• ARCHIVED NEWS
  • 2010
  • 29ers in Miami With the support of Sturgis Boat Works and the great leadership from Max Fraser (5th at 29er Worlds) and Leandro Spina (Olympic Coach), Miami Yacht Club organized an introduction to the 29er clinic in the waters of Miramar Bay. Saturday started with gray skies and a good but shifty breeze of 11 knots. With 19 sailors and 4 coaches we were able to sail for several hours, making it possible for everyone to sail the boats and try both skipper and crew positions. Optimist, Laser and 420 sailors from 11 to 17 years of age and from as far as 80 miles away came to Miami and had a blast planing up and downwind through the bay. Wipeouts and Spiderman stunts were par for the course on Saturday!
    On Sunday, in strong (14-15kts) but now steady breeze, the sailors, now with some good experience under their belts, sailed without much capsizing and could be seen "racing" down the course! Those who felt comfortable in the boat, ventured out "unaccompanied" and had great fun sailing around! Special thanks go to the assistant coaches Matthias Roberts, Chanel Miller, and Timmy Zenderman, who tirelessly coached each one of the sailors throughout the day!

    The Miami Clinic Group.

    3/5/10

  • 29ers in Texas Sturgis Boat Works and the Houston Yacht Club hosted a very successful introductory 29er Clinic over the weekend. SBW provided 3 boats and coaching was provided by Billy Gooderham (Canadian 49er Olympic Team Skipper) and Mike Vorbeck (Head Coach at Corpus Christi Yacht Club). Special thanks to Allan Coutts (Head Coach at HYC) for organizing the clinic and taking great care of both sailors and coaches.
    Sailing conditions over the weekend were perfect for an introduction to skiff sailing. Saturday started with a light northerly at 8 knots building to 10 as the day progressed. Flat water and consistent breeze made it easy for a combination of Optimist, Laser and 420 sailors to get a great feel for the boats. Everyone had a chance to sail the boats and try both skipper and crew positions. Billy spent some time in boats with the smaller, less experienced sailors and did a great job bringing them up the learning curve. It was great to see pairs of Optimist sailors, as young as 10 years old successfully sailing 29ers. The video debrief was a big hit as well.
    Sunday morning looked weak with flat calm at 8 AM but, by the time the clinic started at 10 AM the wind was clocking around and looking better. By 11 AM we had a southeasterly breeze at 12 knots building to about 14 or 15 by the end of the day. These conditions made for a perfect stepping stone to medium air technique and really ramped up the speed. In just two days, every sailor was trapping, tacking and jibing with relative ease. Good conditions and great coaching make all the difference!!
    By the end of the clinic, everyone was excited to get a fleet off the ground. And this being Texas, they didn't waste a lot of time taking it to committee and wondering what the governing bodies of sailing might think, they just did it. 3 Teams bought boats by the end of the clinic and 3 more the next day. Plus, at least one used boat will be joining the fleet and another coming out of mothballs. So, it's safe to say that Texas has a burgeoning 29er fleet and we can expect to see sailors from the Lone Star State at some of the upcoming summer regattas in California and New England. This new fleet will have a chance to show its stuff next year. See you there!

    3/3/10

  • 29er Midwinters East / Canadian Youth World Qualifier This past weekend at the 29er Mid Winters East we saw it all, wind, no wind, postponement ashore, and postponement on the water. Anyone who has sailed out of the US Sailing Center Martin County (USSCMC) knows if it's challenging conditions not only with it's winds but with it's hidden shoals all over the river. Day one we had perfect conditions, with 10-12 knots, 5 races and a great start to the regatta. The competition level was high and the attitudes on the water were fierce during the races, but friendly on land. Day two was a little bit lighter around 6-8 knots with 5 races and cold weather around 65 degrees. Day three however was a little bit different. All of the sailors arrived around 8:30-9:00am to see a glassed off river, not a stitch of wind in sight. We all waited patiently in hopes of something to come. Around 11am the race committee made the call to break until 1:30pm, and with that everyone headed to the beach. At 1:30 around 4-6 knots of breeze arrived and they sent us out. Three races were completed. Day four was the same story, no wind in the morning, but instead of postponing us on land they sent us out. Luckily, Max Faser, Justin Lewandowski, and Brandon Cairnes brought out their skim and wakeboards to keep us all entertained while we waited for the glassed off river to show us something good. When it finally came it brought 8-9 knots with it and from then on the races began. Four races were completed and the end of the regatta came.
    Placing 1st overall was Emily Tsang and Lauren Laventure, 2nd Place overall was Chanel Miller and CC Childers, and Placing 3rd overall, also gaining title of ISAF youth World Qualifier Winners were Erin Berry and Jessica Round. Congratulations to all the winners, and thank you to all of the competitors, whom all sailed a fair regatta, and especially to the USSCMC race committee who called the line perfectly and gave us all a great racing experience.
    -CC Childers
    Thanks to Stacey Childers for taking another excellent round of photos! See them here. .....Final Results

    Top three finishers L to R: Emily Tsang and Lauren Laventure, Erin Berry and Jessica Round, Chanel Miller and CC Childers.

    2/23/10

  • Southern California Midwinters Go Off As Planned 9 races were completed over the weekend in South Bay. Coronado Yacht Club put together a great regatta with courses that were once or twice around windward/leewards. Conditions were 14 knots on Saturday with a decrease to about 7 for the last two races. Sunday was the opposite with about 8 knots for race one and then a solid build to 16 knots. The San Diego fleet is quite even with lots of teams all in their first year as a team. The group as a whole sailed a clean regatta with no collisions and very few fouls. All the sailors took advantage of Coach Jon's pre-race boat demonstrations and suggetions to get better together. Paris Henken/Connor Kelter battled all weekend with Brady and Lusela Sih for 1st place. 3rd place went to Katie Everett/Alex Ranum on a tie breaker over Esteban Forrer/Greg Dair. Both 3rd place teams moved up several places on Sunday as Katie got her pointing back and Esteban and Greg (his 1st time in 29er) started to figure out the boat. Welcome to class newcomers Nick Rasdal sailing with Zach Downing, and Greg Dair. .....Results

    2/22/10

  • 29erXXs sprouting in the west An early, el nino spring has sprung on the west coast and along with it came a growing 29erXX fleet. New owners can be found from San Diego to Victoria, BC. At least 4 new rigs are headed west to bring the west coast fleet total to 6+. A schedule is being organized by the fleet members for clinics and racing this year. Contact Jen Morgan to join the group.

    2/19/10

  • San Diego "Luff-In" series off to a strong start San Diego Area Yacht Clubs (SDAYC) hosted the 29er fleet in their youth development "Luff-In" regatta series. Southwestern Yacht Club hosted the first of the 2010 series last weekend (Feburary 8th) and sixteen SoCal area teens paired up and raced eight (8) 29ers on beautiful, sunny San Diego Bay. There were five races with 7 -13 knot breeze, Lots of "oohs and ahhhs" from other classes as the 29ers came ripping through the course. Esteban Forrer and Chuckie Eaton won the starts of race 1 and 2 and held position to take bullets in each race. As race 3 got started the breeze built to 11-13 knots and several of the new 29er sailors set their all time speed records and had that familiar smile that skiff sailors get just before they realize they're "hooked". Excellent improvements from Zach Downing and Duncan Swain. A special welcome to 29er "newbies" Madeline Brownsea/Scott Hoffman of MBYC, Trevor and Matt Hecht from MBYC, Reece Bernet and Jessie O'Dell of SWYC, Charlie Welsh of NHYC crewing for class veteran Patrick Powell of CorYC and Kyle Sutter sailing with Patrick Snow, both from SDYC. We look forward to seeing all of you at the next Luff-In regatta on June 5 at Mission Bay YC. .....

    2/18/10

  • US Youth Worlds Qualifier Antoine Screve and James Moody sailed smart, fast upwind legs in heavy air, steep chop and a cross course swell during a critical day one of the Youth World Championship Qualifier, scoring four straight bullets which set the stage for an exciting closing day battle with Sterling and Hans Henken. Day two brought a moderate 7 to 10 knot southwesterly breeze which, given their two bullets and two seconds, suited the Henken brothers quite well. The epic 29er battle continued to the very last race of the 3 day regatta, where Antoine and James finished first and qualified for US SAILING's 2010 Youth World Team.

    Congratulations Antoine Screve and James Moody! You are the Qualifier Gold Medalists and you're going to Istanbul, Turkey to represent the USA in the 40th Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship! "We have a very strong team," said U.S. Sailing High Performance Director Kenneth Andreasen. "This event was a true test of skill in heavy and medium air, and these sailors demonstrated they were the strongest in their fleets. We're excited about the prospect of them winning the Volvo Youth Sailing trophy this summer."

    Congratulations also to Silver medalists Sterling and Hans Henken and Bronze medalists Tyler Macdonald and Brian Bolton. Honorable mention goes to the first all women's team of Chanel Miller and CC Childers who captured a bullet in Race 9, breaking a tie with Katy Cenname and Burgess Malarkey . . . as well as the other team in the exciting battle for 4th, JP Barnes and Duncan Swain.

    The 29er Fleet would like to offer a huge THANK YOU to the volunteers and staff at Clearwater Yacht Club and Clearwater Sailing Center who made this regatta a tremendous success!

    Complete results can be found here.
    Videos of the event can be found here
    To learn more about the 40th Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship, go to www.isafyouthworlds.com. The 29er's open co-ed status and permanent inclusion in the Youth World Championship, not to mention it's deserved reputation as the fastest and most exciting boat on the youth circuit, is bringing great prestige to the fleet and many new racers from Florida and the Eastern half of the North American continent . . . even as the class surge in the west continues to swell the ranks.

    1/20/10

  • 2010 Worlds Wrapup The French 29er team of Kevin Fisher and Glenn Gouron sailed brilliantly and won the 2010 29er World Championship, followed by Pepe Bettini and Fernando Gwozdz of Argentina in 2nd . . . while Lorenzo Franceschini and Riccardo Camin of Italy took the bronze position on the medal stand after an intense and incredibly close battle with the USA team of Max Fraser and David Liebenberg, the Danish team of Oscar Hauman and Taus Holtug and Argentines Nahuel Fernando Martinez and Axel Vugdelija.

    Among the eleven boat fleet of North American racers, Max Fraser and David Liebenberg finished the regatta in Grand Bahama style, with a 2nd and two bullets in the final three races . . . bringing their total to 100 points, a single point short of a bronze medal.

    The Bahamian venue was interesting and varied, with resort front launches followed by crews visually sounding the crystal clear waters for coral heads in the shallows near the beach. Terrific camaraderie was reported among the North Americans, with U.S. Sailing’s Leandro Spina coaching and Ben Glass assisting. Cool, and later cold temperatures and brisk, shifty winds off the beach and a weather mark in waters 20 feet from shore provided a venue which required quick adaptation.

    Of the eleven North American boats, seven finished in the top 20. .....Final Results

    View more Fried Elliot Photos

    1/13/10

  • 29er Worlds, New Year's Day The 29er and 49er sailors at the 2010 Worlds on Grand Bahama Island were treated with a beautiful New Year's Day today. 10-18 knots of wind, warm temperatures and even warmer water made for great sailing. Just as most teams were starting to pack it up for the day an afternoon downpour brought in the colder weather forecasted for the next few days. The rain sent everyone running for cover, but thankfully didn't last too long.
    Measurement starts tomorrow morning and racing begins on the 4th. Stay tuned for more! .....29er Worlds Website

    1/1/10


  • 2009

  • Announcing the Seiko 29erXX Superbowl Regatta The Coconut Grove Sailing Club will be hosting the 2010 Seiko 29erXX Superbowl Regatta in Miami, Florida. The regatta will have a practice day Sunday, January 30th and will have three days of racing Monday - Wednesday Feburary 1-3rd. These dates follow the Miami Olympic Classes Regatta allowing both North American sailors as well as internationals in town for the OCR to participate. Charters will be provided thanks to PS2000 and Sturgis Boat Works. Thanks for the support guys!! .....Event Website

    12/13/09

  • 29er Trailer...heading east for the winter Max Fraser, driving the big white van, is headed East with a trailer of 29ers for the winter. The boats will hit a circuit of clinics and regattas including the 2010 Worlds in the Bahamas and the US Youth Worlds Qualifier in Sarasota. Sounds like a great winter of warmer weather racing. Sunday night Max is in the middle of Texas.

    Drive safe Max!

    12/13/09

  • Turkey Day Photos Thanks to Jill Powell for sharing her great photos from Turkey Day. .....Jill's Turkey Day photos

    12/1/09

  • Henken Brothers Bring Home the Turkey! The 2009 Turkey Day Regatta, hosted by Alamitos Bay Yacht Club, included a fleet of seventeen 29ers . . . more than double the turnout last year . . . and included teams from San Diego to San Francisco and all points in between. This Long Beach Holiday tradition had special significance this year, as it was the final regatta of the year-long 29er Pacific Coast Championship Series and the introduction of the perpetual Maxam Family Trophy.

    Saturday presented very light winds mixed with swells and big chop stirred up overnight by a cold front that rolled in from the North. At the end of the day, the top 3 boats had slogged through three long races to within striking distance of each other. The challenging conditions did not dampen the spirits of the fleet as evidenced by the camaraderie at the huge Saturday night Turkey Feed. Dessert included an inspirational speech from Olympian Charlie McKee that challenged the kids to work together in their efforts to achieve their goals. Tons of laughter and large groups "chillaxin" in the parking lot capped off a great day. Sunday brought better sailing conditions with a steady, six to eight knot West-Northwest breeze and very tight, but Corinthian racing.
    Sterling Henken, sailing with his brother Hans Henken, won the big frozen turkey (seriously, turkey is the trophy) with three bullets in the 6 race regatta. Antoine Screve/James Moody, also showing three bullets on their card, took 2nd place honors in a tie-breaker over 3rd place finishers Tyler Macdonald/Brian Bolton. John Papadopoulous event photos.

    SPECIAL WELCOME TO NEW TEAMS Zack Downing and Rex Cameron, Patrick Powell and Roman Milioti, Chris Ford and Michael Deady, Brady Sih and Lusela Sih. .....Final Results

    Turkey Day Trophy Recipients with their birds and pies.

    11/24/09

  • Pacific Coast Championship Series Zack Maxam traveled to Long Beach, California to make the debut presentation of the perpetual Maxam Family Trophy at the closing ceremony of ABYC's Turkey Day Regatta, the final regatta of the year long PCC Series. The new Maxam Family Trophy, honors Bill, Lois, Zack and Lauren Maxam's efforts in creating and growing the 29er class since the boat's 1998 introduction in the U.S. The PCC Series began at St. Francis YC with the Spring Dinghy Regatta, followed by the Midwinters-West at Coronado YC, the Elvstrom-Zellerbach Regatta, Skiff Fest, the Pacific Coast Championship Regatta and the Turkey Day Regatta in Long Beach. The trophy recognizes the importance of both skipper and crew in 29er sailing, with a winner in each category engraved upon it. A total of 42 sailors were competing for this series championship in 2009.

    Max Fraser, sailing out of Richmond Yacht Club/Santa Cruz Yacht Club is the 2009 Champion Skipper and Brian Bolton from Dana Point Yacht Club is the 2009 Champion Crew. The top female skipper for the series was Paris Henken (CYC) and top female crew honors went to CC Childers (SDYC). The top "Under 18" skipper was JP Barnes and the top crew was Brian Bolton.

    All of these sailors were awarded customized Helly Hansen mariner backpacks donated by Art Vasenius of Sailing Pro Shop in Long Beach. Thank you, Art, for your continued support of the 29er class!

    Thanks also to the many volunteers, yacht clubs, coaches and parents who have given their time and energies to pave the way for the tremendous growth in the 29er class. The 29er will be well represented at the U.S. Youth Championships next August and the ISAF Youth Worlds in Istanbul, Turkey in July. It is also considered to be a perfect training boat for youth interested in the Olympic Class 49er. The 29er class is growing even in these turbulent economic times because the boat is fast, exciting and surprisingly affordable to campaign. Throw one on top of your car and hit the road with us in 2010!

    PCC Champion Skipper Max Fraser and Champion Crew Brian Bolton accept the Maxam Trophy from Zack Maxam.

