e-USSAILING - Weekly Electronic Newsletter from US SAILING

PROVIDING LEADERSHIP FOR THE SPORT FOR 110 YEARS
March 28, 2007

SKUD-18 athletes Scott Whitman and Julia Dorsett are planning to compete in the
Paralympic Trials later this year

DATES AND LOCATIONS ANNOUNCED FOR U.S. PARALYMPIC TEAM TRIALS

The U.S. Paralympic Team Trials – Sailing will be held October 3-14, 2007 in Newport, RI. The events will be hosted by the Rhode Island Sailing Foundation, New York Yacht Club, Ida Lewis Yacht Club and Sail Newport. Sailors will compete in the three events selected for the 2008 Paralympic Regatta in Qingdao, China: 2.4 Metre (Open Singlehanded), SKUD-18 (Open Doublehanded) and Sonar (Open Triplehanded). Only sailors who are eligible to represent the USA at the Paralympic Games are able to compete in the Trials. Upon approval from the U.S. Olympic Committee, the athletes who win the Trials will be named to the U.S. Paralympic Team and will compete in the Paralympic Regatta, to be held September 6-17, 2008 in Qingdao, China, a coastal city located 430 miles east of Beijing.
> Find out more by going to http://www.ussailing.org/pressreleases/2007/paralympictrials.htm.

US SAILOR Of The Week
Laura Sullivan

Laura Sullivan

On a recent Thursday evening, Laura Sullivan of Maple Valley, WA, was busy making 40 trophies for skippers and crew. They will be awarded at an upcoming Hobie Cat regatta at Sail Sand Point in her home state. After playing around with a Hobie 16 that she and her husband Jerry Valeske bought, Laura got serious about racing multihulls when she was recovering from a go-kart accident and decided that next she wanted to crew in the Hobie Nationals. About five years ago, she teamed up with skipper Peter Nelson and together they represented their area at the 2003 U.S. Multihull Championship. A year later they raced in the Hobie 16 Worlds in Mexico. Eager to share their passion for multihulls with others, Laura and Peter help organize local and regional Hobie regattas as well as what they call “Hobie 101,” a successful one-day event to introduce people to multihull sailing. Most recently, they have been helping three youth teams who are competing in the U.S. Youth Multihull Championship this weekend. Her greatest thrill so far? Staying upright when a puff hit on a screaming reach around California’s Treasure Island while double-trapped on a Hobie 16.

U.S. YOUTH MULTIHULL CHAMPIONSHIP THIS WEEKEND

US SAILING kicks off its 2007 Championship season this weekend with the U.S. Youth Multihull Championship taking place at Alamitos Bay Yacht Club (ABYC) in Long Beach, CA. Nearly 20 teams from across the country will compete in the event, which will be raced in SL16s provided by Performance Catamarans. It will be busy at ABYC this weekend, as the Championship is held in conjunction with the club's Olympic Classes Regatta.
> For a complete list of competitors and more information of the U.S. Youth Multihull Championship (including latest results as the event is happening), please visit http://www.ussailing.net/ymhc.

US SAILING TEAM SPOTLIGHT - PRINCESS SOFIA TROPHY REGATTA IN SPAIN

Thirty members of the US Sailing Team (USST) are in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, training for the Princess Sofia Trophy Regatta, which begins this weekend. This competitive Olympic classes regatta is especially important for world-class athletes because it is one of six events recognized by the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) in the ISAF World Cup Series. The entry lists are stocked with big names from 21 countries in the 12 participating classes (eleven Olympic classes and the Dragon as an invited class). For the Tornado class, this regatta is also the 2007 Tornado European Championship.
> Find out more at http://www.ussailing.org/olympics.

REMINDER: UPCOMING WEBSITE SYSTEM MAINTENANCE

US SAILING will upgrade its website by moving it to a new server. The website move will take place this coming weekend, March 31-April 1. During the upgrade, the website will mostly be unavailable.

MAKE FLEET RACING MORE FUN - AN ARTICLE BY TOM EHMAN JR.

Years ago, Tom Ehman Jr. wrote an article filled with ideas on how to make one-design fleet racing more fun. All the suggestions Ehman makes in the article are still relevant today: "Most important for those interested in improving one-design sailing is to remember that most people race to socialize as well as compete. They want to have fun – party, party, party. Where sailing is social and fun, fleets are alive and healthy. (Or is the converse true? I think not.)"
> Get a string of ideas to make racing more social and fun by reading Tom Ehman's full article at http://www.ussailing.org/member/library/CMH-FunFleetRacing.asp. More articles about one-design class management are available in US SAILING's Class Management Handbook. $20.00 for US SAILING-members, $55.00 for non-members. Available at http://store.ussailing.org/store.asp.

YACHT CLUB MANAGERS/CLUB OFFICERS INVITED TO PARTICIPATE IN SURVEY

In order to increase our understanding of yacht club operations, US SAILING has put together a survey. The survey is intended for the yacht club manager or club officer who can tell us more about sailing/racing trends, membership, youth programs, and other club operations. This study will take no more than 10 minutes and your participation is greatly appreciated. The results of the survey will be available to participating organizations.
> If you're a yacht club manager or club officer, and would like to participate in the survey, please send an e-mail to BrianWelsh@ussailing.org.

LEARN THE BASICS OF SIMPLE BOAT MAINTENANCE

Pat Manley's Simple Boat Maintenance provides colorful photo-sequences and clear text that can teach even a ham-fisted beginner how to fix and maintain a boat. The two aims of this book are preventing problems and solving them when they do happen (even at sea). Manley has spent over a year photographing each stage of each topic covered in the illustrated book. These include: engine; stern gear; water, gas, electrical, and fuel systems; heads; steering; winches; fiberglass; deck hardware; leaks; inflatable dinghy; tools; and more.
> Visit http://store.ussailing.org now to order your copy of the 160-page paperback Simple Boat Maintenance. $20.50 for US SAILING members, $24.95 for non-members.

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