December 2007 FREE

Long Island Sound Sailing HolidayHoliday Gifts Gifts ...for...for Her Her ClassClass Act Act AA look look at at the the J/44 J/44 Class Class 300300 Miles Miles onon a a Beach Beach Cat Cat It’s here! Samalot Marine’s 1st Vision Series BAVARIA YACHT in the Northeast. Call today for your private showing. See what all of Europe is talking about.

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Also on display: Bavaria 30 & Bavaria 37

A Bavaria Yacht from Samalot Marine is backed by a complete service organization with 22 years of expertise.

Samalot Marine has full time certified technicians and professional staff to make sure your time on the water is as enjoyable as possible. 845-429-0404 Samalot Marine 602 Beach Rd. W. Haverstraw, NY 10993 www.samalotmarine.com for the opportunity to serve you from our family to yours!

Mike Acebo Bruce Chappell David Gaddis Larry Simonsen Paige Acebo Matthew Charters Jesse Gaffga Hal Slater Edward Ahlborn Lisa Chasko Mike Galeano David Smith Joseph Alaman Frank Chaves Eric Garthwait Jack Smith Albert Albertson Virginio Chaves Lana Gaston Milton Smith Russ Allard NhankYouicholas Chieppo Peter Gavett Richard ... Smith Alec Allison Karen Ciarmello Robert Gerwig Stan Smith Mark Andrews Ralph Clark Sean Gilligan David Smith, Jr. Juan Ardila Ronald Clark Sue Gilot James Smith Robert Ardizzone Roger Clark Tim Giulini Dominic Smorto Jason Arenberg Richard T. Clark William Goeben Ray Snow Peter Arigemma Mary Cloutier Robin Golden William Sopelak William Ashton Larry Colantuono Doreen Goldsmith William Sorensen Wayne Aubry Pattie Cole Tommy Gomersall Fred Sorrento Dave Baccaro Jack Colody Mike Govoni Santos Perez Viengkeo Souksavath TJeff Bagnati Gene Colvin Roberto Granillo Michael Perito Andrew Spaulding Lorraine Baker Doug Comfort David Gray Paul Kreiling Nathan Mello Kristin Peterson Thomas Spencer Keit Baker David Conger Christopher Green Regina Kurz Jerome Mello Xayonh Phaosoung Mike Sperzel Christina Ballantyne Steve Conlin Chris Green Paul Kurzawa Troy Messier Jim Phillips Chris Spiller Joe Balsamo Stephen Conlin III Jameson Gregg Chris Kutch Peter Metzler Ted Pilcher Bill Stankard Peter Baptiste Andrew Connell Gunnar Grenman Laurie LaDelfa Matt Meyer Philip Piscitello Lisa Steele Lech Baranowski Robert Connell Luciano Greto Richard LaDelfa Brandon Michaud William Plock Kayla Stephanopolus Chuck Barker Michael Corkery Amy Griffin Joanna Laffey Chick Michaud Rich Plummer Brett Stephenson Jeff Barnett Robert Cote Robert Haggstrom John Lagalanti George Middleton Melissa Podaski Michael Stoddard James Barney James Cote Robert Hall Dave Langevin Don Mikalsen Dave Podorski Rob Straight John Barney Nadine Crouthamel Kane Harrison Donna Langlais Kevin Millard Ron Poette Samuel Streeter Martin Barrera Phil Crouthamel David Haskell Gary Langlois Bruce Miller Rives Potts Joe Stroker Victor Barreto Mike Crowley Amy Haverly Frank Lapetina Thomas Miller Scott Price James Stulsky Lance Barrow Jennifer Czartosieski Curtis Heath Jonathon LaPointe Mariah Mills David Pugsley Justin Surrette Kaitlin Basso William Daly Brihana Hebert Richard LaPointe Robert Mills Stephen Purdy Rod Swift Scott Batchelder Tom Daniel Steven Heimlich Kurt Larsen William Miranda Emma Putnam Bruce Symes Mihran Batzanian Bruce Dante Donald Henault Dave Larusso Timothy Moll Sharon Raiola Janie Szkred Matthew Beer Anne David Jon Hendrickson Jeff Larusso Webb Moore Thomas Raiola Bill Taylor Paul Belisle Albert Davis Shari Herman Paul Latella Ashley Morais Rodolfo Ramirez Carolina Thiago- Penelope Bennett Peter Davis Vladimir Hernandez Alexandra Laureano Doreen Moran Eric Rancourt McMahon Janet Berg Brian Dechello Andrew Herrmann Bob Lavoie Jon Moran Sue Reilly Jodi Thomas Jeff Bernier Kevin Dellner Michael Hetzel Robert Lehmann