Rules Corner

In our last Grade 5 we had an interesting situation. Andrew BLUE and Jamie YELLOW were coming in towards the finish on starboard jibe. Andrew was carrying a penalty. The Race Committee was not aware of the penalty. Andrew attempted to luff Jamie and kill his penalty. He initiated this before entering the two boat length zone and then realizing he wasn’t going to clear the penalty he bore away into the zone.

Jamie crossed the finish line between Andrew and the finish pin and slightly ahead. The RC signaled his color, Yellow. As Jamie was almost clear of the line he snagged and dragged the finishing mark. Andrew seeing this did his penalty. The umpires did not see Andrew do this. Andrew then sailed clearly back to the course side of the line and did another penalty turn and crossed the finish line, which by now was dragged significantly out of place.

There were no flags flown by either competitor nor by the umpires. There were no official protests (red B) flags flown either. The umpires and RC conferred and the situation was discussed at length in the debrief. As promised here is the summary of the situation.

Yellow was entitled to room to finish. The definition of finishing doesn’t require a boat to sail all the way across, just to break the plane… but you are still not allowed to hit either end of the line. Touching a mark is only signaled by the umpires. A “Y-flag” does nothing in this case. When a boat touches a mark and the umpires see this they shall fly a blue or yellow flag.

Assuming they noticed the boat towing the mark, they should have indicated that they saw this by signaling a penalty for Yellow in which case it would have offset the Blue penalty and the boat that crossed the finish line first, still yellow, would have won.

If it was determined that Yellow hit the mark because Blue did not give her room to pass on the correct side AND either of the boats had flown a Y-flag, then the umpires should have indicated this by flying Blue. It is not required that they also fly a yellow flag for touching the mark as it is considered one incident and the umpires would determine that Yellow should be exonerated from touching the mark due to an infraction by Blue. This would have also had Yellow winning.

As it stood – there were no flags flown by the competitors nor were there any flags flown by the umpires. Yellow won. Three ways of getting to the same conclusion.

Tidbit: Did you know that you ARE allowed to hit the anchor line of a mark as long as in that case you do not make contact with the actual boat or the mark? Unfortunately for Match 40 sailors it is rare that you touch a mark or a committee boat’s ground tackle without towing said mark or boat. Oh Sugar!

The Volvo and Oakcliff

We are happy to report that Oakcliff’s reputation is spreading around the globe. In Alicante, the professionals instantly ‘got it’ and are looking forward to integrating our graduates into future projects.

I also couldn’t help but notice that Ian Walker, skipper of Abu Dhabi might have benefited from Oakcliff’s acorn and sapling program. When interviewed dockside as they were repairing their mast, he said:

“We have a fantastic team and I feel like a spare part at the moment. I think I should have learned more about rigging as a nipper. I can’t do much more than make cups of tea and go round and check with people and encourage them to get it all done quick.”

No problem Ian, you can stop by Oakcliff any time . Also sighted in Alicante, Jesse, Mark and Charlie from Oakcliff’s All American Offshore Team.

Remember next year the Acorn, Sapling, Might Oak and Offshore Programs will be fully integrated. More on that as the schedule and players are firmed up. If you or someone you know are interested in being a part of the 2011 team please go to the Acorn page for more information or email race@oakcliffsailing.org with any questions.

Oakcliff Halloween Invitational Race Report

Racers traveled from all over to attend the 2nd annual Oakcliff Halloween Regatta in Oyster Bay, NY. The teams hailed from Canada, the USVI, California, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York. Racing was intense, as were the conditions.

On Saturday, the first day of racing, temperatures on the east coast dropped sharply and the wind kicked up. The day started with 17kts of wind, gusting to 22, and continued to build. Sleet precipitation followed and visibility was further challenged by an eerie mist caused by the combination of very cold air and warm water.  The race committee did an excellent job of getting in two flights, then appropriately canceled further racing for the day. Before the boats reached the moorings, wind speeds increased further – gusting into the 30′s.

On Sunday, the race committee successfully squeezed in the rest of the flights. As predicted, the racing was intense and the top three spots were determined in the last race of the regatta – Quaglio vs Rathbun. Quaglio was undefeated and Rathbun had one loss. Komar and Wickwire had two losses each. If Quaglio won the final race he would win the regatta and Rathbun, Wickwire, and Komar would tie – with Komar winning the tiebreaker and taking 2nd place. However, Rathbun won the final match vs Quaglio landing him the 1st place trophy. Quaglio took 2nd, and Komar took 3rd.

