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Buccaneer Sails
On Scuttlebutt June 27: Solomons Island, MD (June 25, 2010) - Spira/Martinelli Three-peat! The 40th Buccaneer 18 North American Championship (BNAC) was won by David Spira (CO) and crew Dennis Martinelli (AZ). It was their 3rd in a row together and Spira's 6th overall. It took only a 6th in the final race to give the pair a 2-point victory over local sailors Jeff Moore and Shawn Stanley and the rest of the 33 boat fleet that raced 12 races over 4 days on the Pautuxent River in Southern Maryland. From David Spira We did it! 12 races, 4 days, 100 degrees, 33 boats, 1 winner! Thanks to all the competitors - my teammate Dennis Martinelli - Southern Maryland Sailing Association - Congrats Jeff Moore, Ryan and Jen Flack, Ed Montano for the awesome racing. Every year has been close and the competition level in the Buccaneer class has contiuously improved. Last year we were only a few points apart from 2007 champ Jim Daus and Sue Swisher as well as 8 times winners Greg and Duane Cole. This year - 2 time champs Ryan and Jen were pushing us very hard and won three races as were Jeff Moore and Shawn Stanley on their 2002 Cardinal/ These guys were unknown to us and very familiar with the local conditions & they were scary fast downwind! Ed Montano and his crew from Kenosha were incredibly consistent and fast as well. It was not easy! David regarding the North Sails vs. the Competition. Our sails were the standard North Dacron main and the Mylar jib. The same set as we used in San Diego last year that we put away in storage after the regatta and did not use until the 2010 BNAC. This year we had competition from experimental mylar mains made by Schurr (on the 8th place boat) and Quantum (on the 3rd place boat). These sails performed nearly as well as the dacron main sails but it appeared that they were not very adjustable especially in very light air. In heavier wind they the draft could be moved with cunningham but the adjustment was very particular and too much would add too much mast bent. The mylar mains are also very quiet and do not indicate with a sound when more trim is needed downwind. Buccaneer Sails
This BNAC was a huge success for the class, bringing together 26 boats on the west coast - the first time BNAC has been held west of Colorado, and was a great accomplishment for the regatta organizer Emory Heisler and his incredible group of supporters from the Arizona Yacht Club and our host, the Mission Bay Yacht Club of San Diego. The racing on Mission Bay was like racing in a goldfish bowl with the shoreline, houses, condos, walkers, bikers and rollerbladers all around and a tricky point intruding in the upper left of the race course. The conditions and the racing were tight with the wind coming down from the NW corner of the bay and the start/finish line just off the beach on the opposite shore about ¾ mile distance. With races often 6 legs and taking just over half an hour and quickly oscillating shifts there was a premium on good tacks and tacking often to stay in phase and in clean air. The Race committee included a short offset leg from the windward mark allowing for competitive sets and gybe sets and the bottom of the windward leeward courses was a gate with boats having the option to go to the right or left mark. With 16 races scheduled that was going to be a lot of tacking! Our plan was to start at the favored end and protect the right side as the wind seemed to be clocking in that direction. The three former champions, Duane and Greg Cole (8 time winners) aboard the Mandy Lu (an '85 Gloucester), Jim Daus and Sue Swisher (2007) on Quack, Quack (2004 Nickels) and my boat Euphoria with Dennis Martinelli up front popped out in front off the very first start. The Coles were just to leeward and Daus to windward. When Daus tacked away we decided to stick with the 8 time champions because they were relatively unknown to us and because of their amazing record. This gave Quack Quack a good chance which they took to a race win. In the next race we put a tight cover on Jim and Sue and won the race; and so it went back and forth for four days like a couple of middleweight boxers! The one left standing at the end would be the victor. A few poor decisions by myself and great sailing on the Daus boat on day 2 left us tied but we made up for it on day 3 giving us a small lead plus a cushion of several points with our discards. We used this points cushion strategically on the final day by leading Jim and Sue in a tacking duel in order to force them to spend their throw-outs which were more than ours. With some good luck and quick sailing we managed to win the first race too. So in the next race all we needed to do was be ahead at the finish which we did. The 3rd race was