March 2024

Vicki Palmer, Windward Leg Editor

windwardlegeditor@gmail.com

IN THIS ISSUE

Andy Beeckman Wins Intl Masters

David Hernandez of Guatemala Sweeps a First Place Victory at the US Nationals/Midwinters

Team Racing Report

A Special Thank you from Gail Murphy-Heausler

Does Your Boat Measure Up? V2 - The Sail

Carnaval in Curacao

J-24 Midwinters

North Americans 2024 Notice of Race & Registration

US Masters 2024 - Milwaukee YC Registration

Women's North Americans - Notice of Race & Registration

In Memory - Eight Bells - Dick Heinl

US Sailing MVP Discount $5 off your membership

ISCA News Update

USSCA World Qualifier Update

USSCA Bylaws 2024 Vote

USSCA Call for Candidates

Upcoming Regattas

SAVE THE DATE

April 27-28 Southeast Regional #1 @ Savannah Yacht Club, GA

May 18-19 Dinghyfest RCYC/ Southwest Regional #1

Jun. 1-2 Barrington Regatta/NE Regional #1 Barrington, RI

Jun. 10-11 Youth North Americans (WQ) Lavallette YC, NJ

Jun. 12-15 61st Sunfish North Americans (WQ) Lavallette YC, NJ

July 20-21 Wequaquet Regatta/ NE Regional #2 Wequaquet, MA

Aug. 3-4 Erie Open/Midwest Regional #1, Erie YC, PA

Aug. 16-18 US Masters (WQ) Milwaukee YC, WI

Sept. 6-8 Women's North Americans (WQ) Amityville, NY

Sept. 6-8 Goatman Regatta/Southwest Regional #2 Lake Worth, TX

Sept. 14-15 Ocean Gate YC/Mid-Atlantic Regional #2, Ocean Gate, NJ

Sept. 21-22 Wawasee Regatta/Midwest Regional #2, Wawasee YC, IN

Sept. 21-22 GLYC Sunfish Regatta/Gulf Coast Regional, Pensacola, FL

Oct. 12-19 53rd ISCA World Championship, Rush Creek, TX

Nov. 2-3 Midlands/Southeast Regional #2, Columbia SC, SC

More events please check the monthly calendar

Windward Leg - Spanish Version

INTL MASTERS

Andy Beeckman Wins the International Masters

March 16-19, 2024 – Davis Island Yacht Club – Tampa, FL

By Vicki Palmer

What an event! Speedy sprints on every leg coupled with smart sailing by the top place finishers created a hold-your-breath-who’s-gonna-win right to the very end. Andy Beeckman (pronounced Beckman) won over 2^nd place Chris Carroll using the tie-breaker rule to determine which 34 total points would be the #1 winner. The tie-breaker rule favored Andy. But Rich Chapman was just one point behind the top two places! Hmmmm… wonder what would’ve happened with a 3-place tie-breaker rule having to be applied?! This is champion level “stuff!” With champion level competitors!

Andy has been sailing many years but only three years in a Sunfish. According to the after-the-races interview with Lee Montes posted on Facebook, Andy started with a strategy that got complicated because of so many boats and who was sailing where. With 84 competitors racing, it could feel complicated!

So, Andy just started sailing his own race. And it paid off. Being “flexible” with one’s original game plan but remaining determined was the right decision for Andy. Being “flexible” has got to be somewhere in the list of how to execute a game plan based on wind, water and sailing conditions.

And what challenging wind and water conditions there were! Everything from next-to-nothing-I’m-bored to blow-competitors-to-the-next bay conditions. Tampa Bay never disappoints us. And neither do the competitors. Champions everyone who hung in there, who created fun and laughter instead of being bored and who knew when to hang up the spurs (well, main sheet in sailing talk) if it didn’t feel safe to sail. Smart.

Who hung right in there with the 84 competitors and their guests? The hard-working event committee and Race Committee – that’s who! They had to work even harder to create a smooth transition from one sailing or non-sailing condition to another. No one will argue that the folks at Davis Island YC hold a special place in our hearts. They always know the right thing to do and when. And we are always welcomed back. I think that might mean they like us!

Thank you to Gail Murphy-Heausler and her wonderful committee who got the food, trophies and everything done to perfection. And a special thank you to PRO Taran Teague and every Race Committee member who helped make this a memorable and successful event. The Race Committee had some tough decisions to make. Their professionalism and RC skills scored an 11+ on a scale of 10!

Davis Island Yacht Club - Onshore postponement

Pictured L-R (Regatta Chair - Gail Murphy-Heausler, Principal Race Officer - Taran Teague, Jeff Linton, Mike Ingham, Richard Chapman, Chris Carroll, Andy Beeckman)

Top Five Overall Winners
1st – Andy Beeckman (Newport Harbor YC)
2nd - Chris Carroll (Sarasota Sailing Squadron & Cleveland YC)
3rd - Rich Chapman (Lake Bluff YC)
4th - Jeff Linton (Davis Island YC)
5th - Mike Ingham (Rochester Canoe Club & Sarasota Sailing Squadron)

