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I . O F m TH EEU ~ I lH r , ;~ ( l lSunsa l l- SAIL ING VACATIONS ~IY US SAILING1 ! f J . REGATTA N E T W O R K ' l'ULiTI=DI 'A'~............... _01!1 ._ ... __S Y S T E " M S llC E S ' ' '' '' '' O . .. .

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SAILIN'GWORILD SINCE 1703 SPE RRY. ..MOUNTGAYRUM TOP - SID E R~BARBADOS

A N D L O C A T I O N S"~~PETERSBURG,FLFebruary 18-20, 2011St. Petersburg Yacht ClubSAN DIEGO, CA [ ; : : > -March 18-20, 2011San Diego Yacht Club .~ission Bay Yacht Club a.oronado Yacht Club

ANNAPOLIS, MD~April 29 - May 1,2011Annapolis Yacht Club

SEATTLE, WA Y --ay 20-22, 2011Seattle Yacht Club D'~orinthian YC of SeattleDETROIT, MI

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~June 25-26, 2011St. Francis Yacht ClubMARBLEHEAD, MAJuly 28-31, 2011Corinthian Yacht ClubREGATTA AND REGISTRATION INFO ANDSPECIAL OFFERS FROM SPERRY TOP-SIDER:sailingworld.com/nood 1r.I ...nood@sailingworld.com ...... C

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Features28 I Hard-WiredStakeholders of the 34th America's Cup are going all out to bringthe oldest sporting competition into the digital age.By Keith Taylor, Photos by Gilles Martin-Raget

34 [ L uxury From S cratchOn the island of St. Barts, which caters to jet-set and Hollywoodtypes, racing sailors are having no problem blending in with thenewest Caribbean regattaBy Angus Phillips

40 [H igh ly Combustib leWith its efficient, professional class organization and high-speedsportboat appeal, the Melges 20 class has finally ignited.By Dave Reed, photos by Billy Black2 SAILING WORLD JULY/AUGUST 2011

Tech Review46 The MOD SquadThe languishing ocean-racing multihullscene gets a jurnpstart with a new70-foot one-design tri.52 ElectronicsA new company aims to solve the littlemysteries of tidal flow56 Gear BoxSperry Top-Sider's Son-R Booties,Wot-tac's tactical hand toolFrom the Experts58 TechniqueA constant angle of heel ISImportant,says one-design champ Mike Ingham,and it all starts with a balanced helm.62 FundamentalsSteve Hunt has the essentials of alow-risk downwind leg.66 StrategyDr. Gavin Dagley explains the nuancesof light air=theres more to It thanyou think.70 RulesBeth tries to "shut the door," on Carl at aleeward-mark rounding. Dick Rose says,"Not so fast"Columns4 E dito r's L ette r 6 C ontrib uto rs8 S ailo rs ' Fo rum 12 S ta rting L ine20 Jo bs on R ep ort 24 G ainin g B ea rin g84 A sk D r. C ra sh

On the CoverEmirates Team New Zealand puts itsAC45 through the paces during a testevent in Auckland, New Zealand.Photo by : Gilles Martin-Raget/www.americascup.com

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EDITOR.S LETTER

How We R o l l

"Why is it wecan't rememberfrom one sea-son to the nextwhat 'works'and when?"

After the long, hard winters of theNortheast, summer just seems to showup out of the blue. The crew-wantede-mails start pouring in, and before Iknow it, my calendar is a grid of multi-colored blocks and commitments. Theexcitement is electric, but I also knowthat a Newport summer is fleeting.That's the gut-wrenching reality of aNew England sailing calendar: there's adefinitive beginning and end, and look-ing at it makes me anxious about mak-ing the most of thosefour precious months.Memorial Day is the of-ficial summer kickoff, ofcourse, but fortunatelyour local J/24 serieskicked in a few weeksearly this year, and ittook only one night tofeel as if I was right backinto summer routine. Ialso found myself askingsome familiar questions.Like, why is it thatthe "launch" never goes the same waytwice? Our J/24 sees the hoist twice ayear: it goes in, and it comes out. We'renot nearly as proficient as the teams inthe fleet that dry sail their boats. We'velaunched in the same fashion for abouttwo decades, so you'd think we'd haveitdown to a routine. This year, the rigwent up with the headstay through thespreader, and then the lowers droppedout. Every year it's something different.And why do we forget to back up ourmental hard drives. The courses for ourweeknight series never change. Naviga-tional marks don't move. The currentflows essentially the same way as it hasfor centuries, and the same is true forthe wind. So why is it we can't remem-ber from one season to the next what"works" and when?Shouldn't we record the minutes

round, our "clarity" improves, but some-how, the next morning, it's all a blur.A secretary would help, but luckily wehave SW's senior editor, Stuart Streuli,chronicling our efforts in the "What ILearned Last Night"blogs (sailingworld.corn/blogs).And why are we so compulsive aboutrolling our sails? De-rigging the boatat the end of the night is as much of aritual as the racing itself. As soon as thedock lines are set, the five of us just qui-

etly go about our busi-ness, stripping and coil-ing the sheets. But myfavorite part is rollingthe sails; it's something Itake some strange pridein. It's probably because,as a junior sailor, ourclub had the rattiestClub 420 sails of any ofthe nearby clubs. Whenwe'd travel to area raceweeks, there'd always beone team with a fresh

set, and you could just hear the crispi-ness when they rolled them. Man, wewere always envious. They rolled. Weflaked. But when our club finally gotaround to buying new sails, we learnedthe fine art of a good roll-no creases,no bends, battens perfectly in line. Iguess it's one of those life skills we carryon as sailors, knowing that every creasein the fabric is a fraction-of-a-knot ofspeed lost. That's why we're so me-ticulous about our rolling. Our skippersurprised us with a new North 3DLgenoa, and there's no better roll thanthat first one. When it only takes twoguys, we know the sail is fast, but whenthe third hand is required to support themiddle, there's always a sense of disap-pointment. It's not necessarily the endof the jib; it usually means it's the end ofthe summer.of our post-race debriefs? Were great

about rehashing the races and eventually Dave Reeddrilling down to the root causes of our editor@sailingworld.commistakes and successes. We'll go at it atthe dock until the cooler is barren and ~ ~the cockpit full of empties. With each ~ \ .4 SAILING WORLD JULY/AUGUST 2011

SA I L I NGWORLDEDITORDave ReedDirector of Design Will iam RocheSenior Edi tor Stuart St reul iAssociate Editor Michael LovettElectronics Editor Ben EllisonEdi tors at Large Peter Isler, Gary Jobson,Herb McCormickRacing Editors Betsy Al ison, Ed Baird , Greg Fisher,Terry Hutchinson, Ken Read, Tony ReyContributing Editors Ben Hall, Dave Powllson,Dick Rose, Dr. Stuart Walker, Dobbs DavisCopy Editor John WilsonAssociate Art Director David NortonSailing World Editorial Office55 Hammarlund Way, Middletown RI 02842(401) 845-5100; fax (401) 845-5180www.saihngworld.corn, edltor@sailingworld.comCustomer service and subscriptions: For 2417 service.Inc lud ing changes of address and subscr ipt ion ques-tions, please use our website (wwwsailingworld.com/customerservice). Cal l (866) 436-2460; outsioe theUnited States, call (386) 246-340l.Back issues: Back Issues cost $5 plus postage.Call (866) 436-2460; outside the United States,call (386) 246-3401.Reprints: Contact robin.baggett@bonniercorp.comor (407) 571-4844.Writer/photographer gu idel ines: These are posted at theSW website (wwwsallingworld.com/photographer_gulde-l .nes. jsp). Send stones and photos on disks to Sail IngWorld (55 Hammarlund Way, Middletown, RI 02842) orvia e-mail (editor@sailingworld.com).Free emai l newslet ter: Sign up to rece ive our biweeklySWeNews/etter; with the latest racing stones, photos, andVideos from the SW website (sailingworld.corn)Special of fers: Occasional .y. we make portions of oursubscriber list available to carefully screened companiesthat offer products and services we think may be ofInterest to you. I fyou don' t want to receive these offers,please adv.se us at (866) 436-2460.

BONNIER'S MARINE GROUPGroup Publisher Glenn HughesEditorial Director David RitchieOnline Director Mike Staley

BONNIERChairman Jonas BonnierChief Execut ive Off icer Terry SnowChief Financia l Of ficer Randal l KoubekVice President , Consumer Market ing Bruce Mi llerVice President, Production Lisa EarlywineVice President , Dig ita l Sales & Marketing John HaskinVice President , Enterpr ise Systems Shawn LarsonVice President, Corporate Communications Dean TurcolVice President, Media Development Michael StarobinBrand Director John Mi llerPublish ing Consul tant Martin S WalkerCorporate Counsel Jeremy Thompson

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u.

