Daniela Moroz Wins Another World Championship
Daniela Moroz, 20, of Lafayette in the East Bay, secured her fifth Women’s Formula Kite World Champion title in the western Sardinia town of Torre Grande on October 11-17.
In the thrill of the adrenaline and high emotions, Moroz reflected on her accomplishment. “It feels really good. I have to give all my props to the whole squad, the coaches, the team, my parents, friends and family for the support. I’m absorbing it all right now.
“The conditions were very difficult this week. Even when it was windy, it was super-shifty, so making a good plan was tricky. You had to change your decisions and tactics on the go. The regatta was full of reacting to what was happening on the course. It was very technical racing, and I’m happy with how I did throughout the event. I sailed really well and saw improvement in my sailing even since Formula Kite Europeans last month.”
Light winds caused a delay on shore for the four male and four female athletes who qualified for finals. Waiting on shore, with a fifth consecutive title in such close reach, Moroz said, “I tried not to think about racing too much. I had a relaxed breakfast with the squad and our team and tried to stay calm and confident. Once I was on the water, I got a little nervous. But as soon as the warning signal went off, I switched modes and dialed in.
“For the final race, I didn’t have the best start,” said Moroz. “I was on time, but I didn’t have the best positioning on the line. The right was a little favored, and I ended up going farther left than the rest of the women and had to roll the fleet on a port tack when I crossed back. When I reached the starboard layline, Lauriane Nolot (from France) had already tacked to lay the mark, so I tacked inside of her. I ended up laying the line a little better than her and had a better rounding, which set me up for the downwind and the leeward rounding. I had a great few roundings after fighting for the positioning on the first windward mark, and that was the move that won the race. By the final upwind leg, I had the bullet locked in.”
Other results from the US KiteFoil Squad were:
- 15th – Markus Edegran (West Palm Beach, FL)
- 28th – Kai Calder (Alameda)
- 33rd – Evan Heffernan (Santa Barbara)
- 34th – Will Cyr (San Diego)
See www.formulakite.org for full results. This was the largest World Championships in Formula Kite history. It would make sense that the sport is growing: Kiting will make its debut at the Olympics in France in 2024.
Sailor Performs Ocean Rescue off California Coast
Khosrow Khosravani, from Marina del Rey, had only recently learned to sail when his newly acquired skills were called upon to carry out the rescue of a woman offshore from the Southern California coastline.
“I am still shaking about the horror she faced for 12 hours in darkness in the ocean with no life jacket or anything whatsoever,” Khosrow wrote.
On Sunday September 26, Khosrow was helming his 1982 Catalina 25, Defiant, from Marina del Rey (MDR) to Malibu. This was his “first attempt” to sail outside the harbor aboard the boat he had bought in August. Less than two weeks earlier, on September 14, he had become an ASA (American Sailing Association) Certified Sailor after completing ASA 101 and103.
Khosrow had three guests onboard, none of whom were sailors. During the coming rescue they would each play a role in bringing the distressed woman onto the boat.
“I noticed her thanks to a pod of dolphins.” Khosrow and his guests were watching the dolphins when they saw a hand waving. “She had no life jacket, and was just treading water.”
It would later appear that the woman had gone for a swim alone, at almost midnight on Saturday. Due to some unknown difficulty she was unable to return to shore and was found the next morning, a few miles offshore.
“She is a true fighter, who defied the odds and survived in the cold water,” Khosrow said.
Khosrow added that once Defiant‘s crew had the woman onboard they issued a Mayday call. “[She was] barely conscious but could tell us that she was alone and that I did not have to look for other survivors in the vicinity.”
“We covered her with a warm blanket and gave her water. Then within 10 minutes or less, the Coast Guard sent a rescue boat. The young lady survived and is in stable condition at Ronald Reagan Hospital at UCLA. Praying for her well-being … And thanks to my three guests on the boat for staying calm and following my rescue instructions. Buying this cheap sailboat was a blessing.”
Khosrow said that according to local authorities, it is quite common for young people in the area to swim off the beach late at night.
We’ll share the full story of the rescue in an upcoming issue of Latitude 38. In the meantime, Khosrow’s last words on the subject: “Stay safe. Life is so precious.”
San Francisco on the Bay: “The List”
Dine, Drink, Smoke, Stay, Play and Shop. Discover San Francisco Bay and all that inspires those of us who live or visit here.
It’s a Good Day for Good Jibes!
What a perfect day! If you’re getting the same rainy weather that we’re having here in the Bay Area, you might be feeling those “sit by the fire and listen to a good sailing story” vibes. Well, you’re in luck; today is Good Jibes day!
