Team Fireball – Powered By J World Annapolis – Wins Annapolis To Newport PHRF 1 Division

A2N_LH_Logo_2013

By BILL WAGNER bwagner@capgaznews.com

That Fireball was listed as a first-time entry in the Annapolis-to-Newport Race was a bit of a misnomer.

Many members of the crew had competed in the biennial event before with skipper Kristen Berry and tactician Mike Coe having four Annapolis-to-Newport Races under their belt. Berry, Coe and almost everyone else on Team Fireball is involved with the sailing industry around Annapolis.

That collective experience explains why the rookie entry performed so well in the 2013 Annapolis-to-Newport Race, which began last Friday and officially finished on Tuesday when the Hunter 340 Brigadoon was last boat to cross the line off Castle Hill Lighthouse.

“We had a very strong team, a lot of outstanding sailors with plenty of offshore experience,” said Berry, co-director of J/World Annapolis.

Team Fireball had a lot to celebrate upon arrival in Newport as the J/111 took first place on corrected time in the highly-competitive PHRF 1 class. Coe and navigator Eddie Frederick chose to take Fireballapproximately 20 miles east of the rhumb line and that strategy worked out.

“We made a somewhat risky decision to go offshore, but doing so set us up well. We were able to sail under Code Zero pointed toward Newport for about 35 hours,” Berry said.

Berry was referring to the huge asymmetrical spinnaker that provides the most speed in downwind or reaching conditions. Except during periods of extreme light air,Fireball carried that sail shortly after rounding Chesapeake Light until about 15 miles before Block Island. Unfortunately, the remainder of the race was not as comfortable.

“Just as we thought we were home free the wind turned around and we were close-hulled for the last six hours into Newport, beating in the rain and dark,” Berry said.

Despite enduring the upwind slog for the final jaunt from Block Island to Castle Hill Light, Fireball managed to beat the other five finishers in PHRF 1 with a corrected time of three days, two hours and 25 minutes. Saykadoo, a J/120 skippered by Steve McManus of Severna Park, was a very close second — almost 24 minutes behind when time allowances were factored.

“This is a huge accomplishment and we are all very happy. I don’t think it’s quite set in just yet,” said Berry, speaking by cell phone a few hours after Fireball finished. “This was a group of good friends doing a classic race. We had a great boat that is perfect for a sprint distance race like this. Everything just came together real well.”

Coe, the tactician, is a professional with the North Sails-Chesapeake loft. One of the trimmers was Jeff Jordan, is the other co-director of J/World Annapolis. Rounding out the crew were Grady Byus (North Point Yacht Sales), Greg Lines (J/World) and Andrew Boren (J/World).

“This race gave us a little bit of everything. We went through every sail in the inventory,” Berry said. “We blasted out of the Chesapeake Bay and were doing 18 knots at one point with the A2 spinnaker. We were totally becalmed in the Atlantic Ocean for about seven hours. All in all, it was a very interesting and wild passage.”

Irie, a TP52 skippered by Greg Alden of Arnold, was first to finish among PHRF entries — crossing the line at 1:23 p.m. on Monday. Quantum Sail Design professional Scott Nixon called tactics while Dr. Robert Ranzenbach handled navigation aboard Irie. Veteran Annapolis sailors Ian Gordon and Matt Beck served as watch captains.

“This is an awesome boat for offshore racing and we sailed about as well as we could based on the conditions we were dealt,” Nixon said.

Irie was locked in a terrific battle with the other TP52 in the race — the Naval Academy entry Corsair. Those two boats engaged in a jibing duel upon approach to Block Island on Sunday night. Irie went east around Block Island while Corsair chose the inside route. That proved a costly decision as the Navy entry, skippered by Midshipman Andy Beeler, wound up finishing almost two hours behind its TP52 rival.

