USODA Midwinters – Day 2 & Final Report

At least 5 LISOT sailors qualify for international spring 2009 teams!

Reinier Eenkema Van Dijk dropped a 68th in Race 1 and moved up from 33rd after Day 1 to finish 13^th overall and was LISOT’s top sailor.

Reiener was followed by a tight grouping of: Lily Katz (46 overall / 8^th girl), Megan Grapengeter-Rudnick (47 / 9), Roger Dorr (48), Katie Kelley (50 / 11) and Adele Whitmyer (51/ 12), Andrew Puopolo (54) and Sammi Purton (55 / 13).

Congratulations to Reinier, Lily, Megan, Katie and Adele who qualified for spring travel teams. Depending on acceptances, Roger, Andrew and Sammi could also make a team.

Congrats are also in order to former LISOTer Brendan Shanahan (who moved to Atlanta this summer), with a 22nd place finish and Holly Tullo who was 20^th overall and the 2nd girl (and will likely be going to the South Americans in Ecuador).

On the second and final day of racing everyone was greeted with warm temperatures, partly sunny skies and fresh, hot beignets and coffee from the ledgendary Café DuMond. Unfortunately, the Rce Committee was also greeted with a rapidly moving storm front bearing down from the west with lots of yellow and red on the radar.

The RC hoisted the AP ashore at 0830, waiting for the front passed. Luckily that happened as forecast around 1045. Although the front arrived with a good blast of wind, it also was the start of what would be a full day of rain. And, as storms usually do, as it blew off to the east it– you guessed it – took all the wind with it. Sailors were left with very light and shifty conditions.

Trevor and Brian did a great job getting our sailors focused on what was shaping up to be a very challenging day, both physically and mentally.

With almost all of the 141 sailors desperately wanting a fifth race for a throw out, the first race of the day (Race 5) began with a general recall and then a black flag start in extremely light westerly zephyrs. It took nearly 5 minutes for the entire fleet to cross the starting line of the Olympic course, against a slight current running down the course (shades of this 2008 JSA Champs). Wisely the RC abandoned the race with lead boats only about half-way up the first weather leg.

Race 5 restarted after an hour-plus waiting for the wind to fill back in from the west at about 4 knots. With a very short weather leg of maybe .2 mile, the fleet cleared the line and moved well up the leg. As the lead boats rounded the weather mark and bore off to the reach mark, the wind backed to the left causing the reach leg to become a slight upwind beat to the ‘reach’ mark.

The top 8-10 boats immediately tacked onto port to get up to the new layline. The next 10 boats held their starboard beat. The wind went right about 10 degrees, the leaders tacked back onto port and rounded the reach mark. The next 10 made it with only a very short hitch ‘up’ to the mark, thereby closing in on the front pack. Boats from about 20-on back never tacked, and the fleet was well on its way to the leeward mark when the RC blew off 3 guns with about 2-3 knots of wind. Unfortunately, LISOT has a large group of sailors in the top 25.

The sailors all drifted back down to the starting area in hopes of getting in the much needed 5th race. But daylight was starting to slip by as it was now approaching 2pm with plenty of rain, but not much wind in sight. Every time the rain would let up, the breeze would go to the south. Then the rain would roll back in and the breeze shift to the west.

The RC was determined to get this all-important 5^th race completed, so they set up a very short Olympic course. The race finally started in 3-4 knots of lite westerly breeze and rain. As the wind shifted, the RC flew the C flag, blew lots of whistles and got marks moving. The course was so short that the lead boats reached the first leeward mark before the full fleet had even rounded the first weather mark.

As is the case in conditions like this where clear air is so important, the lead boats often pull away, and they did. Adele got a good start, played a good shift on the first beat, and rounded the first mark in the top 10. Reinier nailed the start at the boat end and was right behind in about 10^th. As the lead boats stretched it out, Adele finished 7^th and Reinier 10^th!

Unfortunately, most of our LISOT sailoers were not nearly as fortunate, with many finishing well in the middle of the fleet. Race 5 finished around 4pm. As the sailors headed in, as always seems to be the case, the wind finally settled in from the south at a nice 7-8 knots. And similar to this year’s nationals, boats were de-rigged, and coach boats hauled in the rain. At least it was light rain and not the downpour seen at Patchogue.

