Juniors on TV

Coralie and Justin Vittecoq featured here on an episode of VRAK TV shot at HYC.  Some great footage and an impressive story!

Follow the link, put up with the commercial, and then go to position 12:30 on the time-line.

http://www.vrak.tv/webtele/the-wanted-saison-4-34-19178/


Congrats C&J!

HYC Race Team Delivers Strong Performances at Opti Canadians

by Diane Coté

The HYC Opti race team returned home this week after a very busy two week schedule on the road that started in historic Kingston and ended in picturesque Lunenburg.

The 2011 Canadian Optimist Championships were last week at the Lunenburg Yacht Club. 84 Championship and 10 Green Fleet sailors from across Canada and Bermuda descended on beautiful Lunenburg, Nova Scotia to take part in 6 days of activities on and off the water.

Taylor Grant, who made the long trek with his HYC sailors: Jack Marten CAN1360, Chantal Bourque CAN1445, and Thomas Coté CAN 1401, was joined by Philippe Pasquin CAN1012 (CNDM), Heidi Timmons USA15050 (PCYC), Vincent Nalecz (PCYC) CAN1373 and John Thomas Kelly (PCYC) CAN1098 who needed support on the water.

Coaches Briefing

Taylor’s Championship fleet of seven sailors met up each morning after picking up their lunches and set out for open waters off Backmans Island approximately 2.5nm from the club.  Our sailors navigated the range of Atlantic weather from warm and sunny to torrential rain and wild wind conditions reaching 32 knots on Monday. On Tuesday blue skies delivered winds of 10-15 knots.

Wednesday was a lay day but there was Team racing for those who couldn’t get enough of being on the water. Sailors organized themselves into 2 HYC teams (recruiting extra talent from the Royal St. Lawrence Club) and headed off in light wind just off the LYC grounds for an afternoon of racing where the HYC team of Thomas, Philippe, Julien, Nick made it through the 4th elimination (out of 14 teams).

Fog in the morning on Thursday burned off before the teams set out but the high winds had returned. Friday and the last day of racing brought lighter wind conditions.

The organizing committee treated the sailors and parents to warm east coast hospitality. Despite an active schedule, we took a quick walk about Lunenburg (established in 1753 and a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1995) and were able to see the traditional boat building technique used to create the Bluenose (1921), the world famous fishing schooner. The Bluenose II (1963) is currently being restored in Lunenburg.

All Taylor’s sailors turned out terrific performances:

Chantal Bourque finished 30th overall and brought home hardware for being the 5^th top Canadian female sailor. Philippe Pasquin placed 15^th  and in spite of injuring his elbow before racing started, Thomas Cote finished 35^th, and Heidi Timmons was 47^th.  Jack Marten, competing in his first Canadian Championship ranked 48^th, Vincent Nalecz was 60^th and John Thomas Kelly was 73^rd.  HYC was also represented by Justin Vittecoq who came 1st and Coralie Vittecoq who came 4th overall and was top female sailor.

This event was an exceptional experience for our young sailors who forged new friendships and enjoyed camaraderie with many competitors from other area clubs.

The next sailing event is the Quebec Championships at CVL September 10th and 11^th.

For more full results, visit:

http://www.opti2011.ca/results/championship.htm

For Articles and photos, check out:

http://www.seabreeze.com.au/News/Cruising/Canadian-Optimist-Championship-Leaders-switch-after-day-3-of-racing_5198347.aspx

http://www.sail-world.com/Canada/Nearly-100-young-sailors-participate-in-2011-Canadian-Optimist-Champs/87715

Justin and Coralie Vittecoq 2011 campaign reach peak at Opti Canadians in Lunenburg

You may have seen Justin (now 11 yrs old) and Coralie (now 13) running around at Hudson Yacht Club a few years ago. This is where they started sailing in the summer of 2006. Sarah and Hannah Kennel first stimulated their interest in learning then competing the year after for the first time in the Green Fleet at Fruitbowl. Then Nicole Bastet took over in 2008 for their first real season in the championship fleet. At that point, they could not have enough learning to train and race so their season got extended after CORK by an impromptu trip to Lunenburg Nova Scotia for their first Canadian Championship experience. There they met challenging conditions resulting in a 63d (Coralie) and 87th (Justin).

