2015 Buddy Melges Challenge Round Robin Results

Changing weather conditions  provide a new challenge, and the 2015 Buddy Melges Challenge Round Robin Results. Where to find live race information.

For live results, photos, comments from the race course, follow on Twitter:

@USSCSheboygan

@WIMSeries

#BMC2015 #WIMSeries

Fog and light breeze, very different conditions at the Buddy Melges Challenge

Östling takes Sheboygan round-robin 10 – 0

–Groeneveld just one point behind, followed by Roble. World #2 Anna Östling keeps dominating the Buddy Melges Challenge, the penultimate event of the 2015 WIM Series. After another day with just ones on the score sheet, the Swede concludes the round-robin with a clean sweep.

Swedish crew of Anna Östling and Annie and Linnea Wennergren won the round-robin of the Buddy Melges Challenge in Sheboygan, USA. Photo: Christopher Rydblom/WIM Series.Östling takes Sheboygan round-robin 10 – 0 –Groeneveld just one point behind, followed by RobleWorld #2 Anna Östling keeps dominating the Buddy Melges Challenge, the penultimate event of the 2015 WIM Series. After another day with just ones on the score sheet, the Swede concludes the round-robin with a clean sweep: “It’s been so fun, the conditions are fabulous. We’ve been proactive and communicative in the boat, fighting hard for every metre, but it’s great when the hard work pays off” the exhausted but very happy skipper sighs and smiles.The sailing conditions on the Lake Michigan race course, set by Principal Race Officer Rich Reichelsdorfer just off the beautiful Blue Harbor Resort in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, were almost a carbon copy of the opening day. Bright sunshine, fairly big waves to get the most exciting surfs on, and even a bit more wind with gusts up to 18 knots: “This is sailing, in general, and match racing, in particular, at its best” Anna Östling states. Except for one recent day of practising in the Elliott 6M:s in Sheboygan before this event, Renée Groeneveld of the Netherlands hadn’t done any match racing at all since sailing in these exact same boats in the 2012 Olympic quarterfinals. Nevertheless she only lost one match in the round-robin, to the seemingly unbeatable Swede: “We didn’t expect anything, and are really surprised how well we’ve been doing. Of course we’ve made some mistakes, but I still have the match racing skills somewhere in the back of my head. Some of it a little too far away in the back though” Groeneveld explains with a big smile on her face. While Östling and Groeneveld won all their Thursday matches, home sailor and World #3 Stephanie Roble recovered very well from a not that good opening day of the round-robin, also lining up only wins. An especially eventful match was decided already in the start, when Roble gave Pauline Courtois a really hard time. The French skipper got two penalties quite early in the pre-start manoeuvring. Then she was black-flagged for coming down too much on the American boat, in an attempt to keep clear of the starting line before the signal went off: “We’re really happy with how things went today. The weather was pretty similar to yesterday, but we worked better together in the boat and sailed a lot faster” Roble comments. Friday morning Anna Östling will choose her opponent for the quarterfinals, to be followed by sail-offs for 5th to 8th and 9th to 11th places. The weekend will then see the semis and the final matches. On Sundaywe’ll know who gets her name on the Buddy Melges Challenge Trophy, a replica of the America’s Cup, residing in the Sheboygan Yacht Club. Round-robin results in the 2015 Buddy Melges Challenge, the third stage of the 2015 WIM Series (skipper name, nationality, wins – losses): 1. Anna Östling, SWE, 10 – 0 2. Renée Groeneveld, NED, 9 – 1 3. Stephanie Roble, USA, 8 – 2 4. Camilla Ulrikkeholm Klinkby, DEN, 6 – 4 5. Anne-Claire Le Berre, FRA, 5 – 5 6. Pauline Courtois, FRA, 5 – 5 7. Caroline Sylvan, SWE, 4 – 6 8. Juliana Senfft, BRA, 4 – 6 9. Diana Kissane, IRL, 3 – 7 10. Johanna Bergqvist, SWE, 1 – 9 11. Morgan Wilson, USA, 0 – 10 The Women’s International Match Racing Series (WIM Series) is the first and only professional sailing series for women, hosted by the Women’s International Match Racing Association and joined by the world’s leading women match racing sailors. Match racing is sailed in two identical boats around a short course, providing fast action close to the crowds on shore. The intense racing is just as exciting for the spectators as it is strategically, tactically and physically challenging for the competing crews.An overall prize purse of 40 000 USD will be distributed by the WIM Series at the final event in Busan, Korea, in addition to the prize money at each of the four events included in the 2015 WIM Series (date, event name, location, boat type): * July 8 – 12, ISAF Women’s Match Racing World Championship, Middelfart, Denmark, Match 28. * August 3 – 8, Lysekil Women's Match, Lysekil, Sweden, DS 37. * September 16 – 20, Buddy Melges Challenge, Sheboygan, USA, Elliott 6. * October 28 – November 1, Busan Cup Women's International Match Race, Busan, Korea, K30.The WIM Series is hosted by WIMRA. Official suppliers are Sailnet, 1080 Media, MILK, Sailing Education Association of Sheboygan, Adstream and Match Racing Results Service.Images: A number of hi-res images are available for download on www.wimseries.com/media/ More information about the Women’s International Match Racing Series: WIM Series Press Officer Joakim Hermansson, media@wimseries.com, +46 70 604 25 04 WIM Series Manager Liz Baylis, Liz@wimseries.com, +1 415 691 6202 www.wimseries.com www.facebook.com/WIMSeries www.twitter.com/WIMSeries www.youtube.com/WIMRSeries www.instagram.com/WIMSeries The Buddy Melges Challenge has been an ISAF Grade One match racing event in Sheboygan for a number of years. The event is named after the famous Olympian, America’s Cup sailor, boat builder, and Wisconsinite Buddy Melges, whose contributions to the sport have been long standing. The trophy for the event resides in the Sheboygan Yacht Club and is a replica of the America’s Cup. More information about the Buddy Melges Challenge: Press Officer Matt Wierzbach, mattw@seasheboygan.org, +1 920 918 9204 www.sailsheboygan.org www.seasheboygan.org www.sheboyganyachtclub.com www.facebook.com/SailSheboygan www.twitter.com/USSCSheboygan