    Paris Henken wins top Female Skipper Award.

    CC Childers takes top Female Crew Award.

    JP Barnes takes top Under 18 Skipper Award.

    11/24/09

  • Tyler Macdonald and Brian Bolton win Santa Barbara's world famous GOBLIN REGATTA! While a half million students at nearby UCSB gathered for the nation's biggest Halloween party, Tyler Macdonald (Newport Harbor Yacht Club) and Brian Bolton (Dana Point Yacht Club) nailed the starts and sailed "screaming" fast upwind legs . . . holding off tactically "spooky" downwind challenges by Jr. National Champions Sterling and Hans Henken . . . edging the Coronado, California brothers out by a 2 point margin in the shortened, four race 29er regatta.

    14 teams from all over California raced in the Santa Barbara Sailing Center's 2009 Goblin Regatta, chaired by Beverly Toole and run beautifully by Chris Erickson, who was invited up from Long Beach to handle the 29er, I-14, Laser, J24 and J105 fleets as PRO. Saturday's conditions featured sunny skies, warm temperatures and 9 to 12 knots of westerly breeze along with other interesting features . . . like a 180 degree current shift before race 3 and hard to spot kelp island parking lots on the tactically favored right side of the race course. Sunday's racing was abandoned after a high pressure system parked on top of Santa Barbara, but the hours of waiting were enlivened when James Moody (taking 3rd in the regatta with skipper Antoine Screve) borrowed a Laser centerboard and put on a wakeboarding clinic behind a slightly underpowered safety boat. One way or another, 29er sailing is always fun!

    A special welcome to Goblin Regatta participants and new fleet members Esteban Forrer, Chucky Eaton, Patrick Snow, Marly Isler, Tucker Atterbury, Kristen Stipanov and Davey McBride. .....Final Results

    Tyler and Brian, Goblin champions. Photo by David Bolton

    Hans and Sterling Henken having fun on Halloween. Photo by David Bolton

    11/5/09

  • BIG News from US Sailing! The proposed boats for the Youth Champs have been voted on! The 29er, 420, Laser and Laser Radial are in. The big news is that the 29er is again voted in due to its growing popularity. The event will be held at Cabrillo Beach Yacht Club on August 1-4. (The 29er nationals will be held also at this venue the week before!) for those of you who have questions on this event check the .....US Sailing website.

    11/1/09

  • Fall Dinghy Regatta Report St. Francis Yacht Club hosted the Fall Dinghy and Olympic Classes Regatta the weekend of October 24 and 25, 2009 and considering that late October and November can feature difficult, if not problematic, weather on the San Francisco City Front . . . the seven 29er teams enjoyed a real treat . . . a pre-Halloween weekend with near perfect sailing conditions. Saturday morning started with an easterly wind trying to fight off the sea breeze, causing a brief appearance of the AP Flag. After a short delay, the races began in a tactical 8 to 12 knots of unsteady westerly winds that were shifting as much as 30 degrees. The puffy, shifty conditions, combined with a 3 knot flood tide, made for some interesting starts and extremely tight mark rounding battles. As the racing continued, the shifty westerly built to 15 to 18 knots. Sunday began with similar, but somewhat lighter conditions . . . puffing from 6 to 10 at midday and building to 12 to 15 knots in the afternoon with large, sweeping shifts. Some memorable racing went on; skipper Max Fraser (who contributed to this report) described races on long courses where the fleet split and seemed to be on opposite sides of the bay . . . and later converged for some tight, clean mark roundings.
    Team "Shake'n Bake" aka Max Fraser and David Liebenberg in USA 9, once again demonstrated that time together as a committed team pays off big! Max and David drove their green hulled boat to victory with 5 wins in 6 races. The Olympic Development Team of Antoine Screve and James Moody capped a terrific first year of 29er campaigning with a second place finish, including a bullet in Race 5. JP Barnes and crew Duncan Swain trekked up from San Diego and sailed a solid regatta, winning a third place tiebreaker with Jessica Bernhard and Matt Van Rensselaer. The 29er class also welcomes new members Christina Nagatani and Annie Schmidt
    Other classes that shared the venue included 49ers, 505s, Lasers, Finns and WETAs. .....Final Results

    10/29/09

  • Welcome to the new USA Board! The USA 29er Class has elected a new Board of Directors and appointed new Officers and Coordinators to build on the organizational foundation created in 1999. Oliver Scutt of Seattle, Washington has taken the reigns as Class President from long serving Dave Bernal of Santa Barbara, California. Oliver has a daughter actively racing in the class and was elected to lead an energetic new Board. Peter Macdonald of Newport Beach, California will support Oliver and the Class as Vice President. Dinghy legend John Papadopoulos takes over as Secretary and 29er dad Chip Nilson is our new class Treasurer. Max Fraser shall be our new Class Measurer; Max Bulger is the Press Officer for the Eastern U.S. and David Bolton is Press Officer for the Western States. Dan Brandt is our Class Head Coach and the new Coordinators include David Shaner (Northwest Coordinator), Jon Rogers and David Bolton (Southern California Co-Coordinators), Max and Chris Bulger (North East Co-Coordinators) and Jorge Agnese and Leandro Spina (Southeast Co-Coordinators). To contact any of these leaders please click on Class Info on the 29er North American home page.

    10/29/09

  • 1st Annual Tim Wadlow Series SDYC hosted the final San Diego Area “Luff-in” Regatta of the year on October 17, 2009 bringing the 1st Annual (Tim) Wadlow Series to a close. The racing took place in North San Diego Bay with a rare, sweeping upwind current, 4-6 knots of breeze and a thick fog framing (but never covering) the race course. 2009 Jr. National Champions Sterling and Hans Henken won the regatta, narrowly defeating Zach Downing and Duncan Swain by working their way through the fleet to finish 2nd after a required individual restart in the last race! As for the completed series, Marly Isler is the winner of the 2009 Wadlow Perpetual Trophy. Cooper Dressler, CC Childers and Patrick Snow each contributed to Marly’s victory as crew during the series. Congratulations all! Finishing 2nd in the series was Sterling Henken, who sailed with both Davey McBride and his brother Hans in qualifying Luff-In regattas. 3rd was the team of Zach Downing and Duncan Swain. This final series event marked Zach's 1 year anniversary racing in the 29er. .....Final Results

    10/29/09

  • More awesome 29er US Nationals photos Chuck Lantz has posted some great photos from the 2009 US Nationals held in September at St. Francis YC in San Francisco. Check 'em out! .....Photo Gallery

    10/12/09

  • US Olympic Sailing Program to Host Training Camps The US Olympic Sailing Program will host two training camps for members of the US Sailing Teams - Under 18 and Under 23 and other talented youth sailors who are on an Olympic track in the Laser, Laser Radial, 29er or International 420. Sailors must be interested in competing at international events and pursuing an Olympic campaign in the future. Both clinics will be held at the US Sailing Center in Miami (Coconut Grove), Fla. The dates for the two clinics are:
    • - November 27-29, 2009
    • - December 19-22, 2009

    Sailors interested in attending one of these training clinics should email clinic organizers at development@ussailing.org with their plans for competing and training in 2010. Sailors must bring their own boats to these clinics. .....Clinic Website

    10/12/09

  • Maxam Family Trohpy The new Maxam Family Trophy, honoring Bill, Lois, Zack and Lauren Maxam's efforts in creating and helping grow the 29er class from the very beginning in the USA. The Trophy was dedicated to the Maxam family during the US Nationals in September and will be given to the top placing team in the PCC Series. ABYC's Turkey Day regatta is the final event of the 2009 PCC Series. Make sure to attend!

    10/12/09

  • 29er US Nationals Video Video by Ellen Liebenberg

    10/11/09

  • Trailer Program to Florida this winter There are many great clinics and regattas schedule for this winter in Florida, not to mention the Worlds in the Bahamas in January. Matt Wake from Sturgis Boat Works, Max Fraser and the 29er class are organizing a trailer from California to Florida to help west coast 29er teams attend these events. Matt is working hard to promote the class with charters available to new 29er sailors. Come join in the fun and show off our fleet!

    The schedule is:
    • Miami Clinic Dec. 19-22
    • Worlds Jan. 2-9
    • ISAF Youth Worlds Qualifier Jan. 16-19
    • Clinic and Mids Feb. ? TBD

    The Trailer Program is available at the very reasonable cost of approximately $1600 / boat. The final loading date for the trailer is not yet set but, will be in the San Diego area on or about Dec. 10. However, there should be opportunities to put boats on the trailer at West Coast regattas further North leading up to that date. There are only 10 spots available and they are going fast so make sure to get your name on the list! Conatct Matt Wake with questions. .....Sign Up Online

    10/5/09

  • PCC Series Standings With only one event remaining (Turkey Day) the standings for the PCC Series are still close and exciting. Check out your position and make sure you make it to the Turkey Day to keep moving in the standings. .....Results to date

    10/4/09

  • 2009 US Nationals Follow Up by Paul Heineken At the recent 29er Nationals, many people complimented me for sailing this "kids" boat at my advanced age (63). But what I saw was an enormous missed opportunity by adults to help their kids, their junior sailing programs, and the class. The parking lot was filled with enthusiastic parents, many of the right size (< 180lb) and gender (either), to sail with their kid. But they weren't doing it--too intimidated I presume. A few parents said they tried it once and gave up. Parents, you'd expect more from your kid. Get back on that horse!

    The 29er is by far the best dinghy I've ever sailed. Why hasn't the class grown more? It's too easy to blame the eastern yachting establishment. I think the main reasons are as follows:
    • 1. 29er kids have a limited time window, usually ages 14-17, then they go off to college and get stuck back in the FJs for college sailing.
    • 2. It is a bit intimidating for a 12-14 year old to start, and the first ride should never be done with another beginner.
    • 3. Every beginning 29er sailor should have an experienced 29er sailor take them out for the first few times, mostly to sort out capsize recovery without fear.
    • 4. Beginning kids have no chance of doing well in early races. Good luck isn't enough. So at least one of their early years is frustrating for a kid that was used to success.
    • 5. For parents, a 29er is more expensive than a (club owned) Club 420 or FJ.

    The result is that the overall 29er fleet is excellent in quality but small; the front of the fleet is superb, but it is dominated by kids with very committed parents. It's not that inviting to the larger group of young sailors, even though the boat is soooo much fun to sail!
    At the recent Nationals, I realized that I had taken 3 of the top 10 skippers to their first 29er clinic/regatta, either as skipper or crew. I also was involved with getting Matt Noble, Jen Glass, and John Heineken going on a 29er (although Jake von Heeckeren deserves credit for first hooking John).
    Other parents can do the same. Learn the boat, have a lot of fun, and provide some continuity to the fleet. Your 12 year old will be happy to sail with you for the first few times. Then you take out their friend. Very soon the kids will be sailing together and the fleet will have a new team. Then pick another gung-ho kid and take him or her sailing. When your kid goes off to college, he/she will have a crew back home to occasionally call on. Your kid may even compete to get you because you have other options among new junior sailors.
    Get going parents!

    Paul Heineken, MD,
    USA 529
    Chair, StFYC Junior Sailing Committee

    10/4/09

  • US Nationals photos from John Liebenberg Photographer John Liebenberg and proud US National Champion dad has provided tons of action packed photos for your enjoyment. Thanks John! .....John's US Nationals photos

    9/22/09

  • 29er U.S. Nationals St. Francis Yacht Club, San Francisco, California September 18-20, 2009. By David Bolton.

    San Francisco welcomed a record twenty five 29er teams from all over the United States with a warm, cloudless practice Friday in light to moderate breeze, giving the skiff sailing tourists from out of town a chance to enjoy spectacular vistas of the city and the Golden Gate Bridge while trying to familiarize themselves with the best upwind and downwind routes in the powerful ebb and flood tides here at the entrance to San Francisco Bay. Saturday's conditions were a big contrast as the marine layer kept the temperatures down and the leading edge of a fogbank brought strong winds . . . building during race one and topping out at 20 knots sustained by race three. The new moon brought on a midday ebb tide forecast at over 4.5 knots, which resulted in downwind hull speeds approaching 25 knots, along with some impressive takeoffs in the high frequency chop . . . and too many spectacular crashes to count. Conditions were severe enough that, at the end of the day, only ten boats were left on the race course and only seven boats had actually managed to complete all five races! Still, the post-racing fleet camaraderie was evident back at St. Francis Yacht Club as competitors exchanged stories and showed off blue fingertips and toes. A number of competitors set new "personal best" speed records and are undoubtedly sifting through the reams of photos taken by John Liebenberg and Erik Simonson of H2Oshots.com looking for their airborne 29er. Sunday's final day of racing was a bit more manageable, but still plenty of fun, with solid mid-teens breeze and a medium flood for races six, seven and eight.

    Max Fraser and David Liebenberg (Team Shake’n Bake) are the 2009 29er National Champions, with an incredible six bullets and a total of ten points, dominating the U.S. Nationals in their seafoam-green hulled wonder-skiff! Sterling and Hans Henken sailed an outstanding championship regatta, taking Second Place honors overall and also winning the Junior (under 18) Team 1st Place trophy. Sailing consistently and closing with a second place finish in the final race, JP Barnes and Chris Rast captured third place. Julia Paxton and Nina Malingri, who were all smiles all weekend long, won the Top Women’s Team trophy with their 5th overall performance. Dr. Paul Heineken (sailing with his talented daughter Erika), as the senior team of the regatta, received an honorable mention and roaring applause from the competitors for their solid 10th place finish and for being one of only 7 teams to finish all eight races. .....Complete results and links to more photos

    Slogging through a windy day on the city front. Photo by David Bolton

    29er comraderie during the awards ceremony. Photo by Ellen Liebenberg

    9/22/09

  • US Nationals St Francis put on a great US Nationals with classic fall San Francisco breeze and a great class meeting. More details to come. For now there are a lot of action-filled photos!
    Chris Ray
    H20 Shots
    DigitalEclectic
    .....final results

    2009 US National Champions Max and David. Photo by John Liebenberg

    9/21/09

  • Great CORK photos by Luka Bartulovic Luka has taken some great shots of the racing at CORK / 29er North Americans. A few are shown below, but check out his website for more. .....Luka's Website

    Photo by Luka Bartulovic

    Photo by Luka Bartulovic

    9/4/09

  • 29er Buzzards Bay Regatta by Tyler Macdonald What a great event, 400 boats in many classes. Buzzards Bay is a very cool place to sail. Max delivered our boat to the venue, thanks Max. Ian Hollerbach traveled out from Michigan and Brian Bolton flew out and met me in Rhode Island. We arrived on Thursday, in time to set the boat up and go for a sail, unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate. Friday, day 1 was different, the weather conditions were 8-15kts, and sunny skies, we had 10 boats on the line, we got off 4 solid races. My grandfather was out on the starting boat the first day and enjoyed watching the 29ers sail, he also saw that we were over the line in race 1, we missed the “x” flag, and bummer….no first place finish that race. This came back to haunt us, as it cost us 1st place in the regatta. By the end of the day, Max Bulger and Emmet Smith were first, Max and David were 2nd and Brian and I were in third. On day two, the wind did not cooperate, again, and we drifted in 4 kts of breeze hoping the wind would fill in. After 5 hours drifting around, the races were called. The final day we had breeze, and Brian and I dueled it out with Max Fraser and David Liebenberg all day for four races, but ended up short, by a point behind them, for a 2nd place finish. Max Bulger finished third. .....Final Results

    9/2/09

  • 2009 Grand Prix final standings After 5 great events the 2009 East Coast Grand Prix wrapped up at the CORK OCR / 29er North Americans. Congratulations to Max Fraser and David Liebenberg for dominating the circuit with a 45 point lead over the next team, Tyler Macdonald and Brian Bolton. We look forward to next year! .....Final Standings

    8/31/09

  • US Nationals September Don't forget to sign up for the US Nationals held at St. Francisc YC in San Francisco September 18-20th. The schedule includes measurement and a clinic on September 18th, then racing on September 19-20th. West Coast Sailing and Sailing Pro Shop / Doublewave will be there with parts and fun. Make sure to let them know if there is anything in particular you need. .....online entry

    8/31/09

  • North Americans at CORK August 27, 2009 Kingston, Ontario Canada

    CORK (Canadian Olympic Regatta Kingston), billed as the world's largest freshwater sailing event, is celebrating its 40th anniversary this month with over 1,000 boats in 20 classes expected. Portsmouth Olympic Harbor was the site of the 1976 Olympic Sailing events and well accommodates the large numbers of boats and sailors. The four courses normally enjoy steady 10 to 15 knot convection breezes and stretch from the mouth of the St. Lawrence River at Fort Henry well out into Lake Ontario.