After a few protests were heard, the awards ceremony was held around 1900 hours.

LISOT finishers (full results):

13 Reinier Eenkema Van Dijk (81 points)

46 Lily Katz (150)

47 Megan Grapengeter-Rudnick (159)

48 Roger Dorr (165)

50 Katie Kelley (171)

51 Adele Whitmyer (174)

54 Andrew Puopolo (182)

55 Sammi Purton (185)

64 Julia Lambert (218)

67 Drew Gallagher (225)

77 Casey Klingler (267)

91 KB Knapp (311)

107 Gabriel Verrier-Paquette (371)

124 Chrissy Klingler (468)

128 Ian Crane (487)

As day broke on Sunday morning and many rushed off to catch early morning flights back to the snowy north – the skies were clear over New Orleans, the wind was howling out of the west at 20+ with the big steep chop that Lake Pontchartrain is known for.

Next stop for LISOT – the warm windy waters of Biscayne Bay for Orange Bowl.

USODA 2008 Midwinters - Day 1 Update

They don't call it lake Always-rains for nothing. This years' Midwinter's kicked off today on Lake Pontchartrain with bright sunshine and warm 70+ temps as team LISOT rigged and had a coaches meeting with Trevor and Brian.

But before all the kids could even get off the dock, clouds zipped in, the temps dropped and it was pouring. But wait 10 minutes, and it warmed back up with sunny skies.

Winds were blowing off the beach from the south and varying up and down from 5 to 15, as well as shifting left and right as the squalls rolled in and the sun popped out. The water was quite flat, especially for a lake with a reputation for killer steep/short chop.

And so was the story of Day 1 here at Southern YC. Lot's of changing weather, changing positions on the race course, and changing of foul weather gear on the support boats.

The Race Committee did a terrific job of getting in four 75-minute races on very well laid out Olympic triangle courses (triangle, windward, leeward, windward). All 140 boats were on a single, lengthy starting line - which made choosing the right end so very important. And the first weather mark rounding was often a very tight affair in each race.

A few races started under black flag, with Megan G-R and Ian Crane being the first LISOTer, in Race 2, to "earn" 141 points that came with a BFD.

For the most part, our sailors had a challenging day, along with most of the fleet. Only the top few sailors were fairly consistent. After that the finishes were all over the place. Duncan Williford, Axel Sly and Chris Williford are the top 3. Ian Stokes is in 5th place but has a 47th, and Max Simmons in 6th has a 49th. The top girl is Riley Legault in 13th despite a 75th place in race 2)

With such varied finishes, a lot can change after the throwout that comes with the 5th race. And a good many LISOT sailors have a big drop sitting on their point totals.

After 4 races, without a drop, LISOT sailors are:

33rd Reinier EVD
36 Lily Katz
40 Roger Dorr
44 Andrew Poupolo
45 Sammi Purton
55 Megan G-R
59 Katie Kelley
68 Julie Lambert
69 Casey Klingler
70 Adele Whitmyer
79 Drew Gallagher
96 KB Knapp
102 Gabriel Verrier-Paquette
127 Chrissy Klingler
129 Ian Crane

Full results

This two day event concludes tomorrow with what's hoped to be at least 4 more races. The forecast is for good wind a tad more right than today, temps in the low 70s, and spotty showers.

Full wrap up on tomorrow evening's report (unless this cub reporter ends up on Bourbon Street, after which all bets are off).

Berlin Opti Team Cup - Final

October 26, 2008 - Berlin, Germany - The forecast was for rain but instead the 16 teams awoke to an early sunrise due to the end of daylight savings time and clear skies. There was still one flight to complete for Round 1 on Course B but the entire fleet left shore just before 0900. The wind was what team racers would hope for - 8 to 12, and the temperatures were rising with the sun.

LISOT's first opponent was UKR. On Saturday the LISOT vs UKR match had been abandoned when the wind died.

The day started off as Saturday had ended with a win. This put LISOT at 4-3.

Now LISOT had to switch courses for the four races of Round 2. Although they beat their first opponent FIN, LISOT was not as fortunate against the host team from the Potsdamer YC, GBR, and eventual runner-up, ITA. At the end of Round 2 LISOT's record stood at 5-6 but a number of tough teams still were ahead.