Östling undefeated at the top in Sheboygan

– even though Groeneveld scored more wins. On her comeback to the match racing scene, Renée Groeneveld of the Netherlands surprised with six wins and just one loss on the first day of the Buddy Melges Challenge, the penultimate event of the 2015 WIM Series. World #2 Anna Östling scored one win less on Lake Michigan, USA, but still sits alone on the very top of the leader board, rewarded for her perfect 5 – 0 score.

Swedish crew of Anna Östling and Annie and Linnea Wennergren defeating Renée Groeneveld, Annemieke Bes and Michelle Broekhuizen of the Netherlands, at the first day of racing in the Buddy Melges Challenge in Sheboygan, USA. Photo: Christopher Rydblom/WIM Series. Östling undefeated at the top in Sheboygan – even though Groeneveld scored more wins On her comeback to the match racing scene, Renée Groeneveld of the Netherlands surprised with six wins and just one loss on the first day of the Buddy Melges Challenge, the penultimate event of the 2015 WIM Series. World #2 Anna Östling scored one win less on Lake Michigan, USA, but still sits alone on the very top of the leader board, rewarded for her perfect 5 – 0 score: “We worked smoothly together in the boat today, focusing on the big picture. That made us really fast, especially upwind” the Swede comments. “It was good fun today, in great conditions. The waves made the racing very technical, but our boat handling was excellent” says Groeneveld. Renée Groeneveld represented the Netherlands at the match racing competition of the 2012 London Olympics in Weymouth, reaching the quarterfinals. Since then she hasn’t done much match racing, and is currently without a position on the ISAF World Ranking. That situation will definitely change if she continues the Buddy Melges Challenge on Lake Michigan in the same way she’s started the event: “Some parts of today’s racing were feeling really natural, while other parts didn’t. We made some big match racing mistakes, real presents for our opponents” Groeneveld laughs and shakes her head. In Wednesday’s seven matches the Dutch team was only defeated once. Despite a red flag penalty in the match against Anna Östling, for taking room she wasn’t entitled to at the top mark, Groeneveld continued her fierce fight. All the way to the finish line she and Östling raced on in their head-to-head battle, narrowly won by the Swedish boat at the end: “We had rather big waves and excellent surfing conditions, so the finish came down to who got the last surf. This time we were fortunate” Östling analyses the outcome. Local hope Stephanie Roble was challenged by the sailing conditions, with 10 to 15 knots of quite steady breeze and waves enough to get the big surfs, all under a bright sun from a clear blue sky: “We haven’t done any match racing since the latest WIM Series event in Sweden more than a month ago, so we have to get back into the groove and get into the Elliotts again. Today it was tricky driving conditions with the big waves, and we struggled a bit coordinating our crew work. The matches were close but we lost two. Now we’re looking forward to learning from today’s lessons and continuing racing tomorrow” the American World #3 says. Standings in the 2015 Buddy Melges Challenge, the third stage of the 2015 WIM Series, after the first day of round-robin (skipper name, nationality, wins – losses): 1. Anna Östling, SWE, 5 – 0 2. Renée Groeneveld, NED, 6 – 1 3. Stephanie Roble, USA, 4 – 2 3. Anne-Claire Le Berre, FRA, 4 – 2 3. Pauline Courtois, FRA, 4 – 2 6. Camilla Ulrikkeholm Klinkby, DEN, 3 – 2 7. Juliana Senfft, BRA, 2 – 3 8. Diana Kissane, IRL, 2 – 5 9. Caroline Sylvan, SWE, 1 – 3 10. Johanna Bergqvist, SWE, 0 – 5 11. Morgan Wilson, USA, 0 – 6 The Women’s International Match Racing Series (WIM Series) is the first and only professional sailing series for women, hosted by the Women’s International Match Racing Association and joined by the world’s leading women match racing sailors. Match racing is sailed in two identical boats around a short course, providing fast action close to the crowds on shore. The intense racing is just as exciting for the spectators as it is strategically, tactically and physically challenging for the competing crews.An overall prize purse of 40 000 USD will be distributed by the WIM Series at the final event in Busan, Korea, in addition to the prize money at each of the four events included in the 2015 WIM Series (date, event name, location, boat type): * July 8 – 12, ISAF Women’s Match Racing World Championship, Middelfart, Denmark, Match 28. * August 3 – 8, Lysekil Women's Match, Lysekil, Sweden, DS 37. * September 16 – 20, Buddy Melges Challenge, Sheboygan, USA, Elliott 6. * October 28 – November 1, Busan Cup Women's International Match Race, Busan, Korea, K30. The WIM Series is hosted by WIMRA. Official suppliers are Sailnet, 1080 Media, MILK, Sailing Education Association of Sheboygan, Adstream and Match Racing Results Service. Images: A number of hi-res images are available for download on www.wimseries.com/media/ More information about the Women’s International Match Racing Series: WIM Series Press Officer Joakim Hermansson, media@wimseries.com, +46 70 604 25 04 WIM Series Manager Liz Baylis, Liz@wimseries.com, +1 415 691 6202 www.wimseries.com www.facebook.com/WIMSeries www.twitter.com/WIMSeries www.youtube.com/WIMRSeries www.instagram.com/WIMSeries The Buddy Melges Challenge has been an ISAF Grade One match racing event in Sheboygan for a number of years. The event is named after the famous Olympian, America’s Cup sailor, boat builder, and Wisconsinite Buddy Melges, whose contributions to the sport have been long standing. The trophy for the event resides in the Sheboygan Yacht Club and is a replica of the America’s Cup. More information about the Buddy Melges Challenge: Press Officer Matt Wierzbach, mattw@seasheboygan.org, +1 920 918 9204 www.sailsheboygan.org www.seasheboygan.org www.sheboyganyachtclub.com www.facebook.com/SailSheboygan www.twitter.com/USSCSheboygan

Sail Sheboygan Hosts the Buddy Melges Challenge

PRESS RELEASE SEPTEMBER 15 2015 – Sheboygan, USA, welcomes world top 6 and a total of 11 skippers. On Lake Michigan, in the mid-US town Sheboygan, the world’s top ranked women match racing skippers are now gathered for the penultimate 2015 WIM Series event. Named after the legendary sailor, the Buddy Melges Challenge will be raced for the remainder of this week. View this email in your browser

