41 replies to this topic

[emf]

Just my luck for the bottom to fall out from under the WORLDWIDE economy just as we’re trying to put on a regatta! But let me assure you: Eastport Yacht Club will make sure that the 2009 Melges 24 World Championship is one kickass event!! We’ve been planning this regatta for THREE YEARS and we're looking forward to seeing all of you!

As of today, we have 41 teams representing nine countries. See the entry list here www.melges24worlds2009.com/entries.asp . Make sure you’re registered today!

The depth of this fleet is breath-taking, the racing will be intense and the social schedule is packed! And I want you to know – your entry fee covers everything! No hidden fees, no extra charge for drink tickets, no extra charge for food – all the social events are included with your registration…

We know there will be a mountain of coverage of the event, and OTW Anarchy will certainly be the most complete as always. We appreciate the support they’ve shown us thus far and are grateful that they have been important partners with us!!

Let me know if you have any questions, or if we can help you with charters or housing or a ride from the airport! We have 100+ volunteers working hard to ensure that you have a great time!!

See you in October –

Liz Filter
Event Chair

[MR.CLEAN]

I love that your initials are EMF, dear Liz. And thanks for posting. Now getemout!

[Savage 17]

WOW!!! I guess the economy is really taking its toll. Key West Race week usually has more then 41 boats. This is a world championship.... The NA's last year had 50 boats.

[JItillIdie]

make that 42. registration deadline is still 4wks away, plenty of time to get the numbers up. recession be damned.

i'm beyond amped for this event. i'm going to go out on a small limb and say uka uka has got to be the boat to beat.

[MR.CLEAN]

WOW!!! I guess the economy is really taking its toll. Key West Race week usually has more then 41 boats. This is a world championship.... The NA's last year had 50 boats.

KW 2009: 33 boats
CRW 2009: 31 boats
Annapolis NAs 2008: 48 boats
Nationals 2009 (SF): 22 boats

2008 Worlds Porto Cervo: 117 boats
2007 Worlds Santa Cruz: 62 boats

[bgulari]

I have heard there is 5ft of water at the docks at high tide, a channel that is 26 ft wide with 3 ft of water on either side. I am a little worried about getting a boat in and out of the club and leaving it in the water

[bshores]

I have heard there is 5ft of water at the docks at high tide, a channel that is 26 ft wide with 3 ft of water on either side. I am a little worried about getting a boat in and out of the club and leaving it in the water

That is correct, not sure how they came to the conclusion to use Annapolis Sailing School as the location. This is the same place they dock their Rainbows that only draw 3-4 ft max. Surely this would have been something to think about with 50+ melges 24's. Good luck boys.

[bgulari]

Anybody else see a major issue here?

[MR.CLEAN]

Can you post the chart Bora?

[usasail]

Clean Don't forget 2009 St. Pete NOOD with 45 entries.

[emf]

I have heard there is 5ft of water at the docks at high tide, a channel that is 26 ft wide with 3 ft of water on either side. I am a little worried about getting a boat in and out of the club and leaving it in the water

We take every concern very seriously...we didn't just take the Sailing School's word for it...we took physical soundings, we will be marking the channel with our own buoys and they will be doing one last dredging before the regatta just to make sure there are no surprises. I assure you i don't want any boats bouncing along the bottom, especially my own! (#721)

Liz Filter

[MR.CLEAN]

Clean Don't forget 2009 St. Pete NOOD with 45 entries.

I think I blocked that one out. Do you remember the breeze? Ugh. And there were 16 in Newport this year, well up from last year. And 6-8 regularly racing in Charleston. The fleet is not dead by any means, but it's taken a lot of work from a lot of people to keep the ones that are growing...growing.

I'll be slightly surprised but very happy to see 60 in Annapolis. I think there are a lot of reasons that 90 isn't in the cards, and it's a damned shame. Still, despite a lot of missteps from the USMCA over the past couple of years, every competitor is lucky to have emf running the regatta. She's quite the cool chick and uber-competent at everything. And she's one of us.

