Andrew Mason and Chris Segerblomin the 2008 ISAF

Youth World Championships

Andrew Mason and Chris Segerblomin the 2008 ISAF

Youth World Championships

The treasures and traditions of theNewport Harbor Yacht Club have beenon my mind while Commodore thisyear. We are extremely fortunate tocherish a few archetypal items atNewport Harbor Yacht Club. Severalyears ago we discovered our misplacedPirate Painting Collection, and it hasbeen on display on a rotating basisever since. For example, the paintingcurrently on display in the Pirates Denwhich depicts a blindfolded pirate outon the plank could be this year’sCommodore being held at bay by agang holding a blunderbuss, swords,and a raised fist! You can use your ownimagination, while enjoying yourfavorite beverage with friends.

Our Trophy Room is a walk downmemory lane for many of us and amicrocosm of club history. We canrevisit sailing races we crewed in andthe corresponding successes and close

finishes. Our sailing history can easily beremembered by just a few of ourcherished trophies on display atNewport Harbor Yacht Club. The Derrick“Rick” Marsellus for the OutstandingContribution to the Non-Calm ProgramSportsmanship Perpetual is In memory ofDerrick Marcellus (1944-1961) whoperished while onboard Albatross, a1920’s Schooner. With four instructors,a cook, and 13 students onboard, enroute to the Dry Tortuga on May 2, 1961,the Albatross was hit by a white squalland sank instantly taking six lives. TheAhmanson Trophy, donated by theAhmanson family in 1957 for OceanRacing Championship is a magnificentsilver trophy and extremely heavy!

A sometimes overlooked but equallytreasured and peaceful space atNewport Harbor Yacht Club is our libraryin the Boardof DirectorsRoom.Upon closeinspection ofour recentlycategorizedandinventoriedlibrary you’llfind classicsandtreasures.The firstCommodoreof NHYC,S/C Dr.AlbertSoiland,1917, has afewpublishedbooks ondisplay. TheSaga ofNewport Bayand NewportHarbor YachtClub, byAlbertSoiland,dated 1936has a letterfrom the White House from Franklin D.Roosevelt, congratulating NewportHarbor for their achievement as a safeand commodious harbor for the citizens

of the district. Albert Soiland is theauthor of The Viking Goes to Seacopyright 1924, Admiral of the PacificYachting Association and skipper of theSchooner Yacht Viking IV. The authordedicates this little narrative to his loyalcrew and to those Corinthian yachtsmenwho respond to the call of the open sea.All near and dear to my heart!Transpacific Ocean races and theTranspacific Yacht Club was also writtenby Albert Soiland, M.D. copyright 1937.It contains facts, fancies, and somegossip about one of the most uniqueand interesting Yacht Clubs in the worldand the races it sponsors. I welcomeyour visit to our library, and hope youdiscover of one of your favorites or abook you wish you had read severalyears ago. Please bring your children orgrandchildren by and reacquaint themwith the value of reading, not a lost artor discipline, but a skill we should notlose to computers and multimedia. Whilevisiting our library, take the time to lookat the historical books and valuedtraditions at Newport Harbor Yacht Cluband pass this valuable information alongto the next generation.

As the 2008 season winds down myyear as your Commodore comes to aclose and we prepare to transition to the2009 team. It has been my sincerepleasure serving as the Commodore ofNewport Harbor Yacht Club. I lookforward to your correspondence atcommodore@nhyc.org

All the best and warm regards,Bruce R. D’EliscuCommodore

COMMODORE’S COLUMN

2Cover photo by Scott Mason

Derrick “Rick” Marsellus

Ahmanson Trophy

President Roosevelt’s letter

RA A B DE F E N D S

ME R C U RY NAT I O N A L

CH A M P I O N S H I P TI T L E

by Maria Raab

After having a long summer, finishing2nd in the Cal 20 Nationals and 2nd in theCatalina 37 Nationals, Chris put some extraeffort into defending his Mercury NationalChampionship title on August 22nd and

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3

23rd at ABYC. Chris says, “The Mercuryis a great boat to sail because of the factthat it has so many fine tune adjustments.For example, you can adjust the lowerswhile sailing upwind and change the slotup to 18 inches!” Wind conditions duringthe regatta ranged from 6-20 knots. Witha fleet over 20, Chris had a 6 point leadgoing into the last race in which herounded the weather mark in 12th andBaird rounded with a convincing lead.“Thank gosh, the Mercury class has a 90

minute MINIMUM race rule.” After 75minutes, Chris and Kenny Dair workedtheir way to 6th and with one beat tothe finish, moved into 3rd, clinchingthe over-all win with finishes of 6-1-2-2-3. The Mercury class has held theirnational championships annually since1943. The class is mostly from the SanFrancisco and Monterey areasalthough the San Pedro and LongBeach fleet continue to grow. “What agreat, well organized class!”

NHYC’s Clubhouse underwent one of its first major remodels in1947, just three years after this photo was taken. As this picture

helps illustrate, our Clubhouse has changed dramatically over theyears. It is now our generation’s turn to consider how best to updateour Club’s facilities.

This month the Long Range Facility Planning Committee will besending out a survey to all NHYC members. This survey will be animportant element of the planning process for the eventualreplacement of NHYC’s Clubhouse. The results of this survey will begiven to our architectural consultants for use indeveloping conceptual plans for a future clubhouse.We are urging all members to take a few minutes tocomplete and return this survey.

- LRFPC, Sept 2008NHYC Flag Officers, 1944

FACILITIES

4

MO R G A N CU P 2008by Jeff Gordon

Team Newport Harbor descended onNew York Yacht Club’s Harbour Courtfacility in Newport, Rhode Island onAugust 22-24 to compete in the MorganCup Team Race Invitational. NHYC washonored to have been one of only eightteams selected to participate in thisprestigious event along with Southern,Larchmont, Boston, SeawanhakaCorinthian, and Puquot Yacht Clubs,together with two teams from the hostNYYC. The event is sailed in identicalSonars, a 23 foot keel boat usingspinnakers. Very few of us on theNewport team had sailed these boatsbefore, yet were up against teams that usethem regularly, so we had our work cutout for us from the beginning.

