You Gotta Regatta!

The 2018 season has been spectacular here at TISC! Our sailors have been progressing through the summer with the help of their wonderful coaches. The pinnacle of youth sailing is sending those ready to their first regatta and hope that a new chapter in their sailing begins. This Summer TISC participated in the BAYS Summer Series Regattas, traveling to Encinal Yacht Club, San Francisco Yacht Club, and hosting the last of the series here at TISC. For a majority of our sailors this was their first experience racing outside of Clipper Cove and representing the home team this past weekend.

It all started in June with BAYS #2 Summer Splash at Encinal Yacht Club. The morning before the race we scrambled to get boats ready for the tow to EYC. We made it with plenty of time to rig, register, eat, and launch!  We had one Opti Green sailor and three FJ’s competing. Our motto was to have fun and sail your best!

Isaac Hoffman- Opti Green Fleet Sailor: “No More Quitting”

After a tough start and a capsize, Isaac was ready to throw in the towel. Coach Cazzie offered a little encouragement, helped bail the water out of the boat, and Isaac promised he would go for just one more race. Isaac surprised himself with a solid race and sailed back to Coach Cazzie yelling across the water, “No More Quitting!”

Isaac shared his experience with us; “This summer, at the end of two really fun weeks at TISC sailing camp, the TISC instructors asked me if I wanted to participate in my first regatta. I didn’t even really know what a regatta was, but I was so excited about sailing, I said sure. Then the morning of the regatta came and I was very, very nervous. Just before I left TISC to tow the boats to Encinal with the coaches and other sailors, my mom asked me what was the worst case scenario? Without hesitation, I answered: “Capsizing.” I had capsized lots of times during camp, and the whole way over to Encinal, I was dreading it happening again.”

“Of course, in my first race that’s just what happened. And then, because I had to fix my boat and bail it out, I missed the start of the second race. In tears, I sailed over to the coach’s boat and told my coach, Cazzie, that I was done and wanted to go in. “Ok,” said Cazzie, “but how about you give it one more try.” I said I would, and in that next race I had a pretty decent finish – 15 out of 22! I also felt like I sailed pretty well, and suddenly I was motivated to not just finish that day, but the whole second day as well. At the end, I felt exhausted but so happy! And now I can’t wait to do another regatta with TISC. “ – Isaac Hoffman

Next up was BAYS #3 at San Francisco Yacht Club

The TISC Team raced in their first ever regatta! From Left to Right; Torin Arleo, Nyanza Ngongoseke, Sonia Jekle, Sati Sowa, Brooke Hiller, and Mila Kane.

Youth regattas are not only fun to race in, but you make new friends too!

We had four total Optis in the green fleet this time and they sailed really well and helped each other out the whole way.

Sati and Sonia showed up in style to their first Regatta and it was nothing but smiles from these two.

Coach Cazzie had his work cut out for him easing their nerves as they reviewed the Sailing Instructions.

Torin took home 2nd place for the Green Fleet and is looking forward to the Labor Day Regatta at TISC.

The team was back this past Labor Day as TISC hosted BAYS Summer Series #4. We added a couple of new friends to the team for this one! Over 100 youth participated for the final regatta of the BAYS Summer Series and the weather couldn’t have been more perfect here in the Bay. It was warm and windy.

From left to right: Torin, Declan, Rowan, Lyuba, Ian, Nyanza, Ava, and Coach Nick. Thanks to the Adamson family for helping to coach our sailors. It was great to expand the team for our home regatta.

Skipper Declan Donnovan and Crew Rowan Clinch did very well competing in the FJ class, lots of great competition out there.

Mila was very focused this weekend and placed extremely well, we are hoping she sticks with it!

This is what a first place finishers sailing instructions look like! Nice work Torin, it might be time to move up to Champ Fleet 🙂

Ava (above) and Lyuba (below) were all concentration out there.

After seeing his big brother Nyanza race at SFYC, Lyuba quickly moved up from Beginner to Intermediate Opti class so he could compete in his first regatta. Lyuba held his spot on the roster this weekend not dropping in position. Another first regatta success story!

We are very proud of all our sailors who raced and challenged themselves this year. Kudos to Coach Cazzie and the entire TISC Team for leading the way and providing them with the support they needed.

Thanks to all our great volunteers this past weekend, it sure does take a village! We look forward to the start of our Fall Junior Program starting September 9th and Winter Regatta Season.