2013 Annapolis-to-Newport Race Results

(Boat, design, owner, homeport, corrected time)

IRC I (6 boats): 1, Rambler, Custom 90, George David, New York, 3 days, 7 hours, 30 minutes, 33 seconds; 2, Decision, Carkeek 40, Stephen Murray, New Orleans, 3D:15H:29M:38S; 3, Privateer, Cookson 50, Ron O’Hanley, Newport, RI, 3D:20H:41M:36S

IRC II (10 boats): 1, Vamp, J44, Leonard Sitar, Atlantic Highlands, NJ, 3 days, 15 hours, 20 minutes, 29 seconds; 2, Dolphin, J/122, Mdn. Neil McMillan, Naval Academy, Annapolis, 3D:16H:03M:09S; 3, Orion, J/122, Paul Milo, Annapolis, 3D:16H:33M:53S

IRC III (10 boats): 1, Jacqueline V, Hinckley SW 42, Bob Forman, West Islip, NY, 3 days, 14 hours, 49 minutes, 3 seconds; 2, Cygnette, Swan 441, William Mayer, Jamestown, RI, 3D:15H:20M:33S

3, Bandana, Swan 47, Charles Benson, Oxford, MD, 3D:15H:57M:16S

PHRF I (12 boats): 1, Fireball, J/111, Kristen Berry, Annapolis, 3 days, 2 hours, 25 minutes; 2, Saykadoo, J/120, Steve McManus, Severna Park, 3D:2H:48M:52S; 3, Velocity, J/111, Martin Roesch, Annapolis, 3D:3H:41M:20S

PHRF II (10 boats): 1, Flirt, Navy 44, Mdn. Jonathan Driesslein, Naval Academy, Annapolis, 3 days, 2 hours, 46 minutes, 20 seconds; 2, Huck’s Finn, Dehler 36, Jeff Leigh, Annapolis, 3D:3H:18M:19S; 3, Wharf Rat, CS 40, Larry Vazzano, Pasadena, MD, 3D:3H:48M

PHRF III (9 boats): 1, Actaea, Bermuda 40, Michael Cone, Georgetown, MD, 2 days, 19 hours, 33 minutes, 54 seconds; 2, Belle Aurore, Cal 40, Doug Jurrius, Oxford, MD, 3D:00H:51M:53S; 3, Razor’s Edge, Sabre 362, Frank Kendall, Annapolis, 3D:2H:25M:49S

With my morning coffee…

Every morning I like to read through the latest sailing news.  In addition to the many blogs I read, I love to scan Tom Sitzman’s Sail1Design email.  This morning’s issue included a good article on the mental game of sailing.  Check out out below and consider liking them on Facebook or signing up for their emails!

Honing Your Mental Game

by Dr. Tim Herzog, Mental Skills Coach

Sailing is a unique sport with many facets.  Success comes from overall training plan encompassing development of technical expertise, boat speed, strategy, boat handling, tactics, physical training, and mastery of the mental game.  In interviews with Olympians, professionals, or other top athletes, successes or failures are often attributed to cognitive or emotional experiences.  Elite sailors control as many controllables as possible, and yet…  sometimes mental skills are sometimes left up to chance.

You wouldn’t go to a big regatta expecting to consistently go fast without having first worked on boatspeed.  How could you expect mental consistency without having first trained the mind?

Training needs always vary from sailor to sailor, and the first step to honing any skill is too build awareness.  Awareness in boatspeed could mean tuning into components of the experience like degree of heel.  Likewise, noticing your thoughts moment to moment enables greater influence toward more consistently helpful thought patterns.

A good frame of mind can lead to time “in the zone” (as media labels it) or experiencing “flow” (as researchers call it).  You can’t make a flow state occur, but you can set the stage such that falling into it becomes more likely.  Understanding concepts and knowing your own strengths and weaknesses allows for a more intentional setting the stage.  Skills that I often dive into with clients include: goal-setting, clearing cognitive clutter, energy management, mindful attention, mental imagery, and effective communication.

