Sailor Spotlight:  Kyle Rogachenko

Sailor Spotlight:  Aidan Millar

Sailor Spotlight:  Bobby Koar

I recently asked a friend of mine, "What do you think makes Bobby Koar such an awesome person?"  I immediately agreed with the response:  "Bobby is a genuinely nice guy, fun to be around, and is inclusive of everyone.  He crosses lines-- both generationally and from yacht club to yacht club--to make sure that everyone is included and having a good time."

Bobby loves Bay Head YC.  He grew up sailing in the junior sailing program, and immediately returned after college.  Not many young people get involved in the flag officer positions until later in life, but Bobby dove right in, wanting to help shape the junior sailing program and oversee sailing as the club's Rear Commodore.  Bobby was an advocate for the Bay Head Techs because he knew it would get more people out on the water.  Bobby races E-Scows each week, scooping up as many BHYC members as he can to get them racing.  And Bobby's passion and enthusiasm are contagious to all those who he meets.  We are lucky to have him on the bay!

Name:  Bobby Koar
Age:  35
School:  CBA, Roger Williams
Yacht Club:  Bay Head Yacht Club

1) Bobby, you are the Rear Commodore at Bay Head Yacht Club.  All yacht clubs assign duties differently.  What does the Rear Commodore at Bay Head YC do?  The duty of the Rear Commodore at the BHYC is basically the overseeing of the sailing community from top to bottom. We have over 180 kids in our junior sailing program with approximately 18-20 instructors. The Rear Commodore approves the budget and the hiring of the instructors and works lockstep with the junior sailing committee during the process of each. On the adult sailing side, the RC heads up the club’s sailing committee which meets quarterly to review any and all sailing related issues ongoing at the club. We have several fleets at the BHYC which sail very competitive inter-club series throughout the Spring, Summer and Fall.
 
To summarize, the Rear Commodore’s main objective is continuing the already very successful sailing program and always looking for more ways to  promote sailing among our membership to make the community even stronger.

2) Bay Head YC did a major renovation after Superstorm Sandy.  Tell me about the renovation that was needed and what the club is like today.  Sandy left the club with approximately six feet of water in our first level dining room. At that time the Club board was already in discussions about updating the club so this storm just moved things up a lot faster. Over the next two years the club underwent a massive renovation which saw almost 70% of the main club house completely redone. What you see today would not have been possible without the leadership of the flag officers, board of trustees, club employees, and the generosity of the membership at that time. I also can't forget Joe Lucas who made countless trips out from California to oversee the entire furnishing of the club.  It was a true team effort and the club looks amazing today.
 
3) One thing Bay Head YC did was purchase first 6, and then another 6 (totaling 12) tech dinghies.  These boats are available for members to sail casually in the summer or race on weekends in the off-season.  How have the tech boats helped sailing at Bay Head YC?  Why did you guys choose the tech specifically?  About two and a half years ago during a sailing committee meeting, then Rear Commodore at the time (Mitch Shivers) handed Andy Goetting and myself a task: Find me a boat the club can purchase to promote sailing among the adult members who want to learn how to sail.  It should also reengage the young members who maybe fell out of the sport after their years in the junior program. As Mitch was addressing the committee I remember writing “the tech” on my note pad and showing it to Andy.  We knew right away what we were looking for. Both Andy and I went to Roger Williams University and spent a lot of time on the Charles River racing in MIT's fleet of Techs. They are pretty much adult Optis. We needed a boat with durability but also a boat you could sail single or double handed. We considered some other boats, but as we went through the criteria there weren’t many other options-- especially when you took in overall cost. The Tech was the perfect boat. So we bought six and then six more the following year. We now have a Spring Series, Fall series, Sunday series during the summer months, not to mention plenty of private lessons being booked as well. It was a home run. I would strongly urge more clubs to buy a couple of these if they are searching for similar objectives.
 
4) Next summer, Bay Head YC (in conjunction with Mantoloking YC) is hosting the E-Scow Easterns.  What does hosting a regatta like this entail?  Is it true that Bruce Springsteen will be the musical entertainment for the banquet?  We are very excited about hosting the Easterns next Summer! We have a great committee in place from both clubs and I believe it will be a very well-run regatta. Hosting a regatta of this size takes a lot of planning but the team we have put together is battle-tested so I know it will be great. I have reached out to Bruce’s people but have still not heard back. If he cannot make it we will make sure we have a good back up plan.
 
5) You have been sailing the E scow for a long time. When did you first start? What was your first experience like? Your Dad is known as one of the best bowmen ever, what is it like sailing with him and sailing with family?  I think I was a freshman at CBA when my dad bought our first E scow from John Harkrader. It was a 91 or 92 Melges E-Scow I believe and a really fast boat. I remember the first BBYRA race we sailed in the summer of 1998. My siblings were still a bit young so I was the only one of the kids on the boat. I was on bow, my Dad was steering, and we had Erica Amon trimming kite and Ricky Lang on boards. It was one of those early summer big westerly mornings. I remember how loud the main was when we put the sail up. We had only been out practicing a couple times and not in anything close to this breeze. It was probably 20-22 knots and very puffy. You all know the days! There were only three other boats out that morning: Had Brick, Paul Magno and Cliff Campbell. Something I will never forget was pulling up to the starting line with about 45 seconds to go and looking to leeward to see this light grey boat with a blue stripe underneath us. I didn’t know who it was but I looked at my dad and he seemed really uncomfortable. I asked him what the problem was, and I will never forget him saying “you do not want to start to windward of Cliff Campbell.” Then the gun went off and I realized about 15-20 seconds later, he was right; we had no business starting to windward of Cliff Campbell. We then went on to round the first windward mark in a big shift and went for a jibe. After I was finally able to get the pole off and re set, we were hit by a huge puff and over we went. After the boat swamped, Runnie Colie came over to us in his whaler with Billy Wight and towed us until the boat was able to drain. I recall Runnie shouting instructions at me on where to tie the tow line. I initially went for the mast but he yelled back to tie it to the front eye on the bow insisting it could hold the weight with no problem. He was right, of course. To this day when we are setting up our tow to go down bay with multiple boats, the tow lines are attached always from the bow, never the mast.

After the first couple of summers I had had enough of the bow and my dad the same with the sticks so we switched. This was still years before we changed to the asymmetrical spinnaker so I really got to see how good my dad was on bow. His jibes with the pole were seamless. Fred Slack came up to me one day and said, “you should try sailing with someone else on bow, then you’ll know how good your father really is.” Luckily I never got that opportunity. One thing I really miss about the symmetrical days was the plane to plane jibes. The boat would only have to change heading about 10-15 degrees so with a perfect jibe you didn’t come off the plan. These jibes were only possible when you had a great jib man, and I had the best.

Sailor Spotlight:  Jack Brown

Jack Brown is a rockstar.  After an incredibly impressive Opti career (2nd at the US Nationals, 6th at the Opti Europeans, Team Racing National Champion) he moved on to the Laser Radial and Club 420 where he always finished at the top of the fleet.  Now, Jack is a sophomore at the College of Charleston, one of the best sailing teams in the country.  (The College of Charleston has won the Fowle Trophy - given to the best college sailing team annually - in 3 of the past 4 years!)  This past summer, Jack moved from crewing on his dad's E-Scow to kicking everyone's butts as a skipper, an impressive feat in a challenging boat and competitive fleet.

Despite all of his success, Jack remains grounded and modest.  What comes to mind when talking to Jack is how polite and respectful he is.  He takes the time to say hello to adults, looks you in the eye, and gives you a firm handshake.  He's even-keeled when sailing, and he's appreciative of his crews, coaches, and father for helping him improve.  Jack is an impressive young sailor, someone the BBYRA can point to and say "this is someone we're proud to have representing us."


Name: Jack Brown

Age: 19 Years Old

School: College of Charleston

Yacht Club: Seaside Park Yacht Club/ Toms River Yacht Club

3) Despite the sailing team's recent successes, there's been some changes on the C of C team this year. First, you graduated College Sailor of the Year Stefano Pescheira, coach Mitch Hall moved on, and Sailing Director Greg Fisher took a job at US Sailing. You still have Head Sailing Coach Ward Cromwell, Conner Blouin is taking over for Mitch, and in a big move, Kevin Jewett took over for Greg. That's a great hire. What have the changes been like at Charleston? Is it easy to maintain the same culture on the team with all of these changes? I honestly didn’t know what to expect coming back to school this year with all the changes. I did know that Ward was going to be the same great coach he has always been. I hadn’t even met Conner prior to him being hired as the new assistant coach, and we didn’t have Kevin until a couple months into school. Now looking back on all the changes, it has been a very seamless transition. Conner has done a great job filling Mitch’s position; he is an unbelievable coach with a ton of positive energy. He will do anything to help you continue to improve. Losing Greg was a hard one for everybody especially since even though he is a great sailor, he is an even better person. However, I had been coached by Kevin before he was hired as the new sailing director, and we already have a strong relationship. He has taught me a lot in the past, and he continues to be a great coach and mentor to me here at Charleston.
Losing Stefano also was clearly a big loss since he was a past Olympian and College Sailor of the Year. I was so lucky to have overlapped with him for a year. He took me under his wing and taught me so much every day, and I hope I can one day be the role model he was to our team. Even with all these changes, the coaches have done a great job making everything feel normal, and the culture has not changed. I know my teammates and I are all very excited with the new look of the program, and we can’t wait to see what's in store for the future.

5) What's one piece of advice that you would give ten year old Jack Brown? What's one thing you know now that you wish you knew when you were younger and just getting started? One piece of advice that I would give is whenever you go out to practice, make it worth your time and try to learn as much as possible. I can remember back when I was younger that I dreaded training, regattas, or anything that had to do with sailing, and sometimes I would just go out and count down the minutes to go in. It's evident to me now how much my Opti and C420 sailing has helped thus far in college sailing, and I would encourage everyone to not just go through the motions, but to make it worth your time to go out and practice. There are so many great coaches from the bay that have helped me so much, and they all have something to offer. Try to learn something from each one. I can't even begin to name all of the coaches that have helped me. It's great to see the continuation of successful youth sailing growing on Barnegat Bay.

Sailor Spotlight:  Billy Warner and the TRYC Tech Fleet

Each year the Toms River Yacht Club host the Turkey Bowl in their fleet of 30 techs.  This event is wildly popular with a fleet limited to 56 sailors (it's grown so much they have to sail in heats) sailing in 28/30 boats (they keep two replacement boats on stand-by in case of a breakdown).  There are so many people who help make this event happen, from the tech owners who helped fund the fleet to the people who make food or run the Race Committee to the maintenance crew who prep all the boats before the event; it's a total team effort. 

Tech sailing is about getting out on the water.  It's about having fun and sailing in a boat that doesn't take hours to rig or a lot of money to upkeep.  Held every Saturday after Thanksgiving, the Turkey Bowl has provided local sailors with an opportunity for an informal reunion and one more chance to get a few laps in before the winter months slow things down.

This week we checked in with Billy Warner, someone who has been instrumental in running this event for so many years to learn about what else makes this event and fleet so special.

***Looking for something to do the Saturday after Thanksgiving?  Come sail the Turkey Bowl!  Anyone and everyone is welcome to come sail.  The event often sells out so register soon!***

Registration Info
Current Entry List

Name:  Billy Warner
Age:  42
School:  Toms River HS South and URI
Yacht Club:  TRYC

Sailor Spotlight:  Brielle Willoughby

Brielle Willoughby is a junior sailor who grew up sailing on Long Beach Island.  After a very successful Opti career, Brielle has transitioned into the Club 420 during the summer and winter months.  As a sophomore, Brielle actually transferred to Southern Regional HS.  Obviously Southern is a fantastic school, but one thing that made the decision easy was the fact that Southern had one of the best sailing teams in the state.  Now she is sailing in the fall and spring for the Southern team, and she is kicking butt in the process.  Brielle is friendly, smart, and really hard working.  She's a huge asset to any team she is on, and her love of the sport is contagious. 

Name: Brielle Willoughby
Age: 16
School: Southern Regional High School
Yacht Club: Surf City Yacht Club

1) Brielle, first of all, you killed it a couple weekends ago in Virginia at the MASSA Gold High School Fall Fleet Racing Champs.  You put together a really consistent scoreline that helped Southern Regional HS qualify for the ACCs.  What worked well for you last weekend?  What was your goal going into the event and how did you approach achieving your goal?  One thing that worked well for me was focusing really hard on sailing fast. Going into the regatta, my team had talked a lot about consistency and how avoiding the big mistakes would be the key to qualifying. By trusting in my speed and sailing a low risk regatta, I was able to keep my finishes relatively consistent and avoid races that would add large quantities of points to my team's score. When I did get into trouble and made a mistake, I was very focused on achieving my goal of keeping a clear head and making up points with speed and conservative decision making instead of risking losing more boats by attempting to catch up by passing many boats at one time.  One boat at a time!

2) Tell me about high school sailing on the Southern Regional team.  Who's your coach?  Who else is on the team?  How often do you practice and where?  What's a typical practice day like?  Give me the deets!  This is my second year on the Southern Regional sailing team, and I am so glad that I had the opportunity to join. Our coach is Steve Warren, who is also a member of Surf City Yacht Club and actually coaches me in C420s in the summer as well. We have ten members on the team right now, several of whom have been on the team for multiple years as well as a few new, younger members that are learning really quickly. We are lucky enough to be able to practice closer to home and have practices two times a week at Surf City Yacht Club. After taking the Surf City school bus to the yacht club, we typically start practice with a chalk talk with Steve and then sail for around an hour and a half to two hours, or as long as we can. Since we only have at most four boats that are all in varying conditions, we spend most of our time on the water working on individual boat handling and speed with long upwinds and downwinds and doing maneuvers whenever Steve blows his whistle. After practice we usually wrap up with another one of Steve's chalk talks to clear up any questions we might have and for him to show us any videos that he took or explain anything that he noticed on the water.

3) You were a really good Optimist sailor, and you have now transitioned to the Club 420.  Why did you choose the Club 420?  Talk to me about the dynamic of sailing with a crew.  I chose to go into the Club 420 because I was really interested in the boat and the fact that it is sailed by two people. My brother had also transitioned to the Club 420 and seeing how much fun he was having and the interesting aspects of the boat made the C420 the obvious choice for me. I think that the dynamic between skipper and crew is really important and having a good relationship on the boat is the key to doing well. I have learned over the past few years that communication is the most of important thing while sailing, and that without it a boat's overall performance starts to break down. Being comfortable with my crew and trusting him or her to do their part while I do mine is something that I didn't really understand at first, but as I have progressed I have learned that trust in the boat is really valuable. Sharing the experience of sailing with another person is something that I really enjoy, and I am very glad that I chose the C420.

4) Last summer you were part of the Surf City YC 420 team.  I know you practiced on home waters, but you spent a lot of the time on the road.  What events did you do?  Which event did you perform the best at?  Last summer my team traveled to many different regattas and spent a large part of the summer away from home.  It was really fun and an amazing experience. Starting at the end of June, I sailed in the New Englands, Canadian Nationals, Nationals, Ida Lewis, CJ Buckley Team Race, and North Americans. I actually spent two weeks away from home at the end of July to the beginning of August going from Ida Lewis straight to CJ Buckley and then straight to North Americans. The event that I preformed the best at was Ida Lewis, which was an all girls regatta that I competed in with my friend Brooke Schmelz. Though we dropped a little bit at the end of the last day, we still finished in the top ten in a competitive fleet that was really close in points. This regatta was my favorite one that I competed in all summer because it consisted of a two day clinic prior to the event and all of the girls that were part of it stayed with host families and spent the week being coached by very prestigious coaches and meeting lots of other top female sailors.

5) You're a junior in high school right now, and I'm sure you're starting to think about colleges.  Do you plan to sail in college?  I won't make you tell me the schools you are looking at, but what are exactly are you looking for when you are choosing your college?  I am planning to sail in college, but it is not my top priority when it comes to choosing which school I want to go to. A school's sailing is something that will definitely factor in to my decision, and I hope that the school I want will have a good team, but the main thing that I am looking for in a school is if they have a good program for my major and if the school will be a good fit for me academically and socially.

The 2018 TRYC Fall Series came to an end this past weekend.  16 Optis and 3 Laser Radials raced six races right in front of the TRYC dock. 

The overall Fall Series, sadly, had some weather constraints.  Week 2 was limited to just a few very light air races.  Week 3 was canceled because of high wind.  But we had 27 different Opti sailors and 7 different Radial sailors duking it out.  Great to see so much fall sailing!

Thank you so much to all the volunteers for giving up their weekends to help run this series.  Brian Hull spearheaded the series.  Alex Rogachenko was there each week to make sure things ran smoothly.  Cindy Botwinick and Amy DeFronzo handled all the scoring and registration.  Brian McCann patrolled the course and helped run the races.  There are countless other parents and helpers who made it happen.

Thank you also to TRYC for their continued support of junior sailing!  See you in the spring!

