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Keelboat Fleet Captain Dane Vermillon 206-7215 dvermillion1 mac.com

August 12, 2011

NOTICE OF PHRF CHANGE FOR ODR J80s/RESCORING OF PAST RACES.

Recently, several competitors asked whether, perhaps, we should re-score some MYC keelboat fleet races held before July 7 as a result of a mid-season rating change for J80s issued by US PHRF. I suggest that we should not retroactively re-score races sailed prior to the date of the rating change.

MYC keelboats are scored using Lake Michigan PHRF ratings. MYC does not require all competing boats to purchase a PHRF certificate. If a boat has a valid PHRF certificate, that rating is used. Several MYC one-design J80s applied for and received PHRF certificates over the past winter. The assigned rating was 126. Accordingly, we scored the J80s using that handicap. PHRF ratings change from time-to-time. In early July, PHRF issued a new rating for one-design J80s. The new handicap is 120 and went into effect for MYC races after July 7, 2011.

Notably, we did not inadvertently apply an incorrect PHRF rating for the J80s – we at all times have applied the official US Sailing LMPHRF rating. Since our MYC sailing instructions are silent as to this matter, I checked with Paul Ansfield, US Sailing’s PHRF guru, to be sure we are getting this right. Here’s my question and Paul’s reply:

QUESTION FROM MYC PHRF LIASON, DAVE G:

Paul, Hi. I hope your summer is going well. A question has come up in our club with respect to scoring races that were sailed before the recent revision to the J80 handicaps. Our club sailed several races in our season championship series this summer before PHRF sent out revised J80 handicaps. Our ODR J80s were scored using 126 for the early season races. Then, we started scoring the J80s using the new 120 handicap as soon as the new certificates arrived.

Our sailing instructions do not address whether to retroactively re-score the early races. My inclination would be to leave those pre-rating-change results alone, as competitors may have sailed differently if they knew they had a higher or lower handicap at the time the race was sailed.

Can you refer me to any authority as to how we should handle this scoring question?

ANSWER FROM US SAILING PHRF GURU, PAUL ANSFIELD:

All is well here. To your question: follow your inclination. This is what is usually done. Your reasoning is correct. There is no specific rule that deals with this. However, from the time the current handicap is issued, that is the one that is used to score races because it is the only valid PHRF handicap.

Hope that helps. Cheers, Paul

So, unless or until we change our MYC sailing instructions to provide otherwise, I suggest that we go with what is usually done and not retroactively re-score races sailed under a previous PHRF rating. That’s a real relief to me, because my first few years sailing an M24 we were rated 120, not the 90 handicap the boat has now. I’d really hate to give up those trophies we won back in 1993 if we were to go back and re-score the season. Plus, think of the cost to the club of re-engraving all of the trophies!

A FEW OTHER PHRF NOTES:

If a boat does not have a current PHRF certificate, then the MYC PHRF LIASON (that’s me) goes on the internet and attempts to find a similar boat registered in the Lake Michigan region and we apply that rating. A pre-requisite for challenging the rating assigned is that you must apply for a PHRF certificate. The US Sailing PHRF folks then determine the rating that we use. Historically, with the unanimous consent of fleet members, MYC will locally alter an assigned PHRF number. We have done this on occasion for Hoofers boats which have had to compete with old, donated sails (sorry, nobody else can use that excuse). Another instance of varying from PHRF came up a few years ago when the MYC Division 3 boats (yes, we had a Division 3) agreed unanimously to race with a level rating, even though their PHRF handicaps varied by about six seconds per mile. In that case, several boats were rated 200, others 203, and a couple 206. They all raced at 200, so whoever go to the finish line first, won.

A SALES PITCH FOR US SAILING / PHRF:

US Sailing provides numerous services and benefits to sailors like us and clubs like ours. I encourage everyone reading this to join US Sailing. I also encourage all MYC keelboat owners to pop for the few bucks it costs to get a PHRF certificate each season. Many clubs require a valid PHRF certificate to race. To date, MYC has not adopted this requirement. One of the reasons Paul Ansfield was willing to help us out with the answer to our J80 ratings question is that several of our boats purchased ratings certificates this year… not because they had to… but because supporting our sport is a great thing to do!

I continue to welcome your PHRF-related questions and will do my best to come up with answers.

Enjoy the rest of the season, Dave Gorwitz

February 19, 2010

MYC Sailors Rescued After J24 Sinks off Greneda

Via Don Sanford:
In the oft-told annals of sailing in the chapter titled, "Everything was fine... and then it wasn't," we have a story for you. Lou Slamar of the Village Idiot crew sent this story and photos asking that I share it with all of you.