[GybeSet®]

that sounds great but she is on post #7 and hasn't bared her bosom on SA yet

pics or it all ain't true

[JItillIdie]

Clean Don't forget 2009 St. Pete NOOD with 45 entries.

I think I blocked that one out. Do you remember the breeze? Ugh.

there was decent breeze on sat, enough to get in 4 races, lest we forget.

[MR.CLEAN]

you'll never forget that one!

[JItillIdie]

Clean Don't forget 2009 St. Pete NOOD with 45 entries.

I'll be slightly surprised but very happy to see 60 in Annapolis. I think there are a lot of reasons that 90 isn't in the cards, and it's a damned shame. Still, despite a lot of missteps from the USMCA over the past couple of years, every competitor is lucky to have emf running the regatta. She's quite the cool chick and uber-competent at everything. And she's one of us.

and even if we don't get 90, the cream (no pun intended) will still be there (less ullman). racing in annapolis at the end of oct sucks but will surely be outweighed by the uber-talent in attendance. it can't get here soon enough.

you'll never forget that one!

ha, you never forget the first time...

[Deep Temerity]

Get your warm clothes out kids....when we traveled to NA's last October we drove through a blinding snowstorm in PA! Left the dock one morning and it was 34 F! Who cares....it's racing!! Can't wait to get there.

[emf]

Last day before 30% entry fee kicks in…register today! For your entry fee you will get:

10/24 North Sails tuning Clinic; Team Barbarians Party

10/25 Opening Ceremony and Dinner

10/26 Jrs and Heroes Party/Cookout

10/28 Pussers party at the Marriott

10/30 EYC party at the club

10/31 Halloween Howl Final Awards and Barbeque

And for those still standing: 11/1 Hangover Hangout at Cat's house

RECESSION?? WHAT RECESSION!!?!
Free rum, free beer, free coffee, free skin cancer screenings, free mini-massages, free chili and...

Eight days of World Championship racing!!!

[emf]

We're up to 52!
Are you signed up?
World Champion ... It Could Be You!!

[Jambalaya]

Congratulations to all who've worked towards this - that's a pretty decent entry in the economic climate (its global issue but the US is definitely hurting more than elsewhere). Personally I think the Europeans were used by many teams as their major regatta of the year as it would have been a much cheaper option than coming to Annapolis.

[emf]

We are in the homestretch now – final preparations for the 2009 Sheehy Lexus of Annapolis Melges24 World Championship are being made. We have two major announcements we wish to share with you!

First, we welcome aboard our new title sponsor – Sheehy Lexus of Annapolis. We are grateful for their support and know that even in this economy the strong companies recognize the importance of marketing and the benefits of sponsorship. They are a world class company who recognize the same in the Melges24 fleet. Please check out their amazing cars and hybrids when you arrive at the Regatta Venue.

And speaking of Regatta Venues, it is our extreme pleasure to announce that the Regatta Center will now be located right in the middle of downtown Annapolis at City Dock. THIS IS GOING TO BE EPIC!

Of course this makes for a very exciting backdrop to this event – to be right downtown in the middle of all the action will create a thrilling regatta experience for all!

We know that this seems to be a late decision, but when the City of Annapolis invited us to move our venue, we jumped at the chance. It's more than just pretty scenery down there. City Dock gives us the space, the water and a very protected harbor. There is easy access to the fuel docks, to showers and to all the amenities of the city including its shops, restaurants and pubs.

More details will be posted, but for now know that boats will be rafted in Ego Alley, coach boats will be welcome at the National Sailing Hall of Fame just steps away and the Regatta Tent will be on the waterfront Campbell Park. Please note: registration, measurement and launching will still occur at Annapolis Sailing School. They have the space we need to make the process move smoothly. Once you have completed measurement however, you are welcome to move to Ego Alley.

