US Sailing One Design Symposium., Annapolis, MD November 2005

US Sailing sponsored the second one design forum on how to grow one design sailing in Annapolis, MD this weekend. Participating among the 100 or so sailors from around the country were.

Tony Arrends represented the A class
Rich McVeigh and Matt Bounds represented the Hobie Classes
Jean and Jerry Pattenaude represented the Shark Class
Mark Schneider represented the Tornado class and ALL other members of the Dead Boat Society of one design catamaran sailors. (I had three fleet members tell me to play nice with the one design folks and that one design was not a four letter word)

So… besides the work summarized below… what did I personally get. Well EVERYONE got stuff… The Buccaneer rep walked away with a race mark…. Oh, Yeah… great finger food, preceded a wonderful talk by a healthy Gary Jobson who gave a spectacular video talk at the Annapolis Yacht Club (very very nice digs). The onboard cameras used in the College Sailing World Championships are the way we will see sailing in the future. Dave Dellengbaugh gave a great talk on rules at mark roundings. Greg Fisher talked about sail shape and how to make the boat go fast. Finally, Stuart Walker shared his views on competition which arise out of his current book project. I am still in shock and can’t believe my notes so you will have to wait… His talk was worth the entire weekend!

Janet Baxter and all of the US Sailing staff who volunteered their time and energy to make this event happen were amazing! The One design forum is moving around the country each year and it’s a priceless opportunity to learn, communicate, share and be part of the solution. Sailors from around the country were in town to participate and grow as fleet leaders. This was an OUTSTANDING use of our US Sailing dues that generate REAL Value for us as Sailors.

These are a bit of my notes…. They represent My Spin and My Bias’s. Rich, Matt, Jean, Jerry and Tony will have a different take and attended other breakout sessions. I would love to hear their thoughts. But here goes.

Take Care
Mark Schneider