Jon Moreno Ernesto Reyes Ken Tippett Eric Biddiscombe Holly Demoranville Rachael Higham Kristin Lemanis Rayon Morrison Mary Rice Carlos Tol Juarez Scott Biette Kerry Demoranville Kathleen Hill Tom Lemos Paul Muenzinger Jennifer Rich Keith Toohey David Bird Mitch DePalma Stephen Hinckley Brian Lenahan Christopher Mullen Colin Richardson Keith Toohey, Jr. Vinoode Bissoondial Carlos DePaz Tim Hinckley Guido Leon Daniel Murphy Gustavo Rios Jim Torinese Jr Black Howard DePaz Dexter Holaday Ken Lidstone Matthew Murphy Antonio Rioux Walter Tramposch Cathy Black Eriverto Desousa John Holbrook Andy Liljequist Maryann Musto Keith Ritchie Anne Troy Steve Blunden Randy Dinter Chelsea Holloway Anthony Lividini Nicholas Muzante Doug Roach Monica Tupac-yupanqui Jacob Bogden Lisa DiRaimo Steve Holt Charlie Lloyd Dereck Mychajlowskyj Henry Robinson Donald Turecek Evan Boskos John Dockray Brian Homan Luis Lugo William Nattress Angela Rodenbaugh Bryan Turner John Bottella Laura Doering- Eric Horn Peter Lukens Hugo Navarrete Seth Rodenbaugh Mark Turturino Eric Boulanger Pedersen Michael Hotkowski Aaron MacLaughlin Charlie Newcomb Dave Rodrigues Josh Twidwell Megan Bradshaw Doug Domenie Shalon Howard Mark Maiese Thuan Van Nguyen James Rolston Clifford Twomey Larry Brainard Henry Domenie Garry Howland Tammy Malcarne Jack Nicolls Kayle Romanelli Elmer Tyler III Howard Braithwaite Scott Donnelly Wayne Hughes Kevin Maloney Justin Nolf Chuck Romeo Brian Varney Dave Brander Alan Dorfman Jason Hyde Roger Manchester Kelly Norman Patricia Rossi John Ventura Scott Bratz Paul D'Orio Jim Injaychock Pete Manion Mark Nowakowski Karen Rothman Steven Wachter Tim Breden Josh Downey Marek Jachimczyk Diane Mann Daniel O'Brien Ged Round Fred Wadelin Todd Breden Christopher Doyle Scott Jackson James Manning John O'Connor Chris Ruhling Mike Wall John Brewer Matthew Duell Albert Jenicek Tony Manuppelli Jason Ogle Richard Rumskas Gregory Wallace Jack Brewer Jon Duff-Still Patrick Jennings Richard Manwaring Joaquin Olivia Ben Russell Dick Waterhouse Zachary Brittman Jimmy Economou Bobbie Johnson Michael Marcuccilli Manrique Orozco Katherine Russell Betsy Welling Regan James Brown Jason Ehle Dave Johnson Matt Marshall Sean O'Shea Stephen Saja John Werner William Brown Richard England Ed Jones Vanda Martinez Robert Palmer Juan Salinas Jon Westcott Jeffrey Bubb Garry English Jackie Joslyn Mike Mason Joe Palmieri Marcos Santana Eben Whitcomb Jeffrey C. Bubb Mike Farman Eulalio Juarez Anthony Matzkewitz Loren Panowich Edgar Santos Shawn White Jairo Builes Tony Fasceon Paul Kamaiko Jeremy Maxwell Steven Papa Chris Schimanski Tom Wicander Lawrence Bumble Richard Fiedler Joshua Karpiloff Denis McAuliffe Adam Paquin Dick Sciuto Brian Wicander David Burchfield Michael Figliola Thomas Kehlenbach James McEnaney Claude Pardi Jerry Scott James Wiebe Mike Burns Greg Filippo Sean Kelly Shane McEwen Lynne Parenteau Bernardino Secaida Robert Wigham Peter Burns Janet Fisher Bruce Kennerly Dave McGhie Brian Parks Tim Sedlmayr Kip Wiley Brandon Burns Noah Flaherty Andy Kenny Douglas McGinley Ed Parsells John Seeber Debby Willis Jay Burns Moises Flores J. Michael Keyworth John McGovern Barbara Pasqua Davis Serviss Peter Wilson Mackenzie Burns Jerrell Flowers Christian King Mark Mckenna Bob Pavia Robert Serviss Jason Wojciechowski Harry Butler Bruce Fournier Sydney Kingsbury David McKenney Barbara Pearson Doug Sieffert Eddie Wollock Mark Byrnes Mike Fowler Kyle Klos Cheryl McMahon Patrick Peck Joseph Sieverman Nathan Wroblinski Scott Carpenter Mark Friel Sam Knoblock Jeffrey McMahon Piotr Pedzich James Silva Michael Zambito Sylvia Castro Jose Fuentes Wayne Kobrock John McMahon Justin Peltier Scott Simonian Hans Zimmer Gary Chandler Rick Fulmer Andy Kovacs William McNeil Rose Pereira Jay Simonian Ed Zwirba