	Sail #	Skipper	Age Division	9 Races	TOT
1	81628	Andy Beeckman	M	17*-3-1-14-1-4-2-2-7	34
2	81614	Chris Carroll	M	2-8-5-4-3-14*-1-3-8	34
3	5220	Rich Chapman	GM	8*-6-2-2-4-7-5-4-5	35
4	75316	Jeff Linton	GM	85/UFD*-7-6-10-7-1-4-1-3	39
5	81559	Mike Ingham	M	14*-1-8-1-2-5-10-17-1	42
6	76188	Hal Gilreath	GM	16*-4-12-5-15-9-8-7-2	62
7	6	Dominic Simonetti	M	34*-5-4-3-22-2-14-6-10	66
8	78829	Dan Norton	M	3-17-9-21-6-10-7-5-9	66
9	4909	Josh Kerst	M	85/UFD*-10-15-12-5-6-3-15-15	81
10	7500	Mark Kastel	GM	36/SCP*-11-26-10-8-12-14-6	92
11	8377	Paul Clifford	GM	18-33*-7-11-12-3-13-13-20	97
12	719 PER	Guillermo Cappelleti	M	22-12-29*-6-14-12-9-12-14	101
13	5208	Freddie Sambolin	GM	12-15-14-25*-8-20-6-10-30	110
14	81715	Charlie Shipway	M	10-20-16-13-9-11-25-16-85/UFD*	120
15	81135	Mary Ellen Ingham	GM	6-2-21-18-13-15-19-85/DNF*-27	121
16	81813	Chris Schreiber	GM	1-14-26*-24-17-17-22-18-24	137
17	53243	Christopher Friend	GM	15-29*-23-9-19-19-29-30-11	154
18	60858	Gail Murphy-Heausler	GM	54*-30-3-19-16-24-18-19-28	157
19	808	Bob Findlay	GM	85/DNF*-23-17-20-23-16-27-32-13	171
20	81339	Susan Tillman-Berg	M	20-38-30-8-20-13-47*-31-16	176
21	5277	Dave Dunn	GM	44*-11-20-17-38-31-20-24-18	179
22	76356	Ron McHenry	GGM	85/UFD*-19-25-47-21-26-35-8-12	193
23	81522	Emily Wagner	AP	11-16-49*-33-28-29-23-35-19	194
24	176	Steve Honour	GGM	29-24-22-22-29-52*-38-33-4	201
25	7	Jim Koehler	GM	28-22-55*-39-25-27-11-20-31	203
26	4752	Jim Knab	GM	13-13-18-23-34-28-37*-42-38	204
27	5282	Larry Schmitz	GM	37-18-24-15-24-23-85/DNC*-29-51	221
27	80361	Gretchen Seymour	M	21-37-13-44*-43-32-34-22-26	228
29	81606	Carey Jones	M	9-34-51*-41-27-30-28-40-21	230
30	10164	Lisa Brown-Ehrhart	M	4-31-33-29-36-44*-42-36-23	234
31	5228	Paul Dierze	GM	39-27-44-30-45*-35-17-11-33	236
32	37630	Betsy Davis	GM	24-55*-35-34-26-18-21-37-42	237
33	11 PUR	Jaime Torres	GM	23-43-31-27-33-25-85/DNF*-9-46	237
34	271	Joe Blouin	GGM	42-21-10-7-85/DNC*-22-39-85/DNF-22	248
35	88436	Nancy Jaywork	GM	47*-40-34-28-11-40-41-21-34	249
36	81574	Edward Ruark	GM	26-39-39-49*-18-39-24-23-52	257
37	4736	Bob Slook	GM	25-85/DNC*-37-32-42-48-16-27-40	267
38	1955	Arthur Haggerty	GM	46-9-27-48*-37-43-45-28-43	278
39	81526	David Krausz	M	85/UFD*-42-41-42-39-41-31-25-17	278
40	70572	Benjamin Simons	M	53-44-40-85/DNF*-47-21-30-34-35	304
41	78159	Paul Welles	GM	85/DNF*-41-45-35-46-37-15-53-37	309
42	5218	Jack Campo	GM	30-32-19-54-30-33-32-85/DNC*-85/DNC	315
43	55	Amanda Hus	GM	33-48-36-56*-41-49-43-43-29	322
44	80367	George Secrist	SM	35-28-28-31-53-85/DNC*-85/DNC-41-25	326
45	80547	Libbie Fitzgerald	M	32-35-73-58-31-36-85/DNC*-46-45	356
46	78020	Douglas Warren	GM	43-54-43-36-62-64*-33-38-58	367
47	348	Christine Kelly	GM	45-26-60-57-59-47-51-26-85/DNC*	371
48	5243	Larry Mass	M	51-74*-46-38-57-56-26-49-49	372
49	49214	Richard Prieto	GM	50-50-62-53-32-34-85/DNC*-44-50	375
50	78394	David Michals	GM	27-69*-59-52-48-46-36-52-61	381
51	24186	Gail Turluck	GM	85/DNF*-75-47-51-49-53-40-45-32	392
52	78557	Michael Stratton	GGM	40-59-48-55-64-66*-46-48-36	396
53	81984	Marius Satas	GM	85/DNF*-58-32-45-56-42-50-58-57	398
54	82634	Beth Owens	M	19-60-69-61-50-57-85/DNC*-51-41	408
55	6676	John Barrere	GGM	38-46-58-69-40-61-85/DNC*-59-39	410
56	80811	Andrew Clarkson	GM	85/DNF*-25-66-43-69-50-44-60-65	422
57	81712	Kellee Johnson	M	57-56-54-63*-63-55-55-47-48	435
58	81498	Joy Sheets	GM	36-66*-61-64-55-60-57-39-64	436
59	3377	Mia Brandt	GM	52-65*-63-59-54-62-48-55-47	440
60	81022	Lynne Randall	GGM	48-62-68-65-51-51-85/DNC*-57-54	456
61	81892	Arthur Cayer	GM	49-72-65-50-58-58-53-85/DNF*-56	461
62	81352	Dale Benham	GM	56-63-64-60-66-70*-49-54-59	471
63	81895	Alison Rowe	M	85/UFD*-52-71-16-44-38-85/DNC-2 DNC's	476
64	43	Peter Fraker	GGM	41-53-50-46-65-54-85/DNC*-2 DNC's	479
65	81707	Steven Adkins	M	60-76*-74-71-72-67-54-50-44	492
66	76375	Fauss Hull	GM	85/UFD*-45-56-76-61-63-85/DNC-56-53	495
67	81264	Chip Toth	GM	55-51-57-85/DSQ*-35-45-85/DNF-2 DNC's	498
68	49333	Chris Gates	GGM	59-73-53-37-52-59-85/DNC*-2 DNC's	503
69	5203	Dan Smith	GM	62-79*-76-68-70-65-52-63-63	519
70	81823	John Stevens	M	85/UFD*-70-75-67-71-69-56-64-62	534
71	81419	Jennifer Holmberg	GM	63-61-79-66-67-85/DNC*-85/DNC-61-55	537
72	5785	Lee Parks	GM	31-49-42-85/DNC*-5 DNC'S	547
73	42162	Penny Ruark	GGM	66-77-77-74-73-68-85/DNC*-62-60	557
74	81816	Joe Collins	GM	85/UFD*-36-38-85/DNF-5 DNC'S	584
75	88810	Judith Lazo	GGM	85/DNC*-47-85/DNF-62-60-4 DNC's	594
76	4429	Deb Brooks	M	85/DNF*-64-70-70-68-71-85/DNF-2 DNC's	598
77	5258	Sean Fidler	M	7-85/DNC*-7 DNC's	602
78	75417	Tom Katterneinrich	GGM	64-67-52-85/DNC*-5 DNC's	608
79	9102	Robert "Rapid" Buttner	GGM	61-57-67-85/DNC*-5 DNC's	610
80	4839	David Hanselman	SM	85/NSC*-68-72-73-74-72-85/DNF-2 DNC's	614
81	88552	Rosemary McMullen	GGM	58-71-78-72-85/DNF*-4 DNC's	619
82	54321	Charles Cushing	SM	65-78-85/DNF*-6 DNC's	653
83	5099	Martha Cochran	GGM	85/DNC*-2 DNC's-75-5 DNC's	670
84	608581	Michael Bonham	M	85/DNC*-80-80-6 DNC's	670