    This year's forty one boat CORK OCR 29er class included a lot of young Canadian teams as well as competitors from as far away as the Cayman Islands and China. Eight teams made their way across the border from the United States, and all of them enjoyed a great regatta thanks in great part to the warm Canadian welcome, the dedicated corps of CORK volunteers, the historic city of Kingston and the government of Canada, which maintains the harbor and the world class facilities here.

    USA 29er teams achieved a trifecta, capturing all three spots on the medal stand with solid, consistent sailing in madly varying conditions. Coming off their stellar 9th place finish at the World Championships in Italy and a Buzzard's Bay Regatta victory . . . Max Fraser and David Liebenberg got six bullets in the 15 race CORK OCR Regatta, taking home the Gold Medal and the 29er North American Championship title. Only 6 points back, CORK's new Silver Medalists are the US Olympic Development team of Antoine Screve and James Moody, who were nipping at Max and David's heels all week. SoCal racers Tyler Macdonald and Brian Bolton captured the Bronze Medal with 13 top ten finishes, including a bullet in race 3. The Canadian all-female team of Alanna Foscarini and Alison Ludzki were also honored for their 4th place finish in the highly competitive fleet. Complete results and more photos are available at cork.org. Thank you to David Bolton for the great photos and report.

    Left to right: Alanna and Alison 4th, Brian and Tyler 3rd, Max and David 1st, Antoine and James 2nd

    29ers tilting at windmills before a start

    Max and David head out on Day 1 of CORK OCR

    Team fun

    8/31/09

  • Quebec Skiff Champs final This regatta is amazing! Saturday's amazing racing was capped off by a phenomenal wake-board competition at the same venue. All athletes from the regatta had full access to the competition and concert. The Beatnuts played, whom were preceded by Soundstep. It was phenomenal. Most sailors then went for dinner and drinks on Quebec's famous Grande Allee. Sunday was met with light winds from the southwest (with predictions for a shift to the northeast with an approaching storm system). Luckily, during racing hours, the storm never came, although it feels like its about to with about 30C on shore! We wrapped up 4 quick races, with some variations in the standings. Fraser/Libenberg continued their tour de force with a few bullets. Bulger/Emmet came on strong, also scoring a few bullets in the light and shifty conditions. Always keeping the sailors on their toes, we had a flood tide and a few eddies, just to make sure the hangovers wore off quickly. Four quick races were banged off, with the sailors returning to shore in a nice 10 knot breeze under spinnaker to enjoy some ice-cold beer on the bikini-laden beach next door. Said Max Fraser, inaugural QSC Champion: "This regatta was great. We had amazing, tactical racing and a great RC with no down-time between races. Even in the light stuff, the racing was tough. It would have been a crazy regatta if we had had 20+ boats! Quebec conditions keep you guessing and make for sweet, sweet racing. Thanks to the organizers and to the 20,000 some-odd party-goers last night! We had a great time and will definitely come back next year." Max Bulger from Boston echoed those comments, saying: "We love Quebec. The sailing, the beach, the food, the girls, the party - everything's perfect!" We could see the beautiful city all day yesterday from the water, and went out and had a great time in its downtown core. Maybe too much fun and not enough sleep! We were impressed with this new venue and we definitely want to come back next season!" Daniel Robittaile, general manager of the hosting organization Gestev, felt that next year prize money will help encourage sailors to make the trip to Quebec City. Sponsors like Oakley and Coors Light have already been lined up for next year's regatta. "We want to showcase Quebec as Canada's premiere sailing venue and we will do what it takes to attract the top sailors from the best classes, including 29er and 49er," said Mr. Robitaille. Big congratulations to Max Fraser / Dave Libenberg of Santa Cruz for winning the event. Thanks to all who came and a huge thanks to Gestev and the Association Nautique Baie de Beauport for hosting this incredible event. See you all next year! .....final results

    8/16/09

  • Quebec Skiff Champs Day 1 The venue is amazing, the sailing windy and perfect, the atmosphere INCREDIBLE. We are sharing the venue with a wakeboard competition and 20,000 screaming fans! Did I mention we had 10 knots building to the low 20’s. Winds were consistent and strong. Had a flood tide most of the day, but it started ebbing in the last race. Total of 6 races today, with one drop. Hot off a win at BBR and a 9th at Worlds are Max Fraser / David L leading the pack with 5 bullets and a second, with 5 points after one drop. In second place is skipper Max Bulger from Massachusetts. Finally, the local boys, led by skipper Bernie Crepeau are in 3rd, but not far out of the running. Party tonight at Wake Fest, then early start tomorrow with another 6 quick races on the schedule. The sailing in Quebec is beautiful and fun! This event should be excellent next year and definitely should be part of the NEGP! Pictures and video.

    8/15/09

  • 29er East Coast Champs Newport, RI. Skiff sailors from California, Florida, Virginia and Boston fought through 50th Anniversary Folk Festival traffic to compete in the 3rd annual 29er East Coast Champs at Sail Newport. Sailors were rewarded with solid sea breeze and 14 tight races. Max Fraser and David Liebenberg fresh off the plane from Italy and a USA best 9th at the 29er Worlds won the event with 17 points in 14 races. In second was Max Bulger with Emmet Smith followed by Tyler MacDonald and Conner Bathen in 3rd.

    8/4/09

  • The Gorge does it again The 29er PCCs was an awesome event, with sunny warm weather, great race committee from Columbia Gorge Racing Association, and good breeze all three days. When asked at the competitors' meeting whether there would be a wind velocity limit for the weekend's racing, Jarvis Brecker the PRO said, "Yes, well, 40 knots or so, I guess." Wind speed at the Gorge didn't get quite that high last weekend, but it got close. The event was held in conjunction with the International 14 National Championship. I14 sailors are fun and their boats are incredible!

    With much of the 29er fleet away at the World Championship we had a fleet of four boats. Kristen Lane came up from the Bay Area with John Gilmore "JV". Then there were six sailors from Seattle. Kate Shaner teamed up with Derick Vranizan who hadn't been on a 29er in five years, Molly Jackson teamed with Erika Vranizan to sail in the 007 boat that one sailor likened to the village bicycle (lacking a vang strut Derick brilliantly rigged it with a laser vang, which kind of worked), and Michael Schalka made his skiff sailing debut teaming with Matt Pistay.

    Friday the wind blew hard all day in the 25 knot range; they got in four windward leeward races, and there was carnage. In the 14 fleet maybe the worst of it was a destroyed rudder pod that separated and tore away under load at the weather mark. The 29er fleet lost a sailor for the weekend when Erika Vranizan fractured a rib launching into the shroud during a downwind capsize. She spent the afternoon at a local hospital and the rest of the weekend enjoying the racing from the beach. Yanic, a laser sailor from Mexico and friend of the Vranizans, stepped in to crew for Molly the next two days.

    Saturday started out with lighter wind and the fear of none. The 14 fleet launched. The 29er fleet hung out on the beach and listened to music waiting for more breeze. They didn't wait long. Another four races were held in the building breeze, then both fleets came in for lunch before the long distance race. The I14 fleet hoisted spinnakers and started first in a still building breeze in the mid twenties. Their leeward mark was 6 miles upriver. The 29er fleet started second running upriver to their leeward mark, which was the second red nun buoy (past Stevenson). One sailor later reported wind speeds in the low to mid 30 knot range. An I14 sailor with a GPS reported their boat speed hit 26 knots. Michael and Matt won the 29er race, with the I14 race won by Kris Bundy and Jamie Hanseler.

    Saturday's racing was followed by social festivities beginning right there at the beach. Johnny's Deli provided burgers and their famous curly fries. Beverages included local artisan brew since Full Sail Brewery from Hood River was one of the I14 regatta sponsors. The festivities later moved to the campground and in fine skiff tradition extended well into the night for some.

    Sunday also started light and once again the 29er fleet waited on the beach. An emissary was dispatced from the race committee. He yelled something about a flag. One of the 29er sailors yelled something about democracy. Yachting tradition prevailed and the 29er fleet soon made its way to the course. Fortunately, so did the breeze which built all day. Unfortunately for Yanic, who apparently enjoyed but was not acclimated to skiffy social traditions, as the breeze built so did something in his stomach. He told Molly he wasn't feeling well. Molly, not wanting that kind of shower, wisely chose to call it a day after a couple races. The rest of the fleet got in another race in twenty-something knots of wind to end the regatta.

    Overall, the 29er fleet got in about twelve races. Kate and Derick won the regatta with consistent strategy and dominant downwind performance. Kristen and JV were second, followed by Michael and Matt in third. The I14 National Championship was won by Kris and Jamie for the third year in a row. CGRA and The Gorge put on a great show!

    7/29/09

  • Congratulations to all 29er Worlds Participants This year we had a (record?) number of North American teams attend the World Championship. I'd like to take a moment to congratulate everyone on your hard work and determination. And we hope to continue to see this participation.
    9Max Fraser / David LiebenbergUSA
    10Judge Ryan / Matt NobleUSA
    16Oliver Toole / hans HenkenUSA
    26Paris Henken / Chris RastUSA
    40Finn Nilsen / Alek NilsenUSA
    55Mac Agnese / Ian SimmsUSA
    63Eric Chouinard / Alex ChouinardCAN
    69Jonathan Reid / Teddy SkiffingtonCAN
    71Tyler Macdonald / Connor BathenUSA
    89Mike Deady / Michael RivlinUSA
    95Georgie Ryan / Willie McBrideUSA
    106Dana Archibald / Karen DrexterCAN
    117Alanna Foscarini / Alison LudzkiCAN
    128Katy Cenname / Helena ScuttUSA
    129Katie Everett / Alex RanumUSA
    134Casey Mcdermott / Chantelle BoudreauCAN
    137JP Barnes / Brian BoltonUSA
    147Peter Andrews Envert / Paul Stafford EnvertCAN
    172Ian Hollerbach / Peter PolgarUSA
    .....Final Results

    7/29/09

  • Aussies Repeat Steven Thomas repeated his title of 29er World Champion adding Blair Tuke of NZL as his crew this time around. The duo carried on their top sailing from the 49er Worlds the week prior pairing up and stepping into the 29er to place no worse than 3rd, and sailing so consistently they were able to not sail the final 2 races.

    The battle on the final day was between the Outteridge siblings also of Australia. In the end big brother Nathan with skipper Lauren Jeffries out sailed his sister to take 2nd overall. Haylee with Iain Jensen as crew finished 3rd overall just 2 points behind.

    Max Richardson and Alex Groves of GBR were the top placing youth team finished 4th in the Gold fleet while Ida Marie Baad Nielsen and Marie Thusgaard Olsen of Denmark won the top placing female team.

    The 54 boat silver fleet was won by Americans Paris Henken with Chris Rast as crew, another 49er Olympic sailor in the front of the boat. The Bronze fleet was won by Sinem Kurtbay and Ville Bergman of Finland with the Emerald fleet winners Casey McDermott and Chantelle Boudreau of Canada.

    The 186 teams represented 20 countries including entries from Hong Kong, the Cayman Islands and United Arab Emirates as well as established European, America, Argentina and the ever strong Australians show the broad reach and popularity of the skiff and acceptance worldwide The 29er is an open class in the ISAF Youth World Championship. This was the largest 29er World Championship it the classes 10 year history. .....Final results, photos and videos

    7/25/09

  • 29er Worlds photos 29er USA dad and talented photographer John Liebenberg has kindly shared his photos from the 29er Worlds with us in North America. I highly recommend clicking through. Enjoy! .....John's Photos

    7/24/09

  • Worlds Day 5 - Aussies Dominate Steven Thomas and Blair Tuke continued to dominate the competition at the 2009 29er Worlds by winning 3 of the 4 races held today on Lake Garda. With 2 more races to be held to complete the series, they have virtually locked up the championship with a lead of 31 points.

    The fight now seems to be focused on a sibling rivalry between Haylee Outteridge with 49er World Champion crew Iain Jensen as her crew and big brother Nathan Outteridge, last weeks 49er World Champion skipper who is in the front of the boat this week sailing with girlfriend Lauren Jeffries. 5 points separate the pair. Australian teams currently hold 4 of the 5 top positions with David O’Conor and Rhys Mara in 5th.

    The top youth team continues to be Max Richardson and Alex Groves of GBR who sit in 4th with 53 points; the only non-Australian team in the top 5. The top women's team is Ida Marie Baad Nielsen and Marie Thusgaard Olsen of Denmark who sit in 8th overall in the silver fleet.

    Todays conditions were strong Ora winds of 20 knots and big lake chop that created havoc among the fleets, but nothing that could not be handled. Gold and silver fleets completed 4 races each while the bronze completed 3 and the emerald 2.

    Racing continues tomorrow with the final races to determine the 29er World Champion. .....Results, etc

    7/24/09

  • Thomas and Tuke with 31 point lead Steven Thomas and Blair Tuke take a 31 point lead over the fleet after 5 days of racing. Gold fleet is done with their racing for the day. More details coming following other fleets finish. .....YouTube video of 29er Worlds

    7/24/09

  • Aussies Continue to Roll The Australians hit their stride today taking the top 3 positions leading into the 2nd day of finals. Steven Thomas (AUS) and Blair Tuke (NZL) have 9 points and a 20 point lead on fellow countrymen Lauren Jeffries and Nathan Outteridge with 29 followed by younger sister Haylee Outteridge and Iain Jensen with 32.

    Americans Judge Ryan and Matt Noble started off well with a 7-3 but had a mishap when Ryan fell out of the boat in race 4 and were OCS in rachase 5 dropping them to 11th overall. Meanwhile the top youth team position is held by Max Richardson and Alex Groves of GBR who hold 4th overall.

    The Ora filled around noon today and was a steady 13-18 with puffs to 20 knots. While the Gold and Silver fleets were able to complete 4 races, the Bronze and Emerald were only able to finish 3 a piece.

    Adam Larvin and Ed Chapman of GBR lead the silver fleet, Stefan Gieser and Felix Meggendorfer of Germany the bronze and Nicklas Olrik and Jakob Lynnerup of Denmark lead the 53 boat emerald fleet.

    Racing continues tomorrow and Saturday with the final series and to determine the 29er World Champions on Saturday. .....Photos and results

    7/23/09

  • 29er Worlds Garda Day 3 - Coach Rob Fox Lake Garda, Italy - Two in Silver, Two in Bronze, Two in Emerald. With the last day of qualifiers completed yesterday, Final Series fleets are now set and we have two Canadian crews in each of Silver, Bronze and Emerald (54 boats each). The Gold fleet is much smaller at 25 boats - only 14% of the fleet - and includes Nathan Outteridge (AUS), who just won the Olympic Class 49er World Championships, and several other sailors from the 49er Worlds, in addition to several former 29er World Champions. A testament to the depth of this year's 29er Worlds fleet, there are some Olympic class sailors who did not make the Gold fleet.

    Eric and Alex Chouinard (Montreal) continue to enjoy the big breeze Garda is serving up. With 6'4" Alex on the wire and twin brother Eric sporting the classic ski goggle fashion (to deflect spray) in the skipper position, the twins finished their day with an 8, 12 to move up another four places to 57th overall (32nd Silver Fleet). Jono Reid and Teddy Skiffington (Halifax) did a good job of recovering from a shaky start to work through the fleet on the final race of the day to finish 13th...good enough to squeak into Silver by 4 points.

    Highlight performance of the day went to Alanna Foscarini and Alison Ludski (Toronto). Suffering major breakdowns in Races 3 and 6 and a lack of momentum on the first two days of qualifying, Alanna and Ace turned in three solid performances under pressure, moving up 26 places into Bronze fleet. Thier performance was particularly significant as they are markedly lighter than most of the crews in Garda, however superior boathandling and fitness kept them upright where many of the heavier crews were pitching it in in the increased breeze and wave conditions yesterday.