ResoluteLightweightErgonomic fit

Anti-slip ear tips

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CONTRIBUTORS

Billy Black, of Portsmouth, R.I., has alwaysbeen one of the hardest working photog-raphers on the water. In "the business" 30years, Black maintains a long list of clients,from luxury superyacht builders to pennilessaround -the-world solo racers. The arrival ofthe Velux Ocean Race fleet in Charleston,S.C., in April coincided with Sperry Top-SiderCharleston Race Week, so it was only naturalthat we tap him to turn his lens toward theMelges 20 class for a day. Page 40

Dr.Gavin Dagley "I lived in the States asan exchange studentback in 1976," saysDagley, a sportspsychologist hai lingfrom sailing-crazedMelbourne, Austral ia,and creator of theRacer Rob conversa-tion series. "I had the

privilege of racing a Laser at the WillametteSailing Club in Portland, Ore. I also crewed on

a brand new 505 at the Turkey Bowl Regattain Seattle that year. My clearest memory ofthe event was arriving at the club in the morn-ing and seeing the puddles frozen solid. Wewere tough in those days." Page 66

James Boyd In his pantheon of exciting boatsto cover, the defunctORMA 60 tr imaranclass still reins su-preme for Boyd. Butthe emerging MultiOne Design 70, islikely to come closerto unseating it thananything else. "[the

MOD70 class] is not as interesting as theORMA 60s," says the editor of TheDailySail.com, "but at least there's a replacement forthem now, and it comes in at a reasonableprice point. It's 95 percent as exciting asthe ORMA 60s were, and that makes it 50percent more interesting than any otherclass out there." Page 46

"Because he saved us so muchby going to the Academy, Ifigured I could spoil him bygiving him his own Thistle."North Sails One-Design's Mike lngharn explains howthe Thistle used for our photoshoot ended up ill thehands of his SOil, Sam, UPOIl graduating from theU.S.Coast Guard Academy ill May.Page 586 SAILINGWORLD JULY/AUGUST2011

SA I L I NGWORLDPUBLISHERSally Helme(401) 845-4405; sally.helme@bonnlercorp.comAdvertising DirectorTed Ruegg (410) 263-2484; ted.ruegg@bonnlercorp.comMARINE ADVERTISING SALESNew England & Northern EuropeMichael Tarnulaitcs (401) 845-4446mlchael.tamulaites@bonnlercorp.comSoutheast & CaribbeanJan Peterson (252) 728-7884;jan.peterson@bonnlercorp.comMid-Atlantic & Southern EuropeTed Ruegg (410) 263-2484; ted.ruegg@bonniercorp.comWest Coast & Pacific RimClaudette Chaisson (760) 943-6681claudette.chaisson@bonnlercorp.comCentral US & Eastern Canada:DaVid Gillespie (303) 973-8636;david.gillesp le@bonnlercorp.comClassif ied and Special-Section Sales ManagerMichelle Roche (401) 845-4440michelle .roche@bonniercorp.comAdvertising Coordinator: Trish ReardonNON-MARINE ADVERTISING SALESDetroi t l iz Holowaty, RPM Associa tes (248) 230-3777New York David Gillespie (303) 973-8636West Coast Steve Thompson; Mediacentr.cVice President, Corporate Sales and MarketingPete Michalsky (212) 779-5112

Director of Marketing George Brengle (401) 845-4403george.brengle@bonniercorp.comEvents Manager Valerie MeyMarket ing Assistant l indsey NahmiasOff ice Manager Kathy GregoryPRODUCTIONGroup Product ion Director Jeff Cassel lProduction Manager Robin BaggettAd Traf fic Manager l indsey Martins Merriam(401) 845-4424, Iindsey.merriam@bonniercorp.comDesign Services Director Suzanne OberholtzerGraphic Artists Sommer Hat field Coff in, Jul ia Arana,Shelley Easter, Willy FreiBONNIER55 Hammarlund Way, Midd letown, RI 02842(401) 845-5100; fax: (401) 845-5180edltorial@sallingworld.com / www.sailingword.cornSubscriber Services (866) 436-2460;Outside US (386) 246-3401

j'.,.,... ..,..... , '~.' Thi s product i s f rom...W~'\ l""__'~ sustainably managed\~V J I \;.Z_orests and control led\'~,"""" ;;',,~!:~ sources.For Customer Service and Subscript ion quest ions ,

such as Renewals, Address Changes, Email Preferences,B il li ng and Account S ta tus, go to: www.sailingworld.com/csYou can a lso cal l 386-246-3401 or wr it e to Sai li ng Worl d,

P.O.Box 420235, Palm Coast, FL32142-0235

mailto:sally.helme@bonnlercorp.commailto:ted.ruegg@bonnlercorp.commailto:mlchael.tamulaites@bonnlercorp.commailto:jan.peterson@bonnlercorp.commailto:ted.ruegg@bonniercorp.commailto:claudette.chaisson@bonnlercorp.commailto:le@bonnlercorp.commailto:.roche@bonniercorp.commailto:george.brengle@bonniercorp.commailto:Iindsey.merriam@bonniercorp.commailto:edltorial@sallingworld.comhttp://www.sailingword.corn/http://www.sailingworld.com/cshttp://www.sailingworld.com/cshttp://www.sailingword.corn/mailto:edltorial@sallingworld.commailto:Iindsey.merriam@bonniercorp.commailto:george.brengle@bonniercorp.commailto:.roche@bonniercorp.commailto:le@bonnlercorp.commailto:claudette.chaisson@bonnlercorp.commailto:ted.ruegg@bonniercorp.commailto:jan.peterson@bonnlercorp.commailto:mlchael.tamulaites@bonnlercorp.commailto:ted.ruegg@bonnlercorp.commailto:sally.helme@bonnlercorp.com

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Con ta c t y ou r Nor th S ailsr ep r esen ta tiv e to da y t o le ar nhow Nor th t he rmo -mo lded3DL lam in a te or 3D i

compos ite foil s a ils c a n s ta rt y ouon a win nin g s trea k of y ou r own .

Bet ter b y Design1-800-SAIL-123, ext. 318www.northsails.com

S ha ro n G re en p ho to

at www.northsa i ls .com

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SAILORS' FORUMRaising the EnsignIn August (13 to 18), the Canan-

daigua YC will host the 50th NationalEnsign Regatta. This will be a specialanniversary of the class, with many pastEnsign Class Association commodoresand national champions attending. Weanticipate as many as 60 entries, whichwill set a new record for participation.The Ensign is the largest full-keelone-design class in the United States,

with more than 40 fleets throughoutthe Northeast, Great Lakes, Louisi-ana, Texas, and Florida. In 2002, SailAmerica inducted the Ensign intothe American Sailboat Hall of Fame.Canandaigua Lake is one of the gems ofthe Finger Lakes in updates New York,and the races are held directly in frontof the club, so we're extending the invi-tation to anyone to come and be part ofour class history.

CARL FOUCHT VICTOR. N.Y.

To all Ensign sailors past and present,here'sto another 50 years. Cheers.

Parlez-vous America's Cup?As anticipation buildsfor the 34th

America's Cup, SW's Facebook wall hasbeen abuzz with prognostications aboutpotential players like Team Energy, thefledgling French campaign led by broth-ers Bruno and Loick Peyron.This is an interesting effort-theincredible French determination andexperience in singlehanding and mul-tihulls brought into a high-tech, highstakes corporate slug-fest. Could beviable dark horses, but can they handlethe technology battle?

MARK EMAGIN VIA FACEBOOK

We Feel Your PainThis is a story about a Tartan Tennamed Star Ten and some significantloss of rational thought as we invested inthe boat and set about to restore her toracing condition. We took possession inSeptember 2009 and raced a few timesin Cleveland's Fleet 19 to get a sense forthe work to be done. We knew the boathad blisters and rough patches on thebottom, so that was the first order ofbusiness.We had some warehouse space at the

back of a factory in Cleveland to store8 SAILING WORLD JULY/AUGUST 2011

-ED.

A H and icapp ing Ed ic tu s SAILI NG should take a cooperative leadership role to assess the successes during

the lOR period and translate those into the future. No development rule has come closeto matching its success. At that time in the UnitedStates, we used primarily a two-rule system, lOR andPHRF, with growing MHS interest. Today, there aremore boats and specialization so US SAILING mustemphasize that it's time to fully support a three-level system: a high performance rule for high-endinternational competition, ORR- and IRC-type rulesfor the mid-level, and PHRF for the largest, but mostrecreational, group.The lOR succeeded at the grand-prix level because it

was reasonably simple, formula-based, single number,published, had no subjective factors, and was interna-t ionally supported. Much of i ts success at the grand-pr ixlevel was due to typeforming. In its day, lOR had it rightfor grand-prix racing, but not for a wider range of boats.In the end, its fatal flaw was its inability to modernize as boats outside the rule were gettingfaster. For grand-pr ix sailing, a TP52-sty le box rule works great, but is too typeforming for mosttastes. A rule that allows limited trading within the typeform is more likely to gain traction.It also should be noted that at the grand-prix level, "ruthless obsolescence" is the name

of the game. But for mid-level and PHRF, 75 years of yachting must be accommodatedwithout extensive boat modification to "fit the rule." For each rule to work-high perfor-mance, ORR, IRC, or PHRF-each must be at the right level in the pyramid. Also, for thepyramid to work, the tip needs to be synchronized internationally, but at the lower levels,there can be more flexibility at the national levels.It's commonly said that there are too many rules and some should be eliminated, but

this thinking leads us back to the "battle of the rules," where each tries for market shareat the expense of others. A much better approach is to leave room for everyone, and eachNational Governing Body should support all of the active and developing rules. In time,those that do the best job for their constituency will outlast those that don't. I stronglysupport the Universal Measurement Form: it will make it so much easier for the rules towork together because no single rule can be all things to all competitors.

BILL LEE, SANTA CRUZ

and work on the boat. The hard partwas how to get her there ...HARALD BRANSCH CLEVELAND

Back Me Up, Here!Can someone please explain to myclient why you can't weld together sec-tions or 316 stainless steel

to make rod rigging? There'ssome joker in Brazil who'sbeen doing this for a handfullof yachts that have ended upin the Caribbean. On thisparticular boat, when theygot into a 40-knot squall, theuppers stretched out almostfour inches! I can't believethey didn't lose the rig, andthe amazing thing is theywant to replace them by do-ing the same welding!

STUART MEYERS IN OUR DIY FORUM:WWWSAILINGWORLD.COM/1107RIG

Branch chronicled StarTen's restoration for the mostrecent edition of Tenspeed,the official newsletter ofthe T-10 class;read the fullstory at www.sailingworld.com/1107ten. Branch's talehit close to home with SW'sMichael Lovett, who puts inhis time each spring at theRiverfront yard in Cleve-land's Flats district, tendingto the bottom of hisfamily's1959 Matthews sedan cruiser Senesce.

