The Annapolis Junior Newsletter - December 2008

Good Bye Juan Carlos, We Will Miss You!

As you all know, Juan Carlos Romero will be leaving us. He has taken the position as the Sailing Master at the Lauderdale Yacht Club in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Juan has brought the AYC program to a new level, and we are sad to see him leave.

While working here at AYC, Juan built and managed our year round Optimist Program. Some of his sailors qualified for The Flanders Regatta in Belgium, The Easter Regatta in the Netherlands, British Nationals in Wales, and North Americans in Puerto Vallarta. All of his racing team this year qualified for USODA Team Trials in Darien, CT. While Juan was coaching with us, he was nominated to be the US Optimist National Team Coach, and coach events in Belgium, Holland, Peru, and Ecuador.

We are hosting a going away party on December 16 at 1800 at the Junior Clubhouse to celebrate Juan and Viviana’s time with our families at the Annapolis Yacht Club. Please let us know if you are planning on attending.

Jay Kehoe Juan Carlos Romero Mattie Farrar [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] High School Season Ends as the Cold Wind Blows In The first of November was the MASSA Fleet Race Championship hosted by AYC. Severna Park and Annapolis High qualified for this event based on their scores from the regattas throughout the fall. The day started with little to no wind. Around 10:30, we were able to start racing. Thanks to Severn Sailing Association, for allowing the teams rotate off their docks. We were able to get five races completed in each division, with a few postponements throughout the day. Annapolis finished seventh with Harry Scott, Brady Stagg, Jack Ortel, Kelly Ortel, John Bankert, and Sam Sharkey. Severna Park finished eleventh with Mike Carr, Mel Von Londen, Laura Beigel, Brittney Beigel, and Caitlin Goodrich sailing.

The MASSA Team Race Championship was the next weekend, hosted by St. Mary’s College of Maryland. Annapolis High qualified for this event in the Central League Team Race Championship. The breeze was light and there was some rain in the morning. There were eight teams competing at the event, Christchurch, Severn, Annapolis, Norfolk Collegiate, Pittsford, Monsignor Donovan, St. Anthony’s, and Tom’s River South. The goal was to complete a round robin and a final four; neither was completed beecause of the lack of wind.

While varsity ended their season in championships, junior varsity ended their season with a Halloween themed practice.

The Gift of Sailing – Easy to Give and Easy to Receive Rob Floyd - AYCF/AYC Jr. Sailing Liaison

I don’t know what my parents paid for my junior sailing program on Long Island, but I doubt they required the advice of a financial advisor to work the program into the family budget as we do now. Of course, we only sailed from mid-June to late August back then, and an “away” regatta took us from the Devon Yacht Club to Shelter Island Yacht Club – a trip we made in the boats (Flying Juniors) in a few hours. Today, our AYC Junior sailors are traveling the country, and indeed the world, representing AYC and the Chesapeake Bay at the highest level of competitive sailboat racing. It is hard to imagine a better investment in the future of our sailors, whatever their ultimate endeavors.

Fortunately, the Annapolis Yacht Club Foundation provides a super opportunity for all of us to support Chesapeake Bay sailors, and opportunities for many of our sailors to obtain financial support to participate in local and international competition. Many of our AYC Junior Sailing families are able to take advantage of both of these opportunities to give and to receive. For example, here is the list of recent grantees who Jay Kehoe Juan Carlos Romero Mattie Farrar [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] made great use of AYC Foundation support:

Derby Anderson, 2008 Santa Maria Cup Kendal Swenson, 2007 Easter Regatta, Braassemermeer, Holland John Andril, 2008 US Youth Championship Laura Beigel/Lauren Schoene, 2008 US Jr. Women’s Double Handed Peter Cramer/H Scott/T Hale, 2007 Governors Cup Nicholas Floyd, 2008 Pacific Coast Championships Patrick Floyd, 2008 Pacific Coast Championships Harrison Hawk, 2008 British Opti Nationals Alex Jacob, 2007 N American Opti Championship Patrick Kana/Brian Stout, 2008 US Youth Championship Joe McCorkell, 2008 J22 World Championship Bo McClatchy, Radial Youth Worlds Joe Morris, 2008 420 World Championship Alex Ramos, 2008 Opti Int'l NA Championship Amanda Salvesen, 2008 US Youth Championship Sam Stagg, 2008 British Opti Nationals Molly O'Bryan Vandemoer, 2008 J22 World Championship