Winning events or medals are obvious carrots to chase after, but thinking about trying to win (or dwelling on fear of bad performance) usually has nothing to do with tasks at hand (like observing sail shape or having a solid tack).  I often work with athletes on setting goals centered on processes in the NOW.  Similarly, our brains are often filled with chatter that is adaptive or maladaptive.  At times when thoughts are actually helpful, it’s akin to riding a good wave- you want to allow it for as long as possible.  But when thoughts are maladaptive, it is like Laser sailing in the trough of a wave that is sending you into a pitchpole… that wave needs to be rolled.  I work with athletes on rolling past less helpful thoughts, sometimes with hard counters, and more often utilizing mindfulness techniques.

An athlete’s energy management is influenced by some of these same factors, plus lifestyle choices, and through psychophysiological techniques like developing an optimally paced breath.  This makes a difference on and off the water, especially in the midst of stressful tactical situations.  Energy management techniques can also contribute to more flexible attention.  Demonstrating that we usually can’t “control” attention, I often tell sailors “don’t think about pink elephants.”   Close your eyes for 10 seconds and try it.  Your brain is likely already filled with pink elephants.  We might not be able to control attention, but we can be mindful about steering it directions that are more helpful, creating attention habits through good routines.  Mental (movement-focused) imagery can be a useful to sailors and other athletes across situations such as: preparing for certain regatta sites, honing a boat handling skill, spontaneous usage on or off the race course, or by combining it with traditional coaching techniques such as video analysis.

With coaches and others, I often work on good communication skills.  Contrary to popular belief, it is not a pre-requisite for teams to get along socially.  “Task cohesion” is much more important than “social cohesion.”  Sailors need to know that they can count on important people like their coaches or their crew.  And when everything else (including trust) is in place, good social relationships can add a synergy to the package.  It makes the experience fun and can fuel motivation.  Whether communicating task needs or social needs, learning a balance between a directive and collaborative style can make all the difference…and making sure that the other person feels heard.  Cliché but true, we have two ears and one mouth for a reason!

Formats for the work I do with sailors and athletes can vary.  Ideal training can involve ongoing individual consultation for coaches and/or sailors, and can incorporate in-person meetings for teams.  Given that I currently live in ski country, coming to Montana can be a great get-away for teams that want to ski by day and learn mental skills by morning and night.

Folks can get a taste of the work by joining a six-part webinar series that I am beginning this Friday.  Log into http://reachingahead.com/index.php?page=about&family=coaching&category=02–Optimal_Sailing&display=76 for more details, or go directly tohttps://www.surveymonkey.com/s/sailingwebinar to sign up!

J World Wins 33rd Heineken Regatta!

Heineken Winner
While east coast sailors are preparing this week to dig out of another winter snowstorm, nine J World Annapolis clients are wondering just why they boarded the plane to leave the Caribbean behind.
As part of J World’s winter racing and cruising training programs, two teams competed in the 33rd running of the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta on March 1-3. After finishing 1st and 4th in the 13 boat Bareboat 4 division aboard Moorings 43.4’s, the sting of sleet on sunkissed cheeks might be too much – if not for all the amazing memories.
With only three days of racing scheduled – along with music, parties, sun and fun – the program kicked off with three days of race training, cruising and exploring in St. Barts. Most of the participants in this event came from cruising and daysailing backgrounds and were attracted to the healthy mix of experiences and the allure of some “real racing.”
Tuned up after the St. Barts training, the two teams match raced back to Simpson Bay. Stopping midway at the deserted Isle Fourchue for debriefing, snorkeling and a croissants and cheese lunch – the pace and expectation for this adventure was set.
Three days of close racing (five teams held or shared first place) in incredible conditions, sandwiched between huge concert parties, and delicious crew dinners culminated in a final windy race where four boats had real shots at first place.
The two J World boats battled one another for the pin and rounded the short windward leg in the top four. For the first time, the more than 200 registered boats shared the same race course. Excitement built as Gunboats traded tacks with Bareboats and big boats ducked cruising cats with dinghies on davits. After a long and windy battle J World Two finished more than three minutes ahead of the top pack and secured first place while J World One, finished in a very respectable fourth.
We’ve identified that in order to keep our returning customers happy we have to continue to provide new opportunities for them to learn and experience performance sailing. The Heineken Regatta is a great example of a program that is perfectly tailored to customers that have done our racing and cruising programs and are looking for new challenges or “bucket list” events.
The coolest thing is that we’ve done the Heineken Regatta before. We’ve done it with Grand Prix boats – and we will again – but the response from our clients has been that because we raced and cruised they felt that this was the most complete sailing experience of their lives. Serious fun!
THE MOST COMPLETE SAILING EXPERIENCE OF THEIR LIVES by Kristen Berry
First published in Scuttlebutt.  Scuttlebutt is published each weekday with the support of its sponsors,
providing a digest of major sailing news, commentary, opinions, features
and dock talk . . . with a North American focus.