    Four races are scheduled for the first day of Final Series today. Follow us online at www.29erworlds.org.

    7/22/09

  • 29er Worlds Day 3 - Aussies lead into the finals The Australian teams of Steven Thomas and Blair Tuke (NZL) and Hayley Outteridge and Iain Jensen are leading the 29er World qualifiers into the fleet splits for gold, silver, bronze and emerald flights. Outteridge/Jensen scored a 1-2-1 for the day to move them ahead of US sailors Judge Ryan and Matt Noble who scored 3-5-3 and remain in 3rd overall. Thomas and Tuke sailed a discard in their second race of the day posting 1-17-2 results.

    The Ora filled early in today’s racing and began at 18 knots increasing to 20 knots out of the south. Four races were scheduled, but only 3 were completed per fleet. The top youth team is Kevin Fischer and Glenn Gouron of France who won all their races today launching them into 4th overall. This team has won all the EuroCup events for the 29er Class in 2009 including the recently sailed Kiel Week. The top female team is Becky Diamond and Fiona Hampshire of Great Britain who sit in 35th overall.

    Once protests are heard, the competitors will be split into their various groupings with the Gold fleet comprised of the top 25 teams and the remainder split equally between Silver, Bronze and Emerald.

    Racing continues tomorrow to begin the final series and determine the 29er World Champions on Saturday. .....photos and results

    7/22/09

  • 29er Worlds Day 2 After a slight delay the wind again filled to around 15 knots. Six races have been sailed, the desire is to race four more tomorrow. Of the sixteen US teams here, four are currently in contention for the Gold fleet. Judge Ryan with Matt Noble crewing are in second. Max and David are in 21st position. Their first race today they finished fifty, but did not finish properly per an amendment to the SIs, so they withdrew. The next two races they had finished of 3 and 4. They felt very good about their boat speed and have confidence going into the last day of qualifying.

    Contrary to Australia, there are no photo boats available here at Garda. I was unable to take any on the water photos. I will see if any opportunities arise in the remaining days.

    Tomorrow we will know who makes the Gold fleet.
    John Liebenberg

    7/21/09

  • 29er Worlds Day 2 Lake Garda, Italy - Day Two of the 2009 29er World Championships served up more of the same beautiful 13-20kts of breeze yesterday. With the first drop now in play and solid improvement on the starting line, Team Canada took some big jumps up the scoreboard. Leading the way in the starting department were Dana Archibald and Karen Dexter (Halifax) who went 3 for 3 on the line, paving the way for their first top-10 finish and a leap up the scoreboard of 22 places. Sailing very consistently and now dropping their Race #2 trapeze wire mishap, 2008 Canadian Youth World representatives Eric and Alex Chouinard (Montreal) placed 16, 16, 17 on the day and now sit 61st of 185 as top Canadian boat. Only a few points behind in 73rd are Jono Reid and Teddy Skiffington (Halifax) who struggled early in the day after being fouled twice by give-way boats in Race #4, but finished with their first top-10 finish of the regatta in the final race of the day - an 8th in Race #6.

    Wednesday is the last day of the qualifying series with four races and one more drop planned. The racing and scores are still very tight and all Canadian crews are in close battles to make their Final Series fleet cut-offs.
    Coach Rob Fox

    7/21/09

  • 29er Worlds Day 2 Matching race to race, Aussie Steven Thomas and Blar Tuke (NZL) won all 3 races in their flight while Americans Judge Ryan and Matt Noble equaled by winning all their races as well. The 2 teams are separated by 1 point and lead 3rd, yesterday's leaders of Hayley Outteridge and Iain Jensen, by 5 points. Conditions were lighter today but built from 13 to 18 knots to give the sailors great conditions on Lake Garda. The Aussies currently have 3 of the top 5 spots rounded out by the American team and Argentine team of Pepe Bettini and Fernando Gwozdz in 5th.

    Racing continues tomorrow to close out the qualifying series.
    .....Results

    7/21/09

  • 29er Worlds Championship -- Qualifiers Day 1 We are at Riva Del Garda in northern Italy, staying in an apartment that is a 5 minute walk from the boat yard. Garda lake is about 25 miles long and 4 miles wide in the area of the championship. Fraglia Vela Riva is the club that is running the regatta. (You can Google them to find the latest results.) They run sailing events all summer long. The 190 boats entered are divided into four groups for three days of qualification. At the end of qualification, the top 25 boats are placed in the Gold fleet for three days of finals. The remaining boats are placed in three other fleets (silver, etc.) and sail within their fleets for those three days.

    The wind was 15 knots today and some of the lighter crews had trouble. Team Shake 'n Bake (Max and David) had finishes of 10, 7 and 5. This places them currently in 25th place, right on the Gold fleet cut-line. This reminds me of the Austrlian worlds 18 months ago.

    Your on the spot reporter,
    John Leibenberg

    7/21/09

  • SO Cal Junior Olympic Festival Newport Harbor Yacht Club hosted the Jr Olympic Festival over the weekend. 9 races were completed over the 3 days, and considering it took about an hour and ten minutes to get to the race course it was nice long days on the water. Conditions were 6-11 knots, 2 foot chop and 3 foot swells. Excellent learning conditions, challenging to stay in front of the mast upwind because of the occasional 3 foot chop, difficult because of the fact it was much slower to be behind the shrouds. Downwind was a test of who could "soak" the best and keep the mast most steady. Sunday got even more intereting as there were two different swell directions. Zach Downing / Duncan Swain of SDYC won the event by sailing a little more steady upwind and working hard downwind to keep the others behind. Patrick Snow and Marley Isler of SDYC were 2nd and hung in with good downwind speed, 3rd was Patrick Powell / Roman Milioti of CorYC who won the last race with better speed both upwind and down. NHYC deserves a lot of credit for running an outstanding event. We hope that many FJ and 420 sailors took notice of just how fast and fun 29ers are.

    7/21/09

  • 29er Worlds Day 1 by Canadian coach Rob Fox Lake Garda, Italy - Monday was the first day of qualifying racing at the 2009 29er World Championships. All four fleets got their three scheduled races in 14-18 knot "Ora" breeze that pipes up Lake Garda from the south during the day.

    For the six Canadian teams it was a mixed bag of results. Eric and Alex Chouinard (Montreal) sandwiched 12th and 10th place finishes around a trapeze shackle failure that took them out of race #2. Jono Reid and Teddy Skiffington also had a decent first day, with a 12th and two low 20s finishes to sit tops amongst the Canadians at 70th overall in the fleet of 185. Overall our Canadians are showing good speed and boathandling - when they start well and keep their noses clean this is translating into good results, a focus we will continue for the four races scheduled for the second day of qualifiers today.

    In other news, Jen Morgan-Glass (Seattle, WA) was voted the new 29er/29erXX Class President at the International Class meeting on Sunday evening. Jen has done an Olympic 470 campaign and has been involved heavily as a sailor and promoter of the 29er in North America and overseas over the past few years, so we are all looking forward to her leadership moving forward - Congrats Jen! Many thanks to Gerardo Seeliger (Spain) for helping the class grow to nearly 2000 boats in his eight years as president.

    Also at the class meeting, new class rules clarifying rule 42 (propulsion) as it will be used in the 29er fleet were established and will likely be published on the international and NA class websites shortly.

    7/20/09

  • Outteridge and Jensen Lead day 1 of the 29er Worlds The names should be familiar after the finish of the 49erWorlds but only with a change of the skippers first name – Hayley. As the younger sister of NathanOutteridge, Hayley borrowed her brothers crew and are currently leading the 183boat 29er World championship fleet sailing on Lake Garda.

    Epic Lake Garda conditions gave the Race Committee andcompetitors a chance to stretch out and complete 3 races in the 4 flights. Competition is tough with 2008 29erWorld Champion Steve Thomas (AUS) with Blair Tuke, borrowed from neighboringNew Zealand and also fresh off the 49er Worlds. British sailors Tom Durham and George Hand round out the top3 all separated by 1 point.

    Germany has shown up with 34 teams followed by the Britishwith 33, the United States with 18 and host country Italy with 15. This is thelargest 29er World Championship ever held and competitors span 20 countriesaround the world.

    Competitors range from adults to young teenagers and manyare repeat competitors including Pepe Bettini from Argentina who is eager towin a Worlds after having come very close in 3 prior Championships. American Matt Nobel has also finished 3rd in 2 previous 29er Worlds and currently sits in 7th crewing for US sailor Judge Ryan who finished 4th in the 2008 ISAF Youth Worlds in Denmark.

    Representatives from Hong Kong, the Cayman Islands andUnited Arab Emirates as well as established European, Americas and the everstrong Australians show the broad reach and popularity of the skiff and acceptance worldwide.

    Three more races are scheduled for Tuesday.

    For more information, video, photos and results: www.29er.org and www.29erworlds.org

    7/20/09

  • Huge 29er Worlds practice race Almost 200 boats started the practice race for the 2009 29er Worlds today in Italy. While many teams were OCS and many didn't finish, USA's Judge Ryan and Matt Noble had a healthy lead at the first mark and extended around the 2-lap course. Lake Garda was full of 29ers from one side to another. What a site!
    Qualifying racing begins tomorrow, Monday July 20th.

    7/19/09

  • Great videos from the 49er Worlds The excellent media coverage of the 49er Worlds has provided exciting videos posted on the 49er Worlds page. Day 2 includes shots of North America's Katy Cenname and Helena Scutt in their 29erXX competing at the Gold Cup. ..... 49er Worlds Site

    7/18/09

  • 29erXX Gold Cup Successful! The 29erXX Gold Cup was held over the first 3 days of the 49er Worlds in Lake Garda, Italy with the XX sailors trading on and off the course with the 49ers. Silja Lehtinen and Will Howard have won the 2009 29erXX Gold Cup in convincing style by winning 6 of the 9 races, using their first race of a 6th as their throw-out. The Swedish team of Sara Engstrom and Hanna Dahlborg sailed into 2nd position with 21.4 point with Jen Morgan-Glass of the US with German Billoch (ARG) as crew fighting back today to slip into 3rd overall. The top 3 teams were presented trophies by Fraglia della Riva with SEIKO presenting all 6 sailors with fabulous SEIKO Velatura watches. .....Final Results

    7/17/09

  • What have you done to prepare for Lake Garda and the World Championships? Your investigative reporter has checked in with a handfull of sailors on their way to the 2009 29er World Championship in windy Lake Garda, Italy. She wanted to know how these sailors have prepared for the competition and the expected "gnarley" conditions. Here's what she found:

    "To prepare for Lake Garda we have been going to Cascade Locks in the Columbia River Gorge for the last few weekends to get some consistent heavy air practice. We can always count on it to blow in the Gorge, and the camping toughens us up so an actual bed in Garda will be a nice surprise!"
    - Helena Scutt

    "I have been going to the gym, reading books on the conditions in Lake Garda. I looking forward to the big breeze, meeting new friends and the intense racing. I am expecting tough racing and I expect to learn a lot."
    - Tyler Macdonald

    "We decided that the best thing to work on is boat speed and getting the boat in the groove as fast as possible. We want to make the boat go as fast as possible during the race. Never slowing down and never dropping off a plane."
    - Judge Ryan

    "To get ready for worlds I've just been sailing as much as possible. I've spend the last month in Holland, Austria, and Germany racing 470s, and now I'm back in the US where hopefully I'll be able to get a little 29er practice in. Georgie and I will both get to Garda a little early to get in the boat together and get everything sorted, so right now I'm making sure that all of our boat work materials are ready - we want to just get there, throw our pre-cut line set on the boat, polish it, and get the maximum amount of time on the water."
    - Willie McBride

    "Well, so far we've been living on the city front off and on for past 3 to 4 weeks with a Dan Brant clinic out of Richmond in the middle of June. Alek and I have been doing nothing but sailing, working out, eating and we expect to keep doing this until we leave for Europe on the 8th of July."
    - Finn-Erik and Alek Nilsen

    7/10/09

  • Congratulations Ian Bruce, and thank you! Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaelle Jean, Governor General of Canada, announced on Canada Day the newest appointees to the Order of Canada, Canada's highest Honour. Amongst the appointees is the Father of the Laser, Ian Bruce, an Industrial Designer by profession and a boat builder by occupation.

    With a concept in mind and a set of lines drawings from friend and fellow Canadian Bruce Kirby, he created in 1970 a boat, rig and manufacturing process that has essentially remained unchanged to this day and still represents the epitome of one-design sailing. By 1974, he had opened 9 majority-owned plants worldwide building the Laser and the rest is history.

    He is also a passionate sailor having twice won the prestigious Prince of Wales Trophy in International Fourteens and twice represented his country in the Olympics in the Finn (Naples) and the Star (Keel).

    The award is in recognition of his service to sailing, both in Canada and Internationally, and in particular for his involvement in the design and development of high-performance boats for young sailors. During 40 years in the business he has either designed or assisted in the design, developed and built all the following International or Recognized Classes: Finn, Fourteen, Contender, Laser, Optimist, Fireball, 470, Laser II, Tasar, Laser Radial, Byte and 29er. In the last instance he was part of a team assisting Julian Bethwaite in the development of the 29er, providing the design team with both his product design knowledge and his sailing experience. His own design, the Byte, is the male and female singlehander to be used in the 2010 Youth Olympic Games in Singapore.

    At 76 he is still sailing his Star and his company PS2000 in Montreal, in which he is fully active, builds the Optimist, the Club 420, the Megabyte, the Byte and the 29er.

    7/2/09

  • 29er Board Conference Call meeting minutes Meeting minutes from the North American 29er Board conference calls will now be posted on this website. You can find the minutes under the "Class Info" menu by clicking on the "Board Minutes" link. .....June 2009 minutes

    7/1/09

  • Skiffs in ISAF News Large numbers for Garda are catching attention worldwide. .....Click here to read the article

    6/25/09

  • Luff-In Report by Jon Rogers The 3rd Junior "Luff-in" Regatta in the SDAYC (Tim) Wadlow Series was sailed last weekend at Mission Bay Yacht Club. Conditions were westerly 9-13 knot winds, very little tide and the biggest obstacle being rental catamarans, dinghys and windsurfers randomly sailing through. More than one tourist got rattled as our group did some great "fly-bys". 5 long races were completed and races 4 and 5 were particularly close with the gap between 1st and 6th less than 30 seconds. Congratulations to Paris Henken / Kaitlin Dunphey, Marley Isler / CC Childers, Sterling Henken / Davey McBride, Zack Downing / Duncan Swain, Katie Everett / Alex Ranum and winners of 4 races Nevin Snow and Tyler Macdonald.