WEEK 4 RESULTS

Optimist

Laser Radial

SERIES RESULTS

Optimist

Laser Radial

Sailor Spotlight:  Mark Beaton

Sailor Spotlight:  Peter Slack

Peter Slack is one cool dude.  Growing up in the famous Slack family from Island Heights, NJ, he was engrossed in sailing at an early age.  Since then, photography has become his passion.  And he's really good at it.  You can often find Peter in the middle of the course chasing down anyone worth taking a picture of -- and as a racer, I appreciate that he blends in well and never interferes with the race!  His omnipresence on the water encourages sailors to hike harder, look tougher, and stay upright!  But his photos go beyond sailboat racing; he's worked for well-known television networks, he's chased tornadoes, and he's hunted wild-life - all trying to capture a moment.  If you have a minute, check out some of his work on his website Peter Slack Photography.

Every group needs someone to tell their story.  Barnegat Bay is lucky to have Peter Slack documenting ours.

Name: Peter Slack
Age:  52
School:  Lynchburg College
Yacht Club:  Island Heights Yacht Club

1) Peter, I know you laugh when I say this, but it's true:  you are one of the best photographers in the world.  What made you get into photography?  How did you start?  That might be one of the silliest things I’ve ever heard…but thank you.  Back in the late 80’s when I wasn’t trimming jib on my father’s e-scow (IH-44), I’d watch the races from our Whaler.  One day Dan Crabbe (T-8) gave me his Canon T50, showed me how to load the film, and I shot all afternoon.  It was an “auto wind” auto everything, so I just zoomed and focused.  I got some decent shots, so I borrowed my Father’s Pentax K1000 (manual camera) and started shooting regularly.  Eventually I purchased a Nikon 8008s. I worked in New York City, and on weekends the parking lots on 25^th St. & 6th Ave would turn into Flea/antique markets.  I’d buy used equipment there.

Photography since then has been a “hobby;" it has never been my occupation.  I think I received some “composition” genes from my mother as well as creative genes from my father.  All of our family albums exclude my mother who was always shooting the images.
 
2) We see you all the time taking pictures during the BBYRA Series and at many other major events.  Do you only photograph sailing and nautical subjects, or do you work outside of that area?  What have been your favorite types of subjects or boats to photograph?  I really enjoy being out on the water.  So during the summer months the images I shoot are mostly of regattas I’ve been hired to photograph.  When I was in Kodiak, AK producing a show, my pages were littered with shots of eagles, fishing boats, and Coast Guard helicopters.  When I was in the Midwest chasing tornadoes all I photographed were the clouds, weather, and tornadoes if we were lucky.  When I’m shooting for myself, I try to capture whatever is in front of me, so I can show it to everyone else that didn’t happen to be there.  It’s like trying to explain something amazing you just witnessed to someone after the fact  I photograph whatever speaks to me visually.  The most enjoyable conversations I have with people about an image I’ve captured is the “heart” of photograph.  If they’re able to see what I saw during that moment then that’s enough for me.
 
 
3) Please brag a little here because I'm very curious.  What do you think makes you such a great photographer?  Do you think it's because you are a sailor and come from a sailing family so you know the shots and angles that people want to see?  I’m not big on “self promotion” or bragging.  Whenever I talk about something cool I’ve done I use a different voice and make fun of myself while talking about the experience. 

Photography is subjective.  I’ve heard a lot of people call themselves “great photographers.” They speak glowingly about their images using all sorts of adjectives.  There’s a great line in the movie “Cinema Paradiso.” Alfredo, a movie projectionist tells young Salvatore an aspiring filmmaker going to America “I don’t want to hear you talk anymore.  I want to hear others talking about you.”   If you’re the one that’s talking about how great your work is, chances are, it’s not…

I’ve never called myself a photographer unless someone’s screaming at me to get off the racecourse (and I was hired to be there!).  There are some images that I’ve shot that I CAN’T WAIT to get back and post process.  I love those images, but that doesn’t mean everyone else will.  Anybody can buy a camera and a zoom lens and put the word “photography” after their name and claim they’re an artist or photographer. 

I never claimed to be a great photographer… but my advice? Bring your camera EVERYWHERE.  Purchase prime lenses, stop zooming your frame in and out.  Physically move closer to your subject.  Learn how to use your camera.  Aperture, ISO, shutter speed…understand what all these things do to vary your depth of field, and light that exposes your image.  A lot of people I see out there shooting don’t seem to put the work in, and have no idea to manipulate the technology between their two hands.
The answer to the 2^nd part of the question is “yes,” it helps to understand favored ends of the line, laylines, and tendencies of different boats.  There are certain A-Cats that sail up on their ears which make for dynamic shots, and there are those in the E-scow fleet that have tendencies that I can rely on to get an image that I’m happy with.

If you’re shooting on the water the most important person on the boat is the driver.  My brother Kirby is the best I’ve ever worked with; he’s fearless, and he understands the fleet.  He has a really good eye, and he understands composition; I can say two words to him and he understands what I want.  Ben Defonzo drove for me at the 2018 ACC’s.  He was already a “rock star” in the fleet so he could get as close as he wanted to because all the kids love him.  Richard Weber did a great job at the E-Scow Nationals.  I could go on.
 
 
4) The Slack family is well-known around Island Heights and Barnegat Bay as being a big sailing family.  Tell me about your own sailing experiences.  What were your junior years like?  I spent my summers as a kid in Island Heights sailing Diamonds at IHYC.  “Old Skool.” Our boats were made of wood…that actually came from trees.  Fred Slack (my dad) and his father were an integral part of the creating the IHYC Junior Sailing program…so I didn’t really have a choice.  I sailed Modified Laser (Laser M) for IHYC and OGYC, I crewed on a scow, then I skippered one (IH-11).  The boat was battleship grey, and was older than dirt - I think a ’72?  In the late 80’s everyone was playing off of the “E” in the E-Scow logo so I was going to paint black eyes on the port and starboard bow add some gills and name the boat Shark “E.”  The sail cover was actually going to have a dorsal fin on it (haha).  BUT the boat was so old that it eventually just broke down like the Blues Mobile and was scrapped.

In my college years during the summer I taught at Ocean Gate and Island Heights as a head instructor for about four years and had a BLAST.  It was such an amazing experience working with kids, and teaching them - and learning from them.  Every day they unwittingly make you realize what’s really important in life.

 
5) A couple years ago you made a documentary about the E-Scow class at the E-Scow Nationals.  Do videography and photography go hand-in-hand?  For those who don't know, tell me about this project and what it meant for the class.  Laura Darling, from LEHYC approached me in 2015 while I was working on a show in SC for Discovery.  She wanted to hire me to shoot aerials for the Nationals.  I spoke with her for a while, and I explained that I’d rather produce a documentary of the event.  I called in some favors with directors I’d worked with in television and put a five person crew together.  Then I called in favors from friends and outfitted their boats with ION cameras for three days.  About 10yrs ago I had an idea to create a mark with a platform to shoot from, and Mike O’Brien made it a reality.  The idea (what I pitched) was to let the fleet narrate the documentary - the kids, the seniors, and the backdrop of beautiful Beach Haven.  There were many that didn’t know me, and the key when you’re shooting a documentary (at first) is approaching it as if you know nothing about sailing.  That technique forces those you’re shooting to “over explain” things that helps the audience to connect the dots and learn more about sailing.

I’m not really sure what it meant to the class, but Sailing Anarchy said some really nice things about it, and I feel we represented the fleet well.  I had twelve cameras each day to cut from, and I believe I was editing from 3 Terabytes of drive space.  It took a while to edit!
           
The difference between video and stills?  Grab a video camera, zoom all the way in and have someone tickle you while your shooting.  That’s what it’s like shooting VIDEO out on the water.  The wave sets in the bay are closer together, not like the ocean’s longer sets, so there’s constant motion.  It’s a double edged sword.  You pray to Neptune for mayhem, but if you’re shooting video it’s almost impossible to hold a steady shot.  Still frames are much easier because you’re “stopping” the action.
           
It helps knowing the people you're shooting.  It helps when the fleet trusts you empirically.  That’s when you get in and get the best stuff.

Thanks for letting me go ON AND ON about this.  It’s interesting to write about the process.

Sunday, October 14th was the second week of the 2018 Fall Series.  Very light winds plagued the Toms River, but a persistent race committee was able to sail a few races for the eager sailors.

Thank you to the DeFonzos, Cindy Botwinick, Alex Rogachenko, Max Achtau, Brian McCann and all other volunteers for their help!

Maggie DeFonzo, a local Opti hero, wrote a nice review of the racing:

15 Opti sailors and 4 Laser sailors participated in the 2nd Sunday of Fall Series. After an hour of postponement, the race committee was able to complete 3 Opti races and 4 Laser races in very light and puffy conditions. Temperatures were back to normal for October at 50 degrees and sailors had to search for streaky puffs coming down the course.  It was important to be on the line with speed for any chance of a good race due to the conditions of the day. Even though the wind didn’t cooperate, both fleets had a great time and the top finishes were very competitive with Johnny Donnelly taking first for the Optis and Quinn Collins for the Lasers! Big shout out to my mom and Mrs. Botwinick who did scoring and registration and Max Achtau, Alex Rogachenko and Brian McCann who were a great race committee!

Opti

Laser Radial

Sailor Spotlight:  Will Brown

Will Brown is a fantastic sailor, coach, and family man.  Will grew up sailing on Long Beach Island and moved from yacht club to yacht club always in search of the best opportunity to improve.  He had a successful junior sailing career, began sailing Lightnings on the side, and became an All-American skipper at Brown.  Now, Will is focused on coaching and giving back to the sport that he loves so much.  You'll often find Will (and his wife, Leigh) working with our young Opti sailors or helping kids transition into a 420.  Will is articulate and thoughtful, and he relates well to the kids; everyone loves having him as their coach!  Will has two young kids, William and Ellie who he hopes will be sailors when they are older.  With genes like theirs, I think it's safe to say they will have a good shot!

Name: William G. Brown IV
Age: 30
School: Brown University  
Yacht Club: NYYC

1) Will, you grew up sailing in New Jersey and had a very successful junior sailing career.  Tell me about the types of boats you sailed and what your junior sailing years were like.  I started sailing out of Barnegat Light Yacht Club.  The late Fran Temme was the director at the time and noticed me hiding out from swim lessons amongst all the sailors.  He threw me in an Opti, convinced my parents (non-sailors) to buy a boat, and the rest was history.  I moved on from BLYC to Surf City Yacht Club and finished Optis at Toms River.  After Optis I went on to Club 420s and sailed on the Tullo's team out of their lot in Mantoloking.  It's safe to say my junior sailing years encompassed practically all of Barnegat Bay.

2) I know you're a big lightning sailor.  How did you get into the boat and do you still race them today?  BLYC and SCYC have sizeable Lightning fleets and when home from Opti/420 sailing I would crew in the Saturday races.  John Faus, a member from BLYC, was kind enough to let me start skippering his boat, first just weekend and local stuff and eventually in national and international regattas.  Hyper-competitive yet fun class racing in dinghies around the globe checked all the boxes for me so it wasn’t hard to find a reason to stay in the class.  My kids have stifled my racing considerably, but one day I’ll find my way back to the Lightning.

3) This past weekend you were coaching the Opti New England Championship in Newport, RI.  How did the regatta go?  Tell me about the event.  Why is it important for local sailors to travel to these regional and national regattas in the off-season?  Newport, RI, is a tremendous venue and Sail Newport always does a great job hosting New England’s.  The breeze was not very cooperative, but we ended up with 5 quality races over the 3 days.  Narragansett Bay kept the sailors on their toes with lots of current and a shifty up and down breeze.  If you want to continue to move your way up the fleet then traveling to these regattas, and training in between, is a must.  The mental endurance it takes to compete for 3-4 days must be built up over time and regattas like New England’s are a necessary building block if you have high hopes for Spring Team Qualifiers and Team Trials.

4) You also coach 420s and other types of boats.  I know you enjoy coaching all different fleets, but what's your favorite boat to coach and why?  College sailing would still be at the top for me.  I love the short course racing, it’s extremely tactical with a ton of decision making occurring in a very limited amount of time.

5) You have two children named William and Ellie.  There are actually a lot of young children born to really talented sailors in our area; the future looks great for sailing on the bay.  Has William started to sail yet?  Does he like the water?  What will your approach towards sailing be with your kids?  William was out in an Opti - with his mother - a few times this summer and had a ton of fun on a few Wednesday night races on the Kraus’ J105.  He’s still only 2 but he appears to be at home in and on the water.  If anyone has an old Opti for sale we are in the market!
 
If we can instill in the kids the same love for sailing that Leigh and I share then I’ll be happy.  If they do end up loving it then I might be spending another 15 years on the Opti circuit and that would be ok with me.  Someone else is going to have to coach them though, my hair is turning gray fast enough.

Sunday, October 7th was the first week of the 2018 Fall Series.  With many local sailors up in Newport, RI, for the Optimist New England Championship, a small, but dedicated, group of Optis raced in the series. 

There were 6 very competitive Laser Radial sailors racing on Sunday.  Based on the scores, it looks like there was some very close racing!

Thank you to the DeFonzos, Cindy Botwinick, Alex Rogachenko, and all other volunteers for their help!

Noelle Donnelly, who finished 2nd overall in the Opti fleet, wrote a nice review of the racing:

The first day of the 2018 fall series was a beautiful day for racing. The sun came out after the second race.  It was warm and a really fun experience. The wind wasn’t shifty or very challenging, it was actually perfect.  The wind was out of the SW and it was 5-10 knots where we were sailing.  There were 11 Opti sailors and 6 Lasers.  Many local Opti sailors were in Newport, RI for New England’s so it was a much smaller group than usual.  The race committee did a great job running the 6 races.  As always, thank you to Mrs. DeFonzo and Mrs. Botwinick for doing the registration and scoring.  We can’t wait for next week!

Optimists

Laser Radials

Sailor Spotlight:  Dick Wight

Sailor Spotlight:  Turner Ryon

Turner Ryon is a young Opti sailor from Little Egg Harbor Yacht Club.  Collectively, Turner and his teammates are working harder than ever to up their sailing game. Turner sails at LEHYC in the summer and then continues his training in the fall, winter, and spring.  With off-season training, it's incredible to see the jump that Turner has made in the local fleet.

Turner is one of the most genuine, sincere sailors you will meet.  He's admired by his peers and friendly to everybody.  He works hard on the water; you can't keep him away from sailing practice.  It's so exciting to see Turner and his teammates put so much energy into their training and make big leaps in the results.  The future is bright!

Name:  Turner Ryon
Age:  11
School:  Blue Mountain Middle School
Yacht Club:  Little Egg Harbor YC

2) First at the first mark?  Nice job!  It must be so nice to have a major USODA regatta at your home club.  Is there an advantage to having a big event at home?  What makes it so important?  The coaches and I knew the area very well.   This was a big advantage because we had an idea of how the wind was going to act, though the weather was so weird that it didn't help too much.  It was great to share our club with sailors from around the country.  My family was even able host a sailor from Pensacola named Gil Hackel.  We had so much fun showing him Beach Haven, learning about his sailing experiences and how he trains.   It's awesome to make friends with sailors from around the country.  That's part of what makes going to these big regattas so much fun.

3) You are part of a young group of LEHYC sailors who have really come on strong lately.  There are a handful of families that are sailing a lot and pushing hard.  Tell me about your training regimen.  Who's been sailing on your team?  Who's been coaching you lately?   Our coaches this summer at Little Egg were Mike Dowd, Nick Stefanoni and Harrison Bailey.  I also sail with CERT beyond my LEHYC team.  The CERT coaches typically include Mike Dowd, Diego Perez, Will Brown, Randy Hartranft, Molly Horrocks and Jerry Tullo.  My Little Egg team mates are Teddy Stoldt, Aidan Millar, Xavier Stoldt, Lowell Cuff, Bella Cremer, Connor McHugh, Dillion Millar, Mathew Black, Ryan Black, Sean Bodnar and Drew D’Orsi.  I also think of all of the CERT team members as my team mates.  We are all friends with each other, and we are all working towards a common goal.  My training regimen includes sailing with LEHYC in the summer and CERT in the off-season.  I also swim competitively in the off season.  This helps me stay in shape.

Sailor Spotlight:  Roy Wilkins

Roy Wilkins is one of those names that everybody on the bay knows.  Roy has been an active sailor for over 60 years, racing so many different types of boats.  "Coach" -- as he is endearingly called by so many because he has coached so many -- was integral in the start of the OCC sailing program that has lead to thousands of sailors experiencing college and high school sailing on Barnegat Bay.  He is a father and a grandfather, he is passionate about his own sailing, and he is genuinely interested in who's doing what on the bay; he follows so many sailors and wants to hear about all the regattas they are going to as if each sailor was his student.  We are lucky to have Roy on the bay making everybody better!

