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.
This Saturday is the BYC Sunkist #1 Regatta and the Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) Regatta. The Sunkist #1 is a Fleet 1 High Point Race.
The regattas are sailed simultaneously, giving you the opportunity to win twice in one day…while supporting CHOC’s fundraiser.
More info can be found on the BYC Website for the Sunkist Series and the CHOC Regatta.
Also, the BYC will be offering a “C Fleet” sign up, so if you have never raced, or feel that the B Fleet is too competitive, sign up to sail the “C Fleet”.
The brand new SSYC Ocean Series starts this Saturday! If you have not registered yet, so so now here.
This 4 series race is designed for those that want to experience Ocean racing in the Harbor 20. However, if conditions are such that an ocean race is not ideal for a Harbor 20, the race will be held inside the harbor.
This is a four series race, with trophies being awarded at the conclusion of the regata late in 2012. The sign up fee is only $10.
Go to the page about the race to get more details, and if you want to race this weekend, sign up now. NOR’s and Online Signup are available now.
There are many, many great photos of Harbor 20s in action available to us courtesy of Donna Griggs. Thank you Donna for giving us this special gift!!
View them in the box below, or link directly to her galleries:
2011 Championships: Saturday or Sunday
All Harbor 20 Championships
Full H20 Collection
BY JANE WATKINS, ON OCTOBER 13TH, 2011
Beautiful race conditions with breezes from 8 to 15 knots prevailed for the Shalhoob Women’s Invitational and Women Skipper’s Regatta at Santa Barbara Yacht Club on Sunday, October 9.
Nine Harbor 20s participated, each with at least two women and one male “sandwich maker” (just kidding) on board. I was lucky enough to have the chance to race with Sandra Denton and Eric Stokke.
Four races were held – two non-spinnaker races for the Shalhoob and two spinnakers optional races for the Skipper Championship. Several of the women skippers were first-time Harbor 20 sailors…they are GREAT boats.
The Shalhoob Invitational was won by Becky Harteck, followed by Krystal Treiberg (UCSB Sailing Team), third was Heidi Ziskind followed by Morgan Green, Sharon Green, Jane Watkins, Leslie Deardorff, Helene Webb and Karen Cahill.
The Women’s Skipper Championship was won by Kyrstal Treiberg with Mom and Pop crewing, followed by Leslie Deardorff, Becky Harteck, Sharon Green, Jane Watkins, Morgan Green, Helene Webb, Heidi Ziskind and Helene Webb.
It was breeze on for the Harbor 20s, with lots of tight mark roundings and exciting starts. In fact the first start was so aggressive that there was a general recall. Highly competitive Lady Sailors! And it was excellent that several gals raced with their children.
This was a great event – To be repeated next year.
Thanks to everyone who made it a successful event and party afterwards.
Jane Watkins, H20 Fleet 4
The window to purchase a new main or jib is now open and ends on November 30th. According to the Fleet 1 rules, to remain eligible, you may only purchase sails during this window between the Championships and November 30th. Jibs may be purchased every year, while main sails can be purchased every other year.
Main sails may only be purchased from Elliott / Pattison Sailmakers. They are offering Harbor 20 boat owners a 25% discount, for a total of $1,167 plus tax. They require a 50% deposit upon order, and the sails will be finished by the end of December for the Fleet Measurer to measure them early January. Contact: (949) 645-6697
» Read more
On Saturday October 15th, WORSA and ALYC held “Sailing for the Visually Impaired” where our Military Veterans and guest from the Braille Institute come down to the American Legion Yacht Club and got the chance to go sailing with volunteers on their sailboats.
This year the Harbor 20 Fleet 1 was well represented. There was Ed Kimball (Dragon Lady) and Michael Volk (Lighting) taking folks out in their boats, as well as Andy and Lori Everson crewing on a larger vessel allowing even more guest to enjoy a great day on the Bay. As always, Peter Haynes was helping coordinate between LIYC and ALYC making it possible to open up slips at ALYC to facilitate loading our guest on their vessels.
They all did a great job and allowed 200 guest enjoy a sunny day out on the water. Thank you to Ed, Michael, Lori, Andy and Peter and Harbor 20 Fleet 1.
Today, the W.D. Schock Corp published two articles related to the recent Harbor 20 Class Championships.
….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.
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.
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 |
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:
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:
1st: Bill & Diane Menninger; 2nd Tom Schock & Shawn Patrick; 3rd Terry Terry Gloege & Byron Capps, 4th Guy Doran & Mary Menninger, 5th Karl & Cole Pomeroy
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