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.

Preparing in Ft. Lauderdale

After an 18 hour ride in a Suburban, 4 of our sailors met up with Jeff Miller '04 to help put the finishing touches on the finely prepped Nimbus Blue. The rest of the team arrives today and tomorrow will be the first practice day to get out the winter cob-webs, and get things ready for the start of racing on Thursday. Stay tuned for more details and stories from the week.

Pictures- Nimbus Blue in the water, Justin Henigan up the rig, and Brian Giorgio and John Cavenaugh setting up the wind instrument.

USMMA Acura Grand Prix Team Schedule

01 March-
0900-1700 Meet at Riverbend boatyard, boat prep and practice

02 March-
0900-1530 Practice boat at Pier 66
Team Dinner Sponsored by the Segerts

03 March-
0900-1530 Practice
1700 Blue and Gray Alumni Dinner

04 March-
0900-1700 Practice sail boat to Miami

05 March-
0900-1600 Crew weigh-in and practice
1700 Skippers Meeting

06 March-First day of Racing
0830 - Harbor Start
1600-1730 Post Race Social

07 March
0830- Harbor Start
1600-1730 Post Race Social
1800-2000 Owners Reception

08 March-
0830 - Harbor Start
1600-1730 Post Race Social

09 March
0830- Harbor Start
1530-1730 Awards

USMMA Farr 40 Sailor Profile- Andrew Conroy

Name: Andrew Conroy
Year: Freshman
Homeport: Fort Worth, TX
Position: Crew
Started Sailing: Indoc 2007
Favorite Race: Intercollegiate Offshore Regatta
Favorite Boat: Farr 40
Best Day Sailing: I think my best day of sailing was during the second day of the IOR. Starting the day of with an impromptu underwater hull cleaning ten minutes before the start of the first race in the middle of the LI sound was fun. The day finished great as we cruised past the rest of the fleet in the only breeze around only to hear the horn blow ending the race seconds before we reached the finish line.
Career Plans: Work in the Merchant Marine.

Getting Ready for the Miami Grand Prix Regatta

Some of the team are taking finals, and some are finishing up their sea year, but all are looking forward to a week of sailing in South Florida next week. I'll be driving down good old I-95 with four of the 1st classmen on the team on Wednesday afternoon- a few are flying in, and some making their way from ships in Texas. There will be a full schedule of boat prep, practice sailing, and team and alumni functions leading up to the regatta. The entry list is up to 29 boats with many of the top sailors in the world competing in the Farr 40 class. Check this site for daily updates on the sailing!

USMMA Farr 40 Sailor Profile- Evan Denholm

Name: Evan Denholm

Year: Senior

Homeport: Atco, NJ

Position: Pitman

Started Sailing: Fall 2004

Favorite Race: Newport to Bermuda

Favorite Boat to Sail: Hercules Frers ILC 80

Best Day Sailing: Last (windy!) day of Farr 40 Pre-Worlds 2006

Career Plans: Licensed Engineer aboar Offshore Supply Vessels

USMMA Farr 40 Sailor Profile- Kitty Segert

Name: Kitty Segert
AKA: Mom
Year: Senior
Homeport: Merritt Island, FL
Position: Trimmer
Started Sailing: May 2004
Favorite Race: Intercollegiate Offshore Regatta. It is a great weekend to race against other college sailors, the boat donors are enthusiastic and if it wasn’t for them and their support, we wouldn’t be there.
Favorite Boat to Sail: Farr 40
Best Day Sailing: Probably the first time I went sailing four years ago. It was back home on the Indian River doing a buoy race on a Hunter 27.5. I was the youngest on the boat by about 20 years and the least experienced. Being on the boat learning how to sail and compete was the best feeling and I fell in love with the sport.
Career Plans: Ship out as a 3rd Mate

USMMA Farr 40 Sailor Profile- Ben Reavis

Name: Ben Reavis

Year: Freshman

Homeport: Booneville, NC

Position: Mastman

Started Sailing: During USMMA Indoc 2007

Favorite Race: Storm Trysail Intercollegiate Offshore Regatta. Not because there was a more even playing field, but because most of the time the people that we race in the Long Island Sound are older. It was nice to know that there are people our age in the sport, other than us.

