US Etchells Class Announces Atlantis WeatherGear As Official Apparel Partner
July 30, 2007 (MARBLEHEAD, Mass.) – Atlantis WeatherGear has been named today as the official apparel provider to the US Etchells Class. As such, Atlantis will provide embroidered logo jackets to the winners of key sanctioned US events. In addition, Atlantis will make logo sailing gear available to class members and will contribute 10% of all proceeds to the class for use in fleet development initiatives.
“I’ve been involved with the class since nearly its inception,” offers Bill Lynn, Atlantis CMO. “My parents sailed Etchells when I was growing up, and I followed in their footsteps. To me, this Class represents the best in one-design sailing, and I’m thrilled that the US has selected Atlantis as a partner. It’s a marriage of two great brands.”
The Atlantis design team collaborated with some of the world’s most accomplished sailors to build a coastal sailing product-line that blends the latest fabric technology with construction techniques integrated around Atlantis WeatherGear’s Advanced Layering System. The result is innovative, high-quality performance apparel that will keep sailors dry and comfortable in any weather - with profiles and colors that add an element of style.
New 2007 products include the Aegis, a coastal jacket made with Atlantis’ waterproof/breathable 3-layer Typhoon Fabric with a clear “watch window” on the wrist and high visibility stow-away hood. The Microburst Collection is a series of lightweight waterproof jackets in both men’s and women’s styles - perfect for when you want to avoid carrying a lot of extra weight. The Grand Prix Collection is an incredibly versatile, mid/outer layer series of jackets and vests made from Atlantis’ Rampage Soft Shell Fabric, combining breathe-ability and protection from wind and spray. Atlantis also offers a range of waterproof/breathable salopettes and spray tops.
“We’re looking forward to working with Atlantis to deliver great gear and great prizes to Etchells sailors in the US,” says Greg Hefler, US Etchells Class Co-Chairman, of the new partnership. “We were looking for a US-based brand that would offer our members great-looking gear that they can wear both on the boat and on shore. Atlantis delivers across the board, and we think our members will love the new gear.”
Monday, July 30, 2007
Friday, July 20, 2007
The Atlantis WeatherGirls Nautical Adventure on Martha’s Vineyard
The EYC Regatta July 12th -14th
Day 1 - Thursday
We started the first day off right with a little Espresso Love, a tourist and locals alike, beloved café. It is tucked behind the bustling Edgartown Main Street. We were caffeinated and ready to start the day. We began our infiltration by hanging up our wanted, found and lost flyers on telephone poles throughout Edgartown. We had heard of the ghosts and haunted houses of Edgartown; old widows still awaiting their husbands arrival from sea, men murdered in desperate times during the harsh winters. We enjoyed the stories with little thought and no accreditations until this day. If ever we have had a run in with a ghost is was on Main Street in Edgartown in broad daylight when after stapling about 8 flyers up, and having them vanish. We had entered a bank for a quick deposit and within the mere 2 and a half minutes it took all 8 signs between about 3 blocks had disappeared with no culprit in sight. We wearily continued to posts the flyers.
The heat was unbearable and after a stop for a soda and conversation with some
vacationers about Atlantis we were geared up to go down to the harbor and meet some sailors.The docks were full of beautiful boats from all over the eastern seaboard. People were very friendly and really enjoyed our enthusiasm for Atlantis. They received our gifts with glee and seemed to especially enjoy the koozies. After moseying the docks we spotted a gleaming bronzed back of a sailor. Capt. Kate was quick to assess the situation stating his desperate need of a shirt in the sun’s strong rays; lucky we had a whole bag full of Atlantis t-shirts. The man was extremely thankful after being given a t-shirt and the rest of the crew on the MadHatter was so jealous of his beautiful Atlantis shirt they all asked for a one of their own.
The first day of the regatta was over and the sailors had to prepare for the two remaining days, us likewise, headed back to Captain Kate’s family home to refuel and then off to the beach to bathe, we mean swim.
Day 2 - Friday
Waking up in the beautiful bedroom with white walls, white bedding, and white shutters made us a feel like we were in heaven. The bright sunlight streaming in the room made it easy to rise. We first headed to our favorite café, Espresso Love. We talked of our anticipation of the day and the night to follow which was the much hyped EYC Regatta Ball. Day two of the regatta begins.
We made a few stops into shops along Edgartown Main Street, following up on previous inquiries of advancing their Atlantis product line. We also talked to two other stores that sold various clothing and were happy to see great interest in incorporating Atlantis gear into their collections. It was a common occurrence that the store managers had received requests from customers asking, “Where can I find foul weather gear that is affordable and practical?” We can be your heroes baby.