Every move we have made, every decision we have taken has always been with the thought "what is best for the racers?" As sailors ourselves, we are confident that we are delivering the professional and world-class event that you deserve!!

As always, if there are any questions or concerns, please contact me!

Best Regards,

Liz Filter
emfilter@verizon.net

[MR.CLEAN]

Federico Michetti, two-time M24 World Champ, talks about the depth of talent at the upcoming 2009 Worlds. Very impressive and a good friend.

[PhotoLab]

Breeze up this past weekend at the Sail 22 Tune Up Regatta. Looking at the sensors when I got home had gusts at 28-30kts. Good times.

-DP
www.spinsheet.com

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[MR.CLEAN]

Good shit, DP. Let's have a drink in Annapolis.

From today's front page, without all the hyperlinks. Go there for the links. Goin' to sleep now.

Countdown

This is a stressful week at the Clean house, and not because Mer's losing her shit doing our taxes right now. No, we are working ourselves to the bone to get everything in place for the most comprehensive coverage On-The-Water Anarchy has ever done. We're talking, of course, about the 2009 Melges 24 World Championship in Annapolis, MD. Running for six full days of racing from the 26th through the 1st with practice races starting in less than a week, this is the gold standard for small boat racing, and it's hard to not get excited knowing what kind of drama and action is in store for us in just a few days.

Our readers know many of these sailors; you've seen many of them on this very page for years. You've watched their interviews, cheered their victories, and suffered with them through their defeats. Many of you know their stories and have followed their careers, and many of you sail with or against them at your own clubs. Erik "mini-hippie" Shampain, made famous here for his epic giant-killing rides aboard his Hobie 33, has fought long and hard to get Alan Field's WTF ready for this big event. Bora Gulari, fresh off his Moth World Championship win, has put together a rock star crew - including two smokin' champion sailor chicks - for Simon Strauss's Simplicity. SCOTW Kristin Lane and Peter Lane's two boat Brick House program includes guys like Mark Strube, Mark Ivey, Jonathan Goldsberry, Matt Noble, Charlie McKee, and Brian Hutchinson - Anarchists through and through and incredible sailors to boot. The awesome Barbarians are back, with Jamie Lea at the helm to get some redemption for a tough M32 Worlds that so many of you followed. Brian Porter's Full Throttle will have Harry Melges aboard, Chris Larson has Richard Clarke, Mike Wolfs, and Curtis Florence, Bill Hardesty's got Vince Brun telling him where to go, and top sailors from Norway, Italy, Ukraine, Holland, Germany, and of course, Italy, abound. Even the amateurs are rock stars here - it takes a serious commitment from all over the world to roll into Annapolis at the end of October and take on the world's best sportboat sailors in a tough venue with wildly unpredictable conditions.

The racing itself will be frenetic. While the overall registration numbers are a big disappointment to even the biggest of cheerleaders, the quality of the fleet is not; while the Italians are phenomenally fast, two-time and current World Champion Federico Michetti told us just the other day that the average racer in this fleet is much faster than the average team it Italy. "Here it will be tough to even be in the top 15 if you are not doing everything perfect." In fact, the only defeat that his Uka Uka Racing has suffered in the past year was here - at the hands of someone we all know well, Terry Hutchinson's Quantum Racing. Terry is no doubt looking for redemption after being so thoroughly trounced by ETNZ in the MedCup - a year ago at this time Terry couldn't put a foot wrong, but things have changed. Will Terry's lack of time in the boat negate his perenially strong starts and local knowledge advantage? Only time and tide will tell. But it's not a two-boat race; not by a longshot. Franco Rossini's Blu Moon has finished second-fiddle for far too long, he's so serious about winning this one that he's given up his spot in favor of an all-star cast of characters. 2006 World Champ Nicola Celon is back with Fantastica Racing, and he's tired of following around Rossini and Michetti. Riccardo Simoneschi has beaten most of them at Key West, and if the wind blows he will not. And possibly the biggest spoiler for the 2009 Worlds will be Gabrio Zandona at the helm of Joe Fly, who watched their World Championship hopes die on home waters in Sardinia last year when a turnbuckle shattered during the final day of racing.

