Season Summary - 2009

2009 Was a good year for sailing. We had great new additions to the crew, and based on our results, we did well at the awards banquet. While having a lot of fun the Liberty crew has learned a lot about handling the asymmetrical spinnaker.

2009 Results

PHYC/SYC Cruising A-Kyte Spring Series; 1^st

PHYC/SYC Cruising A-Kyte Fall Series; 1^st

PHYC/SYC Cruising Spinnaker Summer Special Race Series: 2nd

PHYC/SYC Cruising A-Kyte Overall: 1^st

Pac Man Race: 1^st

IRC Great Lakes Championships IRC 2: 5th

Leukemia Cup PHRF C: 5^th

Mackinac Cove Island IRC B: 4^th and Overall: 19^th

Wednesday MORC Open Class: Had lots fun of fun with different crews and guests aboard.

Tags: Sailing

2008 Was a good year for sailing.  We changed fleets in the PHYC race program (again).  Although we did OK (placing 2^nd in the fall series) participating in the Jib & Main class during 2007, in light air, it was just too slow and painful.  When it came time to register for the 2008 season we decided to go into the Cruising Fleet Asymmetrical Class.  The class has a good representation of larger boats that show up for races.  The only thing holding us back was the fact that we did not have an asymmetrical spinnaker (aka “A-Kite”).  We had one on order, but it was not delivered  it until after the spring series was over.  Liberty got lucky in the spring, earning 2^nd for the series without an A-kite.  Even with the associated learning curve, the new Doyle reaching asymmetrical got us 1^st in the fall and 1^st overall for both series.

Tags: Sailing

PHYC/SYC Spring Series;  2^nd

PHYC/SYC Summer Special Race Series:  1^st

PHYC/SYC Overall:  1^st

Pac Man Race:  1^st

Leukemia Cup:  3^rd

Mackinac IRC E:  10^th

Wednesday MORC Open Class:  Had lots fun of fun with different crews and guests aboard.

Tags: Sailing

Liberty Mackinac 2008

Tags: Sailing Video

The Start

It was a strange start to the 84^th Annual Port Huron to Mackinac race, which was due to a rain squall that hit around 11:30 am during the starting sequence for the first few classes.  Liberty was in IRC E with a scheduled start at 12:40 pm.  The squall brought heavy downpours and strong winds dramatically decreasing visibility.   There was confusion over the VHF radio regarding a postponement in the starting sequence.  We stayed in close proximity to the RC boat and at 12:30pm our class flag was seen on the RC boat, meaning we were set to start at our original start time.  We immediately raised the main and the #2 headsail (which were lowered during the squall and what was thought to be a postponement).  We jockeyed for position at the West end of the start line with a plan to start on starboard tack.  But, due to change in wind direction following the squall, we jibed on to port tack at the gun and crossed the line with a decent start.   Due to the change from starboard tack to port tack, we were delayed a few minutes due to re-setting the spinnaker gear, before hoisting the .75 ounce spinnaker. 

Port Huron to NOAA Weather Buoy

            After the start, we were holding pace with the rest of the class, but forced to sail in the direction of the class to keep clear air.  Based on the NOAA 36-hour wind forecast, Liberty’s strategy was to sail east of the rheum line out into open water to avoid the forecasted light air along the shore.  (The forecast called for lighter air along the shore, especially Saturday evening and around Harbor Beach)  Within 10-20 minutes after the start, we decided to jibe away from the class and head out way from shore.  The jibe was nearly flawless, especially considering many of the crew had not sailed together before or within the last year.  The only boat on our class that was heading East of the rheum line with us was Collina.  We kept them on our starboard hip for a few hours, but gradually pulled away and eventually put them dead astern barely visible on the horizon.  (visibility was fair-to-poor, due to a haze) As we continued out in the lake, the wind increased, confirming our strategy and plan.  The wind was oscillating between South and South-West, which caused us to jibe as needed to sail a course of approximately 15-25 degrees to the right of the turning mark.