AGE DIVISION WINNERS

Apprentice Masters (40-49)
1^st - Emily Wagner – 23^rd place overall

Masters (50-59)
1^st - Andy Beeckman – 1^st place overall
2^nd – Chris Carroll – 2^nd place overall
3^rd – Mike Ingham – 5^th place overall

Grand Masters (60-69)
1^st – Rich Chapman – 3^rd place overall
2^nd – Jeff Linton – 4^th place overall
3^rd - Hal Gilreath – 6^th place overall

Great Grand Masters (70-79)
1^st – Ron McHenry – 22^nd place overall
2^nd – Steve Honour – 24^th place overall
3^rd - Joe Blouin – 34^th place overall

Senior Master (80+)
1^st – George Secrist – 44^th place overall
2^nd – David Hanselman – 80^th place overall
3^rd – Charles Cushing – 82^nd place overall

Top Female
Mary Ellen Ingham -- 15^th place overall

Apprentice Masters (40-49)

1^st - Emily Wagner – 23^rd place overall

Top Masters

1^st - Andy Beeckman – 1^st place overall
2^nd – Chris Carroll – 2^nd place overall
3^rd – Mike Ingham – 5^th place overall

Grand Masters (60-69)

1^st – Rich Chapman – 3^rd place overall
2^nd – Jeff Linton – 4^th place overall
3^rd - Hal Gilreath – 6^th place overall

Senior Master (80+)

1^st – George Secrist – 44^th place overall
2^nd – David Hanselman – 80^th place overall
3^rd – Charles Cushing – 82^nd place overall

Great Grand Masters (70-79)

1^st – Ron McHenry – 22^nd place overall
2^nd – Steve Honour – 24^th place overall
3^rd - Joe Blouin – 34^th place overall

Top Female

Mary Ellen Ingham -- 15^th place overall

US NATIONALS @ MIDWINTERS

David Hernandez of Guatemala Sweeps a First Place Victory at the US Nationals/Midwinters

March 21-23, 2024 – Davis Island Yacht Club – Tampa, FL

Mother Nature ruled. This three-day event was whittled down to a one-day event. Her plan. We followed. That didn’t bother David Hernandez. He was unstoppable. It seems as though David doesn’t know how not to win! Three bullets in four races is pretty impressive. David’s teammate from Guatemala, Juan Carlos Canizalez, followed closely in 2^nd place and only managed to beat David in Race #4 with a bullet. Sebastian Medina of Puerto Rico, couldn’t quite catch up but certainly gave David and Juan someone to worry about on the racecourse. The speed and smart tactics from these competitors is nothing short of amazing.