American Stephanie Roble and crew losing a tight final race to Danish Lotte Meldgaard Pedersen, in the light winds of last year's edition of the Buddy Melges Challenge. Photo: WIM Series.2015 WIM Series goes west for penultimate event – Sheboygan, USA, welcomes world top 6 and a total of 11 skippersOn Lake Michigan, in the mid-US town Sheboygan, the world’s top ranked women match racing skippers are now gathered for the penultimate 2015 WIM Series event. Named after the legendary sailor, the Buddy Melges Challenge will be raced for the remainder of this week: “We’re really excited to be back in Sheboygan. It’s not officially our home waters, but we’ve done a lot of match racing here and love the waters and the boats. We were really disappointed losing the final of the latest WIM Series event in Sweden, so now we’re looking forward to a different outcome” says local hope and current WIM Series runner-up Stephanie Roble.Kicking off with two Scandinavian sea events, the ISAF Women’s Match Racing World Championship in charming Middelfart, Denmark, and the Lysekil Women’s Match in the picturesque archipelago of Western Sweden, the 2015 WIM Series now moves on to interesting fresh water conditions. With the course set just off the beautiful Blue Harbor Resort in Sheboygan, the intense and exciting racing will be visible from the bluffs along Lake Michigan. The Buddy Melges Challenge will be raced in a fleet of totally equal Elliott 6Ms, the same boat type as in the London 2012 Olympic Sailing Competition: “I haven’t raced that boat since. It might turn out to be rather funny to watch” says World #1 and 2015 WIM Series leader, Camilla Ulrikkeholm Klinkby of Denmark. “I think we’ll see a mix of conditions this week. It will be challenging for sure, but my team is really experienced and I feel great confidence going into the event” Stephanie Roble comments. “Sailing in September in Sheboygan can be challenging, as the weather changes from the light air and heat of August, to a more fall like weather pattern, where it can be a mix of everything. Last year we struggled with a stalled high pressure that provided some days of very light winds. This year’s event looks to be setting up quite nicely, especially for the first couple of days” Principal Race Officer Rich Reichelsdorfer points out. “The Sheboygan Yacht Club is thrilled to be the venue for this stop on the 2015 WIM Series. As Commodore and a woman who sails, it is an honour to have this event at our Club. We welcome the ladies of the WIM Series, and wish them the best this coming week” Sheboygan Yacht Club Commodore Michou Reichelsdorfer adds. The Sailing Education Association of Sheboygan, SEAS, as the over arching organization of the boating activities groups of Sheboygan, is also honoured to have the WIM Series in town again this year: “The Series was started in an effort to provide women with racing opportunities similar to those available for men, and SEAS is all about creating boating opportunities for people who might not otherwise have them” states Leslie Kohler, president of SEA Sheboygan. “Having great partners like Sail Sheboygan, SEAS and the Sheboygan Yacht Club is what makes the WIM Series so successful. With their continued commitment to women’s match racing since 2007, we are very excited to have the Buddy Melges Challenge as a cornerstone event in the WIM Series now and in the future” WIM Series Manager Liz Baylis concludes. The Buddy Melges Challenge has been an ISAF Grade One match racing event in Sheboygan for a number of years. The event is named after the famous Olympian, America’s Cup sailor, boat builder, and Wisconsinite Buddy Melges, whose contributions to the sport have been long standing. The