Name:  Roy Wilkins
Age:  72
School:  Ocean County College
Yacht Clubs:  OCC, Island Heights YC, Toms River YC

Sailor Spotlight

First of all, if you are ever at a Trivia Night and you look across the room and see AJ Bailey on another team, save yourself the embarrassment and get up and go home.  Don't even compete; the kid is so good at trivia.

AJ Bailey is such a versatile sailor.  He can skipper a tech, crew on an A-Cat, tune up your E-Scow and sail you to 2nd place at the Nationals, or deliver a boat from Newport to Bermuda.  His openness to trying new boats and his passion for learning in our sport makes him really impressive.  AJ is a good friend, a hard worker, and one of those few people out there who possesses both "street smarts" and "book smarts."  He comes from a family that has made sailing on Barnegat Bay such a large part of their lives.  There's no doubt that everyone around the bay is lucky to have AJ representing us.

Name: AJ Bailey
Age: 26
School: Toms River High School South, United States Merchant Marine Academy
Yacht Club: Toms River YC, Island Heights YC


1) AJ, let's get right into it. Last week you and Brendan Hogan sailed with Kyle Rogachenko at the E-Scow Nationals, and you finished 2nd. You guys crushed it. Give me a rundown on the regatta. Where was the event, what were the conditions like, etc.  This year’s E Nationals were held at Oshkosh YC in Oshkosh,WI, and we raced on Lake Winnebago. We had three beautiful days of sailing, with moderate to heavy breeze for all three days. Our team, who has been sailing together for two seasons now, had worked together all season to get ourselves in top form for the Nationals. We relied heavily on good starts, fleet management, and (mostly) low-risk plays to try to sail as consistently as possible. Our maneuvers were very clean and we had little trouble at mark rounds or crossing situations. Unfortunately, Vincent Porter sailed just a few points better than us, and we could not overcome the deficit on the one-race final day.

ESCOW NATIONALS RESULTS

2) You're no stranger to the E-Scow fleet. What's the competition like at these big events? How does sailing at the National level against the top Midwest boats compare to racing at home on Barnegat Bay?  You’re correct, I have been racing E’s since I was about 14, and I have to credit my father for letting me crew for him back in those days as well as some of the other top sailors I’ve crewed for like Will Demand and Jeff Bonanni. The overall level of competition is certainly higher at the Nationals, but not overwhelmingly so; we have a very competitive fleet on the Bay. The Nationals, however, is slightly more intense because of the collection of talent and the fact that almost anyone can win a race. It is always fun to challenge ourselves against a more diverse fleet of competitors. I have made several friends along the way and I have always enjoyed the competition and camaraderie of this class at every event I’ve attended.

3) What's your background in sailing? Tell me about your junior sailing, high school, and college experiences.  I began junior sailing, like many other BBYRA sailors, at age 8. I sailed in the Island Heights YC junior program for the next several years. I also sailed my first full BBYRA series at age 8 on a 15’ Barnegat Bay Sneak Box with Butch Haddon. I did not enjoy sailing at first, but through the slow persuasion from my parents, Butch and my coaches, I learned to love the sport and the Corinthian spirit. I continued to sail in junior program, swapping between Island Height and Toms River, in a Laser. I also continued to sail on the Bay in Lasers, Ensigns (with Clark Brick), and E Scows (with a tow every weekend from Cliff and Mary Jo Campbell). I sailed for four years at Toms River South as well, with varying results but falling just short of qualifying for Nationals several times. I continued to sail in college at the United States Merchant Marine Academy. I began sailing on the Intercollegiate team, sailing 420s, FJs, Lasers, and on the Match Race team. However, during my sophomore year, an opportunity presented itself to sail in the 2012 Newport-Bermuda Race on a TP52. I had always wanted to sail more offshore races because of the time I had cruised and raced inshore on my father’s Morgan 41, and felt that this was an opportunity I could not pass up. I finished my college career on the Offshore team, sailing several distance races on boats such as the TP52, ClubSwan 42, and Melges 32.

4) Besides sailing E-Scows, what other boats are you able to sail?  I enjoy sailing almost anything that I can. I have sailed two BBYRA seasons on the A Cat Torch and still try to sail the Wednesday night series and any other races I can. I have also sailed a B Cat, Lightning, Flying Scot, Sonar, 505, Swedish Match 40, Navy 44 and MC Scow. I was very fortunate to sail and travel as part of the Silent Maid team as well. I enjoy sailing in the Turkey Bowl, Santa Bowl, and other events in the Tech Dinghies. My favorite sailing besides E Scows, however, is offshore racing. I have been very lucky to have been invited to race on Leonard Sitar’s J/44 Vamp, which has afforded me the opportunity to do such events as The Vineyard Race, The Block Island Race, Block Island Race Week, and The Newport Bermuda Race. I am looking forward to racing on Vamp again next weekend at American YC for their fall series and also their Spring Series, which are alway enjoyable year after year.

5) I heard you just started a new job this past week. Congratulations! What will you be doing and will you still have the flexibility to sail as much as you have been?  Thank you! I am working for a renewable energy and technology company that is headquartered in Monroe, NJ. I will be working in the Operations department for the company, focusing on new installations. I will probably not have quite the same flexibility that my last job afforded me. However, I can tell you that, as long as my travel schedule allows, my vacation days for the next year are definitely already planned.

Sailor Spotlight:  Paul Coward

If you've ever raced at Brant Beach Yacht Club, there's a good chance that Paul Coward was sighting your starting line.  Paul is the PRO at Brant Beach YC, the race manager who sets square lines and bangs off efficient, well-run races.  A sailor at heart, Paul drew the "PRO straw" over 30 years ago and hasn't turned back since.  A member of the Barnegat Bay Sailing Hall of Fame, Paul (and the rest of BBYC) give back numerous times each year by hosting events of all different sizes for our sailors.  How lucky are we that Brant Beach YC routinely hosts local, National, and International events right in our back yard!?

Name:  Paul Coward
Age:  68
School:  Ithaca College
Yacht Club:  Brant Beach Yacht Club
 
1) Paul, everyone knows you as the PRO from Brant Beach YC; you are run the Race Committee for all of the big events down there.  What draws you to being a PRO?  What do you like about it?  I'm not exactly sure how I got picked to be the PRO at first. But it was a long time ago and it just keeps rolling along. I think this year is the 30^th BBYC Annual Opti Regatta that I ran.  I enjoy doing it because of the people I get to do it with, and I really like being able to interact with the sailors on the water. Being a racer, I like to be communicative with the sailors, and what could be better than being out in the middle of a race course?  I have the best vantage point on the course to watch the racing!

One of the big things that the sailors overlook when I'm making a decision is what's going on in the background. We have probably 100 people involved in a major regatta and they are back on shore waiting to feed you when you come in and make other preparations. It all need to be timed so that everything works out. In addition, all the people on the course that are running the race need to be considered. We often have older people volunteering time, and I can only ask so much of them. Many are using their vacation to run a regatta for people they don’t know.  And of course safety for everyone is my prime concern.  All of these things are going through my head while I'm trying to run the best races possible.
 
3) Speaking of Brant Beach, it seems like Brant Beach runs 2-3 major events each year across many different classes.  You guys are a well-oiled machine, and it's no doubt that everyone enjoys sailing there.  What about Brant Beach makes it so easy to run a good event?  The thing that makes it so easy for us to run big regattas is that we have the same people doing our own niche jobs every time. We've found jobs that we are each good at and enjoy. We all know we can depend on each other too. The same people are on the same mark most every race. Many of the same people are feeding you and parking you and registering, scoring, and all the other details that come with running a regatta.  Everyone chips in, and we are a well-oiled machine at this point.

 
5) I know you're a champion in the Mariner and Sunfish classes.  What kind of sailing did you do growing up?  Do you still have time to sail yourself?  Yes, I still race both a Mariner and a Sunfish. I started sailing in a small boat my father made that resembles an Opti. When I was young we sailed a boat called a Moth which was an 11 foot open design sailboat that started like a sneak box and has now morphed into a foiling machine.  So I do continue to sail, but I also really enjoy running the races myself.

Editor's Note:  Brant Beach Yacht Club makes a point to host a few major regattas each year.  With their core group of volunteers, ample shore-side space, and the fantastic Barnegat Bay conditions, BBYC has hosted the following events.  It's pretty impressive, really!

Sailor Spotlight:  Russ Lucas

Russ Lucas is a very recognizable face on Barnegat Bay.  Russ lives and breathes sailing at Bay Head Yacht Club, and now he's the fleet captain of the BBYRA.  He's a fantastic sailor, having won 10 Duck Boat World Champs, 2 E-Scow Easterns, 1 E-Scow Blue Chip, a Melges 20 Nationals, and everything in between.  Most importantly though, Russ really gives back to sailing on the bay -- he hosts fundraisers at his house, organizes Dave Dellenbaugh Rules Talks before the season starts, and has recently gotten involved in the SAFE sailing at Mill Creek by taking out non-sailors and introducing them to our sport.  His passion for sailing on the bay is nothing short of commendable, and we are incredibly lucky to have him promoting sailing.

Name:  Russ Lucas
Age:  57
School:  Lehigh
Yacht Club:  Bay Head Yacht Club

1) Russ, you grew up sailing at Bay Head YC in many different boats.  You're a champion in many classes.  What about growing up on the bay helped you become the sailor you are today?  Growing up in Bay Head was the key. The top award for kids and adults was a Seamanship Sportsmanship Flag. Having that view that you wanted to win, but also be really good at all the little stuff like proper knots, preparation, tuning your boat, caring for her etc made a big impact on me and my buddies. Our Dads and their friends showed us the way, and I hope we have done that for our children.  

Sailor Spotlight:  Johnny Donnelly

Sailor Spotlight:  Will Kernan

Sailor Spotlight:  Brian Hull

Brian Hull wears many hats:  Opti dad, USODA board member, Donovan Sailing Coach, Director at the Friends of Belmar Harbor.  There's no doubt that Brian has a lot on his plate, but at the end of the day, Brian is giving back to the sport he loves, mentoring young sailors, and spending time with his young family.  Brian will help in any way if it promotes sailing, and that mentality resonates with his family and with those who he coaches.  He's passionate, hard-working, and he loves the sport.  His message is clear:  spend time with your family, work hard, and have fun!

Name: Brian Hull
Age: 42
School Attended: Old Dominion University
Yacht Club: Toms River Yacht Club
 
1) Brian, during the summer months, you run the Friends of Belmar Harbor.  Can you tell me about that program and what opportunities are available to area sailors?
The Friends of the Belmar Harbor is a non-profit educational organization which promotes waterfront activities in the Shark River area for towns like Belmar. FOBH offers adventure and recreational sailing, kayaking, SUP, and related activities that are accessible, affordable and fun especially to youth and families of limited means, abilities or opportunities. FOBH fills the void for an area without a strong sailing community. In July FOBH ran Recreational sailing program in Optis, 420s, Open Bics, and Hobie Cats for approximately 90 children from the Belmar Recreation Department and next week we will hosting over 150 6^th and 7^th  graders from Robert Treat Academy in Newark. We are also excited about co-hosting our annual Friendship Cup Regatta at the Shark River Beach & Yacht Club on August 17^th. Here is the link to register:  http://www.regattanetwork.com/event/17106

Shameless plug: FOBH will have long sleeve tech shirts with hoods (Opti sailor favorite) and giveaways from Colie Sails for the event.
 
2) During the school year, you are a history teacher and sailing coach at Donovan Catholic.  The Donovan sailing team is having a bit of a resurgence, undoubtedly from your involvement with the program.  Tell me a bit about the team and any plans for the next few years.
After coaching sailing at Donovan for many years, I took a 2 year break to spend more time with my young family. This fall season was an eye-opener for the majority of the team who had never sailed beyond the Toms River. For our first away regatta, the team and I traveled to the Christchurch School down in Virginia, sailing with two fleets (Brand new FJs, and 420s) on the water at the same time (which was extremely challenging for the guys both mentally and physically.)
In November, we took to the air and traveled down to New Orleans for the Great Oaks Regatta hosted by the Southern Yacht Club where the Griffins competed against teams from around the country. The entire weekend the team sailed on Lake Pontchartrain Bay in 20 kts plus with 3-4 ft. waves. You typically do not see this on Wednesdays after school in Toms River! The boys definitely learned a lot that weekend. I forgot to mention our lunch in the French Quarter, bread pudding at Southern Yacht Club, and the fact the team’s trip would not have been possible without the financial support from the Sailing Foundation of the Barnegat Bay.
During the spring season, we saw COLD and WINDY conditions and all our hard work paid off with great performance by the entire team at NJ States. Overall a great way to end the year!
This fall we have a couple of new local sailors joining the team and are looking forward to competing at the Larry White Invitational hosted by the US Coast Guard Academy in New London CT in October. Oh yeah, follow us Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @donovancatholicsailing this season
 
3) On top of all of this, you find time to be an Opti dad and travel to a lot of events.  What's your perspective of the Opti fleet from a parent's point of view? 
Over the years, I’ve heard tons of great regatta stories about all the good times, friendships made, places visited (YACHT CLUBS), mishaps like boats falling off of trailers and submarines coming up underneath a fleet of Optis and other crazy stories. The one thing they all had in common was their children were all having FUN with family, friends and teammates. I recently read an article shared by US Sailing called “Can Youth Sports be Both Fun and Competitive?“ Fun is working hard. It is being challenged and competing. It is learning a new skill, being with friends, having a coach that cares, getting compliments from coaches, and a coach who respects them. Fun in sports for kids means learning from mistakes, working together as a team for a common goal. Lack of Fun is the number one reason kids quit sports especially sailing.  The sport of sailing is much more then that!
 
4) You're also on the board of the USODA.  How's the USODA as an organization?  Any new or exciting announcements coming soon? Wow, that’s a good question. First of all, the USODA Board is comprised of some of the most passionate and dedicated parents I have ever met in the sport of sailing. USODA is there to help promote the Optimist class throughout the United States both locally, regionally and nationally. If you have not participated in a USODA regatta, I highly recommend two upcoming events that will be both take place in New Jersey on LBI. NJ States at Surf City Yacht Club next week Aug. 20-21 and the ACCs which will be hosted by Little Egg Harbor Yacht Club on Sept. 21-23. The Communications Committee that includes LEHYC member Kara Ivancich, Carolynn Redmond and I are about to finish our second edition of the reformatted OptiNews which will be mailed out before the end of August. If you have any Opti stories or pictures that you would like to published in OptiNews send it to us: communications.usoda@gmail.com You might make the cut! Exciting news…well…Opti Nationals on the Barnegat Bay is just a thought!
 
5) Sailing has done so much for you and for your family.  Why do you stay so involved in this amazing sport of ours?
The first thing that comes to mind is about giving back. My parents (who were non-sailors) put my sister Marybeth, my brother Michael and I into sailing because my dad’s law partner, Joseph Summerill was the past commodore of the Toms River Yacht Club. About 25 years later, I coached his grandson Nick Brady. Second, the ability of my wife Liz (Non-sailor/Now Opti Mom) and I to travel with James, Henry, and Caroline around the country will create memories that will last a lifetime. Whether it’s going to Detroit, Norfolk, Newport, St. Pete or even a little day trip to LBI. Its always about family fun…Tomorrow, I’m off to Kingston, Ontario for our first CORK Opti Regatta. There are about 20 families from NJ headed up across the border. Lastly, one of the most gratifying aspects of the sport is seeing where my former sailors’ lives take them. Brendan Hogan, Shore Acres Yacht Club’s Commodore is one of my former sailors who I coached when he was a greenie at SAYC and then sailed for me at Donovan Catholic. Brendan reflects a true passion for his club especially when he stepped up to lead the rebuilding of the club almost 5 years after Superstorm Sandy. I’m very of proud of that even more than any regatta trophies.

Sailor Spotlight:  Alex Fasolo

Alex Fasolo is one of the nicest kids you will ever meet.  He's polite, respectful, and one incredible sailor.  Case in point, last week Alex was psyched to spend some time with and crew for his dad - who learned how to sail after Alex - in the Sandpiper Nationals.  Alex's sailing resume speaks for itself, and next year he'll be a huge asset on the Tufts Sailing Team.  This summer, he's coaching Optis at the Metedeconk River Yacht Club.

Name: Alex Fasolo                              
Age: 18
School: St. Georges High School, Tufts University
Yacht Club: Bay Head and Mantoloking Yacht Clubs
 
1) Growing up, you spent a lot of time sailing different boats.  You've sailed Optis, Lasers, 420s, E-Scows, and a handful of other boats.  Which one boat do you think was most important to your development as a sailor?  Which boat have you enjoyed sailing the most?  I am thankful for my Opti career because it was my first real exposure to competitive sailing, and got me invested in sailing early on. 420s and E-Scows have taught me how to work well with teammates, a skill that will be extremely valuable in college sailing. The Laser, however, contributed most. The Laser is an extremely physical boat and it taught me how to balance working as hard as possible while also thinking about strategy and tactics.
 