On January 30,2010, four MYC members: Gregg Lewis, Mike Moninger, Lou Slamar, Dennis Kennedy and skipper David Tod, a Canadian, went "down south" to participate in the Grenada Sailing Festival. You'll recognize Gregg, Mike, Lou and Dennisn as crew on the J24 Village Idiot on Lake Mendota.

January 30 was a beautiful day on the water blowing 20-30 with gusts higher than that. Lou reports, "We were going down wind with no problem" when their fun was interrupted as they were "smacked down flat" on a spinnaker leg. "We were ready to take down the chute when the skipper either turned up to a close reach or the wind shifted and that was it." Though they released the spin sheet and halyard, the boat never came up.

Someplace along the line, the mast broke though Lou does not recall why or how that happened.

For a while, air trapped in the lazzerettes kept the boat afloat. Prudently, the crew had locked them before racing. The starboard one had a broken latch and they'd jury-rigged it closed. It finally failed and the cover blew open. The boat was gone in 15 or 20 minutes. All of the MYC sailors had life jackets on. The Skipper did not. Fortunately, the water was warm and a nearby photography boat came along right away and pulled our intrepid friends from the drink.

Our guys lost some personal possessions; cameras, dry clothing, eyeglasses, etc. but everyone is safe and sound. The Grenada Yacht Club had insurance on the boat, the skipper and crew had no liability.

Lou says that he has Googled j24 sinkings and found out that this is more common than he imagined. You can see the rest of the story in the newspaper article.

PS "Note to self, check the latches on lazzerettes before launch day!
Don

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August 15, 2008

Cruiser Photos Now Posted

Here is a page of pictures from Bill Schellpfeffer took while doing ROA duties on August 6, 2008.

July 7, 2008

Weekend Racing Photos Posted

First, here's a link to Jeff Russell's Picasa album for some great photos. And second, check out these photos from Tim Stanton on the Photo Page.

July 29, 2008

MYC MEMBERS PLACE 1st OA IN THE 2008 100 MILER

MYC sailors Dave Gorwitz, Andrew Lewis, Bruce Renwick and Elise Renwick teamed up with skipper Chris Schoendorf (Sturgeon Bay Yacht Club) on the Melges 24, Taz, to place 1st overall in the 72nd annual 100 Miler race sailed out of the M&M Yacht Club in Menominee, Michigan, this past weekend.

Team Taz led the 28-boat spinnaker class scratch for much of the 42 nautical mile course. Another 19 boats sailed the somewhat shorter non-spinnaker course. The race was sailed under perfect sunny skies in a puffy 15-25 knot WNW breeze. Second place overall went to the Melges 32, Peerless, out of Muskegon, Mi. Third was the DuBois 50, Twister. Fourth was the J145, Main Street (owned by Sailing Magazine editor Bill Schanen). Fifth was the Mumm 36, Mrs. Jones.

Fast is fun. The first half of the race was mostly downwind with the fun-meter on Taz consistently showing boat speeds in the upper teens to low twenties. On the decisive 15-mile reach, most of the fleet chose to stick to the rum line under main and jib while Taz opted for maximum VMG while close reaching some 15-20 degrees low of course under spinnaker, prompting tactician/jib trimmer Gorwitz to confidently proclaim to the crew, “I have no idea if we’re going the right way, but we sure are going fast!”. The strategy worked as Taz led the entire fleet around Horseshoe Island, near Fish Creek, Wi.

Taz then held on through a 10-mile beat into building seas across Green Bay, just north of Chambers Island, and finished the race off with a 14-mile jib-reach up the Michigan shoreline to cross the line behind only four boats. MYC Vice Commodore Andrew Lewis earned his rum by trimming (hanging on to?) the M24’s spinnaker for over two hours without a break (for those unfamiliar with the boat, the M24 does not have winches). Bruce and Elise Renwick expertly handled the sail changes and kept Taz on her feet by calling every puff. Taz is owned and steered by Chris Schoendorf of Sturgeon Bay, Wi. (Taz’s picture adorns the cover of the 2008 MYC directory).

For detailed results, see the M&M Yacht Club website .

