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F E A T U R E S

0 1 0 W E T N O T E S

0 1 6 S TA R T I N G L I N E

0 8 5 T E C H R E V I E W

1 1 4 D R . C R A S H

D E P A R T M E N T S

C O N T E N T S

The on-watch foursome of

Team Alvimedica acclimate to the

fast and wet life of the VO65 during

a transatlantic training session.

Photo by Amory Ross

O N T H E C O V E R

For Hap Fauth and his

Bella Mente sailing team,

getting to the front of the

international mini-maxi

class has been one hard

lesson after another.

By Sean McNeill

Whos the clear favorite

going into the 2014-15

Volvo Ocean Race? Weve

got your denitive guide

to the worlds toughest

ocean race.

By The Editors

078046TEST OF

CHARACTER

THE

EDUCATION

OF HAP

FAUTH

C O L U M N S

ON

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F R O M T H E E X P E R T S

0 2 0ONE - DE S I GN The centennial

celebration of the world-renowned

Herreshoff H 12 1/2 design.

0 3 0JOB SON REPOR T Tackling

the extended tactical, physical, and

psychological challenge that is the

Newport Bermuda Race.

0 3 6LEF T COAS T, R I G H T BRA IN

Craig Leweck asks, Why is Etchells

world champ Bill Hardesty so good?

0 9 0BOAT S PEED Communication is

the key to getting the entire speed

team moving in the right direction.

0 9 4E L EC TRON IC S Heres how

to better understand Course Over

Ground versus Speed Over Ground.

0 9 8RU L E S Same racecourse,

different legs. Dick Rose deciphers

who has rights.

V

WHILE NEW GRAND-PRIX BOATS CONTINUE TO EDGE US

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By Dave Reed

RACEBOAT ROUNDUP

085

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REE

D

HAPPENSTANCE. THATS WHAT I FIRST

thought when the stories in this issue,

No. 557, started to come together in the

planning stages. All of sudden the maga-

zine was shaping up to be full of stories

from my hometown of Newport, R.I. Some-

times the package is like a jigsaw puzzle,

and were searching for that last story

to arrive and nish it off right. This time

it was the lead photo on page 16. Those

two pages are reserved for an image that

should make you and me stop turning

pages.

The photo, from the hustling, long-time

shooter Daniel Forster, is of a baby-blue

catamaran, its leeward bow plunging ever

so slightly as the boat carves through a

mark rounding, crew ying high and hold-

ing on. It captures one spectacular and

eeting moment in what was an amazing

summer of sailing in Newport, R.I. The pric-

ey carbon cat, with its comic book inspired

logo Pow! is registered to one Ken Read,

the towns most high prole sailor. The

new boss at North Sails has been putting

his money where his mouth is by regularly

taking his nephew and his crew joyriding on

the 32. Not without adult supervision, of

course. More notable, however, is the fact

that Kenny and Co. were racing on a sta-

dium sailing course at New York YC Race

Week, Presented by Rolex.

The New York Yacht Club? Really? The

hard-line traditionalists from the no-denim

clubhouse up on high?

Yes, that New York Yacht Club. In an ex-

cellent display of listening to the we-need-

more-variety-in-our-races lobby, the club

introduced the stadium course to the Mar-

stroms and all the big keelboats, including

the maxis, the IRC rockets, and the PHRF

eets. Rather than one more day of wind-

ward/leeward courses on Rhode Island

Sound, most everyone had their turn at

short-tacking the rocks for current relief,

dodging traffic, and setting kites before

they could even be packed. It was high-

heart-rate stuff that everyone was talking

about under the party tent.

The bay was positively jam-packed that

week in July. There was a team-racing re-

I T W A S A L L

H A P P E N I N G

VOLVO TEAMS, MAXIS, NEW

BOATS, AND A REGATTA-PACKED

CALENDAR MADE 2014 AN UNFOR-

GETTABLE SUMMER OF SAILING.

THERES MORE TO COME.

Volume LIII, Number 5 SAILING WORLD (ISSN 0889-4094) is published 6 times a year, in Jan/Feb, Mar/Apr, May/Jun, Jul/Aug, Sep/Oct & Nov/Dec by Bonnier Corp., 460 N. Orlando Ave., Suite 200, Winter Park, FL, 32789. Copyright 2014 by Bonnier Corp. All rights reserved. Reprinting in whole or part forbidden except by permission of the publisher. The title Sailing World is a registered trademark. Editorial contributions should be accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Editorial offices are at 55 Hammarlund Way, Middletown, RI 02842. Manuscripts, art, and photographs are handled with care, but no liability is accepted. Periodicals postage paid at Winter Park, FL and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to PO Box 6364, Harlan, IA, 51593-1864. Subscription rates. For one year (6 issues) $40.00. In Canada $52.00, Other International $64.00. Orders outside the US must be prepaid in US funds. Publication Agreement Number #40612608. Canada Return Mail: IMEX Global Solutions P.O. Box 25542, London, ON N6C 6B2 Canada.

SAILING WORLD

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DAVE REED

Creative Director David Weaver

Associate Editor Lisa Gabrielson

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Editors at Large Peter Isler, Gary Jobson

Racing Editors Ed Baird, Terry Hutchinson, Mike

Ingham, Jonathan McKee, Ken Read, Tony Rey

Contributing Editors Craig Leweck, Dave Powlison,

Dick Rose, Dr. Stuart Walker, Dobbs Davis,

Angus Phillips

Editorial Intern Rachel Perry

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On a perfect day for a demo sail with Team

Alvimedica, skipper Charlie

Enright let me drive: 20 knots felt good.

Photo: Dave Reed

2

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WE

T NO

TE

S

BY

DAVE

REE

D

gatta, countless kids in Optis and 420s, day-

trippers, sunset cruisers, 12 Meters, and

Moths out ying around for the fun of it.

Even a pack of VX One-Design sailors man-

aged to wedge themselves into a corner of

the bay to conduct their North Americans.

A friend whod been driving over the Pell

Bridge when it was all happening said hed

never seen the bay so covered in sails and

wakes. The Fishbowl was full!

This, of course, was only one regatta, at

the height of the Newport sailing season,

which now extends from May well into Octo-

ber, but the intensity was there all summer.

The wave started with the Bermuda Race

eet in June with the usual run on West Ma-

rine for last-minute gear. Caf Zelda and its

neighbors at the IYAC had steady business

before everyone set off to the Onion Patch.

The disappearance of the Bermuda Race

crowd transitioned to the occupation of

Etchells sailors in town for their world cham-

pionship. Ninety- ve white, needlelike boats

with white sails meshing together at the

top of a two-mile beat is an incredible sight

to behold from a 65-foot luxury press boat

(tough job, yes, I know).

Even more incredible, however, is watch-

ing the wiley Bill Hardesty and his young

team picked apart the eet of Americas

veterans, pro sailors, and top amateurs.