2) Last week you sailed the Sandpiper Nationals at Mantoloking YC with your dad.  Tell me about the regatta.  What was it like to sail with your dad?  The regatta was extremely fun. It was interesting because you can’t tack on every shift like you can in a dinghy, so that was a notable transition I had to make. I actually learned to sail before my Dad did, so he’s still figuring out how to read tell tales and go upwind. He was thrilled with how well we were doing which made the regatta really fun.
 
3) You attended St. George's in Newport, RI, for high school.  What was your experience like going to boarding school?  How was sailing in NESSA (New England) vs. other sailing districts?  Attending St. Georges was one of the best decisions I have made, especially for my sailing career. I had the opportunity to compete on one of the best team racing teams in the country in a competitive district. The best part about sailing for St. Georges was whenever I was sitting in a calculus or physics class, I had sailing to motivate me to get through it. New England High School sailing isn’t nearly as competitive as New England College sailing, but it is still a district filled without a lot of great competition. 
 
4) Next year you will be a freshman at Tufts.  What are your expectations for college and for college sailing?  Why did you choose Tufts?  I fully expect to get my butt kicked in my first year of college sailing and I am strongly looking forward to it. One of the fastest ways to improve in sailing is to get creamed but those who are better and learn from it. I chose Tufts first and foremost because they had exactly the academic program I was looking for: a strong engineering program that focuses on a balanced education. I also love the campus and location, and the sailing team played a part in it too!
 
5) This summer, you're an Opti coach at Metedeconk River YC.  You yourself had a very successful Opti career.  Can you give me 5 quick tips for sailing the Opti well when it's windy?  What do you preach to your sailors once the wind comes up?

1.  The first tip I would give Opti sailors is to get your vang cranked on when the wind comes up. When I was in Optis and it was windy, I would crank my mainsheet until the blocks were almost next to each other, then lean up and tighten my vang. It’s really important to close your leech going downwind when it’s windy.
 
2.  I also tell my kids that it is much better to be eased a little and flat upwind than trimmed and heeled.

3.  If you feel unstable downwind lower your board.

4.  Your butt needs to be fully over the rail when hiking

5.  Hike off your toes, they’re called toe straps for a reason.
 
 

Sailor Spotlight:  Buzzy Reynolds

Buzzy Reynolds is undoubtedly one of the best sailors to come from Barngat Bay.  His experience in many boats - most notably the Finn - show his versatility and skill; the fact that he can be successful in so many classes is a testament to how good he is.  Now, Buzzy is recognized as the chair of the IHYC Junior Olympic Regatta, something he's been doing for over 20 years now.  Buzzy remains an avid racer and has a passion for the sport that is matched by few.  What makes Buzzy also special is his message for junior sailors:  sailing on Barnegat Bay will teach you the skills you need to go anywhere else in the world.


Name: Buzz Reynolds
Age: 63
School: University of Notre Dame
Yacht Club: Island Heights

1) Buzzy, you are Regatta Chairman for the Junior Olympics at Island Heights Yacht Club.  Can you give me some history on the event?  How long has it been going on?  When did it become a Junior Olympic event?  IHYC started the IHYC Invitational Regatta back in 1980 time-frame as a local junior regatta. Dick and Jerry Martin and the sailing instructors were the original organizers. Len Egee and Vicki Duff then took it over, and I got involved in 1997 when my oldest son turned nine. We then contacted US Sailing who was pushing the concept of a “Junior Olympics” as a feeder program to the USA Olympic team. I’ve been Chair of the Regatta since then working with over a 100 club volunteers.

IHYC Jr. Olympic Results

2) This year's event was very breezy.  As a regatta organizer, is that a good thing or a bad thing?  How do you think the regatta went?  What were some highlights for you?  This year was a challenge as we had consistent 15 to 25 knot winds from the southeast for both days. Fortunately, the forecasted lightening and rains never materialized. While we had our share of carnage on the race courses the coaches and patrol  boats did a great job of helping the sailors and keeping everyone safe. We had 258 boats with about 310 sailors on three courses. Heavy air is definitely more fun for the sailors than light air, and they come back because of Barnegat Bay's reputation for heavy air.

While some might criticize the RC for continuing to run races in the extreme heavy air, we feel that we should challenge the sailors and let them deal with adversity. The less experienced drop out but the top sailors love it. It was interesting to see that though the wind was the same on both days the sailors handled their boats much better on day two.

3) Many people might not know just how good of a sailor you are.  Can you give me a quick summary of your Olympic level sailing and what you sailed growing up?  I was very fortunate to have parents that totally supported my sailing passion. My father started taking me out sailing in a small  dinghy when I was three, and I joined the IHYC sailing program when I was 7 sailing a “diamond” duck-boat. I progressed to an M-scow when I was 12 and Lasers when I was 16 -- coming in third place in the first US Youth Championship in 1973. I competed in college at Notre Dame for four years and  was an All-American my senior year. From there I caught the Olympic fever  and competed in the Finn class for ten years where I won a North American Championship and had 6 top ten finishes in the Worlds with my best being a third place in 1983 in Holland. I also did 2 Olympic campaigns.  In 1980 I finished 3rd.  In 1984 I was declared the winner of the trials at its conclusion after the first place finisher was disqualified for unsportsmanlike conduct (who, ironically, I just ran into for the first time in 30 years at the TRYC BBYRA day sailing Witch). After numerous lawsuits with varying outcomes an arbitration panel on the evening before the Los Angeles Games opened awarded the Olympic berth to the second place finisher.(That sailor won a Silver medal losing to a young sailor from New Zealand named Russell Coutts who went on to win several America’s Cups!)  In 1986 I represented the USA at the Goodwill Games in Russia and came in third. Back surgery forced my retirement from the Finn class, and I started sailing an Escow in 1987.   For 20 years I competed winning several Eastern E scow Championships and placing in the top 10 at Nationals several time. Since then I have been crewing on the A cat Tamwock  trying to make her competitive and having fun.

4) This year you are also racing an MC Scow in the BBYRA.  It's really cool to see a new fleet added to the Saturday racing.  Tell me about the fleet and how it's going.  We’ve had about 8-9 boats on the starting line each week which is fantastic for a new class.  The  MC scow integrates all the attributes of the boats I’ve raced for over 50 years-Laser, Finn, M and E scow so it’s perfect for me and the BBYRA.  It’s also wonderful to see smaller similarly aged sailors with crew competing on an even basis. The great thing is the older boats are still competitive with the newer hulls which is healthy for the class.

5) Your son, Tod, is very involved with the Chicago Match Race Center.  Tod is a perfect example of someone who grew up sailing in our area who has moved into a cool sailing field.  What's he involved with out there and how is it going?  Well when I grow up I want to be my son! He’s been the executive Director of the Chicago Match Race Center since graduating from Northwestern as an electrical engineer. Besides managing and racing all over the world promoting the CMRC, he organized the Americas Cup World Series event in Chicago two years ago. Based on that experience he organized the Chicago bid to host the Americas Cup. Unfortunately, New Zealand won the AC’s in Bermuda and decided to host the AC themselves. Right now he’s crewing on the Chicago to Mackinaw race.  His Barnegat Bay racing experience in Optimists, Lasers and E-scows definitely gave him the confidence to sail anywhere in the world in any kind of condition on any kind of boat.

One last word I’d like to mention is that we all need to continue to maintain the Corinthian spirit in the Bay and to give back to the sport. I was lucky to have Cliff Campbell and Gary Jobson be mentors of mine. They were always willing to share their ideas, constructive thoughts and boats to me as a young whippersnapper. I’ve tried to follow their example by giving back to the sport -organizing the first World Sailing Championship for Special Olympics in 1996, running the IHYC Junior Olympics for 20 years and serving on the US Olympic Committee Executive Board from 1984-1988.

Sailor Spotlight:  Juan Mazzini

For those who don't know Juan, he is the Opti Race Team Coach at Toms River Yacht Club.  Juan hails from Argentina, but he has spent many years living in other countries and working with sailors in many different boats.  He is energetic, sociable, and a really nice guy.  Juan is passionate about the sport, and he works very hard with his sailors each day.   Currently, Juan is working with a very young group of up-and-coming Opti sailors at TRYC, and his experience and focus will set these sailors up for successful sailing careers!

Name: Juan Ignacio Mazzini
Age: 28
School Attended: Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina
Yacht Club: Club de Veleros Barlovento (Argentina)

1) Juan, give me a brief history of your sailing career.  Where are you from?  How did you get into sailing?  What boats have you sailed?   I'm from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Since I can remember I've been on boats. My dad has a sailboat, and I got into an opti program at my yacht club when I was eight.  I've sailed Optis, Cadets, 420s, Lasers, Sunfish and big boats.   

2) You are the Opti Race team coach at Toms River Yacht Club.  How is this summer going so far?  What were your expectations before the summer and how are the kids doing?  The summer is going great.  We have a very young -- but talented -- group of kids.  Before I arrived it was hard for me to set expectations because I didn't know the level group or the venue.  But so far everything is exceeding my expectations.  The kids are learning and getting better everyday, and we've placed in all the regattas so far.  The yacht club has been very supportive and everything is running smoothly.  I'm enjoying my time here!

3) Where did you coach before Toms River YC?  What makes it appealing to coach in the United States?  I started coaching in Argentina for my sailing club.  Then I moved to Belize, where I coached the Laser and Opti National team. After that I coached for 2 seasons for the North East River Yacht Club in Maryland. Right now I'm going back and forth between the USA (Chicago Yacht Club, Toms River YC) and Myanmar, where I coach the Optimist National team.

4) As a coach, what do you look for in your sailors?  If you could give your sailors some advice to make them better in the long term, what would that advice be?  I really like to have sailors who have passion, who work hard and who are respectfully.  As a piece of advise, I always try to tell them my sailors not to get lost in the results. If you train hard and really focus on your goals then the results will come.

5) What's your plan after the summer?  Will you continue to coach or will you be able to sail yourself at all?  After the summer, I will be taking a couple of weeks off to travel and sail around Europe.  At the end of September I have to be back coaching in Myanmar so I will head over there.

Sailor Spotlight:  Teddy McKenzie

Teddy McKenzie is one of the top Opti sailors on Barnegat Bay.  The second of four kids, Teddy was thrust into sailing early and learned by watching older brother, Charlie, compete at a high level.  Now it's Teddy's turn.  "Practice, practice, practice" is his mantra, and with a philosophy like that, it's no wonder that Teddy is climbing the ranks and representing the United States in international competition. 

Name:  Teddy McKenzie
Age:  11
School:  Tredyffrin/Eastown Middle School
Yacht Club:  Mantoloking Yacht Club

1) Teddy, you are one of the top Opti sailors in our area.  Tell me a bit about yourself and what you've done to become such a good sailor.
Practice, practice, practice.  I learned from my older brother, Charlie, to practice as much as I can and sail in as many events as I can.  I try to make the most out of every practice.  My parents have been really great about bringing me everywhere to sail and have been very supportive.  I was ready to sail regattas at a young age because I saw Charlie doing it and I wanted to do what he was doing.
 
2) Recently you represented Team USA at the Topsport Vlaanderen Regatta in Belgium.  How did you qualify for this event?  Was this your first time representing your country at an international event?
I qualified at the Team Trials at Key Biscayne, FL in April.  This was my first international regatta, and I was so excited to represent the US.  I hope to make more international regattas!
 
3)  Tell me about the regatta in Belgium.  How did you do?  What were the conditions like?  What was your favorite part of the event?
The regatta in Belgium was an amazing experience.  The conditions were very windy with huge swells. At times I couldn’t even see the mark when I was at the bottom of the wave.  I have never experienced the kind of sailing conditions we had there so I learned a lot just by being there.  I’m proud of myself for making gold fleet and hope to place even better next time.  My favorite part of the event was meeting and hanging out with the other US team members and meeting sailors from other countries.
 
4) Why do you think it's so important to get experience racing internationally and against foreign competition?  How does a regatta like this compare to a regatta on Barnegat Bay?
The conditions on the North Sea were a lot different than Barnagat Bay.  I think is important to learn how to sail in many different kinds of conditions.  I thought the foreign competition would be tougher but the US Sailors did well against them. Also, with so many countries sailing in the regatta, it was cool to hear different languages on the race course - not everyone spoke the same sailing language - but everyone did speak English to us on the water. 
 
5) What's your plan for this summer?  Who will be coaching you and what's on the schedule?
I am so lucky to have an awesome coach, Diego Perea, for the summer.  His training is different than any other coach I’ve had, and I’m learning a ton.  We are going to Nationals in Pensacola, CORK in Canada and NJ States.  When we’re not training hard, Diego takes us to do fun things.  It’s a great mix of working hard and having fun.

Sailor Spotlight:  Colleen and Michaela O'Brien

Sailor Spotlight:  Jamie Wright (Wasco)

Sailor Spotlight:  Ed Vienckowski

We've touched on a few sailors so far who really make a difference on Barnegat Bay. One of the biggest advocates and hardest workers is Ed Vienckowski. Ed is the current Commodore of the Barengat Bay Yacht Racing Association. He's been a fixture at sailing regattas on the bay for the better part of a half century, and his lineage is rich in sailors. Ed is a leader; he overseas all BBYRA activities from his Commodore position, he runs fantastic races for the E-Scow fleet, and he is omnipresent at any event that is sailing related in our area. Ed donates his time so that everyone else can have fun and sail more, and we are forever indebted to him for his selfless love of the sport.

Name:  Ed Vienckowski

Age:  Old enough.

School:  Webb Institute of Naval Architecture

Profession:  Technical Director at Zodiac Aero Evacuation Systems

Yacht Club:  Seaside Park and Mantoloking

1) Ed, you are the Commodore of the Barnegat Bay Yacht Racing Association.  Can you give me a quick history of the BBYRA and all that it does? A quick history for an organization entering its 104th season?  Well, in 1914 on Barnegat Bay, there was a lot of informal racing going on, but it was felt there was a need to organize things in order to unify the fleets, etc.  So the BBYRA was born, with its 4 founding member clubs being Bay Head, Island Heights, Ocean Gate and Seaside Park. Since then the association has grown to 14 member clubs located up and down the bay and its tributaries the Manasquan, Metedeconk and Toms Rivers.  The mission has remained essentially the same since the beginning, that being “to foster amateur sailboat racing on Barnegat Bay and on a national and international level”. I think the BBYRA has succeeded remarkably well toward that end, having developed many outstanding sailors, including countless National and World champions, Collegiate All-Americans, Olympic medalists and America’s Cup winners.  And all of this stems from the 10 week BBYRA Championship Series that we hold every year. This series is truly unique in this country, for its multiple fleet format, with participants ranging from ages 15 to 85. No other region in the country has been able to sustain racing in this format like the BBYRA. And that’s a testament to the unique cluster of member clubs all using the same body of water that has long been known for its fabulous winds and sheltered waters.  But the BBYRA does far more than just run their Saturday races. We support the Junior Sailing programs at each of our member clubs by bringing together all the various program heads to coordinate interclub race schedules and other training initiatives. We promote and sponsor various seminars on racing rules, strategy and tactics as well as race management and safety training. And we manage the leasing of the biggest and best fleet of rescue/coach boats in the country to each of our member clubs.

2) What's the current state of the BBYRA?  We see ebbs and flows over the years of fleets, sizes, etc, but what are you seeing when you look at the whole organization? You’re sure right about ebbs and flows.  Not just in fleets, but in the demographics of our members.  There’s no doubt the numbers change over time, and it’s not something that’s purely cyclical.  No doubt back in the 1960’s and 1970’s there were far more boats out racing every Saturday, but boats were more affordable back then and demands on people’s time was far less.  But we’ve adapted over the years, responding to fleet requests for multiple races per day with certain “off” weeks to suit each particular fleet’s needs. With that, we had been seeing a slow steady growth in recent years but then took a big hit with the impact of Superstorm Sandy, as did the entire Jersey Shore.  But I’m very optimistic for our future. Our local sailors’ love for the BBYRA is unmatched. I see it and hear it whenever I meet with sailing friends. And for 2018, I’m particularly excited to welcome our first new fleet in several years to our BBYRA lineup, the MC Scow. This is a very active fleet in other areas of the country, and is a boat very well suited to sailors of all ages, both for its affordability and its performance.  It may pull some sailors out of some of our other fleets, but I am convinced it will bring even more new or returning sailors to the BBYRA.  It’s yet another example of the ebbs and flows that we’ve seen over the past many years. This is more a flow than an ebb though, and that’s a good thing.

3) What are some of the messages that you'd like to promote from the BBYRA?  What are some of the opportunities (both on and off the water) that people should be more aware of? I think the most important thing I’d like to share is that it takes a tremendous amount of effort by a relatively small group of people to do what it is that we do.  And we can use your help! That can take many forms, the most obvious being we can always use more help on Saturdays on our Race Committee. I always first encourage those wishing to race to do so.  But there are any number of committees that work off-season that sailors can serve on (as many do). Or if you’re particular fleet has the week off, please offer your services if only for that week. We would welcome your help, and I assure you that you will enjoy and learn from the experience.

