Coach Dan Brandt – Sometimes he actually has a chance to sail too! Just having some fun on the Moth.

 

Pretty windy day!  The breeze was hanging around 18 knots…I think the key question is did our coach capsize?   Hmmm…

 

 

RYC’s Senior Juniors – 17 Women Learning to Sail Together with Coach Dan Brandt in the Richmond Riviera.

What a day!  Sometimes light wind is a very good thing.  17 amazing Ladies got together for Day 1 of Dan’s Ladies 420 Group.  Our day started with a brief introduction to the boat and all its moving parts.  Dan took the class through tacking, crew position, and general information.  We also did a “Dry Guppy” test and talked about what to do if the boat capsized.  (The obvious first step was to shriek loudly, then swim around to the centerboard, and hang on until Dan comes with the appropriate rescue equipment – the Ladies ladder and a flask of brandy…tee-hee!)

From there, we got into the 420’s and FJ’s and went yachting.  It was a gorgeous day and all of the Ladies sailed.  For many, this was their first time in a small boat and steering a boat with a tiller.  The Ladies rocked it!  Nice Job Ladies!

 

The “Getting to Know You” routine with our 420’s. 

   

A little vang talk and then on to sail shape.

 

Dan demonstrating how he would like everyone to tack and how to pick a spot on land to line up to.

 

Special thanks to Steve for being our 2nd coach boat today and to Erica for being our official steerer!  Now is this an amazing group or what?  🙂  Nothing short of FANTASTIC!!

Wednesday Night – RYC’s Sir Francis Drake High School Practice – Sunshine, Breeze and then Sunset. How sweet it is…

RYC’s Drake Team practice – Wednesday night.  Once the boats were unloaded from the trailer, the Team headed out to sail.  Part of the practice was dedicated to focusing on the role of the crew – such as what the crew needs to do in a roll tack and how to tack the jib efficiently.

  

 

  

   

   

 

 

Another beautiful Sunday practice for RYC’s Juniors!

Our Richmond Riviera is living up to its reputation.  Sunday was another gorgeous day – and we even had the perfect amount of wind as our sailors begin to build their skills.  All classes were in full swing and even some of our Beginners made their first trip out of the Club’s entrance for a quick peak into the Channel.  Pretty cool!

Here’s what our Sunday activities looked like:

 

RYC’s docks are pretty full on Junior Program days!

     

Intermediate and Advanced El Toro Sailors out in the channel!

  

Steve and Nick with their Intermediate Class – checking the wind direction and talking about the perfect sail shape.

  

Opti Race Team – learning together…working together…

     

Left to right: Mike and Nick out in the crash boat, Neil checking his sail trim, Owen, Mickey and Hay-Hay heading downwind in the channel, and Jarek checking out his teammates during Team Racing.

The High School Teams competed at EYC in Nor Cal #3 on Sunday. RYC was very well represented by all of our High School Teams – Congratulations!

The weather was great and the wind started out light and shifty and built to a nice 11- 14 knots of breeze.  Most of our teams were in Gold with 34 boats in each fleet!  Our starts were getting better as the day progressed but we had a hard time dealing with fleet management in the small channel in front of EYC and and the shifty conditions.  We were spending only half the time in phase and struggled to get back in phase with the wind and fleet.  

It was great having so many boats in each fleet.  Is was more like a real regatta than a NorCal high school event and I’m sure that all of our sailors learned a lot.  

Congratulations to all of our sailors! 

SILVER FLEET – Results are from the EYC website, but I think the teams switched around a little so the names may not quite be accurate.  Sorry! 

• 3rd!  Sandy and Colton  (Drake)
• 18th!  Will, Kip and Bayard  (Drake)
• 23rd!  Michael, Tyler and Tanner  (Benecia)
• 29th!  Mitch and Emily (Drake)

GOLD FLEET – Results are from the EYC website, like the Silver Fleet, I think the teams switched around a little so the names may not quite be accurate.  Sorry! 

• 10th!  Jack and Maddie  (Drake)
• 14th!  Haydon & Maria  (Terra Linda)
• 18th!  Sam, Erica, Tyler and David  (El Cerrito)
• 20th!  Marina, Kelsey and Raymond  (Piedmont)
• 33rd!  Sarah, Little Bear and Francesca  (Berkeley)
• 34th!  Grace and Lauren  (Campolinda)

It is going to be fun watching our Teams’ progress!  I think we have some very talented sailors.  Go RYC High School Teams!

  

Left: Silver Fleet start – 34 boats on the line.  Right: Sandy out in the lead in the Silver Fleet.

  

Left: In the Gold Fleet – Sam and Tyler heading to the upwind mark.  Right: Also in the Gold Fleet – Jack and Maddie at the starting line.