In 4^th place was Jean Paul de Trazegnies, Peru, who was captured on film at the Sunfish World Championship in Coconut Grove, FL, proposing on one knee to his future bride to floor stomping applause from everyone who witnessed this special moment.

Shhhhh … if you listen carefully, you can hear some floor-stomping applause for these following competitors who rank high in our “star performer” category. No on-a-knee proposals, just floor-stomping admiration for always doing the right thing on the racecourse to earn them a hard-won trophy. Maximum speed. Smart tactics. A level of unequaled determination. That’s what makes them champions. 5^th place, David Mendelblatt. 6^th place, Chris Carroll. 7^th place, Rich Chapman. 8^th place, Mike Ingham. 9^th place, Hank Saurage. 10^th place, Dan Norton. I wish, I wish I could sail as fast and as smart as which one? Pick any of them and you’ll be a champion through and through!

The Top Female finisher was Josselyn Echeverria who finished 11^th overall, just missing the Top Ten finishes by one place and eight points. Seeing Sail #8 anywhere close by on the racecourse must have caused many sail adjustments for increasing speed to make sure one stayed ahead! If you’ve had this kind of reaction on a racecourse, you’re a champion no matter where you’ve finished. I wish, I wish …

What an introduction to our three Youth Scholarship Winners too – Dylan and Wes Barbour and Jonathan Clubbs – who traveled to this event with their families. Nothing but compliments have been shared about this new addition to our Sunfish “family.” Mom’s, Dad’s and youth. Now that’s a trophy worth placing in a very special place. Everyone hopes to see them at many more Sunfish events.

Jonathan Clubbs - photo by Jack Thompson

Youth Sailors @ Nationals - Wes Barbour

Waiting game

Waiting for the wind

I got a text from Lee Parks who said the winds were blowing 49 … 49? Are you sure? … 49!! Ye gods. Mother Nature was determined to be heard. A Facebook post showed a 30-foot keel boat that was blown off its trailer and was resting on a nearby J-24 instead of hitting the ground. Not a pretty sight. Nor was it safe to be anywhere nearby especially when it happened.

So there again we have an Event Committee and Race Committee flying off in different directions to keep things flowing smoothly. And, again, they handled it like the pro’s they are. Thank you to everyone at the Davis Island Yacht Club

David Hernandez 1st overall Guatemala

US Nationals at Midwinters

	Sail #	Skipper	4 Races (No Throwouts)	TOT
1	GUA 9	David Hernandez	1-1-1-4	7
2	GUA 110	Juan Carlos Canizalez	2-2-6-1	11
3	PUR 10	Sebastian Medina	3-4-2-3	12
4	PER 2	Jean Paul de Trazegnies	4-3-7-2	16
5	USA 79320	David Mendelblatt	9-7-3-7	26
6	USA 81614	Chris Carroll	7-5-11-5	28
7	USA 5220	Rich Chapman	8-10-10-15	43
8	USA 81559	Mike Ingham	6-18-13-8	45
9	USA 5279	Hank Saurage	5-8-25-12	50
10	USA 78829	Dan Norton	12-16-14-9	51
11	USA 8	Josselyn Echeverria	14-11-17-14	56
12	USA 76188	Hal Gilreath	17-14-15-18	64
13	USA 4705	Will Kresic	19-17-8-23	67
14	USA 6	Dominic Simonetti	29-22-4-13	68
15	USA 4909	Josh Kerst	25-12-12-20	69
16	USA 5208	Freddie Sambolin	34-6-29-10	79
17	USA 82634	Lee Montes	15-20-24-22	81
18	PUR 11	Jaime Torres	37-15-20-17	89
19	USA 8377	Paul Clifford	18-33-19-19	89
20	PER 719	Willo Cappelleti	20-19-31-25	95
21	USA 81135	Mary Ellen Ingham	28-29-18-24	99
22	USA 81618	Kira Munger	10-32-30-28	100
23	USA 81628	Andy Beeckman	81/UFD-9-5-6	101
24	USA 81813	Chris Schreiber	13-21-35-33	102
25	USA 60858	Gail Murphy Heausler	23-35-22-26	106
26	USA 81820	Jeff Goff	40-30-16-21	107
27	USA 37630	Betsy Davis	21-24-21-43	109
28	USA 7	Jim Koehler	36-13-33-29	111
29	USA 349	Jeff Olson	11-81/UFD-9-11	112
30	USA 81339	Susan Tillman-Berg	16-26-37-36	115
31	PER 224	Stefano Cappelleti	32-25-32-31	120
32	USA 81522	Emily Wagner	41-23-28-39	131
33	USA 4752	Jim Knab	35-36-38-34	143
34	USA 88436	Nancy Jaywork	46-31-43-38	158
35	USA 5243	Larry Mass	53-37-34-37	161
36	USA 5277	Dave Dunn	42-81/UFD-26-16	165
37	USA 78394	David Michals	57-34-39-35	165
38	USA 81984	Marius Statas	60-38-41-32	171
39	USA 176	Steve Honour	51-45-40-41	177
40	USA 5228	Paul Dierze	47-28-23-81/DNC	179
41	USA 78020	Doug Warren	54-41-42-42	179
42	USA 81417	Ken Zorovich	26/81/DNC-36-40	183
43	USA 96730	Jen Lee	81/BFD-27-47-30	185
44	USA 4406	Dylan Barbour	50-47-48-46	191
45	USA 81830	Jonathan Clubbs	48-46-53-45	192
46	USA 81606	Carey Jones	33-39-45-81/DNC	198
47	USA 4877	Erik Thygesen	59-44-49-47	199
48	USA 3377	Mia Brandt	61-48-50-44	203
49	USA 81707	Steven Adkins	62-51-51-48	212
50	USA 10164	Lisa Brown-Ehrhart	45-42-46-81/DNC	214
51	VEN 5283	Randy Gomez	81/DNC-81/UFD-27-27	216
52	USA 81352	Dale Benham	58-40-44-81/DNC	223
53	USA 808	Bob Findlay	22-49-81/DNF-81/DNC	233
54	USA 4704	Lyndsay Kresic	31-43-81/DNC-81/DNC	236
55	USA 5099	Robert Lackey	64-50-52-81/DNC	247
56	USA 53243	Christopher Friend	24-81/UFD-81/DNC-81/DNC	267
57	USA 272	Joe Blouin	27-81/DNF-81/DNC-81/DNC	270
58	USA 81715	Charlie Shipway	30-81/DNF-81/DNC-81/DNC	273
59	USA 81874	Don Packard	38-81/DNF-81/DNC-81/DNC	281
60	USA 76356	Ron McHenry	39-81/DNC-81/DNC-81/DNC	282
61	USA 80361	Gretchen Seymour	43-81/DNC-81/DNC-81/DNC	286
62	USA 49333	Chris Gates	44-81/DNC-81/DNC-81/DNC	287
63	USA 5676	John Barrere	49-81/DNF-81/DNC-81/DNC	292
64	USA 348	Christine Kelly	52-81/DNC-81/DNC-81/DNC	295
65	USA 81264	Chip Toth	55-81/DNF-81/DNC-81/DNC	298
66	USA 81895	Alison Rowe	56-81/DNC-81/DNC-81/DNC	299
67	USA 81498	Joy Sheets	63-81/DNF-81/DNC-81/DNC	306
68	USA 81823	John Stevens	65-81/DNC-81/DNC-81/DNC	308
69	USA 76274	Wes Barbour	66-81/DNC-81/DNC-81/DNC	309
70	USA 9102	Robert "Rapid" Buttner	All 81/DNC's	324
71	USA 5095	Susan St. John	All 81/DNC's	324
72	USA 81252	Joe Seiffert	All 81/DNC's	324
73	USA 81816	Joe Collins	All 81/DNC's	324
74	USA 7500	Mark Kastel	All 81/DNC's	324
75	USA 75417	Tom Katterheinrich	All 81/DNC's	324
76	USA 88810	Judith Lazo	All 81/DNC's	324
77	USA 75316	Jeff Linton	All 81/DNC's	324
78	USA 3868	Drew Staniar	All 81/DNC's	324
79	USA 1955	Arthur Haggerty	All 81/DNC's	324
80	USA 88552	Rosemary McMullen	All 81/DNC's	324

