France Sailing footage: http://youtu.be/zEKsGQaIwlU

More videos of the US Team can be found at: http://www.youtube.com/USSTAG

In December we learned that Amanda Clark and her crew member, Sarah Lihan, will represent the U.S. and our club in womens’ 470′s competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics. As you know, Amanda grew up sailing in our Junior Sailing Program. This is a remarkable achievement for Amanda and her family and reflects a high level of positive visibility for the Shelter Island Yacht Club. We can all take pride in their accomplishments.The club will continue to support Amanda and Sarah enthusiastically as they pursue success at the Olympics. We have planned some special events to support Amanda and Sarah, including the following:

May 2nd at 1800 – A New York City Fund Raiser at “Top Hops” bar, 94 Orchard Street in New York City. Amanda and Greg Nissen will be there to show some exciting video and to share some thoughts with the crowd. Shelter Islanders Teddy Kenny and Christina Cahill have graciously offered the exclusive use of their new beer bar and brewing culture center for the evening. For more information, go to their website, tophops.com. There will be a $50 per person charge for the event at the door (first beer included) and Team GO Sail hats and t-shirts will be available for purchase. Credit cards will be the preferred method of payment at this event.

July 7th, SIYC BBQ – Amanda will be at the club at 1700 for an Olympic sendoff and to thank the members for their support.

Mid-September – A cocktail party at the SIYC to thank club contributors to the various fund raising appeals.

You may be interested in the team’s sailing schedule in the run up to the Olympics:• Trofeo Princess Sofia, Palma de Mallorca, Spain (March 31 – April 12)• French Olympic Sailing Week, Hyeres, France (April 20-27)• 470 Class World Championships, Barcelona, Spain (May 10-19)• Sail For Gold, Weymouth, England (June 4-9)• The Olympic Games, 470 Class racing (August 2-10).The Officers and Trustees are asking those members who would like to show their financial support to donate generously to our Olympic 470 team via their website at http://www.teamgosail.org.

There is also a link to the Team GO Sail (TGS) website on the homepage of our club website. The TGS website will provide up-to-the-minute reports on Amanda and Sarah’s progress up to and through the Olympics games. All donations to Amanda and Sarah are tax-deductible through the Team GO SAIL Foundation.It makes me very proud that our club is once again rising to support the once-in-a-generation type of athletes that we have in Amanda and Sarah. Please join the Officers and Trustees in the continued financial support of our Olympic 470 team by making a contribution.See you at Top Hops on May 2nd.

Bill Enright

Commodore

NOR:  2012 H Class Championship Regatta Notice of Race

Entry Form:  H Class Championship Entry Form

http://www.conncoll.edu/camelweb/index.cfm?fuseaction=publications&circuit=cconline&function=view&uid=54&id=778933369

http://ussailing.blogspot.com/2012/02/going-varsity.html?utm_source=e-USSAILING&utm_campaign=0042816266-e-USSailing+2%2F15%2F2012+Google+Analytics+report&utm_medium=email&mc_cid=0042816266&mc_eid=d5d9b46f95

http://www.yachting.org.au/site/yachting/event/39647/overall_1.html

The Junior Sailing Program Awards Ceremony was held on Thursday, August 11 at the Shelter Island Yacht Club. The ceremony is held annually to recognize outstanding sailors for sportsmanship, race results and long-term participation in the program.

This year’s Sailors of the Year were James Benacerraf, sailing the Opti 2; Luke Reich, Opti 3; Michael Benacerraf, Opti Advanced; Gretchen McCarthy and Caitlin Cummings, C420 AM; Katie Sudol and Max Ryder, C420 PM; and Andrew Sudol and Amanda Sommi from the Laser AM and PM classes, respectively.

The Sailor of the Year awards are given annually to the juniors who have shown improvement, maintain equipment with the utmost care, are considerate of other sailors and their needs and exemplify the goals the program strives to develop in the participants.

Sebastian Morris won the Instructor Award, which is given for the recipient’s achievements, seamanship and improvements during the season. For beginning sailors, specifically the Opti 1 sailors, the winner is someone who has exhibited enthusiasm, a positive outlook and a desire to try new things.

The Heatherton Award is given in recognition of the Heatherton Race winners. Sailed early in the summer, the race is geared to ward the advanced sailors of each class: Opti 3, Opti Advanced, Laser Radial and C420 PM. The beginner C420 sailors did not participate because the event was held early in the season and the coaches felt they were entitled to develop their abilities further before competing against their afternoon counterparts.

The top Heatherton finishers included Elizabeth McCarthy from the Opti 3’s, Will Maurillo of Opti Advanced, Christian Houston-Floyd from the Laser Radials and John Sommi and McKenzie Needham of C420 afternoon.

The SIYC Club Series is held in Pipes Cove every Wednesday or Thursday during the program’s eight-week season. To be considered for the Club Series award, sailors must have sailed in at least 65 percent of the races. Unlike the Heatherton Award, competitors from every class are contenders.

The first-place finishers were: in Opti 3, Elizabeth McCarthy; in Opti Advanced, Blake Sommi; Max Mitchell in the Laser AM class; Alex King in the Laser PM class; Alida van der Eems and Henri Champignuelle in the C420 AM class; and John Sommi and Struan Coleman in the C420 PM class.

The night’s final awards were the Program Awards, a long-standing tradition, some of which have been given out since 1961. These awards primarily recognize the older sailors.

The Gregory Price Trophy is awarded to the most improved sailor in the program; this season’s recipient was Allie Maurillo.

John Sommi received the Instructors Bowl, given to the most enthusiastic participant. The Matchbox Award, an Opti award, went to Blake Sommi for exemplifying the principles and goals of the program. Unlike the previous award, this one is skill related; in addition to participating in a majority of the events offered during the season, the recipient must also exhibit good sportsmanship.