They were so good they scared the compe-

tition: They ran away from us! he tells our

man on the West Coast, Craig Leweck, who

shares his interview with Hardesty on page

36. Consistent, indeed.

Then, of course, came Bacardi Sailing

Week and the Sail Newport Regatta, an

onslaught of dinghies and keelboats. Ev-

ery year it gets bigger and bigger, the bay

more crowded. In all, before the end of Au-

gust there would be more than 20 big regat-

tas, with sailors rolling in and out of rental

houses before the cleaning services could

change the sheets. And as I write, we await

the arrival of the Panerai Classic Yacht Re-

gatta crowd, followed by roughly 100 J/70

teams for their rst world championship.

The J/24s will eventually be in town for their

worlds as well.

The scene will wind down in late Septem-

ber. The college and high school groms will

take over the harbor in their 420s, and then

the frostbiters in Lasers and Turnabouts will

carry the torch through the long, icy winter.

Spring 2015 will arrive with the Volvo

Ocean Race Newport Stopover. It could be,

and should be, the biggest sailor party to

hit the U.S. East Coast since the Australians

left town with the Americas Cup in 1983.

To get the Volvo to come Newport was no

small task for the volunteer army at Sail

Newport, the stopovers offi cial host.

The seven teams, their support crews,

their sponsors, CEO and VIPs, and the hordes

of personnel of this incredible moving circus

will take over the town in May, and chances

are you and I will nd the sailors at Zeldas or

the Candy Store with stories to share.

I assure you, for two weeks in May, the

sailing capital of the world will ip on the

switch, starting the sailing season even ear-

lier. I can see it now: Volvo Ocean 65s going

at each other in The Fishbowl, just like the

Marstrom 32s were.

Itll be a frenzy not to miss.

THE VOLVO OCEAN RACE

NEWPORT STOPOVER . IT COULD

BE , AND SHOULD BE , THE BIG-

GEST SA ILOR PARTY TO HIT THE

U.S. EAST COAST.

Three of my summer-sailing highlights: Sum-

mer Sailstice with friends and family on the

company sailboat (top); Thursday night J/24

racing; High-speed PHRFing on the C&C 30.

Photos: Dave Reed

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Sailing is a challenge, a constant test, an escape....

7 x Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race1 x Rolex Fastnet Race

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Races set up by the New York YC placed the Marstrom 32, Pow!, in the same waters as the 2012 Americas

Cup World Series. Spectator-friendly stadium sailing is beginning to take hold, giving competitors short,

near-shore courses that require a higher level of endurance and boathandling.

Photo: Rolex/Daniel Forster

T H E W A Y I T I S

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THERES AN EXPERIMENT happening in high-perfor-

mance racing. Events are replacing long windward/

leeward laps with short-course, stadium-style racing.

They are more exciting to watch, and a lot more chal-

lenging, competitive, and fun for my friends and family

on the Marstrom 32 Pow!

When the New York YC race committee announced

the addition of Stadium Sailing to its race week this

summer, I had no idea what we were in for. The sailing

instructions had a six-leg Americas Cup racecourse:

reaching start to the rst mark, deploy the gennaker,

short downwind, followed by a long upwind/downwind,

a shorter upwind, and nished off with another blast

reach to the nish. It all happened close to the shore-

line in a small and busy slice of Narragansett Bay.

The legs were insanely short. As the traveler trim-

mer, my to-do list going into the leeward mark was to

hand off the mainsheet to the upwind main trimmer

(who trims the gennaker downwind), run down into the

boat and furl the gennaker, sprint back up to the wind-

ward rack, reset the traveler, and look for anything

else that needed to be done, like board height, rota-

tion of the mast, or cunningham. The races were 15

to 20 minutes at most, and after each race we were

completely out of breath. The racing was also a lot

closer than it normally is in our local Marstrom 32 rac-

es, which meant there was no room for error.

Stadium courses are set close to shore so the pub-

lic can watch. Because the boats often made it to the

marks at the same time, there was excitement at our

roundings. Im sure it was as good for the spectators as

it was for the competitors.

This movement can help make racing in all classes

more fun and competitive. It makes sailing a lot more

visible and just might get more people involved in the

sport. The course is not just for multihulls, either. It can

work for planing dinghies and many other sportboat

classes, too. It could become the norm for high-perfor-

mance sailboat racing.

The author is a 19-year-old from Newport, R.I., and yes,

nephew of SW Racing Editor Ken Read. Uncle Kenny was

called away on business after the rst day of racing, leav-

ing the kids to their own devices. Their results improved

in his absence (although to be fair, they did change to a

lighter mast); they nished third in the six-boat eet.

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8

I N T H E

F I S H B O W L

ONE CLUBS STADIUM SAILING INITIATIVE

AIMS TO BRING SAILORS AND SPECTATORS

CLOSER TO EACH OTHER THAN EVER BEFORE.

B Y B R E N D A N R E A D

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THE FIRST TIME Harald Sedlacek

sailed across the Atlantic alone

on his insanely small 16-foot boat,

the going was rough. His autopilot

stopped working soon after leav-

ing Gijon, Spain, and the wind was

far from breezy for much of the

way. Behind schedule, his food

supplies were quickly depleted.

He was forced to live on 1,100

calories a day for much of the trip

until arriving at Palm Beach, Fla.,

87 days after leaving Spain.

Just over a month after arriv-

ing in Florida in April, Sedlacek

mustered the courage to board

his Open 16 boat again to com-

plete the circle. He was able this

time to take advantage of north-

westerly winds, completing the

crossing to Les Sables dOlonne,

France, in 47 days.

His return, however, exact-

ed a mental and physical toll. He

ran into gale force winds, knock-

ing his boat down more than ve

times. He admits he was scared

more than once, as he wondered

just how much the Open 16 could

withstand being slammed by

waves before breaking apart or

dismasting thousands of miles

from shore. He focused on main-

taining speed, but consequently

could only sleep in spurts of 10

minutes at a time.

Sedlacek says his adventure

was not so much about testing

his merits as a sailor and his ca-

pacity to withstand hardship. In-

stead, he says it was the sturdy

Mini Class-like design of the Open

16 that made the trek possible.

Many people said a Transat

wasnt possible on such a

small boat the rst time, says

Sedlacek. But now we know it is

possible with my boatand I did

it twice.

In many ways, the purpose of

the voyage was to demonstrate

the seaworthiness of the boats

volcanic ber, a berglass re-

placement formulated by FIPO-

FIX, a company Sedlaceks father

owns. The boat design owes its

light weight of 550 kg to the pat-

ented ber material.

I dont think you could sail such

a small boat across the Atlantic

10 years ago without the technol-

ogy my boat has, says Sedlacek.

I DON T THINK YOU

COULD SA IL SUCH A

SMALL BOAT ACROSS

THE ATLANTIC TEN

YEARS AGO.

