Latest News

By Archana Ojha

The Treasure Island Sailing Center‘s (TISC) mission is to improve the Bay Area community and the sport of sailing by providing access, facilities, and sailing instruction to people of all socioeconomic backgrounds, skill levels, and physical abilities. TISC offers sailing and water sports lessons to youth, adult, and adaptive sailors and provides scholarships to all who meet the financial requirements. A full service sailing center, TISC never turns away a child and has no limit on the number of scholarships it offers.

In line with its mission to make sailing more accessible to all kids in the Bay Area, TISC has partnered with the Olympic Circle Sailing Club (OCSC) to put together a competitive high school sailing team at Envision Academy of Arts and Technology, a tuition-free charter high school in Oakland whose mission is to have their kids attend and finish a 4 year college degree. The Envision Academy Sailing Team (EAST) is wholly funded by TISC, OCSC and community support.  EAST students had the opportunity to enroll in summer swim lessons and sailing camps at TISC to prepare for the Varsity Sailing Team that started last fall. They have weekly practices at TISC throughout the academic school year in the hopes that next year a competitive sailing team is born.

TISC’s Set Sail Learn (SSL) program provides a learning opportunity to fourth graders in the San Francisco Unified School District by opening a door to the Bay and world of sailing.  TISC provides students the opportunity to sail while learning about the beauty, history, and biology of the Bay. In 2014 alone, TISC introduced over 44 classes from 19 elementary schools to its Set Sail Learn (SSL) program.

From a young SSL participant,  Anthony:

“Dear TISC, I had a wonderful time with your instructors and would like to say thank you very much for doing this for us. This is the best field trip I have ever went to and I have gone camping before so this is the best program ever!”

The TISC Adaptive Sailing Program strives to make sailing accessible to anybody with a desire to learn including those with physical and developmental disabilities.  In partnership with the Marin Sailing School Program for the Blind, TISC offers sailing instruction for the visually impaired. Students learn to sail through the use of creative and adaptive methods in a hands-on, mainstream teaching environment. The objective is the same as for sighted sailors: to harness the wind and to experience all the challenges and rewards of sailing.  Through the Adaptive Sailing Program, disabled sailors gain a sense of independence and self-confidence.

From Tiffany, a TISC visually impaired sailor:

“I love the feeling of being out on the water. I believe it’s the only thing I can legally drive now!”

In 2014, over 2,534 students went through the various TISC programs including 2,325 youth students, 119 adaptive students, 33 adult students and 57 watersports students.  Almost 70-80% of the TISC students need and receive either half or full scholarships to participate in the programs.  Donations by organization such as the St. Francis Sailing Foundation make these scholarships possible.  For many years the St. Francis Sailing Foundation has donated substantial funding annually for scholarships, portions of which were matching funds that helped TISC solicit additional individual donations.

To learn more about the Treasure Island Sailing Center please visit their website at tisailing.org and their Facebook page: Treasure Island Sailing Center.

By Carolyn Patrick

Welcome to the inaugural edition of the St. Francis Sailing Foundation newsletter. Thanks to the hard work of our volunteers and the overwhelming generosity of our many donors and supporters, the Foundation is expanding the grants and programs that support our mission of community outreach, development and support of Olympic and competitive sailors, and maritime education. We look forward to interacting with you via this newsletter to highlight the successes of our many grantees and programs.

Greater year round communication is pivotal to attaining our goals, and this newsletter, which you will receive quarterly, is a way that we hope to improve, sustain and grow our mission into the future. If you did not receive this newsletter via email and wish to do so in the future, please sign up on our website at https://www.stfsf.org. For cost-savings purposes, our ultimate goal is distribution of the newsletter by email only.