-ED

~NBOXSend comments,complaints, praise, andfeedback to edilorial@sailingworld.com orvisit our forums atwww.sailingworld.cornSnail mall to SailingWorld, 55 HammarlundWay,Middletown, RI02842.

http://www.sailingworld./http://www.sailingworld.corn/http://www.sailingworld.corn/http://www.sailingworld./

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H is lifespan is a m ere 1/7 o fyours . Every trip shou ld count.E ve ry d riv e in a B ox st er p ro vid es a p u re r oa d ste r e xp er ie nc eb eg g in g to b e s h ar ed . B or n f ro m r ac in g , w ith n ea r-p er fe ctm i d-e ng in e b ala n ce , t h e B ox st er is b uilt f ro m t he g ro un d u pt o b e a n yth in g b ut o rd in a ry . A fte r a ll, y ou r b es t f rie nd d es er ve sn o th in g l es s . P o rs c h e. T h er e is n o s u b st it u te .

Eng ineered fo r m ag ic . Every day .V is it Po rscheEve ryday.com

PORSCHEINTELLGENTPERFORMANCE

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STARTILINE

Women's Match Racing gets dropped as politics playapivotal role in selecting the 2016 Olympic slate.

F ifteenmonths before Women'sMatch Racing was to make itsOlympic debut in London, thediscipline was dropped from theOlympic roster for the 2016 Games inRio de Janeiro. From the outside, it mayseem like a stunning turn of events. Butfor the International Sailing Federation,it was merely business as usual.To help make room for a women's skiff

12 SAILING WORLD JULY/AUGUST 2011

and a multihull-and right the particu-larly unpopular decision made four yearsearlier,when ISAFcut the Tornado fromthe 2012 Olympic roster-a provisionalslate of Olympic disciplines approved inNovember 2010 eliminated separate 470classesfor men and women in favor ofa coed class. Itwas a progressive change,and one that seemed logical given thatthe combined weight of a typical Men's

470 duo islessthan 300 pounds.But it wasn't a move that sat wellwith 470 class officials or many smallercountries that view the 470 as the mostaccessible doublehanded Olympic class.By the time the 2011 ISAF Mid-Yearmeeting convened in St. Petersburg,Russia, in May,it was apparent the coed470 class was doomed. "There was a size-able group of council members who hadagreed on a slate that added back in themen's and women's 470;' says ISAF vicepresident Dave Irish, of Harbor Springs,Mich. "There are many small countriesthat feelvery strongly ... that their sailors

o8zwccU>':::J~

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are not advanced enough [to sail skiffs]or they can't afford to buy skiffs:'So women's match racing took the fall,

meaning the 2016 Olympic Regatta willbe the first without any keelboats-theStar wasn't included on the provisionalslate in November 2010. "To give [wom-en's match racing] the flick before it'seven had its first run is bad governance;'says Irish. "If we weren't going to keep it,we shouldn't have put it in:'While the slate of disciplines for 2016is now set,there's still much more work

to be done.ISAF must select a women's skiff,

choose a multi hull, and decide betweenkiteboarding and windsurfing for themen's and women's "board sport" disci-plines. "Kiteboarding's probably goingto have a better chance for 2020;' saysOlympic windsurfer Ben Barger, who isalso a member of ISAF'sAthletes Com-mission. "I think it's going to take somemore development to get its wheels run-ning. But the upper echelons of ISAF arevery keen to do the evaluation:'Of course,as the recent decisions show,once you put a topic in front ofISAF's Gen-eralCouncil, just about anything is possible.

-STUART STREULI

Weights &MeasuresOne of the tenets of the selectionprocess for the Olympic slate is toprovide opportunities for a broadsize range. With that in mind, welooked at the data from the 2008Olympics in Qingdao to see howthe expected 2016 Olympic slatestacks up. Averages, and ranges,are of the top 10 finishers in eachclass, from lightest to heaviest.Men'sClasses}} 470 skipperAverage: 5'9", 138 Ibs.Range: 5'5" to 6', 125 to 145 Ibs.}} RS:X (windsurfing)Average: 5'11", 152 Ibs.Range: 5'8" to 6'2", 139 to 158 Ibs.}} 470 crewAverage: 6', 154 Ibs.Range: 5'9" to 6'2", 143 to 158 Ibs.}} 4ger skipperAverage: 5'11", 157 Ibs.Range: 5'8" to 6'2", 152to 172 Ibs.}} 4ger crewAverage: 6', 167 Ibs.Range: 5'10" to 6'2", 152 to 178 Ibs.}} LaserAverage: 5'11", 175 Ibs.Range: 5'7" to 6'3", 154 to 184 Ibs. (9sailors between 172 and 184 Ibs.)}} FinnAverage: 6'2", 207 Ibs.Range: 6' to 6'3", 169 to 229 Ibs. (8sailors between 202 and 216 Ibs.)Women's Classes}} 470 skipperAverage: 5'7", 124 Ibs.Range: 5'3" to 5'10", 106 to 143 Ibs.}} RS:XAverage: 5'6", 127 Ibs.Range: 5'5" to 5'7", 121to 136 Ibs.}} RadialAverage: 5'7", 144 Ibs.Range: 5'5" to 5'9", 136 to 150 Ibs.}} 470 crewAverage: 5'9". 144 Ibs.Range: 5'5" to 6', 121to 158 Ibs. (9sailors between 141and 158 Ibs)Thetwo discipl ines that wil l be added tothe docket for 20l6-the coed multihulland the women's doublehanded skiff-haveyet to select their equipment.

SAILINGWORLD.COM 13

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STARTING LINESailing World'sCollege RankingsSPONSOREDBY SPER RY. ..TOP-SIDERiiISailing World's district rankings aredetermined by an open coachespoll. For more information on thepoll, www.sailingworld.com/ranks}} COED }}WOMAN'SMAISA MAISA1. Georgetown 1. St. Mary's2. St. Mary's 2. Hobart!3. Hobart! Wm. SmithWm. Smith 3. Old Dominion4. Navy 4. Georgetown5. Old Dominion 5. Navy6. SUNY Maritime 6. Pennsylvania7. Cornell 7. Fordham8. Washington 8. CornellCollege 9. George9. USMMA WashingtonMCSA MCSA1. Wisconsin 1. Wisconsin2. Minnesota 2. Minnesota3. Michigan 3. Michigan4. Northwestern 4. Northwestern5. Notre Dame 5. Notre Dame6. Marquette 6. IndianaNEISA NEISA1. Boston College 1. Boston College2. Roger Williams 2. Brown3. Harvard 3. Conn. College4. Brown 4. Yale5. Yale 5. Coast Guard6. Tufts (tie) Rhode Island7. Conn. College 7. Harvard8. Rhode Island 8. Tufts9. Vermont 9. Dartmouth10. Boston Univ. 10. VermontNWICSA NWICSA1. Oregon 1. Western Wash.2. Western Wash. 2. Portland St.3. Washington 3. WashingtonPCCSC PCCSC1. Stanford 1. Stanford2. UC Santa 2. HawaiiBarbara 3. UC Santa3. UCLA Barbara4. USC 4. USC5. Hawaii 5. UC Irvine6. Cal Maritime 6. UCLA(tie) UC IrvineSAlSA SAlSA9[. Charleston] 1. Charleston2. South Florida 2. South Florida3. Miami 3. Eckerd4. Eckerd 4. Florida5. Florida 5. Miami6. Clemson 6. ClemsonSEISA SEISA1. Tulane 1. Tulane2. Texas 2. Texas A&M3. Texas A&M (tie) TexasGalveston 4. Texas A&M4. Texas A&M Galveston

14 SAILING WORLD JULY/AUGUST2011

Matchmaking , Texas S ty le

Clubs everywhere are looking for waysto engage younger members, and down inDenison, Texas, a group of sailors has founda solution, In 2009, Texoma Sailing Clubrace captain Dave Long sat down with fellowracers Juan Mauri and JD, Hill. They settledon a plan that capitalized on two resourcesthey had in abundant supply: eager sailorsat nearby institutions like Texas A&MUniversity, University of Central Oklahoma,the University of Texas, and Texas A&M Uni-versi ty at Galveston, and keelboat ownerslooking for crewThe result of their brain-

storm, the Collegiate Chal-lenge, connects college sailorswith club members for theLakefest Regatta, a char-ity event that takes placeevery April on Lake Texoma,a 90,000-acre lake skirting the border ofTexas and Oklahoma,The plan was win-win for all involved,

Local college sailors-most of whom sailfor student-run club teams-appreciatedthe TSC's grass-roots effort, and ownersjumped at the idea of having young talentonboard. "Even in the highly competitivespinnaker classes, some skippers had someof their regular crew stay home so therewould be openings for the college students,"says Long,

As a result of the Texoma Sail ing Club'sCollegiate Challenge, Texas A&M Univer-sity sailors Bob Long and Kerry Peltonhave become regular crewmembersaboard Juan Mauri's Farr 39 Enigma.For the f irst Collegiate Chal lege, in 2010,

20 college sailors raced on a variety ofmember boats, ranging from a Viper 640 toa J/122, When the regatta ended, some stu-dents signed on as regular crewmembersfor the summer series, "Kids who had zerokeelboat experience spent the summer rac-

ing keelboats as a direct resultof the Collegiate Challenge,"says LongLong's son, Bob, is captain

of the sailing team at TexasA&M, Since racing in the Col-legiate Challenge, he andfellow Aggie sai lor Kerry Pelton

have become semi-permanent crew aboardMauri's Farr 39 Enigma, Bob Long rightlycalls the program "contagious," In 2011, forthe 25th anniversary of Lakefest, partic ipa-tion in the Collegiate Challenge doubled to40 young sai lors,The Collegiate Challenge is here to stay,

and organizers are searching for a date thatdoesn't conf lict with ICSA Semifinals, Afterall, there could be a future All-American ornational champion in their midst

-KEN HURST

http://www.sailingworld.com/rankshttp://www.sailingworld.com/ranks

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W inning the G olden YearsRetirement has done wonders for Bud-

dy Melges' sailing career. With his son,Harry III, running Melges PerformanceSailboats, the Olympic medalist andAmerica's Cup champion finds plentyof time to pursue leisure activities like

upwind to maintain that angle of heel.You're trimming the sail and adjustingthe traveler to depower accordingly."With his wife, Gloria, Melges cel-

ebrated his 57th wedding anniversary inMay. Their five grandchildren are always

hunting, fishing, and kickingbutt in the A Scow class.When the Inland Lake

Yachting Association's A ScowChampionship came to hisbackyard last August, Melgeswon the event handily, string-ing together first and second-place finishes over three daysof racing on Wisconsin's LakeGeneva. In conditions that caused sev-eral capsizes in the 21-boat fleet, Melgesstayed ever alert."It was typical winds on Lake Geneva,"

says the 81-year-old. "Crewmemberswould callout, 'Here comes a black one,'as the wind approached. There were alot of black ones."There was a lot of hiking to stabilizethe boat," he continues. "It's critical

In blustery condi-tions at the 2010

around their lakefront home,and Melges is a regular in LakeGeneva YC's Tuesday-nightseries. He never misses the A-Scow National Championships,which took place in Oshkosh,Wis., in June, or the ILYA Cham-pionship, which begins Aug. 14at Minnesota's Minnetonka YC.