We continued to walk around and hand out more swag. We found the young boys were especially fond of the bottle openers; they looked twenty-one we swear. We met a variety of people, some were dedicated sailors who already were Atlantis shoppers while others had never been on a boat other than the Martha’s Vineyard ferry. Coaches, sailors, tourist all alike defini
tely enjoyed the “free stuff” in addition to our pretty faces.En route back to our base camp, and when we say base camp we mean a beautiful vineyard home, we stopped and picked up some necessary accessories for the evening’s, Regatta Ball. We ordered out from Lattanzi’s Gourmet Pizza and then headed over to the EYC. Johnny Hoy and the Bluefish played as we danced the night away with the help of a few planter’s punches, an island favorite. The night came to a close; we headed home and dreamt of nautical adventures.
Day 3 -Saturday
Bar Promotion Day! This is one of our favorite parts of all of the Atlantis Weather Gear regatta trips that we go on. It gives us the opportunity to really show off all the gear that we’ve talked so much about during the week, answer any questions people may have, tie a few bowlines, and see all of the new friends we’ve made on the island. We definitely had people geared up to come to The Wharf in Edgartown to see the AWG display with our “Wheel of Free Stuff” and compete with their friends in some knot tying and sailing trivia. Here’s how it all went down:
Dawn came quickly…and by “dawn” we mean 11 am. What a grueling early morning wake-up. Very tough. We procured some delicious bagels and cream cheese and ate a quick breakfast.
The rest of the day consisted of us stalking the docks down by the Edgartown Yacht Club. We were approached by a few sailors who were upset that they hadn’t gotten any of the free Atlantis swag they’d seen others get during the week. We quickly pacified them with a few koozies, croakies, and bottle openers, and they promised to come to The Wharf later that night with all of their buddies. Its funny how giving away free things makes a LOT of friends.
Kate then came up with the ingenious idea of going on a Nautical Adventure, deciding that it would be pretty cool to take the boat out for a little while with some of the coveted AWG swag and see if we could find some friends out on the water. Sure enough, we found them. Lots of them. And they were all more than happy to keep their beers and other beverages nice and cool and stock their boats with a koozie or two…..or five.
We then headed back to the Bunker (a.k.a. Kate’s house) and geared up for the night. We counted t-shirts, hats, and all of the swag and then loaded everything into the car. Her Royal Highness Kate (that’s her new favorite title for the week) really cracked the whip and we completed the task of getting everything ready in time to go grab a bite to eat. We brought our food back to the house, ate, then hopped in the car and headed to the Wharf.
Aided by a particularly enthusiastic and helpful Atlantis fan, we found a unique way of displaying the jackets on a rope tied on to and woven around various objects on the bar’s wall/ceiling. Immediately, everyone inside began asking about all of the jackets. “Whoa, are those for sale?” “I want one now.” “No, seriously, how much do you want for it?” “That’s one is awesome- I want it too!” After wrestling a couple people away from the jacket samples and sending them to the website to get their own, we talked to the others and told them to bring back a friend to challenge in a knot tying contest.
The contests were a huge success. All ages (well…21 and up, anyway) got into the mood and raced to win a spin on the AWG Wheel. Everyone who came out learned a few new knots and one at least one item in the AWG swag arsenal. What everyone was really going for was a shot at either the super popular Atlantis Regatta Tour T-Shirt or the Grand Prix Softshell Vest. The night at The Wharf flew by, and although the mix of music being played by the DJ in the bar was quite baffling at times, everyone had a ton of fun getting “knotty” and discovering Atlantis Weather Gear- the gear that everyone on Martha’s Vineyard (and especially patrons of The Wharf) know is the very best.
This is the Atlantis WeatherGirls, signing off. We’ll see you during Marblehead Race Week.
Happy Sailing!
Thursday, July 5, 2007
The Atlantis WeatherGirls Do Block Island
Day 1 - Monday
After packing up the car in the wee hours of the morning, we headed for the coast to catch the Ferry. After many stops for coffee, we arrived at the Block Island Ferry on Point Judith.
On the forty-five minute ferry ride, we mingled with all sorts of people and exchanged some great sailing stories. After quickly learning about Claire’s (a member of the Northeastern University sailing team) excitement about arriving on Block for the first time, we were thrilled to know we weren’t the only newcomers to the island. Of course, being the opportunists we are, we took the trip as our first opportunity to hand out some swag and talk up Atlantis.
