US SAILING Youth Multihull Championships

Results are online at www.abyc.org and at www.ussailing.org - some pictures are up, with more to come. In the multihull class after four races, there is a tie for first between Evan Miller/Taylor Reiss (Panama City) and Andy Mason/Chris Segerblum (Newport Beach). Conditions were pleasant - sunny, six- to eight-knots of fairly steady breeze from around 220, slight chop but with occasional large wake from passing ships.

Expect four more races today and two more on Monday under deteriorating conditions with an approaching front.

Racing continued today in ideal conditions - 10-12 knots of steady breeze from 135 in a slight chop. The RC posted downwind finishes in the fresher breeze and scored four races before sending the tired fleet ashore.

Drama for the day - in the third race, Shaw/Scanlon tear the 'chute on the set when the halyard gets behind the main. The team takes a DNF and headed for the beach to grab a new spinnaker and returned to the race course. They make it to the RC boat just in time for the next warning, but run over the spin sheets in a hurried douse. Scanlon goes forward to sort out the lines, loses balance in the chop and falls off the bow, breaking the spin pole... DNS for the fourth and final race. Extremely dissapointing day for the team from Texas.

The leaders swap places - Mason/Segerblum look stong in the breeze and post a 2-1-1 for the last three races to pull one point ahead of Miller/Reiss (1-2-2) going into the final day.

Forecast for tomorrow is a bit muddled - we'll see how it all plays out.

Looked like a 2-boat race from the results. Looked like it was tight. Any

drama

in that last race between Mason/Segerblom and Evan Miller/Reiss?

The last race was the decider!! Whoever wins the race, wins the regatta. Fun stuff! And you are right -- picture-perfect conditions.

Thanks for the posts guys! Nice to hear a little of what went on!

Have the participants in the multihull class expressed any feelings over ISAF Councils decision to drop multihulls from the games? Just wondering what their motivation to sail on the SL16 is now and how recruiting is being handled.

10 youth teams on SL16s are great, considering the 29er have 16 teams. Who is the man behind the SL16 effort? Seeing 7 clubs over the country represented someone must be doing something to make this happen.

Rolf --

Nacra donated the SL 16s last year for use in the Youth Championships. They were carried over into this year. (I don't know where they were stored.) Last year there were 20 youth teams on a rotating system. But the organizers switched it to only 10 teams -- I guess to give the teams more racing time. In any case, the 10 teams were selected by resume'.

Art Stevens has been pushing the SL 16 effort as the youth boat for a few years now. John Williams was the regatta organizer for the multihulls.

Congratulations to Andrew Mason and Chris Segerblom the new U.S. Youth Multihull Champions! see full report at http://www.ussailing.org/pressreleases/2008/youthqualifierandmulti.asp

Sixteen Youth Multihull Teams applied, but only ten were selected.

Read the report, Mason and Segerblom put on quite a show in winning the Arthur J. Stevens Trophy for the National Title, and will also represent the USA in the Nacra SL-16 World Championship in France this summer.

Wow. In a time where we are dying to get youth programs noticed, you'd think we could find a way to let them all play. I understand the concept of exclusivity for a championship, but I don't think our overall numbers give us that luxury at this point.

Mike

Hi Mike,

The problem this time around was the boat rotation - we finally got what we wanted by having the multihull fleet at the same event as other classes, but the manner in which the event was put together precluded rotating boats. Until some parents or clubs get serious about buying some SL16s, we've had to rely on the generosity of Performance Catamarans to provide boats, and they are only willing to have 10 built at any given time. That's why the fleet was capped at 10 entries. If even ONE person actually owned an SL16, then there would have been eleven entries.

Plans are in the works for next year already, and I think (hope) that the right people are getting involved. The host club can work out rotating boats with some advance notice this time, but BYOB is infinitely easier to manage. I think the Youth Championship Committee will need to decide some pretty major things in the next month or so. Stay with the SL16, thereby complying with US SAILING and ISAF direction to develop multihull youth on a modern spinnaker platform, but handicap the event with some serious logistical baggage; or make this a BYOB event on the Hobie 16 (no spinnaker) to ease the burden on the host, parents, and fleets, but thereby ill-equipping our kids to compete at Worlds when they qualify... Tough choices. <img src=

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Other things to consider - last time this was a Hobie 16 event, kids couldn't get boats. Folks were unwilling to charter good 16s - sad fact. Also, the SL16 (like it or hate it) was the fastest boat at the regatta and the kids took notice - we've been hoping for that kind of exposure for years. The 29er was close, but they gained time on the SLs only one race out of ten. Switch to the Hobie 16, and the skiffs will be the fastest boat at the event - we lose some appeal IMO.

