News O'Day Trophy

PMagnani

36474
The O'Day trophy will NOT be sailed in Sunfish in the West, Area J, to be held in Santa Barbara. I was told they will be using Lasers in this region due to a lack of Sunfish. They are under the impression that the winner of the O'day Championship in Sayville will be invited to try out for the Olympic Laser team? I'm not sure about the latter but it should be important to the class to use the Sunfish in this region, if nothing else, to build awareness and participation in the West. My question, is there anything the class can do about it?!
 
They did the same thing back in the late 80's with the Smythe Championships. The Quarter and Semi finals were sailed in lasers and the finals Sunfish. The same reasoning was used not enough race-able sunfish on Lake Erie.
 
The class of boat used at each level is determined by the host club. So usually it is the boat that can be rounded up to have enough charter boats to host a semi-final.

Clinton Edwards
 
Where and when will the 'semi-finals' in the other regions be held? Right now I can only find info about the finals, but I doubt I will qualify for those.....
 
I think the issue of charters is not the concern but simply having any Sunfish at all. The rules allow for use of your own boat in the pre-qualifying...but there are apparently only three Sunfish in the West.....an eggageration..but not far off! I can't wait to maybe qualify for the Worlds at the next West Regional! With only 3 boats....I like my chances!
 
but there are apparently only three Sunfish in the West.....an eggageration..but not far off! I can't wait to maybe qualify for the Worlds at the next West Regional!

Actually, if you go to the sunfish_sailor list on Yahoo! Groups, you'll find there's a presence in San Diego in addition to the people involved with our Regional Representative, Jennie McCarthy, in Santa Barbara.

More likely, the US Sailing involved people in CA just don't know any of the Sunfish people and want to get their ladder events set. In the Chicago area for YEARS when the Laser was the junior championship boat, we sailed off in Sunfish because there were Sunfish everywhere. It just goes back and forth.

If someone in CA wants to put forth the effort and help round up enough close-to-evenly-rigged Sunfish, I'm sure by contacting the US Sailing office that arrangements could be coordinated for the sail offs in CA to be held in Sunfish. All it takes is volunteers with time ...

I'd sure love to see it happen!:D
 
Oh yeah, and "charters ..." We simply used to do loaner boats. If the borrower broke something, they bought the replacement and/or fixed it. If nothing broke, the usual was some kind of nice gift as a thank you. Where this love of huge amounts of cash changing hands for 1-1/2 days of sailboat racing in a Sunfish came from, I'm never going to understand! If it wasn't for someone loaning me a boat when I was a junior I'd never have had the chance to try a 'Fish. And, I still regularly loan my boats and plan to do so as long as I own one. How else do we get new people into the Class???:confused:
 

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