Top Ten Winners
1st – David Hernandez (GUA)
2^nd – Juan Carlos Canizalez (GUA)
3^rd – Sebastian Medina (PUR)
4^th – Jean Paul de Trazegnies (PER)
5^th – David Mendelblatt (USA)
6^th – Chris Carroll (USA)
7^th – Rich Chapman (USA)
8^th – Mike Ingham (USA)
9^th – Hank Saurage (USA)
10^th – Dan Norton (USA)

Top Female
Josselyn Echeverria (11^th place overall)

Top Master (over 40)
David Mendelblatt (5^th place overall)

Top Youth
Dylan Barbour (44^th place overall)

TEAM RACING @ DIYC

Let’s Not Forget the Team Racing Event

Team racing? What exactly is involved with Team Racing? According to an online search, Team Racing is an exciting and sociable sailing format in which a team of sailors work together to try and establish an overall winning combination for their team over their opposition. Team races are fast and furious and reward good starting, boat speed, boat handling, rules knowledge and teamwork skills.

According to Gail Murphy-Heausler, you add your finishes together and if they add up to 10 or less points you win that race. You can quickly figure out the combinations that win. For example, a 1,2 beats anything. 1+2+6=9 and the other team would have 3+4+5=12.

Team Racing can be so much fun. The rules do change a bit from “normal” racing rules which makes it more interesting.

Perhaps team racing in the Sunfish Class might help attract younger sailors. One of our Youth competitors, Dylan Barbour, was chosen to sail with one of the teams and enjoyed a 4^th place overall out of six teams. Something new and fun to add to one’s sailing repertoire!

Winning Team:

Team 1 (Green) – Sebastian Medina, David Misael Hernandez & Juan Carols Canizalez

Other Teams Competing:

Team 2 (Yellow) – Chris Carroll, Mike Ingham & Dominic Simonetti

Team 3 (Black) – Bob Findlay, Rich Chapman & Andy Beeckman

Team 4 (White) – Will Kresic, Lee Montes & Dylan Barbour

Team 5 (Blue) – Gail Murphy-Heausler, Mary Ellen Ingham-Brown & Nancy Jaywork

Team 6 (Orange) – Paul Clifford, Carey Jones & Steve Adkins

Team Racing - photo by Jack Thompson

Team Racing - Dylan Barbour #4406 - photo by Jack Thompson

A Special Thank You from Gail Murphy-Heausler to her Amazing Helpers at these Davis Island YC Events:

Wow! I don’t think I can thank everyone enough who made this past Sunfish Week so much fun for the Class. It started with preparing a solid NOR and thanks to Eric Robbins, Judy Hanlon, Taran Teague, Carrie Greene and Martine Zurinskas it was thoroughly reviewed and edited. Same folks helped with the Sailing Instructions (Sis).

