Crew Comments from Friday

"Having practiced only one day together as a team before leading into this event, I think we did remarkably well. The first two races we had beautiful starts with clear lanes, allowing us to round the 1st mark in the top 12 or 14 boats. While some of our mechanics are a bit off the pace, overall we seem to be gelling together as a team very well, and I think are poised to have some stellar finishes.
Our straight line speed felt solid and we have proven we are capable of smooth maneuvers at all corners of the race course, we just need a little more ironing out in some areas and we will be on our way. We are stoked to be here and to be apart of such an amazing test of skill.
The competition on the race course is almost unfathomable it is so intense. From the gun to the finish of each race it is a non stop battle on every inch of the race course."
Chris Branning, Helmsman

Nimbus Blue in 29th Place After 3 Races

Great work for our sailors today- right up there with the fleet and looking competitive despite the lack of training time- the rest of the competitors have been sailing with the same team for years, and have been practicing for weeks while our Midshipmen have been hitting the books- or at sea for 6 months in the case of the Helmsman M/N Chris Branning. Here is a bit of what he was doing at sea; a big switch from driving a grand prix race boat in a world championship regatta-


Welded on the aft side of the engine stack is a swing. It's a nice swing, despite it's painted a dull red and the wood is starting to splinter. I couldn't imagine a worse place to have a swing, as the engine stack is constantly blowing some sort of exhaust, whether the main engine is running or not. Soot and embers float down from the black giant peppering the deck with carbon specks. The fuel burned is not exactly what you would call low emissions, and the sulfur concentration is high enough to make your eyes burn. On top of burning 40 tons of fuel a day, it's also loud as hell. But other than that, it's got a great view. The boson asked me to stand on the swing and begin chipping its top bracket.

Since the engine room smoke stack is directly behind the house rising well past the O-3 deck, it creates a vortex of funneled wind. As the rust chips became more and more they started swirling about like a brown tornado that would simply not go away. As the tiny particles flew everywhere, into my socks, hair, gloves, mask, goggles, and somehow my underwear it started hailing. I was standing on a swing gripping with one hand to its rusty chain for dear life while trying to chip rust with the other, all in a 60 knot hail storm. The swing was doing what swings do, swinging back and forth beneath my feet unpredictably which all things aside, would, actually make for a pretty good core workout. We had now started to get our ass kicked so hard by the seas that when really big waves came they would push the ship backwards and the stern deck would actually dig into the water. As if the conditions couldn't get any gnarlier the winds were so strong they blew an ABs protective eye glasses straight off his face. I don't remember reading about any of this in the brochure.

Day One Update Nimbus Blue in 27th Place after 2 Races

The fleet lined up for the start of race 2 - Cindy Saunders photo

After an impressive 20th place finish in Race 2 Nimbus Blue has moved up to 27th in the Pre-Worlds Regatta. Race three has started.

Results

Day One of the Pre-Worlds Regatta

The first day of racing in the warm-up regatta for the World Championship is starting out as just that for our Kings Point sailors. Midway through the race they were up in the middle of the fleet in 26th, but finished 33- this is the first time this group has raced together as a team so we hope for some improvement throughout the Pre-Worlds Regatta.

Results

Play-by-Play

Thursday-Practice Day in Miami

Thursday was practice day on the Atlantic off Miami Beach, but practice for Farr 40's is not just an afternoon out working on boat speed and crew work; a practice race course is set up, and 20 boats lined up for short, intense races. According to M/N Chris Branning, helmsman aboard Nimbus Blue- "We sailed right into the mix of it, wasting no time- the boat has speed."

Team Arrives in Miami- Words from Coach Kitty

After weeks of preperation for missed classes and make-up tests our team has made it to Miami and will start racing tomorrow in the Farr 40 Pre-Worlds warm up regatta. The team is excited, and started off the trip with some wise words from team member Kitty Segert, who will not be sailing with the team this week-

Farr40 Team—

As you head down to Miami today, I hope you have safe travels. Good luck down there at Worlds and give it all you’ve got!!! Remember all the tips that you’ve accumulated, even the one about playing with the vang downwind.

The day in Ft. Lauderdale when we met with Tony Rey and went sailing with him, remember his pointers. It’s all about teamwork and helping each other out to make each job that much more efficient. Take a few minutes when you get down there and have the whole crew together to set some goals of what you want to achieve. Like Tony said it could be how you’d like to finish overall, or what boats you want to be ahead of, or if you want to get x number of finishes in the top x number of boats.

I know this probably sounds like a cheesy pep talk/lecture...but just want to wish you the best of luck!!!

Have fun and sail fast!! Good Luck!!

-Kitty

Check back for frequent updates from the team.

And check the official Regatta Website for other news.

Farr 40 Team Looks Ready for Miami

The team has been out practicing on the Sound for the last two weeks, and yesterday, in 35 knot winds practiced with storm sails to prepare to teach at the Safety At Sea Seminar to be held this weekend at Kings Point. I'm sure they are ready for the warm waters of Miami!

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.