Like I said; drama. And lots of it. And all with a backdrop that has improved substantially. Idiotic plans to host the event at the middle-of-nowhere Annapolis Sailing School have been binned; tireless Event Chair Liz Filter's last-ditch effort to bring the circus to the downtown City Docks - the location of the US Sailboat Show - was successful, and now the regatta will be in the thick of it all. Surrounded by bars, restaurants, and more bars, the open-to-the-public festivities and dock-in/dock-out are being broadcast to the locals by a media team that includes celebrated Washinton Post sailing writer Angus Phillips. Filter's team has planned boisterous parties almost every night, while the world's assembled media bang away with an ultra-high speed connection to ensure that everyone can see the day's images and videos without delay. And we're on a mission to bring it all to you like no one has ever done before.

Thanks to Justin.TV, brand new OTWA sponsors Velocitek, Charleston Harbor Access, and the book Saving Sailing as well as long time supporters Eastport Yachts, Point Loma Outfitting and Latis Yachting Solutions, our team will produce the most ambitious coverage we've ever attempted. We're bringing you live, streaming coverage from every minute of racing on the Chesapeake Bay that can be paused when your boss walks in the office and restarted later. We'll mix in dozens of interviews with everyone we can find, from sailor chicks to Olympic gold medalists to average Joes, while superstar cameraman Petey Crawford and his crew will create narrated HD highlight reels in HD from each day's racing for SA's front page. Mer's photo slideshows will give you gorgeous new wallpaper each day, and those who watch religously will get the chance to win new Velocitek Speedpucks, great gear from Point Loma Outfitting and Latis, limited edition SA swag, and free copies of Saving Sailing - one of the most important books ever printed for the future of our sport. Add in great discounts available from all our sponsors (if you know specific coupon codes during the event), and even an off-the-hook SA party for participants and Annapolis locals at a time and place to be determined. And for those of you sick of hearing my voice and looking at my ugly face, we've enlisted army vet, TP52 sailor, and Quantum "Live The Dream" contest winner Katie Burns as our on-the-screen co-commentator. And I dare you to call this badass blonde ugly.

4 years of development, of painful and expensive trial-and-error, of proving people who say "no one will watch sailing" very wrong, and here we are. The class we know most; the one filled with more Anarchists than any other; the most exciting keelboat racing we know - and you get to see it all.

Enjoy the ride.

[M24_Brinksmanship]

Here we GO!!!!!

1st day of Registration, Weight-in & Measurement!!!!! Boats are stacking up at Annapolis Sailing School!

I dropped mine off last night ....

[1sailor]

according to the entrant list, (as of today) some dude named Lawrence Hunt is listed as "owner" of 6 different entered boats. Dude's gonna be busy next week.

[Glitter In The Eye]

Here we GO!!!!!

1st day of Registration, Weight-in & Measurement!!!!! Boats are stacking up at Annapolis Sailing School!

I dropped mine off last night ....

are they launching boats from there? that little channel aint so deep....was teaching there back in 86.

[M24_Brinksmanship]

Here we GO!!!!!

1st day of Registration, Weight-in & Measurement!!!!! Boats are stacking up at Annapolis Sailing School!

I dropped mine off last night ....

are they launching boats from there? that little channel aint so deep....was teaching there back in 86.

Yeah! All seems to be fine right there ... the hoist ( a fork lift ) bounces them a round a little in the air but up & down in & out ... works.

Next step - all boats will end up at city dock ... fenders & no boat bottom swimming (per harbormaster) so we gotta move the boats out past ego alley to swim n scrub. Real fun!