That’s a wrap! You can see from Laura’s face (photo above,far right) that it was indeed an exciting weekend. Stay tuned! You Gotta Regatta!

Best Regards- Laura DeFelice, TISC Program Manager

Golden Bears – Smiling Volunteers

on clipper cove FridayFriday was a blue sky day with warm breezes and sunny sparkles on Clipper Cove. Saturday, high school sailing teams competing in the Pacific Coast Interscholastic Sailing Association Golden Bear Regatta hosted by Bay Area Youth Sailing filled the cove.

PCISA and BAYS like Clipper Cove because of its unique setting protected waters and predictable winds.  Treasure Island Sailing Center was a sponsor and pleased to co-host this year’s Golden Bear regatta sponsored by from Encinal, Richmond, San Francisco and St. Francis Yacht Clubs and the Peninsula Youth Sailing Foundation.

Below are a few pictures from the two-day event, courtesy of Kevin Berry.clipper cove plus kids and parentsrace prepcompetitors meeting

SFYC "Victory" on Clipper Cove parents viewThe volunteer smiles below are from a picture captured during my visit to TISC for last Thursday’s dock install (Trailer, Docks, Smiles – CRASH).smiles on the dock

Many visitors ask: “Why take the docks out, Clipper Cove is so well protected?”  The answer is simple: The summer winds come from the north and west; winter storms with their high winds occasionally sneak in from the south and east which wreak havoc with the docks and dingy ramp.  So, the docks are normally out during the winter, and BAYS depends on local volunteers to put them in the water for the weekend Golden Bears Regatta.

And while we’re on the topic of volunteers, we often stress being flexible and available.  Treasure Island sea gulls can be tenacious in their pursuit of food.  Saturday night they raided our garbage and generally made a mess of the spectator area.  Many thanks to the parents of Point Loma High School and Alameda High School for the clean up Sunday morning.

Regards from On the Cove, Dave G

In the Wake: Additional informaton about Golden Bear Regatta is here:  List of Registrants from PCISA,   Results from San Francisco Yacht Club.

Trailer, Docks and Richmond SMILES – then crash !

Blue sky and diamond sparkles highlighted Clipper Cove as I drove over the Bay Bridge to TISC Thursday morning.  What a great day for the Richmond Parks and Recreation sail plus dock installation for the BAYS Golden Bear Regatta.

Early start with a 7:30 appointment in Alameda to pick up a donated Moore 24 trailer.  Stay tuned for the international background behind this gracious donation in a later blog. Ditto for the excellent dock work supplied by volunteers from Encinal, Richmond, San Francisco and St. Francis Yacht Clubs and Peninsula Youth Sailing Foundation.

Philip and Ivan, two of our TISC  instructors, treated ten kids + two advisers from Richmond Parks and Recreation to a breezy sail on the bay.  They were all smiles when their J/24’s returned to the docks around 1pm:

Richmond Sail at TISC-1 Richmond Sail at TISC-2

Answers to my question “What was your favorite part of the day?” included “I sailed the boat”, “being on the water”, and “what makes the sky blue? ( elementary students often answer a question with a question, you know)”.  All answers delivered with big smiles and inquisitive minds.

Side Bar: Thursday was quite windy; the kids had an exciting ride.  A few upset stomachs enused.  After the sail, however, they were ALL SMILES, and everyone wanted to come back for another sail at Treasure Island Sailing Center.  Troopers every one !

About  “The Crash”.

If you look closely at this group shot taken before the sail at 10:50am, you will see two cranes removing portions of the under-works used to assemble the eastern section of the new Bay Bridge.

Before the Crash

In this picture of their return to the docks just after 1pm, notice the large pile of broken steel and the broken crane on the construction barge:

Titanic Moment

Here is another picture I shot seconds after hearing the rumbling and crashing from tons of steel dropping on the barge below at 12:07 pm.  You can see the yellow lifting frame used to lower the sections as it it dropped to the barge on top of the under-works, taking the remaining crane down with it:last section dropping

 

Regards from (not your normal day) On The Cove, Dave G

In the wake: As I finish this blog, 250 kids from 50 schools in 35 towns are finishing up the first day of the BAYS Golden Bears Regatta on Clipper Cove.  Stay tuned for a behind-the-scenes look at Thursday’s preparation for this PCISA event.