ICSA/Gill Coed Dinghy Nationals

The first day of the ICSA/Gill Coed Dinghy Nationals was a long, cold day on the water for competitors. Race 1 for A Division began around 10:30am and the last B Division race finished at 6:45pm. PRO Mike Kalin did a great job cranking out eight races in each division.

The breeze was 15-20 knots the majority of the day with the highest gust clocked at 22 knots. The wind dropped to 12-15 knots at one point mid-day then ramped back up at the end. The day started out with a 2.6 knot ebb, which brought a lot of chop to the course. Halfway through the day the current switched to a flood, so the viewing was excellent with all the boats trying to hit the shore on the upwinds for current relief. Four protests were heard resulting in four DSQs. St. Mary's currently leads by 27 points.

Racing will resume at 10:00am tomorrow, with the forecast calling for lighter conditions. Be sure to check out the event blog for updates from Eddie Conrad throughout the day. The blog can be found at: http://2009icsa.blogspot.com/.

Rain was in the forecast for the second day of the ICSA/Gill Coed Dinghy Nationals. Upon arrival at StFYC, a cold mist and bone-chilling fog surrounded the docks. As if by miracle, at noon gloom turned to glee and the fleet was served a chock-a-block serving of classic San Francisco conditions: sunshine and 15-20 knots. Six races were completed in each division. The day started with a modest 8-10 knots of wind and an ebb tide which produced lumpy chop. As the skies cleared, the breeze made its way to the left and ramped from 12-20 knots within minutes. The flood tide rampaged down the course suddenly for the last B set of the day and made its presence felt. The judges had a busy day flagging Rule 42 activity on-the-water, as well as hearing five protests, which resulted in four disqualifications. St. Mary's currently leads by 7 points.

The schedule has been amended to start racing an hour later tomorrow, so the first warning will be at 11:00am. Four races in each division will complete the rotation.

Be sure to check out the event blog for updates from Eddie Conrad throughout the day. The blog can be found at: http://2009icsa.blogspot.com/. Additionally, Chris Love from Sailgroove has been actively sending updates during each race to: http://twitter.com/sailgroove.

After some rare showers and thunderstorms passed through the Bay Area early in the morning, skies cleared and an early morning westerly promised an epic day that will be remembered by all. Racing was pushed back to an 11am start to ensure optimum conditions. Race 15A started in a 15-18 knot westerly and building ebb. By the time B-Division made their way to the course, the puffs were hitting 21 knots and the chop was short, steep and difficult to navigate. A quick tack to port on a slightly pin end favored start line proved to be the name of the game. Straight line boatspeed in heavy wind and seas were essential skills for top finishes.

St. Mary's College and Yale battled all day long. A-Division skipper Thomas Barrows of Yale did his best to put his team in contention for the national championship win by trying to pull off a "Jane Macky" (his women's A-Division counterpart who overcame a 15 point deficit and scored snake eyes in her final A-set to claim the Women's National Championship one week earlier). Incidentally, with winds gusting to 24 knots and a strong ebb making it feel even windier, Barrows took second place in race 17A and immediately retreated to the rotation beach to snag Macky for the final race. Although St. Mary's Jesse Kirkland/Mike Kushner combo was able to box Barrows/Macky out at the start line, the Yale duo was able to squirm free and escape to the right side of the course and pass the entire fleet en route to a first place in 18A and a three point lead going into the final B-Division set.

It was deja vu all over again. For the second time in a week, the final set was a winner takes all affair. St. Mary's B-Division duo of Michael Menninger and crew Jennifer Chamberlin would save their best sailing for last. With their backs to the wall, the young pair powered off the start line in both races and claimed the National Championship for St. Mary's in style with a classic "horizon job" in the final race -- in fact, Menninger was able to pass the tiller to Senior "Chambermaid" for the cross of the finish line in her final college sailing race. Congratulations to Coaches Adam Werblow and Bill Ward. A-Division players: Jesse Kirkland, Maddie Jackson, Megan Magill, Michael Kuschner. B division players: Michael Menninger, Kelly Wilbur and Jennifer Chamberlin. A tip of the hat to Yale University for their awesome performance during the Championship.

A special thanks goes out to all the people who worked long and hard to make this event run so smoothly. First of all, Dave Santori for his help on Race Committee and for lending support from his Golden Gate Yacht Club. Don Becker served as Head Judge with help from John Pratt, John Mollicone, John Storck, Betsy Altman, Rick Hatch, and Eddie Conrad. St. Francis members and Regatta Co-Chairs Rolf Kaiser and Shannon Bonds did a fantastic job coordinating efforts between the club, Race Committee, and all parties. Stanford Coaches John Vandemoer and John Storck have been working on this event all year. ICSA representative Jay Kehoe came up with the idea to bring this event here and also volunteered his efforts to ensure a smooth event. ESPN U and Gary Jobson for covering the event -- we can't wait for the release! Chris Love and Pat Hitchens of Sailgroove for their candid coverage of all three events. Glennon Stratton of GTS photos for his awesome pics. Sponsors: ICSA, Gill, APS, Marlow, Luminaria, Quantum, US SAILING, GTS Photos, Kattack, and Sail 1 Design. Finally, a big shout out to Mike Kalin for being an exceptional PRO and running such quality races on the challenging City Front this week.

The following chart shows the relative rank of the teams as of the race indicated. Note that the races are ordered by number, then division, which may not represent the order in which the races were actually sailed.

The first place team as of a given race will always be at the top of the chart. The spacing from one team to the next shows relative gains/losses made from one race to the next. You may hover over the data points to display the total score as of that race.