    6/12/09

  • Skiff Fest recap by Jon Rogers The 29er Class raced the "Skiff Fest" this weekend in Santa Barbara, the fourth regatta of the PCC Series for the Maxam Family Trophies. 16 teams sailed in pretty steady 6-8 knot south-southwest wind, 4 foot swells and a bit of seaweed. Not ideal 29er conditions, however the fleet was able to gain experience in conditions that they could experience in any race. The fasted teams were steady upwind, some trapping, some hiking. Also superior tactically downwind placing themselves in the wind streaks better and staying in phase with the 10-15 oscillations.
    Max Fraser and David Liebenberg of Richmond YC won their 3rd regatta of the series. U-18 team of Oliver Toole of Santa Barbara YC and Hans Henken of Coronado YC placed 2nd with a masterful comeback after missing the first two races. 3rd place went to 14 year old JP Barnes of San Diego YC and Brian Bolton of Dana Point YC winning a 3-way tie for 2nd with Mac Agnese of Lauderdale YC and Ian Simms of San Francisco YC. 5th place went to class veterans Paul Heffenan and Alex Bernal of SBYC.
    The strength of the class in Southern California is evident with over 30 skippers and crews entered in the PCC Series which will recognize the most skillful skippers and crews with the Maxam Family Perpetuals at the conclusion of the sixth series regatta, the Turkey Day Regatta at ABYC, in November. Also, exiciting is that 9 of the teams that sailed this weekend will be competing at the upcoming 29er World Championship at Lake Garda, Italy in July. .....Skiff Fest Results

    5/22/09

  • 2009 PCC Series current standings Check out the current standings for the PCC Series. Scores include results through Skiff Fest. Two events left, let's see if you can take down the leader! Can't remember what the PCC Series is? Details here including scoring and trophies. PCC Series Results

    5/18/09

  • 2009 MID-WINTERS EAST, written by Max Bulger & edited by Stephen Waldie Now that I've had a week to sanitize my clothes after the road trip and get used to long sleeves again, I think I can talk about the beautiful skiff sailing that took place down in Sarasota without tearing up (as I watch icy rain fall...). My adventure really started weeks before 29er Midwinters, in my driveway with scrap wood, duct tape and a bandsaw as Stephen Waldie and I jury rigged his Lightning trailer into a 29er and Lightning trailer. 18 hours passed in no time as we made our way to Georgia with a sturdy and stress-free trailer set up! After some fun and competitive (read: slow) displacement racing in Savannah and Miami, we were off to the Gulf Coast for some skiff sailing.
    Stephen and I arrived in Sarasota mid-day on Thursday, threw up our rigs, put the boats in the water, and waited for our crews to finish getting dressed ("You STILL don't have your boots on?!"). Thursday night was beautiful: we cruised around the bay, getting our bearings back after a long ski season in Vermont, and squeezed under a bridge to enjoy the sunset out on the Gulf. After sketchy gybe or two, everything came right back. Although, Waldie and Gelston did find a little bit of bottom. The waters just off Sarasota Sailing Squadron are riddle with poorly marked sandbars, as we quickly learned. It blew a steady 18 right until the sun went down, at which point we figured we had to pack it in.
    Friday morning looked like light air, as everybody else showed up. As often happens out East, the Canadians outnumbered the Americans. Everyone took off some tension and headed out to the course. Conditions were difficult, as is always true with light and very shifty wind. Dalton and Dan pulled ahead quickly with local knowledge, making huge gains out in some corners the rest of us were too afraid to venture into. It was even suggested they might have a horseshoe hidden somewhere on board. For the final race of the day, it went breeze on, and more than half the fleet swam once or twice. Waldie pulled out the bullet nicely, and, despite the fact that it was only about 3PM, the RC sent us in. The International Canoes on our circle were starting to have some dangerous breakages, so it was understandable. Still, after letting Emmet catch his breath, I couldn't resist heading back out and ripping through some gybes in beautiful Florida. After all, we'd be back in the snow by next week!
    Saturday morning we all awoke, happily, to what looked like a very windy day. The RC, however, chose to sail us way up in the lee of shore, yielding very, very shifty and puffy conditions. The Canadians could only describe it one way: "Michael Jackson face" winds, light with random patches of dark. The fleet tightened through some very frustrating racing, and we sailed a full day. Dalton and Dan held onto their lead with Waldie and Gelston in second. The real competition that day took place later on the mini-golf course, and I'm proud to announce I came out ahead on that course.
    On Sunday, the breeze was, again, cranking. Some of the fleet had spoken with the PRO the previous evening, and we thought the circle was going to be moved. We were wrong! The difficult conditions persisted, as we listened to cars go by on the highway and drooled at the gorgeous conditions just a few hundred boat lengths away. The fleet was very, very tight, with the top four positions constantly shifting between Dalton/Dan, Waldie/Gelston, Ian/Mac and Matt/Trev. It all came down to the final race, which had countless lead changes, but Dan and Dalton defended effectively and won the regatta. Despite the frustrating conditions, it was an unbelievable couple weeks down South, and none of us are complaining. I'm still shaking the sand out of my stuff. Huge thanks to Waldie, Gelston, Emmet, Ian and Mac Attack, and everyone who sailed in Sarasota and the Sarasota Sailing Squadron. Cheers, and see you all out East in August!

    4/2/09

  • 29er Midwinters West a huge success! A new generation of 29er sailors is blossoming in the US as evidenced by the 22 teams at the class' Midwinters West this past weekend. In challenging conditions in San Diego's South Bay, Paris Henken sailing with 49er Olympian ringer Chris Rast sailed to a 10 point lead over top US Sailing U18 Team sailors Mac Agnese and Ian Simms. An impressive 18 girls were in this fleet of 44 sailors, including 6 all-girl teams. U18 team members Julia Paxton and CC Childers were the top finishing all-girl team coming in 7th overall. The race committee, lead by Bill Maxam, did an excellent job running 12 races total from Friday afternoon through Sunday. The first two days provided uncharacteristically strong winds of over 15 knots. The final day's 6-12 knot westerly featured large wind shifts and made for a tactically challenging finale.
    The event started off with a clinic coached by Ben Glass (Seattle YC), Jen Glass (current 29er National Champion), Leandro Spina (US Sailing U-18 doublehanded coach) and Jon Rogers (Coronado YC) to continue strengthening the next generation of sailors. ISAF has included the 29er in future Volvo ISAF Youth World Championships as an open doublehanded class. View photos by Oliver Scutt. See final results.

    3/31/09

  • 29er Coaches Manual The International 29er Class Association put together a new coaches manual. Section 1 contains rigging tips and can be found here.

    2/17/09

  • 29er Midwinters West Clinic and Regatta - Open to all 29er Sailors Start off the 2009 season with a top-notch clinic and regatta. Coaches Jen Morgan Glass and Jon Rogers will help you improve during a 1.5 day clinic (March 26-27th), followed by 2.5 days of racing (March 27-29th). This clinic is open to all 29er sailors. Girls 29er teams will have some time to debrief together and bond separately. All on-the-water clinic activities will be co-ed. The top teams will be there and we've got great coaches - don't miss out! .....clinic details

    1/7/09

  • 2008
  • Attention Facebook Users New 9er presence on Facebook! Make sure to friend "niners bethwaite" and join the 9er forum. The forum is a great way to connect with other 9er sailors, figure out who is going to what championships, and talk about tuning and speed tricks. .....9er forum

    12/13/08

  • 29er mast cam! Pepe Bettini and Damian Saponara sail their 29er in Argentina with a masthead camera. Cool footage, check it out! .....YouTube video

    12/2/08

  • Largest ABYC Turkey Day Ever! ABYC estimates that this year's Turkey Day regatta brought the largest number of sailors they've ever seen. 319 boats raced over the weekend, including 8 29ers. The fog was in and winds were fickle over the weekend, so the 29ers only got two races in. Max Fraser and David Liebenberg won both of those races - congratulations boys! Julia Paxton and CC Childers finished in second with Paris Henken and Nina Malingri in 3rd. Nice to see the girls taking charge. .....final results here

    11/25/08

  • 29er finds its own spot in the Youth Worlds The 29er will now be included in the ISAF Youth Worlds as its own class - an open high performance dinghy. This will be in addition to the boys and girls doublehanded fleets. .....ISAF Press

    11/17/08

  • No Olympics...this time Many of you are likely as dissapointed as I in ISAF's choice today to continue with the 470 as the Women's Doublehanded Olympic Dinghy. Many say the writing is on the wall for 2016. Hopefully that is the case. In the mean time, let's just keep sailing! The 29erXX will join the 49er at their World Championship in Lake Garda July 19-25th. .....29erXX news on 29er.org

    Photo by Dave Keane
    11/14/08

  • 29erXX in the Olympics? As many of you have likely seen in sailing news, the 29erXX has been voted for over the 470 for the Women's double-handed dinghy equipment for the 2012 Olympic Games by the Events, Equipment and Women's Committees. How does the process work? Well, now that those committees have sent their reports and votes, along with many other committees on various other important topics, the ISAF Council will meet for many days to discuss all of the topics. The Council has the final vote, and while they will take into account what the supporting committees have to say, they are not bound to follow their recommendations. So keep your fingers crossed for the 29erXX! Those who want to share their opinion, one of the best ways is through the ISAF Athlete's Council. You can post your support on their Facebook page. .....ISAF Athletes Commission Facebook Group

    11/13/08

  • Is your mast track cracking? Need to replace a section? 29er super-Dad Oliver Scutt recently replaced a section of the mast track on his daugher's 29er. He kindly put together a great how-to to show the steps he took and tricks learned along the way. Thanks Oliver! .....Mast track how-to posted here

    11/13/08

  • SDAYC Tim Wadlow 29er Perpetual Series On October 18, 2008 the SDAYC held their last of a three part Tim Wadlow 29er Series out of SDYC, racing in San Diego Bay. Tim Wadlow, 2 time 49er Olympian, graciouly supporting the 29er fleet, has placed his name on the Tim Wadlow SDAYC 29er Perpetual Trophy, encouraging all the young 29er sailors. October 18th had six 29ers racing in front of Harbor Island and saw surprising wind gusts up to 15 mph. The 29er fleet had to manuver through a big boat race, 420s and CFJs Luff In Series, plus all the busy Saturday afternoon sailing on San Diego Bay. The 3 part 29er series was hosted by Mission Bay Yacht Club, Coronado Yacht Club, Southwestern Yacht Club and San Diego Yacht Club through out Spring, Summer and Fall 2008. Sterling Henken and Hans Henken won the first SDAYC Tim Wadlow 29er Perpetual, winning all three series. Paris Henken and Nina Malingri took second. Check out the photos from Tamra Henken. Thanks Tamra! .....results here

    10/27/08

  • Big Fall Weekend - Fall Dinghy This weekend was host to two of the fall's most popular regattas, the Fall Dinghy in San Francisco was one of them. Marisa Kurk took some awesome photos of the 29ers, 505s and 49ers. Looked like a variety of conditions, including thick fog and great wind. .....results here

    10/26/08

  • Big Fall Weekend - Goblin Regatta This weekend was host to two of the fall's most popular regattas, Goblin Regatta in Santa Barbara was one of them. Sailors raced through some light fog on Saturday that made for some great photos. Thanks to Vern Vincent for sharing! Saturday the sailors had a nice 4-8 knots in a fog wind (couldn't see the windward marks) and Sunday we had 6-12 knots and sunny skies. Got 9 races out and lots of new upcoming skiff juniors. One Canadian girls team chartered USA 104. Everyone seemed happy with racing! Results are posted. .....Photos Here!

    10/26/08

  • New Summer Photos! We've got a great gallery of photos from this summer's events and more, including a new set from this summer. Thanks to generous photographers John Liebenberg, Stacy Childers, Oliver Scutt and Tamra Henken. .....view the galleries here

    10/15/08

  • 29er Class in North America Our very own Max Fraser authored an article on the 29er in North America that was featured in Scuttlebutt. Nice work Max! .....check out the article

    10/7/08

  • Get ready for 2009 Midwinter Championships! The dates are now finalized for the Midwinters East and Midwinters West, so get ready. The Midwinters East will be hosted by the Sarasota Sailing Squadron with their One Design Midwinters march 20-22nd. The Midwinters West will be hosted by Coronado Yacht Club March 28-29th. Put 'em on your calendars!

    10/2/08

  • A fleet of 7 for the Octoberfest in Seattle That's right! 7 29ers raced in the Octoberfest this past weekend held at Sail Sand Point in Seattle, Wa. Mother nature provided sunny skies and warm temps on Saturday, but forgot the wind. The fleet came back on Sunday hoping for better and after a little waiting we were rewarded with a nice 6-10 knot northerly. The RC did an excellent job putting in 7 good races. Three adults joined the juniors to field the fleet, including Lisa and Jay Renehan racing in their newly purchased 29er, and Jen Glass, crewing for new 29er skipper Kate Shaner in her 2nd 29er regatta. Two teams traveled to Seattle from Orcas Island, while the remaining three were Seattle locals. The racing was very tight and many teams traded places. Great weekend! Jen and Kate took home the prize, closely followed by Callie Wade / Helena Scutt in second, Lisa and Jay Renehan in third. Full results posted soon.

    Photo by Paul Wade
    9/30/08

  • 29er Sailors on the Big Screen - Morning Light in theaters near you! Past 29er sailors Piet van Os, Genny Tulloch, and others will hit the big screen soon in the Disney movie Morning Light about the team's preparation and experience racing Transpac. Click on the poster image to the right for to see which theaters will show the movie.

    9/24/08

  • East Coast Road Trip The 29er fleet has invaded the east coast in force this summer putting together 4 Regattas all lined up in a row. These races included Buzzards Bay, East Coast Champs, mid Atlantic Champs and the North Americans AKA CORK. There also was a Grande prix series put together by PS2000 that involves 3 of these races. With all these Regattas lined up it was the perfect opportunity for the west coast teams to drive over after the US Nationals at the Columbia Gorge. And the East Coast teams to regrease their 29er trailers and tighten down the straps for an awesome month of tight intense and fast head to head skiff racing in Marion MA, Jamestown RI, Kingston Ontario, and Annapolis MD. This gave most of a chance to see awesome new states and places that we never have before and some pretty cool boats like Puma, Speedboat. Not to mention some of the best racing of our year with great friends new and old. The ever growing 29er Calendar should be up on the 29er NA website www.29ernorthamerican.org or the 29er International website www.29er.org.

    Photo by Stacy Childers
    9/15/08

  • A Summer to Remember C.C. Childers recounts a great summer of 29er racing as she road-tripped across the country racing 5 regattas in as many weekends. Photos included! .....read her report here

    9/15/08

  • West Marine Fun Regatta in Santa Cruz, CA The sky was blue and so was the sea, clear as a bell with the fog bank just ready to pounce but never did. 4 29ers flew free from all responsibilities in 12-20 knots. Sailors switched positions, screamed at the approaching fog, laughed at their gross errors, punched a wave. It was fun. .....final results

    9/10/08

  • Mission Bay One Design The 29er Fleet raced in the Mission Bay Yacht Club One Design Regatta last weekend. Congratulations to Paris Henken / Blaire Herron CorYC, Katie Everett CorYC/Alex Ranum MBYC, JP Barnes SDYC/Brian Bolton DPYC, Chuckie Eaton/Coach Jon CorYC and winners of 5 of 6 race Steling and Hans Henken. Conditions were 8-14 knots and impressive display of skill from the fleet that included four 12 year old skippers. 1st time 29er Regatta sailor was Blaire Herron, 2008 All American skipper and ’08 graduate of Georgetown U.