The three NHYC boats were sailed byBrian Bissell with crew Killarney Loufek,Mandy McDonnell and John Fuller; AdamDeermount helmed another boat withMatt and Coury McKinlay and BillMenninger crewing; the third boat wasdriven by Andy Beeckman being helpedout by Jeff Condon, Jeff Gordon, andnon-member but terrific crew Emily Flint.

The weather was in the mid 70s allthree days with moderate breeze and nottoo much humidity. Great sailing weather!The race course was set up west of Goat

Island, about a mile from the HarbourCourt docks. This was the most out-of-the-way area clear of the tremendousharbor traffic in Newport in thesummertime, yet still in the breeze line.Other than some relatively big wind shiftson Saturday afternoon, it turned out be agreat spot to locate the racing venue.

After a short practice on Thursdayafternoon, we hit the race course Fridaymorning ready to go. We were in the firstgroup to sail and managed a two win, fourloss session. We felt we should have hadanother win or two, but took somesatisfaction knowing that we beat NYYC #1and Southern, probably the top two ratedteams at the event. A very nicely hostedcocktail party was held after the day ofracing and I guarantee a good time washad by all.

Saturday morning we were again firstout and managed to win four straight andwere feeling pretty good about ourselves!

After a lengthy wait through anadditional four flights, we came out a bitflat in the afternoon session and onlymanaged to win one out of another sixraces. We also assumed we wonanother against NYYC #1 in that sessionon a foul, but they asked for redress andwe resailed the race at the end of theevent. We all got dressed up for theRegatta Dinner Saturday night and werepresented the Club well in ourcoordinated attire and Crispin Ties. Wereceived many compliments.

It has become a tradition at theseteam racing events for each team to tella favorite joke during the dessertportion of the evening. While not oneof the jokes told that evening can beprinted herein, it was a fun evening.Matt McKinlay represented us in thatdepartment and I’m sure his joke took aclose second place to Southern’s.

Sunday morning we were chargedup to make a run, as double points wereawarded for each win now and we feltwe could vault ourselves into the toptier. It was not to be however, as wewent three wins to two losses andmanaged to finish in fourth place.

The racing was incredibly intense atall times with many races being decidedwith boats overlapped at the finish line.Most races saw multiple positionchanges on the last beat to the finish.The relatively short races averaged tenminutes in duration and were started onvery short lines, both factors whichcontributed to the need for each boatand crew to be sailing at “10-10ths”from pre-start maneuvering through tothe finish. There were many potentialcollisions but we managed to avoid anydamage.

We were proud of our showinggiven our lack of time in the boats andsailing time together, and I think we

RACING

photos by Susan Gordon and Ned Jones

5

made an impression on theEasterners that we knowhow to team race on thewest coast and do it well.We were also proud to beatSouthern by one point, asthe rivalry between themand NHYC is now goingnational with intensely closefinishes between the twoteams at the last threeevents in New Orleans,Newport Beach, and now inNewport East.

The Harbour Courtfacility is amazing. Once aprivate mansion, it is everybit as stately and impressiveas you might imagine a NewYork Yacht Club out-stationwould be. Several of ourteam members were able tostay in the apartmentsabove the separate raceoffice building which havebeen completely re-done inthe past year and broughtup to very modernstandards. It became ourheadquarters for meetings,showers, stash-and-crashpad, etc.

NYYC put on a greatevent. The race committeework was exceptional andhuge amounts of man-power were thrown at theregatta as the formatrequired mark-set boats,chase boats, change boats,ferry boats, etc.

Again, we were veryproud to have been able torepresent NHYC at thisevent and we all had a greattime. We were able to talkup our team racing event inMarch, and all indicationsare that we will have a fullcontingent for that regatta.

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LO N G PO I N T RO U N D-U P WR A P-U P

by Charlie Under wood

It was a typical Newport Beach morning as I embarked onmy first trip to Santa Catalina Island. There was a light southerlybreeze, a thick marine layer, and an indescribable feeling ofexcitement, nervousness, and anticipation for the weekendahead. This was not only my first trip to Catalina, it was also myfirst Long Point Race Week. And it would prove to be anexciting, exhausting, and ultimately, an incredible experience.

Friday’s race from Newport toLong Point was a tough one by anymeasure. The westerly breeze thattypically fills through the San PedroChannel in the summertime wasconspicuously absent at the start line.This meant that the perennial strategyof beating up to the coast to anoptimum crossing angle was not theapparent winning move. Instead, thefleet split at the start, with some boatsheading left into the unusual southerlycaused by a strong Catalina eddy.Light breeze and fluky winds put anemphasis on boat speed and positionon the race course, and when a lightnorthwesterly did eventually fill, theboats which trusted historicalprecedent were rewarded. Though itwas a long race, all agreed that the opening round of the 2008LPRW set the tone for a close-fought and well executed regatta.

On Saturday morning, the hot topic of conversation aroundthe coffee pot was whether there would be any breeze. Thisconcern was fortified at the start when the breeze shut off andboats drifted across the line. Fortunately, King Neptune smiledon the waters off Catalina and offered a steady, 15-18 knotwesterly which made the race a virtually perfect windward/leeward course – exactly what race organizers had hoped for.

After a wild ride for some, and a hard pound for others,regatta participants were treated to a western BBQ fit for arodeo king. A smorgasbord of southwestern soul food wasserved up by Chef Polly and his hard-working crew for theguests who descended upon Moonstone en masse. The greatfood was accented by lively entertainment and some fiercelycompetitive bocce ball matches.

The forecast for Sunday’s race was a west breeze between12 and 18 knots. Again, Neptune did not disappoint, and asthe boats headed out to the race course, the breeze began to

pump straight down the channel.This made for an extremely fast,blast-reach race which saw the firstboat cross the line with an elapsedtime of just over two hours. By allaccounts it was a wild ridehighlighted by multiple wipeouts andat least one destroyed spinnaker.Check out the photos by BrentJacobsen of some Day 3 finishers onthe home page of the website.

The results were quite impressivefor NHYC boats with Douglas Ayres’Skylark placing first in the ORR Adivision as well as winning the ORRoverall title on a tiebreak. Chubasco,owned by NHYC member DonaldHaskell, won the PHRF division byone point with impressive and

consistent results over a variety of conditions. Additionally,NHYC won the Bell Trophy, which is contested between NHYCand BYC and is awarded to the club with the lowest totaloverall scores.