Chicken and egg problem, and with the downturn in your economy it might be even harder to sell a youth boat?
If somebody had the connections and time, it might be possible to convince companies to buy a boat in their marketing both for their image and for their HR work. The company I work for might go for such a sales pitch if presented the right way..

Thanks John. You're definitely closer to this than the rest of us. I thought Hobie Cat provided boats for these events, I wasn't aware that they were ever BYOB (at least not in the past few years).

Were the other classes BYOB, with no rotation? Do you know why they were against rotation? We'd definitely want spinnakers, that's what's used for ISAF events, etc.

I wouldn't think it would be hard to get 10 H16 w/spins out of Hobie Cat for this level of event. It's almost embarrassing not to provide boats for a Youth championship.

Mike

Boat rotation takes time, especially if the race area is far from the docks and the air is light. A lot of good racing time is wasted going back and forth to the docks to swap boats.

Why no spinnaker on the Hobie 16? It's the ISAF youth boat for 2009.

One of the (many) things I learned last summer by running races outside of my normal circle, is that there are ALWAYS other ways of doing things. Crews can be rotated on the water, from power boats or even rafts. Obviously, there are some logistical issues to consider here (boat inspection between races, etc.), but it CAN be done.

I've been trying really hard to keep my paradigms from stumping my growth. Some days, it's easier than others...

Mike

All of the other classes at the event, like most youth events in North America, are BYOB. We were the only class asking for a rotation, and the host was unwilling (understandably) to impact the rest of the fleets by having one fleet rotating boats. The host had already been assured by US SAILING that there was no need to rotate boats - a big mistake that is regretted by those involved. So rotation this year became out of the question at the outset. In the end, if it hadn't been for Jack Young donating the boats and a couple of volunteers putting the boats together, there would not have been a catamaran fleet and a cat team would not be going to Denmark.

As for Hobie 16s - the event has happened here in California before and one of the parents said they could not get decent boats - they spent quite a bit of time and money doing fiberglass work and making up new rigging for several chartered boats. There is a reluctance to repeat that experience, but people made the start line then so I'm sure it could be done again.

While it is true that the Hobie 16 w/spin is 99%-sure being used for the 2009 ISAF Youth Worlds, I understand that is the last time. I think it would be great to have a bunch of spinnaker-rigged Hobie 16s running around, but most people in the NA-class seem to be opposed to the set-up, especially if it is only for one year and there is no prospect for future class racing.

Perhaps the Youth Championship Committee will approach Hobie Cat about providing boats next year... I'm sure it is being considered. I have resigned my position in that Committee, not because it isn't crucial to the health of the sport or rewarding in more ways than I can count, but because the forces involved that are opposed against each other drove me nearly insane in three short months. There is no shortage of self-interested BS. Maybe it was an off year, but running the three-ring Council is a plenty big enough SNAFU without I go looking for more heartburn and frustration.

We were the only class providing boats. Well, that certainly is a bonus for us!

I really thought Hobie provided 16s a few years ago, and they were used for the Alter Cup finals as well as a Youth championship. Not sure about what's happened since.

The H16 with spinnaker will never be adopted as a class without a major, major fight, more than probably anyone has the energy or patience for. Very few people are actually against the spinnaker itself, but no one wants to see the H16 fleet divided like the H18s were years ago with all the different models.

The only way this could ever happen is if the rules were changed to require spinnakers on all H16s, but there might be a signifant dropoff of people who don't want to spend the money on the upgrade.

Anyway, that's a tangent. If you resigned from the Youth Championship Committee, do we have a replacement multihull sailor there?

Mike

Mike, you remember correctly - the Hobie Cat company sent 11 boats to the Alter Cup in Connecticut, and we towed them across an angry Long Island Sound to the venue for the Youth Championship. Dan Mangus and Greg Thomas were there from the factory.

There has been a tremendous amount of support from Hobie Cat, Performance, Mystere, Bimare, and now from Vectorworks and Australian High Performance Catamarans, in support of the US SAILING youth and adult multihull championships. I'd say that Hobie and Performance have been the long-time heavy-lifters in that regard.

The Youth Multihull Committee chair is John Lovell, and Jamie Livingston is the vice-chair. They need more volunteers. I will be on the race committee for the event again next year.