    9/1/08

  • Mid-Atlantic Champs wraps up successful east coast circuit A long series of successful east coast 29er events concluded this past weekend with the Mid-Atlantic Champs hosted at Annapolis Yacht Club. AYC recently picked up 6 29ers and are leading the way with a fleet of club boats. Max Fraser and David Liebenberg took the championship as a part of their NE Grand Prix Circuit win, followed by many local newcomers including Scott Houck/Jack Ortel in second. Thanks to AYC for a great event! .....rinal results here

    8/26/08

  • New Spinnaker to 2008 NE Grand Prix Champs from PS2000 That's right, PS2000 congratualated Max Fraser and David Liebenberg on their NE Grand Prix Circuit win with a brand new spinnaker. Congratulations guys, and thanks PS2000 for your support! .....Grand Prix standings here

    8/26/08

  • Biggest CORK ever? 65 teams competed in this year's North American Champs which the author thinks is the largest CORK ever, and second largest 29er event ever in North America (only bested by the World Champs in 2005). A great mixture from new teams to vetran teams and everything in between raced in a variety of conditions over many days. In the end Max Fraser and David Liebenberg of California pulled out in front to add another notch on their 29er champion sheet. Michael Blumer and Peter Soosalu of Ottowa came in second with Pearson Potts and Paul Ehvert in third. Thanks to CORK for putting on another great event, can't wait for next year! .....Final results here

    8/21/08

  • Vetran 29er sailors shine at North American Champs Kingston hosts the 29er North Americans again this year. Evan Aras and Trevor Parkeh lead the fleet with a 7 point coushin ahead of Max Fraser / David Liebenberg. Trevor was one of the first Canadian 29er sailors years ago. The top female team of Katja Smutny and Veronique Bougie-Bastien sitting in 13th overall are also both vetran 29er sailors. Good luck to everyone in the coming days of racing .....results here

    8/18/08

  • NE Grand Prix results After 3 of the 5 events have been completed, Max Fraser and David Liebenberg are leading the NE Grand Prix and race for a new spinnaker from PS2000. Mac Agnese and Ian Simms are only 1.25 points behind, and Eric Chouinard / Alex Chouinard are a slim 1.25 points behind Mac/Ian. Close competition! CORK and the Mid Atlantic Champs round out the series. .....current standings here

    8/15/08

  • 2008 Youth Champs video That's right, video from the 2008 Youths is now posted thanks to Bay Area video expert Vince Casalana. Enjoy!! .....watch here

    8/14/08

  • 2008 Youth Champs photos Check out the thrills and spills from the Youth Champs in San Francisco. Awesome photos by John Liebenberg. .....Photos here

    8/14/08

  • Fraser / Liebenberg win East Coast Champs Were sailed August 9-10th in Jamestown, RI. Writeup and photos coming, but results are posted for now. .....final results

    8/10/08

  • US Nationals photos Sean Trew's photos from the US Nationals are posted on his website, some great shots! .....Click here, then choose recent snaps

    8/7/08

  • First 29er fleet at Buzzard's Bay Regatta a success! Max Fraser and David Liebenberg discard a 2nd place finish to win the first 29er fleet at BBR. 13 teams from three different countries (AUS, CAN, USA) sailed 10 races over 3 days. More info coming. .....final results here

    8/3/08

  • Buzzard's Bay update - Day 2 Buzzards Bay has provided everyone with a range of conditions from ultra light center line sailing all the way up to dropped all the way down on the trap and full hike blasting through the short chop as we buzz through the 420 fleet on the way in. This racing has not been standard to any 29er sailing that I have ever done. We are on the same course as the 505 fleet we have adopted there traditional "rabbit starts" they use at even their biggest races. This has changed everyone's strategy for the first beat. But change has happened far faster then we had expected as within the first couple starts everyone got the hang of figuring out exactly where the Rabbit will be when setting up for there start. Although I do not expect this new style of starting to sweep through any 29er races anytime soon it has offered a new challenge to this already challenging course that has had at least one 20 degree shift every beat and puffs up to 18 knots and lulls down to 3 on the same course! Nonetheless everyone has managed to navigate through the pitfalls to cause some very close finishes as the first 8 boats all finished within 15 sec on the first race of this the second day after a 40 min race. The scores are close and anything can happen as we go into the last day after the weather sheet was wiped clean with a thunder storm to close out today.
    -Max Fraser

    8/2/08

  • NE Grand Prix Jonathon Reid and Teddy Skiffington are still leading the NE Grand Prix Circuit and race for the new spinnaker! The pair won the ARK and YOTS event and didn't compete in the recent Canadians, but still hold a 4 point lead over Tood Ulbinas and Oliver Blake. ..... Grand Prix results

    7/31/08

  • 29er Canadians The 2008 29er Canadian Championships were a great success. The regatta was preceded by a two day clinic sponsored by OSA and coached by Matthieu Dubreucq, Murray McCollough, Johnny Underwood and Danielle Boyd. The ten race series was contested in 10 to 18 knots winds over two days. Saturday's racing was interrupted by some vicious thunderstorms, however 4 races were completed and the Montreal team of Martin Lefebvre and Thierry Chalifour emerged as the leaders after day one.
    Sunday's weather greeted sailors with blue skies and a very consistent southwesterly breeze (in the 15 to 18 knot range). Competitors were treated(punished) to six races in excellent conditions. All teams enjoyed the high speed off wind legs. After reeling off three straight bullets Emily Hill (RHYC) and Danielle Boyd (KYC) held a one point lead over Lefebvre/Chalifour. But with two races remaining, Lefebvre/Chalifour turned on the jets to close out the regatta with two wins and a five point victory over Hill/Boyd.
    Thanks to KYC, OSA, RC Chair Jeff Boyd and his gang and for all the prizes from Sepp's Ski Shop (at 13 Montreal St.). Kingston once again provided some awesome 29er sailing, we hope to see you all at CORK.

    Top Five Finishers
    1. Martin Lefevre / Thierry Chalifour13 pointsRoyal St. Lawrence YC
    2. Emily Hill / Danielle Boyd 18 pointsRHYC/KYC
    3. Stephen Waldie / David Gelston25 pointsPointe Claire YC
    4. Ted Murphy / Alex Scales35 pointsRoyal Nova Scotia YS
    5. Chantal Hearst / Amelea Leeksma 38 pointsNational YC

    7/29/08

  • Tight competition at the US Nationals "Old Age and Treachery". Those are the words of encouragement my husband and coach gave me before the 29er Nationals started Friday July 25th. My crew, Anthony Boscolo, and I manged to win the first race of the event by a good margin, so those words must have come in handy. Our team's combined age of 56 certainly puts us in the old age category in the 29er fleet.
    The Nationals were held at Cascade Locks, Oregon in "The Gorge". The Gorge is a mecca for wind sports and seems a perfect fit for skiff sailing. 21 teams competed for the National title sailing 14 races over three days. Friday's wind exceeded the class wind limit mid-day forcing the fleet ashore for a break until the winds dropped back down. Many teams took some swimming lessons including yours truly in the second race of the day. Cameron Biehl and Max Binstock were winning the event after day one with 4 points separating the top four teams. Nice - its going to be close!
    Day 2 brought wind in the mid to upper teens. PRO Jarvis Brecker and his team at the Columbia Gorge Racing Association sent the fleet on six races total, three before lunch and three after. What a great day! Only to be topped off by a tasty BBQ and gigantic birthday cake for Paul Heineken's 62nd birthday. (and I thought I was old!!) The cake came complete with a red star, a case of Heineken, and a round of "Happy Birthday" sung by the fleet. 49er US Olympic Trials runner up Dalton Bergan, crewing for his wife Lindsay, put together an impressive string of 1sts only tarnished by a set of capsizes in the third race. Anthony and I put together a bunch of 2nds with consistency on our mind. Now with two throw-outs we claimed the top spot with a four point lead over Alain Huggler and Erik Aakhus and many teams nipping at our heels.
    The final day of racing was the lightest yet. The Race Committee planned four more races and they were sailed in a spotty 10-15 knots. For me, the most exciting part of the day was watching fleet newcomers Katy Cenname and Helena Scutt cross the line in 5th in the second race of the day. Very exciting for a tiny, new team at a windy, competitive event. Lindsay and Dalton took the first two bullets. Anthony and I took the third to clinch the title while last year's National Champs Max Fraser and David Liebenberg won the final race of the day. -Jen Morgan Glass
    Top Five Finishers
    1. Jen Morgan Glass / Anthony Boscolo27 points
    2. Lindsay Bergan / Dalton Bergan 32 points
    3. Alain Huggler / Eric Aakhus38 points
    4. Cameron Biehl / Max Binstock41 points
    5. Max Fraser / David Liebenberg 45 points

    Congratulations and Thank You to Kav and Gordon Stokes for coming out from Virginia to race. The father-son team traveled to the Gorge early to windsurf before the Nationals. They were given a new harness from event supporter West Coast Sailing as the team who traveled the farthest. The top female trophy was awarded to Julia Paxton and Nina Malingri who came in 7th overall.
    .....Final Results

    7/28/08

  • 29er Europeans about to begin A handfull of 29er teams from both Canada and the US are in Medemblik, The Netherlands. 113 Teams are registered including 4 Canadians and 1 US team. Good luck guys! .....Event Website

    7/21/08

  • Youth Worlds concludes Top North American finishers Judge Ryan and Hans Henken put up a strong fight all week, ending up with bronze on the final day. Running in a close second place for most of the event, Ryan and Henken incurred a disqualification yesterday, which kept them from attacking first place. Argentines German Billoch and Gaston Cheb Terrab sailed a stellar final day to pass up to second place, one point ahead of the Americans. Ryan and Henken sailed impressively all week, with over half of their races in the top three of the 25-boat fleet. The 29er Boys’ class was won by James Peters and Edward Fitzgerald of Great Britain. Eric and Alex Choinard of Canada finished in 20th.
    On the Girl's side Americans Julia Paxton / Karoline Gurdal finished 10th in their first major international event. Canadians Alanna Foscarini and Alison Ludzki represented their country well placing 17th. Congratulations to all! .....Results here

    7/20/08

  • North America well represented at the Youth World Champs Our North American 29er teams are doing well after three days of racing at the Youth World Championships in Aarhus, Denmark. Girls first, Canadians Alanna Foscarini and Alison Ludzki are in 16th with two letter scores holding them back. Americans Julia Paxton and Karoline Gurdal are in 10th with some of there better finishes most recently. Go girls go!! On the boys side, brothers Eric and Alex Choinard from Canada are in 20th very close to many teams just in front of them. Judge Ryan and Hans Henken representing the USA are in a 3 way tie for first with the British and Australians. Reports say it has been windy and the teams will enjoy their lay-day tomorrow. Racing will resume Wednesday July 16th. .....Results here

    7/14/08

  • 29er Grand Prix gets started! Who will win the spinnaker? The ARK & YOTS regatta at Bedford Basin YC in Nova Scotia July 13-14th is the first regatta of the NE Grand Prix. Champions of the Grand Prix are also crowned with heavyweight fighting style belts as seen below. Will you ever win a trophy like this anywhere else? Of course not, so get to the Grand Prix! .....Grand Prix details here

    7/9/08

  • Free clinics at Annapolis YC National Champions Max Fraser and David Liebenberg will be hosting free clinics this summer at Annapolis YC. Max and David will be at AYC July 28-29th (Just in time for BBR August 1-3rd) and then again August 22nd (the day before the Mid-Atlantic Champs). Don't miss out on their great expertise and 29er experience.

    7/5/08

  • US Nationals Registration Open Online The US Nationals are in the Gorge this July. This will be an event you can't miss. Although beware, once you sail in the Gorge you may never leave. A killer clinic with top-notch coaches will be held July 23-24th, with the Championship racing following on July 25-27th. Online registration is now available on the CGRA website. .....online registration, NOR, and everything else you need

    7/5/08

  • 29er ECC's NOR
    WHAT: 2nd Annual 29er East Coast Championships
    WHERE: Conanicut Yacht Club, Jamestown, RI
    WHEN: August 7-10, 2008 (Clinic: August 7-8, Racing: August 9-10)
    That's right... EAST COAST 29er SAILING. A great opportunity to meet sailors from other parts of the country and race and train with a fast and fun group. Just after Buzzards Bay Regatta and before CORK, East Coast Champs is the perfect addition to the August East Coast racing trip you are all planning, or about to plan. Charters are available (for BBR and ECC's).

    Expecting to see everyone out here at the end of the month. It's beautiful, the sea breeze will be in full swing, and the water might have warmed up a little by then too.
    .....NOR here

    7/5/08

  • Large 29er fleet headed to Buzzard's Bay Regatta Teams from both coasts and in between are headed to the Buzzard's Bay Regatta August 1-3rd in Marion, MA. Anyone who's done this event before knows: its amazingly run, a huge turnout, the wind rips, and its an awesome time. Its also one of the events on the Grand Prix. Don't miss out - close to 20 boats are expected. You can still join the fun! Make sure to register online at the following link. .....Event Registration

    7/3/08

  • US Youth Championship Final After 3 days and 11 races Judge Ryan and Hans Henken win the US Youth Championship. Their win didn't come easy with many teams winning races including Oliver Toole and Willie McBride winning all three races on the final day. Judge and Hans, along with Julia Paxton / Karoline Gurdal, who were the top women's team, will head to the ISAF Youth World Championship next week in Denmark. Wish them luck! .....Final Results here

    7/1/08

  • 10 29ers race at WAVES in Vancouver, BC The Northwest 29er fleet is growing and happy to report 10 teams on the line at the WAVES regatta. Teams were exhausted after a total of 17 races but had a blast in great mid-teens conditions. A great competitive friendship is develeoping between the Canadian and US teams in the area. Erin Berry / Jessica Round from Victoria took the event with 19 points, followed by Katy Cename / Helena Scutt of Seattle, WA with 41 points. .....final results here

    6/29/08

  • US Youth Championship gets underway 9 29ers raced 4 races today during the first day of the US Youth Champs held at the San Francisco YC. The fleet sailed from SFYC out to the Berkeley Circle racecourse and quickly finished four races. Judge Ryan and Hans Henken won each of the four races today in 12-17 knots. Judge and Hans have been training hard and will go almost directly from this event to the Youth World Championship in Denmark. Results were not posted as of press time, but the author knows at least the top 5 teams are pretty close together. .....results posted here (hopefully soon)

    6/29/08

  • First 29er Luff-In in San Diego Congratulations to the sailors who attended the first ever "Luff-in" regatta for 29ers in the long established SDAYC "Luff-in" series. Congrats to 29er youth racers who helped make history Chuckie Eaton/Patrick Powell, JP Barnes/Tyler McDonald, Katie Everett/ Noelle Herring, Paris Henken/Nina Maligri and regatta winners Sterling Henken/ Hans Henken. The (Tim) Waldlow Series was recently added to the very successful "Luff-in" series that include Sabots (Dennis) Conner series, Laser Radials (JJ) Isler series, Full-Rigs (Robbie) Haines series, 420's (Mark) Reynolds series, and FJ's (Doug) Hart series. The remaining 29er series regattas are July 20 at Coronado Yacht Club and October 18 at SDYC where the Wadlow perpetual will be awarded. Tim Wadlow represented the US in 2004 Olympics in 49er class and will do so again in Beijing. All youth welcome to compete!

    6/27/08

  • Photos galore! Thanks to John Liebenberg and Stacy Childers, dedicated 29er parents with a talent for photography, we have some new photo galleries to share. The photo gallery page now includes 2007 Australian Nationals, 2008 World Championships, and 2008 Elvstrom Zellerback. Make sure to check out the photos, find yourself and your friends, and learn something from other's styles and sail setups. .....check 'em out here

    5/19/08

  • 14 teams in Santa Barbara's skiff festival race 9 races over the weekend. .....results

    5/18/08

  • Successful and Windy Elvstrom Zellerbach 12 teams battled classic San Francisco conditions at the Elvstrom Zellerbach this past weekend on San Francisco's City Front. Sunday's races were called when the wind exceeded the class limit. Congratulations to Max Fraser and David Liebenberg who won every race. Check out Max and David in the photo below just after a windward mark. Thanks to Marisa Kurk for the photo. .....results here

    5/6/08

  • 29ers race in Vancouver, BC A fleet of 6 29ers raced at Royal Vancouver's Kitten Cup dinghy regatta last weekend. English Bay provided wonderful spring conditions on Saturday with warm temps and a 5-14 knot westerly. RVYC's race committee sent the fleet on five races around a triple-lap windward-leeward. Sunday's brought April Showers and light winds which allowed for one more race.
    Newcomer to the 29er Katy Cenname teamed up with vetran Jen Glass to win her first 29er regatta quite convincingly. Alex Dodd and Robert Barry battled with fellow Royal Victoria YC team Erin Barry and Jessica Round to tie for 2nd with the boys winning the tiebreaker. Callie Wade / Helena Scutt finished in 4th, also racing their first 29er event. Rounding out the fleet were Harrison Blacklock / Alex Smith from West Vancouver and Kristine Williams / Rebecca Blundon from Victoria. Look for more 29er racing in the Pacific Northwest coming soon! .....Results here

    4/28/08

  • 2008 29er Worlds Team We've just received some photos from the 2008 29er World Championships which were held in Australia in January. Here's a photo to show off the good looking members of the team.

    Left to Right: Max Fraser, Ian Simms, Pike Harris, Coach Jacqui Bonnitcha, Judge Ryan, Hans Henken, David Liebenberg. Photo by John Liebenberg.

    4/14/08

  • CISA clinic Results and photos now available from the CISA clinic which finished up Tuesday April 8th. Julian Bethwaite made a guest appearance at this year's CISA clinic giving an evening talk to the entire group and helping out the 29er fleet in particular. .....Results and Photos here

    The 29er class getting ready for a day at CISA. Photo by Rich Roberts.