Eight Olympic class events raced for medals on Saturday’s finale of the
2013 ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami. Conditions on Biscayne Bay reported
sunny skies with temperatures in the high 60’s and low 70′s, and breezes
from 8 to 15 knots (ENE). It was a triumphant day for the host country,
winning gold medals in five of the events: Sarah Newberry and John Casey
(Nacra 17), Stuart McNay and David Hughes (Men’s 470), Paige Railey (Laser
Radial), Fred Strammer and Zach Brown (49er), and Caleb Paine (Finn). —
Full report: http://tinyurl.com/WC-020313

Final Standings
Paralympic Singlehanded – 2.4mR (17 boats)
1. GBR – Megan Pascoe, 18
2. CAN – Allan Leibel, 21
3. CAN – Bruce Millar, 22

Paralympic Triplehanded – Sonar (8 boats)
1 .NOR – Aleksander Wang-Hansen/Marie Solberg/Per Eugen Kristiansen, 19
2. USA – Andrew Fisher/Mike Hersey/Ryan Levinson, 28
3. USA – Rick Doerr/Brad Kendell/Hugh Freund, 29

Olympic Men’s two person skiff – 49er (16 boats)
1. USA – Fred Strammer/Zach Brown, 4
2. USA – Ryan Pesch/Trevor Burd, 5
3. SWE – Sebastian Oestling/Kalle Torlen, 10

Olympic Women’s two person skiff – 49er FX (8 boats)
1. BRA – Martine Soffiatti/Kahena Kunze, 2
2. USA – Anna Tunnicliffe/Molly Vandemoer, 5
3. USA – Kristen Lane/Molly Carapiet, 8

Olympic Men’s heavyweight dinghy – Finn (28 boats)
1. USA – Caleb Paine,    20
2. CAN – Greg Douglas, 34
3. BRA – Jorge Zarif, 43

Olympic Men’s single person dinghy – Laser (70 boats)
1. SWE – Jesper Stalheim, 36
2. EST    – Karl-Martin Rammo, 50
3. USA – Charlie Buckingham, 54

Olympic Women’s single person dinghy – Laser Radial (29 boats)
1. USA – Paige Railey, 20
2. FIN    – Tuula Tenkanen, 34
3. CAN – Isabella Bertold, 40

Olympic Mixed multihull – Nacra 17 (7 boats)
1. USA – Sarah Newberry/John Casey, 22
2. USA – Sarah Streater/Matthew Whitehead, 27
3. USA – Taylor Reiss/Sarah Lihan, 3506-silver-for-team-maclaren.html

From US Sailing:

2012 Rolex Yachtsman of the Year: Johnny Heineken (Larkspur, Calif.), age 24, has been named the 2012 Rolex Yachtsman of the Year for his dominating performances in competitive kiteboarding, including the Kiteboarding Course Racing World Championship in Cagliari, Italy, where he topped 148 competitors to claim the world title for a second consecutive year. Heineken also proved his racing prowess by besting 45 competitors in the Kiteboarding North American Course Racing Championship in San Francisco and 34 competitors at the Pacific Pilsner Canadian Kiteboard Course Racing Nationals in Squamish, Canada. He set a new course record (14 minutes, 4 seconds) in the Ronstan Bridge to Bridge Race in San Francisco among 58 entrants and rounded out his record by posting victories at PKRA Mexico (20 competitors), PKRA Burn Kiteboarding World Tour (16 competitors) and Copa Mexico Regatta (13 competitors). He finished second at La Ventana Classic (20 competitors) and took third at both the PKRA Beetle Kitesurf World Cup (31 competitors) and PKRA Gold Games Kitesurf (30 competitors).

The selection panel was especially impressed by the fact that Heineken’s racing took him to venues across the globe – including Germany, France and Turkey—where his fellow kiteboarding competitors were considered the world’s best. They also made note that kiteboarding (also referred to as kitesurfing—an athletic surface water sport combining aspects of wakeboarding, windsurfing and surfing and using a large controllable kite to harness the power of the wind) had come into its own as a significant sailing genre. One panelist pointed out that the term “yachtsman,” despite its allusion to the most traditional aspects of sailing, easily befits a sailor with Heineken’s talents and devotion to growing the sport.

“To even be mentioned in connection with this award is an honor; so many of my role models are on the list of recipients,” said Heineken, who was on the Rolex Yachtsman of the Year shortlist in 2011 as well. “But it’s also exciting that kiting has been accepted into the world of yachting. It’s pretty amazing how far the class has come in the last five years and exciting for me to be involved in the development of that.”