trophy for the event resides in the Sheboygan Yacht Club and is a replica of the America’s Cup. The trophy for the WIM Series overall winner – The Terry J. Kohler Perpetual Trophy – is named after Sheboygan businessman Terry Kohler, a long-time proponent and supporter of women's match racing and all of the sailing activities at Sail Sheboygan. Skippers in the 2015 Buddy Melges Challenge, the third stage of the 2015 WIM Series (skipper name, nationality, ISAF World Ranking): Camilla Ulrikkeholm Klinkby, DEN, 1 Anna Östling, SWE, 2 Stephanie Roble, USA, 3 Anne-Claire Le Berre, FRA, 4 Pauline Courtois, FRA, 5 Caroline Sylvan, SWE, 6 Juliana Senfft, BRA, 35 Diana Kissane, IRL, 44 Johanna Bergqvist, SWE, 84 Renée Groeneveld, NED, – Morgan Wilson, USA, – Standings in the 2015 WIM Series, after two stages out of four (skipper name, nationality, WIM Series points): 1. Camilla Ulrikkeholm Klinkby, DEN, 47 2. Stephanie Roble, USA, 42 3. Anna Östling, SWE, 35 4. Anne-Claire Le Berre, FRA, 31 5. Caroline Sylvan, SWE, 29 6. Klaartje Zuiderbaan, NED, 26 7. Lotte Meldgaard, DEN, 25 8. Pauline Courtois, FRA, 20 9. Katie Spithill, AUS, 14 10. Alexa Bezel, SUI, 13 11. Annabel Vose, GBR, 10 11. Milly Bennett, AUS, 10 13. Johanna Bergqvist, SWE, 8 14. Juliana Senfft, BRA, 6 14. Louise Christensen, DEN, 6 16. Diana Kissane, IRL, 4 16. Sanna Häger, SWE, 4 18. Rikst Dijkstra, NED, – 18. Johanna Larsson, SWE, – 18. Nina Ramm-Schmidt, FIN, – The Women’s International Match Racing Series (WIM Series) is the first and only professional sailing series for women, hosted by the Women’s International Match Racing Association and joined by the world’s leading women match racing sailors. Match racing is sailed in two identical boats around a short course, providing fast action close to the crowds on shore. The intense racing is just as exciting for the spectators as it is strategically, tactically and physically challenging for the competing crews.An overall prize purse of 40 000 USD will be distributed by the WIM Series at the final event in Busan, Korea, in addition to the prize money at each of the four events included in the 2015 WIM Series (date, event name, location, boat type): * July 8 – 12, ISAF Women’s Match Racing World Championship, Middelfart, Denmark, Match 28. * August 3 – 8, Lysekil Women's Match, Lysekil, Sweden, DS 37. * September 16 – 20, Buddy Melges Challenge, Sheboygan, USA, Elliott 6. * October 28 – November 1, Busan Cup Women's International Match Race, Busan, Korea, K30.The WIM Series is hosted by WIMRA. Official suppliers are Sailnet, 1080 Media, MILK, Sailing Education Association of Sheboygan, Adstream and Match Racing Results Service.Images: A number of hi-res images are available for download on www.wimseries.com/media/More information about the Women’s International Match Racing Series: WIM Series Press Officer Joakim Hermansson, media@wimseries.com, +46 70 604 25 04 WIM Series Manager Liz Baylis, Liz@wimseries.com, +1 415 691 6202 www.wimseries.com www.facebook.com/WIMSeries www.twitter.com/WIMSeries www.youtube.com/WIMRSeries www.instagram.com/WIMSeriesThe Buddy Melges Challenge has been an ISAF Grade One match racing event in Sheboygan for a number of years. The event is named after the famous Olympian, America’s Cup sailor, boat builder, and Wisconsinite Buddy Melges, whose contributions to the sport have been long standing. The trophy for the event resides in the Sheboygan Yacht Club and is a replica of the America’s Cup. More information about the Buddy Melges Challenge: Press Officer Matt Wierzbach, mattw@seasheboygan.org, +1 920 918 9204 www.sailsheboygan.org www.seasheboygan.org www.sheboyganyachtclub.com www.facebook.com/SailSheboygan www.twitter.com/USSCSheboygan

