Sue Corl Youth Sailing Scholarship Opening Soon
The Women’s Sailing Foundation (WSF) is offering the Sue Corl Youth Sailing Scholarship to young women sailors aged between 14 and 19. The scholarship is for sailors who want to broaden their sailing experiences and need financial assistance in order to do so. Funding is up to $500 and will be awarded to one applicant, with the funds being applied to her tuition cost.
The applicants identify the opportunity of their choosing, and programs may include, but are not limited to, an advanced sailing program, a racing program, a tall-ship or liveaboard experience, and a marine or maritime-related program. Scholarship coordinator Linda Newland says they also welcome applicants for a marine trades-type program, and that the awardee can take the program anywhere in the US and beyond if they are a resident of the US.
The scholarship was established in 2015 in memory of Sue Corl of Marblehead, MA. Sue was a board member and a tireless advocate for WSF programs. She was the national co-coordinator of the AdventureSail® program for many years, having been an organizer of the first Boston AdventureSail in 1997. Sue Corl was a co-chair of the Inaugural Women’s Sailing Conference held at Marblehead in 2001. She also served on the board of directors of the National Women’s Sailing Association (NWSA).
Applications are open February 1 through April 10, 2022. Applications must be received by the April 10 deadline.
You can find more information, previous recipients, and a link to the application form here: https://womensailing.org/sue-corl-youth-sailing-scholarship.
The Women’s Sailing Foundation is a 501(c)(3) educational organization. The mission is to enhance the lives of women and girls through education and access to the sport of sailing. The foundation’s two main programs are the National Women’s Sailing Association (NWSA) and AdventureSail®. WSF accomplishes its mission by providing its NWSA members with educational programs and opportunities for sailing and networking. The AdventureSail® program is a life-enhancing mentoring program for underrepresented girls. For more information, visit www.womensailing.org
Good Jibes Episode #23: A Chat with Dustin Reynolds
Welcome back to Good Jibes! This week’s host, John Arndt, is joined by Dustin Reynolds. Dustin is the first double amputee to sail around the world singlehanded, a record he set with a seven-and-a-half-year circumnavigation from Hawaii. He almost lost his life in 2008 when he was hit on his motorcycle by a drunk driver — sailing became a huge part of his story in recovery. John and Dustin talk about how to keep going and going on the water, no matter what life throws at you.
Here’s a small sample of what you will hear in this episode:
- What hobbies did Dustin have prior to sailing?
- How did he decide to sail around the world?
- What’s the best part of sailing alone on an ocean?
- At what point did sailing become a pleasure?
- Where else did Dustin’s voyage take him?
- How were the people he met along his journey?
- What places would he want to sail back to?
- Short Tacks: What’s his biggest fear on the water?
Listen to the episode 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!
We previously wrote about Dustin’s circumnavigation record in a December ‘Lectronic edition. You can read the story here.
Dump at the Pump with Division of Boating and Waterways’ Pumpout Nav App
The California Division of Boating and Waterway’s Pumpout Nav is a free iOS and Android mobile app that shows you where the nearest sewage pumpout, dump station and floating restrooms are located.
Record Smashed in RORC Transatlantic Race
Multihull Division
On Saturday, January 15, Giovanni Soldini’s Multi70 Maserati crossed the finish line first in the eighth edition of the RORC Transatlantic Race. After an intense Atlantic battle, Maserati finished in Grenada at 05:51:41 UTC to take multihull line honors.
Next to cross the finish line was Peter Cunningham’s MOD70 PowerPlay at 06:46:42 UTC.
Monohull Finish and Record
As mentioned in our ‘Lectronic Latitude report on January 12, the fleet had to dodge large wind gaps to complete the 2,995 miles from the start in Lanzarote, Canary Islands, on January 8 to the finish in Grenada. The light-air zones made it even more of a challenge to break the course record.
Despite the obstacles, Comanche set an astonishing new monohull record of 7 days, 22 hours, 1 minute, 4 seconds. The new record tops the previous one by more than two days.
Comanche, skippered by Aussie Mitch Booth, took monohull line honors. The 100-ft VPLP Maxi crossed the Grenada finish line at 09:11:04 UTC on Sunday, January 16.
Boats are still on the course, and the RORC Transatlantic Race Trophy for the overall IRC winner is still up for grabs. You can follow the action at http://rorctransatlantic.rorc.org.
New US Coast Guard Procedures Stem from ‘Conception’ Tragedy
The US Coast Guard has implemented new procedures in the wake of the September 2019 fire that killed 34 people aboard the dive vessel Conception. A USCG press release states that the initiative “enhances underway presence and improves safety aboard small passenger vessels operating off the California coast.”
Safety compliance checks are being conducted underway on smaller, US-inspected passenger vessels to ensure continued regulatory compliance while vessels are conducting operations with paying passengers aboard.
USCG’s Eleventh District commander Rear Admiral Brian Penoye said, “Our intent with these safety compliance checks is to bridge gaps that were identified following the fire onboard the passenger vessel Conception which resulted in the tragic deaths of 34 people.
“We discovered that there are a number of operational requirements that are impossible to verify during a dockside annual inspection. The Coast Guard has been and continues to take deliberate steps to improve the safety of small passenger vessels in order to prevent future loss of life.”
The press release states the compliance checks are focused on ensuring the safety of passengers aboard inspected passenger vessels by focusing efforts to confirm that the following criteria are being met while the vessel is in operation:
- Vessels that offer multi-day trips with overnight accommodations are required to have a crewmember on watch at night, available to rapidly respond to emergencies and commonly referred to as a roving patrol.
- Habitable areas on the vessel must have two unobstructed exits to allow passengers a way to escape in case of an emergency.
- Passengers must receive a verbal safety brief or a copy of the vessel’s emergency plan before or right after getting underway.
- Vessel sails with a number of passengers equal to or less than the maximum number of passengers listed on the Certificate of Inspection (COI).
- Vessel manning is in accordance with the manning required on their COI for both licensed and unlicensed crew.
- All lifesaving and firefighting equipment is properly maintained and is not in an expired condition.
- The materiel condition of the vessel is such as to minimize excess fuel and/or water in the bilges.
People aboard these vessels may see Coast Guard inspectors come aboard during the day and night to check that safety requirements are being met.