Round 3 opponents were POL, TUR, NEL & DEN. Unfortunately these teams represented four of the top seven in the regatta. The going was going to be tough. The wind was still gorgeous although it was now mostly cloudy.

For the POL, NEL, and DEN races LISOT struggled with their opponents' consistent speed, sharp team racing tactics and better experience in lake conditions. Against TUR LISOT had maybe their best race of the series only to lose just a few lengths from the finish. The last 5 boats in the race finished about 6 lengths apart. That was it. A 5-10 record. Some races that were within reach that didn't work out and some races where the other team was clearly better. Overall, a great experience that up and coming sailors should hope to have.

After Round 3 all the teams went shore and then the top four teams were announced to sail a finals and petit finals (1 vs 2 and 3 vs 4 ). All four teams had identical records of 12-3. It was RUS vs ITA in the final and NOR vs DEN in the petit final. The overall winner was RUS followed by ITA and then DEN and NOR.

Final records were:
1. RUS 12-3
2. ITA 12-3
3. DEN 12-3
4. NOR 12-3
5. POL 11-4
6. NEL 9-6
7. TUR 9-6
8. POL 2 8-7
9. GER 8-7
10. USA 5-10
11. SWE 5-10
12. GBR 5-10
13. PYC 5-10
14. UKR 4-11
15. GER (SCG) 2-13
16. FIN 1-14

LISOT's team of Tracy Doherty, Reinier Eenkema van Dijk, Megan Grapengeter-Rudnick, Elliott Morrill and Laura Wefer won and lost together as a team. All of them showed moments of brilliance but more significant was the experience of international team competition. They all showed good sportsmanship. As always, the regatta was very well run and the friendships long lasting (See pictures from Janet, Annette and Karen). It is the finest in international Optimist team racing competition.

Thanks to Coach Soren Laugesen and Team Leader Annette Morrill for all their hard work and passion.

The US team is chosen from the results of the prior National Optimist Team Race Championship. This year that was held at the Westhampton Yacht Squadron on Westhampton Beach, NY. In 2009 the Optimist Team Race Nationals will be held in July at the Cabrillo Beach YC in Cabrillo Beach, CA.

Berlin Opti Team Cup - Sat Summary

The weather was kind of dreary and there was very little wind but that didn't dampen the spirits of LISOT sailors Tracy Doherty, Reinier Eenkema van Dijk, Megan Grapengeter-Rudnick, Elliott Morrill, and Laura Wefer representing the USA in the 21st Euro Opti Team Cup at the Potsdamer YC in Berlin, Germany.

Although LISOT did not fair well against their first three opponents GER, RUS, and NOR they did prevail against SWE, a local GER team, UKR and POL 2 to end the first round at 4-3.

On LISOT's course (B) RUS was 7-0, NOR 6-1, GER 4-3, USA 4-3, POL 2 4-3, GER Club 1-6, and SWE 0-7.
On the other course (A) NEL was 6-1, DEN 5-2, POL 5-2, ITA 5-2, TUR 3-4, Potsdamer YC 2-5, GBR 1-6, and FIN 1-6.

At the end of the first 7 races LISOT switched courses in order to sail against FIN, Potsdamer YC, GBR and ITA. After these four races LISOT will again switch courses to finish against POL, TUR, NEL, and DEN.

After the teams sail one race against each the top four teams will sail off in a semi-finals and finals.

Sunday has brought perfect fall sailing with modest temps and nice wind. It should be a good day.

The Club website is www.pyc.de

European Opti Team Cup in Berlin - Pre-regatta Update 2

It was another gorgeous day in Berlin today.

Coach Soren Laugesen arrived by van late last night and met the sailors for the usual extensive Hotel-Petit breakfast. Immediately following breakfast it was a short walk to the club, get rigged up and out on Lake Wannsee.

The breeze was light to medium and the sailors had a nice practice including some races against the team from the Netherlands.

After practice the team talk a ride on the train into Berlin to visit the huge mall Ka De We. We rode the train home just in time for the coaches meeting - the real coaches meeting at 8 PM.

