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Pat Downey of the US Sailing Center Miami
by Rick Randall
Rick Randall: Pat, tell me a little bit about the history of the US Sailing Center in Miami......
Pat Downey: The Sailing Center is a not for profit organization created in 1987 by local sailors and businesspeople working with the City of Miami to gain access to the water. The mission of the USSC is “To provide a permanent site and facilities for the training of Olympic sailors and the racing of National and International sailboat classes, and to promote the sport of competitive sailing.” From ’87 to ’03- the Sailing Center operated out of a trailer located on the property inside Kennedy Park in Coconut Grove. Money was raised, a building was built, and here we are. The official name of the building is the Schoonmaker Center
RR: And how does the US Sailing Center support sailors and sailing activities here in Miami
PD: We offer waterfront access to sailors for a small fee – there are no memberships. We also host and co-host regattas for many classes. We are also the official training site of the U. S. Sailing Team.
RR: How many events does the USSC host each year?
PD: Our winter season usually starts with the Jr. Orange Bowl regatta, which brings close to 700 boats to Miami
RR: And what is your sailing background like? I understand you were involved with an Olympic campaign of your own?
PD: I grew up sailing and racing boats on Biscayne bay here in Miami Old Dominion University Norfolk , Va
RR: So, how does windsurfing fit in with what is going on at the USSC?
PD: The Sailing Center Sailing Center
RR: You have already hosted a couple of events there for the Miami
PD: We have a couple of events that are pretty set in stone as traditional events here in Miami, but if we can help promote windsurfing by providing a venue for racing – we’re happy to do it. If we can create some new traditions in the area of windsurfing – Wonderful.
RR: What do you think about Formula windsurfing? There is a proposal to change the Olympic class from RSX to Formula, what do you think?
PD: Alex Morales has been trying to get me onto a formula board now for a little while- it seems to me like the RSX was a compromise between old and new. It’s away from the course racing boards of old- but doesn’t quite have the performance of Formula. It seems to me that if there’s an active class of windsurfers that is healthy and growing- it should definitely be considered for Olympic competition.
RR: Any parting words about windsurfing or Miami
PD: I want to thank everyone who volunteers in this town to help the sport that they love. Regattas would not happen without a lot of effort behind the scenes- whether it be windsurfing or laser sailing. The waters here are our mountains, our ski slopes- get out there and enjoy it.
RR: Thanks for taking the time out to answer these questions, see you on the water soon!
US SAILING STATEMENT ON RIOS-
HALL HEARINGS
The
US Providence , Rhode Island USA
at the US Olympic Trials held in October 2007. The hearing was conducted "de novo" (that is from the beginning with all testimony from the prior hearing disregarded) on April 8th. After hearing all evidence, the jury granted redress to Ms Rios. Farrah Hall (USA 9 AM on April 9th and ended at 10 PM . The jury concluded the evening by stating that it would render a decision as soon as possible.
At issue were a tear in Ms Rios' sail caused in a collision with a competitor required to keep clear and the time Ms Rios took to recover her sail and resume racing. The collision took place at the start of the final race in the Olympic Trials. At that time Ms Rios was winning the regatta. .Both Ms Hall and Ms Rios agreed that the tear occurred in that incident,
and that the tear affected. Ms Rios' performance. Both athletes also agreed that the collision caused Ms Rios to lose some time. The athletes disagreed, however, on the extent to which Ms Rios was affected. -- Read on: http://www.ussailing.org/News/2008/rios_hall_statement.asp
* Curmudgeon's Comment: We understand that if Hall is dissatisfied with the result of her redress hearing, she will follow through with all the options that remain: a complaint to the US Sailing Review Board, two complaints already filed with the US Olympic Committee, and the hearing already scheduled with the American Arbitration Association on May 21-23. For Rios, she will wait to decide on her next move following the results of Fall's redress hearing.
