Thanks

On behalf of the 2010 505 North American Championship organizers I would like to extend several well deserved thank yous.

To the 505ers that travelled to Chicago to make the regatta and the racing possible and competitive, thank you. We hope you enjoyed sailing in Chicago and we hope you will come back next time and bring others with you. We look forward to seeing you at future 505 regattas.

A great deal of thanks is due to the Chicago Yacht Club for supporting this event. 505s are not yet an established fleet at the club, but thanks to the club's support and the showcase for 505s that the event offered, we are on our way. CYC's Special Regatta Chairman Leif Sigmund has been particularly supportive of this event; thanks Leif.

I think I can speak for all of the sailors when thanking the R/C, our PRO Erik Schneider, our Assistant PRO Olof Anderson, our R/C chairwoman Janet Crabb, our fleet representative and 2010 Dennis Surtees Service Award winner Dave Ellis, and the many CYC volunteers for the tremendous and excellent job they did running races. I think the R/C gave us a great 10 race series across a range of conditions. The efforts of this R/C are appreciated and will be remembered by 505 sailors.

Our event Jury Chairman Russ Burke did us a great favor in updating our SI's to follow the ISAF template and in adjudicating our rules situations. Now we need Russ to get a boat and join us!

Chicago Yacht Club's Belmont Station Manager John Cummings and his staff did a great job feeding the ferocious appetite of the 505 fleet. Many thanks to John for his help.

Lynn Walls and her waterfront staff have been working with us for some months and they did a flawless job preparing R/C equipment and volunteers which was a great aid to the organizers.

Thanks to the Chicago Match Race Center for loaning us several RIB's for the duration of the event.

Thanks to Evan Thompson and Matt Clark for driving the Gate Launch and giving their time to the event.

We were able to provide many competitors with housing thanks to Carl Brummel, Mark Teborek and Libby Christy, Mimi Turney, Mel and Owen Thompson, Jen Curtin, and Matt Clark.

This event would not have been possible without the support of our event partners and their support for 505 sailing:

3 Floyds Brewery for keeping everyone hydrated with their delicious brew.
APS for t-shirts and prizes.
Glaser Sails for their support of Saturday's dinner.
Harken for race and event awards.
Layline Photography for capturing everyone in action.
North Sails Gulf Coast for supporting young 505 sailors with a jib.

Finally, a hearty congratulations to Augie Diaz and Parry Barclay for winning the 2010 505 North American Championship.

Great sailing Augie and Parry!

Final Results

Chicago Yacht Club
505 North American Championships
June 24-27, 2010
Series Summary

Pl	Sail	Crew	Tot	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
1	8953	Augie Diaz & Parry Barclay	25	1	1	2	3	4	1	4	4	(6)	5
2	8930	Parker Shinn & Doug McKeige	29	2	2	(11)	2	6	2	3	3	3	6
3	9003	Mike Martin & Jesse Falsone	33	3	7	(8)	4	2	4	2	8	1	2
4	9042	JB Turney & Ned Turney	40	7	6	5	1	1	3	(13)	1	9	7
5	9002	Mike Holt & Carl Smit	53	6	(14)	1	8	5	6	9	13	4	1
6	8012	Henry Amthor & Dustin Romey	59	9	5	7	9	8	5	5	(18)	8	3
7	8830	Ramsay Key & Drew Buttner	70	8	9	6	13	(16)	11	10	2	2	9
8	7875	Jeff Miller & Pat Diola	71	(13)	3	10	5	7	12	8	11	11	4
9	8264	Jeff Boyd & Dave Adams	82	4	(19)	4	6	3	14	16	12	15	8
10	7346	Craig Thompson & Ricky Turner	84	(14)	8	3	10	14	10	12	5	10	12
11	8441	Katrin Deinhardt & Olav Schluter	97	17	10	13	11	11	(18)	7	6	11	11
12	8821	Katherine Long & Stephen Long	98	5	13	(16)	14	15	8	6	9	14	14
13	8919	Mike Komar & Russ Miller	100	12	11	9	16	13	7	1	7	(24\DNF)	24\DNC
14	7606	Brendon Connell & Chris Brady	100	(18)	4	15	12	12	9	15	10	13	10
15	8715	Lin Robson & Erik Boothe	118	15	12	12	7	(18)	17	11	16	12	16
16	8194	Tom Kivney & Gordon Russell	132	16	(21)	18	19	19	13	14	17	5	11
17	8850	Doug Watson & Gabe Watson	139	11	20	20	15	10	15	(22)	19	16	13
18	715	Zack Marks & Mike Renda	155	19	16	17	18	17	(21)	18	15	17	18
19	8753	Pierre Jeangirard & Loic Bleuez	156	20	15	(21)	17	9	20	20	20	18	17
20	7605	Renka Gesing & Adam Gesing	157	10	18	14	20	20	16	21	14	(24\DNF)	24\DNC
21	8939	John Wyles & Gareth Fletcher	170	21	17	22	21	22	22	(23)	23	7	15
22	8600	Graham Alexander & Wes Harnish	189	23	23	19	22	21	19	17	21	(24\DNC)	24\DNC
23	8822	Dave Burchfiel & Josh Gray	201	22	22	23	23	23	23	19	22	(24\DNC)	24\DNC