4) What's your sailing history?  Where did you grow up sailing and what kind of boats did you sail? I grew up summering in Seaside Park, having learned to sail in the junior program at Seaside Park Yacht Club.  I first learned to sail and race in Diamonds, which were small catboats similar to Duckboats, but sailed only at Seaside and at Island Heights at the time (1960’s).  I had the great fortune to race interclub series against the likes of Buzz Reynolds and Had Brick, who remain good friends and sailing rivals to this day, which more than anything speaks to what the BBYRA is all about.  From there I moved into (and loved) my International 420 but sadly that fleet never took off on the bay back then. So after crewing some in Sneakboxes, I moved into the M Scow fleet which was growing remarkably in the early 1970’s and offered great competition.  I then sailed collegiately at Webb (we had a great run in the mid to late 1970’s, you can look it up). Then after graduating I married the best E Scow spinnaker trimmer on the bay (but not for that reason). Actually just before we married, Bev and I rigged our first E Scow from a bare hull (which she bought, by the way), and we had some really great years in that class until family obligations led us to do more crewing than helming.  Over the years I also raced Penguins (which I loved both for the competition and the feel on the helm that it taught me), as well as Sneakboxes and A Cats (had that great run on Ghost in the 1990’s).  But then I came back to E Scows, having the pleasure to crew for many of the best on the bay, most notably for Dick Wight. Most recently, I really enjoyed getting back into a Sunfish last summer, racing in our Wednesday Night Series at SPYC, something I hadn’t done in probably some 40 years.

5) You are one of the best PROs on the bay, and you run the E-Scow fleet for the BBYRA each week.  What makes you give up your time to run races so that all of us sailors can have fun? I have to say I do it for the fun too, just like the sailors.  There came a point where as crew on an E Scow, well, you can “age out” and I felt like I was getting to that point, but I’d always had an interest in race management so I stepped out of the Scow and right onto the RC boat.  I’ve said this a lot, but I really feel this way, that I was very happy to find it as rewarding to help ensure a race was well run as much as to be in a race well sailed. And it’s a team effort just like on your boat. We have a great time and a lot of fun on the RC boat, just as our racing “customers” do on their boats.  And I really take great pride in seeing the accomplishments of the BBYRA E Scow Fleet (and others) on the National level, which I like to think is in no small measure a result of the quality of racing that the BBYRA provides.

Sailor Spotligh:  Peter Hurley

Sailor Spotlight:  Michael Ehnot

Michael Ehnot is a recent graduate from the Christian Brothers Academy and will be attending George Washington University in the Fall.  Michael is one of the top Laser sailors in our area, and he has been one of the best high school sailors in the New Jersey area for the past four years.  Mike is reserved and polite.  He works hard on the water, and he is well liked by all of his peers.  He comes from a family that will do anything to help support his sailing.  Mike is a welcomed addition to any yacht club, program, or team; as a coach, he's exactly the type of kid with whom I would want to work.

Name: Mike Ehnot
Age: 18
School: Christian Brothers Academy, George Washington University
Yacht Club: Surf City YC and Spray Beach YC
 
1.  Michael, you're one of the top high school aged sailors in our area.  What do you think has contributed to your success over the past few years?  How did you get so good?  I think the biggest contributor to success is my constant interest in the sport. Being able to enjoy sailing in any form whether it be training for nationals or trying out a boat for the first time makes dedicating your time and practicing much easier. With regards to racing, I think the most important piece of advice I was given is to “make decisions”. Making decisions highlights that you are the best person who can motivate yourself to accomplish a goal, which means that internally, you must decide to work towards a goal.

2.  I know you sail Lasers in the summer and 420s/FJs on your high school sailing team.  You also sail Techs and other boats.  Clearly you've benefited from sailing multiple boats.  Some people worry that you need to be solely a 420 sailor to have a successful high school and/or college career.  What's your take on that theory?  From my experience, I’ve seen many Laser sailors succeed just as well as 420 sailors in High School/ College sailing, and in my opinion, I think that the High School/College style of sailing is so different than traditional racing that it requires sailors to learn new skills in order to succeed. So, while there may be a few 420 boat handling nuances that translate to High School/College sailing, there are much more gains to be made by gaining experience with the different style of sailing.

3. Last weekend, CBA celebrated 10 years of high school sailing by having an Alumni Regatta.  Tell me about the CBA HS Sailing program and what it's done for you over the past four years.  The sailing program at CBA is outstanding! No school in our area supports their sailing team the way CBA does. Sailing for CBA over the past four years has given me an enormous amount of sailing experience, and it has shown me the highest level of High School sailing with multiple trips to the Mid-Atlantic District Championship and trips to the Atlantic Coast Championship and National Championship. Without a doubt, I owe a lot of my sailing skill to sailing for CBA.

4. Next year you're going to study at George Washington University.  GW has an up and coming sailing team.  Why did you decide to go to George Washington, and what are you looking forward to for next year?  I’m super excited to start my first year of college soon at GW. What drew me in was GW’s established engineering school where I was able to see myself as a student and be excited to study computer science. I was also convinced by the large amount of career opportunities available in and near DC, and the large student body of the school. And of course, I was drawn in by the constantly impressive and improving results of the sailing team.

5. I know you've got an aggressive summer schedule lined up.  What's on the calendar?  The laser schedule this summer is very busy, especially in the beginning. Around the end of June, I’ll be sailing in the US Youth Champs in North Carolina and Laser Nationals in Houston. These events are two of the biggest events of the year and this year they are only separated by three days. With that being said, it will be a challenge to stay energized for those two events. Some other possible events on the calendar include Laser North Americans in southern California and CORK in Kingston, Canada. Once the big regattas are over, I’ll be getting prepared to start college.

Sailor Spotlight:  Susan Proko

Susan Proko is another unsung hero of Barnegat Bay.  For those who don't know, Susan is the Junior Sailing Coordinator for all of Barnegat Bay.  Susan works tirelessly (and all year long) to make sure that the summer months go smoothly for all of the yacht clubs; she is the driving force behind all of the success of the BBYRA Junior Sailing Programs.  Susan plays an integral role at both the Toms River and Ocean Gate Yacht Clubs, and she is always on the water either helping run races or sailing herself.  Her omnipresence on the bay is noticeable, and we are incredibly lucky to have Susan promoting sailing in our area!

Name:  Susan Proko
Schools:  Temple University- Elementary Education and Special Education
Yacht Clubs:  Toms River YC and Ocean Gate YC
 
1) Sue you are the coordinator for all of the Junior Sailing Programs on Barnegat Bay.  Tell me about your job and what it entails.
As Chair of the BBYRA Junior Sailing Committee I collectively meet with the junior sailing coordinators from all clubs in the BBYRA to set the junior sailing calendar, implement instructor training, help coordinate Area C junior championships, serve as liaison to US Sailing for junior sailing and communicate news from various organizations to all of the coordinators. My biggest role though is to support all the coordinators.
 
2) Can you give us a status update on the state of junior sailing in our area?  Are numbers up, down, or trending similar over the last few years?
Junior sailing is and will always be a strong presence on Barnegat Bay.  We saw a slight decrease in program numbers following Sandy but the programs that were effected rebounded quickly.  Collectively, the 13 BBYRA yacht clubs teach approximately 900 sailors over 8 weeks during the summer.  What makes these club's programs special is that they are generational.  I sailed for Ocean Gate and both my children sailed there too.  It is common to find third and fourth generations learning to sail at the same clubs as their parents and grandparents.
 
3) Are there any changes or anything new for junior sailing programs this year?
The junior programs will be putting an emphasis on more fun this summer!  There will be less focus on racing. There will, of course, be many regattas and interclubs, but the coordinators felt the sailors weren't having enough fun. We see burn out in other sports, as well as our own, and we want to try and combat that so we have lifelong sailors who will continue to support our 104 year history.
 
4) I know you've sailed on an A-Cat in previous summers.  Do you plan to do that again this summer, and if so, what boat will you be on?
Growing up I learned to sail in my Toms River Pram, then a Laser M-rig and a B-Cat on Saturdays in the BBYRA series. For the past 3 years I was fortunate enough to sail on Vapor during the series. This year I will be crewing on WASP.  I'm very excited to sail with people who I grew up sailing with from "downbay".
 
5) You have two children that have gone through junior sailing programs in the area and then have sailed in college.  What are they up to now and are they still involved in sailing?
Both my children, Jeffrey and Abigail, have grown up in the sailing programs.  They learned to sail at Ocean Gate YC and then went on the travel laser team out of Island Heights YC. Their foundation and love of the sport has given them the opportunity to sail on their college club team, the Drexel Dragons!  They also both sail on Saturdays in the BBYRA crewing on Escows, Ensigns or ACats so they are both still very active in the sport.

Sailor Spotlight:  John Petrillo

Many people know John Petrillo as the program director at Bay Head Yacht Club for many years.  John's positive attitude and love of the sport breed enthusiasm and passion in anyone with whom he interacts.  What's special about John is his desire to share sailing with anyone he can.  He was a program director on the bay, he taught students during "Semester at Sea" programs, and he is currently involved with Rocking the Boat in the Bronx.  John has had his hand in the development of so many sailors in our area.  We need more people like John!

Name: John Petrillo    
Age: Old enough!
School: Too many to list
Yacht Club: Currently unaffiliated

1. Johnny, tell me a little about your junior sailing history.  Where did you grow up, what did you learn to sail in, and what was your experience like as a junior sailor on Barnegat Bay.  I grew up sailing at Toms River Yacht Club’s junior sailing program back in the pre-Opti/420 days. I first learned to sail in Toms River prams, which were only sailed at yacht clubs on the Toms River, then moved on to a Blue Jay when I was 11 and then to a Laser Radial at 12. I remember we used to travel “up bay” to Bay Head or Mantoloking and sail against their juniors in Duck Boats, and then they’d come down another week in the summer and sail against us in our prams. Traveling “up bay” was a big deal for us back then! The regatta scene was nothing like today’s packed schedule, and the summer Interclub Series was really important back then, similar to Saturday BBYRA days for seniors. I made some great friends sailing at TRYC, and I had some amazing instructors as well.

2. Most people know and remember you as being the head instructor at the Bay Head YC.  How long did you do that, and how was it working at Bay Head YC?  I was the Program Director at Bay Head Yacht Club for eight summers, just long enough to see my first set of greenies grow up to graduate from the program. Bay Head is such a great club to work at, and I loved my time there. I had the privilege to work with so many talented instructors, one of whom is currently running the program. The club is very professional, and the parent coordinators both trusted me and my decisions but also provided a great amount of support and guidance at the same time. BHYC members also raise money to support all of its employees still in school with scholarships, which really helped me through my Master’s degree in education. Last year I taught a Level 1 Instructor course to some junior members there and it felt great to be back, I really miss being there each summer!

3. Now you are at Rocking the Boat, right?  Can you give me an overview of the programs you run?  Correct—I helped to start the sailing program almost four years ago. Rocking the Boat is a youth-development non-profit in the South Bronx, NY, one of the most under-served communities in the country. Our programs use the mediums of boat building, environmental science, and now sailing to empower local youth and help them set and achieve ambitious goals. In designing the sailing program, we really wanted to build a grassroots sailing scene that the neighborhood could identify with. I work with high school aged kids during the school year teaching them to sail right in their own backyard, while also teaching them to teach sailing. In the summer, they will then teach younger kids from the neighborhood in our summer sailing programs.
 
4. You also ran semester-at-sea programs for high school and college students during the school year.  That sounds really interesting; what was that like!?  It was a dream job for me! I was at sea for much of a decade teaching history, literature, and policy aboard traditionally rigged sailing school vessels. I loved teaching about what we were directly seeing and experiencing, something that is hard to do inside traditional classrooms. Sailing to so many different ports along the Eastern seaboard and throughout the Caribbean and Central America was always exciting, and learning about and sharing with our students the diverse cultures, histories, and environments we found there was the best way to be a schoolteacher! Our students were full participants in operating the ship, and would learn to stand watch and navigate the ship (among many other things) on top of a full course-load of schoolwork.
 
5) You are clearly passionate about teaching sailing and boat-making, and I know that everybody loves being around you and feeding off of your energy.  What draws you to these jobs and projects?  Why do you do what you do?  I think it’s all based on my own experiences growing up in the sport. I loved sailing as a kid, and I learned so much about myself and the world around me through it, so it made sense to try and help others do the same. My first job was teaching sailing at Island Heights YC, and I remember how affirming it felt to literally see my kids learning and developing over the course of the summer, and know that I played a small part in that growth. As a program director on the bay, I felt that same pride in seeing my coaches develop as teachers and young adults. And at Rocking the Boat, sharing the sport and all it has to offer with young people who otherwise would not have access to it is so gratifying and gives me so much joy.

4) You've been exposed to a lot of good coaching in your career.  Who has been your most influential mentor in the sailing community?  What is something important that he or she has taught you? I have been fortunate to have had many great coaches over the years, and I have learned a great deal from all of them.  One of the most influential coaches I have had is Skip Whyte. He has coached me in the C420 and i420 off and on for the past few years.  His no-nonsense attitude, attention to technical detail, and willingness to go the extra mile to give guidance has truly improved my sailing.  A few years ago when I began sailing C420s, I did not have any experience with spin reaching, and my crew and I struggled in a windy regatta. At the end of the day as all of the other sailors were sailing back to the dock, Skip stayed out with us for an extra hour of training.  Because my crew was recovering from a broken hand, which was hurting by the end of the long day, we only were able to spin reach on starboard tack! Even so, the tips and knowledge Skip shared with us help me to this day. I love the technical aspects of sailing, and Skip has gone the extra mile to help me combine this with strategies and techniques to become a better sailor.  

Sailor Spotlight:  Everett Botwinick

Everett Botwinick is a 13 year old Optimist sailor from Toms River.  He is the middle of three boys, and all three sail at the Surf City Yacht Club during the summer.  Everett has a positive attitude, thoughtful approach to the sport, and an eagerness to learn and improve that are a joy to witness and coach.  He works incredibly hard both on the water and on shore, and his diligent approach to sailing has started yielding some top results.  What also sets Everett apart is his love of reading and writing; Everett is one of the best writers I've ever seen for someone his age!

Name: Everett Botwinick
Age: 13
School: Toms River Intermediate North
Yacht Club: Surf City Yacht Club

1) Everett, you just returned from the Opti Team Trials.  This is arguably the most important regatta on the Opti schedule each year.  Can you tell me about the event, how you can qualify, etc?  Where was it this year and what were the conditions like?  Team Trials is probably the most rigorous Optimist event in the United States, excluding Spring Teams. While Spring Teams is an open regatta, Team Trials requires one top 25% finish at a USODA regatta or Nationals, with a top 50% finish. That means that only the best sailors qualify.  This year, it was in Key Biscayne, Florida. The conditions were typically light, maybe 5-10 knots, and because of the proximity to the ocean, there were lots of waves and seaweed. 

2) How did you do in the event?  Were you happy with your finish?  Did you have a goal going into the event?  I placed 59th in Gold Fleet for Team Trials. I was very happy with my finish, considering that I haven't made Gold Fleet in any USODA regatta up until now, the hardest event of the year. My goal was to make an international event. Chances are that I will make one, considering that the amount of available spots exceeds my place in the regatta.

3) Why do you think that there were so many sailors from Florida at the top of the fleet?  What advantages do they have over Northern sailors and how can we catch up?  There were so many sailors from Florida at the top of the fleet because the majority of Florida sailors come from Coral Reef or Lauderdale, both of which have light wind and big waves, just like the conditions we had. They have a considerable advantage over Northern sailors because we, as Northerners, sail in drastically different conditions than Florida sailors. From personal experience at Surf City, it's pretty rare to have such light wind, even in the hot summer. During the spring, it's nearly impossible to have anything less than 10 knots. On the other end of the spectrum, Florida sailors sail in almost nothing all year round. Most USODA events are set in the South and therefore favor their expertise. We can catch up by sailing in as many USODA regattas as possible and gaining knowledge on light wind so we can sail well in it when the need arises. 

4) What's your plan for this summer? My plan for this summer is to keep sailing Optis and become as good as possible. I'm still pretty young, so I have plenty of time left in this boat. 420 practices will be integrated into our regular practices (maybe once a week) so the transition from Opti to 420 is less jarring. Most of all, I'm going to have lots of fun.

5) I must ask, you are one of the best writers I've ever met.  I'm incredibly impressed with your writing skills, especially since you're only in 8th grade!  How did you become such a good writer?  Thank you for the compliment! I read a lot, so I'm constantly finding new words and adapting them into my vocabulary. Over time, I have honed my writing style to accommodate different words in different scenarios. I love writing because it allows me to express myself in a unique way.