Once ashore, we made our way to our hotel, The New Shoreham Inn, to drop our bags, explore the island and, perhaps most importantly, find something to eat. After downing some sandwiches from Rebecca’s Take-out, we donned our Atlantis gear and hit the streets, or in the case of Block Island, the street.
In search of Nick’s Bar, a popular spot on the island, Captain Kate (she makes us call her that, the power has really gone to her head) got some directions from a man who seemed like a credible native. Thirty minutes later, with no bar in sight and a clearer understanding of the difference between a credible native and a drunk native, we turned around and finally found Nick’s.
After a brief meeting we head down to the beach to meet some people and grab a beer. But it wasn’t til we arrived at Captain Nick’s that we really met some characters. Who knew Koozies are the best way to make new friends?
Day 2 - Tuesday
Today was our first full day on the island so, deciding to carpe diem, we woke up at the crack of eleven and began our day. We hopped in Betsy’s car and began our adventure by exploring the rest of the island. We made our way to the Salt Pond where the day’s racing would come to an end to scope out the area and plan the most efficient way of accosting, umm, approaching, unsuspecting sailors. Once we had mapped out the best plan of attack…er, approach… it was time to reward ourselves with breakfast (Czar Kate finally gave us permission to eat…and yeah, she changed her title to Czar for the day). After bagels at Ye Old Post Office (we have no idea why it’s called that either), we drove past New Harbor and around the rest of the island. Around every corner there was one spectacular view after another and, being as obnoxious as possible, we stopped about every quarter mile to take pictures and piss off the people behind us.
About fifteen minutes later (apparently, the island is really small), we were back where we
started and decided to hit up a local restaurant to watch the boats and mingle. Our first big find was running into two women we met earlier telling us they had been to the website and loved all the stuff (Whoo! Go us!). Then we went over to one of the many bars that line the waterfront for a quick drink and to meet some fellow beer lovers. At the bar, Sarah, the bartender and one of the nicest people we have met so far, which says a lot because everyone here seems to be taking happy pills, informed us that not only was she going to join us on Thursday night at the Yellow Kittens, but she was going to bring the entire staff.
Day 3 - Wednesday
Wednesday morning arrived quickly. Today was our first Bundle Launch and the suspense was almost killing us.
We woke up, showered, got our Atlantis gear on and headed for the door. OH NO!!!!! IT’S POURING RAIN!!!!!!! We regrouped inside to figure out how we were going to hide all the T-shirts without getting them soaking wet. After a solid hour of deliberation, we traveled out into the monsoon (or so it felt like at the time). We stealthily hid 25 bundles around town that morning, scrounging for any bit of the island that hadn’t been soaked by rain. Trying to find a place that was dry yet relatively easy to find seemed oxymoronic.
After our morning escapades we traveled down to the docks for a little afternoon hiding. We stashed another 30 bundles around the docks. We even got the chance to speak with some of the sailors while we were down there. Sporting our Atlantis gear, we got to make a lot of new friends and show off our gear all at the same time. Even against the odds of Mother Nature, Atlantis was able to get out in the pouring rain and show its capabilities as THE foul weather brand.
Day 4 – Thursday
The Big Day had finally arrived and we were amped. After 3 days of getting the word out about the Atlantis brand of superior Weather Gear, we were excited to see how many people would show up at McGovern’s Yellow Kittens Tavern (or “The Kittens,” as the cool locals would say). After eating at our go-to, Rebecca’s Take-Out, for the millionth time that week, we loaded up our car, “the Beast,” with tons of bundles to hide around the island.
The day had cleared up nicely from the rainy and windy Wednesday, and the island looked just as gorgeous as ever as we made the quick drive from Old to New Harbor. As we walked to the dock, our presence did not go unnoticed - we were mercilessly followed by our faithful Atlantis Weather Gear fans and others looking for the famous hidden AWG bundles. Our new friends really put on the pressure and were not at all shy about getting their AWG belts, hats, and T’s… and, sure enough, just as soon as they were hidden, our “loot” was found by eager bystanders/stalkers.
When all the bundles were hidden, we headed to our favorite New Harbor watering hole and eatery, the Oar, where we handed out plenty more koozies, croakies, and key chains.
Oh, we also went to the beach for a grand total of 2.5 seconds before we made a hasty exit as a result of the near-fatal mix of heavy winds and dry sand.
