Grand Prix Sailor is a 13-year-old racing news publication of Sailing World Magazine (http://https://www.sailingworld.com/).PLENTY OF ACTIONWith the America’s Cup over, all Jules Verne record-breaking hopefuls safely in port, and most competitors in the Around Alone resting up in Brazil for their next leg, you might think there’s not a whole lot going on in the racing world. Fortunately for racing fans and newsletter editors, smaller one-design boats are taking up the slack. From Florida, where Snipe crews in Clearwater fought for a berth in the Pan-Am Games and Star crews off Miami grappled for Olympic slots, to Alamitos Bay in California, where West Coast Olympic hopefuls tested their mettle, there are more than enough race events to satisfy even the most addicted websurfer.STARS IN FLORIDAFredrik Loof and Anders Ekstrom of Sweden topped the talent-heavy pre-Olympic Star regatta held on the waters off Key Biscayne last weekend. Americans Paul Cayard and Phil Trinter were second, and Bermuda’s Peter Bromby, sailing with Andrew Palfrey, placed third. Full results from this regatta are available at: http://www.ussailing.org/Olympics/2004Trials/StarPreTresults.htmPAN-AM TRIALS As a result of their steady 5,2,3 scoreline at last weekend’s Pan Am Trials in Clearwater, Fla., Snipe sailors Chris and Antoinette Klotz, of St. Petersburg YC, will represent the USA at the upcoming Pan American Games in the Dominican Republic. Alternates are Henry Filter and Lisa Griffith.http://www.snipeus.org/regattareports/2003%20Winter%20Circuit/panam_trials.htmALAMITOS BAY OLYMPIC CLASSES REGATTAMo Hart and Meg Gaillard reinforced their top rankings in the single-handed Finn and Europe classes respectively, with runaway victories, but they know it won’t be as easy getting to Athens next year.After winning 5 of 9 races, Hart dropped out of the last race after a pre-start collision with the veteran Henry Sprague of Long Beach. Final results were delayed until their two-way protest was resolved by the race jury in Hart’s favor.Only one boat in each class qualifies for the Olympics. While Hart, 27, and Gaillard, 29, remain favorites in their groups, competition in the 49er skiffs took another hitch in pressure when Dalton Bergan and crew Zack Maxam of Coronado, Calif. won the last three races in light to moderate breeze to overhaul frontrunners David Fagen, St. Petersburg, Fla., and crew Bora Gulari, Detroit, at 28 points each.They almost had to flip a coin to determine the winner. After 15 races over three days, each team had the same number of first, second, third and fourth places, so the tiebreaker was Bergan’s fifth place in Race 3, which he actually discarded as one of his two throwouts.”Amazing,” Bergan, 25, said. “I thought this would be one of the regattas where everybody fell into a pecking order.”–Rich RobertsTop finishers:EUROPE (20 boats)1. Meg Gaillard, Jamestown, R.I., 10 points.2. Krysia Pohl, Alameda, Calif. , 32.3. Tanja Smutny, Winnipeg, Man., 33.FINN (11)1. Mo Hart, Santa Cruz, Calif., (2), 14.2. Geoff Ewenson, Annapolis, Md., 17.3. Henry Sprague, Long Beach, 25.49ER (13)1. Dalton Bergan/Zack Maxam, Coronado, Calif. 28.2. David Fagen, St. Petersburg, Fla./Bora Gulari, Detroit, 28.3. Andy Mack, White Salmon, Wash./Adam Lowry, San Francisco, 33.LASER (43)1. Mike Leigh, Vancouver, B.C., 49.2. Brendon Piovesan, Vancouver, B.C., 57.3. Greg Helias, Marina del Rey, 61.LASER RADIAL (28)1. Parker Shinn, San Diego, 22.2. Doug Hart, San Diego, (9) 28.3. Bob Falk, Long Beach, (8) 31.STAR (10)1. Mike Dorgan/Eric Weintraub, San Diego, 12.2. Jeremy Davidson/Jessica Costa, Long Beach, 26.3. Eric Lidecis, Dan Roehl, Newport Beach, 29.SNIPE (9)1. Rick Arneson/Gus Wirth, San Diego, 11.2. David Tillson/John Fretwell, San Diego, 15.3. Ken Redler/Barbara Tillson, Marina del Rey, 18.Event Website: http://www.abyc.orgSAFETY AT SEA If you’re racing in a Category 0 or 1 distance race this season [such as the Marion Bermuda race], there’s an important rule change you need to be aware of. All crewmembers on deck between sunset and sunrise are now required to wear harnesses and PFDs. The decision about whether or not to be clipped in is still left up to the crewmember or skipper.5.02.5 “US SAILING prescribes that harnesses and PFD’s shall be worn by all crew members in Category 0 and 1 races from sunset to sunrise while on deck.”Other Safety at Sea decisions made at the US SAILING Spring meeting in Cincinnati: Liferafts – 420.1 