The 2009 version was held on September 12, on one of the loveliest racing days in memory. The regatta became quite an Andrews family event this year, with Commodore Andrews presenting trophies, mother Betty Andrews placing third in Ladies B and wife Molly Lynch winning first place in Ladies A, as well as her name on the two Perpetual trophies. The Bank of Newport trophy dates back to 1974 and is presented to the racer with the lowest score from Newport Harbor area Yacht Clubs. In addition, the Little Old Ladies Perpetual trophy goes to the racer with the lowest score in the regatta.
It takes quite a team to put on the Little Old Ladies Regatta. This year, many thanks go to the Race Committee: PRO Jerry McClellan, Audrey Simenz, Don and Jimalee Hubeli and Barbara Simmons, with support from Harry Bourgeois. On the water, Becky Lenhart, Greg Newman, Steve Kent. In addition, Chris Nesbitt and Jeff Keenan provided expertise and support.
There were five racers in the highly competitive Ladies A with Molly placing first, Betty Becker of San Diego Yacht Club in second and BYC’s Bev Roberts in third.
In Ladies B, nine racers competed with Terese Ivory of Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club, first, Diane Kent and Betty Andrews in second and third. Racing with the B class as well, Bobbie Morrow of San Diego Yacht Club competed as a novice.
In the Men’s class, nine racers participated with Mark Gaudio of BCYC, Fred Stevens and Lee Berlinger, both of Alamitos Bay Yacht Club, all tied with 6 points. Mark won the last race, so placed first, Fred had won the first race, placing second, and Lee with two second place finishes, placed third. Their second race did not count due to a protest.
This race is the third in a series sponsored by the Southern California Women’s Sailing Association. In April, racing was held at Mission Bay Yacht Club, then in July at Newport Harbor Yacht Club. On October 18, Alamitos Bay Yacht Club will host a Ladies Day, followed by the finale on November 7 at San Diego Yacht Club.
A bit of history - In the early 1970's, some mothers of boys and girls who were taking Sabot lessons decided to learn to sail the 8 foot boats when their children were not. Lessons were taken, enthusiasm soared, and interest spread throughout Newport Harbor.
The group of women at Balboa Yacht Club called themselves the Sea Gals, while the women at Newport Harbor Yacht Club became the Mother Sabots. In 1974, the Bank of Newport, since defunct, provided a Perpetual trophy to be awarded yearly to the racer with the lowest (best) score in their annual regatta, which became known as The Little Old Ladies Regatta. The winners over the years have come from Lido Isle Yacht Club, Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club, as well as NHYC and BYC. In the early 90's, the BYC group added a strong contingent of men so the Annual Regatta became The Little Old Ladies (and Gents) Regatta. NHYC and BYC alternated hosting the event, until recently, when NHYC started one of their own and BYC is now responsible for the regatta each year.
Members of the Southern California Women's Sailing Association and others attend the event, coming from San Diego up the coast to Long Beach. SCWSA, with 1/3rd of the members male, sponsors a series of five events each year. The first is at Mission Bay Yacht Club, the second at NHYC, the third at BYC, the fourth at Alamitos Bay Yacht Club and the final regatta is held at San Diego Yacht Club, where overall trophies are awarded.
The racers are divided into four classes - Ladies A, Ladies B, Men and Novice (both men and women). Typically 30 to 40 racers participate, enjoying daily trophies and delicious food, as well as great competition and comraderie. Depending on the wind conditions, three races are held, each lasting over a half hour. Racing is held in the harbor between the Pavilion and the yacht club.
For more information on Sabot Measurement, check out Rowell Greene's article written in 2008, and reposted here in 2009.