Jack Lane was awarded the Laser Award as the top Laser sailor; the winner must have sailed in numerous regattas and demonstrated a superior skill level. Finally, the Commodore Cup, which was created to honor a C420 team, focuses on regatta participation, sportsmanship and impressive skill levels. This year’s award winners were John Sommi and Struan Coleman.

Drew Garrison, a C420 advanced sailor and a sophomore at Shelter Island High School, said he’d “had a blast” during the summer; he especially enjoyed sailing around the Island on August 10. His sister, Olivia, a freshman at the high school and a beginning Laser sailor, said she’d “enjoyed getting to know a variety of kids” and prefers cruising, like her brother.

H12 RACE IN PIPES COVE

This Saturday’s Herreshoff 12½ races in Pipes Cove almost did not happen because there was little to no wind around 1 p.m. It finally kicked up around 1:45 p.m. to about 8 to 10 knots and the Race Committee decided to hold the races after all.

Due to the lack of wind these past few weeks, the Race Committee decreed that Saturday’s races would be for the Herreshoff Museum Trophy, which was donated by the Herroshoff Museum in Bristol, Rhode Island in 1996 in recognition of the size of the Yacht Club’s Herreshoff 12½ fleet; at the time, it was the largest racing fleet of the boats in the nation.

Once the wind kicked up and the fleet had assembled in the cove, the Race Committee ran two races. The first was a windward-leeward course twice around; the final race of the day demanded the competitors complete a windward leg, then a tight reach to a white mark off of Dering Point, with another windward leg to the traditional finish line between the north pier and an orange buoy. Eighteen boats sailed in both races; each race began with a standard five-minute sequence. Larry Landry was the winner of the Herreshoff 12½ Museum Trophy. The top finishers after him were Jeff Bresnahan in fourth place; Denny Clark in third; and Bruce Brewer in second.

Richard Tiernan, a Race Committee member, said he was simply “glad there was wind.” In the same vein, Chip Luddecke said, “The wind, she no blow; the boat, she no go.”

Peter Needham, in his fourth year as coach of the Shelter Island High School’s after-school sailing team, was selected “Sailor of the Week” last week by US SAILING, the national governing body of the sport. Jake Fish, communications director of US SAILING, said Mr. Needham had been chosen because of his leadership and dedication to a local community’s student sailing program.

“He provides opportunities for sailors after the summer season,” Mr. Fish said.

Mr. Needham receives a small stipend from the school for managing its sailing program and donates many hours of his time and the use of his 18-passenger van for trips.

“It’s quite an honor,” Mr. Needham said. “US SAILING seems to appreciate those who are giving back to the community. I do it because I believe in it.”

Mr. Needham, 57, is married, with three children and has been a member of the Shelter Island Yacht Club since 1983. He is vice president of Coecles Harbor Marina & Boatyard and has been building boats since 1979. His company is well-known for building four boats for Billy Joel. Two of his children, Connor and Mackenzie, are now on sailing teams in college after having competed on the high school sailing team.

In 2008, Yacht Club members, including Commodore Brook Aquilino, agreed to keep the doors open beyond the summer season for a high school sailing program. Mr. Needham said the club recognized that local students could benefit from a spring and fall after-school program. “Summer sailing is expensive. Most of the kids that come into the school program have never sailed in their lives. Just like Shelter Islanders don’t ride horses,” Mr. Needham said.

Mr. Needham went to the Board of Education and won approval for the program, which got underway that fall with Mr. Needham assisted by another local sailing figure, 2008 Olympic competitor Amanda Clark. “Amanda put on her Olympic uniform and had a slide show in the school auditorium,” he said. “Twenty-three kids signed up.” Mr. Needham said Connor and Mackenzie took turns as skippers until all the budding sailors had enough experience to man four 420’s, two-man boats with no spinnaker or trapeze.

This fall, “probably eight” have gone out for the program, Mr. Needham said. He said the number fluctuates.

“When we go to regattas, we try to get everyone to sail,” Mr. Needham said of the fall and spring programs. “Some kids aren’t crazy about competition. But if they sail for the high school, they can compete at the college level. And they’re physically in great shape.” The sailing team has traveled to Tom’s River, New Jersey; Norfolk, Virginia; and New Orleans to race.

A video interview of Mr. Needham and his son Connor is on the Official US SAILING Roadshow blog dated September 7 (ussroadshow.blogspot.com). The interview was conducted by Will Ricketson of Shelter Island, one of two Roadshow hosts.

Alan Garrison, the Yacht Club general manager, had nothing but praise for Mr. Needham and his efforts to start the program. “Yacht Club members and people from the community chip in so the students don’t have to purchase anything,” he said. “An anonymous donor purchased new dry suits for the team a year or two ago,” he said. Mr. Garrison’s son Drew took over as skipper when Mr. Needham’s son and daughter left. “He’s number one now,” Mr. Garrison said.

Mr. Needham also praised Ms. Clark. “Amanda works with the team whenever she can. She drills them,” he said. Ms. Clark was unavailable to comment. She is off -Island training for an Olympic trial on December 12 in Perth, Australia.

Greg Nissen, her husband and general manager of Camp Quinipet, also praised Mr. Needham. “Peter was the driving force to get this thing going, to give his time every afternoon. He made it a huge priority. He had thought about this forever,” he said. “Nothing like this existed in 2000. Amanda wanted to get with Peter to make sure things happened.”

Mr. Needham said he likes to have fun with his team. “I make them wear their dry suits when we get out at Greenport to walk to Starbucks. Some didn’t want to do it. But when they started walking, people thought they were astronauts.”