P R O O F

O F

C O N C E P T

SOLO SAILOR HARALD

SEDLACEK CROSSED THE

ATLANTIC TWICE TO

VALIDATE THE DURABILITY

OF HIS PINT-SIZED OPEN 16.

Sedlaceks transats were a test

of the volcanic-ber composite

used to construct his Open 16.

Photos: Courtesy Team FIPOFIX

In one mid-Atlantic gale en

route to Les Sables dOlonne,

bearing the brunt of 30-foot

waves and 45-knot winds, the

wave crests eventually laid the

boat on its side for more than two

hours. Sedlacek managed to drag

the mainsail out of the water and

strap himself down to wait it out.

The boat would begin right-

ing itself, but each time, another

wave would knock it back down,

says Sedlacek. All I could do was

wait for the sea to calm down.

After the boat righted itself

and Sedlacek saw there was no

major breakages, he was under-

standably relievedand more

condent than ever in his boat.

Think of the Open 16 as a life

raft that you can also sail, Sed-

lacek says. Its unsinkable. Even if

the cabin was lled with water, it

would still oat.

At the end of the day, the Open

16 FIPOFIX is a sailing boat, how-

ever, and Sedlacek says he aver-

aged a steady 5 knots when he

sailed from Florida to France. His

top speed was 15.8 knots when

surng down a large wave, and

he once did 150 miles in 24 hours

sailing downwind in an ideal 18- to

25-knot breeze.

Sedlacek says the Open 16 is

ideal for jaunts not too far from

the coast and possibly racing

if the design catches on. He

also does not tout the Open 16

as a Mini Class alternative for

transats and offshore racing. Un-

like Mini Class boats, for example,

the Open 16s autopilot is not de-

signed for when the wind blows

more than 30 knots, or when the

seas gets rough, which are more

than common in the middle of

the Atlantic.

The cabin and cockpit, needless

to say, are cramped. Life on board

is not easy. For food, about all I

could do was drink tea or coffee

and maybe cook some noodles,

says Sedlacek. It is really hard liv-

ing in such a small space.

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8

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OF THE MORE THAN 500 designs from

Nathanael Greene Captain Nat Her-

reshoff, arguably one of the greatest

yacht designers of all time, the only

one that bears his name is the Herre-

shoff H 12 1/2, a daysailer with open

cockpit and easy-to-handle sail plan.

This year marks the centennial for the

design, which was originally created as

the Buzzards Bay Boys Boat and came

to life due in part to the interruption of

the 1914 Americas Cup.

In the rst half of 1914, Robert W.

Emmons II, a noted Corinthian sailor

of the day, was the managing director

for the Herreshoff-designed Resolute

as it prepared for the 1914 Americas

Cup. Resolute was stellar in the New

York YCs observation trials for the de-

fense, handily beating defense rivals

Vanitie and Deance in racing. Reso-

lute wouldve been selected defender,

but the outbreak of World War I forced a

postponement of the match until 1920.

While managing the development of

Resolute, Emmons commissioned Her-

reshoff to design and construct the H

12 1/2. Emmons had previously com-

missioned Herreshoff to design and co-

struct the Buzzards Bay 15 (later known

also as the E Class). But Emmons and

friends wanted a smaller boat, one that

would be easier for their sons to han-

dle on the choppy waters of Massachu-

setts Buzzards Bay, where his two sons

spent their formative summers.

Its such a classic design, and easy

to sail, says John N. Jay Fisher, Jr., the

H Class treasurer and reigning national

champion after winning in Edgartown,

Mass., in 2013. It handles rough weath-

er, wind, and waves very well. Kids can

sail it, or you can put four to ve adults

on it for an afternoon sail. There are a

lot of families that have had the boat

throughout their history.

Fishers family is one shining ex-

ample. The 60-year-old skipper from

Cataumet, Mass., is a two-time nation-

al championhe rst won the title in

1976 in the familys original wooden H

12 1/2 Privateer. I was just a year out

of college, says Fisher of the champi-

onship won 38 years ago. Id sailed the

boat actively from my mid-teens un-

til the mid-1980s. My dad was a past

commodore of the Buzzards YC and

past president of the H Class Associ-

ation. We won that championship to-

gether, and my brothers and I have

won the junior championships. Theres

a fair amount of history in our family

and it all started in the mid-1960s.

Fisher will be on hand looking to add a

third championship when the eet hosts

the celebratory centennial anniversary

nationals. Although the nationals was

rst held in 1928, 14 years after the din-

ghy was rst launched, therell be plenty

of feting an old gal worthy of her salt at

the Buzzards YC.

N A T S

N A M E S A K E

CELEBRATING THE CENTENNIAL

OF NATHANAEL HERRESHOFFS

TIMELESS H 12 1/2 DESIGN.

The Edgartown

(Mass.) YC, with

50 registered

H Class boats,

hosted the classs

2013 class nation-

als (above).

Photo: Amy

Ballentine Stevens

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OVER THE PAST decade, Charley and Schelleen

Rathkopf saw something distressing from their

perch on the committee boat at Whidbey Island

Race Week, aka the Pacic Northwests Adult

Summer Camp. The only kids at the event were

usually theirs.

So when the opportunity came along to pur-

chase the regatta from organizer Gary Stuntz, the

Rathkopfs already had a plan percolating: To get

more competitors to the island theyd give the kids

their own version of race week. By 2015, the Rath-

kopfs are hopeful Race Week will instead be Family

Summer Camp.

Schelleen, a marketing and public relations spe-

cialist before becoming a full-time mother, has al-

ready hired an experienced camp director, secured

use of boats, and roughed out a plan using Opti-

mists from Oak Harbor YC, as well as shoreside

activities summer camps usually provide, such as

hikes, games, and art projects. In the hours after

racing, while the adults attend to their post-race

social engagements, the kids will have their own

supervised area.

Stuntz, who shepherded the event through the

tough times since 2008, recognized the missing

family element, and had made his own attempts

to change, including a three-second rating credit

for boats with children onboard. In the end, the ap-

proach wasnt popular given the typical challenges

of rating adjustments.

At this years Race Week, a 72-boat affair,

racers were supportive of the Schelleens ef-

forts. Tears came to Della Hoags eyes when she

learned of the Kids Camp. Ive been wanting this

for 20 years, she says. I spent a lot of time drag-

ging my kids around to places they didnt want to

go instead of racing.

This year Hoag nally got to race with her hus-

band John because their youngest (14) was old

enough to be part of the crew.

Mark Harang and Brad Baker, who were sailing

Harangs Evelyn 26 Nimbus with their sons this

year, agreed. Brilliant idea, says Baker. One of Ha-

rangs rst race weeks, 25 years ago, was aboard a

boat crewed almost entirely of teenagers.