Regatta Welcome Letter

JB put together a nice welcome letter with some pertinent information for all competitors who will be attending. Download this document HERE.

Sailing Instructions

To view/download a copy of the Sailing Instructions, CLICK HERE.

Local Knowledge

I wish there was more. With predominantly gradient winds, Chicago does not exhibit what I consider ‘formula’ type sailing conditions. This is generally not the kind of place where you go only left/right in a given condition. As mentioned in some of our preliminary event information, we anticipate three different conditions.

ESE 5-11kts: this is our thermal breeze that typically establishes itself when there is a high pressure system stalled over the region. There is often little wind near shore, but in the sailing area the breeze is usually well established with calm seas. Locals feel that there is often more breeze ‘out in the lake’ (left side of the course) from this direction. Shifts typically develop slowly and in the range of 5 to 15 degrees with subtle changes in pressure.

NNE 10-20kts: cool ‘clipper systems’ of high pressure bring what is known as a three day northeaster to Lake Michigan. Air temperatures drop into the low 70s during the daytime and the strong winds on the leading edge of the high kick up great sailing conditions. Waves from 2 to 6 feet are typical. The breeze is strongest on day one of the system and usually moderates over the next two days. This can make for a light and lumpy third day. The direction is typically very stable with 5 to 10 degree shifts.

SW 12-25kts: hot, humid, and blustery breezes arrive with low pressure systems. This offshore breeze is both shifty and puffy. We will be sailing well offshore in this direction if possible to allow the wind to stabilize after it passes through the city. Velocity can vary by 5kts or more in the puffs and shifts are usually in the 10 to 25 degree range. There can be some skew to the racecourse in this condition as the breeze may favor a particular lane through the city’s buildings.

Getting from Airports to Harbor via Public Transportation

If you haven't been to Chicago before, the elevated train system, commonly referred to as "The L", is a great way to get around town. You can get to the harbor using only the train and your legs, which can spare you a $30+ cab fare. Both Airports have train stations for easy access to the system.

From O'hare: Take the CTA Blue Line into "The Loop" (The circuit of elevated tracks marking the center of downtown Chicago). Note that the Blue and Red lines are subway in the loop. Transfer to the Red Line(Northbound to Howard) at Jackson. Note that the Red Line is subway where you get on at Jackson, but transitions to elevated before you will exit. Exit the Red Line at Belmont. Walk East on Belmont Ave to the harbor.

From Midway: Take the CTA Orange Line(Elevated) towards the loop. Transfer to the Red Line Subway(Northbound to Howard) at Roosevelt. Note that the Red Line is subway where you get on at Roosevelt, but transitions to elevated before you will exit. Exit the Red Line at Belmont. Walk East on Belmont Ave to the harbor.

See attached transit map:

Belmont Harbor Event Map / Directions By Car

Getting into the Harbor is fairly simple. Once you are on the access road you are home free. Take a look at the image below. THIS LOCATION LINK can be used to find driving directions to the site via Google Maps.

It is very important to keep in mind that CHICAGO YACHT CLUB HAS 2 LOCATIONS. WE ARE SAILING AT THE BELMONT HARBOR LOCATION WHICH IS NORTH OF DOWNTOWN. DO NOT SHOW UP TO THE DOWNTOWN LOCATION WITH YOUR 505!