Heineken explained that kiteboarding narrowly missed becoming a discipline for the 2016 Olympics and he would be very surprised if it were not included in the 2020 Games. Course racing on kiteboards is mostly windward-leeward with some added reaches at the finish line to bring spectators to the beach “to watch the fleet going 30 knots.”

“I started kiteboarding a lot later than many of the people I’m competing against, but I did grow up sailing and that’s what has given me a strong background to be a good kite racer,” said Heineken, who took third in the 29er Worlds when he was in eleventh grade, finished fifth in the 2008 49er U.S. Olympic Trials, and served as captain of the UC Santa Barbara Sailing Team for two years. “Typical sailboat racing courses are what we’ve optimized our gear for; it’s the same game, the same tactics, really.”

Heineken added that it’s much harder to learn how to be a good tactical sailor, making quick decisions and dealing with every crossing incident perfectly, than it is to learn to kiteboard. “It’s time on the water just like every other class. You can call it a boat or a board or whatever, but kiting is the only kind of sailing where you’re directly connecting the sail through your body to the board and then to the water via the fins. You’re so involved in the dynamic of making the boat go fast through the water that I would argue it’s the most pure form of sailing.”

Heineken, who was born in Greenbrae, Calif., trains and travels with his older sister, Erika Heineken, age 26, who was runner-up this year for the Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year and shared the top step on the podium with Johnny at the Kiteboarding Course Racing World Championship as the women’s division winner.

Johnny Heineken has a degree in mechanical engineering and works on the mechanical team at Alameda-based Makani Power, an alternative energy company developing airborne wind turbine technology. He is a member of St. Francis Yacht Club, which he praises for helping pioneer course racing for kiteboarding.

Heineken’s 2012 Highlights:

• Kiteboarding Course Racing World Championship, Cagliari, Italy (1st/148)
• Kiteboarding North American Course Racing Championship, San Francisco, Calif. (1st/45)
• Ronstan Bridge to Bridge, San Francisco, Calif. (1st/58 entrants – 14 min 4 seconds, new record)
• Fall Dinghy & Olympic Classes Regatta, San Francisco Calif. (1st/11 Kiteboards)
• Ronstan Bay Challenge Long Distance Race, San Francisco Calif. (1st/35 kites/windsurfers – 1:13:51)
• Ronstan Bay Challenge Course Race, San Francisco, Calif. (1st/18 Kites)
• Pacific Pilsner Canadian Kiteboard Course Racing Nationals Championship, Squamish, CAN (1st/34)
• Copa Mexico Regatta, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico (1st/13)
• PKRA Mexico, Playa del Carmen, Mexico, (1st/20)
• PKRA Burn Kiteboarding World Tour, Istanbul, Turkey (1st/16)
• La Ventana Classic, Baja, Mexico (2nd/20 Kites)
• PKRA Beetle Kitesurf World Cup, Germany (3rd/31)
• PKRA Gold Games Kitesurf, Hyeres, France (3rd of 30)

Caglari, Sardinia, Italy, October 7, 2012

After four days, the Kiteboard Racing Word Championship concluded in the waters of the Poetto Beach.  Erika Heineken, finishing just one point ahead of the 2011 champion Steph Bridge from Great Britain, has become the new female world champion. Johnny, younger brother of Erika, was confirmed world champion, followed by San Francisco bay area local Adam Koch and Frenchman Julien Kerneur.

Results:

FEMALE RANKING MEDAL RACE                

Erika  Heineken (USA), punti 4

Steph Bridge (GB), 5

Caroline Adrien (FRA), 10

Nayara Licariao (BRA), 13

Christine Boenniger (GER), 15

Elena Kalinina (RUS), 19

Katja Roose (NED), 22

Alice Brunacci (ITA), 30

Lilian De Geus (NED), 31

Justina Sellers (NZL), 32

MALE RANKING MEDAL RACE

John Heineken (USA), 1-2-1, punti 4

Adam Koch (USA), 3-1-2, 6

Julien Kerneur (FRA), 6-3-4, 13

Riccardo Andrea Leccese (ITA), 2-6-5, 13

Maxime Nocher (FRA), 7-4-3, 14

Bryan Lake (USA), 5-5-6, 16

Florian Gruber (GER), 4-8-7-,19

Olivier Dansin (FRA), 8-7-9, 24

Dave Robertson (NZL), 9-9-8, 26

Wilson Veloso (BRA), 10-10-10, 30

First yacht club partner of Olympic Sailing Program for 2013-2016 Olympic cycle

Portsmouth, R.I. (July 9, 2012) – Building upon its support of the 2012 US Olympic and Paralympic Sailing Program, the St. Francis Yacht Club becomes the first gold medal partner yacht club of the 2013-2016 Olympic cycle. The club’s generous donation of $100,000 to the program demonstrates its leadership in the sport of sailing and dedication to the Olympic movement.