No matter what the parents say, the most im-

portant sailors in the equation are the kids. Bak-

ers son Bryce, now 16, though no fan of Optimists

(Theyre tubs) said, Sailing dinghies would sure

be better than sitting around doing nothing on a

big boat.

Even clubs not directly involved see the poten-

tial of Kids Camp. Seattle Corinthian YC rear com-

modore Jerry Diercks is hoping CYC can lend a hand.

This is in tune with our vision on how to build racing

in the years to come. Its in our best interest.

K I D Z O N E

FOR THE NEW OWNERS OF

WHIDBEY ISLAND RACE WEEK,

THE PACIFIC NORTHWESTS

BIG REGATTA, ITS NO LONGER

ABOUT ENTERTAINING ONLY

THE ADULTS.

Once referred to as Adult Summer Camp,

Whidbey Island Race Week (Wash.), under

the new ownership of Charley and Schel-

leen Rathkopf (below) will focus on adding

shoreside events for kids and families.

Photo: Steven Lapkin

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ON THE SHORE of Lake Massapo-

ag, Mass., Ellen Fuller is busily ty-

ing her dinghy boots while an au-

dience of friends bombard the

14-year-old with questions: Will

she get wet? What if the boat tips

over? She elds them with a mix

of youthful enthusiasm and teen-

age apathy.

I think Ill get really good at sail-

ing and then we can become a

team, says one friend.

Fuller smiles, nods enthusias-

tically, and fastens the Velcro on

her boots. Today, shes sailing in

the Day Sailer Junior National Re-

gatta with her aunt Allison and

mother Natalie as crew.

I think its really fun, says Full-

er. Im not really used to the Day

Sailer. I sail 420s most of the

time, but its easy to learn.

Like her older sister Sarah, who

won the Day Sailer Junior Nation-

als in 2009, Fuller has had a di-

verse youth-sailing experience,

which her mother hopes to parlay

into a long sailing career.

A lot of youth programs sail

only with the Opti and 420, says

Natalie Fuller-Coleman. And

those are such strict one-design

boats. I think its important to in-

troduce the exibility theyll need

in different boats along the way.

The Day Sailer opens their eyes

to other types of rigs and setups.

I have three daughters and Ive in-

troduced them all along the way

to the Day Sailer in order to ex-

pand their horizons, and also to

continue the tradition of women

sailing in our family.

Its this generational continu-

ity, and the enthusiasm young

sailors bring, which the Day Sail-

er class is cultivating in effort to

maintain interest in the 56-year-

old design rst built by ODay

Sailboats in 1958. While remain-

ing true to its intent as a family-

oriented, easy-to-sail one-design,

class officers struggle with wan-

ing membership and regatta at-

tendance. Its future lies in young-

er sailors, but more specically

in youth-driven family racing. As

author Nicholas Hayes encour-

ages in his book Saving Sailing,

the class management is making

a concerted effort to pair adults

and youth together in the same

boat, literally.

At the 1999 Day Sailor North

Americans, many of the adult

competitors had young sailors

crewing for them, says Bob Blake,

VP of youth development.

We didnt have a lot of youth

who were actually steering the

boat, and we wanted them to

get the experience and just get

them out sailing. After the races

were over, we asked the skippers

if theyd ip-op with the juniors.

They did it, and it went really well.

The Day Sailer Junior Nationals

took root that day and was for-

malized ve years later. Any sailor

18 or under is eligible to skipper,

allowing them to independently

tackle the course.

We want kids in involved in sail-

ing no matter what, says Blake. If

we can get them out on Day Sail-

ers, thats great. But what we real-

ly want is to get them out there in

general, get them steering.

Perhaps its the anticipation of

summer vacation, or the infec-

tious energy of the curious friends

who gather to watch the racing,

but the junior sailors arriving in

the picturesque town of Sharon,

Mass., are ready to wrest the til-

lers from the adults. On the rst

day of races Fuller sails alongside

six other junior boats, her long po-

nytail skimming the water as she

hikes out in the puffs. Her familys

black-hulled Day Sailer glides eas-

ily through the lakes smooth sur-

face and after two afternoons of

casual racing she nishes second

overall.

I was really impressed that

the kids were really good at sail-

ing, says Fuller. There was even

a 10-year-old boy who was real-

ly good, even when it was a little

uky. It wasnt as intense or scary

as I thought it would beit was

actually really fun. If we keep our

Day Sailer, Id love to race with my

mom and aunt again and again.

WE WANT KIDS INVOLVED IN SA IL ING NO MATTER

WHAT, SAYS BLAKE . IF WE CAN GET THEM OUT ON

DAY SA ILERS, THATS GREAT, BUT WHAT WE REALLY

WANT TO GET THEM OUT THERE IN GENERAL , GET

THEM STEER ING.

The Day Sailer Classs youth sailors, affectionately referred to as utes by

adults, have sustained their numbers even as overall class participation has

waned. With next years championship taking place on Cape Cod, class

leaders have high hopes for the Junior National Regatta. Ellen Fuller, above

at the helm, competes at the Junior Nationals on Lake Massapoag (Mass.).

Photos: Deborah Mason-McCaffrey

F A M I L Y

D A Y

IN THE INTEREST OF

SELF-PRESERVATION,

STALWARTS OF THE ODAY

DAY SAILER ARE

SHIFTING ATTENTION TO

THEIR YOUNGER SAILORS.

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In June of this year, the Cornell

University athletic department

announced that their womens

sailing team would be elevated

from a club level sport to varsi-

ty status, adding to the 36 other

varsity teams on campus.

Its [varsity status] always been

on peoples minds, wondering if

it would be possible, says Brian

Clancy, head coach for the Cornell

sailing team. But its not entirely

what we focus on. We focus on the

image of the program. We want it

to represent the Cornell Big Red to

the best of our abilities.

Clancy joined the Cornell team

as head coach in 2010 after a

two-year stint working as an

assistant coach at the U.S. Na-

val Academy. The team has been

around for a while, but it had been

at the club level and it needed

some structure. It was nice to

come and develop it in that way,

he says.

The addition of the Merrill Family Sailing Center

in 2009 caught the eye of Clancy, as well as the

college sailing community at Cornell. I knew that

the program was coming along and there was a

lot of buzz when they put up their sailing facil-

ity, so I thought there was a lot of support for the

team and a lot of potential, he explains.

The sailing center is located about two miles

from campus on Cayuga Lake and is where the

team stores their eet of 18 420s and six FJs.

A generous alumni donation made the state-of-

the-art facility possible and made it easier for the

athletic department to consider adding the wom-

ens sailing team to their varsity roster.

Another contributing factor is the recent suc-

cess of the womens team. In 2013 the wom-

ens sailors captured third place at the Sperry

Top-Sider/ICSA Womens National Championship.

This is the best nish the Cornell sailing team has

ever had at a nationals.