ILYA A-ScowChampionship,Buddy Melges (athelm, foreground)and crew madeshort work of thecompetition.

John Anderson has been sail-ing with Melges since 2002. "His sixthsense is amazing," says Anderson. "Hecan read the water and pick up shiftsmost sailors don't see. He demandsexcel lence from everyone all the t ime.The boat has to be trimmed constantly;if you let up for half a second in thoseconditions and get hit by a strong puff,you're over."

-SETH SCHWARTZ

D ie A no th e r D ayThe news that Quantum Sail Design Group has stepped upas title sponsor of Key West Race Week-make that Quan-tum Key West Race Week-means the beloved Florida eventwill live to see its 25th anniversary. "As we work to developa sustainable business model for the event, Quantum hassolved a critical short-term need by serving as a bridge tothe future," says Premiere Racing's Peter Craig. Racing kicksoff Jan. 16, 2012.

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Co lle ge S a ilin gTeam S po tligh tBROUGHT TO SPER RY I I I J IYOU BY TOP - S I 0 E R &iiin[OLLEGE OF CHARLESTON]r:~> Location/Enrollment:Charleston, S.C., 10,000 undergradu-ates, 1,500 graduates Sailing Site: Charleston Harbor Facilities/Boats: Since 1999, theJ. Stewart Walker Jr. Sailing Complex-located in Mt. Pleasant-has servedas home base. The facil ity's f loatingdocks, the Cato Docks, accommodatea fleet of 18 420s, 8 Lasers, 6 FJs,and10 J/22s. Coaching: Greg Fisher, director ofsailing; Ward Cromwell, head coach;Nick Ewenson, assistant coach; ColinBentley, assistant coach/dockmaster Team Status: VarsityLast fall, Greg Fisher left his post at

North Sails to sign on as the Collegeof Charleston's director of sail ing(Read about it at www.sailingworld.com/ll07fish). Assistant coach NickEwenson has the utmost respect forthe new head honcho. "He's a legendin the sport, but also a great guy andleader," says Ewenson. "He's totallymodest and super positive. He's doinga lot to grow sailing in the communityof Charleston and will help put the citymore on the 'sailing hot-spot map' inyears to come."Charleston has been a strong force

in col lege sai ling for decades, produc-ing more than 60 All-Americans,three College Sai lors of the Year, aQuantum Female Sai lor of the Year,and a Sportsman of the Year. Witha formidable coaching staff and anexcellent facil ity, the Cougars alwaysf inds themselves in the hunt.Did you know:Several Cougars are on the Olympicpath. Juan Maegl i sai led at Charlestonfor two years after represent ing Gua-temala in the 2008 Olympics, and he'scurrently taking time off to practice inthe Laser in preparation for the 2012Games. Sophomore Deborah Ongalso competed in Qingdao, represent-ing Singapore in the 470 class. Sheremains on the team and is focusingon school and col lege sai ling. Fresh-man Carly Shevitz trains with the U.S.Sailing Team Development Team as a470 crew, but she spends most of hert ime skippering for her school.

SAILINGWORLD.COM 15

http://www.sailingworld./http://www.sailingworld./

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Take M e to the L izardSome of yachting's most golden momentshave taken place just south of England'sLizard Point In 1905, aboard the 184-footschooner Atlantic, America's Cup aceCharlie Barr put the finishing touches on atransatlantic record that would hold for acentury, (Mari-Cha IV bested At lan ti c' s 12 -day mark in 2005.) En route to victory in the1931 Newport-Plymouth race, Olin Stephen'sradical yawl Dorade passed thefoggy promontory and changedthe course of yacht design,This summer, the 30 teams

competing in the TransatlanticRace-the first of three starts isoff Newport, RI, June 26-willbe looking to become part ofLizard legend, too, The flagshipof the fleet is Elena Ambrosiadou's 289-footMa lt es e Fa lc on, for which captain ChrisGartner has high hopes, "We all wanted toput Ma lt es e Fa lc on to the test, as she is aphenomenal sail ing machine," says Gartner,who's been handling the neoclassical cl ip-

The modern square rigger Maltese Falconis the flagship of the 30-boat fleet com-peting in the Transatlantic Race.

per since its launch in 2006, "We hope tobetter the 24,9 knots of boatspeed we hit ina full mistral in the Gulf of Lyon,"The smallest boats in the fleet will be the

Class 40s, including doublehanded entriesKamoa'e and Dragon, the latterof which New York investmentbanker Michael Hennessy steeredto first place in the offshore por-tion of the recent Atlantic Cup,The best chances for setting

the transatlantic record lie withKen Read-who'll lead his PumaOcean Racing team aboard the

Volvo 70 mar mo stro as they prepare forthis fall's Volvo Ocean Race-and GeorgeDavid, whose Rambler 100 recent ly tookl ine honors in the Pineapple Cup-MontegoBay Race and the RORC 600,

-MICHAEL LOVETT

+Q&ACapt. Chris Gartnerpreps MalteseFalcon for theTransatlantc Race,SAILINGWORLD,COM/l107FALCON

A tlan tic O cean R ac ing S eriesThe Transatlantic Race (see

above) is the centerpiece of theAtlantic Ocean Racing Series. Toqualify, teams must compete inthree of the following events,one of which must be the TR:

Pineapple Cup Montego Bay Race (Feb, 2011)RORC Caribbean 600 (Feb, 2011)Annapolis to Newport Race (June 3)Transatlantic Race (June 26)Rolex Fastnet Race (August 14)Biscay Race (Sept 11)Rolex Middle Sea Race (Oct 22)16 SAILING WORLD JULY/AUGUST 2011

McKee's MinuteI recently sailed my 44-footer, Dark

Star, in the Protection Island Race,which starts andfinishes in Seattle.It was nice for mostof the 80-mile race-until the wind diedwith nothing on thehorizon, Even thoughwe were pretty well

placed, I made the decision to drop out,and we had a nice motor home, withhot dinner, nice conversat ion, and adultbeverages, We found out the next daythat the wind filled in shortly after wequit, and the fleet had a good race home,I was disappointed that we missed somegood racing, but happy about a pleasantday on the water, It got me thinking, ona number of levels, about when it's ap-propriate to retire.There are times when dropping out

is a no-brainer: sorneone's injured: theconditions are unsafe: the boat's badlydamaged: you've committed a f lagrantfoul or damaged another boat there's nowind, and none in prospectJust as often, however, the decision is

less clear: you or one of your crew hasan important commitment at a certaintime: the conditions are marginal: therace will count as your discard: you're nothaving fun,I don't think it's right to drop out just

because you're losing. You and yourcrew can still have a good time, and oftenyou learn the most in those circum-stances, What I've been pondering is howmy quitting-what a harsh word l+affectsothers, By retiring, am I denying othercompetitors the chance to race againstme? Am I making the race organizerslook, or feel, bad? Are there some onmy crew who'd like to continue, and do Ihave a responsibi lity to them?These are tricky questions, and I'm

only just beginning to process them. Forsure, it's the skipper's right and respon-sibility to decide when to call it quits, Butthere are implications to consider beforepul ling the plug,

JONATHAN MCKEE

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Risk and RewardAt Antigua Sailing Week in

April, Hugo Stenbeck's charteredDubois 90 Genuine Risk (pictured)came from behind to win Class 1by 1 point over Richard Matthews'Oystercatcher. British photographerPaul Wyeth shares his favorite im-ages from this Caribbean event.www.sailingworld.com/l107antigua

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C o o l S h a d e sT h a t F l o a t"Floating sunglasseshave always madesense, but theyhaven't alwayslooked halfwaydecent," saysreviewer MichaelLovett, who gives Gill'sEclipse sunglasses two thumbsup for their optics, comfort, and affordability, "I'mimpressed by how well these $80 shades compareto other pairs I've tested, buoyant or otherwise,"www.sailingworld.com/l107gili

"We launched thespinnaker anddrove the boat inreverse through thestarting area."Antony Dalton, responding to our Facebookquery, "What are some fun ways to pass thetime when the AP goes up?" See more waysto make the best of your nexton-the-water postponent. or shareyour own idea,www.sailingworld.com/l107ap

Redemption SongIn the latest installment to our video spotlightseries, we focus on the resurgent Farr 30 classat the Sperry Top-Side! Annapolis NOOD, Thesportboat formerly known as the Mumm 30 hasseen renewed interest since an owners groupassumed management of the class in 2009,www.sailingworld.com/ll07farr

SAILINGWORLD,COM 19

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JOBSON REPORT

Ma k in g th eo f th e W oThere's a lot we canlearn when fightingour way from theback of the fleet.By Gary Jobson

