So, we're looking for donations of one or two used MCs that are in decent shape. This would be a tax deductible donation to the LBSS. If you've got a good boat sitting around and want to put it to good use, we can help!

Please contact Al Haeger at 815-347-2590 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it if you want to donate or have a lead.

Think spring!

Al Haeger

As you may or may not know, one of Beulah’s finest has made the short list of nominees for the Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year award!  For those of you unawares, the Rolex is sort of a combination of Oscar, Emmy, Grammy and Nobel all rolled up into one – some refer to it as the “Nobel of Sailing” – it’s a huge deal just to be nominated!  Annie Haeger made the list, thanks in no small part to her training on Lake Beulah – click on image at left for more info and see her mug right there in the top row.

The nominees will be reviewed by a panel of noted sailing journalists who discuss the merits of each nominee and vote to determine US SAILING's 2009 Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year.  The ultimate winners will be announced in mid-January and honored on February 26, 2010, during a luncheon at the New York Yacht Club in Manhattan, when they will be presented with Rolex timepieces.

Established in 1961 by US SAILING and sponsored by Rolex Watch, U.S.A. since 1980, the annual presentation of US SAILING's Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year awards are considered the sport's ultimate recognition of an individual's outstanding on-the-water achievements for the calendar year. Over its history the coveted award has been presented to 37 men and 33 women, including these notable sailors who have claimed the honor multiple times: Ed Adams, Betsy Alison, Sally Barkow, Dennis Conner, JJ Isler, Allison Jolly, John Kostecki, Buddy Melges, Ken Read, Lynne Shore, Jody Swanson and Ted Turner. The 2008 winners were Terry Hutchinson and Anna Tunnicliffe.

Taylor Canfield and his crew Stephanie Roble won the 2009 Club 420 North American Championship.  Hosted by Macatawa Bay Yacht Club, Canfield won the event in convincing fashion, throwing out a 3rd and a 4th in the twelve race event.  Taylor and Steph work together as instructors for the Chicago Yacht Club where they coach Club 420s and Optimists, respectively.  Canfield is from the US Virgin Islands and attends Boston College while Steph hails from Lake Beulah.  She attends Old Dominion University.  Marlena Fauer and Deirdra Lambert placed second and third, respectively.  Results are located at:
http://www.mbyc.com/420_nationals/pdf_docs/MBYC_2009_420_NAs.pdf

LBYC B-7's Joe Kutschenreuter and Randy Schmidt proved last week that their "on lake" performance is no indication of just how tough they are. Joe and Randy grabbed second at the ILYA C Scow Championships with an 18 point lead over the next Lake Beulah Yacht Club competitor, B-12's Kent Haeger and Mike Greeson (8th place). Showing how close the top competition was, 17 points separated champion Tim Krech from B-7 in second, while the balance of the top ten were just 24 points behind with Marty Barr at 10th. Consistency in the top ten finisher list enabled B-7 to use their throw outs well and keep their point count down.

470 Class Junior European Championships - Event Preview

Ninety-seven teams from 24 countries are preparing to contest the 470 Class Junior European Championships on Lake Balaton in Hungary, which starts next Monday in the lakeside resort of Balatonfured.

Stephanie Hudson from the USA will be competing in the Men’s/Mixed division. “I will be sailing the event with someone I have never sailed with before, Alex Sachs. That means we will be sailing in the Men's/Mixed division, so I am unsure as to how we will compete. We hope that we will be able to overcome the lack of time together and develop quickly around any problems we may have. We are both still pretty new to the 470, having only sailed a few events and without much training time, but we both have a lot of experience in 420s. We have not really thought about winning, but we do not know how competitive we will be together and thus hope to adjust our goals after every day of sailing and see what we can accomplish in Balaton.”

Team Boss, which included two members of the Lake Beulah YC, recently won the 2009 CJ Buckley Team Race for the Club 420 National Junior Team Race Championship with a 6-1 record. Team Boss consisted of five ILYA members of Lake Beulah YC, Beaver Lake YC, Lake Forest Recreation, and Pewaukee YC, which won the event and are the 2009 Club 420 National Team Race Champions! Team members included Chris Banholzer, Ellie Banholzer, Nick Clemence, Will Haeger, George Kutschenreuter, and Ian Schappe.  For more information and results, click here.

Beulah sailors rose to the occasion winning both the senior and junior fleet ILYA Class X Championships. B-111 with Kate Klement and Teresa Westin won the Senior Fleet title by one point over Ed Cox of White Bear. Cox won both of the final two races, but was followed in second by B-111, giving the ladies the Senior Fleet title by just one point! David and Erin/Scott Sullivan also received hardware by placing 12th.

Elsewhere, the Junior fleet race was heating up following two tough finishes by the leader from Geneva. B-66 sailed by Michael Barr and Gregory Westin pulled out the victory with a 5th and a 12th place finish by just three points. Charlie Kutschenreuter and Alex Keck were 3rd followed in fourth by Cullen and John Barr. Georger Kiernan and Patrick Schmidt finished 8th followed closely by Mary Claire Kiernan and Sarah Kubicek who finished in 8th.

See final results at: Standings

Details are a smidge on the sketchy side since final day's results aren't posted but there is breaking news coming out of Gull Lake, MN, the site of the 2009 ILYA X Championship.  Results will be posted later on at this site:  http://www.glyc.com/ilya/results.shtml.  In the meantime, here's a quick update of much of what we know:

• Racing started yesterday, but it started late and consisted of only one race since the breeze took its' own sweet time catching up.
• On the Junior side it was a show of Beulah force, the first leeward mark rounding had an M-boat going to one side while the killer B's 6, 16, 21 and 66 (not necessarily in that order) went to the other gate bouy, all lined up bow-to-stern in front of the M-boat for the lead!
• None of them won the race but all finished in the top 10.
• On the senior side both the 111 and the 303 flirted with the top 10 before finishing both in the teens.
• Today it got exciting, as the breeze built and the judges told everyone early that they planned to get four races in.
• They managed to do so in some big breezes and waves, a steady 15+ all day with gusts well into the 20's
• Both George and Mary Claire Keirnan won a race on the junior side.
• On the senior course?  Where they sailed four races?  Kate Klement and Teresa Westin won three of them!
• B-boats all over the leader boards as I understand it, currently holding second place in both fleets!

Be sure to check back for updated results.  And think good and happy BeulahX thoughts, as they're hoping for two more races in the am!