For some time the reputed hotbed of singlehanded school sailing has been New Jersey. The matter is no longer rumor. For the first time the ISSA national singlehanded championship was sailed in two divisions, in full-rig Lasers and Laser Radials, and two sailors from that New Jersey hotbed share the 2000 title. Spencer Weber of Southern Regional HS in Manahawken won the full-rig division and Peeter Must of Lakewood HS won the Radial division. For Weber it was his second ISSA singlehanded championship; he won the Cressy Trophy in 1998.

Both Weber and Must won in a variety of wind conditions that made the 2000 championship a true test of ability. Sailed out of the Sail Newport Sailing Center in Newport, RI, October 30-31, the 32 sailors saw light, fluky conditions for the first couple of races before the wind built to 10 knots by the end of the first day. Racing the second day was in winds more than twice that strength as the two fleets raced into the teeth of a Rhode Island Sound sou’wester in waters that were wide open to the ocean. Well before the final races the wind was above 20 knots and the seas had become short and steep as the tide began to ebb.

Weber relished the hard sailing the second day. After a so-so series in the lighter winds, he put together four firsts, one second and two thirds before easing up in the last race when he had the championship all but won. His battle with the defending champion Andrew Lewis of Assets School, Hawaii, became a classic as each strove to overcome his light wind deficit. Several of their last races became virtual match races as they traded firsts. Andrew Campbell of The Bishops School, LaJolla, CA, stayed in firm contention after finishing Saturday’s racing in the lead. His effort came close, but he wound up third, tied with Lewis but loser on a tie break.

Peeter Must had a bit easier time than Weber in that he held second after the first day and took off to win handily in the winds and seas the second. While a number of competitors wiped out and became exhausted, Must kept racking up high finishes to more than keep pace with Anthony Hudson of Archbishop Rummel HS, Metairie, LA, who also did better in a breeze and finished second. Hudson actually had more first places than Must, five to four, but Must was the more consistent. The first day leader, Stuart McNay of Roxbury Latin School, Boston, had success in the lighter going but had to hang on to get third place against the strong heavy air threat of Chris Ashley of Pt. Pleasant HS, New Jersey.

Clearly experience helps in such events as the Cressy. Eight sailors were back from those who participated in the 1999 Cressy regatta in Houston including the top two finishers in 1999, the winner Lewis and Bryan Lake of University of San Diego HS. In the 2000 championship four of the top five finishers in the full-rig division and two of the top four in the Radial were repeaters. It was Peeter Musts’ third trip, a 20th in 1998 and fifth last Fall in the 1999 championship.

Event Chairman for the regatta was Roger Rawlings of the host NESSA district. Rob Hurd, Tabor Academy coach, was Principal Race Officer. The 32 new Lasers were provided by Vanguard Sailboats, partner in the ISSA growth and development project. The matched fleet removed the necessity of switching boats between races and let the Race Committee keep the racers on the water with the exception of breaks for lunch. In all, each division managed to get in 15 races.

The results are as follows:

*TIE BROKEN ON THE BASIS OF WHO FINISHED AHEAD IN 8 OF 15 RACES

WEBER, MUST GET BIDS TO O'DAY

The two Cressy regatta winners, Spencer Weber and Peeter Must, earned automatic invitations to compete in the 2000 US Singlehanded Championship. The regatta for the George D. O’Day Trophy will be sailed at Santa Barbara, CA. In the past, Cressy winners have received an automatic entry to the O’Day and ISSA provides the entry fees. This is the first time two sailors have shared the ISSA championship.

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
MDear Sailors and Friends,
The year ahead looks like it will be the best yet, ending the 20th Century in grand style. The first school sailing regatta was in 1930 at Indian Harbor (CT) YC in 31’ Atlantic Class sloops. Commodore Clifford Mallory of Indian Harbor was an early mentor of school sailing and presented the trophy that bears his name for the national championship. We end the century with the 71st running of the Mallory Trophy Regatta at Long Beach, California next May 13-14, now in doublehanded dinghies.

All over the country I hear of growing participation, some of it maturing into member school teams and with many other on the way. The new Laser Radial option at the Singlehanded Nationals for the Cressy Trophy has worked well, attracting 42 entries in the PCISA eliminations alone. Two young women were in the fleet for the national championship, another goal of this option.

The Great Oaks Invitational Regatta for new school teams of four or fewer sailors in one doublehanded boat has drawn great enthusiasm. We’ll have the results of the inaugural Great Oaks at Southern YC in our winter newsletter and on our website. In the future we hope districts will be able to hold more events for new teams, allowing them to develop and culminate in the Great Oaks selections.

Perhaps most exciting is the growing interest shown by school administrators in sailing as a school sport. In several recent examples its been the administrators or superintendent who has encouraged the interest rather than yielding to the pressures of students and parents for such a program. Areas once barren of activity are springing to life.

Even in New England, where it all started and was once thought to be saturated, there seems to be even more activity. In the Gulf Coast (SEISA) and Midwest (MWISA) there already is more participation than last year. PCISA is anticipating more sailing, especially with the advent of the doublehanded fleet to Hawaii with the Bemis Trophy regatta hosted there last summer. Northwest continues to grow, as do both South Atlantic and MidAtlantic, where the team racing championship for the Baker Trophy will be hosted this Spring.

Well, participation is what it is all about, after all; that and having fun sailing with friends. The Connecticut League Open in its 11th year is already over-subscribed, but this year we could not find an alternate site for the overflow. Next year there are some growing school team facilities that might serve. The "open" format allows teams to experiment, to give new sailors an opportunity, to encourage unformed teams to give it a go.

Local leagues are developing rapidly - the obvious answer to many of the issues for high school teams. The Virginia League in the southern part of Chesapeake Bay is our most recent example of many. So, here’s to another wonderful year for school sailors and their friends who make it possible.

Have fun with it!

Larry White, President

INNOVATIVE MEETING
HELD BEFORE CRESSY CHAMPIONSHIPS
Following through on a proposal approved by ISSA Directors, a general meeting of ISSA was held on the eve of the Cressy regatta at the Sail Newport Sailing Center. About 30 school sailors, parents, coaches, and event organizers met informally in a meeting presided over by ISSA Vice President Roy Williams.

Asked to comment on their reaction to splitting the Cressy Laser fleet into two divisions, a Radial rig for the lighter weight sailors and a full-rig, the consensus was strongly in favor of the new format. Similarly those attending were in favor of the rescheduling the Cressy regatta from Spring to Fall.

Much of the discussion centered on how to achieve more recognition of school sailing programs especially in the school and community. One suggestion: a cover sheet to the notice to qualifying schools that offered congratulations, a copy of which would go to the school as well as to the sailing team or coach. Another is a banner for champions.

When the topic came to naming of "all-American" school sailors, one suggestion that had wide approval was to designate all entries from each district to ISSA national championships for special recognition. Perhaps the national winners and runners-up could be identified as "all-American" or "all-scholastic."

The group voiced a strong desire for district websites and more and easier access to regatta results, schedules, etc. What they want is better reporting both in print and on the web. At present the archetypal website has to be the one District Director Bill Schneider has created for the MidAtlantic district. The hope was expressed that each district might find someone with the background and willingness to develop a site. Not only would a attractive and informative site give credibility but it would be a handy place to refer school officials, parents, those who have facilities that might provide boats, etc. who want to know more about local school sailing. Clearly the group issued a challenge.

In all, attendees seemed