A fter a winter with too muchtravel and too little sailing, itfelt great to splash my Etch-ells in my hometown for theSperry Top-Sider AnnapolisNOOD in late April. It felt even betterto have a great result, finishing theweekend with fivefirsts and three morefinishes in the top-five. Immense creditfor the victory, of course, goes to mycrew Iud Smith and Dave Askew.After we won, a friend called to offerhis Bravo Zulu, "Nice going, except for

the fifth;' he said. His ribbing made mechuckle because that fifth-place finishwas, in hindsight, our best and mostimportant race.Sometimes winning a race is easy,especially when you pop into the leadafter a good start or luck into a miraclewindshift. But when you're well backin the pack, that's when you're reallychallenged, and dealing well with thisadversity is often how you win regattas.Let's revisit that fifth-place finish:In this race, the fifth of the series, wehad an adequate start and rounded thewindward mark second of 12 boats. Butthe wind shifted, and we were late torespond with a jibe. Every boat behindus promptly jibed with the shift andsuddenly we found ourselves staringdown the backside of the fleet. Ouch.To make matters worse, the boat insecond in the regatta at that point waswinning the race. But Iud was brilliantaswe approached the leeward gate, de-claring, "Here's what we're going to do:we're going to round last, and then startthe race over:'20 SAILING WORLD JULY/AUGUST2011

He delivered his strategy with his typi-cal humor, which helped me mentallyrecover from blowing a good position.By the time we turned upwind for thethird of five legs, our Etchells fleet hadcaught the 38 J/22s sailing ahead of us.To add to the confusion, thewind strength was drop-ping, and the shifts weremore erratic than ever.Weknew there'd be plenty ofopportunities to pass boats.When you find yourselfin this position, it's alwaystough to decide betweensailing in disturbed windand staying on a big lift, ortacking away to sail in clearair, but headed and sailing toward thewrong side of the course. We decidedto work the lifts and ignore the bad air.It was good a strategy. Within a fewminutes we had passed five boats, andat the next windward mark we jibed im-mediately. On the run, we were able topass another boat. Meanwhile, our rival

got tangled up with the J/22 fleet andmissed a few windshifts. On the finalleg to windward, we moved into fifthwhile our chief competitor ended up inseventh. A positive attitude, confusionfrom another fleet, and erratic winds

saved our race.College sailors learnthat maintaining a good,

consistent average is thekey to success. In the 2009and 2010 ICSA SpringCoed Nationals, the win-ning team averaged a fifthin an I8-boat fleet. Andit's no accident that AnnaTunnicliffe and Zach Railey,America's two Olympicmedalists in 2008, won their med-

als without winning a single race. Theenduring lesson is to avoid big risks. Forme, the real challenge in accomplishingthis is clearing my head after adversitystrikes. It'seasy to get upset and startagonizing over what went wrong, butthat's why Iud's encouragement when

The author and hiscrew, Jud Smith(center) and DaveAskew, stage acomeback in theEtchells fleet atthe Sperry Top-Sider AnnapolisNOODRegatta.

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JOBSON REPORTwe lost the lead was both soothing andhelpful. After recovering mentally, thenext step is to quickly make a plan.The best time to plan this recovery isbefore the next leg starts. If things look

ugly, accept your fate and get planning.Think through which side of the coursehas more wind. If a boat made a sub-stantial gain on one side earlier in the

race, consider whether the pattern willrepeat itselfLast summer, for example, I raced

in a catboat regatta. On the last leg towindward of the first race, I witnessedone boat sail from last into fourth. Noone else seemed to notice this big gain.About 15 minutes later, a second racestarted and I sailed off in the direction

22 SAILING WORLD JULY/AUGUST 2011

where this team had made its big gain.I found stronger wind and favorablecurrent, and we led at the first mark andheld on to win. Staying alert paid off.One of sailing's most enduring tacticalconundrums is when to split with thefleet and take a flyer.In myexperi-ence, flyers rarely pay.Ask yourself thisquestion: Should you split with the fleetto make a big advance and risk losingmany boats, or chip away at the fleet bytrying to pass one boat a time? If youadhere to the philosophy of going for agood, consistent average, then I suggeststaying with the fleet as the best path.But if you see stronger wind or favorablecurrent, and you're confident either orboth will be there when you get there,then I suggest you go for it.Maintaining a positive attitude duringa race is essential. In the NO Of) re-gatta we had two moments that could'veturned bad, but a quick acknowledgmentof our mistakes calmed our crew. Thefirst was jumping the gun at the start-we didn't think we were over,but whoever does? The first step in this situationis to flush bad thoughts out of your headso you can make a quick recovery. Afterrestarting we noticed we were on a bigport lift,while the rest of the fleetwasstillon starboard tack, as istypical for thefirst few minutes after a start. A fewmin-utes later,the wind veered and we tacked.In an instant we were back among theleaders. Had we wasted time and mentalenergy complaining, wewould havebeen too preoccupied to notice the windpattern. A few races later we made themistake of splitting with our two closestrivals (on points). Sure enough, we paiddearly asthe rivals found better wind andtook the lead. Once again, Iud simplysaid, "Mymistake:' That was it, and wewent to work to make up ground.When you're trying to work your wayback, focus on one thing at a time. Com-pare your boatspeed with the other boatsaround you. Make one adjustment at atime to see what works. One person onthe crew should watch what the competi-tion is doing. Make mental notes on whois gaining. When the weather gets wacky,take the attitude that there are more op-portunities to pass. A good attitude dur-ing times of adversity will help you earnthat good, consistent average.And, as itwas for us, sometimes the worst finish ina regatta will be your best race. !tI

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GAINING BEARING

Just L ik e Her O ld Ma nWhat does It take to get a kid hooked on sailing? Lessonsare a start, but it's friends and camaraderie that reallyset the hook. By Ken Read

Ioften get asked about my daughterTory's sailing prowess. Tory, now14, is a completely normal kid,gets good grades, has a very proudmom and dad, and plays several

sports. She loves drama and essentiallytaught herself sixth grade when she, andher mom, followed the 2008-'09 VolvoOcean Race around the world.And until recently, she hated sailing.Now, hate is a pretty strong word. Idon't use it much, but in this case, it's

absolutely appropriate.My family has a sailing traditionstarted by my grandfather (who himself

never sailed): the grandfather buys thegrandchild his or her first boat. I wantedto continue for this next generation ofReads, mainly because I was cheap andwanted my old man to pony up for anOpti for my kid. So, I reminded myfather that Grampy bought me my firstSunfish and convinced him to carryonthe tradition. Right around Christmas,when Tory was 7, a new Opti arrived.Kathy, Tory,and I had spent a hugeamount of time on the water throughTory's early years, but we were typicallyon a Pearson True North 38 powerboatso sailing wasn't exactly ground intoher at a very young age.We thoughtshe would come around to sailing, ather own pace; and that an Opti at herdisposal would jumpstart things.How wrong we were.Tory's first summer of sailing classat Sail Newport didn't go well. In fact,

there were days when our terror-filledlittle girl refused to step foot in the boat.She loved swimming in the pool, butthe fear of flipping an Opti was morethan she was good for. After two weeksof "sailing" class (more like sitting-on-the-dock class) we'd taken a huge stepbackwards as a sailing family. Let's giveit a year, we thought, she'll come around.24 SAILING WORLD JULY/AUGUST2011

Forgirls, especially,the presence of closefriends can mean thedifference betweenenjoying sailing anddreading it.

Itwas about then that I really startedto remember my own introduction tosailing-at about the same age. I didmore sailing as a youngster than Tory,but the more I thought about it the moreI realized we weren't all that different.The major difference is that I spentmost of my summers on

the family's 30-foot Pear-son Wanderer, cruisingor racing around Narra-gansett Bay and VineyardSound. I don't remembermuch of my pre-sailing-school years, other thanholding on tight whenthe boat heeled and not really liking thesensation. We towed around Grampy'sSunfish, and Dad and I played aroundon that. When he sat on the rail, it neverseemed to heel, so that was fun. He letme off on my own one day in 3 knots ofwind and it seemed pretty easy.When I started sailing classes at Bar-rington (R.I.) YC,at age 8,however, I

was terrified. The club used the dreadedBlue Jayfor its beginner classes, and Icame up with every excuse in the bookto not sail. Itwas the same thing thefollowing summer. Absolute terror. Iclaimed I was seasick. Hurt. I hid whenclass started. Youname it, I pulled it off.And just as mine did,

Tory's second year of sail-ing classes bombed. Shedidn't have to go throughan entire summer though,only two weeks of holyterror. We tried everythingto get her hooked- to noavail. She wasn't having it.

Wewere officially raising a non-sailor.So we stopped the madness. Tory'ssummers as a 10- and ll-year-old had

more different activities than we couldshake a stick at, but no sailing. We soldthe Opti. I remember seeing tears ofjoy from my daughter as the boat droveaway in the back of someone else's truck.Then I had an epiphany: If she's any-

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GAINING BEARINGthing like me, she'll embrace the socialpart of sailing and eventually forget thefear. This had been my turning point.The winter before my third summer ofsailing lessons I negotiated a deal with

my father. They would sign me up foronly half the summer. If I still hated it, Icould skip the second half and never doit again. A good deal, I thought.