Corali moving up to a Laser Radial

In 2009 and 2010 they had extensive campaigns with the objectives to improve their national ranking and earn spots on the Canadian Optimist Teams attending International IODA events around the world. With the help of many coaches (Lauren Laventure, Carmen Denis, Fran Bellocchio, Osvaldo Padron) at club racing programs, training regattas or clinics, and always proudly bearing the colors of Hudson Yacht Club, they went on and achieved their objectives. This year they participated in no less than 6 International Regattas of 90 boats or more, each time improving their year/year results showing constant progression. This lead them to go to Algarrobo (Chile), Los Angeles, Buffalo, Boston, Kingston and back to Lunenburg again.

There they met similar conditions as in 2008 but the results were different. Justin sailed a very consistent top ten finish in every conditions from light to heavy air, combined with excellent race management over the week (staying in 3d or 2nd position all week with different leaders) scooping the victory in the 11th race and consolidating his lead in the last race. Coralie scored 2 bullets and was a constant top ten finisher as well but drew more attention from umpires leading to a Rule 42 retirement on the last day. However this was not enough to put her out of the prizes round where Coralie gathered trophies for 3d Red Fleet (under 16 years old), 4th overall, and First Canadian Female. Justin won 1st overall, 1st Blue (Under 13) and 1st Canadian Male.

What is next? They are both qualified to represent Canada at next year's World's Championships in Dominican Republic, as well as the South American Championships in Argentina and North Americans in Mexico. 2012 will be a transition year for Coralie as she considers sailing a Laser Radial. She got a taste of it this summer participating in the wonderful Fruitbowl clinic where coach Rosie Chapman stimulated her appetite for this Female Olympic Class.

Justin in his Opti

Justin still has 3 more years in the Opti Class, depending on his growth rate (Opti racers need to stay under 120 lbs to be competitive). His next stop is the Junior Gold Cup in Bermuda next October where he will meet 15 of the World's National Champions and the Bermuda National Team in an invitational regatta during the prestigious Bermuda Gold Cup of Professional Match Racing where Canada will be represented by past Olympic Medalist skipper Terry McLaughlin.

While they are associated with different teams and coaches as they travel around, they always remember where it all started, in beautiful Hudson Yacht Club, and always feel at home when they come back.

Cyrille (Proud Opti Dad)

Five Tips to Keep Winter Away From Your Boat Trailer

From Scuttlebutt.com

If your boat trailer is going to spend the off-season outside exposed to the elements, Boat Owners Association of The United States has five tips to protect your investment and eliminate problems down the road:

1) A little spray will do you:
Spraying lubricants such as WD-40 on metal trailer roller assemblies, winch gears and electrical connections will keep moisture away and rust at bay. It's also best to take care of any rust spots now on the (galvanized) metal trailer frame: sand, prime and paint. (Trust us, this will be the last thing on your mind come springtime.)


2) Don't park under trees:
Some boaters think their boat will be protected by storing it under trees but the opposite is true - ice, snow, and howling winter storms can snap off tree limbs which come crashing down. Falling leaves and needles can also stain boat covers and gelcoat, or make their way inside where they can block transom drain holes.


3) Turn it around in the driveway:
If you're going to leave the boat on the trailer in your driveway for the winter, face the hitch away from the street if possible, and put a lock on the trailer hitch. The name of the game in avoiding boat theft is to make your rig as difficult as possible to steal.

4) Take care of the tires:
In addition to being a theft deterrent, removing the tires and storing them in the garage or shed will keep the sun from damaging them. With the tires off, this may also a good time to repack the bearings (Another thing you won't want to do in the spring). Block the frame and secure plastic (contractor grade) trash bags over the hubs and brakes to keep them dry. If tires won't be removed, position the trailer so that the tires rest on a piece of plywood or plank to prevent dry rot, and cover them (again with plastic bags) to keep the sun off and hubs and brakes dry. To avoid flat spots from happening, move the trailer periodically a few inches throughout the winter.