On the whole, the weekend was a tremendous success.The teamwork demonstrated between the two host clubs wasextraordinary and was essential to meeting the challengeswhich this type of event presents. As a Long Point Race Weekfirst timer I was thoroughly impressed and will certainly besaving the dates for next year.

Racers see wide range

of challenging conditions in

perennially popular event.

NHYC boats do well in

ORR and PHRF fleets.

photos by John Aschieris

7

Results Through June 26Harbor 20 A

1 Bill Menninger/Diane Menninger NHYC2 Jim Kerrigan/Tricia Kerrigan NHYC3 John Fuller/Christopher Fuller NHYC4 Chris Allen/Steve Schupak NHYC5 Phil Ramser NHYC

Harbor 20 B1 Ted Munroe/Chuck Champion NHYC2 Leonard Connelly/Barrie Connelley SLBYC3 Glyn Davies/Tom Skibinski NHYC4 Bill Allen NHYC5 Win Fuller/Carlita Fuller NHYC

Lehman 12 A1 John Drayton/Jennifer Drayton NHYC2 Richard Loufek/Gretchen Loufek NHYC3 Caleb Silsby/Paige Silsby NHYC4 Brian Bissell/Alexis Ruben NHYC

Lehman 12 B1 Jonathan Hibma 2 Tim Doane NHYC3 Travis Winsor/Nicole Winsor NHYC

Results Through July 31Harbor 20 A

1 Chris Allen NHYC2 Jim Kerrigan NHYC3 Peter Haynes ALYC4 Phil Ramser NHYC5 Lee Sutherland NHYC

Harbor 20 B 1 Glyn Davies NHYC2 Helen Duncan NHYC3 Leonard Connelly SLBYC4 John Whitney NHYC5 Rolly Pulaski NHYC

Lehman 12 A 1 Adam Deermount NHYC 2 John Drayton NHYC 3 Nick Madigan NHYC

AugustHarbor 20 A

1 Chris Allen NHYC2 Tom Corkett NHYC3 Phil Ramser NHYC4 Jim Kerrigan NHYC

Harbor 20 B1 Dick Somers NHYC2 John Whitney NHYC3 Rod Swift ALYC4 Rolly Pulaski NHYC5 Terry Welsh NHYC

Lehman 12 A1 Jim Otis NHYC2 Charlie Boukather3 Taylor Grant NHYC4 Chuck Beek NHYC5 Alan Carmichael NHYC

8

TWILIGHT SERIES

photos by Scott Mason

ISAF revises The Racing Rules of Sailing every four years. USSailing, the national authority for the sport, adds its ownprescriptions to ISAF’s rules and publishes the result as the racingrules used in most events here.

Rose, who races a Laser and enjoys sailing a Megabyte, hasbeen racing (mostly in dinghies) for over 50 years. He has adegree from Princeton in Mathematics and a Ph.D. from theUniversity of Pennsylvania in Mathematical Psychology and was amember of the faculty of the Department of Psychology at theUniversity of Washington for 26 years before retiring.

As a member of the US Sailing Racing Rules Committee forover 20 years, Rose chaired it for more than 12, and as such wrotethe Foreword to the US Sailing version of the ISAF Racing Rulesof Sailing. He has also been the US Olympic Team Rules Advisorfor three Olympic Games, as well as a member of both the ISAFRacing Rules Committee and the ISAF Racing Rules Working Partyfor over a decade.

Sloan welcomes all members and strongly encouragesanyone that races—even occasionally—to attend. “With thesenew changes, just going to a regatta and hoping you get by on acasual understanding of the rules and the goodwill of your fellowsailors may not be enough.”

Admission ofr $20 includes Rose’s presentation and a buffetdinner. Please make reservations through the club’s websiteat www.nhyc.org, or through the front desk at 949-673-7730.

TO P EX P E RT O N RA C I N G RU L E S T O

GI V E SE M I N A R – FR I D AY, OC T O B E R 10

NHYC’s Protest Committee, under the leadership of DougSloan, has arranged to have Dick Rose, the pre-eminent U.S.expert on the Racing Rules of Sailing come talk about theracing rules and the significant changes that are coming in2009. Rose will be speaking to members at a club-wide eventon the evening of Friday, October 10.

Many sailors know Rose through his regularly featuredcolumn “Rules” in the monthly magazine Sailing World, wherehe has used his unique, down-to-earth style to clearly andsimply explain common rules situations.

Rose will bring that same clarity to his presentation atNHYC. Sloan explained, “First, Dick has a wonderful way ofexplaining how to look at the rules, so that any sailor in anysituation can understand better how the rules apply.” Afterthat, Rose will cover the changes to the rules that take effectJanuary 1, 2009, and will end by taking questions from theaudience.

Sloan continued, “There are significant changes to therules coming in 2009, especially in how boats approach andround marks and obstructions—the dreaded Rule 18. All ofthat changes next year. There are even changes in thedefinitions. It’s the biggest overall modification of the rules I’veseen in the past three cycles.” Rose is the Chairman of theInternational Sailing Federation (ISAF) Working Party thathandles Rule 18.

TE A M RA C I N G

Summer has come and gone, butthe fun is not over yet. It is time formore NHYC Intra–Club team racescrimmages. If you weren’t able toattend these competitive but informalraces last spring, the Yacht RacingCouncil encourages you to mark youcalendar with these dates now and planon sailing. It will be 4 vs. 4 in H20’s withthe usual post-race noshing at the dock.

Do you want to be a part of thedefending NHYC Soiland Cup TeamRace team? Now is the time to put yourteam together! This regatta is hostedby Southern Yacht Club (3 v. 3) in FlyingScots with 3 man crews on Nov. 8-9.There will be a SAIL OFF for thedistinctive opportunity to represent theburgee at this regatta which is named

racing arena. We are still trying tofinalize schedules, but we promise youwon’t want to miss it. Stay tuned formore details.

Here’s how the rest of the year isshaping up on the team racing front:

after our first Commodore.Let’s keep the momentum building.

