Pinnacle is hosting a one-design frostbite series in Charleston Harbour.  Melges 24’s and J-24’s are invited to come Sundays and race 12-4pm with two lap windward-leeward courses with a gate.  December 2 was the inagural event, but unforunately the wind gods discouraged sailors and only one M24, BLUR, participated.  BLUR worked the patchy conditions to the max though and incrementally improved roll tacks, sets, massive roll gybes and gate roundings with an intense two hour session.  Ask Steve Kopf about the lessons learned as his team took advantage of the opportunity to continue to improve.

December 9 started off with little wind again, but three J-24s braved 75 degree temperatures and abundant sunshine to do battle on the harbour.  A “Cheesy Christmas Sweater” party the night before kept most Melges 24s on shore, but Ken King and crew have been bitten by the M24 bug and came out for a couple of races.

Chris Hamilton on SHORT BUS was in control from the beginning, winning the first two races and following with a second.  Chris had to leave early so that left Maartin Zongee and the FOOTLOOSE crew to match race Ryan Hamm sailing SQUID.  They split the first two races and decided to end the day with a very corinthian tie.  Nice to see the owners rotating positions and even giving local high school sailors the opporunity to drive.

We got five races done in two and a half hours on W-L courses with a real start and leeward gates.  The J’s will be joined by a couple more M-24s next week, and rumour has it several boats from Atlanta will round out the fleet in January.  The R-C has the system wired and space for spectators too, so come on out and play.  Best of all, it’s free!!!    

What do you do after ten years sailing Olympic Class dinghies?  Time to get a job or do it again?  The answer is both.  We founded Pinnacle sailing to create an avenue for South Carolina sailors to pursue Olympic sailing with the support of an organized coaching staff with years of campaign experience.  I’m here now to pass on the knowledge and experience I’ve been so fortunate to have acquired over the years.  Pinnacle Sailing is the medium through which we will work.  Let me explain.

In my first campaign (1997-2000), US Sailing had an account for tax deductible donations for Olympic hopefuls.  After applying through resumee, sailors could solicit donations to their campaigns through US Sailing’s non-profit status.  After submitting legitimate campaign expenses, the sailors would get reimbursed out of their funds raised. 

The good was that most donors felt relatively safe writing a check to US Sailing, and the sailors had to do very little accounting.  The bad was the sailors had to pay up front to get receipts, and had to wait sometimes three months for donations to turn around.  It was a frustrating but viable system.

US Sailing stopped handling these accounts in 2003.  Sailors were forced to ask other non-profits to manage their fundraising account.  As many athletes were already moving towards independence from US Sailing, this was not a major change.  The local New England, Great Lakes, California, Texas, and Florida non-profits and Yacht Clubs stepped up and supported their Olympic hopefuls.  South Carolina now has an organization dedicated to developing and supporting Olympic Sailing talent.  It is Pinnacle Sailing.

Our goal is to identify and mentor local sailors who want to compete at the national and international level.  We will focus on the most competitive One-Design classes as well as Olympic classes.  We will target the US Sailing championships as well as Junior Olympic and international Olympic Class Regattas.  We will develop talent through year-round local clinics and logistical team support for national and international level events. 

We will raise funds for the Pinnacle general fund as well as handle accounts for individual campaigns.  The general fund will subsidize world-class coaching, physical capital (coachboats, marks, trailers etc.), and modest fleet of training boats.

We look to have an initial meeting early December to outline a specific plan for 2008.  If you are interested in being a Team Member, Board Member, or Sponsor, (or would like to recommend someone) please e-mail me at miller470@yahoo.com or simply post a response to this blog.

 I’m looking forward to a great year and healthy future. Thanks for your help.

Michael Miller

We’ve reached the halfway point at the Olympic trials and  some trends are becoming self apparent.  Stu and Graham have a solid regatta going.  They’ve put every effort into being the best and it shows.  Three years of complete commitment to 470 sailing with the financial support to overcome any obstacle combined with prior experinence and a sound psychology are the right ingredients.  Having a great coach and being lightwieght helps too. 

Justin and I finished with an 8-2 on the day.  The trend is lighter winds in the first race, stronger in the second; we do better in the good breeze (being heavier).  We haven’t put much pressure on ourselves, but the opening 11th and then the DSQ have made us sail very conservatively since.  We’re still having fun and after the drop race are 3rd men’s team (5th overall).  It’s great to sail combined ’cause the girls are really good.

  The 470 has that magic going for it, men and women on an even platform, same boat, same sails, same course and same start.  And the girls win races and consistently beat most of the men’s teams.  Case in point-  the mens team of Keith Davids and Brad Rodi (both current Navy Seals btw) got rolled by the girls (as did we) on a bottom reach yesterday.  That the women can pass the likes of Navy Seals and Michael Miller on the most physical leg of the course is a true testament to equality among sexes in the 470. 