I would be lying to say that it didnt catch the

attention of the college sailing community and

Cornell athletics that we nished on the podium

at a national championship and had an All-Amer-

ican skipper and crew, says Clancy. But I think

it shows the hard work of the program, the team

and everything that we work towards, which is

setting goals and achieving them.

Now that the womens team is a varsity sport,

Clancy states that it will not change how the

team operates as a whole or how they will set

their goals for the coming seasons.

The coed team is just as important as the

womens and the womens is just as important

as the coed, so from the beginning we have al-

ways said that we dont have a coed team or a

womens team or a singlehanded team, we are

the Cornell University Sailing Team and thats our

motto, to work together.

-Jennifer Vandermoer Mitchell

C O L L E G E S A I L I N G L I F E

T E A M S P O T L I G H T :

C O R N E L L U N I V E R S I T Y

#PROTECTMYWATERS

B R O U G H T T O Y O U B Y

Congratulations to Team Mcbride

Wilson for winning this months

#ProtectMyWaters contest!

The olympic hopefuls travel

around the world, growing envi-

ronmental awareness and teach-

ing others to love the ocean.

They put this message into ac-

tion by organizing monthly beach

clean ups at local beaches or

popular sailing venues.

They also share ocean-healthy

habits with the junior sailors they

coach, such as switching to reus-

able water bottles and ensuring

trash is properly thrown away.

And even when they are ying

around on their 49er they man-

age to pick up trash out of the

water!

Want to be featured here?

Enter the #protectmywaters con-

test by Sept. 15 for more infor-

mation visit sailorsforthesea.org/

college-sailing

Skipper Lauren Turner and Crew Lindsey Ludwig,

both All-Americans in 2013. Photo: John Payne

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I WAS ALREADY awake when Mike grabbed my

ankle, signaling to me that I had 15 minutes to

get ready for the night watch. I was awake be-

cause it was loud; not Volvo 70 freight train

loud, but loud enough to know we had good

breeze. I was excited, but also a little nervous.

The motion of the boat is always a little coars-

er down below than it is on deck

I got dressed for action, bracing myself

against the jerking motion of the boat as I put

on my boots and salopettes, and I made sure

my watch mates, Fritz and Greg, were awake.

It was all smiles when I got on deck: 20 knots

wind speed, A4, staysail, and full main. Our

counterparts Mike, Trevor, and Fritz did a few

jibes and a peel during their watch, and with

a right shift and increasing breeze, they were

comfortably settled on port jibe, 10 degrees

off rhumbline and hammering toward Puerto

Vallarta, Mexico.

With low clouds and no moon, the night

was an extra shade of dark. Only the loom of

the bow light allowed us to see the spinnaker

and the waves ahead. I got on deck ve min-

utes before midnight, enough time to get a lit-

tle debrief from the other watch and get used

to the conditions. This was the most wind we

had seen for the whole race, and I was anx-

ious to see how the J/125 would perform. The

race had gone really well to this point, with our

more offshore routing paying off, and good sail

selection and driving keeping us fast. All we

had to do was get through the second night

without incident.

As Fritz and Greg came on deck, we dis-

cussed the situation, reviewing the sails, the

wind shift, and the spin-sheet position. Nor-

mally Greg drives rst, but for some reason I

gravitated to the helm to start the watch, with

Greg on the sheet and Fritz on the main.

When the others nally left us with a have

fun, we settled down to concentrate on go-

ing fast without crashing. Because of the

windshift, we were more aligned with the

waves than normal, so we could ride the big-

ger waves down a little if the boat was plan-

ing well.

We had to be careful to not stay too deep

in the trough, and instead, head up enough

to build apparent wind again and keep good

flow on the kite. Thats the trickiest mo-

ment; when the boat slows and the appar-

ent wind increases. Get too slow and heeled,

its easy to broach, and nobody wants that

on their watch.

As my night vision improved and I got a feel

for the wave pattern, Greg dialed into the right

range on the spinnaker sheet. Fritz started

to feel when he needed to ease the main to

relieve the helm, and we settled into a fast

mode, with speeds between 14 and 16 knots.

After about 20 minutes the sky grew even

M I D N I G H T

R A M B L E R

THERES NOTHING LIKE BARRELING

INTO THE DARKNESS UNDER

SPINNAKER AT 15-KNOTS, WITH

ONLY YOUR SENSES TO GUIDE YOU

THROUGH THE WAVES.

THE TR ICKIEST MOMENT IS WHEN

THE BOAT SLOWS AND THE AP-

PARENT WIND INCREASES. GET

TOO SLOW AND HEELED, ITS EASY

TO BROACH, AND NOBODY WANTS

THAT ON THE IR WATCH.

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8

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darker, as a black cloud snuck up behind us.

The wind quickly built another 4 knots to

the mid-20s. Fritz moved two of the sails on

the stack to the transom to keep the bow up

(stacking is legal in this race). My full attention

was on keeping the bow up enough to keep

Hamachi ripping along.

I asked Greg for a bigger curl in the kite,

which gave me a lighter helm, but that meant

he had to go through more range as we surfed

down the waves. We were doing 16 to 20 knots

through the water now, really ying along. This

was exhilarating but required my full concen-

tration, and the darkness was menacing.

After an hour, the horizon started to bright-

en. It was too early for sunrise, but a few min-

utes later the moon appeared behind the

clouds on the horizon. Once we could see

again it was easier to steer because I could

see the waves ahead and plan my course fur-

ther out. After an hour of steady boatspeeds

over 15 knots, we switched positions, with

Greg taking the helm, Fritz on the kite sheet,

and me on the main.

After 5 minutes, Greg was locked in and

steering as fast as I was. The cloud overhead

passed, the wind gradually lightened and lift-

ed, and 20 knots of wind now felt tame. With

the visibility it was easy sailing again. We

shifted the weight forward again, trimmed the

staysail, and I took the sheet while Fritz went

below to brew some coffee. When he returned

with three steaming hot mugs, it got really qui-

et on deck. No one said a word as we sailed

along into the emerging dawn, but I believe we

were all thinking the same thing: Theres no

place Id rather be.

Footnote: The J/125 Hamachi, owned by

Greg Slyngstad, of Seattle, nished second

overall in the 2014 San Diego to Puerto Vallar-

ta Race.

HEAVY-A IR R I P P ING

Racing in 25 knots, especially at night,

can be intimidating, but to enjoy such mo-

ments you need to sail your boat well be-

cause disaster is waiting to happen! Heres

some thoughts on keeping it fun.

Dont be afraid to reef. If you are on a big-

ger boat, reduce sail as much as is appro-

priate for the conditions. Small jibs and

kites are denitely your friend.

Keep it simple. Two extra tacks or jibes can

be the difference between a good watch

and a bad one. Better to plan your maneu-

vers very precisely, and reduce the number

and complexity of maneuvers.