Day 1 of that pivotal year I ran into akid I'd played hockey with: Al Girard.We hit it off immediately, the instruc-tors threw us in a Sunfish together, andoff we went. We didn't lose many racesthat summer and we were in "advanced"class before we knew it. I never invokedthat half-summer deal.I still see Al often and tell him the

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same thing every time: If it weren't for AlGirard, my lifewould be pretty different.So where does this leave Tory?Whenshe was 12, she and her friend, Anna-

belle Fischer, thought sailing class wasworth one more shot. Part of the dealwas no Opti sailing. Instead, they'd usethe Hunter 140s at Sail Newport. An-nabelle quickly became Tory's AI. Still abit timid, they improved and the excusesto get out of sailing came to a screechinghalt. I didn't want to ask, but I think sheactually liked sailing class.For the summer of 2010, anotherfriend, Cleo Farrick, joined Annabelleand Tory. Hunter 140s again did thetrick, and this time it was even morefun. One day she came home laughinghysterically because they'd flipped theHunter 140-on purpose! Huh?And then, one day this past winter,

she asked if she could take sailing classagain this summer.Did she just say what I think she said?This time, several other school friends

wanted to take sailing because they'dheard how much fun the three of themhad. They all signed up and-get this-they are going to take on the Club 420s.Unreal. Ittook her a while to get there,but she went down almost exactly thesame path as her old man.So what do I take away from this? First

of all,our kids will do whatever they wantto do, and we're just along for the ride. Ihad dinner with big-wave surfing pioneerLaird Hamilton a couple of months ago,and we were talking about our kids. Hehas three, and only the youngest has anyinterest at all in surfing. The other twocouldn't care less.We agreed it'sbest togiveour kids some space; they'll work itall out eventually. And you simply can'toverestimate the social element of sport:if their friends are doing it, they're moreapt to do it, too.And once that happens,who knows. If they have talent, it willeventually shine. If they don't, well, thenit'sonto the next activity.Kathy and I have had many puzzlingmoments as parents. Wondering whyTory didn't want to be an Opti wiz kid,traveling the globe and winning worldchampionships like a lot of our friend'skids, is just one of many. But the realityis that each child will come into theirown, at their pace. Give them slack andmake sure camaraderie is involved. Itworked for us. "

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Story by Keith Taylor,Photos by GillesMartin-Raget/AmericasCup.com

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intense testingin Auckland,New Zealand,Russell Coutts' daring vision for the

34th America's Cup came into focus. Asone innovation after another was rolledout and tested, one thing was obvi-ous: Everyone involved, from sailors, toumpires, broadcasters, technicians, andadministrators, was getting a kick out ofexploring new boundaries and thrivingon the experience."It'sthe first time I've sailed with a

wing;' said Charlie Ogletree, u . s . Tor-nado Olympic Silvermedalist, who sailedon Team China with fellow TornadoOlympian Mitch Booth. "The boats arepretty amazing. They've done a great jobwith the hull design to allow you to sailin a big breeze without the scare of goingover the handlebars as compared to theExtreme 40. Youcan push these boatsreally hard, which will be exciting formatch racing and close-quarter racing:'There were some concerns and re-served judgments. The new Cup game isfast, splashy, edgy, even dangerous, andthe America's Cup Event Authority is al-ready promoting that fact. Like any sportpushing the limits-motocross or foot-ball, for example-injury is inevitable.30 SAILING WORLD JULY/AUGUST 2011

What the Cup community has yet to de-velop isthe gear, techniques, and tools tosafeguard its players. Crash helmets andlifejackets are already commonplace, andan initial plan calls for two purpose-built

microphones strapped to bicycles in theheart of the peloton. Best of all,there willbe television graphiCSshowing courseboundaries, laylines, ahead/behind lines,wind direction, and other information all

"The boats are pretty amazing," says CharlieOgletree [above, center]. "They've done a greatjob to allow you to san in a big breeze withoutthe scare of going over the handlears."crash boats, each with driver and threemedical staff trained in water rescues.The trials were little more than aglimpse of what we'll see in Cascais,

Portugal, in early August, during theinaugural event of the America's CupWorld Series. Other than the six AC45catamarans taking part, everything waslabeled as a prototype. Everyone involvedwent away declaring success, but alsowith long laundry lists of modificationsand improvements.For Cascais and following events,expect short races on unusual courseconfigurations, new racing rules, umpir-ing from a shore-side booth, and massivetelevision upgrades featuring onboardHDTV and comprehensive audio.Think Tour de France with cameras and

superimposed directly over the televisionpicture. And, regardless of the offeringsfrom your cable provider, you'll be able towatch four streaming web channels.The decision in 2010 to sail the nextAmerica's Cup in insanely fast wing-

sailed catamarans within the confines ofSan Francisco Bay created a unique set ofproblems. The man central to the answersis ocean-racing navigator and US SAIL-ING's 2010 Rolex Yachtsman of the YearStan Honey, the guy who brought youTV innovations such as football's yellowfirst-down line, glowing hockey pucks,and information boxes linked to speed-ing NASCAR autos.Initially, Honey's principal objective

was enhancing the television experiencefor viewers, especially uninformed view-

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The overall goalis simple: to bringthe viewer intothe America's Cuplike never before(facing page). Theexecution is ex-ponentially morecomplex.

ers, by superimposing explanatory graph-ics over live aerial footage. The astonish-ing positional accuracy Honey's teamachieved in early testing led organizersto request separate race managementsoftware that would track the raceboatsto within two centimeters and with atime lag ofone second. Now John Craig,the PRO for AC 34, can dial in courselengths and shapes, while umpires trackinfringements and assess penalties.Keyto the new look Americas Cup isa state-of-the-art differential GPS system

that delivers pinpoint accu-racy in three dimensions. It isthe foundation for the umpir-ing software plus the graphicrendering on the televisionprogramming. With loca-tion and attitude information

from a helicopter equipped with a cam-era that precisely records its pan, tilt, andzoom movements, Honey has the datahe needs to generate instant graphics.It's a long reach from the tried-and-true,tripod-mounted cameras associated withintegrated graphics in other broadcasts,but Honey has declared it fundamentallysound.The handful of spectators and mediawho braved the gusty and often rainy au-tumn conditions atop Auckland's NorthHead, which overlooks the racecourse,were able to witness firsthand a potential-ly seismic shift in umpiring techniques.Inside a room in the old military instal-

lation on North Head, the atmospherewas quiet and collegial, analytical andalmost detached. Two yellow oblongs

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were moving silently across computerscreens and two umpires, shoulder-to-shoulder, were calmly discussing the rela-tive positions of the shapes that representmatch-racing America's Cup boats.Out in the Rangitoto Channel, it wasblowing 20-plus knots. Flying their hulls,the two AC45 catamarans diagrammedon the computers were almostglued together, barely vis-ible in driving spray, crewsshouting over the noise ofwind and waves asboth boatsbust through the whitecaps.Itwas the stuff of nightmaresfor conventional on-water

of making the graphics look different,adding numbers, adding symbols, and allkinds of stuff, and that will continue allthe way through to the Cup final, That'sthe interesting thing about sports TVOnce you introduce a new tool, you getall the creative juices flowing, and thecreative folks keep coming up with newthings to do with it.

"On the umpiring andrace-management software,the fundamentals weregreat in terms of the preci-sion with which we trackedthe boats. Now we have along list of tool evolutionsthat we have to do for JohnCraig and Mike Martin[Director of Umpiring]:'The trials were the first

test of the new, simplified ISAF ruleswritten for America's Cup competition,and an opportunity to test starting pro-cedures, course shapes, and race lengths,aswell as umpiring. Two Oracle boats,Artemis Racing, Emirates Team NewZealand, Team China, and the ACRMdemonstrator boat joined the scrim-maging."We expect that the umpires will bepart of the television, so that their deci-sions, explanations, and the issues willbe public;' said America's Cup RegattaDirector lain Murray. "We want to sim-plify the rules and the process of sailingthese boats. Ifpeople see a penalty, they'llunderstand what it has been given for:'Under the new rules, a penalty iscurrently four boatlengths. "Traditional

penalty turns don't really relate to what

The mechanics ofthe race officiat-ing are still beingsorted out, butit's likely the keydecisions will bemade a long wayfrom the race-umpires.Observers on jet skis were

shadowing the action, butthe calls were all being madeashore and delivered using light signalsand text screens on communicationterminals fitted to the boats. Protests,calls for room to tack, etc., were handledthe same way.In the booth, the precise diagram-matic representation in its present form

was beguilingly simple and direct. Butthe two-dimensional picture deliveredto the umpires lacks a broader context.Jet-ski observers bounding over thewaves do not appear to be the answer.Video screens in the room will help, butmore work is needed. For the AC72s, anonboard umpire might be the answer."From a technical standpoint, we're

pleased with the first pass at the graphicinsertions into the liveTV,' Honey said."The creative guys have got all kindsof things they want us to do in terms

course.

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we're doing here;' said Murray. "Wewantto penalize the boats but keep them inthe race:' Boats carrying a penalty arerequired to slow down until they dropback the required four-length distanceand get a signal from the remote umpirebooth that they are clear to go.The massive investment in the futureof the Cup became clearer in Aucklandas the days progressed and the firstboats were fitted with cameras. ForCascais, each of the ten AC45s will carryfour remote-controlled, high-definitioncameras. There will be one on the sprit,just ahead of the wing, one on a three-foot-high mount on the aft beam, andcameras on each deck. Each boat willhave ten audio channels-includingmicrophones on every crewmembers-for full surround sound. So, for Cascais,there will be some 100 audio channelsbeamed to the International BroadcastCentre, plus 40 camera signals from theboats.Finding the necessary balance betweenspectacle and solid competition has to behigh on the agenda, but Murray, asthenew Cup czar, exudes confidence that hecan pull it off. He has assembled an im-pressive team of seasoned veterans thatenjoys the confidence of the defender andthe first wave of challengers.Itfellto ACEA head of productionGary Lovejoy to deliver a sound bite that

would've made George Schuyler squirm."Ultimately we want a bear pit;' saidLovejoy. "It's quite a big bear pit in SanFrancisco, but that's where you wantpeople to fight. We don't want this thingspread off across oceans:' "