Long Beach . California 10-06-2007 Day 1: Getting some mistakes out A quick pre-regatta update: My board arrived on Thursday and there was plenty of time to set it up and get my gear organized, thanks to the timely action of the folks at Adventure Sports. I am really happy with the board, it is light with a good gasket for the daggerboard, and it is fast. I had two good days of training and doing some practice races with the boys, and then spent Friday relaxing, watching movies and exploring Huntington Beach before the racing. We had a normal October sea breeze here in Long Beach, and normal temperatures in the mid 70’s with plenty of sun. Today we completed two windward-leeward races. As the wind filled in, conditions went from marginal planing to full planing. The first race the girls were using the daggerboard for the upwind. Although I had a great start, I had some trouble pointing here and lost a lot of ground on the second upwind, resulting in a 4th place finish. However, on the second race I made a comeback. The wind had filled in to about 12-13 knots, planing conditions. Our starting line was extremely short and I didn’t have a good start, hitting the pin end of the line. However, I had good boardspeed and made really good time to the upwind mark. We had some confusion as to which mark to round…during the previous race, the committee had changed the upwind mark but failed to remove the previous mark. As I had seen the men round the farthest mark, I headed up there but saw the other competitors rounding the lower mark beneath me. I was really angry but jibed around and sailed downwind in third place, after having been first. I had good speed downwind. When we were finally at the leeward gate, the mark boat signaled that there was the change and we were supposed to have used the furthest windward mark. I had good speed again and pulled ahead of the other girls to finish first. All in all there were some crazy, glaring mistakes…but the butterflies have come out and I’ll be able to focus. I was somewhat sick this morning after eating breakfast which also was throwing me off a little...I could feel it when I was tacking. Good thing my coach is cooking for me now! Looking forward to tomorrow, Farrah My coach’s view: It was a very nice racing day. Farrah was starting very well but made small mistakes in the first race when pushed her to 4th. However, in the second race when there were planing conditions, Farrah was the fastest girl and even small mistakes did not stop her. Good job overall, and now she must forget about this day and focus for tomorrow’s racing. 
Hi everyone,
As you may have seen from my website, I have been keeping my plans under wraps for the past month. Well, now I’m back at home in Maryland and Judgment Day is upon me….the first race of the US Olympic Trials, in Long Beach, CA, starts in just a week. In case you don’t know, this regatta determines who will be the representative for the USA in the 2008 Olympic Games. There is no second place….just one winner. As I enter this regatta I feel confident in knowing that I have trained hard this season and am really well-prepared physically and mentally. I have had some great help with fund raising, and I know that I have done all that I can to prepare logistically for the regatta. There isn’t much room for being nervous (although there are a few butterflies!) because in the past few months I have learned a lot about being in competition. Now it is time to focus, race the best that I can, and win. I have been home for a little over a week and a half (it’s really great to be back), and there has been adequate time to rest from my travels. On Monday I depart for Long Beach. I will update my site daily after racing and also send out emails. You will also be able to read about the regatta and view results for each Olympic class at http://www.ussailing.org/olympics/OlympicTrials/. Keep me in your thoughts…and happy fall sailing, Farrah
06-11-2007 Hi everyone, here are the latest updates from Cyprus...you can also get them on my website, www.farrah-hall.com (News).
My mother is worried about me. Since departing Poland and arriving in Limassol, Cyprus, she is concerned that I am surrounded by hostile Muslim countries that will want to harm her sweet little blonde, blue-eyed American daughter. “Stay in Cyprus,” she says. “Don’t go visit anywhere else!” I understand that her Mom instinct is in full alert, but when I look around me, I have to laugh because I am in the midst of a bustling, bright city that is swarming with cheerful British tourists sporting lobster red sunburns. To me, the setting is a familiar one and I have transitioned back into training and race mode.
Olympic campaigns center around logistics...and here is a great example of the complications that are a normal occurrence can happen while moving from here to there. I rented a car from a friend of the Polish youth team coach, to drive 9 hours to Zator, Poland where I have family (another story!). I tried to take good care of the car, and in Zator it stayed locked in a garage. I flew from Warsaw, so I drove there (5 hours) and parked the car at the airport while I was arranging logistics for the equipment on the flight, which left at 6:30 a.m. During the 45 minutes I was gone, some dirty thief stole the Toyota logo off the front of the car! Shortly afterwards, the coach and his friend show up (he has business in Warsaw) to deliver me my equipment and take the car back to Sopot…of course, now it looks like I haven’t taken care of the car…I also had so many presents from my wonderful, generous family that I couldn’t take them to Cyprus, so I have to leave them with Romek. Also the board is not ready for the flight, so we have to speed over to the hardware store to find some pipe insulation to pack it with…we pack the board back at the airport, Romek leaves for another town for business, and I curl up on a bench to wait for the flight, 12 hours away (at that point it was too complicated for a hotel). At 1:00 a.m. the security guard tells me in Polish to please go outside and wait, with all my gear. So for 2 hours I curl up next to my gear with my jacket on top of me to fight against the cold. At 3:30 a.m. I open an eye and notice that the other tired, cold people have ventured back into the airport, so back inside I go with the windsurfer. 4:00 a.m. I brush my teeth, wash my face and prepare for the flight. Airport is full of tired British kids. 4:30 I am standing in line checking in. 5:30 I am finally in front of the checkin counter…5:45 I am confronting an irate security guard who is wondering why I haven’t dragged my equipment with me through a crowded line to the counter (impossible feat). 6:00 I have checked in the gear, watched the luggage handler bounce it on the ground, and am in the security line to the gate. I don’t remember most of the flight as I was passed out. Second leg of the flight I found an abandoned book. Upon arrival in Cyprus, from the airplane comes a truckload of boards. Hurrah! I found a cab that was willing to take me and the gear, but we couldn’t find the sailing club. It didn’t help that I fell asleep in the cab as soon as I sat down. We left all the gear at my hotel, and finally I got to sleep after 36 hours of semi-consciousness. The next morning, I dragged the gear 2 km from the hotel to the club. Good thing it has wheels…I was getting all kinds of attention from passersby and cars on the road!