SCWSA Mission Bay Regatta
April 25, 2009
The first in the series of five regattas sponsored by SCWSA was held at Mission Bay Yacht Club on Saturday, April 25. The day was beautiful, cool and sunny. Strong winds and waves made the sailing exciting and challenging. The terrific race committee, led by Staff Commodore Grant Williams, provided three excellent races. Their support team was outstanding, with two mark set boats kept busy by five capsized sailors. They were prompt and experienced, taking care of the rescues with skill. Some of those who capsized were able to continue racing despite the cold. Also on the Race Committee boat was Edna Johnson who took a series of action photos of the exciting competition. (These will be available for future photos for INSA)
Beautiful framed prints of Sabots racing were presented to each of the top three racers in each division. These were created by MBYC artist and Sabot racer, Julie Anderson, who is also President of the San Diego Watercolor Society. We were honored to have the MBYC Commodore Greg Brown present the trophies.
Arrangements were made for a very well run regatta by Bob Henderson, Fleet Captain of the adult sabot fleet at MBYC. The registration committee, led by Pat Henderson and Judie Jilka, was very efficient and helpful. They also provided great decorations and a wonderful dinner.
The competition was fierce, with six women racing in Ladies A. The results were dominated by San Diego Yacht Club racers. Betty Becker and Jane Kenny tied for first with six points each, with Betty beating Jane twice so finishing as the first place trophy winner. She was followed by Pam Lindley in third and Ruth Jones of MBYC in fourth. At one point, all six of the racers rounded the mark at the same time, with all paying attention to the new rules.
The fourteen men were dominated by the top two racers from SDYC with Chuck Sinks winning all three races, and David Ryan, newcomer to SCWSA, taking three second place finishes. Lee Berlinger from Alamitos Bay Yacht Club came in third with one point less than Eric Heim, also of SDYC. Chuck often finished in the middle of the Ladies A racers. (Photo attached)
The nine women racing in Ladies B were very competitive as well with Chris Fuller and Anne Hinton of MBYC closely following first place winner Rita Moller of SDYC. (Photo attached)
Racing for the first time with SCWSA were three novices, all from SDYC. Jennifer Hunt came in first followed by Bobbie Morrow and Mary Berube. (I did not get all three in one photo so am not including it)
It was a great start to the 2009 series. The next regatta will be at Newport Harbor Yacht Club on Friday, July 10, followed by Saturday, September 12 at Balboa Yacht Club, then Sunday, October 18, at Alamitos Bay Yacht Club. The finale and over-all trophies will be presented at San Diego Yacht Club on Saturday, November 7.
There are two types of Sabot Measurement - the full measurement and the quick check. LEARN MORE...
SCWSA Kicks Off Their Season at MBYC
April 11, 2008
Five BYC Brinys traveled to MBYC for a great day of racing in the annual event, sponsored by the Southern California Women's Sailing Association. SCWSA also sponsors 4 other races during the year, including BYC's Little Old Ladies Regatta which will be held this year on Wednesday, September 17. In addition, on Sunday, October 19, we will travel to ABYC for their regatta, as well as San Diego Yacht Club on Saturday, November 15 for the finale.
Strong winds and chop meant some wet racers as well as some fast racing. Bev Roberts, BYC, was our most successful racer, winning Ladies B class. Karen Stockman and Nancy Mellon raced in Ladies A, since they are former winners in Ladies B. In the Men's class we were well represented by Dennis Allison and Bob Reilly. Dennis made it possible for us to attend by towing the trailer filled with our Sabots. He and Bob supplied much of the muscle and knowledge to load and unload the trailer.
MBYC's Kathy Graham organized the event, adding some great touches, including a raffle for some terrific prizes, provided by Sailing Supply of San Diego. Kathy is a new Sabot sailor. She and her husband are part of a large group that cruise in their Sabots every Friday morning, then go back to the club for lunch. They had eleven racers in the event. Seven came from San Diego Yacht Club and one from ABYC. Lee Berlinger was the sole representative from ABYC, but he won the Men's class. It was the largest class with nine racers. Lee races with us in our Super Sabot Series occasionally.