for insurance and even though we were behind Jim and Sue after the start we tacked and they covered nearly every time deep into the fleet giving them a 6th and allowing us to skip the final race having won the regatta and put some extra points between us! Our boat is a stock 2006 Nickels with an exceptionally clean and smooth bottom. The boat was prepared well last year and I left it without making any changes. I had new North sails, the standard heavier mylar jib and with the rig set-up following the North Sails tuning guide exactly and with about 325 lbs of rig tension when the wind strength peaked at around 13 mph. In less wind the tension was 250-300. Dennis and I saved our energy by not coming out to the race course until about 20 minutes prior to the first start and relaxing as much as possible when not racing. Our communication was great and the few issues we did have were with line management and counting laps around the course. With four races a day and so many turns around the course getting these things right most of the time made a big difference so we were glad that our mistakes were few and the lucky breaks were timely! Good competitive starts were key and our good fortune was that in the race where we put up the worst start we ended 4th . The final results put Dennis and myself aboard Euphoria in 1st place. Jim Daus and Sue Swisher 2nd, Greg and Duane Cole 3rd and Tony Chapman and Chris aboard #5231 Lazy Bones in 4th. All these teams except the Coles had Norths. With the weather picture perfect and wind strength growing a little each day and shifting further right as well, this was a regatta like no other, sailing in the MBYC's ideal universe for a week was a dream come true! Thanks again for the hospitality of the yacht club, the professional race committee lead by PRO Andrea and to all the other Bucc racing teams who came all the way West and gave it all out on the Bay! Special thanks to Dennis for sailing with me and making it through all the tight situations while keeping his cool and smarts! For complete information on our Bucanner sails, contact the North Buccaneer experts.
Buccaneer Sails
2008 Buccaneer North Americans
Buccaneer North Americans (BNAC) May 23-26, 2008 Daves Take First and Second Place – North Winners at Buccaneer 18 Championships
Lake Hartwell, SC May 26, 2008 North customers, David Spira of Denver, Colorado with crew Dennis Martinelli of Phoenix, Arizona and Dave Chadwick with crew Brian van Nostrand of Huntsville, Alabama earned 1st and 2nd in the four day regatta which saw 12 races in light to moderate conditions. Ryan and Jennifer Flack from Beach Park IL took 3rd. 4th place went to local sailor and regatta organizer Justin Hull and crew Patrick Kopp who flew a North jib. Rick Scarborough and Jim Binnings of Birmingham Alabama were fifth. Skipper Emory Heisler and crew Dave Rawstrom of Phoenix, Arizona bested the B fleet with all North sails. The racing between the two Daves was incredibly tight with four 1-2 finishes between the two teams; each had six wins over the other! Spira and Martinelli clinched the championship with a win in the next to last race but Dave and Brian were right there with a 3rd place. After two throwouts there were only four points separating the Daves! Downwind finishes a-la the Americas Cup made it all the more exciting with inches separating the boats and last minute dramatic come from behind duels. In a regatta where the weather was dealing out light and flukey conditions and a Memorial Day weekend full of motor boat wakes, gear changing was at a premium and the Norths seemed to respond easily to the different modes. We kept the mast powered up with a couple of shims filling the gap under the forward edge of the bottom of the mast and used a bit less tension most of the time than the tuning guide suggests. Friday had the best wind of the series with crews fully hiking and the North mylar jibs still the clear winners by out pointing the rest. Our rig tension was set at about 325 lbs. Congratulations to the entire 33 boat Buccaneer fleet who traveled from all over the US and Canada to vie for the title. Competition was great all across the board and about half of the sailors had full sets of North sails. Buccaneer racing is growing at a great pace with Nickels Boatworks on board as the class builder. There are new fleets forming in Alaska and other venues around the country and Canada. One of the largest fleets is located in Phoenix, AZ. For complete results and more BUCC news log on to www.buccaneer18.org Upcoming events like the Virginia Governor’s Cup at the Ware River Yacht Club August 1-3 are drawing great attendance with the Buccaneers outnumbering the other classes. For complete information on our Bucanner sails, contact the North Buccaneer experts.