There is still time for AYC junior sailors racing in regattas this fall and winter to take advantage of AYC Foundation support. Many AYC junior sailors are eligible for grants and should consider applying to the AYC Foundation. The deadline for grants covering these midwinter regattas is November 15, 2008. The application process is very easy and can be done online at www.AYCFoundation.org. Grant decisions will be made on December 15, 2008.

Many of our AYC Junior Sailing families have also taken advantage of the opportunity to support AYC junior sailors and other Chesapeake Bay amateur sailors through donations to the AYC Foundation. The Foundation’s fall fundraising campaign is well underway. As with AYC Junior Sailing, it is hard to imagine a better way to investment in the future of our Chesapeake Bay amateur sailors, grow the sport of sailing in general and give back to the local maritime community.

I encourage all AYC Junior Sailing families to support the Foundation’s efforts. Not surprisingly, we have made the donations process even easier than applying for grants. Contributions to AYC Foundation are tax- deductible, and can be made by mailing a check to AYCF, PO Box 908, Annapolis, MD 21404 or by calling 410-263-9147 to make a contribution by credit card. For additional information, please feel free to contact Rob Floyd or Molly Hughes Wilmer.

Optimist Fall Season

This fall’s sailing season our Opti team has encountered some challenging wind conditions out on the bay. What we thought would be a great season for tuning our skills in windy conditions turned into an extended summer season of light breeze. Finally, in November when the weather is colder, we eventually had some squalls blast through, the AYC Halloween Howl Regatta is a good example.

Despite of the weather conditions, our Opti Team has been practicing out on the bay up to four days a week. This season they competed in USODA events such as the Atlantic coast Championship in New Jersey, and will participate at the Midwinter’s International Regatta Qualifier on Thanksgiving weekend in New Orleans, LA. Some of our sailors sailed the US National & Development Team Practice in Connecticut in October and the Naples Cup in Florida this past week. Plus, we arranged a joint practice with Norfolk, SSA and Fishing Bay Teams on the weekend of November 15 & 16. Jay Kehoe Juan Carlos Romero Mattie Farrar [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

Congratulations to our green fleeter for this fall. Sailing for us, we had Philip Comerford, Porter Kavle, Camille White, Olivia Askew, and Stephanie Houck.

Opti Midwinter’s!

24. Harrison Hawk 29. Sammy Stagg 62. Patrick Floyd 66. Maeve White 87. Charlie Lomax 93. Emma White 106. Matt Schoefield

AYC Junior Sailor Named “Top Gun”

Patrick Floyd was awarded the coveted Top Gun Award, which is given to one sailor at each Opti National Team and National Development Team practice. The award is given to the Opti sailor that best exemplifies the expectations of the National Team coaches as a model National Team Member. As described by the National Team coaches, Top Gun means a lot of things to the National Team. Not always is it the best sailor, but usually one at the top level. Top Gun is awarded to the sailor that gave it their all in every aspect of the practice. This includes fitness, classroom participation, leadership on and off the water, and of course, sailing skills. The latest National Team practices were held on Long Island Sound, off the coast of Connecticut on October 23 through October 24. Despite the conditions, which were windy and rough, Trevor Moore, one of the team coaches noted that out in the Sound, Patrick was one of the smallest sailors and "showed amazing heart… and sailed exceptionally well in all the series races that we had throughout the practice."

Patrick is a member of the Annapolis Yacht Club (“AYC”) junior sailing program, which is led by Juan Carlos Romero, who has worked with all the junior racers to increase their performance on the racecourse as well as develop their Corinthian spirits on and off the course.

Also in attendance at the National and National Development team practices from AYC were Harrison Hawk, Sammy Stagg, and Maeve White.

