN Weather Center Blog

This disastrous incident reaches all of us in the Chicago area sailing community, and hits close to home for many of us.

I knew John Finn, and sailed the 1998 Chicago-Mackinac with him, before he owned J/35 Jason. I also sailed one beercan race on Jason, and enjoyed one of John’s rooftop parties which he very graciously hosted.

I did not know the other crewmembers of the ill-fated delivery, and regret that I will never have the opportunity. I am both deeply saddened, and, quite honestly, somewhat outraged, that three lives are now no longer with us.

Amidst the sadness and grief, there are questions surrounding this ill-fated delivery voyage. By all accounts, there were a number of opportunities where better decision-making would have resulted in a safer journey.

Death is too high a price to pay for an activity we engage in only for pleasure. Unfortunately, the hazards of nature and elements beyond one’s own control sometime make that an unforgiving reality of the risks we take.

However, we should not discount the importance of all efforts necessary to prevent danger.

I cannot help but imagine the horror each of the four Jason crewmembers and the Coast Guard rescue team experienced on that night, beginning with the first awareness of the actual dangers involved in the voyage, to the loss of a crewmember overboard, the loss of the boat underneath your feet, and the individual fight for survival in the darkness against water, cold, and the unyielding breakwall.

We can all be thankful for the call to the Coast Guard, and the Coast Guard’s prompt rescue response. Without the wherewithal to make those efforts, the entire crew would have been lost.

My heart goes out to all who are affected by these events.

Just a few years ago, the Big Kahuna party was a fun event marking the middle of September, to be followed with a few more weeks of racing, including Area III followed by two weekends of MORF Open. A good number of boats would stay in the water until October or November, soaking up what was left of the full season before cold weather.

These days, Area III racing ends quickly- Saturday is the last Area III race- and MORF Open has been reduced to only one-and-a-half race days. The weather has been milder and warmer, but boats seem more eager to get put away before crew assistance vanishes.

Crowley’s move to the south makes the end-of-the-season boat delivery more exposed to the weather, and less interesting than the former traditional river trip to the old location.

Oh well, boats still have the option to stay in until October or later, the MORF Open is still a great way to extend your racing season, and the Big Kahuna is still a fun way to celebrate and socialize after the final Area III race this season!

This illustrates the steady wind conditions observed for last Sunday’s race (September 9, 2007). The stable pattern had developed around midnight and persisted throughout much of the day.

Later on, I learned the race course was set for 5 degrees, not even close to the 333 degrees the steady winds were coming from when I had looked at the weather.

Wondering if there had been some weather changes to the extremely stable weather pattern, or if the RC had blundered by setting a skewed course when conditions allowed something much more ideal, I took another closer look at the wind data and the racing times of the boats on the course.

The easy-to-read wind data available online in real-time was now stored in a less friendly archived format. After taking a rough look at some raw data, which reaffirmed the steady wind direction pattern but left some questions about race course conditions, I decided to use the opportunity to dust off some software and start developing some rudimentary data modeling tools for sailboat racing…

Here is an interesting look at wind conditions for racing on September 9, 2007:

Crib data was used as source for wind direction. Most of the boats I race on do not have equipment to record wind data (not to mention I was not racing last Sunday!).

There may be some discrepancies with regard to using this information for race analysis. Specifically, the geographic location of the wind instruments in a fixed location not on the race course and higher than most masts; and the resolution of the data (each data point represents a 5 minute time interval).

Given these limitations, however, the information still provides some useful observations that would not otherwise be available.

Among other things, the graphical view seemed to present some insight into managing fleets in different section breaks to optimize time on the water. In hindsight, the advance decision to hold a single long distance race prevented the opportunity to benefit from the stable wind conditions. Alternatively, an earlier start schedule would have also allowed a long course or multiple races during stable and consistent racing conditions.