[M24_Brinksmanship]

according to the entrant list, (as of today) some dude named Lawrence Hunt is listed as "owner" of 6 different entered boats. Dude's gonna be busy next week.

Yeah talk about having your ow regatta !

[Essex]

Max Skelley doing tactics for Pod eh.....?

[katie burns]

I totally threw up all over the bay today ... (thanks Simplicity and happy birthday Bora ... )

Good luck racers, I promise not to spew all over your course this week , as long as Simplicity promises not to throw anymore banging parties.

[katie burns]

English muffins don't make good french toast. My bad.

It's a really nice day today. FINALLY.

[MR.CLEAN]

Event Chairman Liz Filter (anarchist EMF) explains how this Worlds came together.

[MR.CLEAN]

Don't forget that the online HQ for all the live broadcasting is right here on OTW TV: http://www.sailinganarchy.com/otwa/

We will be broadcasting the competitor's briefing and opening ceremony starting at 6:00 PM EST Tonight!

[MR.CLEAN]

Latest news from the event staff:

The opening day of the Pre-Worlds regatta at the Sheehy Lexus of Annapolis 2009 Melges 24 World Championship brought some very mixed conditions with variable wind and a fair bit of rain to test the competitors to the full out on Chesapeake Bay. After two races it’s an all Italian top three with Nicola Celon, the 2006 Melges 24 World Champion, leading this warm up series with Lorenzo Bressani sailing Uka Uka Racing second and Flavio Favini aboard Blu Moon third. America’s Bill Hardesty sailing Vince Brun’s Event’s Clothing/Atlantis lies in fourth place just ahead of Bruce Ayres and his Corinthian crew aboard Monsoon. For all the news from the race course today please check out the IMCA Blog sponsored by Tacktick and supported by Verizon Wireless. Full results are available on the Event Web Site.

Tomorrow the Pre-Worlds concludes with two more races planned and Championship racing gets underway on Monday.


Photo of Kristen Lane (former SCOTW) wiping out is Pierrick Contin's. Watch some of the Brick House crew doing keg stands and playing flip cup tomorrow.

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[MR.CLEAN]

Bill Carleton's Tiburon crashed into a floating tree when under tow at 16 knots. Gave the keel a hell of a whack but they seem able to race. Bummer.

Sara's getting her pics up, great shooting chick and former OTWA shooter.

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[MR.CLEAN]

If you haven't seen yet, welcoming ceremony is live right now at http://www.sailinganarchy.com/otwa/

[SailDry]

WOW
Monday: Variable winds less than 5 kt becoming ENE 5 to 8 kt in the morning. Sunny. Waves 1 ft or less.

Monday Night: E wind around 6 kt becoming variable and less than 5 kt in the evening. Partly cloudy. Waves 1 ft or less.

Tuesday: Variable winds less than 5 kt becoming ENE 5 to 7 kt in the morning. A chance of rain, mainly after noon. Waves 1 ft or less.

Tuesday Night: E wind 5 to 7 kt. Rain likely. Waves 1 ft or less.

Wednesday: E wind 5 to 7 kt becoming S in the afternoon. Rain likely. Waves 1 ft or less.

Wednesday Night: Variable winds 5 kt or less. A chance of rain before midnight. Waves 1 ft or less.

Thursday: Variable winds less than 5 kt becoming N around 6 kt. Mostly sunny. Waves 1 ft or less.

Thursday Night: Variable winds 5 kt or less. Partly cloudy. Waves 1 ft or less.


This makes Houston look heavenly.

[MR.CLEAN]

Well, at least if there's no breeze it ain't gonna freeze.

[billy backstay]

Anybody know which boat Tim Hotchkiss is on? Missed him at frostbite yesterday.

[Carbon]

Not that I want to watch M24s in light air but is there any online tracking of this event?

[doghouse]

I totally threw up all over the bay today ...

Damn woman, do you ever NOT throw up in the bay!?!