Favorite Boat to Sail: Farr 40

Best Day Sailing: My favorite day of racing was probably one of the worst days to be out. It was cold the wind was blowing a extraordinary(for me) 20 knots and we only had 7 people to crew a Farr 40. So many things broke, and it was only made worse that it was our bowman’s 3rd or 4th race. First the down stay broke then all of a sudden the jib sheet’s clasp sheared less than a foot from me. After that I had to tie and untie bowlines every time we made a rounding. At the time it was miserable but looking back it was exhilarating.

Career Plans: Hope to sail on tugs in Charleston.

USMMA Farr 40 Sailor Profiles- Justin Henigan

Name: Justin Henigan
Year: Senior
Homeport: Dingmans Ferry, PA
Position: Bowman
Started Sailing: During USMMA Indoc 2004
Favorite Race: Block Island Race Week- Around the Island Race
Favorite Boat to Sail: Alchemy, Andrews 77
Best Day Sailing: 7th Place finish at 2006 Farr 40 Worlds
Career Plans: Ship out as a 3rd Engineer

USMMA Farr 40 Sailor Profile- Chris Branning

Name: Chris Branning
Year: Junior
Homeport: Sarasota, FL
Position: Helmsman
Started Sailing: 14 years ago
Favorite Race: Trans-Pac
Favorite Boat to Sail: TP 52
Career Plans: Fly for the Air National Guard
Best Day Sailing: Its hard to pick what was my best day of sailing was, but if I had to pick
one it was our last day of training in Hawaii on Morning Light. We rounded Diamond Head Buoy to starboard and set an A3, which was a masthead kite. The trades were absolutely howling that day, and on a 20 minute strip chart we logged an average of 32 knots of wind and boat speed of 20 knots. The swell and waves were incredibly steep that day, more than usual, which resulted in us taking green water all the way back to the pedestals.
I was trimming spinnaker that afternoon and after we set I immediately trimmed the kite as the bands broke and the kite snapped full. As I shifted from the leeward rail to the weather rail the boat picked up speed and right as I sat down I was knocked back into the cockpit. This happened once more; luckily I never dropped the sheet and it was a huge testament to our grinders who really kept the kite full while I was underwater. Finally I wised up and wrapped my left arm around the lifeline stanchion and trimmed with my right arm. I continued duck-diving waves while being more than 25 feet from the bow the entire time we were on port. I have since done nothing quite as wild as those 20 minutes of sailing.

USMMA Farr 40 Sailor Profiles- Brian Giorgio

Name: Brian Giorgio

AKA: Gibroni

Year: Senior

Homeport: East Northport, NY

Position: Mainsail Trimmer

Started Sailing: During USMMA Indoc 2004

Favorite Race: One-design buoy racing

Favorite Boat to Sail: Alchemy, Andrews 77

Best Day Sailing: 7th Place finish at 2006 Farr 40 Worlds

Career Plans: Sail as a 3rd Assistant Engineer for the Military Sealift Command

Introduction to the Farr 40

The Farr 40, designed by naval architect Bruce Farr debuted in 1997 and has continued in growth as the premier offshore one-design class. The boat is fast and fun to sail, yet technical enoughto test the best sailors in the world. The class will often draw nearly 40 boats from around the world for a class world championship. The boat is crewed by either 9 or 10 sailors, limited by a crew weight maximum. The sailors each must work at thier different roles, but as a team to complete the intricate manuevers necessary to sail the boat around the course- and try to stay ahead of the other boats. Prominent owners in the class include some of the most prominent sailors and business personalities in the world, including;

• Ernesto Bertarelli- CEO Serono- Biotech, Head of Alinghi America’s Cup Team


• Philippe Kahn- Founder of Borland Software


• George Andreadis- International Shipping / Banking


• Hasso Plattner-Founder of SAP SG - Software


• H.M. King Herald of Norway


• Lang Walker- Chairman Walker Corporation- International Development


• John Thomson- Thomson Industries


• Takashi Okura- Director Barclay’s Bank Japan

Our Kings Point Sailors are ready to step up and compete in April.