What a great last day of the TRYC Spring Series!  We had 6 races in a puffy 10-18 knot Westerly breeze.  Turner Ryon (winner of the Optimist fleet) gives us a debrief on the day:

Hi I’m Turner Ryon, last weekend I sailed the Sunday Series at Toms River
Yacht Club. Before I get to the water and the day of sailing, I want to talk about the
preparations on land. It was a pretty heavy wind day, on a heavy wind day you need
all your mast sail ties tight because the wind stretches them and the wind will flow
through the gaps if they’re not tight. Also you want your vang very tight on heavy
wind days and tightening the vang is something you have to do before every race.
Then for lighter kids you need to be depowered so you want a loose sprint tension
because it will help you keep the boat flat which is incredibly important. Also when I
depower like that Mike Dowd taught me to tie a third thick sail tie with the wind
pennant to keep your luff tension tight. Last you want a very tight out haul. This is
all very important when preparing for heavy wind sailing and they’re adjustments
you need to make if it gets heavier on the water.
Now for the part we have all been waiting for- on the water. When I was
rigging it was pretty light so I rigged for light wind something that hurt me when we
started sailing. At the skipper’s meeting we were told the lasers will be sailing a
longer windward leeward course and we will be sailing a shorter one. So I got out on
the water and sailed to the course. There I waited until the races began, first went
the lasers, then we moved up to the line. I kept close to the committee boat for as
long as I could then headed down closer to the pin and started. I finished second
that race behind Harrison Hubbard, a great sailor. Then in the second basically the
same thing happened and I got second again. Then in the third race it changed to a
triangle course and I started closer to the pin, tacked over the fleet and was first to
the windward mark, but I got stuck on it because I tacked too close had to spin and
was in seventh. I then brought myself back and rounded the leeward mark in second
as I made my way up I almost won but Harrison out tacked me and I finished
second. Then in the fourth race I had a perfect start and won! The next race though I
was called over and had to round the pin. I was near the back with Harrison who
was also called over, but I rode a lift up and rounded first and ended up winning the
race. In the sixth race, this one was scary. I went for my start and wasn’t the first one
and the person in front of me got stuck on the pin so I was stuck. I was the second to
last one off the starting line and made a huge comeback and got second! Last I would
like to thank Toms River for hosting the series and thank everyone one on the
committee boat. This series always teaches me so much!

WEEK 4 RESULTS

Optimist

Laser Radial

OVERALL SERIES RESULTS

Optimist

Laser Radial

Sailor Spotlight

Dr. Nunn is an unsung hero of Barnegat Bay.   He has spearheaded high school sailing not only in our area, but in the entire state of NJ.  His selfless donation of his time has lead to more teams, weekday racing, and competitive regattas all fall and spring long.  We all read that fewer kids stay in the sport and that we need to do more to help grow sailing.  Well Dr. Nunn is doing just that; he is responsible for more high school kids than ever enjoying our sport.   We are incredibly lucky to have him supporting sailing on Barnegat Bay.

Name: Dr. Randall W. Nunn
Profession: Orthodontist
Schools Attended:  Rutgers University, Georgetown University, University of Pennsylvania
Yacht Club: Toms River Yacht Club
 
 
1) You have been incredibly instrumental in the success of High School Sailing in New Jersey.  For those who don't know, can you give a summary of how high school sailing works?  High school sailing teams consist of at least 4 sailors, two skippers and two crews, made up of students in 9-12 grade that attend the same school.  The Interscholastic Sailing Association (ISSA) is the national organization that sets the procedural rules and governs the sport.  There are seven districts throughout the county and NJ schools fall within the Mid-Atlantic Interscholastic Sailing Association (MASSA) District. The New Jersey Interscholastic Sailing Association (NJISA) League is the organization that runs high school sailing in NJ.
 
Fleet racing consists of regattas with up to 18 different schools competing against each other at a time.  Team racing is when 2 schools race in head-to head competition with three boats/six sailors for each team. Regattas are organized at the local, regional and national levels.  
 
Some schools fully support their team, while others exist as “club activities” which are primarily parent driven and operate with a high degree of autonomy from their school, other than having the school’s permission to use their high school name. 
 
A significant difference between high school sailing and junior or yacht club sailing is that the sailors do not bring their own boats to regattas; they are provided by the host and consist of a fleet of eighteen equal 420’s or FJ's.  
 
A team’s four or more sailors are split into two divisions: A & B. The racing format consists of two short races (10-15 minutes) on a windward-leeward course by one division (A), who then return to the dock where the second division (B) sailors get in the boats, go back out to the to the race course and sail their two races.  Races are usually held close to the shore to make changing boats as quick and easy possible. 
 
At any given time, half or more of the team is on the dock while the others are out racing. This back and forth between divisions is repeated through the allotted time for the regatta.  There’s a lot going on out on the water and on the dock at these events.  It’s competitive and social.  It’s also very unique as the only co-ed high school sport, where girls and boys compete with and against each other, as well as being the only two-season sport with regattas in both the fall and spring. 

 
2) How easy is it for a high school to form a team?  It’s actually not complicated at all.  Step one is to get a few sailors from a school together and start from there.  They can ask anyone they know who is already involved in high school sailing: sailors, parents or coaches.  People should also go online to the ISSA website page to get information about starting a team: https://hssailing.org/documents/Start-A-Team-12-2017.pdf   There is a lot of additional info online throughout the ISSA’s web pages. Organizing students and parents should talk to their school administrators to get approval and then make arrangements to get on the water to practice at a site that has boats. 
 
What are the steps needed to get on the water and start competing?    In NJ, teams practice in Perth Amboy, Shrewsbury or Toms River.  Based upon their school’s location and logistics of getting to any one of these three sites, teams should make arrangements to practice. Coaching options vary, and depending on where a team will be practicing.  Some teams combine and share coaching, other teams have their own coach.
 
3) How have you seen high school sailing evolve over the past 10-15 years?  The sport has simply evolved in absolute numbers.  Ocean County College and Toms River Yacht Club have made the growth possible with access and availability of their fleet of 420’s and facilities. Ten years ago, there were only 4 teams that routinely sailed and the NJ schools traveled to NY to sail in regattas.   Now there are typically 12-14 different NJISA high school teams that sail every week in Toms River, and there are two other venues now providing high school sailing for practices and regattas: Shrewsbury Yacht Club with Monmouth University’s fleet of boats and Raritan Bay with Summit High School and Perth Amboy High Schools’ fleet of boats.  
 
What are we doing well right now?  What makes the NJISA league work well are the weekday afternoon regattas.  We have the good fortune to have most teams within 30-45 minutes of Toms River, so we can get 2-3 hours of sailing completed in a Wednesday afternoon regatta.  This is in addition to another two days on the water practicing.   Likewise, there are teams close to Raritan Bay that can get together on Tuesdays to race in Perth Amboy. This provides more opportunities for NJ teams to compete than many other regions in our district and has contributed to growth of the sport in our locally. We also have several one and two-day weekend regattas in the league.  Some of these NJISA regattas are qualifiers to advance teams to the district championships, with regattas held at venues spanning from Norfolk, VA north to Rochester, NY.  Some of the district regattas then serve as qualifiers to advance to the national regattas.
 
What is the next step to making this sport even better? The upcoming challenge we face will be working on updating and replacing the existing, aging fleet of boats used for high school and college sailing in Toms River. A new fleet will provide more opportunities for the NJISA league to host future championship regattas at the district, and possibly national, level. Raising money for this large expenditure needs immediate planning. 

 
4) What made you want to donate so much of your time to High School Sailing? Art Bailey asked me 10 years ago if I could help him out with coaching the Toms River South team, and my involvement just grew from there.  I enjoy my time on the water and being part of the group of people providing the opportunity for these kids and teams to participate in this unique type of sailing. All of my kids benefited from the experience and this is my part of giving back.  The cooperative relationship we have among the NJISA League, it’s teams, the hosts and venues make it a rewarding experience.
 
Is it a volunteer run organization? Yes, administration of the NJISA League and MASSA District and ISSA is done by volunteers and we are very fortunate to have people at all levels dedicate their time and expertise to the sport.
 
5) Besides High School Sailing, what other kind of sailing are you involved in? I started sailing in a Toms River pram out of Ocean Gate Yacht Club, then as a teenager into my 20’s crewed on auxiliaries in Barnegat Bay and coastal ocean races. I spent a lot of time sailing with my good friend and professional mentor, Dr. Drew Seibert, as well as Fred Wiedeke and Terry Kempton over several years in J24’s J22’s and PHRF keelboats.  I have dabbled in Laser and M-scow sailing as an adult, but at this point in time prefer a casual sail with my friend David Morrow in his cat boat as well as getting up to Rhode Island each summer to sail with my friend Dante Gulino around the Watch Hill area and Block Island Sound aboard his classic 50' John Alden sloop.  When the river and bay freeze, I am always eager to get the DN out on the ice.


What are some other activities you like to do? I am blessed to be part of a great profession, so going to work each day is an “activity I like to do”.  I have enjoyed snow skiing my entire life and consider myself more a skier who sails, rather than a sailor who skies.  I enjoy most outdoor activities, photography, going on adventures with my kids and of course hanging out with my new sidekick Jetty, the rescue Catahoula puppy.

Opti Sailor Jamie Lynch wrote the following update on week 3 of the TRYC Spring Series

The third Sunday of the 2018 Spring Series brought all sailors on Toms River beautiful weather and finally, a spring feeling. The temperature was a warm 60-65 degrees with sun and barely a cloud in the sky, putting everyone in a good mood. A calm morning on the river gave way by race time to a steady breeze from the east that built throughout the day to 7-12 knots. For the nine sailors in the Optimist fleet who raced on a modified triangle course, consistency was the theme for the day. Griffin Lapham, getting a final warm up before heading to Team Trials this week in Florida, converted repeated great starts and fast sailing into six bullets and first places in both the Red and Overall Opti fleets. Robby Fontana was not far behind, finishing with five second places and a third, placing him first in Opti Blue and second overall. Harrison Hubbard's five third place finishes gave him third place overall. Elizabeth Actau also came in first place for the Opti White fleet. The five sailors in the Laser fleet completed six races as well, starting with a modified triangle before switching to a double windward-leeward to lengthen the course. Michael Pinto led the fleet, followed by Lauren Ehnot and Quinn Collins to complete the top three places. Thank you to PRO Max Achtau, Race Committee Members Alex Rogachenko and Everett Botwinick, Scorekeeper/Registration Manager Cindy Botwinick, and the parents who helped out on land and on the water. And a special thank you to the Toms River Yacht Club for hosting the Series at their club.

Opti Results

Laser Results

The 2018 TRYC Spring Series continued with a lot fewer sailors but no less fun!  The race committee consisted of Max Achtau, his daughter (Elizabeth), and Alex Rogachenko who intended to send off six races.  Due to growing winds, though, the race committee called the day after the third race. It was a 40 degree day and the wind was blowing 25-35 knots making for a lot of hard work.  Boats were being pushed to their limits.  For example, Ryan Enot's vang cleat ripped right out of his mast! A total of five boats ended up going out, four of whom ended up with similar points. The youngest sailor-my nine year old brother Cole Martin- started the first race which was good enough to win him 1st place in white fleet. Ben DeFonzo ended up winning the day with six points,  just overcoming Teddy Martin, Ryan Enot, and Everett Botwinick who all tied for second place with eight points. Teddy Martin was able to pull off the second place having a score of a 4,3,1 - a tie-breaker decided by the last first place of the day. Right behind him was Ryan Enot with the same score of a 1,4,3. Finally Everett Botwinick had a score of a 2,2,4, without a first place giving him fourth place. A big thank you to race committee for being out in such harsh conditions and getting the races off.  I would also like to thank the parents for being out there to help keep us safe and Toms River Yacht Club for welcoming the opti fleet and for generously providing us with somewhere to warm up.

A few tips that help on days of heavy wind sailing is being mentally and physically prepared in addition to making sure your boat is in top condition and equipped and rigged properly.  The sail ties, vang, and sprit should be very tight unless you are light and need to crack the sprit to depower. Also, if it is really windy you can pull your centerboard up 5-6 inches, and it will make your boat easier to hike. It is also important to have the proper gear to sail in the weather that you are dealing with so you can stay warm and avoid injury. A dry suit and a warm under layer are beneficial in this type of cold, windy weather. It is also helpful to get the Atlas lobster gloves that are waterproof and warm. When you are sailing in heavy wind, it is important to be physically prepared. You should be circuit training, running, and on the hiking bench as often as possible when off the water.  Finally, it is really important that you are mentally prepared and have a positive mindset. I know because I have experienced this myself when I was younger.  I can remember looking at the water and the enormous white caps and telling my dad that I didn't want to go out. However, if you turn those nerves into excitement and energy you'll get out on the water and you wont think about the waves or the amount of wind, you just do it.  Then, there is no better feeling than when you are coming in after a wild day of sailing in high winds and low temperatures and knowing you conquered it.

Opti Results

Sailor Spotlight:  Alex Rogachenko

Alex Rogachenko is a 32 year old member at Toms River Yacht Club.  His ubiquitous presence during the TRYC Spring and Fall series is noted and appreciated by all parents and sailors alike.  Quite frankly, Alex makes the series run.  He'll gather marks, keep time on the RC boat, inform sailors of the impending Skippers' Meeting and Awards, and walk through the boat park to make sure sailors are rigged and ready.  Alex has a positive attitude in everything he does, and his passion and energy are contagious.  Alex loves the sport of sailing, and he will do whatever he can to make sure that everyone else gets the same enjoyment from sailing as he does.

Name:  Alex Rogachenko
Age:  32
School Attended:  Mitchell College
Yacht Club:  Toms River Yacht Club

1) Alex, you are omnipresent at Toms River Yacht Club, always helping to run events.  We see you every year at the Spring and Fall series lending a hand.  What makes you want to give back to the sport of sailing and help as much as you do?  I give back to the sport of sailing because I developed a love for sailing growing up.  I want the younger sailors to also develop a love for sailing.   If I have a positive attitude about sailing, so will they.  I also want them to have the same opportunities I had when I was learning how to be a better sailor.  When you’re on the water life just makes sense.  You feel free.
 
2) Building on that, you also travel down to Miami in the winter to help at the Orange Bowl.  What do you do at the Orange Bowl every year to help with that regatta?  I help to launch and retrieve the Optis at Coral Reef Yacht Club.  I make sure the dollies are organized.  This is so the sailors can find them easier when they come in.  I also bring a positive attitude every day.  I make sure that the sailors have a safe and fun experience.  If they have fun, they may want to do Orange Bowl again. 
 
3) Your brother Kyle is one of the best sailors on Barnegat Bay.  What kind of boats does he sail and what do you think makes him a great sailor?  My brother has an E Scow and a Waszp.  Working hard and training makes him a good sailor.  Honing his skills by looking for the puffs and shifts helps make him a great sailor.  Also knowing how to read those shifts helped him become a good sailor.  He also fine-tuned his skills by competing against sailors from around the country and the world.  Observing other good sailors and their tactics helped him become a great sailor.
 
4) You've traveled a lot as a result of sailing.  What has been your favorite venue and why?  Lake Garda in Italy was my favorite venue.  I enjoyed watching my brother compete against sailors from other counties.  It was our first international regatta.  It was also my first trip to Italy.  It was the first time I saw a few hundred boats at one regatta. The first day, they had all the boats on one starting line.  Then they split up the fleet for the rest of the regatta.
 
5) Tell me about your other jobs that you do?  Where do you work and what do you get to do at those jobs?  I work for Morgan Engineering and the Lakewood Blue Claws.   At Morgan, I scan and index old files.   If we need to do an updated survey, we have a record of previous work done.  I also copy, seal, and package the surveys and other documents for the mail.  At the Blue Claws I work at concessions.  By having a positive attitude when I take the customers order, I ensure that they have a pleasant experience at the ballpark.  I also restock the products.

What a great first day of the TRYC Spring Series!  29 Optis and 6 Lasers braved the chillier temperatures to sail 6 races in a puffy/shifty Northerly breeze.

8th Grader Everett Botwinick wrote up the daily report below:

At the first installment of the Toms River Spring Series 2018, the sailors came back together after a winter of overseas and warm weather sailing to compete in a spectacular series of races. The race committee, composed of Clay Johnson, Declan Botwinick, Alex Rogachenko, and Max Achtau, rattled off six races at a blisteringly fast pace, which was a challenge in the 7-12 knot breeze. Lots of fun was had on the frigid water, and the incessant oscillations kept every sailor on his or her toes in their quest for the win. The coaches emphasized proper sail rigging on land and on the water and tactics when approaching the finish line; more specifically, not sailing parallel to the finish, as it can result in losing boats. Topping off the Laser Radial fleet were Lauren Ehnot in third place, David Manley in second, and Michael Pinto in the pole position. The top three finishers in the Optimist White Fleet were Drew DeFonzo, Cole Martin, and Christopher Small winning white. For the Blue Fleet, Teddy McKenzie, James Kopack, and Ian Lent emerged victorious. Finally, for the Red Fleet, Gabby Fontana, Everett Botwinick, and Ryan Ehnot rounded out the top three. Ryan clearly controlled the fleet for the day, as he had three bullets under his belt when the racing concluded. A special thank you to all the parents that assisted in getting all the sailors out for their first week back. And of course, this would never happen without the Toms River Yacht Club, which always provides a warm and welcoming home for Barnegat Bay sailors.