I imagine experienced long-time race committee planners have plenty of knowledge for assigning start times and sequencing races, but the issue seems to generate a lot of discussion and opinions, and graphic analysis such as that shown above might tend to show the pro’s and con’s of various scenarios more clearly to assist in better planning and evaluation.

Playing with more sailing data and exploring more possibilities for improving race performance and analysis is intriguing…

Hungry finches visited many boats returning to Chicago on the third leg of the Tri-State Regatta this year. The animated birds seemed very friendly, sometimes landing on or near racing crewmembers. Hopping around the boat, the little birds brought good cheer and happily ate tiny insects and pesky flies.

The finches were occasionally joined by bats. Our boat had several bats swoop by. One took a break by clinging upside down on the jib, while another one flew to the boom gooseneck and disappeared into the boom. He could not be seen anywhere inside, but outhaul adjustments or tapping the boom did not seem to disturb the heavy sleeper. After docking the boat in the harbor and night fell, the furry stowaway decided to come out and flew away.

Recognizing the nimble agility, light weight, and insect-eating abilities of the little finches, we decided to recruit them as alternate crew. The slow race gave us time to train them with the necessary basic skills to fill all crew positions on the boat. Take a look at the finch crew pictures here.

More fun this weekend…

Erosion caused by dredging and other human activities on the St. Clair River is causing Lakes Huron and Michigan to lose 2.5 billion gallons of water daily, according to a private Canadian study.

Like a bathtub drain, the artificially deepened river is funneling vast amounts of water into Lake Erie, where it flows east to Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River before eventually being lost to the Atlantic Ocean, says the study released Tuesday.

Article:

Study: Erosion Causing Lakes’ Water Loss

Aug 15, 4:10 PM (ET)

By JOHN FLESHER

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) – Erosion caused by dredging and other human activities on the St. Clair River is causing Lakes Huron and Michigan to lose 2.5 billion gallons of water daily, according to a private Canadian study.
Like a bathtub drain, the artificially deepened river is funneling vast amounts of water into Lake Erie, where it flows east to Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River before eventually being lost to the Atlantic Ocean, says the study released Tuesday.
Sponsored by the Georgian Bay Association, the report acknowledges that drought, evaporation and other factors have contributed to a steep dropoff in water levels on the three upper Great Lakes – Huron, Michigan and Superior – since the late 1990s. Huron and Michigan, considered hydrologically the same lake, are 21 inches below normal and Superior could hit a record low this fall.
“But the erosion in the St. Clair River stands out among these problems as a man-made issue that can be corrected fairly easily and within a relatively short timetable,” the report says.
It suggests covering the eroding areas with rock and installing gates to regulate water flow southward from Lake Huron.
U.S. officials said they were conducting a five-year study that would recommend what to do. The Canadian group and environmentalists in both nations said waiting that long would severely damage wetlands, fish habitat, water quality and Great Lakes cargo shipping.
The Georgian Bay Association, which represents about 17,000 people living on the Lake Huron bay, commissioned a 2005 report on the St. Clair erosion by W.F. Baird & Associates, a coastal engineering firm.
It said dredging, mostly during the 1960s, and other commercial projects on the river’s northern end had caused an 845-million-gallon outflow daily from Lake Huron.
But findings since then show the volume being lost is three times as much – even topping the 2.1 billion gallons pulled from Lake Michigan each day to supply Chicago’s municipal system, said Bill Bialkowski, an engineer who conducted the research.
“We’re seeing drastic, sustained decline in the Michigan-Huron system at the same time that Lake Erie is rising,” Bialkowski said.
The International Joint Commission, a U.S.-Canadian panel that advises both nations on Great Lakes policy, in February began a five-year study of water levels in the upper lakes. The effects of dredging, gravel mining, shoreline alteration and other activities in the St. Clair River will be among the matters examined, spokesman Frank Bevacqua said.
The commission has long known that dredging in the St. Clair – and in the Detroit River farther downstream – was affecting water levels in Huron-Michigan, Bevacqua said. But it’s unclear how big a difference they have made, he said.
“It can’t be all pinned on dredging at this point,” said Scott Thieme, Great Lakes hydrology chief with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers office in Detroit. “There hasn’t been enough detailed study to say.”
Great Lakes levels have fluctuated on roughly 30-year cycles at least since the mid-1800s. Thieme said another possible influence is “glacial rebound,” a gradual rise of land masses depressed by glaciers during the Ice Age.
Bialkowski, however, said massive water losses he had documented were “indicative of water loss independent of naturally occurring fluctuations or those due to global warming. Research is showing us that this is a persistent, unpredecented water loss.”
The Lake Huron-Michigan water level plummeted 3 feet between 1999 and 2001. Hot, dry weather – which reduced winter ice cover and boosted evaporation – and erosion on the St. Clair River are probably both to blame, said Roger Gauthier, a hydrologist with the Great Lakes Commission.
“You’ve had climate change plus a change in the outlet, a double whammy,” he said.
—
On the Net:
Georgian Bay Association: http://www.georgianbay.ca/index.html
International Joint Commission: http://www.ijc.org/