Upcoming… Summer Program

Although we are all thinking about the holidays, we need to start making summer plans. The online registration for the summer program will open to members on January 1, 2009 and it will open to non- members February 1, 2009. The program starts June 15th and ends August 6th. For the Sea Squirts, Opti and 420 beginners and intermediates there will be four two-week sessions. Green Fleet and the 420 Development Team will have two four-week sessions, and the advanced race team will have one eight-

Jay Kehoe Juan Carlos Romero Mattie Farrar [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] week session.

New this summer, we will be starting a class Creek Kritters. This is new program is for children ages five and six. It is a five-day class with eight sessions.

Creek Kritters will sail from 9:30 am to 11:30 am. Sea Squirts, Opti, and 420 Beginners will sail from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm. Opti and 420 Intermediates, Green Fleet, and 420 Development Team will sail from 1:00 pm to 4:30pm Advanced Race Teams will sail from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm

Summer 2009 Pricing Member Non-Member Member Non-Member Creek Kritters (1 Week)† Opti/420 Int. (2 weeks) 140 175 1 Session 390 490 SS/Beg. (2 Weeks) 2 Sessions 670 805 1 Session 370 470 3 Sessions 820 985 2 Sessions 650 785 4 Sessions 1030 1235 3 Sessions 800 965 4 Sessions 1010 1215 GFleet/Dev. Team (4 Weeks) 1 Session 730 915 2 Sessions 1230 1540 † If your child moves up from Creek Kritters to a different class, we will give you a two-session discount.

US SAILING Announces New Olympic Training Pipeline Applications for New 2009 US Sailing Team – U18, US Sailing Team – U23 Now Being Accepted

Portsmouth, R.I. (November 18, 2008) – US SAILING’s Olympic Sailing Committee (OSC) is proud to announce a new Olympic sailing training pipeline, which will help guide talented sailors from youth programs to the U.S. Olympic Sailing Program. As part of the new pipeline, the OSC will launch two new teams in 2009: The US Sailing Team – U18 (Under 18) and US Sailing Team – U23 (Under 23). As a long- time supporter of youth racing, LaserPerformance has signed on as the official sponsor of both teams. US SAILING will provide the teams with elite-level coaching, as well as educational, administrative and logistical support throughout the year. The country’s top youth sailors will gain invaluable experience by competing at major national and international regattas, learn how to campaign for the U.S. Olympic Sailing Team AlphaGraphics and choose, prepare and maintain equipment.

Formerly known as the Elite Youth Development Team, the US Sailing Team – U18 and US Sailing Team – U23 were created for athletes who have been identified as future Olympic prospects. The US Sailing Team – U18 will include the top sailors in the (boys), Laser Radial (girls), (open) and I420 (boys or girls) classes, who were born after January 1, 1991. The OSC will accept up to five boats in each class for the U18 team. The US Sailing Team – U23 will consist of the top two sailors born after Jay Kehoe Juan Carlos Romero Mattie Farrar [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] January 1, 1986 in each of the Laser (men) and Laser Radial (women) classes. Members of the U23 team may also compete concurrently at the college level.

US SAILING is currently accepting applications for the 2009 US Sailing Team – U18 and US Sailing Team U-23 from sailors who fit the age and class requirements and are current members of US SAILING. Team members will be selected by sailing resume, including regatta results and awards, as well as a proposed training plan for the 2009 season. Sailors who have qualified for the US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics (USSTAG) will not be eligible for the U18 or U23 teams. -USSTAG Training Camp, all classes except Laser Radial, Miami, Fla. (February 14-16) -Laser Radial Women’s North American Championship, Radial girls, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. (February 12-15) -Laser Midwinter’s East, Laser and Laser Radial girls and boys, Clearwater, Fla. (February 19-22) -USSTAG Physical Training Camp, all classes, Chula Vista, Calif. (March 12-15) -California International Sailing Association (CISA) Clinic, all classes, Long Beach, Calif. (April 4-7) -USSTAG Training Camp, all U23 classes, , (June 13-16) -USSTAG Training Camp, all U18 classes, Kiel, Germany (June 22-24) -Kiel Week, 420 and 29er, Kiel, Germany (June 19-25) -Kiel Week, Laser and Laser Radial girls and boys, Kiel, Germany (June 25-28) -USSTAG Training Camp, all classes, Kiel, Germany (June 29 – July 4) -European Laser Radial Youth Championship, Laser Radial girls and boys, Charlottenlund, (July 1-8) -European Laser Radial Women’s Championship, Laser Radial all ages, Charlottenlund, Denmark (July 9- 16) -29er World Championship, 29er, Riva, Lake Garda, Italy (July 19-25) -I420 Worlds Championship, I420, Lake Garda, Italy (July 27 – August 5) -I420 Junior European Championship, I420, Lake Balaton, Hungary (August 10-18)