5) Help water drain:
 Keeping the boat and trailer rig in a slightly nose-high (bow up) position will allow water to drain out the transom drain hole. This can be easily done by placing a small block under the trailer jack. (Don't forget to remove drain plug and tie it to the ignition key where you will find it in the spring). Also ensure that the boat's cover is tight and periodically check inside throughout the winter - critters love to hide aboard boats and find them appetizing.
Source: http://www.boatus.com/pressroom/release.asp?id=561

Opti Race Team on the Podium

By Jenny Halyard
June 24-27 the HYC Opti Race team travelled to Lac Memphremagog for the 2nd leg of the Quebec Championship Series. The team, lead by coach Taylor Grant, took part in 2 days of intense training followed by 2 days of competitive racing.

Chantal Bourque finished 1st in the Red fleet and 2nd Overall for the regatta with a consistent performance in each race. Chantal has shown she can read shifty wind conditions and successfully cover the fleet behind her. Well done Chantal!

Jack Marten took his first podium finish with a 3rd place in the Opti Blue division. You will notice Jack easily this week since his knees are bright red – the “sunscreen-everywhere-not-just-your-face” lesson was learned.

Other notable performances include Mathew Kondejewski taking first place in the final race leaving the entire fleet behind him. Apparently the whole fleet went left except for Matthew and Jack and it really paid off as these two pulled away from the fleet.


Matthew also achieved 2nd in the Red Fleet.

Joey Marten was apprehensive about racing but got it together on Sunday and managed to leave some boats behind him in the green fleet, his big smile was all it took for the regatta to be successful.

Well done team HYC! Next regatta is the TRY regatta at Pointe-Claire Yacht Club July 8th – 11th. Good luck.

HYC Teams Win at Quebec Dinghy Championships

The members of the HYC Race Teams closed out an outstanding regular season recently at the Quebec Provisional Championships. Having participated through the summer in a series of regattas in the Ciruit du Quebec (TRY, CVL, FruitBowl) as well as CORK, here are the results from Quebec Championships held at Royal St. Lawrence Yacht Club September 11-13, 2009.

Optimist Overall (29 entries)
3rd Justin Vittecoq (1st White)
11th Coralie Vittecoq (3rd Blue)
17th Thomas Cote (6th Blue)

Optimist Green (16 entries)
2nd Chantal Bourque
4th Mathew Kondejewski
7th Jack Marten

420 (11 entries)
1st Arthur Olivenstein / Matthew Grant
2nd Jack Neilson / Fred Neilson

Congratulations!

Race Teams go Olympic at CORK

The 2009 sailing season ended on a good note with both race teams,Optimist and 420, returning from the Canadian Olympic Regatta Kingston (CORK), having represented Hudson Yacht Club extremely well.

The 420 Race Team, a program new to the Junior Sailing program, was met with a strong fleet of over 80 420s in Kingston. After two days of round robin qualifiers, two Hudson boats made the gold fleet and the third raced silver fleet, narrowly missing the cut. With 40 420s on each line, the starts were busy and getting off in the first row and with clean air was a feat. They didn’t get the wind that Kingston is known for but after four days of racing, James and Andrew Gillis finished 22nd overall in gold fleet having sailed consistently with only the odd sibling disagreement. Arthur Olivenstein and Fred Neilson, who just made the gold fleet, advanced in the rankings finally finishing 30th overall.

In the silver fleet, Willem Leduc and Matthew Grant moved into 1st place on day three and won silver fleet despite an early start in the final race of the event. The team had a lot of fun on and off the water with on-land activities varying from go-carting to an awesome Mexican meal at Lone Star.

