Young Hot Shots Ace First Island Days Race
Sons and fathers had a great day on the water — and did very well — at the first 2023-24 Island Yacht Club Island Days race on November 12.
In the six-boat Santana 22 class, Giuseppe, age 14, sailed with his father and took first aboard Three Fisted Rat Boy. Giuseppe said, “The boat handled real good. It felt like I was on a spaceship, because we were zooming past our fellow competition. Brandy cut off Fun and let us catch Anemone, and then proceeded to hit the mark, but sometimes that just happens.” His father Phil added, “We signed up late and hadn’t been out in a while, but it worked out great.”
In the four-boat Columbia 5.5 class, another son-and-father crew, Wilfred and Ken Bodiley won aboard Maverick, sailing doublehanded. “Great to get out and get the win in the first race of the series,” commented Wilfred. “I’m happy to add more hats to my collection; you won’t be able to miss me next time.” (The hat Wilfred referenced is his prize from winning the race: a fluorescent-yellow baseball cap.)
“It was a really close race, and I certainly didn’t think we’d be able to pull out the win after starting at the wrong end of the line. The 5.5 might be pretty, but they need some breeze to get going, which helped us, being on the light side weight-wise. Great to be able to teach the importance of covering and picking the right lanes to Wilfred. Hopefully he’ll be able to apply that to his Opti tactics! A great start to the series and looking forward to more Sundays on the water with my son.”
If first-place sons and fathers in two classes was not enough, the lowest-handicap class had a first-place tie. The Express 27 Wile E Coyote and Soverel 33 Good and Plenty corrected out to the same finish time, 00:47:56.
Wile E Coyote skipper Dan Pruzan writes, “It was a beautiful, sunny day on the Estuary, with enough breeze coming straight down the course to make it a fun and tactical race. We had a couple of friends from Tennessee on board with very little sailing experience. They had a blast with all of the close crosses throughout the fleets. A great way to spend a Sunday afternoon.”
Good and Plenty skipper Justis Fennell wanted to say, “Good and Plenty (G&P), yes the boat with the flip-over Adirondack chairs, is still kickin’ it after all these years. Great partnership since we got her new in 1985. We had not signed up for the IYC Island Days Series as we were supposed to be cruising in Mexico. Multiple issues made us bail on the Baja Ha-Ha with the cruising boat. On the Friday before the first race of the series, we decided to go for it. We were able to get our regular great crew assembled at the last minute, with my nephew Nathaniel Fennell as tactician, Blake Loncharich on sail trim, Matthew Barrick as pit, and partner Steve Berl at the bow. Partner Mark Wagner was unavailable. Scott Smith was able to jump in at mast.
“It was a beautiful day on the Estuary! Light wind, big ebb. Both Wile E Coyote and G&P were a little early to the line, especially with the ebb. We both sailed down the line and headed up at the gun — great even start! We were to weather of Wile E Coyote, with Nathan de Vries, on the Santa Cruz 27 Medusa, to weather of us. Wile E was first to the shore and called room. I in turn called room to Nathan. We all tacked, and it was off to the races.
“Arguments ensued on board about how much benefit there is for tide relief at the shorelines (shallower water?) in the Estuary. We tried to get to shore when it was possible. Excellent crew work. Great sets and drops. Course 3, double sausage, a short 3-mile course. We had to beat Wile E by 2 minutes and 27 seconds, but, alas, we only got ‘em by 2 minutes and 26 seconds. Dead-even tie! Wow!”
In the non-spinnaker/high-handicap class, Paul Mueller on Loco 2, a classic Nunes Mercury 18, took first. In the mid-PHRF class, Jens Jensen on J/22 Loose Cannon won.
The PRO for the race was Karen McDowell, one of five IYC race committee members who has taken the US Sailing PRO course. “We’re in the Alameda Estuary, where the water is flat, and many of our racers sail in shorts,” said Karen. “We use more of the Estuary than other clubs, from Jack London Square down to past the east end of Coast Guard Island. So racers get more to see on a scenic day, and more interesting wind shifts to navigate as the wind flows around buildings on shore. We’ve worked hard to build up the race committee to give racers the best experience possible.
“Ultimately what makes great racing is the venue, the weather, and the competition. This weekend we had beautiful weather. And we had a first-place tie in the lowest-handicap division, because Wile E Coyote and Good and Plenty came out with the same corrected time to the second. Thanks to all the RC team, and thanks to all the racers who came out!”
Find the full results or sign up on Jibeset at www.jibeset.net/IYC000.php?RG=T008206319. The next race in the five-race series will be on Sunday, December 10.
Hans Henken and Skipper Ian Barrows Win Gold at Pan Am Games
This week we’re giving a “shout-out” to three Bay Area sailors who had success at the Pan Am Games, as they pursue their Olympic dreams. On Monday we congratulated Daniela Moroz, who took the gold in the Women’s Formula Kite class; on Wednesday David Liebenberg, who, with skipper Sarah Newberry Moore, took silver in the Nacra 17 class; and today we recognize Bay Area sailor Hans Henken, who, with skipper Ian Barrows, took the gold in the 49er class. The US has now qualified to race in six of the 10 Olympic classes, including the 49er, competing in the 2024 Olympics in Paris. With a gold at the Pan Am Games, Barrows and Henken demonstrated they remain top contenders to be our US representatives in Marseille.
It was a consistent performance throughout the week that kept Barrows and Henken in contention. In the final 49er medal race, the USA and Uruguay battled it out for gold at the front of the fleet. The USA team of Ian Barrows and Hans Henken covered Uruguay on the first upwind and stayed ahead to take the gold medal.
Henken grew up sailing in San Diego, though he’s recently moved to the Bay Area. He’s also been racing with SailGP and suffered a concussion while racing with the team in Taranto, Italy, at the end of September. It’s good to see him back on his game!