Buccaneer Sails
2007 Buccaneer North Americans
This year’s championship was held at Mississauga Sailing Club, an ideal facility just west of Toronto, and organized by club members and Buccaneer competitors Bruce Buckingham and Deb Woods. Jim Daus and Sue Swisher of Denver, Colorado won the regatta on Quack! Quack! (#5218), a 2004 boat built by current manufacturer Nickels Boat Works. David Chadwick and up and coming youngster Brian Van Nostrand took second on Blur (#5200). Third place was earned by Tony Wright and daughter Amy Domaratzki on Black and Tan (#5233). While the weather wasn’t totally cooperative, we actually had relatively good wind when we were racing. The race committee did an excellent job of adjusting the courses and postponing when necessary. Each race presented highlights and lead changes right from the start. Race one saw Chadwick, Tony Chapman and Wright make better choices on the shortened course right up to the end. Daus would have ended up in fourth had Chadwick not had a near foul right at the finish line allowing him to squeek into second place behind Wright. Race two saw John Hammerslaugh with a great start forcing the fleet to have to sit in his bad air for a long time on the favored side of the course. Wright and Tim DeVries were outstanding in race three, leading out early. Wright launched off on a fantastic favored pin end start and one-tacked the left side of the course to dominate the first leg. Daus had an outstanding downwind and managed to get inside Wright at the pin. Daus managed a great 2nd upwind leg and lead handily until about 100 feet from the leeward mark when the wind died an the entire fleet sailed right up to the and passing the leader. It was excruciating as the slightest breeze clocked 180 degrees twice in 10 minutes. The leaders faced attack after attack in the space of 200 feet but Daus got boat speed the earliest. Chadwick, a light air magician, managed to squeeze ahead of the others. Daus barely mustered a win by a few boatlengths ahead of Chadwick! In race four, the fleet had a very nice 10 knot breeze. Wright sailed over top of Daus at the start who was forced to follow in bad air for several boat lengths. Wright, Rick Scarborough, Devries and Scott Laundry all had great starts and constantly were covering or being covered as the lead switched. Daus had to double tack to make the windward but passed several boats to lead the race at the leeward rounding with Wright close behind. On the second downwind, Wright gybe-set and went way left, while Daus stayed center and right trying to keep Devries and Chadwick in check. Was Wright going to pull off a gamble?! He very nearly did, halving Daus’s lead to only 2 boatlengths and picking off Scarbarough and Devries to finish in 2nd. Devries masterfully lead the first leg of race 5 to the windward mark. Daus stayed in attack position (inside) of Devries but couldn’t muster the speed to get close enough until the leeward mark where a clean douse and allowed Daus to round inside him. Upwind, Chadwick attacked by going left, got in phase on the favored side and passed all the leaders to round first. Daus gybe set this time, following Wright’s earlier success and had better angles and wind to the left of the pack and slipped back into first place by the leeward mark. Get the picture? This regatta was all about lead changes! Chadwick and Devries would have finished 1-2 in the next race had it not been abandoned due to lightning. Other skippers were right in the mix like Michael Connolly, Chapman, Bob DeRoek and Scarborough. Race 7-9 were all Olympic (triangle, windward leeward) courses and conducted in high wind (increasing from about 17 to 20 knots with shifty puffs over 25). Heavier crews accelerated. Downwind was a surf fest! Wright fouled Chadwick with 100’ to the mark (windward/leeward) and did his turns just beyond the leeward mark. Daus, who rounded the windward mark in 5th, had closed the gap and rounded the leeward mark in third with Scarborough and Scott Laundry hot on his tail in a building wind.
On the downwind leg, Chadwick and Devries and Scarbarough made bear away sets as did Daus – nearly fetching the mark dead downind on an intermitant plane. However, recognizing more wind on the right side of the course (downwind left), Daus gybed away to seek the wind and a hotter angle. After about 200 yards he gybed back in wind that was 20 knots sustained. Daus took off on a hotter broad reach angle than the leaders and flew down the course on a permanent plane. Somewhere behind Chapman had capsized! Daus caught and passed all the leaders rounding in first at the leeward mark with Chadwick 100 feet behind! The upwind to the finish was a duel of duels between a better tuned, heavier Chadwick, chewing up Daus’ lead. Chadwick tacked and Daus covered about 4 times, each time Chadwick gaining a boat length. Daus crossed the finish line ahead by only 3 feet. Scarborough and Devries were very close behind in 3rd and 4th. Race 8 saw Devries, Laundry, Scarborough ahead and all lead by Chadwick who kept the lead for the entire race. Laundry had outstanding roundings at both leeward marks, not allowing followers to pass and pulling off a great 2nd place finish! Tony Chapman finished in fourth right behind Daus. The final race of the regatta was notable for the fastest downwind several of the skippers had ever experienced. Daus claims to have been going close to 20mph praising crew Sue Swisher for being “totally sharp with her spinnaker work, never letting it collapse (because it is the refilling of it that kills ya!).” Devries was firmly in second place but retired after he had a spectacular capsize and turtle just ahead of Daus on the final downind leg. Chadwick blew the doors off everyone taking the win handily. For complete information on our Bucanner sails, contact the North Buccaneer experts.
