The J-Files

By Jenny Halyard

Things you may have missed during the weekend regatta…

It was wet all around for the J-22 fleet this past weekend.  After race 2 on Saturday, the String Theory crew (previously known as Tinkerbell) ended up in a shallow patch… Unable to free themselves from the rocks, they had to jump in to seal the rescue operation.  Only minor paint damage and maybe a little filler required, phew!

Now onto Sunday’s action where race one proved to be too warm for Springbok since Bernard le Duc decided to take a dip at the windward mark during race 1.  Apparently no one noticed him going overboard and he had to call his own “man overboard”!  Femke might have some sweet talking to do this week…

With a near perfect race weekend, Jazz did not want to be left behind in the christening of lake… they lost their bowman Stephane overboard who was filling in for John.  The incident only made them go faster since they beat the fleet by 3 minutes in race 2.

If anyone owns their own flotation device company, you now have a test market of J-22’s who can vouch for your product.

Crew Bank Now Available

Are you a skipper who needs crew?  Are you a crew looking for a ride? 

Check out the Crew Bank link on the right of this page.

Which Start Goes First?

With the keelboat series starting this week, here's a quick reminder of the order of the starts and the flags:

First Starts (Pennant #1)

Wednesday & Saturday: PHRF1A and PHRF 1B/2
Tuesday: PHRF1/2

Second Start (Pennant #3)

All series: PHRF3

Welcome Bosun Mike Rogers

Our new Bosun, Mike Rogers started work this week.

Mike moved to Canada from England 3 years ago, and is now living in Hudson. He enjoys many outdoor activities ranging from downhill skiing to kayaking. He has a background in science, has recently been employed in sales - and is now looking forward to being a part of the sailing program at HYC.

Please join me in welcoming Mike to the club and in wishing him every success in his role.

Jackrabbit Wrap-up

The inaugural Waterline Systems Great Lakes J/22 Circuit event was the Jackrabbit Regatta, hosted by the Canandaigua Yacht Club, May 15-16.  The weather was great; sunny with breeze ranging from really light, to pretty $%&? windy.  Typical for a Finger Lake, the wind direction varied from really shifty to psychotically shifty.


The racing was extremely close; the shifts lead to plenty of position changes.  No lead was safe, especially if Travis was lurking anywhere near it.  Travis and his team of John Newell and Billy Farmer sailed a great regatta, winning 4 of the 6 races sailed.  They didn't win the races by a lot, but they won a lot of races!
Jimmy Barnash sailing with Gunnar Richardson and Mark Sertl aboard were 2nd.  Vic Snyder, Kevin Doyle and Marcie Lake on Mo' Money completed the podium.  Close behind was Canadian Ron Harris’s team in fourth. Sarah Enwright's team took home the wine and rum awarded to the mid-fleet finisher.

25 Teams from nine different clubs made it to the regatta.  Special mention should go to Hudson Yacht Club in Montreal.  3 teams from their new fleet made it down and were very competitive.  Overall a total of four Canadian boats attended the regatta and finished 4, 12, 15 and 20. Not so bad! CYC did their usual great job; the courses and hospitality were all first-rate.

Bully Hill Vineyards was the presenting sponsor.  Admiral Nelson Rum and Waterline Systems also supported the event.  Wine, Rum and boat service…could it be any better? Thanks to all the sponsors and organizers.
Please join me in congratulating Canadian Ron Harris and his team for their fourth position.
Re-edited from Waterline Systems news letter by Will Harris
David Godin


...and congrats to David and crew for his 12th in his first J/22 regatta
Bernard

Keelboat Racing Starts This Week

With all the good weather this year, we’ve had plenty of time to prep the boats and now racing is finally starting this week with two tune-up races.

This is your opportunity to go out, practice a few starts, check your equipment and run through manoeuvres with the whole crew in a casual race situation. The races are run on the same format as the regular series, but the results don’t count. All boats are welcome

The tune-up race for the White Sail series is on Tuesday, with the Spinnaker series on Wednesday. First gun is at 7:00pm.

The A Series starts next week for both Tuesday and Wednesday nights.

See you on the water!