The Yacht Racing Council has beenworking hard to put together a “BigWednesday” lecture in Novemberfeaturing a prominent leader in the team

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RACING

October 19 Intra-Club scrimmage 1pm 4 vs. 4 Harbor 20NHYC sail-off for Isaac Potter TR and Soiland Cup representatives

October 25-26 Jean Schenck Memorial Team Race 3 vs. 3 CFJ @ NHYC

November 8-9 Soiland Cup Team Race @ 3 vs. 3 Flying ScotSouthern Yacht Club

November 9 Isaac Potter Team Race 4 vs. 4 Harbor 20NHYC vs. BYCThis regatta will be umpired

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10

Later in the regatta we alsoexperienced lighter winds from a moreleft direction off the water, but overalltoo little breeze was not an issue and it

was important to sail for the cloudsbecause those brought the wind andthe shifts.

Off the water, the City of Aarhusand regatta hosts were veryhospitable. We were welcomed at theopening ceremonies held in theAarhus city hall by the mayor as wellas the Crown Prince of Denmark.Throughout the week, regatta eventskept us busy most often, but in anyoff-time there was always the four-starRadisson Hotel to go back and relax inor the many shops, restaurants, andice-cream stands to go tour in the city.The US Team even found time to go-kart on our lay day from racing, andeat at the local restaurants for teamdinners/debriefs.

Finally, the closing ceremoniesended the event at the town concerthall where all the medal winners tooktheir places on the podium to hear thegold medalists’ national anthem.Overall, Britain’s “God Save theQueen” was heard the most as theybecame the 2008 Volvo TrophyWinners. However, the US even tookhome some hardware with a silvermedal in the Laser fleet for Florida

YO U T H WO R L D S

by Chris Segerblom

July 10th through the 18th thesailing club in Aarhus, Denmark hostedthe 2008 ISAF Volvo Youth WorldChampionships. Fifty-eight nationscompeted in seven classes for the VolvoPerpetual, awarded to the overall bestperforming country. This year’s USSailing Team representatives weredecided at a qualifying event held by theAlamitos Bay Yacht Club in Long Beachlast January. Andrew Mason (skipper)and I, after a heart stopping qualifier andregimented training leading up to theWorlds, were honored to represent ourcountry at the most profound YouthRegatta of the year. With everyonecompeting for the gold medal in six daysof intense racing, the Youth Worlds’competitive atmosphere gave it anexciting, Olympic-like quality.

Racing conditions in Denmark werecaused by a pretty typical Europeanfrontal influence. A low pressure systemover Northern Denmark made for arange of wind speeds and directions. Onthe first day of racing southwest windsreached the point where the racecommittee was forced to abandon racingafter two races due to a 30 knot squall.

11

sailor Luke Lawrence and a bronze in the29er for San Diego sailors Judge Ryanand Hans Henken.

Although our results in the multihulldidn’t really meet our expectations, wetook home with us greater knowledge ofbig event racing, catamaran sailing ingeneral, and especially what it takes tocompete against the top youth sailors inthe world. We will take our Youth Worldsexperience forward with us in our sailingcareers as not only better sailors but withthe many life skills learned from the

traveling, organization, and trainingrequired by these international events.Andrew is on to college at Georgetownwhere he will sail for the defendingcollegiate champion Hoya sailing teamand I continue to sail on the NewportHarbor High School Team. Thank you toUS Sailing and especially our many yachtclub supporters. Also, big thanks to ourcoaches who included Pete Melvin, Jayand Pease Glaser, and John Williams whoall provided us dinghy sailors withvaluable multihull information and tips.

12

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on the racing ahead of us.On the race course we faced the most

difficult wind conditions that we have everencountered. Sailing in foreign oceanswith unfamiliar currents, weather patternsthat changed continuously, and competingagainst sailors of all ages and nationalitieswas a whole new experience. For most ofthe Worlds, we were in a Meltemi weathersystem which is analogous to a Santa Anawind, but much windier. Kevin Burnham,who earned a gold medal in Athens in2004 in the 470 class, commented that,“It’s going to blow like stink and feel likeyou’re looking upwind into a hairdryerturned on hot!” Many of the days afterracing, we were fortunate enough to havedinners with Kevin and each night wewould listen to his wild stories from hisOlympic days. After making the silver fleetin Athens, and finishing mid-fleet, we were

off to Zadar for the Jr. EuropeanChampionships. The disappointment insome of our scores at the Worlds wasoffset by the excitement of making thegold fleet in Croatia and winning one ofthe races during the regatta.

I was honored to represent mycountry as a member of Team USA. MacMace and I had accomplished our goal ofsailing in a world competition, but gainedmuch more from this experience. As ateam we all learned to train extensively,to live in a foreign country and to adaptto changing conditions on the racecourse. I will never forget marching intothe opening ceremony with our country'sflag waving as a symbol of effort, pride,and freedom. I would like to thank myparents, teammates, our coaches, theNewport Harbor Sailing Foundation,CISA, NBSSA, and all of the members ofNHYC for making it possible for me totravel abroad this summer and competeat these events.

I-420 WO R L D S A N D

JR. EU R O P E A N

CH A M P I O N S H I P S

by Jeff Aschieris

This summer I was selected as amember of the USA InternationalSailing Team participating in the I-420World Championships and JuniorEuropean Championships. The eventswere held in Athens, Greece and Zadar,Croatia. Also representing NHYC onTeam USA were my skipper Mac Mace,Chris Segerblom, and crew KaylaMcComb and Sydney Bolger with crewCaitlin Beavers.

Upon arrival in Greece, weexperienced some culture shock thefirst few days away from home. As thiswas my first trip to a European country,I quickly realized that I needed to learnabout foreign currency, languagebarriers, transportation, and unusualfood. One look at the restaurant menuand the common phrase “it’s all Greekto me” was given new meaning. Manychallenges, both on and off the water,presented themselves. I learned thatsailing in foreign countries is quite a bitdifferent from sailing here in the UnitedStates and having considerably lesstime in the I-420 than the rest of thefleet did not help. We all adjusted tothese conditions after days of boatwork and practice and became focused

Team USA – Athens, Greece

Team USA – Zadar, Croatia

CABO

2009

RACE INSTRUCTION INFORMATION

1) On-line Registration2) Immigration Forms and Procedures3) Marina Reservations

See Flyer for All the Details!

Ned Jones sailing for NHYC in the 2008 Hinman Mastersat New York YC in Newport RI.They came in second to Seawanhaka Corinthian YC.