d): “Extend the grandfathering of ORC Liferafts in Category 0 & 1 races to at least January 1, 2006.” Liferafts meeting the new ISAF specifications are not yet readily available and the ISO specification has not been finalized. This prescription will permit US sailors to use/or purchase liferafts meeting existing specifications in the mean time. http://ssailing.orgIMXs LEADING MELBOURNE OSAKA RACERyuzo Suzuki’s Lulu, an IMX 45, is 938 miles down the pike (only 3,935 miles to go) and two miles behind is the American-flagged X-119, X-Dream, sailed by Steen Moller and Robert McDonald. To follow this double-handed, extremely long race, see http://www.sail-world.com/osakaJAPANESE AROUND ALONE SKIPPER SCORES FIRST PODIUM FINISHAfter 43 days at sea, Japanese skipper Kojiro Shiraishi, on the Open 40 Spirit of Yukoh crossed the finish line in Salvador, Brazil at 15:02:17 GMT (12:02:17 local time) in 3rd place for leg 4 of Around Alone, and “in perfect time for lunch!” as the skipper joked. “Last 24 hours, very busy, no eat, no sleep!” Indeed, at the finish line, the weather was very squally with thunder and lightning, and Shiraishi’s Finot 40 sailed into view just after a huge downpour had drifted off to sea. Shiraishi said that the hardest part of the race to date was the second half of the leg from Cape Horn to Salvador. “There were a lot of headwinds and squalls making the sailing very difficult.” However, when asked about how he coped with the heat he replied with a laugh: “Panama Canal much hotter.” With the arrival of Spirit of Yukoh only Alan Paris remains sailing. He is still over 700 miles from the finish and reported to have had an action-packed day, negotiating squalls, lightning and two near misses with freighters in low visibility. “Since that morning excitement, it has been one squall after another for 36 hours, non stop, no breaks. Fifty degree wind shifts and winds from 5 to 28 knots. The latest and what looks like the clearing front has had fork lightening that was all around the boat. Nothing to frazzle your hair kind of lightening, as has happened before, but too close for comfort on a boat that freely admits to relying on its electronic toys.”BEETLE CATS FOREVERThe New England Beetle Cat Boat Association (NEBCBA) will hold its annual Leo J. Telesmanick Championship regatta on the weekend of July 12-13, 2003 in celebration of the Women’s Division 50th Anniversary. This regatta will be hosted by the Duxbury Yacht Club, Duxbury, Massachusetts. Trophies will be awarded for classes including: Overall Champion, Ancient Mariners, Old Salts, Men, Women and Juniors. For racer registration and other information go to http://www.beetlecat.org2003 PHRF HANDICAP BOOK AVAILABLEThe 2003 PHRF Handicap book is now available. Copies are available through www.ussailing.org/merchandise. Price is $35 for US SAILING members. In addition, US SAILING launched a new web page for frequently asked PHRF questions at http://www.ussailing.org/phrf. RACING CLINICThe Oyster Bay Sailing Foundation will be holding its annual Advanced Racing Clinic on May 24-26 at the Merchant Marine Academy at King’s Point. The idea behind the clinic is explained on their website, http://www.obsf.org, but we’ve excerpted some of the description of what sounds like a great event.”To help young people get the sort of postgraduate sailboat racing training that usually isn’t found in a typical summer sailing program. To do that we organized and sponsored an advanced racing clinic at The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point that has been a fixture over the Memorial Day weekend ever since. The idea of it was and still is pretty simple. Pair the best instructors and coaches in the land with the most promising high school and college sailors and let the adrenaline flow for three days and nights. Many of the participants, instructors and students alike have made it to membership on the US SAILING Team and from there have made it to the highest rung on the ladder – The Olympic Games.” For information, see http://www.obsf.orgGrand Prix Sailor and Grand Prix Sailor–America’s Cup Edition are weekly newsletters compiled by the editors of Sailing World magazine. If you’d like to subscribe, see http://https://www.sailingworld.com/ Contributing Editors: Tony Bessinger (tony.bessinger@sailingworld.com), Dave Reed (dave.reed@sailingworld.com), Stuart Streuli (stuart.streuli@sailingworld.com), John Burnham (john.burnham@sailingworld.com)