Lynne Randall volunteered to recruit and organize the Race Committee volunteers which is a huge undertaking for an 8-day regatta. JA Booker stepped in for Team Racing PRO to give Taran’s team a break. Carrie Greene recruited and organized the Judges and Umpires. Judy Hanlon was scorer and so much more. Loaner boats were organized by Pam Treloar which contributed to the number of sailors. Housing was handled by Jen Holmberg. Bonnie Sevier helped with the regatta favors and content. Emily Wagner made the Sunfish clock and tide trophies and Penny Ruark had the ceramic pitchers custom designed. Susana Gonzalez-Cortes organized the dolly helpers.

The Dinghy Dames were everywhere helping with registration, serving beer, bringing appetizers, serving on race committee, cleaning up. There was even a sailor who made a donation to the Dinghy Dames because he was so appreciative of everything the Dames did.

Sandra Soto-Cintron and the club staff did an amazing job feeding the sailors and making everyone feel so welcome!

And finally, the most important part of the week was sailing and Taran Teague and the team that Lynne Randall assembled did a fantastic job getting off quality races for both Masters and Mid Winters.

Thanks to all of you! I am going to put my feet up and rest a spell now.

All the best, Gail

DOES YOUR BOAT MEASURE UP?

By John Butine, ISCA Chief Measurer

Vol 2

In the second installment of this series, I will focus on the most visible part of the boat, the sail. More specifically, the requirements of the sail numbers and country letters. In hindsight, I should have done a better job of documenting the sail number placement variations that I have seen over the years -- numbers crowded against the leech, wrong size, drawn on with a Sharpie, mix of colors, the list goes on.

The proper placement of sail numbers and country letters starts with the 2021-2024 Racing Rules of Sailing Appendix G and is complemented by the Class Rules, 3.6.5 and 3.6.6. Here are some of the basics:

The number and letter height shall be 300mm (12 inches). The minimum spacing between the number and letter characters is 60mm (2.5 inches).

The numbers and letters shall be the same color. Black is preferred, but blue, red, or green are acceptable. If the sail panels are dark, the numbers and letters shall be white.

The numbers and letters shall be a sans-serif typeface. Arial, Helvetica, and Calibri are examples. Be prepared for the next edition of the Racing Rules of Sailing (2025-2028) when the digital-8 numbers will no longer be allowed.

The sail shape does not allow for normal number and country letter order of the placement per Appendix G. This is modified by the Class Rules where the country letters are placed below the numbers instead of above. The ILCA class makes this same exception.

One of the most common mistakes made when putting numbers on the sail is the placement relative to the class logo or the leech of the sail. The diagram below visualizes the words of the Class Rules.

Starting on the starboard side of the sail assures correct placement! If your sail number has a “1” in it, when applying the port side numbers, align the first number with the last digit from the starboard side. This will create a nice “boxed” look of the digits on both sides of the sail.

If you come to an event with sail numbers that are too small, too close together, drawn on and not bold, or are all the way out the edge of the leech, be prepared to peel, clean, and apply new numbers to your sail!

For a PDF of this article to share with your local fleets, CLICK HERE - Does Your Boat Measurer Up? Vol 2

Welcome to the new "Does Your Boat Measure Up" website feature where you will find additional articles as they are added: Sunfish Class Association - Measure Up Articles

CARNAVAL IN CURACAO

by Alex Roose

An unexpectedly strong wind made for fun races where everyone could compete with his or her peers again. That was not the case for winner Jürgen Schneider who had to do without ""Guliks"" and ""Aanholts"" as opponents and thus won three times unthreatened.

Right behind him was coming man Richendly Ferrero to a very creditable 2nd place. The thorough optimist/laser training translates directly into a top ranking at the sunfish competitions.

Much more exciting was what happened behind them because the sailors with final classifications 3 and 8 only differed by 2 points! The start, finish and award ceremony of the many Carnival prizes was at ""Jan Sofat"", the next races are Sunday March 10 at organized by Marine Watersport Centrum""Brakkeput""

Thanks to Race Directors Edwig, Arco and Joshua and of course Cisca for the beautiful pictures.

Dutch Version

Een onverwacht stevige wind zorgde voor leuke races waarbij iedereen weer kon strijden met zijn of haar gelijken. Dat gold niet voor winnaar Jürgen Schneider die het zonder ""Guliks"" en ""Aanholts"" als tegenstanders moest doen en dus drie maal onbedreigd won. Pal daarachter zeilde coming man Richendly Ferrero naar een zeer verdienstelijke 2e plek. De gedegen optimisten/laseropleiding vertaalt zich direct in een topklassering bij de sunfish wedstrijden. Stukken spannender was wat daarachter gebeurde want de zeilers met eindklasseringen 3 en 8 verschilden maar 2 punten! De start, finish en prijsuitreiking van de vele Carnavals prijzen was te ""Jan Sofat"" , de volgende races zijn zondag 10 maart bij georganiseerd door Marine Watersport Centrum""Brakkeput""

Met dank aan Wedstrijdleiders Edwig, Arco en Joshua en uiteraard Cisca voor de prachtige foto's.

