US N17 fleet in flux before Miami OCR cut day.

Sounds like they did a great job. Must have been very enjoyable. I mean all the extras, and the type of extras, usually really make the event community building. That makes a different kind of difference. Not to be taken lightly.

Thanks Clearwater Community Sailing Center

Sadly, it used to be the norm to provide all the things mentioned. Small orgs, and particularly cat fleets, are used to running regattas this way, other organizations, not so much...

Mike

Thumbs up to CCSC.

Props to SSS (Sarasota Sailing Squadron) as well. Good parking, clubhouse, showers, dockage, good F16 fleet. Great bay sailing.

I support clubs like you mentioned for those reasons. Even if I do have to tolerate PHRF and fuzzy math. I know my $$ is going to a good operation.

it was nice to see all 16 boats on the line and to watch all the spins popping out one after another... fast (FAST) professional tacking was neat to see too

my (non sailing) friend took this pic - he was clueless as to what was going on

http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/2015/02/08/mini-olympics-clearwater-north-americans/

Where is JC in all this?
http://www.ussailing.org/athletes-named-to-2015-us-sailing-team-sperry-and-development-team/

Team selection was based on results at the Miami World Cup event. JC didn't have a great week and missed out on selection for this year.

Having talked to a team member, sounds like the Nacra 17s are getting minimal if any funding for this year based on no teams making the gold fleet at the last worlds. Logistics support is helpful, but the lack of monetary support hurts.

The article says the Olympic team was selected from two events: ISAF Worlds in Santander, and the event in Miami. The Development team (USSDT) was selected only from their results in Miami. None of the teams had a

great

showing in Miami, that's for sure. Really tough for folks like JC with so much time invested.

Here is the team for the Nacra 17 (Mixed Two-Person Multihull):

Michael Easton (Bedford, Mass.) and Katie Pettibone (Port Huron, Mich.)

Sarah Newberry (Miami, Fla.) and Matthew Whitehead (Panama City, Fla.)

USSDT: Jeremy Wilmot (Newport, R.I.) and Louisa Chafee (Warwick, R.I.)

All of these folks have obviously spent time, money and effort preparing as well, and deserve our full support.

Mike

The US team selection is about money and marketing and status... Nothing to sneeze at... BUT..
the team that qualifies the USA at the N17 worlds is the hot ticket.

By definition ... they will have been the top US Team and jump to the front of the ISAF USA rankings.

Nothing stops JC, Mendelbrot or Guliari from getting their teams better and jumping to the front of the pack. You can't say that one team has a stranglehold on the slot ... best in the US...based on recent results

Hopefully one of the 6 teams will figure it out and jump into a top 10 slot in the world. This is a similar circumstance as Randy Smyths retirement. I seem to remember about 5 teams fighting before Johnny and Charlie won out.... and it still took 8 years to get a medal. It is a tough road and $$$$.

Briefly speaking to JC while he's in Palma via texts, he seemed to indicate to me that its not the end of the line of his campaign. I'm guessing that these teams aren't set in stone.

The teams are set for this year, but that has zero bearing on who actually qualifies the country or who ultimately makes the Olympic team. Being on the team typically provides funding, logistics support, coaching, and increased fundraising opportunities.

Good points guys. As has been discussed here numerous times over the years, even when you're on the team, it costs a ton of your own money. Not being on the team just makes the road that much tougher, and requires a lot more personal fundraising effort. There are those who feel our results would be better if the athletes could sail full time, but the funding and programs have never materialized to make that happen on a broad scale.

Mike

so the take-home message here, kids, is donate to the poor saps trying to represent... Sure, you're paying for their ability to sail vs. delivering newspapers, but if it was that easy you'd have signed up too.

So get off the wallet and cough up some gas/petrol money for them...

Does anyone have links to the various campaigns? I know JCs, but not sure about Sarah/Matt, Bora, and the others..

Google does...

Mike

Big carnage in Palma I see? Mike Easton said seven broken masts and his crew has a broken arm?

That's not fast...

Hope she (and any others injured) heals quickly.

I need to quit my job, buy two containers of N17 masts and follow the fleet around. Could probably retire before Rio...

Mike

I saw Mike's statement that said

broken Katie...headed for MRI

. I didn't see anything about an arm. Either way, not good. Mike says 40 knot gusts and I would put a good bit of faith in his wind assessment. No modern performing catamaran withstands anything approaching 40 knots turning and burning at the top of the course. Hope Katie is OK.

at 40 knots TWS, can you even see the water? Only time I was in wind like that, it was practically white-out conditions... and that was protected water.

From Bundy

Unfortunately we are not one of these boats on their side as all these boats still have masts. We don't!! Broke our mast in the first race today along with 6 other #nacra17's. Plugged in another one ready for tomorrow.

Photo @ianandrews

https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.... 7086157_98ad96f89233b98360b09053b2e7abc5

How in the world did that much wind sneak up on them? They have clear wind limits, correct?

Mike

Day 1 update

Go Sarah and Mathew..... That OCS has to just suck after spending all day in those conditions... getting a 7th in race two is a great job...

Re carnage.... I will say it again... the boat is half baked... it defines seaworthy down.... the reports speak of gusts to 25 with enormous holes making them really tough...

It is just a stupid silly boat!
Take a look at the 49ner results... you get down to the 70s before you see the string of DNC's turned in by the weekend warrior types. You don't see former medalists sidelined by a capsize...

I thought I saw broken arm in the comments, an MRI probably doesn't make sense for that.

40 knots isn't much of a fair test. There isn't a modern racing catamaran that would have remained upright in that....and if it did, it would be terribly boring in any other kind of wind.

Shot some texts with JC. Sounds like they broke another mast themselves. He says it was blowing 40+.

Right.... if it were 40 knots you would expect all of the fleets to have similar problems.. Nope... See 49ner fleet (either that fleet is much better OR the 49ner is basically a seaworthy small race boat.... the official reports would say 40 knots..nope they say gusts to 25. The best in the world can't keep the pointy end up in gusts to 25... and the OLYMPIC fleet of people seem to routinely need hospital care. (maybe they had a special race circle?)

What is your favorite euphemism for this kind of boat? It should be fixed for the 2020 games... (of course that assumes that sailing makes the 2020 games... they have already nixed sailing from the disabled sailing games)

Mark, the official report does say 40 knot gusts and the 49er comparison doesn't make any sense since they where racing much later in the day when the wind had decreased a lot compared to the early afternoon when the Nacra's where out.
Link to official report:
http://www.trofeoprincesasofia.org/... the-bay-of-palma/return/race-news/page/0

Two years ago I did a long distance race when halfway the weather took a turn, it quickly built from 10-15kts to 25-35+ with sustained gusts of 42kts with big shifts.
Sailing was impossible and at one point didn't even bother righting the boat anymore, eventually we where able to take the sails down and get a tow to the harbour.

Mark

kiss off. You weren't there.

kiss right off you arm chair critic.

First and foremost, how's Katie? Fingers crossed for nothing serious.

As for the rest, reading the US Sailing presser gives a better picture. Sounds like they were getting blasted by shafts of wind coming through the mountains. Paige Railiey reported wind of 25 knots in one spot, 4 knots just 100 feet away. All of the stories were about the same: shifty and huge blasts of wind.

Hard for anyone to keep any cat upright and in one piece in those conditions.

Mike

Damn those annoying facts again, aye Mark?

To save yourself some typing just put

Typical MS rant here

we will know what it means... ISAF can't get their head out, the N17 is all wrong and I'm brillant and nobody listens to me.