  Mentality plays a huge role here.  To train for four or more years, dedicate your life, give up your house and job, eschew your family and girlfriend and try to make it all worthwhile in a ten day regatta will put stress on the strongest psyche.  But that’s what it takes to win. Complete commitment.

We’ll take a day off and get back to business Thursday.

Michael Miller

This has been a very testing event so far. After two days, we’ve had crazy ups and downs. Race 1, we start just up from the pin and with great speed pinch off five boats despite getting lifted, and lifted… and lifted. We were farthest left on a 60 degree righty. The first boat we dusted tacked, ducked the fleet and rounded third. We rounded last. No more major shifts equals no passing lanes so we opened the regatta 11th of 13. Wrong time to have a good start and great speed. Breeze settled in for #2, and we sailed to a conservative 4th, very normal race.

Today we had great breeze in the morning, but the OSC wants light, unstable winds for racing so we were postponed until the wind died (wierd huh?). Race #3 started in about 5 knots, we didn’t bang left after being burned yesterday but right wasn’t working. We had the discipline (or guts/stupidity) to bail out, breaking a huge “golden rule” ie. don’t cross sides,
and regain some face to 7th. We got to the first mark overlapped outside of Mikee (US #1 team) and as we bore away to set, he shouted protest. We thought it was strange as there was over three feet in between us, but he’s having a bad
regatta so far and the pressure and frustration is obviously showing on and off the water. We just ignored him and kept sailing, passing one more boat and keeping Mikee behind us to finish 6th.

Finally, the breeze picked up to 12 knots and the RC had to sail us to keep on schedule (Whew!). We started conservatively, stayed with the fleet and rounded second. We passed the first boat (who had banged hard left all alone) and held off a hard charging Stu and Mikee to win the race. What a relief. Almost. Mikee filed the protest because we beat them that race and they are desperate for every point. I want to stress that we really didn’t do anything different in this mark rounding, it was just like thousands of others, except that it’s the trials and we rounded ahead of a very frustated sailor. Three witnesses (two of them on-the-water judges) said everything was normal, but Mikee wins the protest and loses the respect of his competitors in the process. We have to eat a DSQ, and he gets one point closer to
Stu.

It’s really tough not to be bummed. Wait, I am bummed. Tonight. But I know we can win races (like today!). I know we have the speed to stay in the top with very conservative tactics. I know it’s not worth getting angry over what other people do. And I won’t trade character for any number of points at the trials. Tomorrow is another day.

Michael Miller

USA 1697- Justin Law and Michael Miller- take to the races this Saturday as the US Sailing Olympic trials begin. Here is Michael’s first report from the venue. Check back for updates throughout the regatta, and feel free to make your own posts!

So I’m at the trials in LA- concrete jungle or paradise? More like paradise on the water sunny, 65-75 degrees, 5-12 knots, just perfectly inviting sailing weather. But more like the concrete jungle with all the tension of the trials for the Big “O” games. (I’m technically not even allowed to say the word much less write it). Well the tension is mounting. For us it’s
not too bad, underdogs and all, but the first morning here we were approached and asked to join some training that afternoon, breifing and debreifing, video and photos, nice stuff but with stipulation. We absolutely cannot share any of the information with anybody outside of the tuning group. HHmmm….
Then the US coach approaches us and asks for our afternoon plan. Do we sail with the five boats in the tuning group or do we go it alone with the US coach? Well we go out and hook up with the group and sail a race and all hell breaks out. Good thing the coach boats are inflatable. Nobody wants anybody but their coach or tuning partner looking at setups, definitely no pictures.

Next practice race, we are touched by another boat. We say “protest” and almost spark a fistfight. Dave Ullman (ironically in a North Sails coachboat) diffuses the situation like a referee at a boxing match. We retreat to our corners and regroup. Then the group sets kites and reaches in. We missed the memo so, left behind, we go upwind doing nearly a
hundred tacks and then gybes on the way in.
We’ve missed the debreif and I’m glad. Too early to get into pegged into a group and all that mess. I go get some beer and ice and tell every team to have some. Most do. As the mood lightens, we joke about practicing safe tuning. If we tune with one team, then with another, then with another, we must use protection as to not ferment bad blood.
We’re carefully measuring in, getting the sails stamped, dotting i’s and crossing t’s, trying to stay friends with competitors, and laughing at the tension in the air.

As an aside, the windsurfing trials are at the same venue and three days before racing starts there’s
already a protest. Mike Gebhardt (former medallist) protested Ben Barger (current #1) for wetsanding his
board. I’m pretty sure it was disallowed as you can sand your board (within limits).

Let the Mind Games begin!!!

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