Longshore Sailing School in Westport, CT, rented their 100,000th boat on July 4. When Brian Newsome of Westport returned his rented Hobie Getaway that afternoon, he was showered with confetti and balloons, saluted by horns, and greeted by sailing school staff with cameras, handshakes and congratulations. The countdown had begun in the school’s rental office the previous week when the staff realized that their 100,000th rental was imminent. The event happened to coincide with the school’s 50th anniversary celebration, which had been going on all weekend. Newsome, a graduate of Longshore’s adult programs, has been a regular renter for years. He’s a popular customer along with his wife, son and daughters. The staff was delighted that a “regular” won the milestone honor, and he was awarded a gift certificate.

Longshore Sailing School teaches approximately 2,000 students a year on its fleet of over 100 boats. For more information about sailing, kayaking and stand-up paddling instruction for adult and juniors, Connecticut Safe Boating certification, boat and board rentals, kayaking water polo and relay races, adventure sails to Cockenoe Island and more, visit longshoresailingschool.com.

Stamford Yacht Club has gone the extra mile to make this year’s race the best yet!

 

You can follow the race on the Internet. They have a new tracking company this year who promises that they will have amazing coverage of the race.

 

For the first time there is a "virtual" race simultaneous to the real event. You get to choose your boat and you will be competing with other virtual participants from around the world. You will experience the same wind shifts and currents as the boats are experiencing on the real course.  Check that out at www.sailonline.org

 

The Awards Party has been moved to Monday at 6:pm, even if you are not racing, you’re still invited to Stamford Yacht Club! Last year almost 400 people attended!

 

And – to all the Buzzards – fly your Buzzard Burgees high and proud on the starting line!

 

For full information, including scratch sheets, Amendments, Race Tracking, etc, go to http://www.yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=336

Students in the International Yacht Restoration School’s (IYRS) Composites Technology Program, a new nine-month program that begins this September at the school’s Bristol, RI campus, will be building a fleet of Moth hydrofoil dinghies. IYRS will partner with Sail Newport, a public sailing center at Fort Adams State Park in Newport, RI, to bring these high-performance dinghies to the public. Once the Moths are completed they will become part of Sail Newport’s fleet, providing an exciting, challenging boat for young sailors looking for the next step in sailing.

The program will give students a foundation in composites processes, techniques, and technology—ranging from general composites that employ glass fiber and polyester resin to advanced composites employing high-strength/high-modulus fibers and advanced resin systems. The 11-foot boats are small, light, and a good scale as a teaching tool, yet they need to be built to a high standard and will provide experience with a range of materials and processes. Students will also need to build several geometrically complex tools, and making them will test their skills using CAD/CAM engineering software. “We will cover a lot of bases with these small boats,” said Henry Elliot, the program’s lead instructor. “Once students leave here, the Moth is the kind of boat that will stand as a solid resume-builder.” For more information, visit iyrs.org. 

St. Vincent’s SWIM Across the Sound in Bridgeport, CT is seeking boats and volunteer captains to escort swimmers in its 23rd Annual Swim Marathon on Saturday, August 7. The event, which raised more than $350,000 last year, attracts more than 250 participants who swim 15.5 miles from West Beach in Port Jefferson, NY to Captain’s Cove Seaport in Bridgeport. The organizers are looking for approximately 110 boats to escort swimmers across Long Island Sound and others to serve as medical boats. Each escort vessel will be paired with a solo swimmer or a relay team comprising two or more swimmers. Powerboats and sailboats 22 feet and up are needed as escort vessels, while boats 18 feet and up can serve as guide boats to maintain a safety perimeter around the swimmers. Experienced captains are preferred for escort duty, although boaters at all levels are welcome to volunteer. All registered boat captains are required to attend a dinner meeting on Tuesday, August 3 at East End Yacht Club in Bridgeport. Slips will be available by request at Danfords Hotel & Marina in Port Jefferson beginning at noon on Friday, August 6. Register online at stvincents.org/swimboatcaptain. For more information, call 203-576-5451.

Landfall, a specialist in offshore outfitting, navigation and marine safety in Stamford, CT, and Revere Supply Company, a manufacturer of survival equipment in Jacksonville, FL, have joined “Because Our Acquaintances Think Safety” (BOATS), an on-water education campaign launched last year by the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) Boating Division to raise awareness of boating safety, reduce accidents on the water and promote the proper use of personal flotation devices (PFDs). The DEP’s boat Prudence will be traveling Connecticut waterways until Labor Day as her crew educates boaters about safe boating practices and state and federal safety equipment requirements. The crew will collect names and randomly select three boaters to receive $50 gift certificates towards the purchase of a Revere inflatable PFD at Landfall. The winners will be announced each week using local media and the Facebook pages of Landfall and the DEP’s Boating Division.

Harbour Court, the New York Yacht Club’s on-the-water clubhouse in Newport, RI is the venue for the 2010 International C Class Catamaran Championship (I4C), which will be sailed on Narragansett Bay August 22-28.

Evolved from a C Class championship popularly known as the Little America’s Cup (sailed for many years at the defending Roton Point Sailing Association in Rowayton, CT), the 2010 I4C will comprise fleet racing and match racing. Seven boats are expected to compete, and racing begins with a nine-race fleet racing series from Monday to Wednesday to determine the seeding for the match racing, which begins on Thursday.

DP Associates has launched You-Tack! Pro, The Racing Sailor’s Illustrated Guide, a Racing Rules of Sailing application for Apple iPhones, iPods and iPads.

Features include the ISAF Rules and Definitions (Parts 1 through 7 with the appendices A through D) with colorful clear illustrations, explanations and hyperlinked citations that make the rules easy to understand; 42 quizzes covering The Start, Sailing Upwind, The Upwind Mark, Sailing Downwind, The Downwind Mark, The Finish and Signals, which are explained in detail with brilliant graphics, including images of all the international signal flags.

McLaughlin Boat Works has named Dinghy Locker @ Landfall in Stamford, CT as its newest distributor for Southwestern Connecticut and New York’s Hudson Valley. Located in Hixson, TN, McLaughlin has been building boats for more than 50 years and is the only American Optimist builder. Dinghy Locker will stock both the Club Racer, proven as the choice of clubs and program directors and the Pro Racer for the serious competitor. Long recognized as a leader in offshore outfitting, Landfall expanded into performance and youth sailing two years ago with the launch of Dinghy Locker. “Dinghy Locker has established itself as one of the most comprehensive sources for small boat sailors and we are proud to partner with them as we work to promote junior sailing,” said Steve Sherman, President of McLaughlin Boat Works. Dinghy Locker’s Mobile Support Center will be at more than 40 regattas, US SAILING Championships and other events including the USODA New England, Atlantic Coast and Mid-Winter Championships and the Orange Bowl International Youth Regatta. For more information about McLaughlin Optimists, visit iod95.com. Dinghy Locker @ Landfall is online at landfallnavigation. com/dinghysailing.html.