This 2nd running of the Oakcliff Halloween Invitational was one of Oakcliff’s most exciting events yet – with racing coming down to the wire and appropriately eerie weather. Here are the results

1. Colin Rathbun 6 wins – USVI
2. Michael Quaglio 6 wins – USA, NY
3. Mike Komar 5 wins – USA – NY
4. Peter Wickwire 5 wins – Canada
5. David Storrs 2 wins – USA, CT
6. Magnus Sandberg 2 wins – Canada
7. Michael Rivlin 1 win – USA, CA
8. Christopher Land 1 win – USA, MA

Thanks to all the competitors, volunteers, officials and umpires that made this fantastic event possible.

Race officers:

Friday November 4th: Oakcliff on ESPN Classic

On November 4th there will be three hours of SAILING on ESPN Classic! That’s right, block off your Friday evening – sailing will be on mainstream TV. Three episodes, produced by legendary sailor Gary Jobson, are set to air. Here is a preview of each episode…

7pm: Championship Sailing – The best of One Design Racing

This one hour program focuses on One Design racing. Coverage will include each of the 10 Olympic Classes as well as interviews with the US Sailing Team and several world champions. The program will also include a feature on the history of One Design racing which dates back to the early 1900s. Three dozen sailors are interviewed from a wide variety of classes across the United States.

8pm: 2011 NYYC Invitational Cup

The NYYC Invitational Cup saw 22 ten-person teams from 16 countries. Eleven highly contested races were sailed over a five-day period off Newport, Rhode Island in identically matched Swan 42s. All of the competitors were amateur sailors and members of their respective yacht clubs, making this one design event very competitive. The program was shot in Hi Def aboard the race boats, from helicopters above the racecourse, and from boats on the water. Keep your eyes peeled for Oakcliff supporter John Mooney – sailing as the owner’s representative aboard Uxorious III. This episode will re-air on Sunday November 6th at 1:30pm on ESPN 2.

9pm: Racing for an Ocean Record

This episode will feature distance ocean racing in the 2011 Annapolis to Newport race and the Marblehead to Halifax race. the 2011 Marblehead to Halifax race – which many of you may remember was a very successful event for Oakcliff. Our Ker 50, filled with Oakcliff acorns, staff, and supporters took 3rd place in the IRC 1 fleet. Additionally, our Ker 11.3 piloted by acorns Jeffrey MacFarlane and Mike Nicoletti took 1st place in the Doublehanded division.

Coverage for this episode will come from ESPN reporters who tagged along aboard a few of the race boats.  Aurora, guided by the show’s producer Gary Jobson, and our Oakcliff Ker 50 will be two of the featured boats. Tune in Friday at 9pm for the whole story.

Halloween Regatta This Weekend

Racing BIG Boats

In preparation for the AYC Fall Series, both the Ker 50 and Ker 11.3 practiced this past Saturday. With fair breeze between 10 and 17kts, teams were able to practice mark roundings, sets, douses, and starts.

If you are interested in participating in the AYC Fall Series and/or the Manhasset Fall Series, please sign up now! There are even a few spots available for this coming Saturday 9/24, click here to go to the calendar http://www.oakcliffsailing.org/calendar/ and register.

Oakcliff Invitational EXCELLENT Day of Racing

Day 2 at the Oakcliff Invitation began with a light northerly, filling in Cold Spring Harbor from across Long Island Sound. The breeze veered east and eventually came all the way south at 1:00 PM, which promised a strong and steady seabreeze.

The pecking order was established as the competitors sailed eight full rounds in superb wind, for a total of 11 rounds completed of the 18 that will comprise a double round-robin. In a round-robin, each team competes against every other team once; by sailing a double round robin before breaking to quarterfinals, each competitor gets to face everyone else twice, as both the starboard- and port-entry boat.

The races were sailed in Oakcliff Sailing Center’s 10 Swedish Match 40s, a forty-foot racer modelled after the International America’s Cup Class. The Match 40s are well suited to Oyster Bay, where the breeze is often light and variable, but they are also extremely stable and balanced in heavy air. Today they shined in 10-12 knots of breeze, making for exciting but manageable racing.

Oakcliff’s fleet of Match 40s is the largest in the world. With large, open cockpits, a powerful sail plan, and an umpire spot at the back, they are ideal for coaching and training. Oakcliff Sailing Center is open to the public and provides all levels of training on their Match 40s, Melges 24s, Farr 40s, and custom IRC racers.

The lead at the Grade 2 Invitational now belongs to Laurie Jury (New Zealand), who is also leading in the Grand Slam series. He and his crew won all eight races today, for a total record of 10-1 . Just behind him are Will Tiller (New Zealand) who is 8-3, and Dave Perry (USA), also 8-3. A full scoresheet is appended.

With plenty of wind, there was also plenty of excitement today. In round 5, Tiller seemed to find an invisible wind, rolling Perry from leeward, tacking at the wind-line and crossing him, and winning five boat lengths ahead. The race was eventually thrown out due to the wind shift, but Tiller won the redo as well.

