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By Peter, on March 17th, 2012%
Thirty eight people attended the Boat Handling & Sail Trim seminar at Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club on March 11. About one third were non-Harbor 20 sailors and people came from far and wide. In addition to the locals, we had folks from Los Angles, Inglewood, Hawthorne, Fillmore, Redondo Beach, Malibu, Pasadena, Oxnard, Ventura, and Santa Barbara.
 Classroom learning can really improve your understanding
 Starting with the fundamentals  The demonstration brings the concepts to life Thanks to Tom Madden, BCYC Vice Commodore, for making his Harbor 20 “Cool H20″ available for the dockside demonstration. And thanks to the management and staff of BCYC for flawless support of the event.
This was the second in a three seminar series. The first was “Understanding the Racing Rules of Sailing” on January 29. The third in the series will be “Strategy & Tactics” on June 3. Watch this website for details, and we hope to see you there!
Sail Safe & Sail Fast!
Peter Haynes
By Peter, on February 13th, 2012% This year the EAST/WEST Challenge returns to the West Coast. The 2012 event will be hosted by NHYC the weekend of October 6-7. The event has expanded over previous years with the addition of new fleets to the H20 Class. This year the EAST team will be composed of 8 boats, with four boats handled by sailors from Fleet 3, Hilton Head, SC and four boats handled by sailors from Fleet 5, Annapolis MD. The WEST team will be composed of 8 boats, with four boats handled by sailors from Fleet 1, Newport Beach, CA and four boats handled by sailors from Fleet 4, Santa Barbara, CA.
Selection of the sailors who will represent Fleet 1 will be determined by the High Point standings as of Sunday, July 15. There are nine High Point races days between now and July 14, so if you want to participate in the EAST/WEST Challenge, you need to actively participate in the Fleet 1 High Point series. The top four skippers in A Fleet as July 15 will have the priviledge of representing Fleet 1 as skippers, and the top four skippers in the B Fleet will have the priviledge of representing Fleet 1 as crews.
The 2012 EAST/WEST Challenge is shaping up to be a premier event bringing H20 sailors together from around the country for a weekend of racing and social activities. If you do not end up on the Fleet 1 sailing team, there will be lots of other ways to participate, so stay tuned for details. We hope to see you there!
By Peter, on February 3rd, 2012% Race education for the 2012 season started off with a bang with the “Understanding the Racing Rules of Sailing” seminar on Sunday, January 29, at the Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club. Thirty five people attended, from as far away as Los Angeles, Redlands, and Santa Barbara. A number of C-Fleet folks were in attendance as well as several new Harbor 20 owners. And, about a third of the attendees were from other fleets, primarily PHRF, now that folks are starting to look to the Harbor 20 Fleet as the place to learn about sailboat racing. As this experience can be a bit like “drinking from a fire hose”, there were also many repeat attendees, some who have been up to six times.
“As a B sailor rules have always been hard for me. The visual approach really helped” -Kathy Sangster
“The best rules seminar I have ever been involved with”. -Sandy Mills
“A must for anyone racing sailboats. Peter makes a complex and arcane set of codified rules understandable and interesting. This fast paced one-day class is supported with excellent reference materials”. -Bob King
“The animations bring the rules to life. This course provides a chance to experience the rules with examples that allow the student to connect the actual rules to the practical application of getting through the race. Should be required course work for all participating in large fleet racing”. – Mike Psomas
“Having never had andy formal sailing training, I am very happy to have attended this seminar which helped me begin to understand how important the rules are to making the race fun, safe, and fair”. -Donna Vordale
“I can clearly see why the crew needs to come too”. -Ted Reed
If you missed this event, the Rules seminar will be repeated on September 9, three weeks before the Championship.
The next seminar will be “Boat Handling & Sail Trim” on March 11. We hope to see you there!
By Peter, on January 20th, 2012% The deadline to postmark registrations for the “Understanding the Racing Rules of Sailing” seminar at BCYC on January 29 at the lower price of $75.00 is Saturday, January 21. Thereafter the cost is $85.00. The reason for a deadline is to encourage folks to help us with logistics, because the club requires a head-count ahead of time for purposes of facility planning and food/beverage preparation.
START THE NEW YEAR OUT RIGHT!
LEARN OR RE-LEARN THE RACING RULES!