Buccaneer Sails
BUCCANEER 18 North American Championship Powered by North: For complete information on our Bucanner sails, contact the North Buccaneer experts. To order our fast Buccaneer sails, click here.
Buccaneer Sails
The Buccaneer NAs took place the first week of August at Mallets bay, VT. 31 boats sailed indicating that this class is doing just fine. They have a strong builder ( who is quite active in the class) in Nickels Boat Works. Venue: Mallets Bay Boat Club August 1-5 Top 5 all with full North Inventories: For information on our Bucanner sails, contact the North Buccaneer experts. To order our fast Buccaneer sails, click here.
Jim Daus and Bill Swearingen, 2nd place
Buccaneer Sails A couple weeks back our sails performed well at the 2004 Buccaneer Nationals held at Ft Walton Beach, Fl. The regatta was sailed in varied winds so it was a true test of the sailors and their equipement. Ryan Flack and Jenn Armbruster sailed a brand new boat fresh out of the shop from the class's new builder- Nickels Boat Works. They sailed a full complement of North Sails. Norths were: 1,2,4,5,6,7,10* overall. Congrats to all!!! For information on our Bucanner sails, contact the North Buccaneer experts.
Buccaneer Sails
Reflections on Buccaneer NAs 2003 David Spira 8/16/03
We sailed a very straightforward program...boat preparation, conservative tactics and great teamwork. We got out early to the race course and did very careful observations of the wind directions. My first good decision was asking Mark Allen to crew. Mark is a member of the Pontiac Yacht Club on Cass Lake, Michigan and races Lightnings, and JY15s. This was our first time sailing together. The night before the critical last race we went to the movies to see the new Tomb Raider flick. We felt very relaxed and confident going into the last day. With knowledgeable crew it was easy to stick to the basics. Good starts, boatspeed and positioning. I purchased a full set of new North sails in November and left them in the box rolled up until the week before the regatta. The sails had never been out on the water. I did put them up and check them out in the parking lot before I left Denver.
It was great to sail against several sailors who had not previously competed in the event - Eric Oster, Florida and Dave Chadwick, Alabama - who both dominate their home fleets. They finished 2nd and 4th. We sailed our own race and fortunately were able to stay in front of those guys as well as defending champs Tim Devries and Larry Schmida who took third. Congratulations to all of them. Richard and Danny West did a great job as well by winning their first championship race and taking 5th place. We did nothing different...but were ready to switch gears as necessary given changing wind strength and direction. With 28 boats, this was the best attended Buccaneer Regatta in over a decade. It is just awesome to see the support and interest from sailors who are new to the class and to sail racing. Congratulations to Nickels Boatworks, Fenton, Michigan, the new builder of the Buccaneer.
The race committee did a great job! Thanks to Harry and the Sindle family for the incredible Virginia hospitality. We were happy not to be camping with all of the moisture. I began sail racing on Interclubs dinghies at Larchmont, New York in 1990. Purchased my first Bucc in 1996 after moving to Denver. I have competed in every BNAC since 1997 and finally won the 2001 BNAC at the Cork Regatta, Kingston, Ontario. I am also currently racing Lightnings. I turned fifty (50) years old this year and live in Denver, Colorado.
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1. David Spira and Philip Ryan, Denver CO 14 pts
The last race was critical and we were very aware of the need to stay
in front
of our two closest competitors. It seemed worthwhile to take a risk
in that
situation whereas conservative sailing was what got us to that point.
My boat, "ELUSIVE" is a 1997 Cardinal - previously sailed by Harry
Sindle in
the 1997 BNAC at Nyack, New York. I especially appreciate the incredible
contribution made by Harry who has built and sailed Buccaneers since
1985.
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