New Zealand takes Squadron Cup at 2009 World Blind Sailing Championships; Californians learn plenty

Well, the 2009 World Blind Sailing Regatta at Lake Rotorua was simply fantastic. The week's racing concluded on Saturday, with extremely light winds on the race course.

At the closing ceremonies, although only the very best were awarded the gold, silver, and bronze medals, and the cherished Squadron Cup, each and every athlete left with great pride for having taken part.

Your team on California One competed proudly, and even managed a third and a couple of fourth place finishes at the end of the week (let's say we were on a somewhat vertical learning curve). Had there been awards for most spirited, and most improved, we would have carried them both away.

The Italian team took home the gold in B-1, the New Zealanders in B-2, and the British in B-3. The the final results for all teams in each of the three divisions can be found at http://www.blindsailing.org.

Thanks to each of you who have been supporters and followers! Please stick with us as the sailing season gets underway on San Francisco Bay. We'll be teaching a brand new group of visually impaired students over the next several months, and then start preparing for the 2009 U.S. Blind Sailing National Championships at Newport, Rhode Island in August.

I'll try to post from time to time, to share the joy we find in Sailing Blind.

Fair winds and following seas!

Al

ASpector@MarinSailingSchool.com

California One shows promise in 2009 World Blind Sailing Championships at Lake Rotorua, NZ

California One, the four member San Francisco-based blind sailing team currently competing at the 2009 World Blind Sailing Championships, has performed slightly better than expected as the highly touted regatta is in its final days at Lake Rotorua on New Zealand's north island.

In race 3 of yesterday's competition in the B-2 class, the Californians reached a new milestone by finishing third, coming in behind the British and the New Zealanders, but ahead of the Japanese and Canadian teams.

The racing concludes today, followed by closing ceremonies. The organizers, the volunteers, and the people of Rotorua have wholeheartedly embraced the athletes who have come from around the globe to compete- and to celebrate Blind Sailing.

More later.

Al

ASpector@MarinSailingSchool.com

2009 World Blind Sailing Championships get underway on Lake Rotorua, New Zealand

Blind Sailing's most prestigious regatta began in New Zealand Sunday following colorful opening ceremonies highlighted by a traditional Maori welcome and a parade of athletes from ten participating countries: Australia, Italy, Norway, Great Britain, France, Finland, the United States, Japan, Canada, and New Zealand.


The World Championships take place every three to four years. This time it's being hosted by the New Zealand Bay of Plenty Trailer Yacht Squadron on a volcanic crater lake in the middle of New Zealand's north island. Private owners have provided the large fleet of Noelex 25 yachts for use at the regatta.


A total of nineteen four-member crews began racing on Sunday in three categories: B-1, B-2 and B-3 according to classification of visual impairment. Over the first two days of racing, your California One team of Kum, Davis, Raineri and Spector, competing on behalf of Team USA, completed seven of the scheduled eighteen races in the B-2 class. We're up against the world's best, so, let's just say that we've not been coming in at the front of the fleet. But we've got the biggest grins crossing the finish line- every time.


More in a few days.

Al


ASpector@MarinSailingSchool.com

The Marin Sailing School Program for the Blind

Background...

The Marin Sailing School Program for the Blind provides blind or visually impaired persons the opportunity to learn the fundamental skills of sailing and the basic principles of seamanship. Our students learn to sail through the use of adaptive methods in a mainstream teaching environment.

The objective is the same as for sighted sailors: to harness the wind and to experience all the challenges and rewards of sailing.

Successful sailors must become comfortable aboard ship, get well acquainted with the equipment, understand how and why to trim the sails, and for some, learn to command the helm. With just a little guidance each of these skills can be developed without vision. Our students learn these fundamental skills of sailing and boating and at the same time build self assurance to meet day to day challenges and find self confidence to try new things.

Our Blind Sailing Program began in 2007 with a handful of students from the Living Skills Center for the Visually Impaired, now call the Hatlen Center for the Blind. The 2008 season also brought us the pleasure of coaching our first students from San Francisco's Lighthouse for the Blind. Having now instructed over 25 blind or visually impaired students, in 2009 we intend to include adults, and some teenagers, from other Bay Area organizations serving our blind and visually impaired community.

Racing....

Our first racing team (California One) participated in the 2008 U.S. National Blind Sailing Championships last August in Newport, Rhode Island. The same four-member team is now part of Team USA, having joined eight other sailors from Massachusettes, all of whom are currently training for the 2009 Blind Sailing World Championships being held March 12-21 on the Bay of Plenty, Lake Rotorua, New Zealand.

Also on the horizon in 2009, the Marin Sailing School Program for the Blind will again send racers to the U.S. National Blind Sailing Championships in Newport, Rhode Island in late August.

Background on California One Team Members participating at the 2009 World Championships...

Philip Kum is a biology major at San Francisco State University and will be graduating this May. He is also the Education and Recreation Coordinator at the Lighthouse for the Blind in San Francisco. On the side, Philip is a technology consultant for San Francisco State's Disability Programs and Resource Center. He enjoys participating in sports of all kinds. Phil loves sailing and is charge of the mainsail and traveler for California One.

Danette Davis is a professional Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist at the Hatlen Center for the Blind in San Pablo, California. She also serves as Director, Marin Sailing School Program for the Blind. A life-long outdoor sports enthusiast, she's fulfilling a dream by sharing her love of sailing with her students. On California One, Danette's up on foredeck.

Walt Raineri, the helmsman on California One, has been blind since the winter of 2005, and suffers from a rare form of eye disease known generically as Retinitis Pigmentosa. Before he lost his sight, Walt divided his time between practicing law at a prominent local law firm (his day job), pursuing his entrepreneurial spirit founding four companies (his night job), and trying to stay in shape to take on the next adventure (his life job). Sailing competitively only since August, 2008, Walt has jumped into the blind sailing racing program at the Marin Sailing School with both feet, and arms (literally at times). He is now looking forward to representing the United States in the IFDS (International Federation of Disabled Sailors) and BSI (Blind Sailing International) Blind Sailing World Championships in New Zealand in March, 2009.

Al Spector is California One's tactician, and the founder of the Marin Sailing School. As a licensed sea captain, Al's been teaching sailing and seamanship for the past several years here on San Francisco Bay. His other lives include corporate management, international logistics, foreign languages, and the excitement of playing second base for the San Jose Orioles, a hardball team in the South Bay men's league. A proud member of California One, Al will serve as one of Team USA's tacticians at the upcoming World Championships.

Marin Sailing School Program for the Blind Upcoming Events...

• March 12-21, 2009: The 2009 Blind Sailing World Championships, Lake Rotorua, New Zealand. California One will be joining other Team USA members to compete with teams from all over the world for the coveted Squadron Cup at blind sailing's most prestigious regatta.
  

• April 18, 2009: Cycle 4 Sight, Napa Valley, California. Marin Sailing School Program for the Blind students, staff, and friends will ride in Cycle 4 Sight, a charity bicycle ride on a route through Napa Valley. It's a pledge-per-mile fundraising event for the benefit of the blind and visually impaired community.
  

• August, 2009: The 2009 U.S. National Blind Sailing Championships, Newport, Rhode Island. California One will be competing with other blind racing teams from around the country in the annual United States National Championship regatta.