On weekday mornings, Newport Beach sailor Mark Gaudio, 50, speaks the lingo of a bond trader. But in the afternoons, his vernacular switches to sailing—whether he's talking about the products he reps for companies like Douglas Gill or Bladerider, coaching young racers, or one-design racing in Lido 14s or Cal 20s, where he holds national titles. But he doesn't sail to simply de-stress from the pressure-cooker pace of working in financial markets: "I love the challenge of sailing," he says.
And it's that lifelong-learning quality of the sport he hopes to pass on to the next generation. "I like to learn one new thing every day I'm sailing—and that's what I tell the kids I coach: learn one good thing and put it in your hard drive…"
If Gaudio has a legacy he wants to leave behind, it's a hope to keep more people involved in sailing—to keep them enthused, engaged, and forever learning. He has coached at many levels: at Olympic-class events in Finns and 49ers; at scores of local regattas; even working with his 9-year-old son Rory and his peers as they start to grasp the concepts of sailing. But for Gaudio—who has his US SAILING Level 1 and 2 instructor certifications—coaching goes deeper than helping someone win a race: it's helping sailors develop the skill set that will keep the game always fun and satisfying: "Not to get too Biblical, but with the kids I coach, I don't 'give them a fish'. I teach them how to fish … My job as a coach is not to simply tell them what to do: I show them how to figure it out for themselves."
2008 US Olympic Trials
INSA Class Graduates Andrew Campbell, Graham Biehl, Nick Scandone, and Tim Wadlow, all headed to China in 2008.
Photos by Amory Ross
& Rich Roberts
INSA Congratulates 2008 Olympians
October 16, 2007: San Diego, CA
The members and Board of Directors of the International Naples Sabot Association congratulate former and current class members on their outstanding accomplishments in the US Olympic Trials held October 3 -14, 2007. Four members of the latest US Olympic Team are graduates of the
class: Andrew Campbell (Laser), Graham Biehl (470), Nick Scandone (SKUD 18) and Tim Wadlow (49er). Three more alums narrowly missed qualification: Mikee Anderson (470) and George Szabo (Star) both placed second in this round, and Mark Reynolds (Star) finished sixth.
“As the secretary of this class, I could not be prouder of the accomplishments of our sailors, or the role of the Naples Sabot in crafting their careers in this sport, “said Aimee Graham, INSA Secretary-Treasurer. “They are excellent role models for the next generation of sailors behind them: the young juniors, high-school and college sailors that are working hard in their respective disciplines.
You can be sure that we will be watching and cheering not only from Southern California, but from all over the country.”
Diaz Favored To Be King
October 17, 2007: San Diego, CA Scuttlebutt 2455
When racing starts at the U.S. Championship of Champions this Thursday, October 18 at Mission Bay Yacht Club in San Diego, Calif., the starting line will be packed with familiar names from across the country's one-design sailing community. This should be no surprise, the event - which wraps up on Saturday, October 20 - is known as one of the toughest one-design competitions since it brings together the country's top 19 one-design sailors of all ages who have won major events in their respective one-design classes in the last year. The Championship, sponsored by Rolex Watch U.S.A. and Dry Creek Vineyard, is held in a different one-design boat every year in a different part of the country.
This year's event is sailed in Snipes, which could make Augie Diaz (Miami, Fla.), the 2003 US Sailing Rolex Yachtsman of the Year who has countless Snipe titles to his name, the odds-on favorite. But a win by Diaz is by no means guaranteed because he will be joined on the starting line by sailors such as 19-year-old Kyle Rogachenko (Collegeville, Pa.) who won the Laser Radial Youth World Championship and the U.S. Singlehanded Championship this year, 70-year-old seasoned Sunfish sailor Dick Tillman (Syracuse, Ind.) who is the oldest of fleet, US Sailing Team member and Olympic hopeful Carrie Howe (Grosse Point, Mich.) representing the Formula 18 class at this event, and several others. And perhaps the upset could come from local favorite Jake La Dow (San Diego, Calif.), who at age 14 is the youngest of the fleet and qualified after winning the Naples Sabot Junior National Championship last year.
