Category: Announcement

Olympic Reunion for Competitors

The ICCT was revived last year after a hiatus of more than seven years. Like the classic match racing event it mimics and from which it long ago derived its nickname "The Little America's Cup," the 2003 ICCT had matured into a new class of boat--the dynamic F18HT. Reborn in Newport, Rhode Island, the 2003 ICCT came down to the final match in a best four-out-of-seven finals before the champagne was uncorked for winners Johnny Lovell (New Orleans, La.) and Charlie Ogletree (Houston, Texas). Following the example of the ICCT's namesake, the winners will now compete for the right to defend the Trophy for Southern Yacht Club, which will host the 24th running of this event through October 23.

Olympic Re-Match: The win of the 2003 ICCT last year launched a banner year for Lovell and Ogletree. In February, they won the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in the Tornado class--the only catamaran ever sailed in the Olympic Games--for their third consecutive trip to the Olympics. Two months later, they were victorious in a fleet of 53 Tornados at the Princess Sofia Regatta. That event, sailed in Palma de Mallorca, was a warm-up for the Tornado World Championship where 62 teams from 24 nations competed in the final qualifying event for the Athens Olympic Regatta. Lovell and Ogletree won the Silver Medal at the Worlds with a performance that included winning two of nine races, before moving on to Hyeres, France, the following week where they collected yet another silver medal at Semaine Olympique Francaise.

The Third Annual SAILATHON will be held on Sunday, October 3, 2004 off the Ventura Pier in Pierpont Bay.

This event, the only one of its kind in Ventura County, is non-competitive and is open to all sailors interested in raising money for CAREGIVERS while enjoying a fun-filled day with friends and family.

June 19/20 ‘Sail and celebrate on Summer Sailstice with sailors worldwide, wherever you sail, and get a chance to win one week BVI charter from ‘The Moorings’.!

Summer Sailstice is a global celebration of sailing held annually on the solstice. Join us and sailors around the world by getting out and sailing on the longest sailing days of the year. Plus for every sailor signed up another $1 gets contributed to Seacology, a non-profit dedicated to preserving island ecosystems (www.seacology.com)

Catapalooza will start this year. The brain child of John Schwartz, Chris Scherba, Buzz Waterstreet, and Gary Friesen, it is a traveling event to appear at various catamaran sailing spots in Southern California.

The idea behind Catapalooza is to declare a date, well in advance, for a day of old fashioned beachcat sailing fun at a popular location and to have as many people show up as possible. This is an attempt to nurture the sport of beach catamaran sailing, allowing it to grow back to the popularity it once had.

We have a group of sailors who sail round trip, camping weekends to Catalina Island. Although there are many curious sailors who dream of attending, the reality is that many of them never get enough chances to sail and practice with some of the veteran So. CA catsailors. The less experienced ocean sailors need more and better chances to rig and sail together with the more tenured catsailors. By announcing a date and a place, well ahead of time, we should be able to encourage more people to take that catamaran out and actually sail it.