Why is that a bonus?... It simply proves the point that we have NO YOUTH PROGRAM.... the rest of the parents buy their kid a boat, take them to a racing program around the country, take them to the regional and national championships and the pipeline of programs delivers them to an ISAF qualifier championship.

Hell... these cat sailor kids probably race and OWN one of these other boats... they just look at the ISAF qualifier on the SL cat as a hell of a lot easier path then trying to get to the ISAF championships on their laser.

Now we need a championship and thanks to hobie and performance for steping up and providing boats in the past.

But the fact of the matter is... We have not built a multihull sailing program for our kids.

Our version of a junior sailing is mostly sailing WITH our kids as crew for us. We don't send the little tykes off in their own boats like the rest of the world.

This only becomes a problem when you need teams to compete in ISAF Youth championships.

(an interesting poll would be how many cat racer/sailors have their kids in a monohull dinghy program and plan to buy the boats they need to progress through the program.)

Well, any time there are provided boats, it gives the appearance of prestige.

The fact that we have no one owning those particular boats is a different issue (they're fairly new here), and the fact that we have a meager youth program is a separate, different issue.

I don't disagree that these are both valid concerns that we should work to address, but I don't think getting rid of provided boats would make us appear to have our act together either.

Mike

It has been pointed out to me that hosts of the ISAF Youth Worlds have the option of choosing the equipment for their events. The two multihulls that can be used are the SL16 and the Hobie 16 with spinnaker. For the 2009 Worlds in Brazil, the Hobie 16 with spinnaker will be used. For the 2009 Worlds in Turkey, the ISAF Events Committee recommended the SL16 - that recommendation is yet to be upheld by the Council.

Regarding provided equipment - it did impress skiff and dinghy parents and kids that our fleet had provided boats and a USSA Committee standing by to give funding to teams from the event and pay for a coach to be on-site all weekend. Mark's point is valid with regard to the bigger picture, since provided equipment may not be sustainable from a manufacturer's standpoint if there's no market for the equipment provided (e.g., Hobie 16 spinnaker packages and SL16s).

Does anyone know if there are US Hobie youth teams sailing the 16 with the 'chute? Gordo?

Up in Comox, way up north on Vancouver Island where you can't see the north pole but you know you are pretty darn close to it, they have an active Hobie fleet. First it was 16s, then they switched to Waves. But the boat doesn't matter. What they were able to do was get sponsors to

buy

boats. I don't know if they bought the whole darn thing, or just a significant part of it, but each boat has the sponsor's name prominently displayed on it. It makes it kinda fun cuz each boat gets its own personality from its sponsor. Maybe we could do something similar...

I can envision the Hobie 16, with a spinnaker. Now follow me on this. First of all, Mark's point is well taken. If we can run it on a BYOB basis, then a HUGE cost and logistical nightmare gets transferred to the participants/parents. There are enough top-notch 16 sailors on the West Coast -- particularly in N. California -- that we can get charter boats down there if we need to. But a well-motivated youth team ought to be able to find a competitive Hobie 16 prior to the event, on their own, without too much trouble.

Next, we get the factory to donate or sell at a loss or at least at cost the spinnaker set-up.

And then -- and this is the really cool part -- we sell the spinnakers to sponsors. For the cost of a spinnaker kit we put their logo on the spinnaker and on the hulls! I mean, it should be a pretty easy sell, relatively speaking of course. We recover the cost of the spinnakers that were purchased from Hobie or, if they were donated, then the regatta turns into a money-maker and we can channel the money back into promoting more youth teams!

OK, before you guys torpedo this crazy idea, let me pre-empt you with some of the downside. 1) there may be extra time needed to rig the BYOB 16s with a spinnaker; 2) the time it takes to attract sponsors -- who is gonna do it?

The Hobie 16 is the most common platform for youth. It is the natural choice in my opinion. They are readily available so teams will have more opportunity to practice (albeit without a spinnaker). Or better yet, with paid entry and deposit, mail the spinnaker package to the entrant and have them install it in advance. That will save time before the event and give the teams opportunity to practice.

Obviously details need to be worked out. But on the whole, not a bad idea, eh?

The kids love 'living on the edge'. Extreme sports is in. And let's face it, a Hobie 16 w/o spin -- while a ton of fun -- is not 'living on the edge', particularly downwind. (You don't know how difficult that was for me to admit that!)

So it is settled -- the Hobie 16 w/ spin! Now on to ending world hunger and achieving world peace. Whew! Gonna be a busy day!! <img src=

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Hey Pete -

Forward thinking, as always. <img src=

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Need to find a way around the advertising restrictions for the regatta, but I think the new committee could find a way. Take it to Lovell, dude. It could work.