Anyway we are just starting the regatta here. Yesterday we had 25 knots of breeze for the practice race! However, today the breeze began to die, and we raced in mostly marginal conditions. The committee is using a trapezoid course with a slalom finish, which is fun in planing conditions, but a bear in light wind when we’re not planing. We had three races today and everyone is pretty exhausted as marginal conditions are tough physically. Marginal conditions require many judgment calls as sailors must decide whether to use the daggerboard or not. Sometimes we will put the daggerboard up or down a few times during one upwind leg! My first race I didn’t make good decisions with the daggerboard, so I ended up behind the bulk of the fleet on the first upwind leg. My next two races were better, though, and I found that all the practicing of starts that I had done last month was paying off, and I was automatically putting myself in good spots on the line. Keep updated on the race at http://www.rsxclass.com/europeans.html. ...and here's part 2....
It's our regatta lay day here in Cyprus, and everyone is staying far away from the sailing club. Two more days of racing to go before the medal race and the end of the regatta.
We finished up the "qualifying series" yesterday with one race in 25 knots of breeze. Since there is only one fleet of women we don't have to stay on the men's schedule, but the race committee wants to keep the men and women on the same schedule. That means two races tomorrow, and two on Wednesday. Although I had a bad start yesterday, my upwind speed and pointing has improved quite a bit and I was able to keep up with the fleet. My board handling has also improved noticeably. However, finding laylines when you're planing can be fairly difficult. I found myself overshooting the layline by a little bit, due to my poor pointing abilities in the past. Of course there will be lots of time to correct this habit. I just wish there had been one more race!
Happy summer sailing...
Farrah
Great news! Windsurfing here to stay in 2012 Olympic Games. Windsurfing has been in the Olympic Games since 1984, so why after 23 years did it run a risk of being taking out of the Olympic Games? As you can image this is a very good but weighted question that has many different view points and perspectives with underlying issues of politics, governing bodies, passionate individuals pulling in all sorts of directions. After only a year of windsurfing and a half a year of being involved in Olympic windsurfing I have only begun to understand the complexity of that answer. Most Americans do not even know what windsurfing is or that is an Olympic sport. This lack of awareness only is a small part of the challenge that the few American windsurfers who dare to dream and dare to make their Olympic dream come true face. The Olympic Games is not just not about taking part but about the journey to get there. I glad to say the journey continues...to 2012.
Congratulations to all of those who participated in 2007 US Olympic Trials. Best wishes to Nancy Rios and Ben Barger who have earned the opportunity to represent the United States in 2008 Games. Let the journey to 2012 Games begin...Dare to Dream, Dare to Achieve, and Dare to Live those Dreams. Denise parris --------------------------------------------------------------------- ISAF DECIDES ON 2012 OLYMPIC EVENTS
(November 9, 2007) The ten sailing events for the 2012 Olympic Games have
been decided by the ISAF Council during the 2007 ISAF Annual
Conference.Today
in Estoril, Portugal, ISAF President Göran Petersson led the ISAF Council in
over two hours of debate and discussion before the ten events were decided.
The final slate of events was voted on by the members of the ISAF Council,
which is formed of the ISAF Executive Committee (elected for a four-year
term
in November 2004), 28 appointed members (representing each of the regional
groups of sailing nations), and representatives of the Offshore Committee,
ISAF Classes Committee and a Women's Representative. The selection of the
ten
events is subject to final confirmation from the International Olympic
Committee.