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e READY OR NOT, HERE WE GOBy Terry Hutchinson The 34th America's Cup will be like nothing we have everseen. The 33rd match was an amazing display of technology,over a 40-mile course. The upcoming match in September2013 is going to be equally as impressive in that regard, andthe current plan is to showcase that technology by racing 72-foot catamarans on a very restricted course, at pace and onedge, with races lasting lessthan 45 minutes. Historically, I've sailed monohulls. So I'm often askedabout my transition to multi hulls. In a lot of ways catamaransailing is very similar to monohull sailing. A high level of fo-cus on boathandling, boats peed, and beingsmooth is critical. On the other hand, thespeed differential between going well andgoing poorly is much more substantial ona multihull: 21 knots instead of 25 knots.Understanding the gear changes that getyou from the former to the latter is im-perative. Should we change the wing twist.jib twist. board height. or position of the jiblead? Or do we need to tweak all four, inwhich case balancing the changes is key.As someone who developed his skills inlower-performance dinghies and keelboats,developing the feel for fast forward modes,while still maintaining the proper height. isone of my priorities. But. it's still a sailboatand the more we treat the multi hull likejust another sailboat. the quicker we willadapt. Prioritizing the jobs and what needsto happen at 30 knots is difficult. Thingshappen very quickly and while there maybe more to get from the boat by pushing harder, often thetime needed to make that "push" isn't available. Thereforeunderstanding what gets you close enough to consistentperformance is key.On the Version 5 America's Cup Classmonohulls, the spinnaker retrieval systems were so refinedthat we'd carry the spinnaker inside of three boatlengths ofthe leeward mark. However, that was at 11.5knots. An AC72will be doing twice that speed or more on the downwind legs.Waiting until the three-boatlength circle to stow the downwindsails wil l be a recipe for disaster. Nonetheless, the pace onboard will be frenetic. The physi-cal ity of the boats has changed what we look for in our sailors.As an example, during our testing in Auckland on the AC45,wing trimmer SeanClarkson was running at 100-percent ofhis maximum heart rate for nearly a third of a 15-minute race.He is a fit guy, but after a day on the AC45, he is completelywhipped. I can only imagine what we'll all feel like after a dayof hard racing on the 72-footer.On the Version 5 monohulls, pure grinding power madea big difference in handling the boat. The faster the grinderscould snap in the genoa after a tack or grind back the afterguyafter a jibe, the better the maneuver. Strength is still a require-ment on the catamarans, but so is agility and core strength:the abil ity to get around the platform without fall ing down.

Being able to think clearly at 95-percent of your maximumheart rate is going to be one of the many challenges. At any given time, someone on the boat is out of positionand doing something outside his traditional job description.The specialty sailor is somewhat obsolete. A sailor who canunderstand the complex grinding pedestals, and supply thenecessary power when called upon, but also trim the headsailwith the necessary finesse will be highly sought after. Finally-and there's still a lot of speculation on this one-what isthe racing going to be like?What wil l separate the topteams from the rest? For the AC72s, these are difficult ques-tions to answer; no one has actually seen one sail yet.

In the AC45s, the successful teams will be the ones that-justl ike in monohull world-do all the li tt le things well. They wil l befast, haveconsistent boathandling, and avoid the big mis-takes. What is a big mistake? Capsizing and launching yourselfand four of your friends into the drink is one example. Othermistakes-being OCS, or picking up a penalty-will hurt. butprobably won't be as painful asthey were in monohulls. We tried a lot of new things in Auckland during the testevents. One new concept that stood out to me was some newrules at the windward mark. Right of way wasn't a matter ofstarboard over port. but rather based on what boat had insideposition at the zone. A boat approaching the windward markon port tack as inside boat had the right of way. The onlyrequirement was the boat had to pass the mark as it would inthe absence of any other boat. This change alters the relativeapproaches into the top mark and in some ways opens up theracecourse. Changes like this will take some getting used to,but the goal is to make it easier to watch and understand ourgreat sport. So are we ready for this new world of America's Cup sail-ing? I don't know. I know that the 34th America's Cup will beunlike anything that I have ever experienced. That fact alonemakes it an unbelievable opportunity, and something that Ilook forward to every day.

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HALF A CENTURYAGO THE ISLAND OFST. BARTHELEMYin the French West Indies was "pooras Haiti; ' according to Donald Tofias,who's spent winters there for decades."There was no dirt to grow any-thing and no fresh water except therain they could collect:' But fortunesmiled on the little volcanic outpostwhen wealthy tourists discovered itsisolated, sugar-sand beaches and rug-ged rocky hills. These days you neverknow who you might bump into.One New Year'sEve,Tofias, who

owns and races the elegant, twin, 76-foot wooden sloops White Wings andWild Horses, was wandering downthe main drag of Gustavia when hespied the multimedia maven MarthaStewart stepping out of a shop. Hehad a race that afternoon and waslooking for crew. He asked, she smiledand said, "Why not?"He assigned one of his regularsto escort her back and forth across

the deck as they tacked and jibed."He hauled her from one side to theother all day. She seemed to have anice time;' said Tofias, a Newport,R.I., real estate developer. ''After-wards I asked him, 'Do you have anyidea what that package you wereferrying around is worth?'"Today, celebrity sightings are so

common among the island popula-tion of 8,000, it's hard to keep up."It started with theRockefellers and theRothschilds back inthe 1960s;' said Tofias."Now, every timeDavid Letterman getsa couple million, hebuys another place;Jimmy Buffet's justfinishing a big house,Roman Abramov-ich (the Russian oiltycoon who ownsthe world's biggest motor yacht, the557-foot Eclipse) is around a lot. Yousee these stars, but they just look likeanybody else without the stage light-ing and makeup:'So it was no big surprise when

Buffet wandered onstage at openingceremonies of the second annual LesVoiles de St. Barth regatta in April,looking well lubricated and right at

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home, to deliver a greeting to rowdyparticipants in his own fracturedversion of French, the island's officiallanguage. Nor when Courteney Cox,the skinny one from the TV show"Friends;' popped up on the beach atthe Hotel Isle de France the next day,tossing her daughter

playfully in the air,orwhen Prince Maurits,10th in line to theDutch throne, mingledunnoticed in the crowdat the nightly after-par-ties, having done hisday's work trimmingthe kite on a charteredBeneteau 40 in thecruiser-racer class.The Voiles is fash-

ioned after Les Voiles de St.Tropez,but beyond the name, the language,and the prevalence of rich and famouson the periphery, there's not muchelse in common, so far.The one onthe French Riviera attracts hundredsof mostly glamorous, varnish-ladenclassics, while St.Barth's is still a workin progress, with a small, eclectic,hodgepodge fleet. It drew 48 entries

Gustavia, St. Barts'primary settlement(above), served asthe onshore hubfor Les Voiles deSt. Barth, whichis working hard tocarve out a nichein the crowdedCaribbean regattaschedule.

this year, up from 27 the first year, butonly four boats in the classic divi-sion, ranging from a tiny, French-builtFriendship sloop to Carlo Falcone'ssuperbly maintained, 80-foot FifeyawlMartella, which breezed to victorywith four straight bullets.Likewise in the maxi/superyachtclass,it was pretty much a one-boatshow, as the canting-keel speedsterRambler 100 (nee Speedboat), withKen Read and his Puma crew from theVolvoOcean Race aboard, ran awayfrom the seven-boat fleet. Only 97-footGenuine Risk offered token competi-tion. "Realistically;' said Genuine Riskskipper Ralf Steitz,who chartered theMerchant Marine Academy boat out tothe Swedish/American playboy HugoStenbeck for the regatta, "we cannotkeep up:' And in the racing class,JimSwartz's professional crew was allbutuncatchable on the TP52 Vesper.If the lopsided fleet left you want-ing, sailing conditions more thancompensated. "It reminds me of theMed, but with wind-the blowercomes on every day, and the rocksadd drama to the course;' crowedformer French America's Cup skipper

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Bruno Trouble, who flew in to steerthe 80-foot cruiser/racer Spiip butfound himself overmatched againstthe canting-keel crowd in maxi!superyacht class."We're not here forthe competition;' conceded Trouble."We're here for the fun:'The fleet had more than enoughbreeze on the opening day when

3D-knot gusts on the back side of alow-pressure system churned the clear,cobalt waters to five-foot, whitecappedwaves. One multihull was dismasted,and a fewcompetitors dropped out,but organizers set a workable courseon the lee side of the island, and thespectator fleet got its spectacle whenRambler 100 and Genuine Risk flew by,tossing spray at 30 knots plus.The next three days were classic,sun-filled, West Indies tradewind con-

ditions, with a 15- to 20-knot easterly38 SAILING WORLD JULY/AUGUST 2011

"Isee a lot of smiles on the owners' facesbecause it's so beautiful," says past Ameri-ca's Cup bowman Ralfie Steitz. "Expensive,yes, but the scenery is awesome."that starts early and sticks around late.I managed to cadge a ride on GenuineRisk and sat in back with Steitz, whosemain job was to run the canting keel.That technology has definitely come along way.As fast as I scampered fromside to side during tacks, I could notbeat the keel to its fully canted posi-tion on the new windward side."Yes,and I actually stop it inthe middle!" laughed Steitz, whoAmericas Cup fans will remember asbowman for Dennis Conner's Stars

&Stripes in the 1990s. He'd beencampaigning Genuine Risk all winterin the Caribbean-from the MontegoBay Race to the RORC Caribbean600 to the Heineken Regatta in St.Maarten and the International RolexRegatta in St. Thomas, but was overthe moon about St.Barts. "I see a lotof smiles on the owners' faces becauseit's so beautiful. Expensive, yes, butthe scenery is awesome:'Francois Tolede, general secretary

of St.Barth Tourism Committee and

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the regatta organizer, wants Les Voilesto grow into more than just anotherpretty Caribbean sailboat race-butnot too fast, and not too big."The more boats we have, the morewe can divide them into definedclasses;' he said, "but on the island wehave a maximum capacity for hous-ing:' He reckons the limit is about 100boats. "So we hope we don't double itnext year. We need more organizationbefore we arrive at 100, and we can'torganize that quickly.We prefer aperfect organization and fewer boats:'Key sponsors Richard Mille, thehigh-end French watchmaker, and sailsand clothing manufacturer Gaastraare signed for two more years. Toledesaid the long-term aim of the Voilesis to develop into an event for highlycompetitive raceboats. "It's not aboutlength, but performance;' he said, add-

ing, "We will never accept bareboats"For now, Tolede and his colleagues

are looking to simply grow the eventin a controlled, steady, friendly way.North America being much closer toSt. Barts than Europe, they're beingespecially nice to Yanks who show aninterest. Tom Mullen, a golfing entre-preneur from New Hampshire who'sspent winters in the Caribbean for 47years, was impressed by the hospital-ity when he inquired about bringinghis J195, Shamrock."They're not missing a trick;' he said."From the moment I got in touch withthese people, I had my own personalcontact. Itwas,'What can we do? Howcan we help?' Every-thing we needed, theydid. That kind of ser-vice in the Caribbeandoesn't exist:' Mul-len tested the limitswhen he brought hisentire crew to a fancybeach party one night,though the invitationwas for owner and oneguest. "I said, 'I won't gounless my whole teamcan come; and theysaid,'OK:"

In its quest to encourage entries,Les Voiles also came up with anintriguing prize for class winners.In addition to the usual pickle plateand champagne, winners get a week'sstay in one of the island's pricy villas,courtesy of the tourism board.It'sa gold ring that's still within reach.

