Three Bridge Fiasco — One Bridge Too Many
This seems an unlikely story, but we’ll believe them since we know they know how to sail. Dave Gruver describes the story of his race with John Collins aboard the Olson 25 Sketch.
“Thought I would share this photo. It’s not your normal Three Bridge Fiasco moment. We ended up on the ocean course. We made a break for Marin after rounding Blackaller ahead of the fray. Bad idea. The wind died and we got flushed out the Gate. When the westerly finally filled in a bit before noon we sailed back into the Bay, well behind the fleet. We continued to Red Rock then TI. We were fortunate to connect the puffs at TI for a clean and quick rounding and somehow managed to win our class. A Fiasco indeed!”
There’s still more to the Three Bridge Fiasco, but we’ll save it for the March issue. Until then, we have some more photos to share.
The Three Bridge Fiasco Bay tour provided the fleet with almost every condition imaginable. Not every boat was a winner, nor did everyone finish, but we’d bet almost no one regretted being out there. What’s next on your racing calendar?
Good Jibes #76: Hans Henken on Engineering an Olympic Campaign
This week’s host John Arndt is joined by Hans Henken to chat about the ins and outs of his Paris 2024 Olympic campaign. Hans is a world champion sailor who has raced 29ers, 49ers, the International Moth and hydrofoiling F50s. He competes for the US Sailing Team, is the starting flight controller for the US SailGP Team, and is literally a rocket scientist.
Hear what it takes to campaign for the Olympics, how to win when it gets scary out there, how to avoid burnout from sailing and racing, how Olympians compete with and support each other, and about the dynamic with his fiancée, fellow Good Jibes alum Helena Scutt.
This episode covers everything from the Olympics to the sailing power couple. Here’s a small sample of what you will hear:
- When did Hans start racing?
- How do kids avoid burnout from sailing?
- What does Hans love about racing?
- How has SailGP been?
- Does Hans use his background as an aeronautical engineer while sailing?
- How is he progressing toward the 2024 Olympics?
- What does it take to keep campaigning for the Olympics?
- Short Tacks: How do you win more races?
Learn more about Hans and donate to his Olympic campaign at BarrowsHenkenRacing.com, USSailing.org/Athletes/Hans-Henken, and Instagram @HansHenken.
You can also listen to the Good Jibes podcast with Henken’s fiancée, Olympian Helena Scutt.
Don’t Miss Spaulding’s Free Movie Night
Join us for a screening of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl at Spaulding Marine Center in Sausalito on Friday, February 10, 2023. Doors open at 6:30, screening at 7:00 p.m. Admission is free, but attendance is limited to the first 100 guests. Parking: No Parking in Clipper Lot — please see link to permitted parking areas: https://www.spauldingcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PARKING_MAP-2.png
Sailing Denied Paralympic Games, but the Sport Continues To Grow
Ever since sailing was dropped from the Tokyo Paralympic Games in 2020, World Sailing has been trying to get it reinstated to the Olympic program. Starting in 2021 with the campaign #BacktheBid, the aim was to secure the opportunity for a new generation of sailors to compete in the Olympics. But despite again meeting a closed door and being denied inclusion in the 2024 L.A. Paralympic Games, Para Sailing continues to grow as World Sailing vows to continue its support.
In a press release, World Sailing CEO David Graham said, “We fully respect the verdict of the IPC and recognise the difficulty the IPC Board faced throughout this process.
“However, we must also acknowledge that this is an extremely disappointing day for our whole sport and, in particular, for Para Sailors around the world. Despite this setback, our commitment to our Para Sailors, to the continued growth of Para Sailing, and to the wider Para Sport movement will only grow stronger.
“We know a life on water unlocks so many opportunities for disabled people, we know how inclusive Para Sailing is, and we are determined that Para Sailing will continue to go from strength to strength.”
There are now 41 nations on five continents active in Para Sailing, and over 630 active Para Sailors registered with World Sailing.
World Sailing launched its Para Sailing Development Program (PDP) in 2017 to empower sailors and coaches by increasing participation in all regions. During this time, over 210 sailors and coaches from 39 countries on six continents have completed the program. In 2022 alone, programs in the Sultanate of Oman, Singapore, Japan and Italy — where Para Kiteboarding was featured for the first time — saw a total of 40 sailors and 31 coaches from 14 nations, including Cambodia, the Islamic Republic of Iran and Malta represented for the first time.
Upon receiving the International Paralympic Committee’s (IPC) verdict, Executive Director of US Olympic Sailing Paul Cayard responded with an open letter:
“US Sailing is deeply disappointed to learn, today, that the International Paralympic Committee has voted not to reinstate Sailing in the 2028 Paralympic Games in Los Angeles.
“US Sailing was a strong supporter of ‘Back the Bid,’ the Worldwide movement to reinstate Sailing in the Paralympics in Los Angeles, 2028, and would like to express our deep appreciation to the athletes, volunteers, and supporters who put their heart and soul into this initiative.
“While the USA Paralympic Teams have had great success over the years, their inclusion in the Paralympics, most importantly, has served as inspiration and motivation for so many in our disabled sailing community.
“Worldwide efforts to support Para Sailing are not subsiding or weakening, and US Sailing looks forward to welcoming Para Sailors to the Allianz Sailing World Championships for the first time ever this year.