Source: http://apnews.myway.com/article/20070815/D8R1LSD81.html

News has reached us that the long-running and highly-popular Dead of Summer party will not be held by Columbia Yacht Club this year.

What are they thinking?

Did anyone really think that “Rock the Dock” in June was rocking?

I think not…

Bring back the tie-dye!

Stay tuned for Chicago Mackinac race photos, coming soon…

Raven suffered a tiller failure on Mackinac return delivery, which was fixed. The boat was in Chicago to race Sunday.

Jahazi was seen in Muskegon at Torreson’s last weekend, appearing to have keel damage which was repaired.

Karma ran aground during Chicago Mackinac race and withdrew.

Regardless is rumored to have run aground.

Barracuda and her keel were recovered and transported to Manistee, where her fate remains to be decided. Hopefully she will be repaired and racing again soon.

The Island House awards party for Chicago Mackinac race may be dead, also. By all accounts, the Grand Hotel party was superior in all respects.

We are sad to report Barracuda suffered keel damage and sank on the Mackinac return delivery. The keel struck the bottom repeatedly during heavy seas in shallow waters before failing. After the keel was lost, water filled the hole and Barracuda sank within minutes. Three people were rescued, according to accounts from eyewitnesses, and no injuries or casualties have been reported.

Our heartfelt condolences go out to owner Steve Pelke and crew chief John Boyle, and all crew on board. We hope for the sound recovery of Barracuda.

Source: Sailing Anarchy forum thread – click here

The day began under postponement, due to light wind conditions. Beneteau’s rafted to swim, socialize, pass the time and share cold beverages.

Program sports the most expensive, yet very stylish, fender in the Beneteau 36.7 fleet (and the envy of many wishing for a quick beer run to cool their thirst).

Wanda effortlessly displays her light-air performance, breezing past the rafted Beneslow’s. Wanda, a Viper 830, was ready and eager to race in conditions when none of the other boats on the course could possibly get up to starting speed.

Impetuous successfully tows a water-skiing crewmember.

The attention signal from the RC called the boats to the starting sequence, concluding the fun and frivolity of pre-race postponement activities.

In contrast to the relaxation and recreation earlier in the day, racing was very competitive in mild winds and flat water ideal for sailing. Here, the entire Vayu crew concentrate their focus and determination during a tight crossing.

More pictures in the complete (unedited, bulk upload) photo gallery:
http://www.sailfastchicago.com/2007ChicagoNOODRegatta_Day3CourseB

Chicago Beer Can Racing (Monroe) – June 20, 2007 pictures are online.