RESULTS

Opti Results

Laser Results

Sailor Spotlight:  Ben DeFonzo

Ben DeFonzo is a 14 year old Opti sailor from Pennsylvania who finds himself sailing on Barnegat Bay most weekends during the school year and every day during the summer.  What I love about Ben is that - despite being 14 - he has already sailed the boat for 6 years.  Ben started sailing young, but he loved it so much that he just wanted to be on the water with his friends.  He credits sailing in the off-season and chasing around the older kids as one reason for his success today, but the reality is this kid works so hard and spends as much time as possible in his boat.  More importantly, Ben comes from one of the nicest families in the sailing community, and it's impressive to see that friendly mentality both on and off the water.  Ben, and his younger twin siblings, are going to be sailors you will see at the top of the results sheet for many years!

Name:  Ben DeFonzo
Age:  14
School: Peirce Middle School, West Chester, PA
Yacht Club:  Toms River Yacht Club & Surf City Yacht Club
 
 
1) Ben, you've been sailing Optis on Barnegat Bay for many years now.  Tell me about your progression from Green Fleeter to where you are today.  What are some things you did to help get you where you are today?  I started sailing at Toms River Yacht Club 6 years ago when I was 8.  I sailed in the Opti C - Green Fleet my first year.  That year my group sailed in the Down Bay Interclub and some of the local regattas.  Immediately, I discovered my love for being on the water and racing.  The next year I moved right up to the race team at TRYC.  All of the members of the race team were at least two years older than I was but they really took me under their wing and taught me a lot.  Sailing on the race team with the older kids to chase, many of whom I’m still good friends with, definitely pushed me and improved my boat handling skills.  Another big step that allowed me to advance my skills was my participation in the Colie Sails Spring and Fall Series at a very young age.  The series was just starting back then and I remember at age 8 often being the youngest sailor and always finishing at the back of the fleet but at the same time building tons of confidence on the water.  I think that sailing with the older, more experienced kids and watching them really helped me build my skills.  Of course, coaching is hugely important and the summer instruction I’ve received from coaches like Amy Hawkins at TRYC, Clari Piran at SCYC and many others really allowed me to progress to where I am now.  For the last two years I’ve been sailing with Team LBI and there is no room for mistakes when sailing with that group!  
 
2) You've just returned from Holland for the Magic Marine Easter Regatta.  It's a huge accomplishment to represent your country at an international event like this.  Tell me about the regatta and how you did. The Magic Marine Easter Regatta was an entirely new challenge for me and a different level of competition than the normal USODA regattas I’m used to attending.  I went into this regatta with expectations of heavy wind based on what I had heard about sailing in the Netherlands.  I was looking forward to some heavy breeze like we typically get in NJ, but, unfortunately, the wind dropped off the second day and we almost lost a day of racing due to lack of wind.  The light conditions made racing a bit more challenging but the U.S. had a very good team and still performed well.  There were 15 of us from all over the United States -  Cape Cod to St. Petersburg to San Francisco and in between.  On the 4th day we split into Gold, Silver and Bronze fleets.  All of Team USA qualified for the Gold or Silver fleets.  I was fortunate to qualify for the Gold Fleet and ended up 57th out of just under 300 boats from around the world.  Our coaches, Eric Bardes and Sarah Newberry, were awesome to work with, and at the end of the regatta they told us we were one of the top performing U.S. teams that has sailed this regatta!
 
3) What is the appeal of going on international trips?  What are some of the cool perks to representing your country?  It was pretty amazing when we got there and started seeing teams from so many different countries showing up.  There were teams from 16 different countries.  Some of the larger teams were from the Netherlands, Great Britain, Belgium, Norway and Germany.  We met kids from all over, and everyone was so friendly.  We all made some lifelong friends there that we will see at different sailing events in the future.   We had some time as a team to see some of the Netherlands too which was cool.  One night we went on a canal tour in the town of Leiden, and we got to do some exploring in Amsterdam too.  Lake Braassemermeer, where we sailed, was a great venue and it was a great opportunity to learn more from being in a place with different wind shifts and tides.  Above all, the appeal is to sail for Team USA and represent the United States!
 
4) Last summer you came out a couple times to try out the Waszp.  What did you think of the boat?  Was it easy to get up and foil?  The Waszp has been one of my favorite boats to sail.  I was psyched when Molly and Carl Horrocks asked me to go out with them.  Once you got up foiling it felt amazing, but it was NOT easy to do.  It took me a while to get up on the foils and really get going but if you have the right wind you can really fly.  It takes some time to figure out the balance and technique needed to get up on foils but once you do it feels great. I spent most of the day trying to balance the boat or in the water trying to flip it back over but I’d jump at the chance to sail one again.
 
5) In the Opti class, it seems like getting off the starting line is really important.  Give me three of your best starting tips that apply to all different boats.  One thing I like to do 5 minutes before the start is go above the line and look for the puffs and the next breeze that is coming down the course. This helps me determine where I want to start and where I want to go after the start. Second, you need to be very aggressive. If you are not aggressive you will never be able to find a spot in the first row or even be able to hold your spot on the line. Third is to get good acceleration off the line. You need to have good speed off the line so that you can hold your lane after the start.

Sailor Spotlight:  Bub and Emma Kovacs

If you don't know who Bub and Emma Kovacs are, you should.  These two people have donated more hours, helped to run more regattas, and have done so much to support sailing in our area.  Ever sail a regatta at Brant Beach YC before?  There's a good chance that Emma helped you with registration and then rode her bike down to the main club house to serve you breakfast.  Bub, meanwhile, was likely riding through the boat park with his megaphone making announcements to sailors and getting everything ready for the day.  As Executive Directors of the Opti Class for many years, the Kovacs were instrumental in helping to revive the USODA and restore it to arguably the most successfully run one-design class in the country.  Now, Bub is the Vice-President of the Club 420 class.  The Kovacs love the sport and will do anything to give back and promote sailing.  Barnegat Bay is lucky to have such supportive and passionate sailors involved in our sport.

1) Bub and Emma, you guys are incredibly involved with running regattas at Brant Beach Yacht Club.  What makes Brant Beach one of the best regatta hosts not only in our area but also the country?  What regattas are on the calendar for this year?  Location, location, location. Brant Beach is blessed with seven blocks of bay-front property including three blocks of sand beaches for easy launch and recovery. We have had events with 300 boats. The race course is less than a half-mile from the club with little interference from boat traffic and the summer thermal creates great racing. The on-the-water and off-the-water teams are seasoned and used to hosting two or three major events each year. This year we will be doing the Club 420 Nationals early in July and the Laser Master’s Nationals in August.  Additionally, we'll be hosting a Junior Olympic festival, our Annual Opti Regatta, and an LBI Interclub.

2) Brant Beach is in the process of building a new sailing facility.  Can you give us some details on the project and a timeline?  How will this help the club?  After Sandy, the Club engaged in a series of listening sessions and a strategic planning process. After the repairs and replacement of docks, coach/committee boats and the club houses, a decision was made to advance a new Sailing Center to increase our hosting capabilities as well as be a center for our instructional programs. Essentially the project will double the size of the existing building, add a snack bar, locker rooms, a multipurpose room and rooms for juries and registration. We’ll have improved space for our Club management team, marine mechanic and maintenance staff. We have gone through an exhaustive review by Long Beach Township, DEP and the Army Corps. We now have permits, construction documents and have almost completed our fundraising efforts. We anticipate a construction starting right after Labor Day. We believe this project will improve services to members as well as our regatta guest.
 
3) A lot of sailors know you guys as being the Executive Directors of the USODA before Genoa Fedeszyn.  There is no doubt that you left the Opti class in a position as one of the best run One Design classes in the country.  What was that experience like?  What are some improvements to the USODA that happened under your watch?  We were glad to help the USODA transition to a 21^st century One Design class. We were at the cutting edge of setting up one of the first management systems that integrated membership, event registration and financial management, and we ensured quick payments to hosts while building the financial reserves of the class. During this time we helped with a redesign of Optinews and launching social media elements. The difficulty for all youth class is with turnover of sailors and board members and the need to do a bit of hand-holding with sailors and parents as they transition from local to national competition. We’ve tried to continue to give back to youth sailing by either being the Chairpersons of events, Race Management, and Bub continues to serve as Vice President of the Club 420 Class.

4) Most people don't know this, but your son Kyle Kovacs was a ROCK STAR sailor growing up.  Now he's becoming a real life doctor which means he has less time for sailing.  Give us a quick summary of Kyle's experiences and how it was being a parent through these experiences.  We give back to sailing because it was a central part of our family life for 15 years. Practice were every weekend all year around with Erik Johnson and Terry Kempton using ice flows as marks. Kyle started sailing Optis at Brant Beach and then joined the Toms River team who. at the time, included so many future National Champions and Collegiate Sailors. Kyle was a member of the Opti National team and later campaigned both Lasers and C420’s. In the year he won the US Sailing Double-handed Championship (Bemis) with Eric Reitinger, he was also the national Radial Grand Prix champ. He went on to win the US Sailing Single-handed Championship (Smythe) and later was a two time All-American and Captain of the Harvard Sailing Team. He’s married to Abigail Coplin who was a Yale All American and both a National and World sailing champion. Kyle is in the Bahamas right now for a month doing Retinal Surgery at an eye clinic. Its been difficult to find time to get on the water, but we hope gets out on a legendary Bahamian Sloop!

5) For the last couple of summers, the Brant Beach Sailing Foundation has maintained Raven, one of the famous Barnegat Bay A Cats.  Tell me about that project and what is going on with the boat.  We’ve always loved the A-Cats. They are a great boat to orient people to sailing, enjoy a leisurely sunset sail and of course for racing. The Raven project is being accomplished through a collaboration between the New Jersey Maritime Museum and the Brant Beach Sailing Foundation. John Coyle and Jim Vogel, who manage Ghost, have been instrumental in providing the groundwork for both the Raven and Ghost. We’ve been able to use Raven for the Wounded Veterans and Callahan Regatta at Bay Head YC. We’ve raced her Downbays and a few of the BBYRA events. We’ve also used Raven as a platform for at risk children and families. As important, we are helping to preserve an important part of Maritime history under the guidance of Tom Beaton and Paul Smith. We are now taking on the restoration of a Duck Boat in collaboration with the Hudson River Community Sailing Program.

Sailor Spotlight:  Zach Higham

Zach Higham is a 16 year sailor from Pine Beach, NJ.  Zach is a perfect example of someone we want sailing on the bay; he grew up sailing Optis at Pine Beach Yacht Club (the same club where his mom grew up), he loves sailing in high school and recruiting new teammates, he just bought an M-Scow to race in our BBYRA summer series, and he coaches the next group of sailors at the Island Heights YC.  When most 16 year olds get their Learner's Permit, they want to spend the day driving a car.  Not Zach.  He couldn't wait to get home and tune up his M-Scow.  Zach's love of the sport is exactly what makes him a life-time sailor.

Name:  Zach Higham
Age:  16
School: Toms River HS South
Yacht Club:  Pine Beach


1) Zach, give me a brief synopsis of your sailing career so far.  Where did you go to junior sailing program?  What boats have you sailed?  I started junior sailing program at age 5 at the Pine Beach Yacht Club.  When I began racing Opti more competitively I joined the Toms River Yacht Club Opti racing team and CERT.  This helped me advance my racing knowledge and tactics tremendously.  I had a pretty good Opti career placing 3rd overall in NJ Opti States in the Silver Division and winning the BBYRA Midget Championship. At the Mid-Atlantic Midget Finals I placed 2nd.  My High School Sailing career started in the fall of 2015 at Toms River HS South. Sailing in high school is a lot of fun and I enjoy competing with other local high school teams.  This past summer I began instructing at the Island Heights Yacht Club.  Some of my fellow instructors were sailing M Scows, and I started crewing.  At the end of the summer, on my 16th birthday, I bought my first M-Scow.  One month later I placed 3rd in the Eastern Championship. Sailing has become a very important part of my life, and I don’t know what I would do without it.
 
2) What is sailing at Pine Beach Yacht Club like?  You are one of the better sailors to come out of that club in a while, and I know your family is involved at the club.  Tell me about the culture and what makes Pine Beach YC so great. The Pine Beach Yacht Club is a wonderful club which has given me so many wonderful experiences.  My mom grew up sailing and later instructed at PBYC so it's been a part of our family.  The club has evolved in many ways, and I have witnessed many of the changes.  My father has been on the Executive board in many positions from the Treasurer to the Commodore during the 100th Anniversary, and he now serves as the Past Commodore.  Over the summer, I am continuously around the yacht club participating in many of these historic events.  Most summer mornings, I head down to the yacht club to hop on my whaler for my commute to work. Friday nights, I join in on a casual, yet competitive, Sunfish series.  On Sundays my family gets together, and we all sail on my dad’s Capri 25 in the PHRF series. Pine Beach Yacht Club is great because of its amazing environment where the members get involved and are invested in the junior sailors.  I have gained knowledge and experience through either sailing with them or just having a casual conversation at one of the social events.  Pine Beach is a family club where all the members know your name.  I am very proud to be part of such an amazing yacht club and cannot wait to hopefully bring home another Bay Flag as well as see the development of the future junior sailors.
 
3) You are one of the top sailors on the Toms River South sailing team (Go Indians!).  What's your high school sailing experience been like?  Pretend I'm an incoming freshman considering joining the South sailing team.  Give me your pitch!  I have been sailing in high school since my freshman year and have recently been named one of the two captains of our team at Toms River High School South. The transition in my freshman year from sailing a single handed boat like the Opti to a larger double handed boat like the 420 was a little difficult.  I started as a crew which was something I was not used to, but I am thankful to have such great coaches who helped me with the transition.  Towards the end of the fall of freshman year I began spending some time in the back of the boat.  Ever since joining the team back in the fall of 2015 we have qualified for our Silver Fleet Championship every season as well as one trip to the Gold Fleet Championship. I hope that in these coming years as a captain and our A fleet skipper I can help lead the team to another trip to the Gold Fleet Championship. Overall high school sailing has been extremely rewarding for me. I have met new friends from my school as well as others, and I have grown so much as a sailor because of this choice. I recently recruited two new freshman to join our team for this spring season, and so far they both really enjoy sailing. Sailing is unlike many other sports because it is a lifelong sport. At the end of the day high school sailing is very rewarding, and if you have the chance you should give it a try even if you know nothing about sailing.

4) This weekend was the first HS sailing regatta of the season, the Icebreaker Regatta at TRYC.  You sailed really well in very challenging conditions.  What was your strategy and how did you approach the regatta?  Going into the Icebreaker Regatta this past weekend my main focus was to get back to the basics of the fast-paced high school sailing races. With 15 boats on a large line and heavy wind, I focused on getting clean starts each race and keeping my boat as flat as possible. I also focused on sailing my own race the whole day and paying attention to my own boat instead of the other teams. On my very first race this spring season I put everything I have learned so far in high school racing together and was able to win the race. As the day continued the wind was building and the conditions worsened. Managing conditions with heavy wind and waves is difficult especially when sailing with a crew, but I am very proud of how well my crew, Paige Zelenak, and I worked together.  Paige helped me tremendously throughout the regatta.  As co captains we have realized the importance of teamwork.  I look forward to future regattas such as the Spring Fleet Championship, SUNY Maritime Invitational, and the NJ State Championship as well as the conditions that they bring.
 
5) Recently you bought an M Scow to sail on Barnegat Bay.  M Scows are very cool boats with a strong presence on the bay.  What made you decide to buy a boat like that and how do you like it so far?  Over this past summer, I was introduced to the M-Scow while crewing with a coworker at the Lavalette Sunday Series.  After crewing on multiple M-Scows I just knew that this was the boat for me. The overall shape and feel of the boat intrigued me. So my dad and I began to look around for my own boat. After talking to many sailors in the M-Scow community and meeting new people through the Lavalette Sunday Series I found out that Tom Welsch was interested in selling one of his three boats. One night after a long day of coaching at Duck Boat Worlds, my Dad and I met Mr. Welsch to look at the boat. The boat was in wonderful racing condition-- white with two sleek blue stripes down each side and the name Jammin’ on the stern. That night I bought my first M scow.  The next morning was my 16th birthday, and I went for my drivers permit.  After that, I spent the rest of the day sailing my M-Scow. I didn't even want to go drive in a car; all I wanted to do was sail my M-Scow.  Late in the summer I entered two weeks of BBYRA racing and then the M-Scow Eastern Championship in September. I had a great time racing that day and ended up finishing 3rd in the Eastern Championship. The M-Scow is a great double-handed racing boat on the Barnegat Bay which I truly love. I can’t wait to compete in my M-Scow next summer and for many years to come.