Keep your weight out and aft. You really

need all the righting moment you can get

to keep the boat moving fast. Downwind,

you also need as much weight aft as you

can muster to keep the bow up and the

boat planing. Pack extra gear accordingly,

and be aggressive with crew weight.

Be dynamic with sail trim. You need to

play more range on the jib sheet than nor-

mal, to keep the boat in balance in the big

puffs. Downhill, you need a really big ease

on the sheet at the beginning of the puff,

to unload the boat and lift the bow. Dont

be afraid of a big curl in the luff, especial-

ly when youre on the edge. In big breeze,

you need active trimming (and good

grinding)!

Steer to heel angle. In my experience, the

best helms are responding almost entire-

ly to heel angle. Upwind you trim the sails

for good balance, then steer the boat to

maintain the optimum heel angle (differ-

ent for each boat). Downwind, in most

fast boats you are generally trying to go

as high as you can and still maintain good

control. Forget the polars, the telltales,

the competition, etc. If you can get locked

into the right heel angle and maintain it,

you will be fast. J.M.

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THE HAZY HOURS of a long-distance ocean

race are lled with either spurts of intense fo-

cus or wandering reections where our minds

drift off across the horizon. I had plenty of

both during the 2014 Newport to Bermuda.

The race started on a beautiful summer

day in June, with bright blue skies, a building

sea breeze, and a at sea ahead. Our rst 100

miles of the 635-mile course pass by quick-

ly, with 15-knot gusts pushing Llywd Eccle-

stones 65-foot Kodiak down the rhumbline,

but once we reach the Gulf Streams Northern

Wall, the wind stops. Completely. Zeros on the

instruments.

The Gulf Stream is the Bermuda Race. With-

in a few miles you can be ghting against a

4-knot adverse current, or riding a meander in

the direction you want to go. Getting it right

requires some careful weather and ocean cur-

rent studies long before race-day boat call. If

theres any light wind in the forecast, we avoid

getting close to areas of strong adverse cur-

rent, using every weather resource available.

At the chart table we huddle around the lat-

est weather data, and we study the position

and performance of our competitors. Everyone

in the afterguard is on these sessions. Theres

merit in using collective wisdom. Aboard Ko-

diak we keep to our original game plan, only

making small modications along the way.

If any one of us were to compete in 100

long-distance races over the course of our life-

times, and we only stuck to one strategy

staying to the rhumblineour results would

be better than average. The reason is simple;

the rhumbline is the straight line.

Historians say the key to the Bermuda Race

is to sail 30 miles west of the rhumbline. Its

an excellent rule of thumb because the Gulf

Stream generally ows to the northeast. In

theory, by staying west, the current will set

you on the rhumbline upon exiting the Stream.

But rst, one must get through it, and our

passage through the North Wall is a test of

patience. I assure you theres no greater

test of morale than slating on a calm sea.

Sail changes seem to take place with every

helmsman every rotation and jokes run their

course. Worst of all, the distance-to-nish

needle doesnt budge. When this happens

we fear the competition is somewhere over

the horizon, speeding away. So we remind

ourselves that other boats nearby are suf-

fering, too. But then the Streams confused

sea prevents the boat from gliding over the

waves, and when theres no wind, no amount

of sail trim seems to work. Its a struggle to

build speed or simply hold a straight compass

course. Nerves start to agitate.

In these conditions I avoid staring at the

large bank of displays, and instead scan the

water for puffs, check the telltales, concen-

trate on steering, and use the compass. One

of our helmsmen, Fred Detwiler, of Detroit,

sails a lot in light winds on Lake Michigan, so

hes a natural at nudging Kodiak along in slop-

py conditions. His technique is to sail a slight-

ly low course while on the wind to generate

speed. When the wind was coming from be-

hind, hed keep a slightly higher course than

normal to get the boat moving and the water

owing past the underwater foils.

Keeping a positive attitude is a challenge

F R E S H A I R

THE LONG AND PEACEFUL WATCHES

OF THIS YEARS NEWPORT BERMUDA

RACE OFFERED THE PERFECT

OPPORTUNITY TO CONTEMPLATE THE

ALLURE OF OCEAN RACING.

Kodiaks skipper Llwyd Ecclestone and his 15

crewmembers enjoyed frustrating calms and

three major squalls before nishing the 635-

mile Newport Bermuda Race in 86 hours.

Photo: Daniel Forster

WHILE SITTING ON THE

RA IL , WATCHING THE

WAVES AND CLOUDS

PASS BY, I HAD TIME TO

THINK ABOUT L IFE ,

UPCOMING SA IL ING,

AND HOW SOOTHING IT

IS TO BE AT SEA . WE RE

ALL REFRESHINGLY

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in these conditions. It helps to set small, at-

tainable goals. For example, we keep track of

the time it takes to sail one mile. Then, try to

sail the next mile in less time. Its good men-

tal therapy for everyone because racing sail-

ors, by nature, like a challenge. Of course,

theres the inevitable and healthy competi-

tion between watches. There is a quiet sat-

isfaction when youve gained more miles dur-

ing your four-hour watch. During one long

stretch, Detwilers watch outperforms the

other watch by 10 miles, twice in a row. Of

course, part of this is pure luck, but it stokes

our competitive fire.

We avoid a lot of extra conversation among

the sailors on watch because if the talk isnt

about the boats performance, our performance

suffers. The best time for conversation and sto-

ry telling is during meals, when everyone is more

relaxed, and the chatter doesnt disrupt the ow

of trimmers and helmsmen on deck.

A good attitude on and off deck is impor-

tant. Frequent sarcasm destroys condence

and team spirit. I once heard the great Cap-

tain Irving Johnson say to a crew before leav-

ing the dock, If we each do a little bit more

than our share, we will be OK. Great skippers,

watch captains, and tacticians build morale by

asking for ideas and input. Whether to use the

input can be decided later. Sure, its common

sense good manners, but please and thank

you do positively contribute to the boat-

speed.

A favorite old-time ocean-racing adage

dictates that one should not race on a boat

shorter in length than ones age. Kodiak, at

65 feet LOA, gives me a one-year cushion.

Three crewmates are in the 70s, three of us

are in our sixties, and several others are over

50. Its great for us to be out enjoying this at

our age, but Ill admit its not getting easier.

The process of going on watch is exhaust-

ing, especially with the boat pounding in big

waves and no wind. At one point chuckle to

myself, thinking how much pleasure I used to

get from going on watch. We were young, rug-

ged, and didnt know any better, but the re-

wards of ocean racing forever outweigh any

forgettable discomfort.

We endure three agonizing calms, each last-

ing 8 to 12 hours. Between them, were pound-

ed by three powerful storms. At the helm, its

difficult to see through the intense rain, but

the strong winds and resulting speeds lift ev-

eryones spirits and recalibrate their minds

back into race mode.

At one point during the race, Im talking to

Karl von Schwarz while I preparing to go on

watch. Its 0340. No one had gotten much

sleep with the boat pounding. I ask him if we

still have the same spinnaker ying?