Peter I like your way of thinking,some great ideas.One disagreement sometimes sailing a 16 downwind without a spi is living on the edge.I remember one particular experience,going down winnd in a line squall on Lake Superior.Breakwall about 10' to leeward.Heading up in 25-30+Knts of wind and driving rain was not an option.We ran along the break wall like this for about one mile.Luckly the squal passed as quickly as it formed.Sailing on Superior can be quite adventursome.

Peter, an excellent idea that could solve the boat issues. !

What we need to do is partner this solution of boat availability with a high profile training program.

We can start right away with the physically mature kids...who are looking at or already into 29ners and 420 campaigns plus the hobie youth sailors who are commited to getting good in the sport.

Note John W's comment that parents were impressed with

COACHING

Can you imagine the instant credibility we would have if we had Johnny or Lars coming in to coach up the team.

On the Chesapeake, a non yacht club affiliated program CBOT,(Chesapeake Bay Opti Team) is an elite team. They show up a day ahead of the regatta... run a training session for the CBOT elite team that also offers the club's top opti sailors to join in the practice and get some coaching. When CBOT shows up to your regatta... your kids suddenly get serious. CBOTs goal is to win trophies at the national and international level.

It seems to me that what is needed is a training camp/ coupled with a major junior regatta in three or 4 regions around the country. Market this as an elite racing opportunity to the top junior sailors in the region. The top teams in the regatta are eligble for the US Sailing Youth Championships and all of the ISAF championships that follow.

The CISA program that is run in California would appear to be an outstanding program to copy. Replicate this in the Great Lakes, North East/Mid Atlantic, Gulf coast and the middle of the country.

What would it take... WE, the regions senior cat sailors would be needed to make the boats happen, volunteer to coach or assist. donate or get funding. In short.. be unstopable and make it happen.

Peter, an excellent idea that could solve the boat issues. !

What we need to do is partner this solution of boat availability with a high profile training program.

We can start right away with the physically mature kids...who are looking at or already into 29ners and 420 campaigns plus the hobie youth sailors who are commited to getting good in the sport.

Note John W's comment that parents were impressed with

COACHING

Can you imagine the instant credibility we would have if we had Johnny or Lars coming in to coach up the team.

On the Chesapeake, a non yacht club affiliated program CBOT,(Chesapeake Bay Opti Team) is an elite team. They show up a day ahead of the regatta... run a training session for the CBOT elite team that also offers the club's top opti sailors to join in the practice and get some coaching. When CBOT shows up to your regatta... your kids suddenly get serious. CBOTs goal is to win trophies at the national and international level.

It seems to me that what is needed is a training camp/ coupled with a major junior regatta in three or 4 regions around the country. Market this as an elite racing opportunity to the top junior sailors in the region. The top teams in the regatta are eligble for the US Sailing Youth Championships and all of the ISAF championships that follow.

The CISA program that is run in California would appear to be an outstanding program to copy. Replicate this in the Great Lakes, North East/Mid Atlantic, Gulf coast and the middle of the country.

What would it take... WE, the regions senior cat sailors would be needed to make the boats happen, volunteer to coach or assist. donate or get funding. In short.. be unstopable and make it happen.

Good point, Mike -- sailing any cat, including the 16, in anything over 30k is 'living on the edge'!! We had that at the Reheboth NAs back in 03 (or whenever). We were in the back of a 70-boat pack after flipping off the line in about 30-35k. At the weather mark we were able to see a 40+ puff coming down and 'braced ourselves'. Unfortunately, the rest of the fleet was too pre-occupied with the 30-35k they already had to notice the puff coming down. At the gate, boats were pitchpoling everywhere, and we were trying to snake through them like a bunch of land mines without running over any of them!! In 40+k, it was 'living on the edge'. Hey, maybe we ought to start another thread titled 'living on the edge' and we can all swap lies!!

Glad you guys like the idea. I'll take it to Johnny and see what can come out of it.

So with all this prestige that exclusivity at this event provides they still can’t sell any boats? Makes me wonder if the organizers/salespeople actually have a clue or even care about what the kids like or want? <img src=

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I can tell you one thing, kids like using supplied

brand spankin' new

boats for a regatta. May I be the first to suggest that this happens more often.

As far as I am concerned, the people supplying the boats to the kids should be the PARENTS of the kids. If they have to sell their own boat and forego racing for a few years so they can afford to buy a boat for the kids to sail for a few years and take them to regattas and clinics, that's what the parents should do.