“It feels amazing to win gold,” Henken said. “There has been a lot of hard work put in with our team, and to pull it off and take away a gold medal is a fantastic feeling.”
Barrows added, “It’s pretty incredible to be on the podium and hear your national anthem. We’re incredibly excited to be here and win the gold medal. This is a stepping stone for us to the Olympic Games and we hope to be on the podium there as well.”
There’s a long list of successful Bay Area Olympic sailors, and it’s great to see the next generation of Olympians emerging from the Bay Area sailing scene. Congrats to Daniela Moroz, David Liebenberg and Hans Henken.
As with all US Olympic athletes, it takes more than dedicated training to get to the event. You can be part of the Olympic team by supporting the Barrows/Henken team here.
You can listen to our Good Jibes podcast with Hans Henken here.
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Chico Yacht Club Celebrates 50 Years of Active Sailing
Most of the time, when we think about yacht clubs, we picture places in coastal harbors and waterways. But there are many other clubs that are actively engaged in sailing in the interior of the country. One such club is Chico Yacht Club, which is located in Butte County, within (several hours’) reach of the Sacramento River Delta, and enjoys closer proximity to many sailing lakes. Last month, on October 20, Chico Yacht Club members gathered at Canyon Oaks Country Club to celebrate 50 years of sailing activities and adventures. They sent us this report of the event.
“Commodore Sue Griffin and her executive committee prepared an evening of celebration and camaraderie, with many active and former members attending. The MC for the evening program was past Commodore Mary McCluskey, aided by some members of the club performing some newly minted music and words for our enjoyment.”
“The club was started in 1973 as the North American Sailing Association, sponsored by Coastal Recreation, builders of the Aquarius and Balboa sailboats. However, after receiving requests from other sailors to join, in 1983 the name of the club was changed to the Chico Yacht Club. This opened up membership to sailors with other kinds of sailboats.
“Club members have various kinds of sailboats from trailerable to oceangoing vessels. We sail many of the local lakes and coastal areas, as well as [taking] long-distance cruises. Members have cruised to Mexico, Alaska, Hawaii, the Mediterranean, the South Pacific, and many other International destinations. We even have a couple that has sailed around the world and are members of the Seven Seas Society.”
The club welcomes sailors who might be interested in joining the Chico Yacht Club. For more information, contact Commodore Sue Griffin, at (310) 869-7040, or any club member.
“Happy Sailing!”
Latitude 38 Classic Cover T-Shirt Finds Its Way to Berkeley
In keeping with our streak of Golden Ticket winners, we recently heard from Keith Kreycik of Berkeley, who found a ticket in the October issue of Latitude 38. Keith and his wife Marcia have a 1988 Catalina 36, Luna, which they’ve docked at Emery Cove Yacht Harbor since January 2018. Kieth and Marcia are liveaboards in between repairing their daughter-in-law’s home in Berkeley and caring for their two grandkids.
“Luna came to us in need of a bit of love,” Keith wrote. “We have replaced the sails, rigging, lifelines, stove, interior cushions. We had bottom and topside painting done by Reuben Gabriel and crew at BMC. We converted from diesel to an Electric Yacht propulsion system with the help of Mike Gunning and Sean Shigley.
“Due to land-based commitments, we are primarily day-sailors on Luna, with over two hundred sails and (if Navionics is to be believed) over 2600 miles, since January 2018.”
Being day-sailors doesn’t hamper the pair’s enjoyment of the sport at all.
“I love the feeling of peace and calm that comes with feeling a boat moving smoothly through the Bay,” Keith shares. “I love the sense of being close to nature, in the middle of an urban area. I love seeing the birds, whales, dolphins, and harbor seals (we have one that lives near our ECYH slip, named Oscar, who is a better fisher than I could ever hope to be).”
Keith learned to sail when he was 12, aboard a neighbor’s Sunfish on a bass lake in central Georgia. “I learned what a jibe was and how to right the boat and bail quickly. Ever since, I have been trying to learn how to sail. I take every opportunity to learn from other sailors, every chance I get. Every once in a while, I think I’m on the verge of getting it right, when things are dialed in and the boat is happy. One of these days, I hope to figure it out …”
Despite considering S.F. Bay to be one of the best sailing locations they’ve ever sailed, the couple are not currently members of a yacht club. “We only wish more people in the area could experience the beauty and peace that we have found sailing in the Bay,” Keith adds.
We’re sending Keith the Latitude 38 Classic Covers T-shirt — December 1977 — from our online store. He tells us it reminded him of an incident that occurred in that month, of that year.
“I was living in Blacksburg, VA, and made an attempt to achieve a Soaring Society of America pin for Gold Distance, Diamond Goal flight in my 17-meter Kestrel sailplane. When the ridge lift died out, I landed in a field in Ceres, VA, in 10 inches of snow, about five miles from the nearest paved road. A kind couple who lived in the backwoods there gave me shelter, a dinner of fatback and greens, and allowed me to call (no cell phones then) my brother, who was able to pick me up and help me get the plane back into its trailer and return to Blacksburg. It was his birthday, and he has never let me forget it!”
But back to sailing … Keith says one of his most memorable sailing moments occurred on the East Coast. “We were running toward the Dry Tortugas, south of Sanibel Island, overnight, when the sea came alive with dolphins splashing the phosphorescence all around our boat.”
“We love having access to Latitude 38. Keep up the great work!”
Will do! Thanks, Keith.
If you still don’t have your November issue, you can pick one up at any of these locations. You could also save yourself the worry of missing out in the future and subscribe to have the magazine delivered to your mailbox each month.
Surprise the Sailors in Your Life With a Gift from the Latitude 38 Holiday Gift Guide