J-24 MIDWINTERS

Feb. 22-25 – Davis Island Yacht Club

We are honored to share a Sunfish Class member’s accomplishments even if in a different boat! The 3^rd place winner at this J-24 Midwinters at Davis Island YC is our own Mike Ingham!

A Special Note: Ingham received redress in the third race when his team rescued a competitor who had fallen overboard and returned the person to their boat. Kudos to Mike and the J-24 crew!

Top Five Overall at the J-24 Midwinters:
1. Team Tarheel, Paul Abdullah – 1 -2 -1 -3 -[4] ; 7
2. Honeybadger, Travis Odenbach – 2 -[17] -5 -1 -2 ; 10
3. USA5443, Mike Ingham – 3 -[16] -4 -2 -1 ; 10
4. Caramella, Frederick (Ted) Wiedeke – [28] -9 -2 -4 -5 ; 20
5. Jesus Lizard, Daniel Borrer – 5 -4 -4 -8 -[20] ; 21

NORTH AMERICANS 2024

Sunfish North American Championship

June 10-11, 2024 – Youth North American Championship

Lavallette Yacht Club, Lavallette, NJ

Registration Open2024 Youth NA Registration & NOR

June 12-15, 2024 – North American Championship

Lavallette Yacht Club, Lavallette, NJ

Registration Open2024 Sunfish NA's Registration & NOR

US MASTERS 2024

US Masters (WQ)

Aug. 16-18 – US Masters (WQ)

Milwaukee Yacht Club, Milwaukee, WI.

Registration is OPEN

www.milwaukeeyc.com

WOMEN'S NORTH AMERICANS

September 7-8, 2024

hosted by the Dinghy Shop, Amityville, NY – To be sailed on South Bay

The Dinghy Shop is proud to host the 2024 Sunfish Women’s North American Championships. We encourage local sailors to join in this great regatta which will be hosted right in your own backyard. This race is open to sailors of all ages. CLICK HERE FOR INFORMATION

All the women who have sailed in a Women’s North Americans agree that is the most fun event ever! What makes this event even more special is awarding the Linda Tillman Sunfish Women’s North American trophy for the top finisher.

Recognizing those who have made a difference in so many of our lives and have dedicated energy and enthusiasm to help advance the Sunfish Class … well, this is a treasured moment when we can honor Linda Tillman, a very special someone who sails with us in our hearts now and forever.

Schedule

Friday, September 6th
- 1100 - 1800 Check in & Registration
- 1430 Practice Race
- 1700 - 2000 Optional Dinner (More Details Coming)
Saturday, September 7th
- 0700 - 0930 Breakfast
- 0800 - 1000 Registration
- 0930 Skippers Meeting
- 1100 First Signal for first race of the day
- Subsequent Races back to back with lunch on the water
- 1700 Beach BBQ at the Dinghy Shop
Sunday, September 8th
- 0700 - 0900 Breakfast
- 1000 First signal for first race of the day
- Subsequent races back to back
- No warning signal to be made after 13:50***
  - ***If weather prohibits sailing on Saturday, RC may elect to extend racing on Sunday with no signal after 1500

IN MEMORY

Eight Bells – Dick Heinl

Another Sunfish legend has left our world but left a legacy filled with acts of courage in the military, a wonderful family and successful dentistry career and fun-filled adventures that included Sunfish friends and Sunfish sailing as far away as Texas.

Dr. Dick Heinl, age 99, passed away peacefully surrounded by family on March 12, 2024 in Oyster Bay, New York.

Dick was a decorated WWII veteran where he served as an infantryman in WW II when a "shooter" was the enemy firing from behind a hedgerow. Dick was awarded the Bronze Star, Combat Infantry Badge, American Campaign Medal, European-African- Middle East Medal, WWII Victory Medal, and Good Conduct Medal.

Dick’s love for sailing got him involved in the Around the Shelter Island Races which he has won four times. There he met Joe Sullivan, another Sunfish legend, that developed into a strong long-lasting friendship.

That friendship took them on an unforgettable journey to Texas that was reported in a 1999 Windward Leg issue, “A Great Texas Odyssey.” Shown true Texas hospitality by Pat and Vic Manning at the Austin Yacht Club and Bubba and Margo Horner at Canyon Lake near San Antonio, Dick Heinl and Joe Sullivan drove back to New York snapping fingers to Fats Domino's "Going Home to New Orleans" and slapping thighs to Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline.” This was an unforgettable adventure that left them with an appreciation of Texas hospitality and how much the Texas sailors love and promote Sunfish sailing.

Now Dick is on another journey but left us with his spirt of adventure, his great smile, his love of Sunfish sailing, his loyalty to great friends and the charm of a true gentleman that will never be forgotten.

L to R: Joe Sullivan, Joe Kaukeinen (yes, Doug Kaukeinen’s Dad!) Dick Heinl and Norton Hutchinson.

US SAILING MVP DISCOUNT

$5 Discount off your US SAILING Membership

USSCA MVP Program is now live! You can use the link to save $5 off your individual US Sailing Membership.

CLICK HERE FOR US SAILING MVP $5 OFF

2024 REGATTA CALENDARS

Regatta Calendars... send them in!

Hooray to those who have submitted your Region’s regatta schedules. And for those who haven’t ... we’re cheering you on. Go! Go! Go!

Susan Mallows at SunfishSchedule@gmail.com will make sure your event(s) are posted quickly.