We then returned to our room to take the usual power nap and get ready for the huge AWG night at “The Kittens.” Loading up the Beast once again with everything we could possibly need for the night, we headed to the bar to get set up. Finished, we went across the street for dinner at Sharkey’s where we had a wonderful meal, a few beverages, and made funny faces at the 3 children sitting at the table next to us. We also made our server and everyone else in the restaurant promise to come to Kittens and check out the Atlantis Gear we had set up.
Before we knew it, 9 PM was upon us, and we had no sooner set everything up when the place was packed with all of our new Block Island friends and everyone who had heard about the force that is Atlantis Weather Gear. The rest of the night flew by. Everyone in the bar made a visit to the AWG table to check out the gear and challenge their friends to a bowline-tying contest or sailing trivia to win a spin on the “Wheel of Cool Gear”. A few hot-shots showed us some cool knots they knew, and as the reggae beat pumped through the bar people got really competitive!
Everyone was excited to see the reemergence of Atlantis, their favorite weather gear company or to discover it for the first time. Overall, it was a grand night that we are sure will go down in the annals of Block Island history.
After packing up the car in the wee hours of the morning, we headed for the coast to catch the Ferry. After many stops for coffee, we arrived at the Block Island Ferry on Point Judith.On the forty-five minute ferry ride, we mingled with all sorts of people and exchanged some great sailing stories. After quickly learning about Claire’s (a member of the Northeastern University sailing team) excitement about arriving on Block for the first time, we were thrilled to know we weren’t the only newcomers to the island. Of course, being the opportunists we are, we took the trip as our first opportunity to hand out some swag and talk up Atlantis.
Once ashore, we made our way to our hotel, The New Shoreham Inn, to drop our bags, explore the island and, perhaps most importantly, find something to eat. After downing some sandwiches from Rebecca’s Take-out, we donned our Atlantis gear and hit the streets, or in the case of Block Island, the street.
In search of Nick’s Bar, a popular spot on the island, Captain Kate (she makes us call her that, the power has really gone to her head) got some directions from a man who seemed like a credible native. Thirty minutes later, with no bar in sight and a clearer understanding of the difference between a credible native and a drunk native, we turned around and finally found Nick’s.
After a brief meeting we head down to the beach to meet some people and grab a beer. But it wasn’t til we arrived at Captain Nick’s that we really met some characters. Who knew Koozies are the best way to make new friends?
Day 2 - Tuesday
Today was our first full day on the island so, deciding to carpe diem, we woke up at the crack of eleven and began our day. We hopped in Betsy’s car and began our adventure by exploring the rest of the island. We made our way to the Salt Pond where the day’s racing would come to an end to scope out the area and plan the most efficient way of accosting, umm, approaching, unsuspecting sailors. Once we had mapped out the best plan of attack…er, approach… it was time to reward ourselves with breakfast (Czar Kate finally gave us permission to eat…and yeah, she changed her title to Czar for the day). After bagels at Ye Old Post Office (we have no idea why it’s called that either), we drove past New Harbor and around the rest of the island. Around every corner there was one spectacular view after another and, being as obnoxious as possible, we stopped about every quarter mile to take pictures and piss off the people behind us.About fifteen minutes later (apparently, the island is really small), we were back where we
started and decided to hit up a local restaurant to watch the boats and mingle. Our first big find was running into two women we met earlier telling us they had been to the website and loved all the stuff (Whoo! Go us!). Then we went over to one of the many bars that line the waterfront for a quick drink and to meet some fellow beer lovers. At the bar, Sarah, the bartender and one of the nicest people we have met so far, which says a lot because everyone here seems to be taking happy pills, informed us that not only was she going to join us on Thursday night at the Yellow Kittens, but she was going to bring the entire staff.Day 3 - Wednesday
Wednesday morning arrived quickly. Today was our first Bundle Launch and the suspense was almost killing us.
We woke up, showered, got our Atlantis gear on and headed for the door. OH NO!!!!! IT’S POURING RAIN!!!!!!! We regrouped inside to figure out how we were going to hide all the T-shirts without getting them soaking wet. After a solid hour of deliberation, we traveled out into the monsoon (or so it felt like at the time). We stealthily hid 25 bundles around town that morning, scrounging for any bit of the island that hadn’t been soaked by rain. Trying to find a place that was dry yet relatively easy to find seemed oxymoronic.
After our morning escapades we traveled down to the docks for a little afternoon hiding. We stashed another 30 bundles around the docks. We even got the chance to speak with some of the sailors while we were down there. Sporting our Atlantis gear, we got to make a lot of new friends and show off our gear all at the same time. Even against the odds of Mother Nature, Atlantis was able to get out in the pouring rain and show its capabilities as THE foul weather brand.