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Sound Sailing Center offers: Instruction US Sailing Certified Adult Instruction, from Intro and Basic Keelboat, to Ocean Sailing. Most rigorous program in the area. Rentals Charters and Corporate Programs Use our fleet from a day to a week. Hanse Yachts If your ideal yacht combines Membership performance and offshore capable construction on quality yachts from 23-47’ with European quality and style, Hanse will be on Low yearly fee starting at $1,680 with your short list. Our new 400 is the 2006 European unlimited use. Expert staff and great Yacht of the Year. Models from 320 to 630. 400 on flexibility are why we’re better. display. New 320 and 470 arriving October. Brokerage: 1989 Contest 41, dutch offshore $160,000 1989 J/44, major refit underway $240,000 2006 Hanse 40, like new demo $218,000 2005 Hanse 31, compact quality $88,000

The new Hanse 470 is here!

54 Beach Road, Norwalk, CT 06855 (203) 838-1110 www.soundsailingcenter.com Editor’s Log Long Island Sound Sailing A Mighty Big Tarp Issue 62 Publisher As the fall sailing season has now come to a close and most boats have been hauled, Anne Hannan the boat yards are still busy with the many tasks of jockeying the boats in the , [email protected] shrink-wrapping and winterizing. As my normal commute to the office takes me Editor in Chief directly through the boat yard where we winter, I often stop to have a quick chat, Christopher Gill crack a joke or illicit a bit of free advice from some of the resident experts. [email protected] This year has been a little different than those past. I find myself asking a few Senior Editor more questions than normal and even writing stuff down. You see, I am currently Chris Szepessy in the middle of building a large superstructure to house my boat – the goal is to [email protected] have her prepped for a fresh coat of paint come early spring (or as soon as we get Graphic Design back into 50-60 degree weather). I have been trying to get ideas on how to get the Kerstin Heiden job done 1.) without killing myself or anyone else, 2.) reasonably inexpensively and Contributing Editors 3.) to a point where I am pleased with the results. The guys at the boat yard always Bill Sandberg, Andrea Watson accept my questions with a smiling face and are quick with invaluable suggestions.