We had a close encounter with the multi-hull Stars & Stripes, which took our stern as it crossed tacks coming within 1-2 boat lengths of us.  They were sailing with one hull in the water and the other just hovering over the water.  Looked like a fast, fun, but wet ride.  (Stars & Stripes lost its rig the next day in 8 knots of wind about 30 miles from the island)

            As evening progressed, we were making great time still under spinnaker.  The wind had gradually shifted to the South-West and we were heading straight at the mark on port tack.  The wind lightened up in later evening and we put up the .5 ounce spinnaker with an inside hoist and peeled the .75 ounce.  A few hours after the peel, the wind was back up and had clocked around to the West even further.  We were reaching with the .5 ounce in 13-16 knots of air with puffs in the high teens, which were becoming more and more, steady.  Due to the tighter reaching angle, the time of night and heel of the boat, we (the bowman) decided to hoist the #2 headsail, which was on deck and dose the .5 ounce.  Given the stronger winds, wind angle, and lack of an alternative bowman, it was felt that the boat would probably stay under control with good speed with headsail up, opposed to attempting an outside hoist and peel to the .75 or 1.5 ounce.   After the sail change, the wind continued to clock keeping it between a beam reach and close reach with wind speeds of 16-18, gusting to 24 knots. 

The winds continued to increase, with puffs hitting 24 knots and above more frequently, which we were contemplating a head sail change to the #3 or a reef in the main.  (We somehow lost the top batten of the main during a luff) It was at this time that we heard the mayday call from the T35 Night Train of a man overboard.   We reported their position as it was provided to the US Coast Guard and listened intently to the distress call(s).   Night Train reported a man overboard but that the man was still attached to the boat.  They also reported that they had no power because a spinnaker sheet had become fouled in their prop.  When it was determined that we were in close proximity, approximately 3-4 miles East-South-East of their location, the skipper called and informed them that we were heading to them to lend assistance if possible.  At this point, the wind was gusting to 30 knots and the waves were building out of Saginaw Bay.  We went bear headsail and went close-hauled heading towards Night Trains last reported location.  We then hoisted the #3 headsail and continued towards their last reported location.  At about 1 mile or less from their reported location, we received word that the man was recovered and that no immediate assistance from other non-rescue vessels was required.  The entire ordeal lasted about 25 minutes, and once we received communication that they were no longer in distress, we changed course and continued on a beam reach towards the NOAA weather buoy. 

            Throughout the night, we changed headsails again, hoisting the #2 outside the #3 and lowering the #3 on the inside.  In the early morning we attempted to fly the new A-kite, but with the wind angle of 90 degrees and 20-24 knot breeze, it was difficult to hold the course for the mark and stay under control.  However, during the hoist, the sheet got flipped up over the boom making it difficult to trim and in the process of trying to flip it back under the sheet came un-shackled and we were forced to take the A-kite down bear headsail.  Once we recovered the A-kite and got it down, we went back up with the #2 headsail and kept it up until we rounded the NOAA weather buoy on Sunday morning.

NOAA Weather Buoy to Mackinac Island

            We rounded the turning mark in the upper- middle of our class, with Jubilee and Collina behind us.  We discovered that the wind direction was precisely as it was forecasted, but that it was stronger than predicted and filled in everywhere, including the shore line and the open water.  We essentially sailed 10+ miles to the East of the rheum line and 10+ miles back to the rheum line with no benefit of more breeze. 

It was a close reach to the tip of Boise Blanc and we sailed slightly high of the rheum line (South of the rheum line).  The wind stayed strong out of the West ranging between 16 and 26 knots.  The waves kept building over night and all morning and by mid day were at least 3-6 feet (although I’m horrible at estimating wave height).  We spent most of Sunday pounding into the waves on Port tack with either the #2 or #3 headsail.  (The report from this part of the race is less riveting as it was a one tack race for 60+ miles and the author was fighting the feeling of seasickness off and on for about 8-10 hours)  

Around 20 miles from the island, the waves began to subside and the wind moderated to 13 to 18 knots.  The wind direction clocked further turning the course to Mackinac Island into a dead beat.  We finished at approximately 11:25 pm on Sunday night, crossing the line on starboard tack with the #2 headsail up.   It was the earliest finish ever for Liberty, as it was for the majority of boats in the race.  We finished 6^th and corrected to 10^th in our class.  Although we were arguably entitle to redress for the time spent in the Night Train incident, it would not have put us into flag contention, and therefore, was not requested. 