Sailing Calendar for 2010

There was a great turn-out for the Spring Sailors’ Meeting on Wednesday as members gathered to hear an overview of the program for the year. For more info, and to see the 2010 Sailing Calendar follow the link on the right of this page. Sailing Instructions for club and interclub racing are now posted on the HYC website

• Club program similar to last year with PHRF racing Wednesday nights and one Saturday per month
• For Wednesdays, only 1 re-sail date per series scheduled
• Club championships qualification same as last year
• Interclub sailing continues
• CVL/HYC series on Wednesdays evenings
• LTM Lake Championship series with CVL, CVMO and CNDM to be run again in June
• White sail series on Tuesday nights
• Elimination of Gold / Silver fleet split
• Introducing Casual Sundays
• Relaxed racing just for fun on Sunday mornings from 27 June onwards modelled on the popular Frostbite series
• Show up for a start at 10:30 for a relaxed race around fixed marks. No Race Committee. Keep your own time. No points – just for fun.
• Dinghy Sailing on Thursday evenings
• Targeting at least 2 races per night
• Soling One Meter fleet are changing it up
• Championship qualifications now on Thursdays with Sundays reserved for fun

Crew Bank – Skippers and Crew please sign up

It's an ongoing mystery. Boats are always looking for crew, and yet folks looking to start sailing often have trouble finding a spot on a boat. The goal of the HYC Crew Bank is to bring people together to expand the sailing community and improve the bench-strength of crew.

As a skipper you can volunteer as somebody who is "always open" to taking a new crew out for a sail - numbers and weather permitting, or tun a training boat during White Sail. Alternatively, you can post a specific opening on your boat.
 
If you're crew looking for a ride, we'll help you to find a spot. No experience is necessary - just a lot of enthusiasm

• We are looking for Skippers willing to:
• Take a new potential crew for a trial run on a race day
• Run a training boat on Tuesdays
• Or looking for a specific crew position to be filled
• Or, Crew looking for a spot on a boat
• The Crew Bank will be up on the Sailors Advisory – see the link on the right
• To sign up, send an email to sailing@hudsonyachtclub.com

A Weekend of Firsts

This weekend, many members flocked to the club to take advantage of an amazingly warm Easter.  It turned out to be weekend of many firsts.

• First boat launched: TinkerBell
• First boat sailing: Jack Marten in his Opti
• First keelboat sailing: James Campbell in his new J24 (5mins after Jack)
• First lack of wind: J22`s forced to motor about
• First baby on the water: Elodie Beck
• First dog on a boat: Jake (Beck)
• First attempt to sail a boat in the parking lot: Lee demonstrating genoa technique
• First man-overboard: Lee Grant as James`life-line gave way 
• First piece of equipment overboard: Bernard`s engine cap

Race Officer Seminar

We all know what a pleasure it is to take part in a race run by a good race committee.  Race management is not only critical to a successful race or regatta but it is also a lot fun and can help you to become a better sailor. Once again, Ross Tellier is running a two day seminar which offers you the opportunity to learn about race management and achieve CYA certification.

Hudson Yacht Club

April 10 for level 1

April 11 for level 2

Time 0900 to 1530 each day

Cost as per CYA

NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY for level 1

If you have level 1 just come for level 2

Course conductor Ross Tellier

It is important to register before in order to help us prepare.

Leave your name and phone # with the HYC office or call me Ross Tellier @ 450-458-5952

Crew wanted for next summer

You can be a beginner to advanced. Just have the willing to learn, work hard and have FUN! You will be going to some big regattas and sailing with some of the best sailors in the worlds. We will be sailing from the end of May to September where you will race in the Western Hemisphere & Orient Championship

THE BOAT: Snipe http://www.snipe.org
The snipe is an amazing 2 person boat before the Laser is was the largest class in the world! It is a 15.5 ft, two person racing dinghy. To quote one of the Snipe guys, it's a boat that is "easy to sail, but difficult to sail well". There is no spinnaker, no trapeze, and you won't get the same adrenalin rush that you get from an International 14 (one of my other boats). However if you do well it's because of your tactics and understanding of how to make the boat go, rather than being a trapeze artist (in both the circus and the sailing sense of the word!). The Snipe class also has some of the most helpful and friendly people on the water. They're always willing to share their love for the boat, give tips and tricks, and of course trying to get more "butts in boats"


The skipper: Colin May
originally from Hudson Quebec and now BACK, I started sailing through the Learn to Sail program at the Hudson Yacht Club. In 1996 I joined the racing team sailing a Laser, and the following years I sailed in regattas across eastern Canada and the US, including the Florida Midwinter's and the Canadian Championships in Nova Scotia.I have been a race coach in Hudson, England, Buffalo USA. I have raced in Cowes Week England and last year I represented Canada in the Western Hemisphere & Orient Championship in Uruguay.


For more info email me at guelphoutdoor@gmail.com or call 514 924 9931.
Colin

Follow a Sailing Adventure

You may know Jamie Meredith as an HYC member, former sailing instructor, and son of Doug and Michelle.

Jamie is blogging his way south on a sailing adventure that left Boston last November.

Follow their trip as he and friend/s sail "O Canada" from Boston to points south. As of writing, they currently are en route to Puerto Rico.

There are over a dozen blog entries so far...and check out the photos...

(http://jamiem.travellerspoint.com/)