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Interclub Sails
Report by Will Welles John Baxter and his wife Molly defended their National Championship crown in great form with a repeat win this past weekend in NJ. North Sails' Steve Benjamin was second, the North RadIC06 is clearly the fastest IC sail on the water.
Top Ten:
For complete results, click here. For photos, click here. For more information on our Interclub program feel free to contact our Interclub experts.
Interclub Sails
Report by Brian Bissell.
John and Molly Baxter, the reigning IC National Champions and once again using their North RadIC-06, won A division by an impressive 36 points. Matt and Lori Schubert, also sailing with a North RadIC-06, won B division by 13 points. I’d like to thank my crew Alexis Rubin for freezing in the front of the boat all weekend. It takes a special type of person to agree to crew in an interclub when it’s 30 degrees outside. My first Interclub experience was a good one. The racing was great, but it was the competitors that made the weekend so enjoyable. Good people. 1. For more information on our Interclub program feel free to contact our Interclub experts.
Interclub Sails
Interview by Will Welles. Photos Andrea Watson.
Can you tell us a little about you and your wife’s sailing background? John: Molly and I began sailing together at St. Mary’s College in Maryland. Our first event together was the Timme Angsten regatta in Chicago which is where Molly is originally from. We sail together in most events whether it’s IC’s, Vanguard 15’s or offshore race boats. How long have you and your wife sailed Interclubs and how did you get into first racing them? John: We both started sailing IC’s together when I finished college in 1999 and started more regularly four years ago. My first time sailing IC’s was with Fred Werblow who is actually the father of my college sailing coach, Adam Werblow. My parents sailed in Larchmont YC’s frostbite fleet for over thirty-five years and had such good times that it was a natural fit for Mol and I after college. Can you describe the sailing conditions on Saturday and Sunday? John: Manhasset bay is a nice place to sail since it’s a protected bay however, it was really shifty since it was a N/NE breeze. The pressure ranged from 5-16 knots and it was critical to be able to shift gears efficiently. Which North sail did you use for this event? John: We used a brand new North RADIC06.
John: The breeze was stronger in the morning so we started with 18’9” rake (two blocks behind the mast) with tight shrouds. Going upwind, we were able to have our board raked far forward once powered up. As the day progressed, it got lighter and we eased our shrouds two degradations on our staymasters and pulled on slightly more headstay. You certainly sailed a very consistent regatta, you never finished out side of the top five. What are the things you can contribute that to other than being a great sailor? John: IC nationals puts a premium on consistency since there are no drop races. Our goal was to be in the top ten at the windward mark and pick off points when we could. We had really good speed so we were able to get out of some tricky situations. Lastly, can you offer up any words of wisdom to your fellow IC sailors on boat prep, regatta prep or anything else that sticks out in your mind that helped you and your wife win the coveted IC Nationals? John: Molly and I were never big on boat prep but it’s key in events to know your equipment is not going to be an issue. We own a few IC’s with Steve Benjamin who is the quintessential professional making sure that there is no stone left unturned when it comes to boat set-up and preparation. It’s not coincidence that our results have improved since our partnership with Steve and the group at North one-design. Again, congrats on your victory!
Interclub Sails
By 2nd place Jesse Falsone
I wanted to take the opportunity to address some performance issues for heavy air sailing and the Midwinters in general. Manage Risk - The Midwinters is a no-drop regatta. This puts a premium on consistency and avoiding big numbers, like alphabet soup and protests. When you don't have a drop in a long series, especially a windy one, you can substantially improve your result by managing your risk carefully. Was your gear up to snuff, or did you take a DNC/DNF because of a breakdown? Did you dress for the conditions, or did you have to come in early because of the cold? OCS was painful with the I-flag in effect for every start. Did you tag the weather mark because you didn't account for the current? Did you capsize because your board was too far up? The 13th place (mid-fleet) finisher finished every race. Everyone else below them didn't. Some Keys to Upwind Trim - I see a lot of people sailing around with too little sheet tension. If you are sheeted out continually and not pointing, try sheeting harder and hiking harder. As Wayne says, pain is temporary. The harder you hike, the faster you go. Another issue is rig setup. Too many people were sailing with too little forestay tension, denoted by the sheet to-blocked at the transom. In breeze I try to have my maximum sheet tension (point at which overbend wrinkles form in sail from clew to mid-luff) coinside with the boom being about 4" off the transom (assumes traveler all the way down and tight vang). A small ease to about 6" will give you your normal upwind sheeting position. In the breeze we had last weekend, sheet to this 4" position, then snug the vang. It should come tight when eased a bit, and you will see a slight bend in the boom. This is where you want it. If