Eric Bert (bowman)

Roger Cameron, Norm Johnson, Daniel Collins, Frances May, Kelsey Bert, Robert Bert, Eric Bert, Eric Wright, Denise Kulas, Jim Lavelle,

More women brave the waves

Female sailors bring expertise to the water

By NICHOLAS DESHAIS
Times Herald
• July 9, 2008

VERSATILE: Kelsey Bert, 14, of Jeddo stands Tuesday with her grandfather, Bob Bert, on Liberty, his Beneteau First 42, docked at the Port Huron Yacht Club. (Photo by MELISSA WAWZYSKO, Times Herald)

Flags were whipping in the breeze and Kelsey Bert took a quick reading.  The 14-year-old cocked her head, narrowed her eyes and said: “It’s okay. It’s a medium wind.”

On Saturday, Bert of Jeddo will compete in her second Port Huron-to-Mackinac Island Sailboat Race and she hopes the wind picks up a bit.

“Last year, we didn’t do so well,” she said, describing how long her grandfather’s 11-ton boat, Liberty, sat dead in the water, sails slack in a weak breeze.

As she sat Tuesday at a table outside of the Port Huron Yacht Club, she left no doubt of her readiness to compete for a win.

“I’m addicted to (sailing),” she said. “It’s like you’ve captured the wind and are controlling it.”

Kelsey is one of many females participating in this year’s race. The number of women in the race, and in the sport of sailing in general, is growing.

Still, many local female sailors say they’re still outnumbered.

“Last year, I was the only girl on the boat,” Bert said. “My parents say I’ve been hanging around boys too much.”

Locally, many women have broken through sailing’s glass ceiling in recent years. The sailors include people such as Katie Pettibone. The Port Huron native was selected in 1995 out of nearly 700 sailors to be one of a 28-member crew on America 3, the first all-female crew in the 144-year history of the America’s Cup. Pettibone, who now lives in Sacramento, Calif., went on to compete in two more cups.

Patti Samar, 44, of Port Huron, said she didn’t start sailing until she divorced.

“My ex-husband used to race many Mackinacs,” she said. “I was the wife that went up to the island and waited for him.”

Now, as part of Night Train’s crew, Samar is racing towards the island.

She said other members of her crew — which includes only one other woman, Lisa Marino — treat her respectfully, even when they forget the gender gap.

“If you ever wanted to be a fly on the wall and wanted to hear what was said in a men’s locker room …,” Samar said. “Sometimes they forget I’m a woman. When they point out a hot woman on another boat, I know they’ve forgotten.”

In 1984, Suzanne Pogell started Womanship, a sailing school in Maryland, “designed by women, for women,” as described by the school’s Web site.

Pogell said it wasn’t a matter of men welcoming women into the sailing world, but more of a grudging acceptance.

“It’s just because more and more women are sailing,” she said. “There are still (sailing merchandise) companies that don’t make anything for women.”

Pogell said she’s seen a dramatic increase in the number of female sailors since she started her school almost 25 years ago.

Local sailor Kris Replogle said the grudging acceptance is at least polite.

“I haven’t been on a boat where I wasn’t welcome,” she said.

Replogle, 39, of Bloomfield Hills, is racing to Mackinac on the yacht Montombi this year. She started sailing at the age of 13.

“I think you find in the sailing world the same thing you find in the business world,” she said. “There are certain people that are just jerks. You wouldn’t want to be around them. Those are the people I stay away from all the time anyway.”

Bert, who begins her freshmen year at Croswell-Lexington High School this fall, said she’s introduced a few of her friends to sailing but none have shown her level of dedication.

She said she’s experienced some resistance when trying to compete, but it mainly was due to her size and age, not her gender.

“At first, I felt a little odd,” she said. “But I just jumped in there and proved to them I could do it. … Now, I do foredeck and they trust me with it.”