13

NON-CALM

fleet and the men’s fleet into two fleets,gold and silver. Then we had four regattadays. It was an amazing experience and weall grew as sailors.

After a long and memorable trip inGreece, we flew to our next adventure inZadar, Crotia. We had plenty of time torelax from the plane flights because ourboats arrived a little late. Hotel Funimationprovided plenty of entertainment completewith its own waterslide, which I’m sure weall spent a fair share of time on. Ouropening ceremony was very exciting, with athunder and lightning storm as a beautifulbackground for the evening. The nextmorning we started racing; we had twodays to separate the fleets and then fourregatta days. At the end of the regatta and

a long four weeks together, we had allhad our fair share of new experiences assailors, big breeze, and each other. WhenI left I definitely didn’t take into accountthat we would be spending twenty-threehours a day together for an entire month,but it has been the best month of my lifeso far.

I’d like to give many thanks to CISA,Newport Sailing Foundation, Lido SailingFoundation, my family, my skipperSydney Bolger for being such an amazingfriend and without her none of this wouldhave been possible, our chaperones, ourcoaches Elizabeth Kratzig and ZacLeonard, and MOST of all our team USAleader Larry Law who did an outstandingjob organizing the entire trip.

SU M M E R

by Caitlin Beavers

U.S. Women’s JuniorDouble Handed Championship

There were 33 participants in thisyear’s U.S.Women’s Junior DoubleHanded Championship held inSausalito, CA.It was my second IdaLewis (Sydney Bolger’s third) in Club420s and because we were aging outtogether this year we decided to makeit our best. We arrived on July 7th andspent two days participating in clinicsto help everyone get used to the toughconditions. Our first day of racingbrought a shifty breeze of 12-25 knots,strong currents, and plenty of injuriesbut we made the most of it, winning allthree races that day. Regatta days twoand three were all about connectingthe puffs since the breeze ranged from25 to 0.

Sydney and I came into the lastday prepared with wetsuits andgoggles, persevering through the coldwater and strong winds to finish 30points ahead of second place.Immediately after the last race I leapedinto the back of the boat and gaveSydney the hugest hug of her life.Congratulations to all the other NHYCsailors Emmy Dahl and Heather May4th, Sally Mace and Carly Shevitz(SBYC) 7th, and Annie Schmidt (SFYC)and Mackenzi Burke 25th for a greatregatta!

2008 International 420 OpenWorlds and Ladies WorldChampionships and420 Junior EuropeanChampionships

Five days later Sydney and I flew tothe I-420 World Championships inAthens, Greece. When we arrived,everyone had a day to explore beforebeginning the long and tedious processof putting our boats together. After twolong days in the hot sun and threepractice days we were finally ready. Thefirst two days of the regatta began withqualifications to split both the women’s

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NON-CALM

The summer of Laser Radial sailing began with a seven hourroad trip up the Golden State freeway to the Bay Area where the2008 U.S. Youth Championships took place out of San FranciscoYacht Club. During the first week of the trip, I participated in aclinic across the bay at St. Francis Yacht Club consisting ofseveral strong participants as well as world-class coaches. I thentraveled back to Belvedere where the Youth Champs would beheld. Newport Harbor Yacht Club was very well represented inthe Laser Radial, Laser, Club 420, and 29er Classes. The racingtook place on the Olympic Berkeley Circle where the conditionsconsisted of 2-6 foot wind chop with winds of 16-28 knots, livingup to the cold and windyreputation that San Francisco isknown for. Throughout the event, Ishowed great boatspeed andconsistency putting myself in thelead of the radial fleet from thestart. However, in the final race ofthe event, a poor start put me waybehind. Over the course of thelong race I fought back to apotential regatta winning position.Unfortunately at the final leewardmark, unable to keep balance ofthe boat in the sharp turn in theextreme conditions, I flipped,costing me the regatta and placingme in third overall. Knowing how close I was to grasping thechampionship in such tough conditions and to lose it on veryfundamental mistakes was one of the worst feelings I have everexperienced. Nevertheless, it was an experience I won’t letmyself ever forget and will use it for my “fuel to the fire.” Otherstrong finishes included 3rd place from Charlie Buckingham inthe Full Rig Laser Class, a 5th place finish by Mac Mace and JeffAschieris, followed by Chris Segerblom and Kayla McCombfinishing 8th place in the 420 class.

A few weeks later, I made another trip up to St. FrancisYacht Club where they played host for the Laser and RadialNorth American Championships on July 24 – 27th. The regattaconsisted of lots of tactical decisions with the strong current andshifty winds on the city front as well as hiking through lots ofpain in 12-28 knots of breeze. In very frustrating conditions andother hardships, I finished a respectable 8th place. Although itwas a decent finish in a tough fleet, it wasn’t up to my highstandards. Overall, I was just glad to get out of cold SanFrancisco for the summer.

Back in warm Southern California, the Laser Nationals werehosted by the Alamitos Bay Yacht Club in Long Beach. I was veryexcited to be back in warm weather that would be greeted bythe beautiful, consistent, strong sea breeze along with theawesome wind chop that the Pacific provides. The regatta tookplace on August 8 – 10th in 5-20 knot breeze. Over the threedays, the lead changed several times, sometimes in mydirection. With over 80 boats on one line, it was quite a sight to

see the entire fleet make their way around the course. In theend, I finished 3rd overall, just 6 points out of first place. Such ashort margin of loss kept me thinking back at small mistakes ineach race that cost me from taking the title, but each one I knowwill help me avoid similar ones in the future. CharlieBuckingham also showed another strong finish placing 7th in theFull Rig division.