He laughs and says, Weve had six sail

changes.

Its hard to believe I actually slept through

all the commotion on deck, but maybe deep

sleep comes with age, too.

Kodiak is a 19-year-old Reichel/Pugh design.

It has sailed under different names, includ-

ing Exile, Blue Yankee, and Aurora. Its a well-

rounded boat, and the Bermuda Race organiz-

ers, the Cruising Club of America and the Royal

Bermuda Yacht Club, score the race using dif-

ferent handicap rules. Often a boat will end up

in a different nishing position depending on

the rule applied, which creates all sorts of con-

fusion. It sure would be great if race organizers

would use one handicap rule to avoid the inevi-

table argument of who actual won?

We win our class in ORR, and placed second

under IRC, so we get a trophy.

Finishing at 0200, after 86 hours at sea, a

hard rain drenches our long motor into the har-

bor. The rain bothers no one. Our minds are on

race committee patrol boat passing us cold

beer. With each swallow theres great satisfac-

tion that an amateur crew of veteran sailors

has successfully completed the thrash to the

Onion Patch.

After a long shower at the hotel I check the

dates of the 2016 edition and wonder if Eccle-

stone would stretch Kodiak by another foot.

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8

Catalina 275 SportA fast, fun, easy-to-sail weekender!

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The cockpit is what the 275 is all about. The helmsman will become

reacquainted with the simple pleasure of steering a well-

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ergonomically designed outboard coamings.

Accommodations below are adequate for weekending

or just getting out of the weather, and an enclosed

head is always appreciated, even on day sails.

The new award-winning Catalina 275 Sport just may be the

boat youve been waiting for.

Maybe you want to recapture the pure joy of sailing in a

simpler but stylish boat that doesnt require much effort

or crew to get you out on the water

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complications of a larger boat just to enjoy an

afternoon out on the water with a few friends

Maybe a pretty and fast boat will just be more

fun to own!

The new Catalina 275 Sport is the 5 Series

newest design from Catalina. It reects

what many sailors have told us they no

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are spending fewer nights aboard, but

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The 275 Sport was designed to

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Charlie Enright (Bristol, R.I.), Team Alvimedica

I started sailing from an early age, so it was great to discover competitive sailing through US Sailing Youth Championship events. This provided an early pathway to small boat racing at a national level before advancing to collegiate racing. As a junior sailor, US Sailing competitions such as the Bemis and Sears (Chubb U.S. Junior Double- and Triplehanded Championships) were something we all aspired to. This was a great way to check in with other young sailors and it helped raise the bar of our sailing to a higher level. US Sailing junior events provided a great bridge between early dinghy sailing in Optis to racing competitively as a teenager. As an adult, I competed for the Hinman Trophy (U.S. Team Racing Championship), a great event where we sailed against some of the top teams in the country. US Sailing provided the framework to convert my sailing passion into a desire to race and their National Championships provided me with goals.

Sally Barkow (Waukesha, Wis.), Team SCA

6JGTUVDKI755CKNKPIGXGPV+TGOGODGTEQORGVKPIKPYCUthe U.S. Junior Womens Doublehanded Championship CV 5QWVJGTP ;CEJV%NWD +V YCU VJG TUV VKOG + YCU TGCNN[involved with an event of that caliber and was a great jump-start into the bigger aspect of the sport. It was an important moment for my sailing career as it made me realize what potential opportunities were out there. US Sailing played a huge role in allowing me to continue racing at a high level. It was the avenue for me to race on the Olympic circuit and then in the Olympics, and I really could not have done that all on my own.

US Sailing reached out to several American Volvo Ocean 4CEGEQORGVKVQTUCPFCUMGFVJGOVQTGGEVQPJQYVJGKTNQXGHQT VJG URQTV CPF QXGTCNN FGXGNQROGPV YCU KPWGPEGF D[ VJGOCP[RTQITCOU GXGPVU CPFUGTXKEGUUWRRQTVGFD[755CKNKPIOGODGTU

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BILL HARDESTY had already won

the Naples Sabot Junior Nation-

als twice when I recruited him for

a road trip to Ohio for the Snipe

Nationals in 1991. My Snipe was

lashed to the roof of our van and

we were towing a Star that we

were going to deliver along the

way. Hardesty, 16 at the time,

was behind the wheel when the

trailer came unhitched and rolled

into a roadside ditch. Im sure

there was a lesson or two he took

away from that tripother than

how to recover a trailered boat

from a ditchthat helped him

eventually earn College Sailor of

the Year and the Rolex Yachtsman

of the Year Award in 2011.

Today hes a professional sail-

or, equally adept at tactics and

marine engine repair. He came

through junior sailing in the days

before coddling, from an era of re-

gatta travel in beater vans, learn-

ing to keep them running, and

simply getting by. When he won

his Rolex watch he gave it to his

father, settling a 20-year promise

made when he needed cash for a

junior event.

With three world titles in the

Etchells, two in match racing, two

in the Melges 24, and one each in

the Farr 40 and Melges 20, Hard-

esty recently shared with me his

advice and observations of what

makes a winning campaign.

In each world championship

win youve been more domi-

nant. This year, you won by 35

points, without having to sail

the last race . . . In a huge eet

of world champions from the

past 18 years. How could you

be so dominating?

We put it in more effort. I nev-

er assume well be ready for the

next worlds just because we won

the previous worlds. There were

teams that put in more time than

us, but they are starting at a low-

er level. Our level is high, and

when we put in the effort, we

keep pushing it higher.

I had a great crew, but we had

to work hard to become a good

Etchells team. Sailing two-mile

legs, in big eets, hiking hard on a

30-foot boat, is a different game.

I had a pretty low condence go-

ing into the event. We hadnt dom-

inated going into it, as we had in

the previous two campaigns.

I woke up nervous the rst

day, and I was coming to grips

that winning might not be a real-

istic outcome. My expectations

werent too high, and I decided

to go out and have fun. So we

got out on the course, and all of

sudden there was this energy on-

board. It began with one person,

but became contagious. The com-

munication started rolling, and af-

ter months of struggle it all came

together. Our tuning decisions

and our tactical decisions were

sharp. We posted a 2-2 that day.

How does one get away clean

from a 95-boat starting line?

This is about risk management.

We had a hard time determining

the advantages on the course,

and whether a side would prove

favorable. It was a very tricky ven-

ue, where the right side would be

favored on one upwind leg and

the left side would be better for

the next upwind leg, with no obvi-

ous reason why. We found it to be

very mysterious.

So, to manage the risk, we al-

most always started in the mid-

dle of the line. With the long line

there was a mid-line boat, so we

started there most of the time,

to the right of it, which helped us

with our distance to the line. This

allowed us safe starts, and let our

speed pull us to the front group.