Dave and John found a new way to “tow” one of FJ’s back to the club.  Transporting 9 FJ’s to and from a regatta definitely has its challenges!

29er Saturday Practice – A Visible Presence on the Water!

Great breeze and a couple of break downs which make skiff sailing all the more fun and teaches the kids how to do repairs on their boats.  Also, Spencer got to take a ride out on the Skiff Foundation A cat.  Thanks Chad Freitas for taking the kids for a ride.  Pretty soon he may have some adults lining up for rides too!

  

  

  

RYC’s Junior Program – We are committed to developing a broad array of sailing skills and interests by focusing equally on confidence, competence, and competition. Our program reflects the values of the Richmond Yacht Club; a club that was “Built for Fun”. Check out the fun!

During the season, it is such a ball watching each and every sailor improve.  They will be more confident and competent in their sailing and a bunch will even want to give the competition a try.  We love seeing the fun and smiles!  Many thanks to Sue Hubbard, Andy Pontius, Jeff Cody and Laura Carter for the pictures.  WOW!  You just have to check these out!  Also, I have only put in a fraction of what I received – so if you don’t see your special sailor, don’t worry – we’ll get some of everyone!

Enjoy – we sure did!

   

Our Beginners heading down to the dock with Karen Kittle, our newest Beginner Instructor.  Day 1 and they are already doing some sailing!

     

Chris Nash sends Sam and Wes out for a spin in the basin, and then it’s time for the guppy tests Wesley & Chris!

   

Beginner Instructor Laura Carter and Jasmine and friend doing some double-handed El Toro sailing.

     

Opti Intermediate/Advanced Class: Getting ready to head out for some light wind sailing.  Left to right: Berky, Drake and Kelsey, Raffi and Ben.

   

The Opti Team heads out – followed by Coaches Ron & Linda.

      

Dan and his High School Group.  A lot of new faces this year!  We’re really excited to see so many kids!

   

Dan and Bob (and Linda) getting ready to hand out awards for the Opti Racing Team.  We tracked the results from all of the BAYS events and then gave out ribbons.  The kids definitely got a kick out of that!

   

The Laser fleet is ready to sail – and the El Toro Intermediate and Advanced Classes head out in the afternoon for some racing and practice.

   

More pictures to come!

Friday Afternoon Opti Team Practice with Coach Drake Jensen!

RYC’s Drake Jensen is the Opti Team’s Friday Coach.  The sailors are working on sailing fast (of course!) and learning some race techniques.  They’re really enjoying the extra practice time and they just keep getting better and better!  So if you want to sail Opti’s or get some extra practice time – this is the perfect venue for you!  Contact Coach Dan Brandt for more information.

  

 

RYC’s Drake High School Team Practicing into the Early Evening – Beautiful!

So even though the wind has been relatively low, the late afternoon/early evening practices have been beautiful!  Check this out:

  

RYC Junior Program – Check Out What’s New This Year!

The 2011/2012 Junior Program got off to a flying start on Sunday.  So not only are our participation levels at an all time high, but we’re trying some new things as well.

WHAT’S NEW?

Instructors: All of our instructors from last year returned PLUS we picked up two more; Karen Kittle in the Beginner Class and Ron Tostenson for the Opti Intermediate/Advanced Class.

A New Class:  We have been working hard at creating an Opti Race Team.  Over the past year, we have been able to race in multiple events all over the Bay.  We have been able to field teams in both the Green Fleet and the Championship Fleet.  Opti racing is not just for the kids who sail Opti’s during the program – many of the kids who raced Opti’s also sail El Toro’s.  We’re really proud of the fact that anyone can race if they want.  All they have to do is let us know! 

So to meet this growing area, we added an Opti Intermediate/Advanced Class.  We’re excited about this addition and have big plans for it!

Learning New Boats: We also have a lot of kids who are learning new boats this year.  For example, we have a bunch of kids who are going from Opti’s and El Toro’s to the FJ’s, there are kids going from FJ’s to Lasers, and we also have kids who switch back and forth from Opti’s to El Toro’s and vice versa.  Another great thing about RYC is that the kids can sail in a variety of boats and have amazing instructors no matter which boat they choose.

Fund Raising: We have several Fund Raising Programs happening and we’re really excited about them.  We have a Wine Raffle, an Oyster Tasting, a Lawn Sale and a Junior Program Sweatshirt Sale all happening.  The Lawn Sale has raised close to $800 and the sweatshirt sale has already brought in $1,450.  Now that’s some great support!

        

Left to Right: New Instructor Ron in #10, New Instructor Karen steering, Fund Raiser – Lawn Sale, and New Laser Sailor Fiona.

        

Left to Right: Lots of new sailors in the Intermediate El Toro class, New Laser Sailor Jesse, Opti Team and High School Team heading out together, and newly promoted sailors into the Opti Intermediate/Advanced class.