The final event of the summer was the CORK regatta takingplace in Kingston, Canada. Kingston was the sailing venue forthe 1976 Summer Olympics and still provides a great venuetoday. I arrived on August 13th and spent the next couple ofdays enjoying the area as well as several hours on the waters ofLake Ontario preparing for event. The event started on August

16th with two days of qualifying inorder to split up the 180 boat fleet.Days One and Two brought the typicalsea breeze of 5-16 knots with 3 footchop. A dominant performanceconsisting of four bullets, a second,and a fifth place finish gave me a two-point lead on second and 14 pointson 3rd. Day 3 was the first day of thegold flight races bringing a beautiful18-20 knot breeze with a large 4-6foot wind chop that made forawesome downwind surfing. The daycould not have gone smoother withtwo bullets by comfortable margins.Day Four consisted of some of the

most frustrating conditions I have ever sailed in. With a stormpassing through the night before, the race course had extremelyshifty, puffy, and unpredictable offshore winds. To start off theday, I won the pin end of the line and seemed to be verypunched off the line, but the conditions immediately showed metheir worst, continuously putting me further and further behindand eventually dead last. Knowing that the race was so flukyand unpredictable, I had to tell myself it was not due to mymistakes and I had to put it in the past. The next few racescame with similar conditions, except for the fact that there wasabsolutely no pattern at all. Fleets would get inverted in amatter of seconds with completely different winds crossing andmixing across the course. I finished the day with a 2, 4, 11, andsomehow managed to build my lead to 8 points over 2nd and52 points on 3rd. The last race day came down to the final 20minutes of the time limit to start a race due to the gradient andsea breeze fighting for advantage. Finally, the sea breeze filledin at a solid 3-6 knots at a steady heading. Noticing anextremely favored pin end and the breeze being very light, Iquickly made sure I was up on the line and at the favored end.Catching the fleet off guard as well as my closest competitor, Iwas already ahead of the fleet before the gun went off, porttacked the fleet, and won the race and the regatta by acomfortable margin. In the end, I finished a dominant 47 pointsahead of second place. The regatta was extremely fun on thewater with great sailing conditions as well as off the water withlots of friends from around the country.

SU M M E R O F T H E LA S E Rby Chris Barnard

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WH O WA S DI C K SW E E T?by Susan Kenney

One of the many race regattas that our Newport Harbor Yacht Club Juniors sail during the summer months isthe Dick Sweet Perpetual Team Racing Regatta. The Dick Sweet Regatta is a team racing regatta. All SCYYRA Junior Sailing Programs are invited every year to

send one three-boat Naples Sabot team. Teams compete for the Dick Sweet Perpetual Trophy which will bepresented at the last event. The trophy is composed of three event days. The first two events are used as aseeding for the final knockout Series finale at Alamitos Bay Yacht Club on July 21. The first meet was held at SanDiego Yacht Club, June 30 and the second meet at Newport Harbor Yacht Club, July 7. Our team members thisyear are Connor Kelter, Jimmy Madigan, Kieran Chung, Greer Wattson, and Carolyn Smith.

But, who was Dick Sweet? I was one of the fortunate young sailors, a Non-Calm, at Newport Harbor YachtClub to sail under his command in the 1960s and 70s. I remember a wonderful, patient, warm, and friendly sailingteacher who loved what he did. But, I was young and did not pay too much attention to who Dick really was. So Idid some research and would like to give a special thank you to Bill Moses of NHYC who helped find more indepth information.

To begin with, Dick Sweet was the Junior Sailing Director at Newport Harbor Yacht Club in charge of the Non-Calm Program from 1954 to when he retired in1978.

Dick was raised in Long Beach where he spent his summers racing Skimmerettes and crewing on Snipes. Thatis where he met and became friends with Ed Warmington and Bob Allan of NHYC. When he came down to teachat Horace Ensign Middle School he also began to teach sailing at Lido Island Yacht Club during the summers. In1954 it was suggested by Commodore Jim Sheppard that he come and direct the junior program at NHYC.

Not long after, Dick started at NHYC full time under the direction of Phelps Merickel who was in charge of theNon-Calm Program at that time. When Dick took over the program he further undertook the Race Committeework and the Twilight series. He often worked 12-hour days, six days a week during the summer months fromJune to September. He said that the most important thing he was able to accomplish was not only teachingsafety in sailing but keeping the competition growing among the various junior, senior, and nationalchampionships. He was also responsible for setting up the Inter-club racing in the bay which is now called BalboaBay Fleets.

He started crewing for Bob Allan on the sloop Holiday and gained an enormous amount of ocean racingexperience which he passed onto his young sailors. He was inducted into the Intercollegiate Hall of Fame in 1973.

Dick was interested in not only the skippers but the crew and that was probably his greatest contribution toyoung sailors. Dick thought that the first and most elemental process of learning to sail for the junior was to crewin a Snowbird. (Side note: That’s how I learned to sail.) Then he felt that the sailor was ready for any other kind ofracing. For this reason, Dick hoped that other boats such as the Flying Junior and other double handed boatswould grow. And, grow they did; CFJs and 420s just to name a few, are sailed today in high school and collegiatecompetitions.

Dick ran the program at NHYC from 1954 to 1978 when he retired due to health problems. He came back in1981 to re-organize the junior program which he did in short order and again left due to his health. However, helater was able to resume racing, and he and his good friend Bud Desenberg won the Beer Can Race once again in1989.

Dick Sweet died in April 1990. His name is remembered with great fondness and appreciation from this Non-Calm and so many other people whose life he touched. In May 1990 NHYC outfitted a new bay race committeeboat and named it the Richard B. Sweet in his memory for his contribution to the sailing youth in all of NewportHarbor and to some of the best of the best sailors of that era. Bill Symes, Scott Allan, Dave Ullman (BYC), ArgyleCampbell (BYC), Tim Hogan, Henry Sprague just to name a few. Any of these names sound familiar?

Dick Sweet left a very sweet legacy for many of his sailors who now have young sailors of their own who lovethe sea and sailing just as he did!

RA G T I M E –CR U I S I N G TA H I T Iby Chris Welsh

We returned to Papeete in late Julyto finish race related repairs to Ragtime,with a goal of moving on to Tonga. Therepairs were replacement of two 1.5"keel nuts which were galled in place, andgetting the diesel motor going again.Without boring you, these tasks werelongish – the keel nuts had to be cut offwith a die grinder, then a die run up anddown the threads four times, then thenew nuts installed. Whose idea was it totake a black boat to the Tropics?! Afterthree days of work, this was done, andall of the keel bolts retorqued.

The engine repairs were a littleinvolved, and thus needed a bit ofperseverance. A new injection pump wasfitted, and then the injectors themselveswere rebuilt. Eureka! The engine ranagain and we were free to travel.