Sailor Spotlight:  Pilar Cundey

Sailor Spotlight:  Brooke Schmelz

Sailor Spotlight:  Michael Pinto

Sailor Spotlight:  Sarah Burn

5) What are your sailing plans for the next few months?  I know i420 Worlds are in Newport, RI, this year.  How will you gear up for those? 

Sailor Spotlight:  Jeff Bonanni

Jeff Bonanni is one of the best sailors on Barnegat Bay.  Jeff followed up a successful Opti career by winning a Laser Radial National Championship and 3 (count them, THREE) Laser Radial North American Championships!  He attended Boston College where he was an All-American skipper and A-division sailor for the Eagles.  In his post-college sailing career, Jeff has become one of the best E-Scow sailors in the US.  Lately, Jeff has been coaching a group of Club 420 sailors in the spring and fall, in addition to the Rumson-Fair Haven HS sailing team.  Jeff is known for his attention to detail and preparation before events, which he is trying to pass down to the next generation of BBYRA sailors.

Name: Jeff Bonanni

Age: 34

School attended: Boston College

Yacht Clubs: Toms River Yacht Club, New York Yacht Club

1) Jeff, you grew up as part of the 90s Opti group that put Toms River on the map.  Tell me how junior sailing was in the late 90s and how it compares to what you see today. 

The 90s was definitely the transitional period from the yacht club run programs to the regional teams that you see today.  With that came better coaching and the quality of the fleet as a whole rising. On the world stage, U.S. Opti sailors are performing a little better at the top end, but it's the middle of the U.S. fleet that is much more competitive today. For example, I think there are probably 25-35 sailors at a large national event that can win a race, which had not been the case until recently. 

At Toms River in the 90s, we were lucky to have a group of parents and a yacht club who were very supportive. Our two primary fall/spring coaches, Erik Johnson and Terry Kempton, were also parents, which is unthinkable today. Ultimately the success of the Toms River program was due to the fact that it was a no egos environment; we shared information, trained hard and competed to win. 

2) Lately you've been coaching club 420s in the spring and fall.  What are some things that our junior 420 sailors do well and what do they need to continue working on? 

The top 420 teams in the area all have crews who happen to be very good skippers, which results in better decision making and better boatspeed.  When the crew is in tune to how the boat feels, they can make a small adjustment in weight or jibsheet without the skipper having to call for it.

We're continuing to work on the technical aspects of the sport, the biggest of which is classifying the conditions on the water, such as wind harshness and wave height, and translating that to how we tune the boat. The Club 420 has many more variables than the Laser or Opti, so even if the wind might be 12 knots in a westerly and 12 knots in a seabreeze, the rig tune could be completely different.

The other is improving physical fitness, particularly strength-endurance.  The mainsheet and jibsheet loads on a Club 420 are very high, so being able to quickly and effectively trim the sails is incredibly important. For the skipper in big breeze, the mainsheet should never stop moving. If you want to climb up the standings quickly, improving physical fitness will get you there.

 

3) This weekend is the Club 420 Midwinters in Jensen Beach, FL.  You're traveling down to coach four top boats from the Barnegat Bay area.  As a coach, what do you do to prepare your sailors and what should your sailors do before a big regatta? 

First and foremost, I like to work with each team before the event to review strengths and weaknesses and set realistic goals. I view every regatta as a learning experience until we hit a peak event (for Opti sailors this would be Team Trials, for C420 and Laser sailors this would be North Americans). For the sailors, they should make sure their equipment is 100% race ready and feel relaxed knowing that all the hard work and training will serve them well.  Regatta performance is just an expression of the skills honed in practice.

4) You are one of the most cerebral, meticulous sailors out there.  There's no doubt that you put a lot of time into preparing your boat, tuning, and making sure everything works well.  Tell me about those characteristics and why you think they are so important. 

5) You are one of the best E-Scow sailors in the country, and you had arguably the most dominating performance at an E-Scow Nationals ever at Little Egg Harbor YC in 2015.  [Jeff had a 1-1-1-1-2-5].  What do you attribute this win to? 

Sailor Spotlight:  Teddy Martin

Teddy Martin is an impressive 13 year old!  Teddy is a rockstar around Lake Hopatcong; he moves boats around the yacht club with his tractor, is a coveted crew on E-Scows, and is one of their top junior sailors.  But over the past year Teddy has upped his game by traveling down to the shore to compete against better kids.  He has also travelled nationally attending any regatta his parents will take him to.  This summer he's even going to try his hand at steering an E-Scow in between Opti events!  Keep a look out for this up-and-coming sailor!

Name: Teddy Martin
Age: 13
Yacht Club: Lake Hopatcong & Surf City Yacht Club (Summer Opti Team)
Grade in school:  7th grade at Tewksbury Middle School

5. I have to ask.  At the E-Scow Easterns two years ago at Lake Hopatcong YC, you were the little kid that was driving a John Deere trailer moving everyone's boats to the hoist.  At first people were reluctant to let an 11 year old back their boat down the hill and to the hoist, but after you did it a couple times you really surprised and impressed a lot of people by weaving in and out and driving the tractor like a pro.  How did you learn to drive a tractor like that?!  I grew up on our family's farm, and I've been driving the farm equipment since I could reach the controls. When the yacht club needed a machine to move the trailers my dad offered my John Deere tractor but only under the condition that I would drive it. I was excited, I knew it wouldn't be a problem since I've worked with equipment my whole life.

Sailor Spotlight:  Brendan Hogan

Name: Brendan Hogan
Age: 29
Yacht Club: Shore Acres YC (is the place to be!)
Schools attended: Donovan Catholic, Ocean County College, Kean University

1) Brendan, give me a quick summary of your sailing background.  Where did you grow up sailing?  Did you sail in high school?  College?  etc.
I began sailing at the age of 7 in the Shore Acres Yacht Club Jr Sailing Program. At that age, I was not fond of sailing program by any means. In fact, I am pretty sure I had a belly ache that entire summer. However, my parents were persistent, and I continued in the program. By age 10 I was racing Optis, before advancing to Lasers. At age 15 I began sailing for a travel team - TS4LS - and this is where my passion really grew. I sailed for Monsignor Donovan in High School, and while there I was able to practice with some of the best sailors in the country. During my college career I attended many different universities; however I spent most of my time sailing for OCC and Kean. The OCC program was my primary enabler to continue the sport. Because of my time there I was exposed to A-Cats, Ensigns, and the venerable E-Scow, which I still race today.
 
 
2) You are the Commodore of the Shore Acres YC - pretty young compared to most Commodores.  For those who don't know, Shore Acres YC was hit pretty hard by Hurricane Sandy and is still rebuilding.  Can you tell me how the club is coming along?
Shore Acres was completely decimated by Super-Storm Sandy. I will never forget the day the water receded. I walked down to the club, and the only part that looked salvageable was the roof. That day led to 5 years of conducting club events from under a canvas tent. Today, thankfully, we are making great progress towards rebuilding the club. We currently have all of our siding, windows, and rough mechanicals in place. If everything goes according to plan we will be re-opening this May. This has been an incredibly difficult process that has been helped along by a great many people, and I hope they will all join me at the club when we are finished.
 
3) This winter has been very cold so far which has provided some great opportunities to ice-boat.  Have you been?  What's it been like?
This winter has been BRUTAL. One of the coldest I can remember (Especially when you are trying to build a new clubhouse!). The flip side of that coin, however is that we have been able to do a ton of ice-boating! I firmly believe that the most fun you can have during the winter is on an ice boat. I have owned a DN ice-boat for a couple of years, and this was the first opportunity I have had to use it. To be completely honest, the experience is surreal- gliding along the bay at 30+ knots with hardly a sound to be heard. It is one of the most fantastic out of body experiences one can have. This year we were blessed, in a sense, because Kettle Creek (by SAYC) froze solid for a good 1 month period. I believe out of that we were able to do 2 weekends of ice-boating. Ice-boating will certainly test your patience, but the reward far outweighs any of that- I can’t wait to get back on the ice again!
 
4) In the summer you sail with Kyle Rogachenko on his E-Scow, "Honk."  What is that like and can you tell me about the dynamics on that boat?
Sailing with Kyle is one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life. I have known Kyle since we were both racing Optis and Lasers; sailing has a way of providing enduring friendships. The crew is primarily made up of Kyle, AJ Bailey and myself. Sailing with Kyle and AJ has definitely elevated my own game. On paper, most people would think it is crazy to throw 3 lifetime skippers into one boat, especially two engineers and someone who may not be known for attention to detail [Editor's note:  Brendan is talking about himself]. The reality is that we all complement each other very well. Trust me when I say that is a full time job to keep two engineers from getting in their own head during a postponement.  Most importantly, this has also been the most fun I have had sailing since I was probably 15. We do not get down on each other; we only serve to pump each other up. This kind of positive environment has an impact on the race course, but it has an even greater impact once on shore. While we always want to win the race, we recognize that there are greater things in life than the race course- such as winning the party at Inlands. HONK!
 
5) You are one of the most approachable, inclusive, and easy-going guys I know, you've stepped up and helped out at Shore Acres Yacht Club, and you are always available to help promote sailing on Barnegat Bay.  What is it about sailing and Barnegat Bay that keeps you so involved?  What do you love most about our area?
I bleed Barnegat Bay. I have sailed on the Great Lakes, the Inland Lakes, the Finger Lakes, as well as up and down both coasts, and I can comfortably say that Barnegat Bay is simply the best. We have one of the most predictable and satisfying sailing breezes with our summer thermal. This creates some big waves to go along with the big breeze, which can be a lot of fun too. In the Spring and Fall we often benefit from strong west winds from weather fronts moving across the country, and you haven’t lived until you’ve sailed in a Jersey Nor’Easter. It’s very rare we lose a day of racing to no wind at all. Most important, to me, however, are the people. We would not have such a robust and well renowned sailing venue if it were not for the people who support the sport. This includes all the members of the area clubs, the BBYRA, and the Jr Sailing committees. I could probably give you a list of 1,000 people who have helped me out along the way, and I would still be forgetting someone- and that is what makes the difference.

Sailor Spotlight:  Leo Boucher

Above left:  Leo Sailing at the Lauderdale OCR.

Above right:  Leo and Laser Gold Medalist, Tom Burton.

Sailor Spotlight:  James Kopack

James Kopack is a 6th grade student at the St. Joseph's school in Toms River, NJ.  James has sailed Optimists for a few years now, and he is most known for his dedication and love of the sport.  It is not uncommon to see James practicing by himself after school or working on his Optimist.  James' positive attitude and desire to do ANYTHING that is sailing related are tell-tale signs that he is going to have a fantastic sailing career!

Last weekend, James sailed in the Optimist Team Racing Midwinters in Hilton Head, South Carolina.  We checked in with James to hear how the regatta went.

Name:  James Kopack
Age:  11
Year In School:  6th Grade
Yacht Club:  Mantoloking YC and Toms River YC

1) James, you just got back from the Team Racing Midwinters.  Tell me about the regatta and how you guys did.
The TR Midwinters was unlike any regatta I have ever done before; it was a whole different concept.  First of all, we all had our different teams.  I was on CERT Red.  The first day we got on the water and go the hang of things having not sailed for a while this winter, but we fought hard.  Sadly, we missed Gold fleet in a three-way tie!  We would have made it into Gold fleet but we (along with the other team Lakewood YC) all went to the wrong mark in one race and were penalized 24 points per sailor! 
Day 2 we were placed in Silver fleet and didn't do as well as we wanted, placing 7/11 in Silver.
Day 3 we went out confidently on the water to see who would get the 7th and 8th place spots in a knock-out round (best of 3).  We went up against Lauderdale 2.  My team and I fought hard and beat them 1-2-3 two times.  This time we won!  Even though we did not get into Gold, my team and I did an amazing job for our first time together.  All in all, it was a great experience!

2) What do you like about team racing and what do you like about fleet racing?
Team racing and fleet racing are both some of my favorite things to do, but I have to say I do like team racing a little bit better.  In team racing, you have a team to talk to and somewhat rely on if you're in a bad spot.  I also enjoy setting mark traps and helping my team fight for the winning combination.
On the other hand, in fleet racing you don't have to worry about messing up your team.  You don't have to worry about setting mark traps - all you have to do is sail your own race.
I like both team racing and fleet racing a lot, but I think I like team racing better!

3) POP QUIZ:  Opti Team Racing is 4 vs 4.  Your team is in a 1-2-7-8.  Are you winning or losing?
You're losing!  If you're in a tie, the team with the first place spot is losing.  Any combination with the 7-8 is losing.  The 1-2-7-8 is very easy to get out of though.  Just ask a teammate to set a mark trap and your team is winning!  [Editor's note:  James is 100% correct]

4) James, I have witnessed firsthand how hard you work in the off-season.  You started sailing after school by yourself, then with a friend, then with more friends.  Tell me why you do that and describe how it's turned into a popular activity.
First of all, I do this because I love sailing.  I would go sailing right now, but unfortunately the river is frozen!  Second, I do this because the best kids down south in Florida go out every day after school.  They basically can sail non-stop, and the only way we're going to catch them is by spending time on the water.  You might not know it, but every time you go sailing you get a little bit better.  Even if you just go out and do a dozen tacks and gybes, you will get  a little bit better.  I think this activity became popular because kids who live on the Toms River saw me sailing and wanted to go out too.  Then, my friends told their friends and it became sort of a trend!

5) What are your goals for 2018?
I have many goals for 2018.  My main goal is to qualify for Team Trials at the upcoming Valentine's Day Regatta.   My second goal, even though this isn't results driven, is to mast my tacks.  In the summer of 2017 I got SO much better at my tacks.  Now that my tacks are somewhat decent, I need to MASTER them.  My third goal is to work on my starts.  As some of you may know, I tend to be really good at getting Black Flagged!  This year I need to perfect my starts!

Sailor Spotlight:  Bella Grey

Bella Grey

Bella is an 11 year old 6th grader who sails for CERT and LEHYC.  She is part of the up-and-coming contingent of young Little Egg sailors who have really upped their games lately.  She and her LBI teammates have started practicing hard in the off-season, they're traveling to as many regattas as possible, and they are loving the sport.  Their time on the water is starting to pay dividends too as their results improve every time they sail.  LEHYC is going to have a power-house junior sailing program for many years to come!

Name:  Bella Grey
Age:  11 years old
Grade in School:  Sixth grade
Yacht Club:  Little Egg Harbor Yacht Club

Bella, you have travelled to a lot of regattas lately and have really made an effort to improve your sailing skills. Which regatta was your favorite and why?
I have two favorites. My first would probably be Nationals. It was my first big regatta since Orange Bowl 2016, and I had recovered from a concussion two weeks before. I also qualified for Team Trials, so I was super excited at the end. Also, I enjoyed spending time with my teammates and feel like we got to know each other better. ACCs was also great. The activities after sailing were awesome, and the zip-line was definitely the highlight of the regatta. The heavier wind on the second day was also enjoyable.

Tell me about your concussion last year and what you did while you were recovering.
Last year I got a concussion by falling on my head doing a back-bend. Honestly, it was awful. I also got whiplash from doing flips at a trampoline park, which added to my head pain. While I was recovering, all I did was sleep and eat for the first week. After I got a little better, I learned how to bake. So many batches of brownies and cookies were made (and eaten) during my recovery.

What’s something you do really well in the boat?
Something I do well in the boat is sailing downwind. I plan ahead and know if I should jibe or keep going at the weather mark.  I am also good at mark roundings, and I pass boats while rounding marks.

What’s a short term goal or something you want to improve on?
One thing I want to improve on is starts. I am usually on the favored side and have a good hole, then I lose it at 20 seconds. My goal is to get consistent front row starts and not lose my hole.

What’s your favorite drill on the water?
My favorite drill is probably rabbit starts. Strangely enough, I used to despise them. I finally got good at rolling my boat to get speed off my rounding. It's fun to see if I can pass the boat that rounded before me and to try my best not to get passed.

Sailor Spotlight

Sarah Moeder

The Toms River Yacht Club Fall Series came to an anti-climactic end Sunday, as rain and big breeze kept the sailors on shore.  Despite marginal conditions early on, the forecast was for increasing wind and rain as the day went on; it was a safe call to end the series.

Congratulations to our winners in both the Laser Radial and Opti fleets!  Consistency over the course of a four week period is needed to come out on top, and both Teddy Martin (Optis) and Tyler Mowry (Laser Radials) did just that!

Thank you so much to our helpers.  Cindy Botwinick and Amy DeFronzo graciously did the scoring and registration.  Mike Dowd, Brian Hull, and a collection of other parents donated their time to run the racing.  None of this could be possible without Alex Rogachenko who keeps things moving smoothly and happening on schedule.  There are many others who have contributed in some way, and this truly is a team effort.  THANK YOU!

We are indebted to Toms River Yacht Club for their continued support of Junior Sailing and the use of their facilities.  TRYC generously welcomes us each fall and spring, and we are so lucky to sail there.  A quick note from your sailor thanking the yacht club with an annecdote about your experience or what you learned this fall would go a long way to showing our appreciation!

See you in the Spring!

Final Opti Results