“US Sailing will continue to advocate for and support disabled sailors through many different agendas, including inclusion in the Paralympics for 2032 in Brisbane.”
Para Sailor Jim Thweatt, who had worked to support the sport’s Olympic bid, circulated an email this morning in which he wrote, “The goal has never been for me to just have Para Sailing reinstated. Instead to strengthen and support inclusive sailing around the world. With the support of US Sailing and World Sailing we are continuing to do that.”
Jim went on to list a few of the new Para Sailing regattas scheduled on the West Coast this year: three events at the Coronado YC, San Diego; monthly training and the Herb Meyer Regatta with the Bay Area Association of Disabled Sailors (BAADS.org) in San Francisco; and twice-monthly one-design racing and learning to sail at the Lake Washington Sailing Club in West Sacramento.
“Also we have the World Hansa Championships in Portugal in October. This is going to be a very exciting year for Para Sailing/and inclusive sailing,” Jim concluded.
You can learn more about Para Sailing through the Bay Area Association of Disabled Sailors and World Sailing.
Latitude 38 February Issue Out Now
Welcome to the February issue of Latitude 38! The year is already one month in and we’ve been busy compiling a bunch of fun and interesting sailing stories to fill the pages of your favorite sailing magazine. Here’s a preview.
The Day a Sailboat Changed Our Lives
“Admiral,” my high-tech IT son-in-law, grinned broadly as his FaceTime image materialized on the iPad, “I need your advice!”
I could see he was in his office, a high-rise overlooking Puget Sound. When a younger man asks an elder for advice, it is a huge honor, and one needs to give it his full attention.
“John, I’m all ears; what’s up?”
“My wife, the Admiral’s daughter, wants to buy a boat.”
I couldn’t suppress my smile. I must have raised my daughter well.
La Diana — An Almost 40-year Love Affair
In 1974, Marina del Rey yachtsman Paul Berger purchased a Contessa 35 sailboat from Jeremy Rogers, the renowned builder of fine sailing yachts in England. The boat was shipped to MdR and Paul proceeded to actively race his new boat, Decision, in race venues all over Southern California, with winning results everywhere. During the years Paul owned Decision, he maintained her in yacht condition, and he continually made enhancements to make his boat sail faster and better. Paul’s good friend, the notable Bay Area designer Carl Schumacher, reshaped and added depth to the keel. Paul had Seatek, the fine Southern California mast builder, build a new, bendy three-spreader mast, one and a half feet taller, to replace the original mast, which was, as was normal on boats in those days, stiff as a wharf’s piling.
Season Champions, Part III — The SSS and Small Boats
On the afternoon of Saturday, December 17, we attended an actual in-person meeting of the Singlehanded Sailing Society at Encinal Yacht Club in Alameda. Beginning with the initial COVID lockdown, almost all SSS meetings have been on Zoom. Going forward, the SSS is considering how many meetings to have, and the ratio of virtual versus actual. The weeknight rush-hour traffic is definitely a factor that makes Zoom meetings more accessible and practical. But the sense of community and camaraderie afforded by in-person contact increases cohesion and team spirit in any organization.
The top agenda item on December 17 was the awarding of the 2022 season championships in four divisions. We lead off these profiles with those SSS winners, and wrap up with a few small-boat one-design champs.
Also in the February issue:
- Letters: Andy Turpin, Pacific Puddle Jump Rallies, Email Lists and Facebook Groups; The Suspiciously “Wild” Crocs Conveniently Found on a “Jungle Tour;” A Question About Spinnakers, Symmetry and Ratings; and more.
- Sightings: A Growing Crisis in the Oakland Estuary; The Ocean Race; Mas Despacio — Taking It Slow to Baja; and other stories.
- Max Ebb: Cast off Your Chains
- Changes in Latitudes: With reports this month from Sonrisa’s rare encounter with a milky sea; Geja heading to new cruising grounds after 14 years in Croatia; the sixth installment of Taliesin Rose’s guide to off-the-beaten-track post-Ha-Ha destinations — and a footlocker full of Cruise Notes.
- Racing Sheet: Sailors welcomed 2023 with New Year’s Day races north and south and sat out races on two stormy Saturdays, but found success in Sunday midwinters hosted by Sausalito YC, Island YC, Richmond YC, Berkeley YC, and the YRA. A savvy tipster clues us in to tricks for dealing with tricky winter currents on S.F. Bay, DRYC’s Malibu Race faces sea swell, and we end with a pair of Race Notes.
- Loose Lips: Check out the January Caption Contest(!) winner and top 10 comments.
- The sailboat owners and buyers’ bible, Classy Classifieds.
If you’ve subscribed to Latitude 38, you should receive your issue shortly. If you haven’t subscribed you’re missing out, but you can still pick up your copy from your favorite distributor.
Sailagram: A Snapshot of January Sailing
January brought us a good amount of squally weather and rain, but being the salty crew that you are, you still managed to cast off and get on the water. And you even captured your adventures on film (well, on today’s digital equivalent). You guys rock!
Check out January’s Sailagram pics…
San Francisco on the Bay: “Trail Guide”
Dine, Drink, Smoke, Stay, Play and Shop. Discover San Francisco Bay and all that inspires those of us who live or visit here.