The weather was fantastic, and the sunset was amazing…

Tough call by the race committee to shorten the course in light air, cutting racing short on such an amazing night. The wind filled in as boats finished, which would have easily allowed more racing to finish the full course. The unpredictable winds of summer evenings in Chicago on Lake Michigan could just as easily have stayed light, so it was probably a good decision. The boats that were enjoying themselves stayed out longer, to enjoy more sailing and the usual Wednesday night firework display off Navy Pier.

http://www.sailfastchicago.com/20070620_ChicagoBeerCanRacing

2007 Chicago NOOD Regatta Awards & Party pictures are online.

http://www.sailfastchicago.com/2007ChicagoNOODRegatta_PartyPictures

2007 NOOD – NA Championship
Article by Ron Buzil:

LIGHT AIR RULES THE NOOD – BARRACUDA SURVIVES LAST SECOND PROTEST PENALTY TO WIN 40.7 NA CROWN

Thanks, Ron, for another excellent 40.7 article!

www.first407.com – Chicago’s Beneteau 40.7 Fleet

News:

Day 1: Beneteaus Boom in the (Not So) Windy City
Day 2: If You Wanna Win, You Gotta Find the Wind
Day 3: Laser Sailor Wins T-10 Class, First Overall

Final Results:

2007 Sperry Top-Sider Chicago NOOD: Final Results

Photo Galleries:

Day 1
Day 2
Day 3

Here is a link to final race results (on www.chicagoyachtclub.org):
Chicago 2007 NOOD Regatta results

NOAA meterological data shows severe winds throughout much of the day Thursday.

Chicago Sun-Times article:

45 mph winds blister city, O’Hare

BLOWN AWAY | Boats overturned, flights canceled, trees and scaffolding rocked as strong gusts whip through area

Chicago lived up to its “Windy City” reputation Thursday as dangerous wind gusts blew into town, wreaking havoc that even led to two people being pulled from the water near Belmont Harbor after their boat capsized.

About 7 p.m., a male and a female were pulled to safety by staff members of Chicago Yacht Club after their 15-foot sailboat was tipped over by high winds in Belmont Harbor, police said.

“This isn’t a time that they should have been sailing,” said Joe Quick, a sailing instructor who helped rescue the pair.

The Chicago Sun-Times article also describes the tragic drowning of a young man in Waukegan who attempted to rescue another swimmer.

Reports posted on Sailing Anarchy describe a more troubling marine rescue scenario:

I saw 4 individuals (who’s names will be withheld from this tid bit) at Belmont last night deciding to go out on Vanguard 15’s. I had just finished up some prep on the Farr40 with the owner and noticed a couple of Vanguards being trotted from the dry dock to the lawn. They were going sailing. I said, ” Don’t do it, you are smarter than that. Don’t do it, something will happen.” I saw one of these individuals up in the club house and told them that racing would definitely be canceled, this person told me that racing was already canceled. They decided to venture out anyway.

They were doing a nice little planning ballet in the harbor and then they headed out into the lake. One of the crews was drinking beer from a glass bottle, not cool. I left at that point, needing to be home in time for game one tip off. I was in line for cigs when I got the call. “Dude get your ass down here, there are 3 fire trucks two ambulances a police boat and now, oh shit there are more vehicles coming.” “One of them flipped over, turtled and they are having a tough time getting it back up, M-2 blasted out of the harbor with a 7 foot wake and I have pictures.” I said,” Serves them right, it was death on a stick out there and now they are going to get ticketed.” Spectator said,” I know dude two of them came back in and now they are trying to hide-out.”

In all there we 10 -12 emergency vehicles and divers down there, one cop was quoted as saying, “I can’t believe someone would be so stupid as to take out a 14 foot boat in those kind of winds.”

Here’s some of the events that you can look forward to seeing online in days ahead (as quickly time permits, given our busy schedule):

2007-04-29 sailboat delivery, river trip, mast stepping at Columbia YC – photos
2007-05-09 foggy Dusable Harbor, Chicago Police rescue dive training – photos
2007-05-09 Columbia Yacht Club Beer Can Prep School – photos
2007-05-27 LMSRF Area III race dock prep, boat return – photos
2007-05-30 Columbia YC Beer Can Race – HD video
2007-06-02 MORF race –sailing with new crew, no photo/video
2007-06-03 LMSRF Area III race – HD video
2007-06-03 LMSRF Area III race return, rainbow, wildlife – photos

We usually shoot while racing and actively sailing, rather than as bystanders, which provides a fresh and exciting perspective compared to more static viewpoints. Of course, it has special challenges because of our other simultaneous crew responsiblities, but we get it worked out.