There are 16 teams. Everyone will race against everyone else once to determine the top 4 teams.

LISOT's first race is against GER. Second is NOR and third is POL 2. After these, the order is RUS, SWE, SCG (a regional GER team) and then UKR (Ukraine).

The Opening Ceremony is at 0830 on Saturday and my reports should start about 1015.

The weather forecast is pretty good for tomorrow but Sunday doesn't sound too good.

- Doug

European Opti Team Cup in Berlin - Pre-regatta Update

Team LISOT arrived in Berlin without incident today. All the luggage arrived and the sun even greeted us!

It was a gorgeous day in Berlin. Team Leader Annette Morrill coordinated a great tour of Berlin that the adults enjoyed. The sailors learned some - when they were a awake.

We have just completed a nice dinner at Hotel-Petit and are now solving the problems of the world with a coaches meeting.

Soren arrives late tonight. Tomorrow the sailors will practice and Saturday and Sunday is the regatta.

The weather forecast isn't quite as nice for the weekend but we'll report the details on the weekend.

Take care. - Doug

Note: Team LISOT representing the United States is Team Captain Laura Wefer along with Tracy Doherty, Reinier Eenkema van Dijk, Megan Grapengeter-Rudnick and Elliot Morrill coached by Soren Laugesen and Team Leader Annette Morrill.

ACC's: 10 races! Great Wind, Great Racing!

Brant Beach YC on Long Beach Island, NJ hosted the 2008 USODA ACC's over Columbus Day weekend. 45 sailors on team LISOT were apart of the 260 that were greeted with fantastic weather, very strong competition (stronger, some said, then at Nationals), utterly fantastic race management, and a simply wonderful host club.

Ian Stokes from Norfolk YC won the regatta in a tie breaker with Tito Aponte Taboas from Palmas, Puerto Rico. Both had a mere 15 points, and 4 bullets apiece. Norwalk's Max Simmons, who was leading after Day 1, dropped back to 3rd with 19 points (and also 4 bullets)!

Lily Katz (center) was the top finisher from LISOT at 13th (and 2nd girl overall).

The regatta used the same flight set up as nationals which enabled the race committee to run 6 races on Saturday under sunny skies, air temps in the low 70s and terrific wind in the 12-18 knot range.

PRO Bub Covacs was heard to say "we chose to run the regatta on this date over a year in advance because we knew the near full-moon tide would push a strong current down the course, eliminating the need for general recalls." But Bub, 'how did you know which way the wind was going to blow?' OK, maybe the quote was taken out of context or was heard after a few of the kegs were tapped for the parents. Nevertheless, there were no general recalls!

Sunday saw considerably lighter conditions of 4-8 and a shorter course. The RC ran 4 races and had the kids back to the beach by 3:30pm in time for a BBQ, raffle and awards ceremony.

Final results include the top 10 from LISOT:
Lily Katz (13th)
Roger Dorr(25)
Gary Prieto (26)
Ty Ingram (31)
Megan G-R(33)
Connor Marion (34)
Jack Cusick (38)
Reinier EVD(42)
Matthew Mollerus (47)
Katie Kelley (70)

Megan and Connor each had a bullet, and Lily, Roger, Ty and Reinier each had at least one 2nd place finish.

The team was coached by the usual terrific team of head coach Trevor Moore and his team of Jeff, Karl and Pete who covered the broad scope of skills and ages on the team with their laser-like focus on the kids.

BBYC ran a wonderful regatta - not only serving up great wind and weather, but a club facility that made everything smooth and easy - from parking, to opti and coach boat launching, to nearby hotels and restaurants. There was morning breakfast for kids and parents alike, as well as a great post regatta BBQ that topped off a perfect event.

By 6pm everyone was on the road home - which could also be a record for speed of protest hearings, getting scores posted (they were often up on the web even before being posted at the club!), and handing out the trophies. BBYC was in the groove the whole weekend, never missing a shift!

Congrats to Event Co-Chairs John Barbano and Scot Ellis, PRO Bub Covacs and the huge BBYC volunteer team who made it all look seamlessly easy.

And thanks to BBYC for inviting LISOT down the prior weekend to join the Sunday Opti sailing.