The ten events selected by the ISAF Council for the 2012 Olympic Sailing
Competition are:
One person dinghy - Men
One person dinghy heavy - Men
Two person dinghy - Men
Two person dinghy high performance - Men
Windsurfer - Men
Keelboat - Men
One person dinghy - Women
Two person dinghy - Women
Keelboat match racing - Women
Windsurfer - Women
The ten sailing events at the 2012 London Olympic Games will be held at the
Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy. The equipment for the ten
sailing events at the 2012 Games will be selected by the ISAF Council in
November 2008. -- Complete report:
http://www.sailing.org/21257.php?PHPSESSID=6d273468a056938f11b4998f9f864c32
=> Curmudgeon’s Comment: The International Olympic Committee told ISAF that
they had to reduce the number of events from the eleven that will
participate
in the 2008 Olympic in Qingdao, down to ten events for the 2012 Games. If
you are trying to figure out what got changed, the list of events is the
same
except the multihull got eliminated.
The complete Friday Issue 2472 can be found here:
http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/archived_Detail.asp?key=3788
--------------------------------------------
The opinions expressed in Scuttlebutt do not necessarily reflect those of
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Day 5: Hanging on with smart sailing This morning was colder and cloudier than usual, which made the sea breeze very weak and late in coming. We had two races in non-planing conditions and in both the wind was very light, 8 knots or less. Again the right side of the course was favored and it was just a race to see who could get to the right spot the fastest. My board speed had improved over the past few days as I got more dialed into the conditions and I was able to hang with the lightweight girls better. Although I was definitely not as fast upwind, I had good downwind speed. I made good decisions as to where to go on the downwind course, covered a few sailors, and finished with two second places. It is becoming a battle of the conditions as Nancy Rios is really fast in the light wind, and I do well when it starts getting windy. Nancy took the day with two firsts, but I was really happy that I could hang in there with two second places and overall was pleased with my performance today. 
My coach says: The light wind can be a problem for Farrah but today she proved that she can be really fast. There is of course more work to do but overall this was a really good day, and she is still leading. We are ready for tomorrow when there will be some planing conditions and she will increase her lead. Now she must relax for the work tomorrow. 
Day 4: Taking it back
First of all…check out my websi
Pat Downey of the US Sailing Center Miami
by Rick Randall
Rick Randall: Pat, tell me a little bit about the history of the US Sailing Center in Miami......
Pat Downey: The Sailing Center is a not for profit organization created in 1987 by local sailors and businesspeople working with the City of Miami to gain access to the water. The mission of the USSC is “To provide a permanent site and facilities for the training of Olympic sailors and the racing of National and International sailboat classes, and to promote the sport of competitive sailing.” From ’87 to ’03- the Sailing Center operated out of a trailer located on the property inside Kennedy Park in Coconut Grove. Money was raised, a building was built, and here we are. The official name of the building is the
RR: And how does the US Sailing Center support sailors and sailing activities here in
PD: We offer waterfront access to sailors for a small fee – there are no memberships. We also host and co-host regattas for many classes. We are also the official training site of the U. S. Sailing Team.
RR: How many events does the USSC host each year?
PD: Our winter season usually starts with the Jr. Orange Bowl regatta, which brings close to 700 boats to
RR: And what is your sailing background like? I understand you were involved with an Olympic campaign of your own?
PD: I grew up sailing and racing boats on
RR: So, how does windsurfing fit in with what is going on at the USSC?
PD: The
RR: You have already hosted a couple of events there for the
PD: We have a couple of events that are pretty set in stone as traditional events here in Miami, but if we can help promote windsurfing by providing a venue for racing – we’re happy to do it. If we can create some new traditions in the area of windsurfing – Wonderful.
PD: Alex Morales has been trying to get me onto a formula board now for a little while- it seems to me like the RSX was a compromise between old and new. It’s away from the course racing boards of old- but doesn’t quite have the performance of Formula. It seems to me that if there’s an active class of windsurfers that is healthy and growing- it should definitely be considered for Olympic competition.
RR: Any parting words about windsurfing or
PD: I want to thank everyone who volunteers in this town to help the sport that they love. Regattas would not happen without a lot of effort behind the scenes- whether it be windsurfing or laser sailing. The waters here are our mountains, our ski slopes- get out there and enjoy it.
RR: Thanks for taking the time out to answer these questions, see you on the water soon!