Sunday’s race will be the first Boat of the Year series race for all Area III fleets, except Beneteau 36.7, who had their first BOY race on May 20.

Mark your calendar for Wed., May 16, 2007, 6:00PM at Columbia Yacht Club for Beer Can College. Beer Can Prep School is not a prerequisite!

Learn more about beer can racing. Open to all interested. In addition to Beer Can College, Gary Jobson will be presenting, followed by a party and cash bar.

(click photo to enlarge)

Here is a familiar and welcome sight!

Cross Promotion- Sailing/Rugby

If you haven’t already noticed there are quite a few rugby/sailor connections in Chicago sailing community these days. And to be quite honest, there could be a few more. It is my personal opinion, and that shared by others in the Chicago sailing scene, Ruggers make great crew.

Why? Well, we currently play a team sport where you rely on teamwork, timing, and communication, we don’t whine and winge about hardwork and bad weather, and we’re not afraid of putting back a few cocktails after a hard day of fun in the sun activities.

To further prove this point I would like to invite everyone in the sailing community to come out to a Chicago Griffins home match this Saturday, and two weeks from this Saturday, so you can see for yourselves the talent pool available for the Chicago sailing community. Those of you that have made it out in the past can attest to the fact that our home matches are a blast, and shouldn’t be missed (too often). We’ll be shuttling folks from our home bar, The Black Rock on Damen Ave just north of Addison, out to our home field in Cumberland Woods, over by O’Hare. This way you can minimize or eliminate your driving and enjoy an afternoon at the pitch with a drink in hand.

Last year we had several hundred people out at the match, and everyone had a great time even though the weather wasn’t too accommodating. We had gas heaters, hot toddies, and a couple kegs of Goose Island’s 312 Urban Wheat Beer on hand, who just happens to be one of the best sponsors!

If you’re not stuck in the boatyard on Saturday, or out on a 420, Vanguard 15, or on a Laser, come on over to the Black Rock (see link below for details) for a little brunch, then off to the pitch for an afternoon a drinks and entertainment. We’ll bring you back to the Black Rock and you can experience a post rugby party like none other in Chicago (rated PG-13 of course).

P.S. I’ll personally have two bottles of Gosling Black Seal rum, and I’ll be picking up some proper ginger beer for post match libations. Dark and Stormies anyone?

http://www.chicagogriffins.com/Flyer.htm

JOB POSTING
Looking for two scorers to enter in race results. This is a paid position. For more information, contact Stan Bailey at 630-961-3253.

We will assume this is for Area III racing- the notice appears on the LMSRF home page without any additional details.

Sailing World announces 2007 Sperry Top-Sider Chicago NOOD Regatta – Competitor IRC Advisory:

Competitor IRC Advisory for the 2007 Sperry Top-Sider Chicago NOOD Regatta
Apr 1, 2007
By NOOD Staff (More articles by this author)
Sperry Top-Sider NOOD Regatta
Chicago – 2007

COMPETITOR ADVISORY

The Organizing Authority (Sailing World) has received inquiries regarding the possibility of handicapping a Section in the 2007 NOOD using the IRC Rule. Representatives from the OA and the Chicago Yacht Club have discussed this issue at length and have arrived at the following conclusions.