A unique teaching method makes this seminar a learning experience, as differentiated from “question and answer” rules clinics, which are generally unstructured, and pre-suppose some rules knowledge. This seminar is structured in such a way that each concept leads to the next making comprehension easy and natural. Animated PowerPoint makes the rules come to life. Here are some comments from folks who have already attended:
“I’ve been attending rules seminars all my life – I’ve seen them all – and this is the best I’ve ever seen!” –Tom Schock
“I was impressed with how you presented the sailing rules in an interesting and entertaining way. The class drew all levels of sailors from beginning sailors like myself to sailors have been racing competitively for 50 years and more. The visual teaching coupled with your workbook were a great way to learn. I was surprised with how quickly the day slipped by and how much we covered.” –Trish Ramser
“At $75 this seminar is a real bargain and offers much more than seminars at double this price, the 120 plus page handout is easily worth the seminar price itself. Along with boat handling and racing strategies and tactics, the rules of racing are critical knowledge for the casual and experienced sailor.” -Tom Madden
“I learned in one day what would ordinarily take 10 racing seasons to learn. Invaluable!” –Guy Doran
“Comprehensive, informative and well presented. I’ll be back because repetition is essential.” –Mary Bacon
“An absolute winner! From novice to knowledgeable in one day.” –Nina Manning
“I could attend this course over and over and would learn something new every time.” –Neal Crowley
While this seminar was originally prepared to the Harbor 20 Fleet, there is nothing H20 specific in the materials.
EVERYONE IS WELCOME!
Click here to Register.
We hope to see you there!
By Nik Froehlich, on November 17th, 2011% “…Everyone in Seattle knows about the popular Duck Dodge series that runs on the city’s Lake Union in the summer. Almost 100 boats turn out each Tuesday for a different themed race each week. From Hawaiian Night to Toga Night, this popular series focuses on having fun. There is no cost to enter, and there is only one rule: Don’t hit each other.
Less well known, but still well attended, is the Goosebumps series every Sunday in January and February, also on Lake Union. Of course, it is hard to have a Hawaiian Night or a Toga night in the winter in the Pacific Northwest. If there were a theme for the Goosebumps, it might be fleece and foulies.
With more than 20 Harbor 20s scattered around Puget Sound and various lakes, Signature Yachts, located on Lake Union is working to get boats out sailing together this winter. Five boats have already committed to at least one or two of the Sunday events, with Signature Yachts hosting the boats at its dock after the races. 2 of the 5 Boats are skippered by Women.
Plans call for tuning sessions, sail trim clinics and Harbor 20 gatherings in the spring. Signature is trying to build the Harbor 20 fleet and get the existing boats out in a fun and casual setting….”
By Nik Froehlich, on November 1st, 2011% The fastest growing fleet at the Annapolis Yacht Club is the Harbor 20. We currently have 12 Harbor 20′s registered in this years AYC Frostbite Series. The Series starts on Nov 6 and runs on sundays through March. The Harbor 20 has been a successful addition to a number of other Yacht Clubs fleets across the nation. AYC is Fleet 5 in the National Harbor Class Association.
By Nik Froehlich, on October 12th, 2011% Today, the W.D. Schock Corp published two articles related to the recent Harbor 20 Class Championships.
Bill & Diane Menninger and Hellen & Warren Duncan
Run Away With the Prizes
….Fifteen A sailors and fourteen Bs competed in a total of nine long windward/leeward races in winds that varied in direction and velocity but were steady enough to minimize the “luck” factor….
….One of the most significant things about the 2011 Class Championship regatta was that only 7 of the 29 boats had two guys aboard. 17 boats had boy/girl teams, 1 was a father/son team, 3 were sailed single-handed, 1 had two ladies aboard, and there were 3 lady skippers. Mission accomplished!….
….as Bill says, “The level of professionalism has risen in most one-design fleets, and the time commitment is immense.”…
Read the entire article on the W.D. Schock Harbor 20 Website.
Interview with Bill Menninger
Three-Time Winner of the Harbor 20 Championships
Bill Menninger and his wife Diane won the 2011 Harbor 20 Championship Regatta with eight straight first place finishes. Bill has won two previous H20 Championships and a long list of other one-design victories, but he seemed especially fast for this particular regatta.
We asked him about his strategy, his pre-race preparation, and the decisions he made on the racecourse.
The interview asks Bill questions such as:
How did you and Diane prepare as a team?
Did you make any adjustments to the rig prior to the start of the first race?
Did you make any tuning adjustments during the regatta?
Who did you consider to be your biggest threat going into the regatta? What is your philosophy in dealing with competitors? And how did you adjust your assessment as the regatta unfolded?
Your starts were terrific. What was your strategy?
How did you treat the racecourse?
Read the entire interview on the W.D. Schock Website here.