Recap of the 2015 Blind Fleet Racing World Championship

 

The team struggled on Sunday as the breeze was considerably lighter and we had to contend with large wind shifts. At one point a race was abandoned after a series of significant shifts completely turned the fleet around.

The British team did well in the lighter conditions and worked their way up on us in the points until we slipped into third. After a near collision with the New Zealand team we began to sail defensively knowing they were near enough to begin attacking us when the opportunity arose. Unfortunately by the time we had begun to dial in the tuning for the lighter conditions the races were abandoned for the day.

As a team we are very proud of our performance. This was BJ's first regatta and only second year of sailing and while Jason has been sailing for decades this was also his first regatta above club level. The training we did in August certainly made a difference and our crew work was solid considering our short time sailing together. We are extremely proud to take home a bronze medal and second place in the Squadron Cup.

- Matt Wierzbach, Tactician

Cumulative Results

Squadron Cup Results

Blind Worlds Update #6 September 12, 2015

Saturday was a no go for racing. The weather was too rough.

Today is looking good if not a little light. Two more races needed for a throw out

Matt Wierzbach, Tactician

Check out this report from WBEZ Chicago

And another from Scuttlebutt Sailing News

For more information please visit these links:

2015 IFDS Blind Sailing World & International Championship Entries

SEAS USA  Team

Crew Info

---

Name	Position	ISAF	Country
Jason Berdyck	Headsail Trimmer	Group 1	USA
BJ Blahnik	Main Trimmer	Group 1	USA
Kris Scheppe	Helm	Group 1	USA
Matthew Wierzbach	Tactician		USA

Blind Worlds Update #5 September 11, 2015

Our team is in second place in category 3 after the first five races in strong breeze and wavy conditions. The conditions were so rough we had issues with water filling in the hull and all have bumps and bruises but we preformed well and look forward to the next few days.