Day 4 – Thursday
The Big Day had finally arrived and we were amped. After 3 days of getting the word out about the Atlantis brand of superior Weather Gear, we were excited to see how many people would show up at McGovern’s Yellow Kittens Tavern (or “The Kittens,” as the cool locals would say). After eating at our go-to, Rebecca’s Take-Out, for the millionth time that week, we loaded up our car, “the Beast,” with tons of bundles to hide around the island.
The day had cleared up nicely from the rainy and windy Wednesday, and the island looked just as gorgeous as ever as we made the quick drive from Old to New Harbor. As we walked to the dock, our presence did not go unnoticed - we were mercilessly followed by our faithful Atlantis Weather Gear fans and others looking for the famous hidden AWG bundles. Our new friends really put on the pressure and were not at all shy about getting their AWG belts, hats, and T’s… and, sure enough, just as soon as they were hidden, our “loot” was found by eager bystanders/stalkers.
When all the bundles were hidden, we headed to our favorite New Harbor watering hole and eatery, the Oar, where we handed out plenty more koozies, croakies, and key chains.Oh, we also went to the beach for a grand total of 2.5 seconds before we made a hasty exit as a result of the near-fatal mix of heavy winds and dry sand.
We then returned to our room to take the usual power nap and get ready for the huge AWG night at “The Kittens.” Loading up the Beast once again with everything we could possibly need for the night, we headed to the bar to get set up. Finished, we went across the street for dinner at Sharkey’s where we had a wonderful meal, a few beverages, and made funny faces at the 3 children sitting at the table next to us. We also made our server and everyone else in the restaurant promise to come to Kittens and check out the Atlantis Gear we had set up.
Before we knew it, 9 PM was upon us, and we had no sooner set everything up when the place was packed with all of our new Block Island friends and everyone who had heard about the force that is Atlantis Weather Gear. The rest of the night flew by. Everyone in the bar made a visit to the AWG table to check out the gear and challenge their friends to a bowline-tying contest or sailing trivia to win a spin on the “Wheel of Cool Gear”. A few hot-shots showed us some cool knots they knew, and as the reggae beat pumped through the bar people got really competitive!
Everyone was excited to see the reemergence of Atlantis, their favorite weather gear company or to discover it for the first time. Overall, it was a grand night that we are sure will go down in the annals of Block Island history.
Monday, July 2, 2007
Smackdown on the River
The Charles River Open is a team racing regatta of epic proportions. For the past 10 years, Sailing Master Fran Charles and an army of MIT waterfront folks and volunteers have run this event at the MIT Sailing Pavilion on the Charles River, and every year it gets bigger. With 42 teams this year, it's now the biggest team racing event on the planet.
20 years ago, I had the good fortune to sail in the Wilson Plate, an invitational team racing regatta in West Kirby, UK. At that time, it was a totally unique event - 32 3-boat teams sailing matched sets of Fireflys: 3 red boats with red sails, 3 green boats with green sails, 3 blue boats... well, you get the idea. Easy to figure out who's who and what's what. The West Kirby Sailing Club folks would run something like 250 races over two days with the crews jumping in and out of boats and high-tailing it to the start line as if their lives depended on it (which they did - if you were late getting out there, they weren't going to wait for you).
Back in those days, team racing was very popular in the UK, but it hadn't really caught on yet in the US. Now the US is the team racing capital of the world, and when kids graduate from college, they don't want to chase one-design world championships or Olympic medals - they want to go team racing. And it's pretty easy to do. You don't really need to own a boat - they're provided at quite a few of the events. All you really need to do is round up three skippers and three crews, join the USTRA, and start showing up at events like the Charles River Open.
The 42 teams in this year's event sailed FJs and 420s provided by MIT, Boston University and Community Boating. Could have been more teams, but a few had entered but not paid, so Franny capped it at 42. Sailors ranged in age from late teens to early 50s, and the racing was fast and tight. No umpires at this event - top-flight team racers can generally be counted on to self-police, and there was "three-minute justice" on the dock for those who felt compelled to seek a ruling. Wouldn't have been room for umpire boats on the river anyway - it was pretty much wall-to-wall with 54 dinghies on a "digital N" course.