US SAILING STATEMENT ON RIOS-
The
at the US Olympic Trials held in October 2007. The hearing was conducted "de novo" (that is from the beginning with all testimony from the prior hearing disregarded) on April 8th. After hearing all evidence, the jury granted redress to Ms Rios. Farrah Hall (
At issue were a tear in Ms Rios' sail caused in a collision with a competitor required to keep clear and the time Ms Rios took to recover her sail and resume racing. The collision took place at the start of the final race in the Olympic Trials. At that time Ms Rios was winning the regatta. .Both Ms Hall and Ms Rios agreed that the tear occurred in that incident,
and that the tear affected. Ms Rios' performance. Both athletes also agreed that the collision caused Ms Rios to lose some time. The athletes disagreed, however, on the extent to which Ms Rios was affected. -- Read on: http://www.ussailing.org/News/2008/rios_hall_statement.asp
* Curmudgeon's Comment: We understand that if Hall is dissatisfied with the result of her redress hearing, she will follow through with all the options that remain: a complaint to the US Sailing Review Board, two complaints already filed with the US Olympic Committee, and the hearing already scheduled with the American Arbitration Association on May 21-23. For Rios, she will wait to decide on her next move following the results of Fall's redress hearing.
Long Beach . California 10-06-2007
Hi everyone,
06-11-2007
Hi everyone, here are the latest updates from Cyprus...you can also get them on my website, www.farrah-hall.com (News).
My mother is worried about me. Since departing Poland and arriving in Limassol, Cyprus, she is concerned that I am surrounded by hostile Muslim countries that will want to harm her sweet little blonde, blue-eyed American daughter. “Stay in Cyprus,” she says. “Don’t go visit anywhere else!” I understand that her Mom instinct is in full alert, but when I look around me, I have to laugh because I am in the midst of a bustling, bright city that is swarming with cheerful British tourists sporting lobster red sunburns. To me, the setting is a familiar one and I have transitioned back into training and race mode.
...and here's part 2....
It's our regatta lay day here in Cyprus, and everyone is staying far away from the sailing club. Two more days of racing to go before the medal race and the end of the regatta.
Happy summer sailing...
Farrah
Great news! Windsurfing here to stay in 2012 Olympic Games.
Congratulations to all of those who participated in 2007 US Olympic Trials. Best wishes to Nancy Rios and Ben Barger who have earned the opportunity to represent the United States in 2008 Games. Let the journey to 2012 Games begin...Dare to Dream, Dare to Achieve, and Dare to Live those Dreams.
(November 9, 2007) The ten sailing events for the 2012 Olympic Games have
been decided by the ISAF Council during the 2007 ISAF Annual
Conference.Today
in Estoril, Portugal, ISAF President Göran Petersson led the ISAF Council in
over two hours of debate and discussion before the ten events were decided.
The final slate of events was voted on by the members of the ISAF Council,
which is formed of the ISAF Executive Committee (elected for a four-year
term
in November 2004), 28 appointed members (representing each of the regional
groups of sailing nations), and representatives of the Offshore Committee,
ISAF Classes Committee and a Women's Representative. The selection of the
ten
events is subject to final confirmation from the International Olympic
Committee.
The ten events selected by the ISAF Council for the 2012 Olympic Sailing
Competition are:
One person dinghy - Men
One person dinghy heavy - Men
Two person dinghy - Men
Two person dinghy high performance - Men
Windsurfer - Men
Keelboat - Men
One person dinghy - Women
Two person dinghy - Women
Keelboat match racing - Women
Windsurfer - Women
The ten sailing events at the 2012 London Olympic Games will be held at the
Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy. The equipment for the ten
sailing events at the 2012 Games will be selected by the ISAF Council in
November 2008. -- Complete report:
http://www.sailing.org/21257.php?PHPSESSID=6d273468a056938f11b4998f9f864c32
=> Curmudgeon’s Comment: The International Olympic Committee told ISAF that
they had to reduce the number of events from the eleven that will
participate
in the 2008 Olympic in Qingdao, down to ten events for the 2012 Games. If
you are trying to figure out what got changed, the list of events is the
same
except the multihull got eliminated.
The complete Friday Issue 2472 can be found here:
http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/archived_Detail.asp?key=3788
--------------------------------------------
The opinions expressed in Scuttlebutt do not necessarily reflect those of
its editors or advertisers.
SCUTTLEBUTT WEBSITE: Features include the Latest Issue and all Archived
issues, Subscription Information, Forum, Event Calendar, Classified Ads,
Photo Galleries, Scuttleblog, Sailing Library, plus the Scuttlebutt Sailing
Club: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com
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