As time had been eaten up withthese tasks, we elected to delay onTonga and just sail French Polynesia. Ourcustoms agent, Moana, joined us for thistrip, and his connections and languageskills were invaluable. This turned into amagical trip. Our first leg was Tahiti toRaiatea/Tahaa where we picked up amooring at the Tarawana Yacht Clubowned by friends of ours. I can't sayenough good things about visiting theTarawana – modern moorings, greatfood in a wall-less building withspecatcular views, and interestingpeople. We met various cruisers fromaround the world, including the crew ofTamsen, a 170' Perini-Navi anchorednearby. The stand-up boards werepressed into service by all. TarawanaYacht Club occupies about two acres onthe southern tip of Tahaa – a must if youare cruising the area. Food, potablewater, showers, etc.

16

CRUISINGconfidence building, but we hung in therefor the night.

The last day, we sailed to Moorea andanchored south of Cooks Cove for the night,sharing the cove with the Maltese Falcon. Inthe morning, the stand-ups were a great wayto paddle over and meet the crew; afterchatting a while and getting the call todepart, they did a full sail exit from the cove– very impressive, and we garnered aninvitation to visit them in San Francisco nextmonth. I just got a report from my parents inHonolulu that the Maltese had arrived thereen route home.

The Maltese is indescribably big.Ragtime was a toothpick by comparison toher 280 feet of length and thirty some feetof beam. Under sail, she launched into thetrades, heeling 15-20 degrees and 13-14knots or more. I was proud to see TomPerkins checking out Ragtime as they left.

Our high speed cruise was an anomalyin the Tropics. Cruisers knew Ragtime wasdifferent, but they were thrown by 10 knotsailing and 300 mile days. Most wereexcited to hit 7 knots, and several describeddropping the sails at night on longpassages. They also did not relate to theovernight visits. One commented that at fivedays in Huahine, they thought they werecutting it short. Oh well, it worked for us.

Next stops - The Cooks, Tonga, andAuckland for the Coastal Cup Race to theBay of Islands on October 24th. We'relooking forward to a grand homecoming forthe boat.

The inter island sailing was great. FromTahiti to Tahaa, we had a full moon andmade 14-19 knots in warm tradewinds, andwe pretty much had those conditions everyday. Inside the lagoons, we made greatspeed in flat water but with the breeze stillon. Lagoon sailing was lively with brightlycolored water, reefs everywhere, andthankfully, excellent navigation marking bythe French.

The crew was Moana Henry from Tahiti,Devin Vaughn, Shawn Rowles (friend fromthe USA), and myself.

The next day, we set off for Bora Borawith one of our friends from Tarawana whois a charter captain. This was a great breakas we arrived after dark, and crossing thecoral reef entrance passage with localknowledge on board was comforting.Again, we picked up a mooring in front ofBloody Marys and went ashore for a verylively dinner with more friends. Bora Borais populated with he-shes, and ourwaiter(ess) was about the fourth he-she wehad met. It was a very lively dinner,everyone had a good time, and wereturned to the boat on our stand-uppaddle boards, having given up on thedrama of blowing up the dinghy, mountingthe motor, etc. Amazingly, despitecocktails, no one swam on the way back tothe boat.

After Bora Bora, we started forHuahine and then wimped out for a threehour cruise back to Tahaa and our friendsthere. Entering the cove, we sailed a looparound Tamsen to our mutual delight.Another night of great food and goodpeople, and we are looking forward toseeing the Tamsen folks again in Auckland.

Huahine was a short hop the next day,and the same routine – stand up boards,and dinner ashore with other cruisers. Alittle bit of a difficult anchorage for us –with only light racing ground tackle,anchoring in 85' of water was not

Lobster Cruise – October 31 to November 3

Join your NHYC cruisers for a fun and informative weekend in Moonstone learning to hoop net for lobsters. For the last threeseasons, we on Sea Pearl have had success right in our own cove. You don’t need to get wet, well not too much, or even leave

your own yacht. We will arrive at Moonstone on Friday, Oct 31 and stay until Monday morning, Nov 3. Obviously you can arrive andleave according to your needs. We plan to have a community lobster feed on shore on Saturday night.If you plan to attend and are new to hoop netting, you will need to purchase a few items first. I have put together a Lobster HoopNetting Syllabus which is available at the club office or on NHYC.org. There is also a brochure on lobster fishing available from theDepartment of Fish and Game at www.dfg.ca.gov/marine/pdfs/lobsterbrochure.pfd

17

ANGLERS

2008 FIRST FISH FLAGS/LOCAL WATERS*

SPECIES BOAT SKIPPER ANGLER DATEStriped Marlin - Released Cazador Chris Allen Nick Allen 8/9Striped Marlin - Taken Shadow “Old” Wink “Young” Wink 8/3Swordfish (AVAILABLE)Big Eye Tuna (AVAILABLE)Albacore Shadow “Old” Wink Pete Binaski 6/20Yellowtail Gordo John M Curci John M Curci 5/31White Sea Bass Halfmoon Packy Offield Packy Offield 3/13Yellowfin Tuna Gordo John M Curci John M Curci 8/9Bluefin Tuna Dos Gatos Matt Merickel Dave Kennett 6/21Dorado Shadow “Old” Wink “Old” Wink 8/1Halibut Que Bueno Randy Hause Randy Hause 4/11

*Local Waters-----between Point Conception and 31st parallel.

AWARD OF MERIT FLAGS/OUTSIDE**

SPECIES BOAT SKIPPER ANGLER DATE LOCATIONPacific Blue Marlin - RLSD Alegre Jeff Littlell Jeff Littlell 4/27 MexicoAtlantic Blue Marlin - RLSD (AVAILABLE)Black Marlin -RLSD (AVAILABLE)White Marlin - RLSD (AVAILABLE)Pacific Sailfish Anzuelo II Hector Bill Bennett 6/2 Pamas BayAtlantic Sailfsh Mstrs BF Sharky Packy Offield 5/11 CancunSpearfish (AVAILABLE)Wahoo (AVAILABLE)Yellowfin Tuna +100# (AVAILABLE)Big Eye Tuna +100# (AVAILABLE)Bluefin Tuna +100# (AVAILABLE)

**Anywhere outside of local waters

JUNIOR FLAGS/AWARDS***

SPECIES BOAT SKIPPER ANGLER DATEStriped Marlin Cazador Chris Allen Nick Allen 8/9Albacore Bastante Rod Neighbors Kellen Neighbors 8/9Albacore Bastante Rod Neighbors Trevor Neighbors 8/9Albacore Cazador Chris Allen Nick Allen 8/9Dorado Bastante Rod Neighbors Kelly Neighbors 8/5

