Regatta Comments from our Sailors

From Justin Heningan KP 2008-

Having competed in a few major Farr 40 events prior to the Miami Grand Prix I knew what our team was attempting sailing out on the race course with the world’s best. Initially practicing in medium breeze it was obvious to everyone that we had a lot of learning to do with the new masthead spinnaker, and the exceptionally lumpy Miami waters. After having practice days with Ralf and Chris, Tony Rey, and Billy Liberty the team had the skills necessary to get around the buoys. The racing was intense and exhausting. The spinnaker proved to be more than we were ready for on Friday morning but we had the boat screaming down wind by Saturday. As will all major Farr 40 events one of the things I find most exciting is who we get to sail against. The Farr 40 class being composed of Olympians, America’s Cup champions, royalty, and people from all over the world, is always interesting and highly competitive. Overall, major events such as this one are an excellent experience and something I always love sailing in.

From Brian Giorgio KP 2008-

Sailing in Miami was nothing short of amazing. It was a dream to get away from the cold winter in New York and head down south for some awesome competition. The Farr 40 fleet was as sharp as ever, making it look easy sailing in the big breeze and swells. It was the first time we had ever sailed with the mast head spinnakers and it defiantly took a little getting used to. None of us did any sailing over the winter so it took a few days to work out some of the cobwebs. The conditions we saw in Miami were a lot different then what we are used to and I feel the team did an outstanding job adjusting.

Nimbus Blue Finishes 27th In Tough Fleet and Tough Conditions

Nimbus Blue on the right side of the picture threading through traffic in big wind and seas.

Great job to our team finishing 9 races in tough conditions that sidelined several teams. Here are the final results, and look to see some first hand accounts of the racing next week.

Final Results

Day 3 Video

Wild Ride for Nimbus Blue

Fridays big winds challenged all of the teams, and Nimbus Blue, above went for a wild ride with the new masthead spinnakers. They finished every race, and in big breeze again on Saturday finished the three races with a 25, 21 and 27.

Check out yesterdays awesome video from Gary Jobson!

On the water updates from Andrew Conroy KP 2011

Andrew Conroy is in Miami as an Alternate, and has been helping out the Race Committee. Here is his report-

Day1
The weather started out cloudy and overcast with light winds causing a delay in sailing until around 1300. Later, the wind picked up to about 6+kts to start the races. There were 2 races. Race one was lengthened. We ended up 25/28 overall. I was very busy on the pin boat on the starting line “scribing” so I did not get a chance to look around much but here are my pictures. You can see Ralph’s boat in a few. Just sift through them and use the ones you want. Also, the instruments were out all of day1 so considering the circumstances, I don’t think it ended up too bad. I am having a few problems with my email but I am working on it. I should have more photos soon.

Day 2
The wind picked up and was gusting to 24. The waves started out heavy in the morning and calmed down to a more swelling motion in the afternoon. With the winds, Nimbus broached past 90deg. I did not see it but they believe that the keel was definitely exposed. Nothing on the boat ended up breaking today except a block on the mast that raises the inner end of the pole and the stanchion for the wind instruments on the mast. It broke and then fell off later. Several boats left the race early. One boat lost its steering. Numbers left after the first race because of problems. Several boats had rig problems. I did not get a chance to see the results of the 3 races today. The team was pretty worn out today. Tomorrow should be more promising.
V/R
Plebe Conroy

Official Report

Day Two at the Miami Grand Prix

Farr 40 Start- Sharon Green Photography

Yesterday the team sailed well and was right in the pack. Nimbus Blue is in 25th place, ahead of three boats in an amazing fleet. Today is sunny and breezy in Miami and the race committee is planning on running three races today.

Race 1 Results

Race 2 Results

Check out the great video reports from Gary Jobson!

First Race Results

No details yet, but Nimbus Blue finished 26th of 28 in the first race of the Miami Grand Prix. This is an incredibly deep fleet, and today was very light wind- lets see how race two goes.

Results

Final Day of Practice, Racing Starts Tomorrow

What many people don’t understand about sailing is the amount of prep work that goes into getting one of these high-tech racing machines on the water and up to speed. Just as in auto racing what wins or loses the race often happens in the garage. For a Farr 40 racing yacht there is about 5 hours of prep work for every hour spent practicing or racing. Prep on Nimbus Blue started three weeks ago, with Jeff Miller KP ’04 removing the keel and loading the boat onto a trailer in Newport, RI. Once the boat made it to Florida it had to be unloaded, the keel put back on, the bottom re-faired, the boat cleaned and waxed, the mast assembled and rigged, all new running rigging spliced, sails sorted, electronics installed, and on and on, up to today, the last day before the regatta. Today’s jobs included putting on sponsor decals and bow numbers, installing a new compass, and tuning the rig. The rigging must be adjusted for the anticipated wind, and often changed between races. 1/100th of a knot of boat speed can make the difference between 1st and 20th in this fleet, so everything must be perfect. Tomorrow’s racing starts at 1000, and Nimbus Blue will be on the line and ready.

Losing Weight and Sailing to Miami

Last night the team was 40 pounds over the weight limit for the Farr 40. The task looked impossible, but under the training of wrestlers Ben Reavis and Andrew Conroy, the team took a run in foul weather gear, sailed hard all day to Miami, and weighed in 10 pounds under- but as you can see in the picture it took its toll. After a ton of burgers and nachos they looked better! Tomorrow is another practice day. Racing starts on Thursday.

Coaching Day with Americas Cup Tactician Tony Rey

Today on the the water we had a coaching day with Tony Rey- Tactician for several America's Cup Campaigns, and Olympic 470 Coach. This evening the team is heading to an Alumni Dinner.

USMMA Farr 40 Sailor Profile- Phil Ientile

Name: Phil Ientile
Year: Sophomore

Homeport: Charlottesville, VA
Position: Trimmer

Started Sailing: Indoc 2006
Favorite Race: Block Island Race Week

Favorite Boat to Sail: Alchemy Andrews 77

Best Day Sailing: Block Island Race Week- we were in 1st place by about a mile and the bowman forgot to clip in one of the clews on the spinnaker. Jeremiah was jumping up and down like a mad man. And we watched every boat creep up behind us.

Dinner with Alumni and Family

The Kings Point Offshore Team would like to thank South Florida Alumni President Jack Mylott, Treasurer Ralph Tansey, the Segerts, and Mr. Craig Johnson of Faststream Recruiting for hosting a team dinner tonight on the deck of the 15th St. Fisheries Restaurant in Ft. Lauderdale.

Sunday Practice- Working on Boathandling

Sunday was a great day 0n the water for our sailors. More breeze and tough day of workouts brought to light some areas to work on, but things look good. Tonight a dinner sponsored by KP Alumni and Kitty Segerts parents and another day on the water tomorrow.

First Miami Practice Day-

It was a beautiful day of sailing off Ft. Lauderdale as the Kings Point Offshore Team broke out of the winter off season with a bang. After a day of boat work and a long trip throught the winding New River (with lots of drawbridges and traffic) the team got out into the Atlantic for a great day of sailing. As Brian Giorgio said at the end of the day while cleaning the boat and prepping for tomorrow at the Pier 66 Marina- "Look at this place- we shouldn't be here as a bunch of college kids." Well, college kids or great sailors prepping for a world class sailing event, they performed great today, and the practice bodes well for the week. Tomorrow will be a full practice day on the water, working on boat handling and manuevering.