2008 100 MILER Sail Race Score Sheet SP OVERALL
Race Name: 100 Miler Race
Date: 07/26/08
Course Name: COURSE 1
Course Length: 41.80 Nautical Miles
RACE RESULTS: SPINNAKER OVERALL
RANK OVERALL Boat Name Sail No. Boat Owner City ST Boat Type Corrected Time
1 TAZ USA 458 SCHOENDORF. C STURGEON BAY WI MELGES 24 4:59:53
2 PEERLESS 110 TORRESEN, B MUSKEGON MI MELGES 5:10:36
3 TWISTER USA 5115 WAKE, H MENOMINEE MI DU BOIS 50 5:10:59
4 MAIN STREET USA50048 SCHANEN, B PORT WASHINGTON WI J 145 5:17:23
5 MRS JONES 50399 JONES, E BROOKFIELD WI MUMM 36 5:19:29
6 REGARDLESS 40625 TEAM REGARDLESS WILMETTE IL NELSON-MAREK 5:24:26
7 TANGO IN BLUE 50593 TRISCO/FONS BAYSIDE WI CM1200 5:25:29
8 NORTHSTAR USA 246 GUSTMAN, D WILMETTE IL J 109 5:29:17
9 HASTEN 25103 STRITT, F DELAVAN WI C & C 41 5:30:20
10 DASH 539 BONVALLET, J ONEIDA WI S2 7.9 5:32:13
11 SIROCCO 2 50791 KLAIRMONT, R LAKE FOREST IL J-120 5:33:57
12 GRAFFITI TRAIN IRL 3600 BERGER, C CHICAGO IL MUMM 36 5:34:07
13 WHISTLER 549 BEYER/BANNOW MENOMINEE MI J 80 5:35:12
14 THUNDER 6759 KEYS, S DE PERE WI PETERSON 34 5:45:55
15 WIND CHASER 32112 MUELLER, L MILWAUKEE WI BENETEAU FIRST 38 5:50:56
16 LATIS 43937 MIETZ/KUPTZ CUDAHY WI J105 5:51:26
17 SHOWDOWN 30383 NORDAHL, K STURGEON BAY WI MERIT 25 5:52:33
18 ZIPPY R USA37 THOMPSON, S NEW BERLIN WI BENETEAU 10R 5:54:02
19 BRAVO 42330 DEKKER, T CEDAR GROVE WI TAYLOR 40 5:55:08
20 FLASH GORDON 25293 HUBERT, M MENOMINEE MI TRIPP 33 6:04:19
21 DRUMBEAT 26609 PETERS, T NEENAH WI NA 40 6:11:47
22 JACELYN 511 AGERTER, T SUPERIOR WI RANGER 6:15:02
23 PERFECTION USA 6307 STEPHENSON, I MENOMINEE MI LE COMTE MEDALIST 6:23:15
24 MERLIN 16087 MILLER, J PULASKI WI SLOOP 6:24:02
25 COOT 2582 or 6258 SHEPRO, J MENOMINEE MI CATALINA 6:38:45
26 NOBLE BUFFALO 42738 JAHNKE, R KENOSHA WI J 35 DNC
27 PROMO 52791 KUBER, J RICHFIELD WI NM 52 DNC
28 KANA WA 402 GOWER, J OCONTO WI TARTAN 27 DNF

January 27, 2006

Key West Update from Anma Ingeana

Team Veloce finished 11th in a fleet of 19 at the end of Key West Race Week. The winds of 30 knots and 6 foot waves proved challenging for us flat water sailors on Day Two of racing. Our division had 5 dismasting, a couple of holes in various hulls and three medical emergencies so we were pretty happy to come in all in one piece both mechanically and physiologically. We did manage to have a 6th place finish on day three once the winds calmed down to only 20 -25 knots and we got into our grove. All in all is was a lot of fun and it sure beat shoveling snow.
Photo Gallery (updated link)

August 22,2005

WITS Team Wins Silver At S2 7.9 Class Championship Regatta

WITS Team Wins Silver At S2 7.9 Class Championship Regatta The WITS team took Barigenae #78 to the Racine Yacht Club for the S2 7.9 Class Championship Regatta and made a respectable showing for their first off lake regatta. Jill Schleis helmed for three hard days of racing on Lake Michigan placing 4th over all in the Silver Division, 3rd on Saturday Silver Division and First in the inboard division. Betsey Day served as Tactician, Peggy Elath trimmed jib and flew the chute, Judi Trampf trimmed jib and Anma Ingeana on foredeck. Conditions on Thursday were moderate winds but rough seas. Storms blowing in from the west shortened the race day to only one completed race. Friday brought calmer seas and a variety of wind direction and speed, which allowed for 4 complete races. Saturday allowed three races to be completed. Next year S2 7.9 CCR is in Holland Michigan and the team hopes to convince more of the S2 fleet to join in the fun.

July 17, 2005

Hot Day

Photo Credits: John Hayashi

John writes, "Here are some J-80 photo's MYC's hottest one design sport boat fleet. They had a great race going this morning."

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