After two days and 490 races (seriously, they ran 490 races in two days!), one team won and 41 other teams had an incredible time trying. I sailed as part of an "over the hill Tufts Jumbos" squad with some other really good sailors (we got our asses kicked, so they may not want to be identified), and if you looked around, you could see what gives this version of the sport the potential to be really magic: in addition to the 4-5 outstanding world-class teams such as WHishbone and Silver Panda, there was a team of college coaches sailing together (and doing pretty well), a couple of high-school teams with kids doing their first major team racing event, and family team (the Storcks from Long Island - mom and dad must have been pretty proud to see that) and a river-load more teams made up of just plain really good sailors.
In many ways, the surge in team racing popularity is breathing new life into a sport that seemed to be in decline. In the heyday of olympic sailing in this country, we were winning medals right and left, but there was a problem with the foundation of the sport: kids coming out of college were looking around and not seeing anything that they really wanted to jump into. Classes were either really expensive or just not that compelling, and younger sailors were sitting on the sidelines. Team racing seems to be changing that.
The downside is that you're not seeing the US on the podium as much at one-design world championships, and the US medal count has become something of a joke - particularly when compared to the 1984 and 1988 hauls. But at this year's Wilson Plate, the final was between two American teams (WHishbone and Silver Panda), and you could make the case that the US could probably field 5 of the top 10 teams in the world.
So when you read the results for the upcoming Combined World Championship in Cascais, Portugal, don't be discouraged. Team racing is where it's at, and right now, the US is the best in the world at it. And if you don't buy that, come down to the river next June and see for yourself.
20 years ago, I had the good fortune to sail in the Wilson Plate, an invitational team racing regatta in West Kirby, UK. At that time, it was a totally unique event - 32 3-boat teams sailing matched sets of Fireflys: 3 red boats with red sails, 3 green boats with green sails, 3 blue boats... well, you get the idea. Easy to figure out who's who and what's what. The West Kirby Sailing Club folks would run something like 250 races over two days with the crews jumping in and out of boats and high-tailing it to the start line as if their lives depended on it (which they did - if you were late getting out there, they weren't going to wait for you).
Back in those days, team racing was very popular in the UK, but it hadn't really caught on yet in the US. Now the US is the team racing capital of the world, and when kids graduate from college, they don't want to chase one-design world championships or Olympic medals - they want to go team racing. And it's pretty easy to do. You don't really need to own a boat - they're provided at quite a few of the events. All you really need to do is round up three skippers and three crews, join the USTRA, and start showing up at events like the Charles River Open.
The 42 teams in this year's event sailed FJs and 420s provided by MIT, Boston University and Community Boating. Could have been more teams, but a few had entered but not paid, so Franny capped it at 42. Sailors ranged in age from late teens to early 50s, and the racing was fast and tight. No umpires at this event - top-flight team racers can generally be counted on to self-police, and there was "three-minute justice" on the dock for those who felt compelled to seek a ruling. Wouldn't have been room for umpire boats on the river anyway - it was pretty much wall-to-wall with 54 dinghies on a "digital N" course.
After two days and 490 races (seriously, they ran 490 races in two days!), one team won and 41 other teams had an incredible time trying. I sailed as part of an "over the hill Tufts Jumbos" squad with some other really good sailors (we got our asses kicked, so they may not want to be identified), and if you looked around, you could see what gives this version of the sport the potential to be really magic: in addition to the 4-5 outstanding world-class teams such as WHishbone and Silver Panda, there was a team of college coaches sailing together (and doing pretty well), a couple of high-school teams with kids doing their first major team racing event, and family team (the Storcks from Long Island - mom and dad must have been pretty proud to see that) and a river-load more teams made up of just plain really good sailors.
In many ways, the surge in team racing popularity is breathing new life into a sport that seemed to be in decline. In the heyday of olympic sailing in this country, we were winning medals right and left, but there was a problem with the foundation of the sport: kids coming out of college were looking around and not seeing anything that they really wanted to jump into. Classes were either really expensive or just not that compelling, and younger sailors were sitting on the sidelines. Team racing seems to be changing that.
The downside is that you're not seeing the US on the podium as much at one-design world championships, and the US medal count has become something of a joke - particularly when compared to the 1984 and 1988 hauls. But at this year's Wilson Plate, the final was between two American teams (WHishbone and Silver Panda), and you could make the case that the US could probably field 5 of the top 10 teams in the world.
So when you read the results for the upcoming Combined World Championship in Cascais, Portugal, don't be discouraged. Team racing is where it's at, and right now, the US is the best in the world at it. And if you don't buy that, come down to the river next June and see for yourself.
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