We are also in first place for the Squadron Cup which consists of the best national team overall between the 3 categories. We are on one of two U.S. Teams competing for that title.

We rounded out the night with some more Chicago deep dish pizza and are all ready for an early night.

- Matt Wierzbach, Tactician

For more information please visit these links:

2015 IFDS Blind Sailing World & International Championship Entries

SEAS USA  Team

Crew Info

---

Name	Position	ISAF	Country
Jason Berdyck	Headsail Trimmer	Group 1	USA
BJ Blahnik	Main Trimmer	Group 1	USA
Kris Scheppe	Helm	Group 1	USA
Matthew Wierzbach	Tactician		USA

Blind Worlds Update #4 September 10, 2015

This morning had a great start with a promising breeze and clear skies but just as the warning signal was to be raised the AP appeared instead and the races were postponed. We waited as the Race Committee dealt with challenging conditions and ultimately storms have kept us off the water. The races have been canceled for the day. The forecast looks like a variety of conditions moving forward.

The pressure is off until tomorrow, now its time to head into town and waste some time as tourists.

- Matt Wierzbach, Tactician

For more information please visit these links:

2015 IFDS Blind Sailing World & International Championship Entries

SEAS USA 121 Team

Crew Info

---

Name	Position	ISAF	Country
Jason Berdyck	Headsail Trimmer	Group 1	USA
BJ Blahnik	Main Trimmer	Group 1	USA
Kris Scheppe	Helm	Group 1	USA
Matthew Wierzbach	Tactician		USA

Blind Worlds Update #3 September 9, 2015

We had a great day of practice on the water. The winds were variable starting out strong and easing off as the day progressed which helped us experience a variety of conditions. We are seeing the typical choppy conditions that Chicago is famous for.

We also picked up our jackets this morning!

The opening ceremonies were great and the Chicago Yacht Club had a nice burger and hot dog buffet laid out. Now its time for the real racing to start. We are looking forward to tomorrow!

- Matt Wierzbach, Tactician

For more information please visit these links:

2015 IFDS Blind Sailing World & International Championship Entries

SEAS USA 121 Team

Crew Info

---

Name	Position	ISAF	Country
Jason Berdyck	Headsail Trimmer	Group 1	USA
BJ Blahnik	Main Trimmer	Group 1	USA
Kris Scheppe	Helm	Group 1	USA
Matthew Wierzbach	Tactician		USA

BJ Interviewed by RedEye Chicago

Sheboygan sailor BJ Blahnik conducted an interview with RedEye Chicago yesterday before practice.

Here is what he had to say: RedEye Chicago

For more information please visit these links:

2015 IFDS Blind Sailing World & International Championship Entries

SEAS USA 121 Team

Crew Info

---

Name	Position	ISAF	Country
Jason Berdyck	Headsail Trimmer	Group 1	USA
BJ Blahnik	Main Trimmer	Group 1	USA
Kris Scheppe	Helm	Group 1	USA
Matthew Wierzbach	Tactician		USA

Blind Worlds Update # 2 September 8, 2015

September 8, 2015

Shortly after my first post we managed to get out on the water for our first taste of sailing the Tom 28. We started slow at the dock familiarizing ourselves with the boat, BJ and Kris feeling everything in their section of the boat to prepare for our time on the water.

The Tom 28s are a more performance oriented boat than the Sonar and getting used to the layout and heel took a bit of time. The sail area is also larger which will take some small adjustment moving forward. Luckily none of the teams are overly familiar with the boats and the extra room in the cockpit makes the movement of four sailors slightly less like a round of bumper cars than in the Sonar cockpit.

We did a bit of speed testing with four of the Tom’s out in a formation. We are confident we can do well with our speed and its looking likely that good starts and roundings are going to make the difference just like in any other race. What I’ve learned from sailing with the blind teams is that we have to stop thinking of it as a different form of sailing; the sailing is the same and the changes for safety are really minor and have more to do with avoiding collisions than anything.

After the required Chicago deep dish pizza for dinner we made a quick stop at Target to pick up a few snacks and ran into our big fan Chewbacca who is looking forward to his new movie release.

Chewbacca cheers on the team.