In round 8, Allam (Great Britain) was luffing Lumijarvi (Finland) during the final leeward leg. Lumijarvi headed up, but then tried an insane jibe, smashing into Allam and earning himself a black flag (disqualification).

In round 10, Canfield (US Virgin Islands) and Jury were trading tacks near the windward mark. Canfield, after an unsuccessful dial-up, forced Jury to avoid while tacking to starboard. Umpire Dave Pelling gave Canfield a penalty, and a red flag to boot because by fouling Jury, Canfield gained the inside of the mark. He promptly sailed out of the two-boat-length circle to clear his penalty. “Unfortunately,” said Pelling, “his bow came back into the circle before he jibed,” invalidating his turn. After sailing fully clear and doing another circle, “he just gave up.”

Photos and video from Day 2 are avaible on the Oakcliff Facebook group and on Oakcliff’s Vimeo page. Pressure on the competitors will increase as the double round-robin is wrapped up and elimination rounds begin. Laurie Jury will be working to hold on to his lead, in the Oakcliff Invitational and the larger Grand Slam series, but fellow Kiwi Will Tiller is hot on his heels.

Full Results:

Laurie Jury New Zealand 10
Will Tiller New Zealand 8
Dave Perry United States 8
Taylor Canfield U.S. Virgin Islands 7
Nicolai Sehested Denmark 6
Reuben Corbett New Zealand 5
Mike Buckley United States 4
Oli Pekka Lumijarvi Finland 2.5
Robbie Allam Great Britain 1

Oakcliff Offshore Off to the Fastnet

Good Luck to everyone on the Oakcliff All American Offshore Team. They will be adding their alternates into the crew and racing with 19 for the relative sprint called the Fastnet. Well it is a sprint compared to the Trans-Atlantic which they just finished.

If you would like to track their progress you can go to

http://fastnet.rorc.org/blog/race-information/tracking/index.html

Better yet and for the latest direct from the boat and if you haven’t read the blog lately click on the link to the right of this page. They have recently added a significant amount of content. So pick up a cool drink and read up on this young team.

Acorns on the Podium Again

Acorn’s Jeff MacFarlane and Mike Nicoletti have another podium finish notched into their bulkhead. As you are aware, a part of the program is also learning about public and press relations and communications; Here is the report that they filed.

The Race: Doublehanded and singlehanded divisions raced around a triangle course beginning in Newport harbor out to the southern tip of Block Island then east and around a mark just east of the Vineyard and back to Newport. Our competitors in the class one included a Class 40, an Aerodyne 38, a Beneteau First 36.7 and 3 Quests.

Newport to South End of Block Island

Jeff and I started with the #3 jib and a full main in a seemingly building breeze of 12-15kts. We took full advantage of the oscillating breeze and worked up the right side of the course toward Point Judeth and were rewarded with an early lead. The breeze died throughout this leg to just 6-7 kts. We switched to the #1 and pushed on around the west side of Block Island. Our early lead over the class 40 diminished as the wind died and they switched to what we assume was a code zero.

Block Island to The Vineyard

After rounding block, the class 40 was hot on our heels and took off with their code zero. We set our A1, but we were not able to carry it for long. Unfortunately the breeze built and backed to the south earlier than expected, forcing us to switch back to the jib. These reaching conditions were similar to the Block Island Race earlier this year and Jeff and I pushed hard to keep the boat fast.

The Vineyard to Newport

We reached the jibe mark in pitch dark and pressed on toward Newport. Again, the wind angle was too hot for us to carry a spinnaker, so we continued with the jib. Fog built as we neared the mainland and breeze gusted into the low 20′s which made for an tricky approach to the busy harbor. We crossed the finish line off Castle Hill at 1:35AM.

Once we made it back to our guest mooring at Conanicut Yacht Club, we listened to the radio and recorded the other boats finishes anxiously attempting to calculate our finish position. Based on the basic PHRF calculations, we knew it would be really close between the Class 40, and the Beneteau First 36.7 and ourselves. The race committee was using a slightly different time-on-time handicap based on PHRF, so ultimately we had to wait till the award ceremony to determine our finish. When all was said and done, we finished 2nd, only 10 min behind the Class 40 and 15min ahead of the Beneteau!

As competitive racers, we think we could have done better, but we believe we made good decisions and sailed a pretty good race. This raced marked yet another success for Jeff, me and the Oakcliff Ker 11.3.

You can also watch a video on the Oakcliff Facebook Page.

Evo-Sport Invitational In Full Swing

This weekend marks the first time we will have all 10 Match 40′s on the water racing together. Ten teams are gathering from around the world to train on Thursday and Friday and then compete on the weekend.

To follow the racing, either come on down or join twitter or watch the twitter feed on the Oakcliff website http://www.oakcliffsailing.org.

If you are planning on racing the match racing for classic sailors on Sunday, don’t worry, the boats will be ready and rigged for you to just step on board.