Tags: Sailing, Times Herald

Port Huron Times Herald Story July 8, 2008

GETTING READY: Jim Lavelle, left, of St. Clair, Bob Bert of North Street and Toodie Mayryan of Port Huron are among the crew sailing aboard the 42-foot sailboat Liberty in the Port Huron-to-Mackinac Island Sailboat Race, which gets under way Friday. (By KEITH KING, Times Herald)

Bob Bert was standing with Tom Clemons in line at the Port Huron Yacht Club’s commodore party the night before 2007 Port Huron-to-Mackinac Island Sailboat Race.  Clemons was upset because his ride to Mackinac had just been cancelled.  “Tom was going on a Chicago boat that was coming around for the Port Huron race,” said Bert, the owner and skipper of Liberty. “I asked Tom how bad he wanted to go? He said he hadn’t missed a race in something like 42 years.

“I told him we had room on a raft. He said he would have his gear ready in the morning. It was literally about 12 hours before we were sailing.”

Finding a ride in the prestigious sailboat race can be tough.

Many of the local boats don’t have a big turnover in crewmembers each year.

Bert had two crewmembers — Ryan Quinn and Brett Langolf — drop because of work and family commitments. He filled their spots with two newcomers to the race but not to sailing.

Toodie May Ryan of Port Huron and Jim Lavelle of St. Clair will be sailing Mackinac for the first time.

“Toodie and Jim are both experienced sailors,” said Bert of North Street. “Even though Jim has not done a Mackinac, he has significant sailing experience in the Port Huron 100, Grand Bend and Alpena races.

“Toodie hasn’t raced a lot, but has sailed a lot. She has been a regular with us for more than a year and certainly earned her stripes.”

Clemons, a Marine City resident, and Jason Mikolayek of Port Huron were on the Bayview Yacht Club’s message board with hopes of landing a spot with a boat.

Clemons is sailing with Mike West aboard Split Decision, while Mikolayek, who has sailed six Mackinacs, landed a spot aboard Bill Vogan’s Major Detail.

“I’ve tried to take my name off the board list for three weeks and haven’t been able to,” Clemons said. “I really preferred sailing with a local boat, so this worked out great.

“I talked with Mike and he asked me to go. We have a great crew.”

Mikolayek said Tyson Connolly, who sails with Rowdy and is the yacht club’s vice commodore, was helpful in getting him a ride for the 84th running of the Port Huron-to-Mackinac Race.

“It was because Tyson and other people at the yacht club had faith in me to recommend me to a skipper,” Mikolayek said. “I really didn’t think the message board was going to do me any good.

“Bill and I played phone tag for a couple of days before we talked last week.

“I’m excited about going with Major Detail. It’s a great boat with a great crew. They are competitors and have a chance to be on the podium (top three).”

Patty Samar of Port Huron, who crews aboard RUM, will sail in her second Mackinac. She lined up a ride with Night Train, a Thomas 35 from the North Star Sailing Club.

Samar sailed last Tuesday with Night Train on a practice run.

The crew did a few drills and maneuvers, including a mandatory Bayview man-overboard drill.

“The owner just jumped into the water,” Samar said. “A few people might have known about it, but I didn’t. We had to go back and pick him up.

“It’s a little different that I’m going on a long-distance race with people I really don’t know. They are really nice, and it’s a beautiful boat.”

Night Train competes in the Level 35 Division, which consists of J-35s and Thomas 35s. The boat was a division winner in 2006.

Tags: Sailing, Times Herald

Liberty Spring Race 3

Finished 5^th in light air.

Liberty Spring Race 4

Finished 2^nd

Liberty Spring Race 5

Finished 4^th

Liberty Spring Race 6

Finished 1^st

Special Series – Blue Point Race

Finished 1^st with most of the Mackinac crew onboard

Special Series – St. Clair River Race

Finished 1^st in high wind and ripped sails

 PH100 – John Blunt

 Finished 5^th – with the air dying just before the Lexington Mark

Tags: Sailing

Liberty finished 1st in the continuing medium to heavy air.  She worked through the F course with few technical difficulties.