VAYU 2 (aka Emotional Rescue) Wins J/80 Midwinters

J World Annapolis' Jahn Tihansky at the helm of Vayu 2 (aka Emotional Rescue) rips downwind at Key West Race Week 2013
J World Annapolis’ Jahn Tihansky at the helm of Vayu 2 (aka Emotional Rescue) rips downwind at Key West Race Week 2013

(Key West, FL)- Enjoying yet another Midwinter Championship in Key West since 1994, the J/80 sailors simply know a good thing when they see one.  Jumping at the opportunity to sail their Midwinters in the gorgeous aquamarine waters of Key West, the J/80s have enjoyed great sailing more often than not every January, relishing the chance to toss out the holiday trees and put away the trimmings and gifts to head south for the warm breezes, sunny skies, great competition and fun times in the overgrown village known as Key West– the capital of the Conch Republic.

The experience is what counts and Ron Buzil and Andrew Kerr sailing VAYU 2 from Chicago, IL would not miss the Quantum Key West/ J80 Midwinters for anything in the world.  Sailing well, with J World Annapolis’ Jahn Tihansky at the helm, they managed to eclipse their fleet and “almost” win the party on land, too.  They left those honors up to their colleagues.  John Krediet and crew on PARTICIPANT III sailed well and pulled off a string of seconds to secure 2nd overall.  Long-time Long Island sailor and J/80 owner Gary Panariello sailed the great yacht COURAGEOUS into 3rd overall.  Finishing in 4th was J World Annapolis’ annual Key West Racing program participants and coach Dave Manheimer.

Every year, J World Annapolis brings a fleet of J/80’s to Key West Race Week to participate in this perennial event.  Offering on board coaching, charters and logistical support – J World Annapolis makes enjoying the best in winter racing easy and fun.  For more information about upcoming winter racing programs including the Annual Heineken Regatta, St. Petersburg NOOD, Miami Race Week and others – call the office today!

Sailing photo credits- Tim Wilkes   For more J/80 Midwinters/ Quantum Key West sailing information

 

How Will You Start Next Season – Key West Race Week 2013

Whether you are a fair weather sailor or a die hard winter warrior, it is never too late to think about next season and how to maximize your sailing enjoyment.

With the arrival of the “frankenstorm” many sailors have pulled their boats, stripped their canvas and may have had their last sail of the season.  Others, like the 16 J World Frostbite students will be suiting up to enjoy whatever mother nature can throw our way on any given Sunday.  J World Annapolis wants to help sailors create plans or campaigns to enjoy their sailing more, and for winter bound racers and cruisers we offer some outstanding programs to help keep your sailing skills sharp.

Every January we head to Key West, Florida to compete in the annual Quantum Key West Race Week.  We offer racers two unique and low stress ways to enjoy North America’s best winter racing event including racing yacht charters and coach supported racing programs.

J/80 Charter

For most teams the cost of hauling, prepping, storing their boat is an overwhelmingly daunting task that ultimately destroys the enjoyment of an already expensive away event like Key West Race Week.  For others, the draw of One Design racing is fascinating, and for international teams, the logistics of getting your boat here is simply cost prohibitive.  For those experienced teams that want to come to Key West Race Week, but want to focus on sailing and not their boat, we do offer J/80 charters.  For our charter clients, we deliver a boat and sails that is prepared and ready to compete at the highest level.  We invite our Key West Race Week charter clients to join us for two days of on the water practice prior to the event and we are on site to provide technical and coaching support throughout the week of racing.