C O N S I S T E N T LY

G O O D

AS ONE OF THE WORLDS BEST ONE-DESIGN SAILORS,

BILL HARDESTY MAKES WINNING A 95-BOAT WORLD

CHAMPIONSHIP LOOK EASY.

Team Line Honors Sailing en route to Bill Hardestys third

Etchells world title. The foursomes worst nish was a 20th

in the nine-race series (they sat out the nal race).

Photo: Sharon Green

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038

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After a few minutes off the

line, you get a sense of which

side of the course is favored.

Wed dig in a bit, and get to the

rst weather mark no worse

than 20th. Wed chip away

from there.

Another factor in starting

line placement is seeking low-

density areas. An end might

be favored, but if that end at-

tracts a pack of boats, the ad-

vantage is negated. Our strat-

egy during our set up would

be to get on starboard tack

a little sooner than the boats

around us. Wed set up high,

aim deep on a broad reach to

get down to the line, and this

let people know we were go-

ing to start in that area, which

most of the time would push

people to other areas. We had

a reputation of getting off the

line well, with decent speed,

and nobody wanted to be

aside us. As the regatta pro-

gressed, it became easier to

achieve low-density starts.

What was your strategy on

the rst run?

Our strategy, regardless

of eet size, is to seek space

and avoid packs. This is our

focus, to get separation from

those around us to maximize

our options. This gives you

clear water, so you are not

riding the wakes of the other

boats, and you get clear air.

When it got light and lumpy

we had the space to put the

bow up. We learned up in the

lulls, down in the puffs in ju-

nior sailingYou just have

to put your boat in an area

of the course to execute it.

It might look bad initially, dis-

tancing from the eet, but

long term you can pass a lot

of boats. One split downwind

we probably passed 20 boats..

Having space allows you to

keep your boatspeed moving

at its optimal. When youre in

a bunch of boats you spend

all your energy trying to stay

within a narrow wind lane. You

are more focused on surviving

instead of sailing fast.

Adapting to the type of

boat is key. The Etchells is a

heavier boat with a symmetric

spinnaker. A sportboat with an

asymmetric spinnaker doesnt

create as much of a wake as a

displacement boat does, and

the apparent wind is further

forward, but they gain a lot

more speed [sailing higher an-

gles], and having that option

is vital to keeping the boat

moving fast. But regardless of

Etchells world champions Stephanie Roble, Marcus

Eagan, Taylor Caneld, and Bill Hardesty, topped a

eet packed full of veteran and top-tier pro sailors.

Photo: Sharon Green

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039

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1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8

boat type, whenever you are

sacricing optimal VMG due to

boat positioning, you have to

ask yourself if its worth sailing

conservatively to be near oth-

er boats. It might seem risky

to split when its actually the

better option.

In big eets, missing a few

shifts is magnied; how did

you avoid any deep nishes?

Our hero race of the se-

ries was our 13th. It was a re-

ally long ve-leg, two-plus

hour race. It was light, and we

started at the mid-boat. Every-

one that took our stern to go

right was ahead of us, and we

rounded the rst mark some-

where in the 50 or 60s. The

conditions were really hard, re-

ally bumpy, but these are the

kind of conditions when big

movement is possible.

We set out carefully man-

aging the risks. We sought out

opportunities to advance, to

get leverage, and they always

worked. We never lost sight of

boatspeed either. It was easy

to be slow, and when others

lost sight of their speed, we

remained fast.

What may have also helped

us with the comeback is that it

was late in the series, and giv-

en the standings, and the size

of discards of our closest com-

petitors, we theorized that get-

ting a big score wouldnt kill

us. Of course, its not what we

wanted, but that fact did help

us relax and sail a bit freer. Its

easy to make good decisions

when relaxed. Having that

comeback may have won us

the worlds. Often, at the end

of the regatta, the results are

determined as much by the top

scores as they are by recover-

ies like that one.

Your profession is sailing,

which isnt the most stable

environment. Yet, you spend

money to sail your boat, sac-

ricing income to do so. Why

do it, and why the Etchells?

I forgot who told me this,

but they said that it doesnt

matter what you sail, but its

best that you sail what every-

one else in the area was sail-

ing. So in San Diego, the big

eets were the Etchells class

and the Snipe class. So I got

involved with these classes.

I rst got into Etchells as a

teenager, sailing with the local

eet, crewing for a few peo-

ple including Dennis Conner.

They were adult classes, and

I borrowed boats and raced

in these big eetsagainst the

best in the area. These were

the classes that you wanted

to be in.

I bought my Etchells in 2007

for $15,000. It had sat for a

while, unused, and wasnt look-

ing too good, but I put in the

time and money to x it. This

was when I was trying to mak-

ing a living at sailing, so it might

have seemed counterproduc-

tive to be spending money on

my own boat, but when you

look at the guys that had built

up their professional careers,

the bigger guys like Paul Cayard

and John Kostecki, they all had

their own programs. They had

their thing, and then they had

what they did for work.

Yes, you lose some profes-

sional opportunities sailing

your own boat, but I look at it

as marketing and keeping my

sailing skills sharp. Plus, when

I got my boat I was still learn-

ing about sail design and tun-

ing, and how changes impact

performance. The Etchells has

been good for this. It is tech-

nical, with rig tuning encom-

passing shroud, mast butt,

and mast-bend controls. We

sail test, and have different

jibs and spinnakers for differ-

ent wind strengths. All these

lessons have helped me bet-

ter serve my customers.

How do you adapt to new

venues and complications?

The venue was busy with

other events and it was dif-

cult to get crane access to

work on the keel. We found

ourselves working late, af-

ter hours, into the night. This

event required effort, it took

adjustment, and it was impor-

tant to adapt, and not let it be

a distraction.

US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider/ Will Ricketson

www.harken.com

O F F I C I A L S I LV E R PA R T N E R

All the best from Harken to the US Sailing Team at the 2014 ISAF Sailing World Championships, Santander, Spain, September 821

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TEST OFMANY TIMES OVER THEIR 40,000 MILES AND EIGHT MONTHS,

THE CREWS OF THE VOLVO OCEAN RACE WILL EITHER ASK, OR

BE ASKED, WHY THEY SUBJECT THEMSELVES TO SUCH MENTAL

AND PHYSICAL ANGUISH. THE ANSWER IS A COMPLICATED ONE,

BECAUSE FOR EACH OF THE SAILORS THERES A PERSONAL

TWIST. ITS NEVER ABOUT THE PAYCHECK BECAUSE NO AMOUNT

OF MONEY COULD JUSTIFY THE RISK. NO, ITS ABOUT THE

REWARD, SOME DEEP-ROOTED PERSONAL FULFILLMENT. Q WITH

VOLVO OCEAN RACE ORGANIZERS PUSHING FORTH THEIR AGEN-

DA FOR A ONE-BOAT, ONE-FLEET TEST OF SKILL, ONCE