In this week’s episode, John Arndt chats with Moe Roddy about creating a lifetime of sailing experiences and finding empowerment in sailing. Moe is a racer and cruiser and was the second woman ever to finish the singlehanded leg of the Bermuda One-Two.
She’s a race committee volunteer, sits on the Board of the St. Francis Sailing Foundation, and uses her experience as a retired nurse to spread women’s heart disease awareness.
Hear Moe’s thoughts on how to get over being hesitant about sailing, why she got so involved in the racing community, her most memorable experiences on the water, what’s changed for women in sailing over the years, and the beauty of quiet time while crossing an ocean. This episode covers everything from learning how to sail to giving back to the racing community.
Check out the episode and show notes for more details.
You can listen to this and previous episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and your other favorite podcast spots – follow and leave a 5-star review if you’re feeling the Good Jibes!
Good Jibes is brought to you by the Safe Boating Campaign, in partnership with the National Safe Boating Council and US Coast Guard. Learn more at SafeBoatingCampaign.com.
One and Done? New York Yacht Club Drops from America’s Cup
At some point in the future, there will be a friendly competition between nations to decide the next winner of the America’s Cup. Until then, there’s a lot to be decided, including who’s going to be racing and where. One disappointing development for the Kiwis is the announcement from the New York Yacht Club that they won’t continue as a challenger for the 37th America’s Cup.
Since 1983, the organizing and running of an America’s Cup event has been a tumultuous and contentious process. As you’ve seen at your local yacht club, there’s nothing like a fancy piece of engraved silver to get otherwise friendly sailors to spoil a good weekend of sailing.
The initial September 17 date to announce the venue has come and gone, leaving challenging teams wondering exactly where and when they will be racing. With uncertainty in the air, NYYC decided to pass. They sent out a press release yesterday, stating, “Yesterday, in a letter to the Trustees of the New York Yacht Club, the Flag Officers of the Club announced the Club was pausing its pursuit of the America’s Cup.”
“There are few private clubs that enjoy a stronger bond with a single competition than the New York Yacht Club does with the America’s Cup, which we founded and held for 132 years,” said NYYC Commodore Christopher J. Culver. “However, we ultimately have a responsibility to act in the best interests of our membership. Given the continued uncertainty regarding the 37th America’s Cup, we have decided to pause our challenge for this edition.
“For more than six months, the New York Yacht Club along with other potential challengers have waited for clarity regarding the venue, timing and rules for the 37th America’s Cup. Time is never on the side of new teams in this great contest, but at some point, we must recognize when there simply isn’t enough of it left to build a competitive challenge.
“We will continue to advocate for what we believe to be essential changes to the structure of the America’s Cup. This evolution will retain the competition’s unmatched history and appeal while enabling it to compete on today’s increasingly competitive modern sports landscape. Our passion for this competition remains as strong as ever.
“Stars+Stripes USA, led by members Mike Buckley and Taylor Canfield, will carry forward with their plans to challenge for the 37th America’s Cup. We wish them the best of luck. They represent the future of American yachting.”
Besides New Zealand, the other venue options appear to be Saudi Arabia, Ireland and Spain. So it will be a while longer before the America’s Cup returns to the best venue on the planet.
There is one thing we keep in mind as we lament the current Cup process: We’re very happy we’re not Grant Dalton! If we were the leaders of the America’s Cup we’d run a very different Cup. Would our ideas end the debates and controversy? Not a chance. What about you? What would you do?
Brazilian Navy Tall Ship Tangos with Drawbridge
Yesterday’s social media channels were awash with footage of the Brazilian navy’s tall ship Cisne Branco as it collided with a drawbridge over the Guayas River in Ecuador on Monday.
According to a report on G-Captain, the ship was attempting to navigate within the bridge’s open span. At this stage there is no official explanation for the incident; however the navy has said the strong current was a factor.
The following video was published on US Military Today’s YouTube Channel.
The next clip shows a navy tug attempting to avert the collision.
Dramatic video of Brazil’s sail training ship CISNE BRANCO being pulled away from the bridge she hit in Guayaquil 18 Oct, then an Ecuadoran navy tug trying to help is pulled under. All aboard got out and no injuries are reported in these incidents https://t.co/BxJ6Fk9S0P pic.twitter.com/knhSh7TGUS
— Chris Cavas (@CavasShips) October 19, 2021
The 249-ft-long training ship was built in Amsterdam in 1999 and commissioned by the Brazilian navy in March 2000.