Contributors In an effort to achieve goal number one, I carefully use all the safety tips that Molly & John Baxter, Chad Corning, the folks in the yard have to offer and try to heed the advice of my mother, whose Greg Danilek, Scott Dinhofer, Jon Fauer, request of “Don’t do anything stupid”always rings in the back of my . I hope Marlena Fauer, Dave Foster, Gurney, Sean McQuilken, Dan Nerney, Captain Daniel. to do much of the work myself and lean on as many of my friends to help. This A Ronan, USCG, Andrew Sims, will hopefully keep the project in the green. Finally, I hope to borrow ‘technique’ Sean Stevens, Gordon Tunison tips as the process evolves. Perhaps I’ll find someone who’s a perfectionist sander Ad Sales with a steady-handed brother who loves to paint - probably not, but I will likely Colleen Perry have plenty of other ‘experts’ that are all too happy to share their vast knowledge. [email protected] That’ll be fun…maybe I should consider putting a lockable door on my painting WindCheck is a monthly magazine. Reproduction shed. of any part of this publication is strictly prohibited So, what am I getting at with all this? Surely you don’t care what projects will without prior consent of the members. be occupying my time this winter. The other day I was having lunch with two of WindCheck encourages and welcomes editorial contributions in the form of stories, anecdotes, my sailing buddies. (They remind me of Mr. Waldorf and Mr. Statler - the two old photographs, and technical expertise. hecklers from the Muppet Show with nothing positive to say.) I was telling them Copies are available for free at over 700 locations about how I planned to tackle the aforementioned task during the off-season. A (such as yacht clubs, marinas, marine retailers, barrage of hmmms, and errrs and even a few chuckles emanated from them as I restaurants, sailing events and transportation discussed the logistics of doing the job. A culminating tease came in a typical con- centers) along Connecticut, New York, Long Island, Rhode Island and New Jersey shorelines. descending manner. ‘See you in July…MAYBE,” one smart aleck jeered while the We are constantly adding drop points and other snickered. Leave it up to your friends to make you doubt yourself! And it got increasing print quantity. Businesses or me thinking, ‘Am I taking on too much?’ organizations wishing to distribute WindCheck should contact us at (203) 332-7639. Regardless of my ‘ever-confident’ pals, I am going forward with the project. Maybe the people that run my boatyard are unique – but I don’t think so. I’ve While WindCheck is available free of charge, we will mail your copy each month for an annual never found a situation where a yard employee was unwilling to assist with a quick mailing fee of $27. tip or a helping hand when a do-it-yourselfer was concerned about doing any of Mail payment to: the million-and-a-half jobs that make the guys in the boatyard the true experts. I WindCheck Magazine guess the thing is, don’t be afraid to ask questions – the folks at the yard don’t want 110 Chapel Street Bridgeport, CT 06604 to see you screw up a job, ‘cause they’ll just end up having to fix it in the end. Phone: (203) 332-7639 Like Ringo, I’ll get by with a little help from my friends. I’ll let you know how Fax: (203) 332-7668 the job comes out this spring…or summer…or fall. E-mail: [email protected] On the web: www.windchecklis.com

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Sail America

December 2007 Table of Contents Contents Features

Editor’s Log 5 20 Holiday Gifts…for Her Letters 8 If you’re the stereotypical male holiday shopper you haven’t even begun to shop for the perfect present to give your favorite female sailor. Fear not, fellow procras- Checking In 10 tinators, we’ve assembled a collection of gift ideas with everything from apparel to WebCheck 17 small boats for fun and fitness…even a very cool surfboard.

Checking In – Industry News 18 46 Why Sail 300 Miles on a Beach Cat? Subscription Form 28 The legendary Worrell 1000 might be a thing of the past, but long distance racing on small catamarans is alive and well. Sean McQuilken of Niantic, CT, Winter Vacations 30 a member of Team Chums, describes a day in the life of a hard-core endurance Winter Boat Shows 32 cat racer. Sound Environment 34 49 Class Act: A Look at the J/44 Class Association Book Review - The Cure for 35 Production of the J/44 ended about fourteen years ago, but thanks to a group Anything is Salt Water of owners dedicated to true one-design racing, this enduring racer/cruiser Captain of the Port 36 continues to provide sailors with some of the tightest big boat competition around. The Class Association President and Director share their winning Tide Tables by Sea Tow 37 formula. Calendar 39 55 Team Racing on the Sound Euro Opti Team Cup 43 Long Island Sound is the cradle of American match racing, and a pair of October The Joe Manganello 44 events – one on each shore – showed that it’s also becoming a hotbed of world- Memorial Regatta class team racing. Molly & John Baxter report from the Glencairn Trophy and the Hinman Trophy regattas, at which many of the top Olympic and other world Frostbite Programs 52 champion sailors enjoyed fierce competition in an arena-like forum. Storm IRC East Coast Championships 54 56 Sport Boat Demo Day The Yacht Racing Association of Long Island Sound held their first Sport Boat Comic 57 Demonstration Day in late October. Judging by the number and age range of Jeff Willis Wins the 58 sailors who turned out at Indian Harbor Yacht Club to try the Laser SB3, RS K6 John B. Thomson, Sr. Memorial and Viper 640, we’ll be seeing more events of this type at other clubs around the Trophy at the 2007 Manhasset Sound next season. Bay Fall Series Sound Off with Bill Sandberg: 60 The Mooseheads Brokerage 62 Classifieds 65 Classified Form 68 Advertiser Contact Information 69 Sound People: Sarah Mergenthaler 70