The Optimist Race Team had a similarly successful event with strong team of five attending CORK. Four out of the five who attended raced in green fleet, a separate race course for the first-year racers. The green course received a fleet of 31 boats and got off a total 17 races throughout the entire regatta. Liam Calder finished 6th overall in the green fleet, having placed top three in several races. Chantal Bourque who placed 8th overall also achieved great results often in the top 10. Jack Marten, despite formidable damage done to his boat in a start line altercation, finished 10th overall. Mathew Kondejewski finished 11th overall in the green fleet having sailed a consistent regatta in the top 15. The championship fleet, made up of the optimist sailors with more than one year of experience had four extremely long days of racing and ended the regatta having sailed 12 races. Thomas Coté sailed an awesome regatta in the championship fleet finishing 55th off of a busy start line of 72 boats. The team was met with a variety of new experiences including exposure to protest proceedings, busy start lines and waves that the Lake of Two Mountains rarely entertains.

by Hannah Kennell.

Calling All Dinghy Sailors!

Dear fellow members,

This message is destined to all dinghy enthusiasts whom appreciate the intrinsic value of racing in a confined cockpit with the exhilarating experience such vessels have to offer.

The fleet is seeking your involvement for Thursday evening races and we believe their to be many vessels that simply sit on the beach collecting sand all summer. These boats require regular use and the fleet would appreciate your enrolment on the water, even if you already race on more ample pleasure cruisers during the week.

With only a handful of races completed by mid summer, a new leader could quickly emerge within only a few races. Dinghy racing offers the opportunity to fine tune your skills and hone in on the nature of the sport with another excuse to enjoy another summer sunset.

If you have a dinghy to lend or are without a boat, but would like to sail, please send us your name as we would like to compile a list to aid us in our quest to offer the dinghy experience to all whom are interested.

Thursday evening races commence at 18:00
This weeks forecasts calls for 10 to 20 knots of wind.

Thank you for your enrolment

Oliver MacDonald
Dinghy enthusiast

oliver.macdonald@boehringer-ingelheim.com

Introducing QuickSilver Senior Race Team

In addition to the full-season Senior Race Team, we now offer a six-week session, called QuickSilver Senior Race Team. This new format offers a race team in a shorter session, and like the full-season team, offers scheduling flexibility. And HYC continues to offer 420 boat leasing at a very reasonable price. So, aspiring young racers, come and join the fun with Coach Simon! The session starts July 13th.
See the Junior Sailing page on the website for further information, drop by the office for a Race Team package, or contact us at info@hudsonyachtclub.com

Dinghy Tune-Up Race

Here's a quick reminder that this Thursday is the Dinghy tune-up evening.

The dingy series welcomes both junior and senior sailors, experienced and beginners, and includes a chance to qualify for the club championships. Dust off those Lasers, polish up the Bytes, tune the 420's and rig the Opti's.

Two races to be run. First gun at 7pm.

Junior Sailing Programs Starting to Fill Up!

School is ALMOST out - and there is no better way for your kids (or grandkids!) to spend the summer than out on the lake, learning the skills and thrills of sailing!! Under the guidance of knowledgeable and fun-loving instructors, the Junior Sailing Program offers exciting courses for the novice, intermediate and advanced junior sailor.

Opti Learn to Sail teaches single-handed sailing on the world's most reknowned dinghy. And this year we offer the next step in Optimist sailing with our Opti Learn to Rock 'n' Race, which gives the Opti sailor a taste for competition (and to strive for the Opti Race Team!) Our popular White Sail and Bronze sessions are four weeks of quality instruction, covering basic to advanced sailing techniques through CYA-based certification. Or if your young sailor wants to try a one-week session, just to get their feet wet, then Sailing is Fun fits the bill!

You can check it all out at the Junior Sailing page:

http://hudsonyachtclub.com/Info.Pamphlet2009.pdf

Sign up today to ensure a place in your session of choice!

http://www.hudsonyachtclub.com/Reg.Form2009.pdf

Big Thanks from the Race Team

Great news, the Bring and Buy Sale raised $367.50 for the Race Team!

Many Thanks to all the members who brought down their treasures for us to sell and to those of you who purchased them. The funds raised are greatly appreciated and will help our young athletes pursue their racing goals.