By Peter, on October 8th, 2011% With the continuing growth of the Harbor 20 A and B Fleets in Newport Harbor, the time has come to introduce a C Fleet.
I am very happy to announce that Fleet 1 now has a C Fleet! Tom Schock tells me this may very well be the first time a one-design keelboat fleet has had the depth and diversity to divide into three fleets.
Another achievement for the Harbor 20 Class!
The Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club is the first yacht club to agree to offer C Fleet starts for their races. The C sailors will be invited to the Midwinter Regatta in February, the multi-month Lorin Weiss Memorial Series this winter, and the summertime Taco Tuesday Twilight Series. Many thanks to Sailing Director Paul DeCapua, and everyone at BCYC, for stepping up to the plate and being the first to support us in this new, and exciting endeavor!
We have over 100 members in Newport Harbor’s Fleet 1. 30 to 40 of these members race their boats on a regular basis.
It is obvious there are a lot of Harbor 20 sailors in our harbor who don’t use their boats for racing. This is perfectly okay, of course – there is nothing better than kicking back and daysailing a Harbor 20 – but I bet there are lots of people who are itching to race. I have even had calls from folks who indicated that they had been “shadowing” our evening fun races, but didn’t know how to get involved. And even if they did, the B Fleet has grown to a size where starts can be pretty intimidating.
What was needed was a way for folks to be able to try their hand at racing their Harbor 20s in a more relaxed, less overwhelming fashion. So, a “trial balloon” was floated at this year’s Summer Party at Lido Isle Yacht Club. We added C Fleet racing and a basic racing clinic to the agenda, and anyone interested in the “Harbor 20 Scene” was invited to participate.
To our delight, twelve new boats showed up for the C Fleet race!
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| The new C sailors sailing their first race |
After an introductory chalk-talk, experienced sailors were paired up to sail with the new folks; and the twelve new boats were divided into C1s and C2s, with six boats each. After watching from the safety and comfort of the dock as the A and B Fleets started their first race, the new C sailors, with designated “mentors” onboard, headed out for their start. With the more experienced A and B sailors out of the area, our new C sailors enjoyed two races; and a fun, and safe time was had by all! For more photos of this terrific event click Harbor 20 Class Summer Party
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| Class President Peter Haynes explains the basic racing rules |
Ever since this exciting Summer Party, people keep asking, “So, what’s going on with the C Fleet?”
Given the success of the event, the next step was to approach the yacht clubs to see if there would be interest in starting a C Fleet following the starts of the As and Bs, at their events. The logistical challenges are obvious, as race committees typically finish all of the fleets before starting the next round of races.
Adding a third fleet would burn up additional time and might reduce the number of races the committee could run for the A and B sailors.
To make the racing perfect for everyone, the idea was proposed that during the time the A and B fleets run multiple races, the C Fleet would be sent on one longer course. This would allow the beginning racers to experience a start, and get accustomed to handling their boats in the company of others but away from the maddening crowd. Meanwhile, the A and B sailors could have as many starts and finishes as time and conditions would allow. The C Fleet races would be open to all Harbor 20 sailors, whether they are new to racing altogether, or perhaps have been struggling in the B Fleet.
The formation of this brand new C Fleet offers Harbor 20 owners the perfect opportunity to ease into racing. I will be really excited to see them on the racecourse!
The C Fleet will now be a venue for those Harbor 20 owners who always wanted to race but were uncomfortable being thrown into the fiercely competitive A and B Fleets. The C sailors will have plenty of opportunity to compete at the various races held by the BCYC. Be sure to check out the C Fleet sailors race at the Midwinter Regatta, the Lorin Weiss Memorial Series, and at the Taco Tuesday Twilight Series.
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| Ed Kimball (center) with new C sailors Mike Murphy and his wife Marilyn Flint (pink shirt) and their friends Cleve and Gloria Crudgington |
By Nik Froehlich, on October 4th, 2011% The 2011 Class / Fleet 1 Championships were held at NHYC last weekend, October 1st and 2nd, and represented the conclusion of the 2010-2011 Harbor 20 regatta season. The final two days of racing capped off a total of 20 Fleet 1 regattas for the season and determined not only the Fleet 1 & Class Champions, but also the winners of the season-long High Point Series, Rain or Shine Series and other perpetual trophies awarded by the fleet.
Excitement built early, as participants checked in, collected their caps and shirts and performed last minute bottom cleaning and tuned their boats. Fifteen A fleet skippers and fourteen B fleet skippers registered for the championships.
Day One started off very promising with steady 8-10 knot winds from the West. The first warning sounded about 12:45 and before the wind started dying off, the Race Committee got off a total of 4 races for both the A and B fleets. The Race Committee did a great job in setting perfect courses in both length and direction!