See local boats for sale starting on page 62! On the cover: John Hele’s New York Yacht Club Swan 42 Daring (Newport, RI) charging to windward at the Manhasset Bay Yacht Club Fall Series. For more about the Fall Series, see page 58. Photo by Greg Danilek windchecklis.com clean air. By the third Letters day we had notice- able improvements Last month we ran an article about the success of the Sail4Kids event and were sailing held at American Yacht Club. AYC members Daria and Alex Black- along with many of well have found a formula for running a successful community event the top teams. and believe that other clubs and organizations can follow the same Although we ex- theme with similar results. pected to finish In 2005, the Blackwells wondered if there was something they higher than 37th Andrew Sims/wavelengthstudios.com could do for the families outside the already successful fundraising ef- overall, we learned so fort AYC has contributed to the Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital, much that the regatta and invited three families out for a day sail to watch the racing in the was invaluable to us fall regatta. The kids had never been on a boat before and the parent’s all. A high point was lives were totally consumed by their children’s illness. Never able to a downwind drag take a day off, or to do anything unusual, this first ‘Make-a-Memory’ race with 2005 cruise did just that for the three families. It also caused the Blackwells World Champion to realize that there was a real opportunity here to make a difference Steve Shepstone, who in many lives. later said was one of his more fun legs of the regatta. There was a variety of sea condi- What an amazing experience this has been! tions, no shoreline to reference and a whole set of tactics to deal Sail4Kids has generated a good deal of interest, and it is hoped with. Several competitors encouraged us to keep racing Sonars - that it may be a format that can be adopted or adapted by other they want to see us at the North Americans, the 2009 Worlds in clubs and organizations. Picking one worthy cause and putting Newport and all the smaller regattas in between. If Kings Point significant effort into supporting it as has been done at American, keeps a team of sailors actively racing Sonars, it seems they have a has proven to be a really good thing, with the efforts providing real welcome spot in the fleet. We want to stay with this class as much and tangible results. Taking it all the step further and becoming as possible in the future. involved with the children and their families benefiting from these James Losee ’09(West Hartford, CT), Timothy Stacy ’10(Washington, efforts has made it all the more real. Hearing first hand how last DC), Craig Gary ’08 (Bay Village, OH) and Michael Dybvik ’10 year’s proceeds made the difference in lives saved or improved only (League City, TX) made us more eager to hear about next year’s successes. And that was all the reward any of us needed. An Unexpected Treat For more information on Sail4Kids, to become involved or to Last month, as I distributed WindCheck’s November issue in support the effort by becoming a sponsor, please go to Jamestown, RI, I met Clem, Jamestown Boat Yard’s Managing sail4kids.org. Partner. He was cooking lunch for the yard’s entire staff! Alex & Daria Blackwell My timing was perfect – he invited me to join the crowd – an American Yacht Club invitation I certainly could not turn down. As I enjoyed the hospi- Rye, NY tality of the JBY employees, they explained that lunch together is a regular event for the company. USMMA Sailors Gain Experience at the Sonar Worlds Thank you Clem and JBY – it was great to get to know all of you. The Sonar World Championship was an incredible experience for Colleen Perry all of us. After a fairly successful season on Long Island Sound, we WindCheck Magazine ! headed to Marblehe