For more information please visit these links:

2015 IFDS Blind Sailing World & International Championship Entries

SEAS USA 121 Team

Crew Info

---

Name	Position	ISAF	Country
Jason Berdyck	Headsail Trimmer	Group 1	USA
BJ Blahnik	Main Trimmer	Group 1	USA
Kris Scheppe	Helm	Group 1	USA
Matthew Wierzbach	Tactician		USA

Blind Worlds Update #1 September 8, 2015

 

Belmont Station Chicago Yacht Club- We have arrived at Belmont Station and have registered this morning. The staff and volunteers have been great and we snuck a short interview in on one of the Sonars with RedEye Chicago before the storms rolled in. Right now we are waiting to see if the storm passes through early enough for us to get some practice on the Tom 28s. If not we still have a practice day tomorrow and the forecast is looking nice.

Rumor has it they are releasing the boats in 10 minutes, we may get out today yet! Matt Wierzbach, Tactician

For more information please visit these links:

2015 IFDS Blind Sailing World & International Championship Entries

SEAS USA 121 Team

Crew Info

---

Name	Position	ISAF	Country
Jason Berdyck	Headsail Trimmer	Group 1	USA
BJ Blahnik	Main Trimmer	Group 1	USA
Kris Scheppe	Helm	Group 1	USA
Matthew Wierzbach	Tactician		USA

---

Steve's Voyage - New Video

Adaptive Sailing Success Story Steve has had ALS for over 10 years. Prior to contracting ALS, Steve sailed with his father Richard Heronemus who was a very active member of the Sheboygan Yacht Club. He is an accomplished sailor. Despite his disease he continues follow sail boat racing worldwide. It is his passion, which makes this particular journey quite meaningful.

As Steve's ALS has progressed, Steve may have lost nearly all of the ability to use his arms and legs, but certainly not his will to sail. He has a slight use of his middle left finger and has enough shoulder movement in his right shoulder to activate switches to steer the boat. He also has the use of his jaw, which will enable him to activate bite switches to trim and ease his sails. Both the steerage and trim systems were inspired by Steve Heronemus, and collaboratively developed by Steve Orlebek at Harken and Nick/Rich/Matt at Windway.

http://youtu.be/WvyijvS62uA

Sailor overcomes ALS

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Matt Wierzbach

mattw@seasheboygan.org

(920)918-9204

September 4th, 2015

SAILING WITH ALS

SHEBOYGAN, WI - The Sailing Education Association of Sheboygan (SEAS) took a major step forward in their adaptive sailing program. Steve Heronemus, a sailor with advanced stage ALS was able to sail on his own thanks to a collaborative effort between SEAS, Sail Sheboygan, Harken, and an extensive team of dedicated individuals. The collaboration has not only given Steve an opportunity to enjoy sailing again, but it is a major step to providing enriching experiences on Lake Michigan to a new group of individuals.

Today was the result of a nine month project that began with Tryg Jacobson meeting Steve and being inspired by his story. Tryg, a long time sailor himself, was inspired by Steve and questioned if it were possible to develop an equipment package to get Steve sailing again. From that idea came a long series of e-mails and phone calls and the development began.

The first challenge to overcome was how to safely and comfortably get Steve on the water. While the idea of purchasing a new boat specifically for this project was originally posed it was quickly dropped in favor of adapting a Sonar currently in the Sail Sheboygan fleet.  Sonars are a stable boat often used in adaptive sailing programs and major events such as the Paralympic games. The use of a Sonar allowed the project to move forward immediately.

It then was a challenge to find a seating solution for Steve who would not be able to sit in the boats original moulded seats. The solution came from a contact SEAS Program Director Matt Wierzbach made at the US Sailing Programs Symposium. Magnus Liljedahl from Team Paradise out of Miami had constructed what he called a “Lazy Susan” bench for the Sonar to be used for the foredeck position at the front of the boat. It was decided to build a version of the “Lazy Susan” in Sheboygan and Sail Sheboygan Bosun, Nick Chadwick, set to building with help from Tony Orlebeke and Britt Voechting. It was this chair that was used in June to give Steve his first sailing experience since before his ALS diagnosis. While the chair provided the opportunity to experience sailing as a passenger the goal still remained to develop a way for him to control the boat himself.