***All of the Flags/Awards are available to “Junior Fleet Members,” as a separate category.

As of 9/12/08

18

MOTHER SABOTS

Congratulations to the new Mother Sabots' Board for 2009:

COMMODORE:HELEN MACKEL

VICE COMMODORE:SUSAN GORDON

SECRETARY/TREASURER:JAN HOUGHTON

More trophy winners:Tulip Time II

A Fleet 1st: Carlita FullerB Fleet 1st: Sarah Kraus

A Fleet Low Point Trophy: Gale PinckneyB Fleet Low Point Trophy: Sarah KrausMost Improved Skipper: Sarah Kraus

CABO2009

RACE WEEK IN CABO –THINGS TO DO

Things to do in Cabo while youare waiting for your 2009 Cabosailor to finish the race…thetopics are as follows:

1) Water Sports andBeach Bums

2) Desert Rats

3) Golf Addicts

4) History Buffs

5) Spoiled “Spa-nicks”

6) Party People

7) Serious Shoppers

See Flyer for All the Details!

Nick Scandone – Gold Medal Winner!

Former Newport Harbor Yacht Club Non-Calm and Mother Sabots coach NickScandone achieved his lifetime goal and won Paralympic gold in China. What makesthis goal particularly remarkable is that Nick was diagnosed with ALS or Lou Gehrig’sdisease six years ago and has been literally fighting to stay alive.

Earlier this year, there was debate within US Sailing as to whether to send Nick’salternate on the team to China because of the progressive nature of his disease. ButNick defied the odds and convincingly won gold with two races still to go.

“At the dock before the first race I had about a 10-minute moment of tears,” Nickrecalled. “It’s hard to describe what I was feeling, but it was definitely a sense ofaccomplishment.” In the next issue of Hard on The Wind, we’ll talk with Nick about hisParalympic experience.

FROM THE MANAGER

HOTWEditor

Anne NuttenCommittee

Chris AllenPam BacichDorothy BeekDonna BentsKristin & Robert BentsJane & Scott CalderJohn ClementJuli CookLyle DavisMichael di DonatoTim DoaneJennifer & John DraytonJayne HauseByron HendersonJeanette & Bowie HoughtonNed JonesJim JordanStephanie MartinNina A. NielsenHarriet PalletteSteve SchupakDennis ScholzBill von KleinSmidJudith WattsonChris WelshGeorge WestTod WhiteRobert Yates

ContributorsCommodore Bruce R. D’Eliscu,Thomas Gilbertson, CCM, Jeff Aschieris, Chris Barnard, Caitlin Beavers, Jeff Gordon, Susan Kenney, Maria Raab, ChrisSegerblom, Charlie Underwood

Layout and DesignVince Mattera Design

Newport Harbor Yacht Club720 West Bay Avenue • Balboa 92661

673-7730 Phone • 673-3972 Fax723-6878 Boatyard

nutd@juno.comWeb site: www.nhyc.org

CommodoreBruce R. D’Eliscu

Vice CommodoreWilliam H. Crispin

Rear CommodoreW. Bradley Avery

DirectorsBruce R. D’EliscuWilliam H. CrispinW. Bradley AveryMarc L. FosterJeffrey J. GordonJeffrey D. LittellEdwin A. MeserveRichard S. Robinson, Jr.Thomas E, Springer III

General ManagerThomas Gilbertson, CCM

Mark your calendars now to becertain not to miss the Club’s bountifuloffering on Thanksgiving. Give Mom abreak this year and have the familygather at the Club to celebrate andgive thanks.

Our active December calendar isquickly filling up. If you have not yetcompleted your planning for yourHoliday luncheon, cocktail party, ordinner, don’t delay too long andcontact our Event Planner, CrystalEvelyn, to assure your space and time.

The Annual Meeting this year onDecember 6 sets the stage for a busyweekend which culminates with ourannual visit from Santa on Sundayevening, December 7. Our plans forthe afternoon events which precedeSanta’s arrival will be detailed in thecolorful flyer soon to be mailed whichalso covers all the menus for theParade of Lights week as well. As partof that document, we will invite you tojoin everyone at the New Year’s EveOpen House on December 31st from6:30 pm to 9:30 pm. The Club haselected to abandon the galas of recentyears in an effort to infuse some newenthusiasm into the evening. Thisadults only offering will provide aCocktail Party atmosphere with horsd’oeuvres station format. Music will beprovided if one wishes to dance, yetthe intent of the evening is to enjoycamaraderie, food, and drinks as apreamble to the New Year.

Although the calendar is quicklyclosing in on 2009 the remainingmonths promise to continue the “fun”endorsed all year by CommodoreD’Eliscu. We trust you all will be partof the good times ahead.

Preparing this article is a reminderhow quickly 2008 is passing. This isthe second to last issue of HOTW

for the year. With the busy HolidaySeason rapidly approaching and theconclusion of the committee schedule wewant to take a moment and thank thevolunteers who are so much the glue thatbinds this fine Club.

Again in 2008 the dedication of timeand expertise has helped assure anothersuccessful year. The success the Clubcontinues to enjoy is in large measureattributable to member usage. Wecontinue to see our activity level grow andappreciate the support the membershipprovides to our efforts.

Looking forward to the month ofOctober a focal point will be the annualCasino Night which is cleverly promotedon the back cover of this issue. As statedlast month the Skipper members whoproduce the event have again partneredwith the Newport Harbor SailingFoundation and with this partnership yourcontribution through the silent and liveauctions are tax deductable. This festiveevening, enhanced this year as a costumeparty, invites everyone to display theiralter egos and come together to be partof the fun!

IN MEMORIAM

MRS. NED “MARJORIE”ANDERSON

August 6, 2008

Member since 1955

Tick tock, tick tock,the croc is coming with the Captain’s clock to…

Casino Night!

October 25th, 6:30 pmCome in your best Halloween costume to win prizes,bid on auction items worthy of a pirate’s bounty and

have a swashbucklin’ good time supporting nhsf!

Be thar, or be squar!

$65++ Cancellation Policy in Effectrsvp to the club (949) 673.7730

Shore Boat Service Available