As required by Class rules, all skippers docked their boats at NHYC overnight. After the races, and after the boats had been tucked away, the festivities began. From 1700 until 1830, a cocktail party featuring a steel drum band and hosted bar got most skippers “loosened up”. Thanks to the Baldwin Cup Organizing Committee for hosting the hosted bar and appetizers. After the cocktail party, NHYC served up a delicious dinner, where everyone continued to recap the nuances of the races that day. Not ready to head home, some even kept going after dinner in the Pirate’s Den for more stories and lively conversation.
Although the weather was warm, it didn’t look too promising the beginning of day two. With 3-5 knot winds out of the South-South-West. The race committee was all set up with the windward mark near the clubhouse and just about ready to sound the first warning when the wind turned West and started to kick up to 8 knots. Day two of the Regatta was on!! After setting a new course, and winds that eventually built up to 10-12 knots, the race committee was able to get five more races completed for both fleets.
A super thanks to a great job by the PRO, Kurt Wiese (one of our newest Harbor 20 Fleet 1 owners and skipper members (PING)) and his race committee team: Anne Wiese, Ed Kimball, Anne Costello, Mindy Froehlich, Alex Vucelic, Charlie, Jamie Johnson, Jeff Marshall, Will Shuman, Bill Crispin & Donna Griggs for photography.
And another big thanks to the NHYC for providing an unparalleled venue for the event, and especially Jenn and Charlie for making sure everything went smoothing and turned out to be truly a National Class Regatta event! (Jenn, actually making sure wine glasses were full and plentiful during the award ceremony!!) And the NHYC staff for yummy appetizers! Again, top notch!
Actual races can be viewed online via the Kattack tracking that tracked each boat for each race. Not only can you see the actual track, but you can see average speeds (relative to the fastest) and distance traveled (relative to the distance) but also actual time on the course. For example: On race one, #109 Wiggit (that is me) sailed 624 meters more than Bill Menninger! Did I have a different course???? I guess that explains why it took me about 6 minutes more to finish the race. Lesson learned??). You can see summaries for each race like:
- Average speed
- Average VGM upwind
- Average VGM downwind
- Average speed downwind, ect
Stats that will help all skippers improve their individual performance! Not all stats for all races are available at the time of this article, but check back often for updates to the Kattack page.
So, who won? Full results are available on this website here, (select any regatta from the drop menu and the fleet to see the results) however here are the top finishers:
A Fleet
 1st: Bill & Diane Menninger; 2nd Tom Schock & Shawn Patrick; 3rd Terry Terry Gloege & Byron Capps, 4th Guy Doran & Mary Menninger, 5th Karl & Cole Pomeroy B Fleet
 1st Helen & Duncan Warren, 2nd Win & Carlita Fuller, 3rd Rolly Pulaski & Annie Donat, 4th Steve Woodruff & Joan Hively, 5th Dick Somers Historical Champion Results can be viewed here.
All perpetual trophies will be award at the annual awards dinner scheduled for December 4th.
The Harbor 20 fleet & class would like to hear your stories, comments, praises, & complaints. We want to hear want made the Championship special for you. We want to hear from all participants what you experienced, what you liked, what was fun, and what frustrated you. Please, leave comments to this post for others to read and enjoy your perspective on this regatta. If you have people you want to thank…do it here. If you have some special insight as to what “worked” or what didn’t, share with the fleet/class. We want to get as many comments as possible and prolong this great event though this website.
And, if anyone has additional pictures, or comments, please either email the Webmaster (link on the left) or leave a comment for everyone.
Finally, a super, super special thank you to the leadership (Board) and especially our Class President, Peter Haynes (for working so hard to make the H20 such corinthians in the sport where ALL disputes were handled on the course) and for John Whitney for keeping our fleet sound, tight, and organized. And of course, Warren Duncan, our Fleet Measurer, for making sure that all boat were equally configured to keep this truly a “one class event”.
Pictures of the event (courtesy of Donna Griggs) is available here: Saturday and Sunday
By Peter, on August 28th, 2011% The culmination of the High Point Series is coming up soon, with the Fall Schock Regatta, the Championship Tune-up and the Championship Regatta, followed by the beginning of the 2011-2012 racing season. Join us for this seminar, new for 2011, and get a better understanding about what is happening on the race course!
Click here for a course description
Click here to register
For questions please contact Peter Haynes (H 949-631-8757, C 949-466-3971, peter.haynes@3ds.com).
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W.D. Schock’s Video Competition
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