SEAS Executive Director Rich Reichelsdorfer and Tryg then brought in Steve Orlebeke and his team from Harken in to work toward developing the system required for Steve to operate the boat on his own. Harken out of Pewaukee Wisconsin specializes in marine technology and their electric winch proved to be the ideal solution to replace the manual role of sail trim. The winch, when hooked up to electric switches can trim and ease the sails to their proper position, something Steve is unable to do without their help. They modified a marine autopilot to allow steering in using a similar set-up, all led forward to the chair.

Despite foggy conditions this morning the weather cleared enough by 11 AM for the team to get out onto the water. Five support boats followed the Sonar out onto Lake Michigan filling roles from safety boat and video to a spectator boat for the family. After Steve had familiarized himself with the boat the support staff and boats backed off and Steve was able to sail alone on the boat. After sailing for around an hour on his own his father, tears in his eyes was the first to rejoin him on the boat.

After returning to the dock many of those who had worked on the project gathered for a short ceremony in which Steve was presented a new award, named in his honor, to be presented for the advancement of adaptive sailing. The boat will be available for Steve to sail for the remainder of the season before the team takes another look at the system over the winter to refine the system.

Combined with a blind team leaving for the Blind Fleet Racing World Championship in Chicago next week this has proven the commitment set last year by SEAS to develop an Adaptive Sailing Program here in Sheboygan. Breaking barriers to sailing and providing opportunities to enjoy the water for all those interested is not only a dream but now a reality.

ABOUT SEAS

SEAS is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Your contributions are recognized and are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowed by the United States Tax Code. Thank you for supporting SEAS mission.

Mission

The Sailing Education Association of Sheboygan exists to establish Sheboygan’s waterfront and boating programs as best in class for offerings and facilities, while enhancing our county’s already stellar attractions.

Vision

SEAS works to advance the sailing and water sport facilities on Sheboygan’s waterfront and marine education generally in order to provide more services at a reasonable cost.  We strive to maximize the impact of our donors’ dollars by expanding awareness, training, and opportunities in marine and conservation activities through education and strategic outreach.  SEAS also provides financial assistance to similarly engaged non-profit organizations.

For more information on SEAS please visit seasheboygan.org.

Steve Heronemus defies ALS sailing a boat with adaptive equipment

 

Sheboygan native Steve Heronemus makes a solo voyage off Sheboygan harbor. Video from the Sheboygan Press. 

SEAS Adaptive Sailing Advancement

This video documents the sea trials of adaptive sailing advancements in outfitting a sailboat to allow a man with ALS to sail again.  Check it out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKHqkPr8aCw

Sailor with ALS Returns to the Water

SEAS adaptive sailing program featured in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Testing Adaptive Sailing Innovation

In the summer of 2015, S.E.A.S. in collaboration with Harken Inc. and Steven Heronemus, made an important advancement in adaptive sailing. Using touch pad technology to trim a Harken powered winch and a bite switch linked to an autopilot, the team developed a means by which a quadriplegic sailor could sail again.

Ten years ago, Steven Heronemus was diagnosed with ALS and slowly lost the use of his arms and legs. With only the slight ability to use his left middle finger and his right shoulder, Steven was able to steer and trim a SONAR. In this test video, Rich Reichelsdorfer of S.E.A.S. steers the SONAR in a variety of wind conditions tacking and gybing over a period of 30 minutes. This was done to prepare the boat for a 16 mile sail by Heronemus.

S.E.A.S. is about maritime education, safe boating classes, for sail and powerboats. We’re about supporting organizations and clubs that fit nicely into the parameters of our mission. And we’re about sponsoring educational and entertainment programming that will bring about public awareness and interest in Sheboygan’s amazing maritime heritage and the well-being and accessibility of our most valuable asset—the incredible waterfrontup and down Lake Michigan’s western shore.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAOKQBm7-u4

SEAS Sponsors Port Washington Rendezvous Regatta

COME ONE, COME ALL, IT’S FREEPHRF Racers, club racers, new racers, visiting boats Spinnaker and Jib & Main classes

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS PORT WASHINGTON YACHT CLUB 0845 Registration and FREE continental breakfast 0900 Competitors’ briefing 1100 First warning — two races scheduled 1500 Bar opens and party begins! BEER and FOOD provided 1630 Awards

For more info: Port Washington Rendezvous

Blind Sailing from the Lion's Perspective!

Check out this great video put out by Lions Club International! What a great partnership we began in 2015!