Thinking about sailing in a major 2024 Championship this year? Pick some Regions you’d like to add to your sailing repertoire!

GULF COAST REGION

GLYC Sunfish Regatta/Gulf Coast Regional Championship

September 21-22

Grand Lagoon YC, Pensacola, Florida

Grand Lagoon Yacht Club

MIDWEST REGION

Erie Open Regatta/Midwest Regional #1

Aug. 3-4 – Erie Open Regatta/Midwest Regional #1 (WQ)

Erie Yacht Club, Erie, PA.

www.erieyachtclub.org

Wawasee Regatta/Midwest Regional #2

Sept. 21-22 – Wawasee Regatta/Midwest Regional #2

Wawasee Yacht Club, Syracuse, IN.

https://wawaseeyachtclub.com/

NEW ENGLAND REGION

Barrington Regatta | NE Regional #1

June 1-2

Barrington Yacht Club, RI Home - Barrington Yacht Club

New England Regional Championship #1

Wequaquet Regatta | NE Regional #2

July 20-21

Wequaquet Lake Yacht Club, MA

Home | Wequaquet Lake Yacht Club (wlyc.com)

NEW YORK REGION

SOUTHEAST REGION

Savannah Sunfish Regatta | SE Regional #1

Savannah Sunfish Regatta, Savannah YC - Located on the Wilmington River. NOR and Registration available CLICK HERE.

Come sail in the GA low country!

James Island YC Open Regatta

James Island Yacht Club Open Regatta

JIYC Annual Regatta - James Island Yacht Club - Charleston, SC

June 14-16, 2024

Annual Around Harkers Island Race

By Sonya Dean

We are so glad to officially host the 2024 Sunfish/SOL race around Harker's Island on July 20th, 2024.

This is a 501c(3) tax deductible event for all participants.
All proceeds go to support and promote youth sailing at local Sailing Schools.

This year at Harkers Island we welcome a new bridge with 45 feet of vertical clearance. The start of the race is set 2.5 hours before low tide and with the dredging happening at Shell Point we expect a deeper channel in that area. These changes bring new sailing strategies to all the sailors. Two-time champion Paul Welles is returning to defend his title. The Southport crew is coming back with a great entertaining dinner and Phil Coccari will be back to do his amazing drone work (like these videos from last year).

Registration to the event is through Regatta Network click on the link below. https://www.regattanetwork.com/event/27852#_home
We are looking forward to seeing you at Harkers Island.

Midlands Regatta | SE Regional #2

Southeast Region #2 (WQ) – Nov. 2-3 – Southeast Region #2 (WQ)

Midlands Regatta

Columbia Sailing Club, Columbia, SC

SOUTHWEST REGION

ISCA NEWS UPDATE

2024 ISCA NATIONAL COUNTRY DUES

Reminder - ISCA Annual membership is required to participate in 2024 ISCA sanctioned events. To ensure your country gets spots at the 2024 worlds, must pay your dues ASAP. Contact class office sunfishoff@gmail.com

NOTICE OF RACE COMING SOON

For publication in the Windward Leg, submit articles and photos to WindwardLegEditor@gmail.com

USSCA CLASS NEWS

USSCA World Qualifer Class Notice 2025-2028

USSCA Board assigned a task force (Doug Kaukeinen and Susan Mallows) last fall to work on updating the USSCA World Qualifier Class notice. Participation at all the 2023 qualifier events and regional class membership numbers were reviewed at the end of the 2023 to help allocate the distribution fairly. This document will apply to 2025-2028 events and was approved at the March 13th meeting. CLICK HERE - USSCA WQ Class Notice 2025-2028. Thank you to Doug and Susan for their careful review and submission for USSCA Board Approval.

Click Here - BYLAW INFORMATION

USSCA Leadership Positions

It is that time of year again, USSCA is seeking member input on board candidates. We are looking for great people with great expertise that are willing to serve USSCA. This year we have several open seats for a 2-year term: President, Treasurer, Junior Chair, Membership Chair, Regatta Committee Coordinator, New England Representative (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT), New York Representative (NY), Mid-Atlantic Representative (DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA, WV), Florida Peninsula Representative, Southeast Representative (GA, NC, SC, TN).

Please consider submitting your name to the Nominating Nommittee no later than May 1st for consideration. Elections will be held June 1-14th and be announced at the Annual Meeting at North Americans at Lavallette Yacht Club, New Jersey. CANDIDATE SUBMISSION LINK or reach out to the Nominating Committee Chair at nominations.coordinator@sunfishclass.org.

Your 2024 USSCA Membership Matters

Join/Renew today so that you don't miss out on all the USSCA updates and regatta news. Class membership offers several great opportunities.

Participate in Class-organized sailing events, Full Calendar
Windward Leg Newsletters comes regularly to your email for all the regatta news, class updates and more.
Current ISCA Class Rules
Maintain your Sail Number for local or national level racing. Sail Number Details
Follow us on social media: Click HERE for more information.
Go to www.sunfishclass.org for more information.

If you have any questions about the class or problems with the renewal process, please reach out to the class administrator for assistance.

Thank you for supporting the Class.

Go to www.sunfishclass.org to join or renew for 2024!

UPCOMING EVENTS

Calendar Submissions

2024 Calendar is ready for your events. Please email your regional events to your Regional Representative or the Scheduling Coordinator sunfishschedule@gmail.com. Full calendar of events can be found at the Calendar.