Sailors interested in being considered for the team should e-mail a cover letter, sailing resume, training and regatta plan and headshot to US SAILING’s High Performance Director Kenneth Andreasen and US SAILING’s Olympic Director Katie Kelly at [email protected]. The deadline for applications is Sunday, December 7, 2008. Team members will be announced by Friday, December 19, 2008.

Interviews With Local Pros We had some of our top junior sailors interview local sailors. Kaylee Schwitzer developed so great questions for Chris Larson. He is the 1997 Rolex Yachtsman of the year, has sailed in The Americas Cup and The Volvo Ocean Race. He has also sailed six world championships and a gold medal winner at the Pan American Games.

1. Of all the places you have sailed in the world, which venue is your favorite?

I would have to say Porto Cervo, Sardinia, Italy is my most favorite place. Porto Cervo is unlike any other place I’ve sailed. Its beautiful harbor sits on the northeast corner of Sardinia with quick access to the sailing area. You can sail just off the harbor in an open sea, which is fantastic, or you can move westward toward the island straits of La Maddalena and Caprera. The straits offer a sheltered venue when the famous Mistral wind is blowing.

2. What would you recommend junior sailors focus on throughout their high school and college sailing careers? Jay Kehoe Juan Carlos Romero Mattie Farrar [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] First, I would recommend having fun! There’s a long journey between high school/collegiate sailing and being a professional sailor. High School/Collegiate sailing is a fantastic place to begin the foundation of your racing skills. I still use the fundamentals I learned in college today. I suggest focusing on the basics: starting, tactics, and the mechanics of sailing the boat. Listen to your coaches and always try your best. Be focused and never give up.

3. What are the best and worst parts about being a professional sailor?

The best part of being a pro sailor is being able to combine my hobby into my profession. I’m able to sail with and compete against the best in the sport. There are also so many types of sailing. I’ve been fortunate enough to experience almost every type it has to offer. Whether it’s sailing a , Farr 40, Swan 45, TP52, IRC 65’er, VOR, or America’s Cup boat it’s always about the competition of racing. The dynamics of these boats are unique which present new challenges everything you leave the dock.

Time away from home & family is by far the worst thing regarding my profession. Sometimes you think to yourself, how you’re going to manage the next event when you’ve been on the road for 5 of the past 7 weeks! At the end of the season, it sometimes it feels like a big blur.

4. If you could change one thing about the sport of sailing, what would it be?

Here in the USA, I would like to see the US Olympic Sailing effort become more competitive. US Sailing’s recipe for success is out dated and needs to be overhauled. The British on the other hand and several other countries are very progressive in funding their Olympic teams. For instance, the Brits have already started working towards 2011. Their coach’s, sail designers, and staff are hard at work building a platform for the team to continue on from the ’08 games. Until US Sailing’s Olympic program can get corporate America involved, it will be a struggle to have wide spread success with the team. With 4 years to go, money is the most valuable commodity and as we get closer to the next games, time will take over as the most important factor.

5. What is one thing about you that people would be surprised to know?

You’d be surprised to know I can sew. Over the years, I’ve spent a little time on the loft floor repairing sails. I can knock a sewing machine out of timing with the best of them.

Happy Holidays from everyone at AYC!

Jay Kehoe Juan Carlos Romero Mattie Farrar [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]