J/80 Coached Programs

For individuals and teams that seek both the Key West Racing experience, but also the support and learning that an onboard coach can provide we offer our Key West Race Week Racing Program.  Our two days of training and five days of racing have been compared to going to driving school and then racing in the Daytona 500.  We believe deeply in the value of cross training and the understanding of the delicate choreography that is learned by rotating positions.  So between each race, clients will move from position to position.  In this program you hone your existing skills and develop new skills while racing against top competition!  We provide you with a race ready J80, onboard coach and 2 days of pre-regatta training followed by 5 days of racing.  Three participants will rotate through all positions onboard including helm, trim and bow.  Truly a turn-key program, you simply show up with your deck shoes and sunscreen.  We take care of the rest!  Plan to arrive in the evening on Friday, January 18th in Key West.  We train Saturday and Sunday.  Racing begins Monday January 2oth, 2013. Regatta ends Friday January 25th.

Applicants must have prior racing experience including tiller steering and spinnaker work.  Experience level is subject to review prior to acceptance of your application. Participants must be in excellent physical condition.  Boat delivery, setup and dockage, regatta entry, J World Racing Team wear, daily lunch, and entry to regatta parties is included in the price.  You will need to cover transportation, accommodations in Key West, meals and entertainment.

It is never too early to start planning your 2013 season.  There are only a few spots still available for Key West Race Week.  Deadline for registration is November 15, 2012 – so call to reserve  your spot TODAY!

Flotilla is Filling Fast

Do you ever dream of sailing the British Virgin Islands?  Want to bareboat charter, but want to have the confidence to do it right?  Annually J World Annapolis and the Chesapeake Boating Club point the bow to the Caribbean for a week of fun, sun and bareboat cruising.  Our annual BVI Flotilla leaves from Tortola and takes in all the great sites generally including Virgin Gorda and The Baths, lobster dinner on the beach in Anegada, Painkillers at the Soggy Dollar and maybe even yard arm jumping at Willy T’s.

More popular than ever the 2013 BVI Flotilla is filling up fast.  We currently have one, two person cabin remaining.  Pricing for the 2013 Flotilla is $1995 per person based on double occupancy and $2495 for a single cabin.

Call today to reserve your space on this amazing trip.

 

 

2012 Annapolis Boat Show

The boat show is here!  Stop by booth A2 to learn about our exciting 2013 course offerings including new cruising courses and racing events like Key West Race Week and the Sint Maarten Heineken Cup Regatta!

For J World alumni, stop by to get your J World alumni sticker and share your latest sailing stories.  See you at the show!

Now in its 43rd year, the United States Sailboat Show, October 4 – 8, 2012, attracts more than 50,000 boating enthusiasts from around the world to the waterfront of historic Annapolis, Maryland. The Chesapeake Bay town is also home of U.S. Naval Academy. Recognized worldwide as the premier sailing showcase, this is the place to buy, sell or dream.

The Sailboat Show is followed by the United States Powerboat Show, October 11-14, 2012. Both shows are the oldest and largest, new in-water boat shows in the world.

This Year’s Features

  • Daily Seminars by Cruising World and Chesapeake Bay Magazines
  • Take the Wheel Interactive Workshops including Boat Demos
  • Smaller Boats From One Designs & Trailerables To Sailing Dinghies & Inflatables
  • Sailing Equipment, Rigging & Accessories
  • Maintenance Products & Services
  • Vacation Basin – NEW Charter & Travel Section
  • Hottest Domestic & International Racing and Cruising Boats
  • One of the Largest Collections of Multihull Sailboats on the Planet
  • Grand Prize Drawing – 7 day/ 6 night charter in the British Virgin Islands provided by The Moorings with airfare sponsored by BVI Tourism Board
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