1. The event will continue to register competitors as entries handicapped under PHRF and those entries will be divided into no more than 4 handicapped sections,
2. Those participants who have valid, current IRC certificates will be encouraged to submit those documents to the OA, along with their PHRF entry, and they will be scored using both handicap systems. Prizes will be awarded to boats scored under the IRC Rule and there will be no increase in the entry fee for the event to affect this element of the regatta. The “official” results for the individual handicapped sections will still be determined using the PHRF Rule.
3. We are mindful of the disparity of boats that might have IRC Certificates, and ask that competitors understand that it is impossible to equitably score boats sailing on different race areas. With that thought in mind, our intent is to limit IRC scoring to those entries that would “normally” be sailing together on the same circle.
4. In order to move forward with this “dual scoring”, a minimum of 8 IRC rated entries must be recorded with the OA.

The Organizing Authority is mindful that things change and that various parts of our sport are constantly evolving. We want to move forward with this, but not at the expense of those loyal competitors who continue to race under local PHRF. We feel that this is the best solution for the event for 2007 with the full intent of addressing this handicapping issue again as things move forward into the 2008 season.

Regards,

Peter Reggio
Race Management Coordinator
for the NOOD Regattas
March 28, 2007

New wiki page added:
2007 Chicago to Mackinac Sailboat Race

The following sailfastchicago.com calendars are now published on Google Calendar:

• LMRSRF Area III Racing
• Other Racing (Sailing World NOOD Regatta, Chicago Mackinac, Verve Cup Regatta, Key West Race Week, etc.)
• Sailing Events (Strictly Sail, seminars, parties, etc.)

Google Calendar is a free online service provided by www.google.com.

Your Google Calendar account will let you create and edit your own calendars online. You can keep them private for yourself, or publish them for other people to see. You can also let other people edit the calendars. Google Calendars are a good solution for organizing people and events.

You can add Google Calendar to your existing Google Mail account, or create a new account. Either way, it only takes a few seconds to sign up. It really is that quick and easy!

You can get your free account here:

With your Google Calendar account, you can also subscribe to sailfastchicago.com calendars. Race schedule information is then updated for you automatically.

Using Google Calendar– or other software supporting the iCal format, such as Apple iCal or Mozilla Sunbird– is a good solution for the tricky, time-consuming task of managing and communicating crew schedules.

Google Calendar provides an interesting feature- free text message alerts. Not guaranteed to wake up passed-out, hungover sailors on race days, though. However, automatic text alerts may be helpful if sent early the night before racing!

“12345” posts on Sailing Anarchy:

On a lighter note…

For those who may have been curious what happened to Jimmy the Columbia Bar Tender the wife and I ran into him on Sunday getting some sweets at Letizia’s Bakery on Division. He is next door at the Italian Restaurant and Wine Bar Enoteca Roma. He said to let people know, funny guy actually misses the sailors, most flee the likes of us… Consider the word spread!

www.enotecaroma.com

Jimmy was always a huge favorite among everyone at Columbia Yacht Club, and is the best bartender ever.

A few folks from the V15 Belmont and Shields fleets are getting together tonight for drinking practice at the Weather Mark tavern, right around 5pm. All welcome.

The sailfastchicago.com calendar has been tested for compatibility with the following software:

• Apple iCal
• Mozilla Sunbird (Mozilla Lightning plug-in has not been tested, but should also work.)
• Google Calendar

If you use any of the above software, or any other that supports ical calendar format, your calendar software is compatible with sailfastchicago.com calendar.

Subscribe to the following links to receive automatic calendar updating:

• http://www.sailfastchicago.com/ical/LMSRF_Area_3_Racing.ics
• http://www.sailfastchicago.com/ical/Other_Racing.ics
• http://www.sailfastchicago.com/ical/Sailing_Events.ics

Additional calendars are available on the sailfastchicago.com calendar, they use the same URL format as shown above.

The current unofficial schedule is posted here on the sailfastchicago.com wiki.

The official schedule (which currently does not indicate Boat of the Year series races) is available at the LMSRF website: http://www.lmsrf.org/area3~07.asp.

The schedule is also mirrored on the sailfastchicago.com calendar, which provides you with automatic calendar updating (for users of Apple iCal, Mozilla Sunbird and other similar calendar software).