JamesDobbs, a 73-year-old Brit wholives aboard his J/122, Lost Horizon,with longtime partner Nicola Pears,won the cruiser-racer class the firstyearwith a pickup crew and didn'teven fly a spinnaker. Their week in afive-bungalow villa was Shangri-La forPears,who is accustomed to cookingmeals in a raceboat galley and washingclothes in the sink. "We had a maid,a washer-dryer, a big kitchen, and somany rooms we couldn't find enoughpeople to fillthem:'Pears and Dobbs were back to try

again this year, but the field was big-ger and the competition stiffer.Theirpickup crew managed second placein the 24-boat class,

2 points behind NicoCortlever's 60-footX-Yacht,Nix.It makes you wonderif this might still be

one of those unher-alded regattas wherea clever yachtie couldslip in under the radarand make off with anice trophy, then comeback with an entouragea few months later toenjoy the fruits. That

way,when you ran into Letterman,Beyonce, Usher, Mariah Carey, Diddy,or any of the other luminaries thatmake St.Barts a stop on the Beauti-ful People circuit, you could marchright up and discuss hooking up laterfor a cocktail. Youknow, back at yourprivate villa. !I

The diversity of thefleet, from PhilipWalwyn's woodengaff yawl Kate toGeorge David's all-carbon Rambler 100(above), is a functionof the regatta's quasiopen-door policy.Organizers, however,hope to narrow thefocus as the regattamatures.

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By Dave Reed,Photos by Billy BlackWith growingnumbers and apolished regattacircuit on tap, theMelges 20 classhas finally ignited.

or simply "Wilber"who know him, is aiddle-aged sportboat fanatic.and sunburned, sportinguntamed mop of long silver

--h-~-frWilber has the look of aguy who likes a good adrenalinerush: fast cars, fast boats, andthe sort. The Melges 20, he says,as we sail out to the racecourseat the 2011 Sperry Top-SiderCharleston Race Week, is theperfect boat for his quasi mid-life crisis.Only a few minutes into therace, I can tell he'sanxious to do

well in his newly adopted one-design class, and I can sense thecompetitive juices firing in hisbelly. After we finish, however,the gastric battle is still raging."Uuuurrp ... Can you grabme the Turns? They're up for-ward, in the bucket;' he asks.OK, so maybe some of that

angst could've been the morn-ing's Egg McMuffin, but most of40 SAILING WORLD JULY/AUGUST 2011

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it, I'm sure, is the inherent stress of rac-ing in the 23-boat Audi Melges 20 fleetwhere things happen fast in the markroundings and starts, for better and forworse. Our boathandling is solid, but wehave a hard time keeping pace with theleaders and picking our way through thetraffic."It's not an easy boat to sail;' says Wil-ber aswe idle between races, "but that's

what I like about it:'Few one-designs havecome with more hypethan the Melges 20, but itsintroduction in late 2008couldn't have come at amore challenging time. The20's debut coincided witha 20-foot sportboat boom,and its arrival to the scenefound it competing for at-tention against established,and imported, Laser SB3and Viper 640 classes. Theformer is huge in Europe, but has turnedout to be a bust domestically, and whilethe Viper 640 class remains vibrant inNorth America, it's a considerably dif-ferent style of boat-more dinghy-likethan keelboat. The economic downturndidn't do the 20 any favors either, butafter a relatively slow takeoff, the class'spopularity is undergoing a combustionof sorts, spurred in part by a profession-allymanaged regatta circuit and twointernationally established fleets.The boat was intended to fill a gap in

Melges' sportboat line; something notas resource demanding as the Melges

"We sail theboat more than

32 or intense as the pro-laden, hike-it-until-it-hurts Melges 24. For thedesign, they turned to Reichel/Pughonce again and now have what Melgespresident Andy Burdick says is, insome ways, a better boat than the 24."Don't get me wrong;' says the go-toguru of the class. "The Melges 24 is agreat boat, a one of a kind. But this isa boat that everyone can sail:'A few of the owners I meet inCharleston say they're at-

tracted to the class becauseof its sporty coolness andthe boat's portability. But,for the most part, they'reinto it for the cerebralchallenge of keeping theboat on a plane all daylong when it'swindy. Ifyou're not, someone else is.One skipper's compari-

son of the 20-footer to a

anyone," says M-chael Kiss (above,center), the reign-ing champ of theAudi Melges 20class. "We simplyhave more hoursin the boat."

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miniature sports car isapropos. The boat has a full range of"gears:' Fail to shift properly when thepuffs hit, or lose your balance whencoming out of a planning jibe, and it'sgame over. Light winds require con-stant attention to the boat's balance,and an attentive crew. In a big breeze,it's a tender craft that requires agilityand quick reflexes on everyone's part.Even with mandatory legs-in hiking, awindy race is exhausting, but the lapsare fast and short (think two jibes ona windy run, tops).Maintaining consistent boatspeed

across a range of conditions is a

challenge: with fore-and-aft adjustableshroud cars (which can be adjustedwhile racing), rig tuning can be allconsuming if conditions become erratic,and it's easy to get lost in one's tuningmatrix if care is not given to keepingtrack of the number of adjustment turns.The angular hull profile and skinnyfoils demand the helmsman's undividedconcentration at all times."It'sthe only boat I've ever sailed thatmakes me pay attention;' saysWilber.A few recent owners have adoptedthe boat as a trainer for their bigger

sportboats, yet most teams are comingwith diverse sailing backgrounds-some are dinghy and scow sailors, someare transitioning out of older displace-ment keelboats."It's a kind of the entrepreneur-typegroup of owners;' saysMichael Kiss,

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of Macatawa Bay,Mich., a founder ofMacatawa's Melges 20 Fleet No.1, andcurrently the guy to beat. "They like togo to good venues, eat in good places,and drink nice wine. But it's morethan just the sailing. We like to go toMiami, sail for a few hours, and thengo off and do other stuff'Regardless of where they're comingfrom, says Burdick, guys like Wilber areessentially coming for the same thing:straight-up high-performance sportboatsailing without the hassles of biggerboats. The frustration and distractions

ofweigh-ins and crew searches doesn'texist with the class's open crewweightallowance. And owners that prefer tolearn with an expert onboard are freeto do so. One pro is really all you need,says Kiss, whose regular is Olympic4ger sailor Chris Rast. The more ferventteams in Italy, however, do load up theirprograms with hired guns."I go to Italy every year, just to get mybutt kicked;' says Kiss. "They definitely

take it to a higher level; it's a much moreprofessional environment:'Admission to Melges 20 sailing is

$55,000, and that's for a complete,race-ready boat and trailer. Used boatsare selling for $1O-to-$15,000 off that,says Kiss, but they're hard to come by.Kiss, who will take delivery of his thirdnew boat (Bacia) this summer, is doinghis best to feed the pent up demand forsecond-hand boats.He traded his Etchells for a Melges

20 several years ago, primarily becausehe wanted to sail with his teenagedkids, and also because the Melges 20is much easier to manage on the road.The boat has all the hallmarks of a sue-

"The boat has a full range of 'gears.' Fail to shift properly when thepuffs hit, or lose your balance when coming out of a planning jibe,and it's game over."

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cessful traveling class: it's lightweight,has a lifting keel, low trailer height,and no- fuss launching. All of whichis what ultimately sold Wilber, too, aformer Sonar devotee, who traveled toa Sonar class championship in Florida afew years ago only to find a handful ofboats to sail against.Wilber's actual introduction to theclass came by way of an invitation to anevent on the Audi-sponsored Melges 20winter circuit last year. He liked what hesaw in the boat, and the scene, and thehospitality won him over. The appealwas more than the boat, says Wilber: itwas the regatta circuit, the great classmanagement, and the fun-loving, like-minded types he met.With its dagger-like rudder, and anequally narrow keel fin, it's easy to falloff pace, and asWilber demonstratesin Charleston, the best technique is toalways keep water moving across thefoils at 5 to 6 knots or so. Settle intothat perfect angle of heel and the boateffortlessly climbs uphill. The crew sitscasually upright, until, at 20 knots or so,one's upper back comfortably leans into . here tHeMelges 20s are rafted up,the padded lifelines. No legs are allow;Jed the's the usual gawking and shoptalkoutside the sheer line (not even your before an after racing each day. Rigknees) so, unlike its larger siblings, t e tune and boathandling tips are passedMelges 32 and 24, there's far less pain freely-diamond shroud tension is theand bruising for the crew, and much prime topic of debate-but there's verymore interaction. little talk of customized deck layoutsEveryone's active throughout the race. or sail controls, because one need notOnboard Wilber's Cinghiale (Italian for bother-the Melges engineers sorted it

44 SAILING WORLD JULY/AUGUST2011

"wild boar"), as the forward crew I'd trimthe jib, pull the tackline for the hoist, androll the jib in light winds. On the windyday I'd carefully scramble to the back ofthe boat after the set, squeeze in behindWilber, and pump the main-sheet to promote surfingevery little wave that cameour way.Before arriving atthe leeward gate, I'd scurryforward, roll out the jib, resetthe controls, stuff the kite inthe bag, trim the jib sheet,and hit the rail. Our middle-

all out already.While the classis now plenty active inthe States, Italy boasts the strongest scene,thanks to significant long-term financialsupport from Audi Europe. The Italian

contingent is hyper-compet-itive and loaded with pro