you are too-blocked, try tensioning the forestay a little to get the correct position. I persoanlly perfer to sail with tighter shrouds. This does 2 things - 1) gives you more pre-bend with chocks aft, and 2) keeps the mast from inverting too much downwind. Most of my chocks were behind the mast all weekend. Shrouds were around 180 pounds. My outhaul was generally max (to band) but had we been sailing in a strong southerly with big waves, I would've eased it a little. Again, sailing the boat as flat as possible is huge in this breeze. There is a significant reduction in weather helm when flat, and this is a lot faster. We also kept the bow knuckle just kissing upwind, which meant Nancy was frequently hiking all the way back in the straps and leaning aft a bit. If your skipper and crew weights are more 50-50, then you will have to be even more aware of this. It's a common mistake in ICs to sit too far forward. Board Position - Upwind, keep the board vertical, and perhaps raked back a little when really overpowered. This reduces weather helm and allows for easier steering through waves. The board stalls easier when raked forward, especially in chop. Downwind Nancy kept the board at 3/4 most of the time. It's faster to have it up until you wipe out. You can take your chances here, but do so at your own peril. Also, note you can't steer under the mast with too little board. Downwind Trim - In the big puffs we always tried to sail flat, which was difficult since I weigh 90 pounds more than Nancy. I was frequently leaning into the middle of the boat with Nancy on the opposite rail. We also scooted back in the big puffs to get the bow out which reduces plowing. We even planed a few times on a dead run! Move your weight fore and aft to account for varying wind conditions. Use your vang and sheet independently. In the lighter air, sheet out and loosen the vang. Snug the vang a bit as the wind increases, but note you will not acclerate as fast - you are trading control for speed (just like the board). When a big puff hits (big enough to plane), I have had success trimming the sheet in to 3/4 position, but keeping the leech twisted! I think this is really fast because it gives you control without sacrificing sail shape too much (twisted leech is fast). It also keeps the mast from inverting. Rememer to move aft and have the biard down closer to vertical! Upwind Strategy - with the strong ebb all weekend, it generally paid to be left upwind and out of the current. There were also strong lefties coming from Spa Creek most of the time. Usually I'm an advocate of hitting shifts up the middle in a NWer, but that didn't pay too much last weekend. Biting the bullet when behind and going left was usually the best thing to do (with a few exceptions). I've said it before that in strong winds you can sit on someone's transom and go the same speed. For some reason, people have an aversion to this. I rarely got a great start, but I knew if I hung in there, people would tack off and leave me a nice hole going left. Downwind Strategy - get in the puff and point your bow at the mark! It was that simple. Keep from sailing in bad air and constantly look behind to see where the next puff will fill from. I found I could position myself pretty well since you could see puffs way up the course. A lot of people were also jibing around the offset with a line of boats behind them givng disturbed air. Unless there's a compelling reason to get left downwind, I opted for a smooth rounding. Gibing at the offset was a good idea many times, but I always made sure there was a puff there and I wasn't going to be blanketed too much. Thank You Jesse for the Great Notes! For more information on our Interclub program feel free to contact Steve Benjamin or Ched Proctor
2002 Interclub Nationals
Report by Ched Proctor The 2002 Interclub Nationals were held at Duxbury Massachusetts over the weekend of 12/1 and 12/02, 2001. The Scituate Frostbite Associaton ran the regatta with MIT's head sailing Master, Franny Charles, chairing the race committee. The event attracted 120 of the top sailors on the East Coast. Scheduled in the fall for the first time in many years, the regatta also drew many collegiate and HS sailors. Tempertures on Saturday neared 70 with a gusty SW breeze (12-22). Sunday brought temp's in the low 50's and a lighter N wind (6-12). With six races each day the top 15 positions changed dramatically with every race. Courses were over a windward 1/2 mile leg followed by a 1 mile downwind leg to gate marks, and beat back to the mid course start/finish line. Duxbury, Mass MIT Sailing Coach Mike Kalin, together with MIT sophomore Ariya Dararutana, won the event. At the end of Saturday's steady breezy conditions North Sails' Steve Benjamin was leading the regatta. Sunday's Lighter Northwest wind featured frequent 30 degree shifts. Steve Kirkpatrick sailing a new Guck built IC and Ched design sail found the conditions to his liking as he won 3 of Sunday's six races. 3 time National Champions Jim Bowers and Myrna Chan MacRae, finished third. North sails were used to finish in places 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, overall and 6 different competitors used North sails to win 9 of the 12 races. 4 of these were Ched designs and 3 were Benj design North sails. Both sails prove to work well depending on sailing style and conditions. The Ched design has a flat open upper leech to allow hard sheeting. The Benj design has a fuller upper shape for sailors who like to let the sail twist more. Contact Steve Benjamin or Ched to discuss the latest and greatest in the North IC program.
