Spring and Summer Regatta Guide

With ISAF Youth World Qualifiers finished, it's time to make plans for this summer!  Hopefully you have already applied for the CISA Clinic (if not, put it on your calendar for next year!), and are already 2 regattas deep into the Hamlin Series, but even if you just got started in the 29er, read on for the complete guide to planning your 29er summer calendar.

This summer there are tons of regattas on the 29er North American calendar between now and summer, so in this article we'll try to sift through some the events to help you make the most of your time and money.

Spring Dinghy will be held at StFYC on March 9-10, and the event always seems to get some good racing in despite being off season on the bay.  SoCal teams who are able to should seriously consider making the trek, to support the NorCal 29er contingent as they frequently travel down South.  

We're half way through the SCYYRA season, but the best Hamlin events are yet to come! 29er Midwinters West (Hamlin #3, CorYC) is always one of the most well attended US 29er events of the year, often drawing alumni of the 29er class as well as novice 29er sailors who want to try sailing the 29er in the flat water of San Diego’s South Bay.  Series namesake  and skiff legend, Howie Hamlin will be there coaching the fleet, and 29er HP coach, Willie McBride will be running fleet debriefs at the end of each day, so don’t miss this event!!  In May, the Skiff Festival (Hamlin #4, SBYC) offers one of the last chances for experienced teams to practice their tactics before summer, and is also the last opportunity for new teams to get a leg up on new wave of competition who will likely be joining the fleet over the summer.  There will be a 29er HP Open Clinic on the Friday before Skiff Fest, so plan on coming out to learn some new tricks for the weekend.  Whether you are experienced or not, do not miss the Hamlin events!

29er Boot Camps 1-3 (Locations TBD): Bootcamps 1-3 will be the fast track to the top of the fleet, so no matter what your experience, be sure to apply for these clinics which will be held at various SoCal clubs!  Willie McBride will once again be organizing the clinic, and aditional coaches are TBA depending on the number of applicants.  Clinics will focus on preparing teams for European events through daily fitness, visualization, and on the water drills.  Applications for this will be released soon, so check back frequently!

Each team will have a slightly different summer path depending on previous experience, so for a personally tailored regatta plan, consult your coach, or shoot an e mail to 29erhighperformance@gmail.com.  With that in mind, here are a few ideas:

Beginners:  If you are still working on keeping the boat upright, or pacing with the top half of the fleet, the SoCal Junior Olympic Sailing Festival at NHYC should probably be your peak event this summer.  There should be lots of good competition here, and 29er HP will be running an Open Clinic prior to the event to help you get tuned up. Be sure to RSVP if you would like to join the clinic. Regardess of your experience, if you plan on pursuing the 29er, you should be applying for the US Youth Champs (application deadline is actually March 15th) and if you're lucky, you may get a spot racing against the top teams in the country!  If you will be attending Youth Champs as a relatively young team, be sure you have your act together logistically so that you can turn some heads!  If you have the resources to attend CORK, and you are not accepted to Youth Champs, this would be a great introduction to International racing (look for my future article on preparing for your first international event)!

Intermediate:  Besides definitely applying for the 29er BootCamp clinics, you should also be looking to attend the SoCal Junior Olympic Festival, and 29er HP Open Clinic.  After the Junior Olympics, ABYC and NHYC will be hosting several clinics, so stay tuned for training opportunities prior to the Youth Champs.  Many intermediate teams will likely make the cut for US Youth Champs this year, so take advantage of the opportunity, and learn as much as you can in Texas! If you don't get accepted, you should definitely try to do CORK.  For a personalized plan, consider applying for the 29er HP B Team.

Advanced:  The way the schedule works out this year, it would be a very long trip to Europe in order to do the German Nationals as well as Worlds.  Given the timing of the events this year, I think that the most efficient use of resources and time will be participating in the 29er BootCamps and the SoCal Junior Olympic Festival, and then traveling to Denmark for a 5-7 day training camp before sailing the 29er Worlds.

ISAF Youth World Championship (Cyprus): The ISAF Youth World Championship is the premiere ISAF event for junior sailors, so if it's not on your radar yet, be sure to tune in to race results this summer.  The qualifiers for 2013 are over at this point, but if you will be pursuing 29er sailing next year, you should definitely put the qualifying events for the 2014 Youth Worlds on your Calendar!

Other events:  The events that I didn't mention here are good supplements to keep practice exciting, but be sure to shoot for the recommended 70% practice, 30% racing.  Too many events can take your focus away from what is important and slow down your development.

The US 29er Class Association has made some cool graphic organizers for many of the regattas in the coming year, so check out their 29er PCC Series poster, as well as their Road to Kingston Worlds poster.