Bring and Buy Sale in Support of our Race Teams at Work Bee April 25th

Hey, you must have boating gear you no longer use or need? Nearly new lifejackets the kids grew out of? (Or you grew out of? ;-) What about the boat hardware still in the packaging, because you bought the wrong one? (Oh, we’ve all done that.) Still using that canoe? And what about that boat cover you found? Fenders, a spool of rope, an anchor, GPS, the list of extra stuff in the stern locker or basement goes on and on.....

Why not bring all those treasures down to the Work Bee on Saturday, April 25th? The HYC Race Team kids will be there from 8:30 – 11:00 a.m. to receive your goods, price them, tag them and sell them for you. A small portion of the proceeds will go to the HYC Race Teams and the rest goes back to you!

And if you don’t have anything to sell, be sure to check out the sale, score an excellent deal on that thingy you’ve always needed, and support our enthusiastic young sailors!!

The sale will run over the lunchtime break from 12:00 to 1:30 pm. Don’t miss it!!

Questions or want to lets us know what your going to bring down drop us an E-mail at sailing@hudsonyachtclub.com

HYC Race Teams 2009

Committed to the advancement of competitive sailing HYC will sponsor 2 race teams during the 2009 season; the Junior Race Team for Opti sailors and the Senior Race Team for single and double handed sailors. In a new format, participation in either race team will offer a 6 month training program including pre and post season training in addition to a core 8 week session. Leading the development of our young athletes HYC is also pleased to announce that Simon Gallagher and Lauren Laventure will be the coaches for the 2009 season.
Full details are available on the Club website:
http://www.hudsonyachtclub.com/junior_race_teams.html
For any additional information please contact the Club Office.

Lauren Laventure - Opti Race Team Coach

Avid to share her love for sailing, Lauren joins us this year as HYC’s
Opti Race Team Coach. As a young Opti racer, Lauren placed 5th overall and 1st female at the Canadian Optimist championships, competed in the European Championship in Sweden, and qualified for the World Opti Championship in Spain. As a member of the Quebec sailing team, Lauren’s list of accomplishments is impressive, and we are excited to bring her enthusiasm and experience to our growing Opti Race Team.

Simon Gallagher - Senior Race Team Coach

HYC welcomes back Simon as this year’s Senior Race Team Coach. Simon has extensive racing experience, as a past member of HYC’s Race Team from 1998 - 2001, and had excellent results at National and World level regattas. Having followed the CYA Coaching Certification program, Simon now shares his skill and passion for sailing as a
dynamic instructor and coach, and we are thrilled to have him
as part of this year’s coaching staff.

Race Team Registration Opens January 30 – March 16

Reminder that registration for the HYC Race Teams opens following the information meeting on Thursday, January 29th, 2009 at Hudson Yacht Club. The evening will be split into two sessions. The Junior Race Team (Opti) meeting will be held at 7 p.m., followed by the Senior Race Team meeting at 8:30 p.m.

Please note that there is a limited number of spaces for participants for both race teams. Forms will be available at the information meeting, when the registration period opens and applications will be accepted until March 16th, on a first-come-first-serve basis. Following the information session registration forms will also be available from the Club Office.

Race Team Information Sessions January 29, 2009

It may be cold outside, but things are heating up with the Hudson Yacht Club Race Teams! Being a member of our exciting Race Team reaps immeasurable rewards: the thrill of competition, travel, and a lifelong love for racing. Be sure to attend an information meeting on Thursday, January 29th, 2009 at Hudson Yacht Club. The evening will be split into two sessions. The Junior Race Team (Opti) meeting will be held at 7 p.m., followed by the Senior Race Team meeting at 8:30 p.m.

We encourage parents of sailors who finished White Sail III to consider the exhilarating challenges of Optimist racing. This is a full-season, BYOB (bring your own boat) program and offers our young sailors wonderful opportunities to really strengthen their sailing skills in a friendly, competitive environment while building tremendous confidence at the helm.

For those avid Junior Sailors who have passed Bronze V, the Senior Race Team is a terrific opportunity to develop strong racing skills, at local, provincial or national youth regattas, while earning Silver VI levels. This is a full-season, BYOB program, with pre- and post-season training for those who are truly passionate about the sport.