“The US Olympic Sailing Program has a very generous friend in the membership of St. Francis Yacht Club,” said Dean Brenner (Wallingford, Conn.), Chairman, Olympic Sailing Committee. “Their significant donation allows our Olympic and Paralympic athletes to devote more time on the water in pursuit of medals. We are grateful for the club’s leadership and steadfast involvement in Olympic sailing in the U.S.”

“The St Francis Yacht Club is delighted to continue its tradition of supporting US Sailing’s Olympic Sailing Program and of helping produce fine Olympic athletes,” said Peter Stoneberg, Commodore, St. Francis Yacht Club. “We thank the America One Foundation and St. Francis Sailing Foundation for their support of our Gold Level partnership with US Olympic Sailing.”

St. Francis YC has a long history of generously supporting the Olympic Sailing Program. The club has hosted several world and national Olympic class championships, and in 2000, it hosted the U.S. Olympic Sailing Trials. Leading up to the 2008 and 2012 Games, the club made a generous gift to the program, while providing individual assistance to individual Olympic hopefuls and members of US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider. In 2008, the club hosted a farewell dinner for the U.S. Olympic Sailing Team before they headed to Qingdao, China, the venue of the 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Sailing competitions.

Members of the club have deep Olympic class roots, including notable Olympians:

• Zach Railey (Clearwater, Fla.), 2008 Olympic silver medalist in the Finn class
• John Kostecki (Novato, Calif.), Will Baylis (Tiburon, Calif.) and Bob Billingham (Grass Valley, Calif.), 1988 Olympic silver medalists in the Soling class
• Pam Healy (Tiburon, Calif.), 2000 Olympic bronze medalist in the Women’s 470
• Kent Massey (Santa Barbara, Calif.) and Jim Barton (Kentfield, Calif.), 1996 Olympic bronze medalists in the Soling class
• Paul Cayard (Kentfield, Calif.), who finished fifth place in the Star class in 2004
• Russ Silvestri (Tiburon, Calif.) who finished fifth place in the Finn class in 2000

In addition to Zach Railey, other St. Francis Yacht Club members of the 2012 US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider are:

• Paige Railey (Clearwater, Fla.)
• Farrah Hall (Annapolis, Md.)
• Molly Vandemoer (Stanford, Calif.)
• Genny Tulloch (San Francisco, Calif.)

Since 2010, US Sailing’s Medalist and Yacht Club Partner programs have raised over $2.5 million in support of USA’s most promising sailors in the 10 Olympic and three Paralympic classes selected to compete in the Games. For more information about the Club Partner Program, please visit US SAILING’s web site: http://sailingteams.ussailing.org/Support/Club_Partner.htm

About the US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider

The US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider is managed by the United States Sailing Association (US Sailing), the national governing body for the sport of sailing and sailboat racing. The top boats in each Olympic and Paralympic class are selected annually to be members of the US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider. US Sailing supports these elite athletes with funding, coaching and training. The title sponsor of the team is Sperry Top-Sider; other sponsors include Rolex Watch USA, Atlantis WeatherGear, LaserPerformance, Harken Team McLube, Bow Down Training, New England Ropes and Trinity Yachts.

The United States Sailing Association (US Sailing), the national governing body for sailing, provides leadership, integrity, and growth for the sport in the United States. Founded in 1897 and headquartered in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, US Sailing is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization. US Sailing offers training and education programs for instructors and race officials, supports a wide range of sailing organizations and communities, issues offshore rating certificates, and provides administration and oversight of competitive sailing across the country, including National Championships and the US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider. For more information, please visit www.ussailing.org.