1) Mike Kalin & Ariya Dararutana 45,
2001 Larchmont Frostbite Series
Report by Steve Benjamin
Here is a quick report on the weekend of November 3-4 at Larchmont where sailing was held both days. Saturday had a light 5 - 10 NW shifty breeze with flat water. Ned Roseberry won by a point with Ched's design over Cesare who used a 1998 Banks (very similar to Benj design). Kaplan beat me by a point for 3rd and 4th, we both used 2000 North Benj sails. Sunday was great but hard racing. The Westerly was very unsteady with Southerly influence followed and mixed with big right shifts. Very unpredictable and difficult racing. Strong competition with moderate chop. Results - 1. Ronan with new North Benj design For more information on our Interclub program feel free to contact
Steve Benjamin or Ched
Proctor
Bowers / MacRae Win Third Straight IC Nationals With New North Sail
Report by Steve Benjamin
The conditions on Sunday were much improved with a gusty Southwesterly giving the skippers and crews a chance to hike and some fantastic sailing. The sailing inside (North) of the Captain's Islands was challenging, with the right, closer to the mainland, side paying mostly upwind due to relief from the strong ebb current. The North sail development program has been a combined effort by Ched Proctor, Steve Benjamin, and North Sails One Design. With Benjamin's move to North last Fall, he and Ched began working to develop the new North Benj design IC sail. North now offers two IC designs to satisfy all styles of sailing, and it is interesting that both Benj and Ched designs were used to win races at this year's National's (Benj design - 4 race wins, Ched design - 1 race win). North Sails featured prominently at the trophy awards with five sails in the top ten places. In addition to Bowers and MacRae, Ben and Kim Cesare were third; Andy Kaplan and Storm Snaith took fourth; Steve Benjamin and Todd Breeden in sixth; and Paul-Jon and Anne Patin in tenth. All five were using "Benj" design North sails and all but Benjamin set their sails on Zephyr (bendy) rigs. Benjamin was the only trophy winner using the Kenyon (stiff) rig, but he did not find his form until the windier conditions on Sunday. Several of the top boats participated in a measurement check of the fast rig settings on Sunday morning. The results will soon be published in an updated North Sails tuning guide for the Benj design. The amazing part of this exercise was to learn how far apart the fast set ups are! Indian Harbor Yacht Club did a fantastic job with the racing. Regatta Chairman Don Lovelace also sailed in the event with #86 using a new North sail, and Race Committee Chairman Peter Cummiskey is to be commended along with everyone else who volunteered to help make this a great event. There were 49 entries and seven races, and all the top Interclub Dinghy sailors were there with the noted exception of Ed Adams who had suffered a broken hand while preparing a Volvo 60. Chad Demarest of the Scituate Frostbite Fleet announced the Fleet's plans for the 2002 Nationals which will be held early this Fall. The dates are November 30, and December 1 & 2, at Hull, MA. Mark your calendars now for this extraordinary three day event, the conditions should be superb and Hull is one of the most unique racing areas on the East Coast. Fran Charles, sailing coach at MIT, will be running the races.
Contact Steve Benjamin (benj@sales.northsails.com) or Ched (ched@od.northsails.com) to discuss the latest and greatest in the North IC program... For information on IC sails, click here.
Photos by Jack Cummiskey
NORTH SAILS DOMINATES 2001 IC MIDWINTERS!!! Ed Adams/Carol Cronin and Andrew Pimental/Monique Gaylor
win for the second year in a row. The Interclub Dinghy Midwinter Championships were run
out of the Severn Sailing Assoc. in Annapolis, MD on February 5-6. This
14 race event featured was a split event with 24 teams of A and B Division
sailors. While the A Division sailed the B Division kept warm and vice-versa.
The only way to stay hot however was to sail with a North IC sail. Both
divisions were won by sailors using North IC sails. In
fact North IC sails finished, 1st, 2nd and 3rd winning both the the
combined event (scores of A+B division teams) as well as both A Congratulations to Ed Adams and Andy Pimenthal (overall
team winners), Paul Cronin (winner of division B using the Benj North
design) and Bill Healy (2nd A division), Andy Pimenthal ( 2nd in B Following is Ed Adams' report of the event:
For complete results and more information about the 2001 IC Midwinters go to http://www.interclub.org For more information on North IC sails, please contact Ched Proctor.
2000 INTERCLUB MIDWINTERS ARE HEATED UP BY
NORTH SAILS
North Results.. A-division B-division Combined team Quotes from the fleet: Phil Grotheer..."Hal (Gilreath) said he thought my boat with the North Sail was the fastest IC he's ever been on." Bill Healy...."Paul Adam was super fast. He won 4 of the 11 races and sat out 3 with a broken boom!!"
Congratulations to all!
For more information on Interclub sails, contact the North Interclub experts.
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The 2008 Interclub Midwinters took place this year at the Severn Sailing Association in Annapolis. There were 18 teams consisting of an A and B division. Close racing prevailed in all 11 races for both divisions. Cold temperatures, light/medium shifty breeze and flat water made for some great winter racing. Boats with the new North RadIC-06 had a clear speed advantage upwind and down as they took the top three spots overall and won both divisions. 
John congratulations to you and your wife Molly on winning the 2007 Interclub Dingy Nationals! By the looks of it you dominated the event winning by 32 points! That may be the largest win in this class yet!
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