    4/9/08

  • 2008 Midwinters West photos Thanks to Stacy Childers and Tamra Henken for sharing their great photos! .....photo gallery here

    4/7/08

  • 2008 Midwinters West Results now posted, photos and more coming soon! .....results here

    4/2/08

  • Spring Dinghy at St. Francis iWindsurf shows Saturday's racing at St. Francis' Spring Dinghy gave the 29er fleet a classic San Francisco day with winds topping out near 25 knots in the afternoon. Sunday's wind was more fickle and took a while to fill in. Racers waited a few hours before getting two more races in. .....View Results Here

    3/9/08

  • Midwinters East Photos! Lainie Pardee's photos from the Midwinters East are now up, check 'em out! .....Photos Posted Here

    2/27/08

  • Annapolis Yacht Club buys 6 29ers! AYC announced yesterday their purchase of 6 29ers to complement their already strong junior program. AYC intends to offer 29er clinics starting later this spring, and also plans to host the Chesapeake Bay's first major 29er regatta, the Mid-Atlantic Championships, in August 2008. Welcome AYC! .....Press Release

    2/27/08

  • Need to know how to put 29ers in a container? Ian Bruce's 29er packing diagram can now be found under the How To tab. Thanks to Ian for putting in the time to create this document. .....Container Document

    2/25/08

  • 29er Midwinters East has great showing Max Fraser reports: The Regatta started out as they always do with rigging the boats up (this time in the harsh humidity of Florida) in the boat yard, but this was a rare and very nice environment of a mix of not only northern and southern California which is the biggest mix that I am used to in North America but also a huge showing from Canada and the East coast ranging from Florida to New York! This all made for a great group and a lot of encouragement for the wide spread popularity and skill from all over North America. The first day showed near perfect conditions of 12-15 knots of winds shifting across the course 10-25 degrees. The course was so long that at the start line we (Hans Henken & Max Fraser aka the Flying Purple People Eaters due to our awesome purple charter spinnaker) could hardly see the weather mark. The race committee gave us 5 long races which left most of the fleet rightfully exhausted. Day two gave us similar conditions just a bit lighter wind but still great and with similar shifts to day one. We raced another 5 races which nearly killed team Flying Purple People Eaters as we were both getting over the flu from the week earlier. The fleet was very competitive - everyone had their moment so much so that I believe we had to duck every team in the fleet at one point in time. Positions were very tight at every first weather mark and only opened up some on the last downwind leg. The last day did not turn out as well as could have been as the wind never showed up and after a few hours of waiting the RC called it off as we had already had ten races which is for then enough for a series and enough for all 2 throw outs. So to wrap it up it was an incredibly great regatta with mostly awesome conditions and a great RC with a bunch of great sailors both newer and older faces from all over North America. Also a congratulation to the Canadian teams as this was their last Qualifier to go to the youth Worlds and they made it with ease.

    Results stand as shown below. Link to full results coming soon.

    2/24/08

  • 29er Midwinters East got off to a great start in Sarasota, Florida. After two days of racing and 10 races, results are as follows:

    1) Max Fraser & Hans Henken-------------8pts
    2) Austen Anderson & Chris price----------15pts
    3) Eric Chouinard & Alex Chouinard---------28pts
    4) Alanna Foscarini & Alison Ludzki---------31pts
    5) Martin Lefebvre & Thierry Chalifour-------38pts
    6) Dana Archibald & Danielle Boyd----------41pts
    7) Emily Dellenbaugh & Morgane Renoir------48pts
    8) Will Stocke & Dan Goldman--------------53pts
    9) Pearson Potts & Mick Johnstone-----------71pts
    10) Ted Murphy & Teddy Skiffington---------73pts
    11) Tsen Dennig & Doug Cooper------------80pts
    12) Kay Stokes & Teddy Stokes--------------81pts
    13) Casey McDermott & Chantelle Boudreau----106pts

    Its great to see some new names mixed into the results. More coming soon thanks to Max Fraser, reporter on duty.

    2/23/08

  • The JJs Many ex-29er sailors have been known to seek out higher speeds racing the JJ Giltnan Championship in Sydney, Australia. This year Joey Pasquali, Matt Noble and Rory Giffen are one of two American teams racing at the JJs, an 18 footer World Championship first planned in 1937. The team is currently in 15th of 29 teams. Wish them good luck! .....event info, results and photos

    2/20/08

  • Max Fraser weighs in on the SCYA Midwinters Well it was another light and shifty regatta at Mission Bay, with the average shift size exceeding 30 degrees and the bigger ones being over 50 degrees. All of this is made possible by a tight inland saltwater racecourse that is surrounded by the buildings of San Diego. It was a great battle the whole regatta with Pike Harris and new comer to the 29er fleet Noelle Herring showing the fleet how to navigate there home town by working both sides of the course perfectly and then coach Jon Rogers sailing with another new comer Katie Everett pulled of a perfect start and pulled away in the last race for an awesome win.
    The second day showed similar conditions but I had pulled out of my fever and flu and was feeling a lot better David and I were able to pull off 3 wins right of the bat going into the last race all we had to do was beat Pike one last time to take the race but with a over early we lost precious time going back and had to hurry as it was only one windward leeward we had caught back up by the leeward mark and battled all the way upwind tacking on each other trying to get leverage on one another each of us pulling out at times but Pike and Noelle hit the lay line perfectly and got us by a boat length at the line with coach Jon walking away with the win. But a newer team Pat Diola and Marisa Kurk managed to pull off a second place which is awesome as they have not been in this fleet for very long and Marisa is just learning how to sail. Any new teams should look to these guys they are doing what we all know it takes paying there dues driving to San Diego and only getting there at 5 am Fri morning from Santa Cruz, practicing all the time and going to every race they can get there hands on. Congratulations to Pike and Noelle and great job to all the new teams stick with it! Also come to this great Regatta next year it is a great one and well worth it some of the best tactic practice. -Max Fraser .....final results

    2/19/08

  • Youth World Qualifier wrapup Coach and past 29er sailor Alex Bernal shares his thoughts after coaching the 2008 Youth World Qualifier in Long Beach, CA. Check out what he has to say about what worked and what didn't at this very competitive event. .....Alex's writeup

    1/29/08

  • 2008 Worlds Wrapup from coach Jacqui Even if you didn't go to the Worlds this year you can benefit from coach (and 2005 World Champion) Jacqui Bonnitcha's feedback to the teams at the 2008 Worlds. Read on! .....read Jacqui's feedback

    1/29/08

  • Annapolis YC entering the 29er scene AYC will soon take ownership of 6 29ers from PS2000. There is a lot of support both at AYC and in the Chesapeake Bay in general. Look to these guys to host some clinics and be on the starting line at upcoming regattas. Welcome AYC!

    1/29/08

  • Sailors chosen for the Youth World Team The final day of racing at the 2008 US Youth World Qualifier saw rain cloud after rain cloud pass over the course causing large wind shifts and velocity changes. The unsteady weather combined with the small point gaps kept everyone on the edge of their seats today, racers and spectators alike. With only two races, Judge Ryan and Hans Henken picked the right clouds to sail towards to take the event win and earn themselves a spot at the Youth Worlds in Denmark this coming summer. Congratulations as well to Emily Dellenbaugh and Morgane Renoir who won the girls' fleet.

    Boys
    1. Judge Ryan / Hans Henken(4), 1, 3, 2, 3, 2, 2, 1, 3, 118 points
    2. Oliver Toole / Willie McBride 1, 2, 2, 3, 2, 1, (6), 2, 4, 3 20 points
    3. Austen Anderson / Chris Price3, 5, 4, 1, 4, 5, 5, 3, (7), 232 points


    Girls
    1. Emily Dellenbaugh / Morgane Renoir 2, 3, 1, (7), 1, 3, 4, 4, 2, 4 34 points
    2. Julia Paxton / Karoline Gurdal9, 7, 7, 10, 6.5, 10, 10, 10, 5, (12)74.5 points
    3. CC Childers13, (16), 15, 9, 11, 11, 12, 15, 14, 14114 points

    .....results and more

    1/21/08

  • Points close for boys Youth World Qualifier Another beautiful day in Long Beach, California provided the 29er fleet with great racing. The sun was shining all day, allowing for a nice seabreeze, slightly stronger than yesterday. Emily Dellenbaugh and Morgane Renoir started off the day with a bullet showing they are more than capable of beating both boys and girls. Oliver Toole and Willie McBride took the gun in the second race, to extend their lead on 2nd place Judge Ryan and Hans Henken to 3 points. The wind capped out around 12 knots, and was favored by Max Fraser and David Liebenberg who won the 3rd race of the day in the windiest conditions. Oliver and Willie mistakenly sailed past the finish line unsure of the course, while Judge and Hans finished second. In the fourth race of the day, Judge and Hans sailed flawlessly to take the win, and bring themselves only one point behind Oliver and Willie.

    Two races remain for Monday, the final day of racing. It will be exciting!

    Boys
    1. Oliver Toole / Willie McBride 1, 2, 2, 3, 2, 1, (6), 2 13 points
    2. Judge Ryan / Hans Henken(4), 1, 3, 2, 3, 2, 2, 114 points
    3. Austen Anderson / Chris Price3, (5), 4, 1, 4, 5, 5, 325 points


    Girls
    1. Emily Dellenbaugh / Morgane Renoir 2, 3, 1, (7), 1, 3, 4, 4 18 points
    2. Julia Paxton / Karoline Gurdal9, 7, 7, (10), 6.5, 10, 10, 1069.5 points
    3. CC Childers13, (16), 15, 9, 11, 11, 12, 1586 points

    .....results and more

    1/20/08

  • Youth World Qualifier off to a good start Four girls teams and 12 boys teams sailed together under sunny skies and a light seabreeze. Sharing their course with the SL16s, the 29ers were able to race four races yesterday. Many teams did well, leaving the leaderboard tight on points. Last year's Youth Worlds teams are currently on top, showing they want to go back to the Worlds again.

    Boys
    1. Oliver Toole / Willie McBride 1, 2, 2, 3 8 points
    2. Judge Ryan / Hans Henken4, 1, 3, 210 points
    3. Austen Anderson / Chris Price3, 5, 4, 113 points


    Girls
    1. Emily Dellenbaugh / Morgane Renoir 2, 3, 1, 7 13 points
    2. Julia Paxton / Karoline Gurdal9, 7, 7, 1033 points
    3. Stephanie Hudson / Laura McKenna14, 9, 11, 1549 points

    .....results and more

    1/19/08

  • NEW!! North American Membership Directory Looking for a 29er sailor you met at the last regatta? Want to find a team or coach for that travel regatta you have planned? Use the new 29er North American membership directory. You'll see the link to the Directory above, or click the following link to register. Athletes, coaches and other fleet associates can enter their contact information into the directory for other fleet members to access. You can decide how much contact information to share, as well as post photos and send messages to friends. Check it out! .....Register Here

    1/9/08

  • 29er Worlds wrap up Australians Steven Thomas and Jasper Warren take the gold as 2008 29er World Champions, winning the final two races in the Gold Series to finish 21 points in front of the next team. The US team of Judge Ryan and Hans Henken rallied in the last few races of the event to finish 3rd in Silver fleet. Their American teammates finished with only 10 points separating the two teams. Max Fraser / David Liebenberg and Ian Simms / Pike Harris finished in 21st and 22nd respectively in Silver fleet.

    Congratulations to the US 49er team Tim Wadlow and Chris Rast who finished 5th overall at the 49er Worlds. Many ex-29er sailors also raced 49ers at this year's worlds. Their results include:

    John Heineken / Matt Noble 26th Silver fleet
    Joey Pasquali / Rory Giffen 1st Bronze fleet
    Jonathon Goldsberry / Charlie Smythe 8th Bronze fleet
    JV Gilmore / Cooper Dressler23rd Bronze fleet
    .....Final 29er results

    1/9/08

  • Big winds on final qualifying day and first day of final series. The 29er course saw winds over 30 knots on the final day of qualifiying, cutting the day short and leaving our US team in the Silver fleet. Max Fraser and David Liebenberg missed the cutoff for gold fleet by 7 points. Although dissapointed, they had a great ride in to the beach as Max reports "I jumped out onto David, as he clipped into the trap I lay back on him with my feet on the rail and Yahoo!".

    Judge Ryan and Hans Henken have turned up the heat since the qualifying series, and are now leading the US team standing in 4th in Silver Fleet with 8 races left to go. Also congratulations to Tim Wadlow / Chris Rast who will be representing the USA in the 2008 Olympics in the 49er. Tim and Chris currently stand in 5th overall in the concurrently-run 49er World Championships. Past 29er sailors John Heineken / Matt Noble are also racing at the 49er Worlds, currently standing in 26th in Silver. .....Final series results

    1/7/08

  • Two races in qualifying series remain at the 2008 29er World Champs. US Teams are currently in: 26th (Max Fraser / David Liebenberg), 32nd (Judge Ryan / Hans Henken), and 41st (Ian Simms / Pike Harris). Wish them good luck in the remaining two races as they strive to make gold fleet. GO TEAM! .....View Results

    1/5/08

  • 2008 Worlds Begin! Four races in the qualifying series were held on the first day, and the fleet is currently part way through day two. At this time, US entries stand in: 27th (Judge Ryan/Hans Henken), 31st (Max Fraser/David Liebenberg), and 32nd (Ian Simms and Pike Harris). Points are all still very close with four fleets, so a lot can change in the coming days before the fleets are split. Go Team! .....Results here

    1/4/08

  • US teams place well at Australian National Championships In preparation for the upcoming World Championships, 3 US teams competed in the Australian National Championships. All three US teams were in the gold fleet, finishing: 5th Judge Ryan and Hans Henken, 15th Max Fraser and David Liebenberg, 29th Ian Simms and Pike Harris. Max Fraser reports from Australia that the winds were light for the four days of racing, but with over 80 teams it was great training for the Worlds. Max also reports that they have now registered and been through measurement for the Worlds. Racing begins Friday January 4th.

    1/2/08

  • 2007
  • 2008 Worlds start soon The 2008 29er Worlds in Sorrento (near Melbourne), Australia will begin on January 2nd. 102 teams have registered for the event so far, including 3 teams from the USA. Max Fraser/David Liebenberg, Ian Simms/Pike Harris and Judge Ryan/Hans Henken are already in Australia training for the event. Good luck guys! .....event website

    12/27/07

  • US team at Sydney International Regatta Max Fraser and David Liebenberg are racing at the SIRS regatta. So far the event has shown a variety of conditions and has 31 teams competing for the title. After 7 races Max and David are in 10th. Full results can be found here. .....read Max's emails

    12/17/07

  • Max Fraser and David Liebenberg top 13 teams at Turkey Bowl 13 teams traveled to ABYC's Turkey Bowl regatta to duke it out in one of the last events of the fall. From the photos on ABYC's website, the event appears to have been sailed in light winds. This made for a good intro event for some new 29er teams like the ones shown below. We're glad to see the fleet growing! .....results

    11/18/07

  • Totally Dinghy a Total Success Threading rain clouds did not deter six eager 29ers or 150 various other Dinghy's from having a Totally Dinghy Blast a this years Richmond Yacht Club. The two day event brought centerboard boats from far and wide to rumble with the best. The top three 29ers, all headed for The World's in Australia showed good form and expressed gratitude to a well run Regatta and Race Committee. New comers to the fleet Jesberg/Mooney received style points for sailing over and back to their San Francisco Yacht Club. "Watch those ebb tides guys" .....Final Results

    9/26/07

  • West Marine Fun Regatta in Santa Cruz, CA We had a really nice Fun Regatta again this year with Indian Summer weather and good clean competition for a 5 boat fleet. The race committee was flawless and the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk rocked. Small can be nice. .....final results here

    9/13/07

  • 29er sailing in Seattle Thirteen Seattle-area sailors spent September 8-9th enjoying 10-15 knots on Puget Sound in what was for many their first time in a 29er. Jen Glass, Matt Thorslund, Lisa and Jay Renehan helped the group learn the new skills. Saturday many of the new skiff sailors had their fair share of dips in the pond. However, on Sunday the fleet was sailing long distances and racing around marks. The biggest smiles of the weekend came from two young Opti sailors who plan to race 29ers together. Tipping the scales somewhere under 200 pounds, the girls had plenty of power. Giggles could be heard both while they were right-side-up and up-side-down. Current 29er teams should look for NW sailors at upcoming regattas.

    9/13/07

  • Alanna Foscarini and Alison Ludzki narrowly beat out Nick Kroeger and Peter Soosalu for the top spot in the 2007 29er Grand Prix Rankings. The girls win a complete sailing kit courtesy of PS2000 as a reward for their good sailing.

