Archive for June, 2009

Photo Credit: Ian Barker

Mark Mendelblatt (St. Petersburg, Fla.) and Mark Strube (West Palm Beach, Fla.) won a gold medal in the Star class at the 127th Kiel Week. The world’s largest sailing event, Kiel Week boasts 3 million visitors, 10,000 masts, 4,500 sailors, 2,000 boats, 360 starts, 50 nations, 40 sailing disciplines, 11 racing areas and 9 days of racing.

Rain and light winds kept the Star class ashore on Sunday and Monday. “The wind did not increase in the way we hoped it would this morning, but we look forward to a better weather forecast Tuesday. It is very sad, especially for the Star and the Finn, which have only sailed one race so far”, said Jobst Richter, Chairman of the Kiel Week Race Committee.

The Star fleet got back to racing on Tuesday. The first race got underway in 10 knots of breeze at 11.15 with a black flag start but all the fleet got away cleanly. Two more races followed to give the Stars enough races to sail a Medal Race but without a discard. After four races Iain Percy and Andrew Simpson (GBR) led the leaderboard. A consistent day at the front of the fleet from the 2008 Olympic gold medallists, posting two seconds finishing the day with a bullet places them two points ahead of Mark Mendelblatt and Mark Strube.

In second place going into the Medal Race, the main rival for Mark Mendelblatt and Mark Strube (USA) was British gold medal winning team of Iain Percy and Andrew Simpson who lead by just two points. Mendleblatt and Strube finished second behind Hamish Pepper and Craig Monk (NZL) but this was enough to give them the gold medal. The American team picked up 20 points to leap four six places up the World Cup Standings to fourth overall. Percy and Simpson finished eighth in the Medal Race with equal points to Pepper and Monk but the Kiwis race win gives them the silver medal and the Brits the bronze.

This was the second time Mendelblatt and Strube have competed at Kiel Week together as a team – and the second time they have won the event. “We won two Kiels. It’s pretty nice to win gold every time we come over,” said Strube, who added that they focused on doing well and tried to stay positive. “Our downwind techniques are getting better, and we are trying to improve our upwind and tacks.”

“We consider ourselves one of the top [Star] teams,” said Strube. “A few teams have an edge on us, and we’re trying to surpass them over the next couple of years before the Olympic Games.”

More information on Doyle Star Sails

Complete Results

Team USA Grabs Two Gold Medals, One Bronze at Kiel Week in Germany

2009 Kiel Week Website

International Star Class

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The Anacortes Yacht Club held its annual Windermere Regatta June 13-14, 2009. The Regatta consists of a series of windward-leeward races. Congratulations to MORE UFF DA for dominating the Moore 24 class winning 8 of the 9 races, to finish 10 points ahead of the 2nd place boat.

Complete Windermere Regatta 2009 Results

Congratulations to Rod Johnstone and crew of J/95 Banjo for winning the Sprit Boat Class C-3 in the Off Soundings Spring Series. The Sprit Boat Class C-3 included three J/105s, three J/109s, and a J/92. The event started in Watch Hill, RI then sailed direct to the Great Salt Pond Harbor on Block Island. The famous Around Block Island Race was held on Saturday.

As Rodney reported on the J Boat Blog, “Friday was a real drag race a 12 mile beam reach from Watch Hill, Rhode Island to Block Island to a set mark just North of the entrance to New Harbor followed by a 3 mile run to Buoy 1 BI North of the Island and a 3.5 mile beat to the finish at the Harbor entrance. Banjo nailed the jib reaching start. At 1BI we were ahead of everyone except the J/105 DRAGONFLY who rounded just ahead of us and finished first. We were second and third boat-for boat behind us was Hugh McLean’s J/109 Shearwater.

“Saturdays race was counter-clockwise around Block Island. We sailed the long course with the larger, faster classes which meant we had to go out to the Southwest Ledge Whistle buoy about three miles SW of the island, then East to Southeast Point, then NNE to the NE Whistle buoy a mile off Clay Head, then to the NW to 1BI, then finish off the harbor entrance. The wind was light NE at the start with the flood current starting. It was a set-up for us to showcase our shallow draft all the way down the island in the breeze and out of the foul current- and kick some serious butt.

“We started, then skimmed past the end of the breakwater by a boathook length in about 4-5 of water and kept going. Needless to say the J/105 and J109 right on our tail had to jibe back out into the murky calm for a few boat lengths in order to avoid running aground. We rounded SW Ledge Whistle a quarter mile ahead of the next boat. The next leg to the NE Whistle Buoy was a light, tight spinnaker reach and lost ground (again) to everyone ahead of us. The leg from the NE Whistle to 1BI was a light air run at the very end of the flood current. We gained back all of what we had lost on the boats ahead of us on the previous leg maybe three or four minutes. We could sail lower than everyone if not faster. The final beat was a port tack fetch to the finish in about 10-12 knots of wind. The J/109 Shearwater was first over the line, but we corrected out to first place on time, winning both days and won the series with 2 points.

“All in all, Banjo is fun and easy to sail. Now we know it is fast, too. Oh yes, and we could park it in among the powerboats close to shore at the Oar Restaurant.”

Complete Off Soundings Spring Series Results

J/95 Photo Gallery

The New York Yacht Club held the 155th Annual Regatta June 12-14, 2009. The regatta consists of the 19 mile Around-Conanicut-Island Race on Friday, followed by two days of racing on Rhode Island Sound on three separate circles. This was the inaugural event for the J/122 class to race as a one design class.

In the tightly contested 10 boat J/122 fleet, Andrew Weiss and crew onboard Christopher Dragon took class honors with a commanding lead. Christopher Dragon showed consistent speed with her D4® Premium main and a fresh-out-of-the-bag D4® Multi Panel medium jib.

NYYC 155th Annual Regatta Overall Results

The Around Jamestown Island race is an optional, separately-scored competition held Friday June 12 during the New York Yacht Club (NYYC) 155th Annual Regatta. With fog shrouding the first part of Friday’s 19-mile Around the Island Race, crews had to navigate with their instruments and keep themselves out of trouble from the capricious currents and wind eddies that swirl around the Island. Amongst the J/122s racing this legendary race, it was Mike Bruno and team aboard Wings that won the IRC 4 Class.

View Complete Results from the Around the Island Race

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The 2009 San Juan 21 Eastern Nationals hosted by San
Juan Fleet 8 and Blackbeard Sailing Club was held June 11-13, 2009. Doyle sails dominated the event, powering the top 3 boats in All Sails and the top 5 in Working Sails.

For more information on Doyle San Juan sails, click here.

The 2009 Mills Trophy Race, organized by the Mills Trophy Race Committee in
conjunction with the Toledo Yacht Club and the Storm Trysail Club, was held June 5-7, 2009. Congratulations to Jim Bourgault on Gus on being the Overall Winner of the Mills Cup Trophy. And Congratulations to all of our customers!