    .....Final Grand Prix Results

    9/1/07

  • North American Champions CrownedJudge Ryan and Hanks Henken are the 2007 North American Champions after a solid week of racing. The pair scored no finish worse than a 6th in the 63 boat fleet. .....Final Results

    8/22/07

  • USA 1,2 at the European Championships! Emily Dellenbaugh and Briana Provancha have just won the 29er Europeans over fellow Americans Austen Anderson and Chris Price. Congratulations! .....final results here

    8/11/07

  • Luke Adams and Kevin Martland win first ever 29er East Coast Championships 8 teams sailed in Jamestown, RI for the ECCs. Many were training for the upcoming North Americans. .....results here

    8/11/07

  • US Natoinals and PCCs photo galleries Special thanks to John Liebenberg for sending LOTS of really cool photos from these two events. Check 'em out! US Nationals gallery here and PCCs (Gorge Skiff) gallery here

    7/30/07

  • 29er PCCs successful at Cascade Locks 11 29ers traveled to the mecca of Cascade Locks to race in this year's PCCs. Over three days the fleet saw 8-25+ knots and raced in 15 races. "There is nothing better than the Gorge, and this was a classic Gorge weekend. Camping, good wind, nice people, and hanging out together after racing" said event winner Jen Glass. Jen teamed up with 49er crew Anthony Boscolo. The top four were very competitive, close racing made every finish exciting. Danny Cayard and Max Binstock had an early lead in the event, but finished 2nd. Rounding out the top four was Max Fraser / David Liebenberg and Hans Henken / Diego Gomez-Hall. PHOTOS COMING! ..... full results

    7/20/07

  • Skiff sailors youngest to sail Transpac Many current and past 29er sailors are racing as part of the youngest team to ever finish the Transpac. The team includes Sean Doyle, Justin Doyle, Ted White, Roscoe Fowler and Cameron Biehl sailing onboard On the Edge of Destiny. .....see Transpac information.

    7/29/07

  • USA Girls Win Youth World Champsionship! Emily Dellenbaugh and Briana Provancha clinch victory with one race remaining. Today's single race was very windy and an exciting end to the Youth World Championship after a day off yesterday due to weather. Canadian girls Alanna Foscarini and Alison Ludzki finish in 13th while their teammates Nicholas Kroeger and Peter Soosalu place 21st in the boys 29er. The American boys team of Oliver Toole and Willie McBride had a difficult race in today's conditions and finished 6th overall, one point from 5th. ..... event website

    7/20/07

  • Podcast of 29er sailing at the Youth Worlds The Youth Worlds podcast shows some good 29er action, as well as an interview with American Emily Dellenbaugh and Canadian Peter Soosalu. .....podcast here

    7/17/07

  • 29er Canadian Championship won by Jonathan Reid and Teddy Skiffington The event was held this last weekend as a part of the ARK & YOTS regatta at the Bedford Basin Yacht Club. The Canadian Championship was the third regatta in the Northest Grand Prix. Updated Grand Prix Results can be found here. Jonathon and Teddy are also leading the Grand Prix over Louis LeBloud and Jean-Claude LeBloud. The winner of the series will receive a complete sailing outfit for both skipper and crew from PS2000. .....Canadian Champs Results

    6/9/07

  • Max Fraser and David Liebenberg crowned US National Champions 23 teams competed over the weekend for the US National Championship in Santa Cruz, CA. After 10 races only 8 points separated the top four teams, proving there was great close racing over a variety of conditions. Oliver Toole / Willie McBride and Alex Bernal / Hunter Williams rounded out the top three. Photos coming soon. ..... final results

    7/9/07

  • US Youth Worlds representatives chosen After four tough days of very close competition at the U.S. Youth Champs in New Orleans, the US representatives to the Youth World Championships have been chosen. Emily Dellenbaugh / Briana Provancha and Oliver Toole / Willie McBride will be representing the US at the Youth Worlds in Kingston, Ontario this July. You'll have the chance to wish Oliver and Willie good luck, and give them a run for their money at the upcoming US National Championships in Santa Cruz next weekend. .....full Youth Champs results

    7/1/07

  • Light winds in Santa Barbara This year's Skiff Fest greeted 19 29ers and many I14s. Sailors came from San Diego and as far as San Francisco to sail. The sailors arrived to find the weather very light and foggy. Racing was postponed for an hour on Saturday morning. The fleet headed out and got four races off in a light 6 knots. The next day the fleet headed out in perfectly glassy water and sat and waited for the wind. The wind never filled and the fleet was sent in at 1:30. Judge Ryan and Hans Henken won the light air event followed closely be hide by Oliver Toole and Willie McBride. .....final results here

    5/21/07

  • Montreal Skiff Clinic Press Release Did you go to the clinic or do you wonder how it went? Check out the press release here

    5/15/07

  • 29er Midwinters West champion decided in last race Judge Ryan and Hans Henken beat out Jen Glass and David Liebenberg by 2 boatlenghts to take the regatta win. .....writeup and final results

    3/18/07

  • Montreal Spring Skiff Camp May 10-13th, 2007. This camp will include daily breakfast, two dinners, 4 days of coaching, 2 guest speakers, a DVD of the camp and participants will be able to purchase Bethwaite Skiff Gear for 30% off. .....email Tyler Bjorn to sign up at tylerbjorn@mac.com

    2/21/07

  • 29er Midwinters East Writeup created by the race committee .....view the .pdf here

    2/21/07

  • Looking for a European event to race this summer? The 29er Europeans will be held in Gottskar, Sweden August 6-12th .....Europeans website

    2/17/07

  • Report from USA's 2007 Worlds Coach Coach Zapo debriefs the 2007 World Championship and the sailors from the USA .....read his report here

    2/17/07

  • Photo show of 29er Midwinters East now posted check out some photos from the 29er Midwinters East racing .....view here

    2/16/07

  • New 29er USA class rules, governance, list of potential coaches Check out the 29er USA Class document from President Bill Maxam .....download pdf here

    2/14/07

  • Dellenbaugh / Provancha hold on to win 2007 Midwinters East despite tough competition from Henken / Ryan .....full results and writeup

    1/9/07

  • Charter boats for sale $9000 - $9250 Sturgis Boat Works will be selling 29er Midwinters East charter boats for $9250, or $9000 from the New England Boat Show ..... contact Sturgis for more information

    2/10/07

  • Girls Rule 29er Midwinters East day 2 Emily Dellenbaugh and Briana Provancha dominate day two of the 29er Midwinters East to take the lead .....read more here

    2/10/07

  • 29er Midwinters East off to a good start. This event is also the Canadian qualifier for the 2007 Youth Worlds..... read about the racing here

    2/9/07

  • 29er Training Sessions in Newport, RI Weekday and weekend 29er training sessions have been scheduled by Peter Johnstone in Newport, RI from May through August. You'll see them on the updated 2007 Schedule. .....contact Peter for more information

    1/31/07

  • Class Membership Reminder For 2007 both skipper and crew must be members of the 29er Class to race in class events (North Americans, Nationals, and earn Grand Prix points). US sailors recently received an application from Dave Bernal in the mail. .....Canadian and US membership forms here

    1/30/07

  • CISA Clinic application deadline Feburary 1, 2007 get your applications in! .....view CISA information here

    1/27/07

  • Argentinans Matias Gainza Eurnekian and Federico Villambrosa World Champions while Argentina claims 9 spots in the top 10.
    North American finishes: GOLD FLEET
    20th Judge Ryan and Hans Henken
    25th Max Fraser and Alex Bernal
    North American finishes: SILVER FLEET
    2nd Emily Dellenbaugh and Briana Provancha
    18th Alain Huggler and Eric Akhaus
    20th Ian Andrewes and Campbell Rivers
    24th Michelle Strebel and Rachael Short
    ..... view final results

    1/27/07

  • Argentinans hold top 8 spots at 29er Worlds No official report yet, but results show top North Americans Judge Ryan and Hans Henken in 22nd, followed by Max Fraser and Alex Bernal in 25th. .....see results here

    1/26/07

  • 29er Worlds Day 5 Brings 7-12 kts and rain Puffy conditions threw the competitors curves on the course, keeping them on their toes. At the end of the day, Pepe Bettini and Matias Keller of ARG regained the lead with fellow countrymen Matias Gainza and Federico Vilambrosa in 2nd with Gonzalo Pollitzer and Jose Maria Diez (ARG) in 3rd. James Ellis and Rob Partridge GBR split the top 5 domination by the Argentines. Americans Judge Ryan/Hans Henken are 20th and Max Fraser/Alex Bernal 25th. In the silver fleet, Maria Agustina Torre and Franco Greggi of ARG are tied for first with Americans Emily Dellenbaugh and Briana Provancha. .....Read update, full report coming soon

    1/25/07

  • Ex-29er Sailors racing 49ers at the Rolex Miami OCR Check out the ex-29erNA sailors racing at the Miami OCR, both 49er vetrans and recent 29er graduates - including Zack Maxam, Jonny Goldsberry and Charlie Smythe, John Heineken and Matt Noble, Matthieu Dubreucq, Billy Gooderham, Rob Fox, JV Gilmour and Finland's Lauri Lehtinen .....view the 49er Results

    1/24/07

  • Day 4 - Lay Day at the 29er Worlds Fleet takes a day off after conditions prevent racing on Day 3 ..... Read the event writeup and see photos

    1/24/07

  • Applications Now Accepted for 2007 US Youth Championship Applications are now being accepted for the 2007 U.S. Youth Championship, the premier youth sailing championship of the year. The event, sponsored by Vanguard Sailboats and Nautica, will be the qualifier for the doublehanded boys and girls in the 29er for the 2007 ISAF Youth Worlds, to be held in Kingston, Ontario, Canada in July 2007. Teams must be single sex. .....visit the event site for more information and online application

    1/23/07

  • Day 3 of 29er Worlds Cancelled due to thunderstorms and unpredictible winds. Day 4 is the lay day, therefore final series will begin on Thursday,Day 5. 2 Northamerican Teams, Ryan/Henken and Fraser/Bernal make Gold Fleet! .....Event writeup here

    1/23/07

  • Day 2 29er Worlds Brings promise of breeze, but it never materializes .....photos, results and writeup

    1/22/07

  • Day 1 29er Worlds 2 light races and 2 medium races help Argentinians to the top two spots. Judge Ryan and Hans Henken top North Americans in 18th. .....Read about the racing and results here

    1/21/07

  • World Championship Begins Sunday January 21st 50 teams from 13 countries vie for the top spot ..... View Entry List, Press and Schedule

    1/20/07

  • World Championship Begins Sunday January 21st 50 teams from 13 countries vie for the top spot ..... View Entry List, Press and Schedule

    1/20/07

  • Preview Press Release of the Upcoming Worlds Looking forward to the 2007 World Champs which start in a few days .....read the release here

    1/18/07

  • High Temps and Light Winds Prevail in Melbourne David Champan and Dean Curtis (both AUS) on the top of the scoreboard .....see the results here

    1/18/07

  • Hot Temps and Light Morning Winds at Sail Melbourne The location of next year's 29er Worlds has kept sailors onshore in the morning but brought in wind up to the mid-teens for the afternoon. .....See more on the Sail Melbourne site

    1/16/07

  • Pre-Registration now REQUIRED for Midwinters East Clinic Due to a possible over-subscription to the clinics, it is now necessary that you pre-register with Peter Bjorn - peter@ps2000.ca - and indicate clearly whether you are attending the two-day clinic on Wednesday and Thursday or just the Thursday session. The two-day session will have the same coaches and the Thursday session a second set of coaches. Failure to pre-register may result in there being no room for you as the numbers will be limited in order to maintain a high standard of instruction. Costs and payment details are already up on the NOR. Note: Pre-registration is NOT required for the regatta. .....Event NOR and Info here

    1/9/07

  • Jensen Beach Clinic goes well in December ...photos and writeup

    1/3/07



  • 2006
  • 2008 29er World Championships in Melbourne, Australia ...more details here

    12/16/06

  • 11 boats attend successful Thanksgiving clinic at St. Francis YC, coached by John Heineken and Ben Glass ...photos and writeup here

    11/30/06

  • 2007 29er Midwinters East February 9-11th. NOR, event and charter information now available! ...here

    10/27/06

  • Latest 29er Schedule Posted Including remaining 2006 and new 2007 events ...download here

    10/25/06

  • 2006 Fall Dinghy Max Frasier and Alex Bernal win by one point. ...results and writeup
    Including photos from Chris Ray!

    10/22/06

  • Eleven 29er Clinics The Richmond Yacht Club and the Skiff Sailing Foundation will be hosting Eleven Clinics beginning Nov 4-5 and running through August, 2007. ...more details and clinic coaches here

    10/22/06

  • New Jersey Clinic wrapup The NJ fleet is growing! Read about their latest clinic ...here

    10/16/06

  • St. Francis Thanksgiving 29er Clinic Nov 25-26 With US National Champ John Heineken and STFYC coach Ben Glass coaching download the .pdf here

    10/2/06

  • 29er Racing Oct 7-8 Brant Beach YC, NJ If interested call Tom Roesler asap at 201-376-7222 ASAP. The BBYC Mid-Atlantic Champs would like to invite the 29er fleet.

    10/2/06

  • Brock Hopemorley and Jason Hearst win NE Grand Prix Champs for the second year in a row! ...read more and see results

    9/29/06

  • 29er Youth World Qualifier Changed The qualifier for the 2007 Youth World Championship for the US 29er teams will be held at the 2007 US Youth Championship in New Orleans ...read more here
  • Team USA Form This must be filled out by every USA team going to the 2007 29er World Champs (its good, it can bring you money) DEADLINE: Nov 1, 2007 ...download here
  • San Diego 29er Practices Weds and Fri Coronado YC will host 29er practices on Wednesdays and Fridays this fall. $10/team/practice. Come at 3pm, rigged by 3:30. Call Jon at 619-435-0522 with questions.
  • Sunday Fall 29er Racing in New Jersey There will be a Sunday fall series at the Brant Beach YC beginning Sunday September 17th. ...more information
  • 29er Clinic Sept 30 - Oct 1 Brant Beach YC, New Jersey ...clinic details
  • USA National Championship Cabrillo Beach YC, September 2-3
    John Heineken and Matt Noble crowned 2006 US National Champions with near perfect record... more
  • 2006 29er North Americans at CORK Racing is very close over 5 days ...read more
    29er North Americans kick off with a highly successful clinic ... more
  • Inaugural 29erXX North American Series follows the 29er NAs in Kingston. Race Report
  • 2006 World Championship 9 teams from the USA and 6 from CAN made the trip to Weymouth, UK for the 2006 Worlds ... more
  • New location for International Class Office ... more
  • 2007 ISAF World Youth Champs keep the 29er as they move to Canada ...more
  • 2006 Midwinters East Clinic and Regatta ...more
  • US Sailing adds 29er to US Youth Championship in 2006...more


  • 2005
  • Goblin Regatta 3rd generation California 29er sailors make their first appearance on the starting line ...writeup and photos
  • Minutes from the World Council Meeting in San Franciso, July 2005 ...view the .pdf
  • 2005 CORK serves up a strong 32 boat fleet ...results
  • North American Champs - The Gorge serves up another great event ...details here
  • San Diego fall clinic new fleet development on the rise ...more
  • 2005 World Championship Sailing World Article ...read
  • Canada Summer Games continue to provide great competition ...read about them here
  • World Championships in San Francisco bring high flying fun! ...get all the details here
  • US Nationals provide bumpy introduction to San Francisco and pre-Worlds tuneup ...read about it here
  • Spring Dinghy starts off the season in San Francisco ...photos, results and writeup here
  • Icebreaker Regatta gets things started in Canada ...read more here!
  • Midwinters East provide lots of action with CAN and USA teams ...photos and writeup here
  • Two USA teams travel to Australia for the Australian Open Champs ...read about their trip here


  • 2004
  • 2004 Canadian Youth Championships ...writeup, photos and results
  • 2004 Kingston Unlimited Regatta ...writeup, photos and results
  • New Brunswick Grand Prix Report by matt Dubreucq ...read it here
  • Ottawa Skiff Regatta first edition ...read about it here
  • Sydney International Regatta report from the road, by Paul Heineken ...here
  • US National Championships in San Francisco ...writeup and photos here
  • World Championship Report on the US Team, by coach Martin Kirketerp ...photos and writeup here