- EFG Revamps Viper Pan American Championship Sponsorship June 13, 2013
The Viper 640 Class Association is thrilled to announce that EFG International has renewed its partnership with the class to revamp the Viper Pan American Championship for 2013-2014.
The key changes are to the regattas, sponsors and scoring system. Miami 2014 is now a “winner-take-all” event. You can “qualify” for Miami by doing one of several pre-championship qualifiers, including the EFG Cup just a couple of days before Miami Sailing Week. Other qualifiers include:
– Long Beach Race Week (June 28-30, Alamitos Bay YC)
– Newport Regatta / Viper ACCs (July 13-14, Newport, RI)
– Cowes Week (England – top sportboat division finisher gets a free Viper charter in Miami)
– Lake Garda K6 European Championship (June 24-28)
– Canadian Viper Nationals (CORK – Kingston, Ontario Aug. 23-25)
– Viper North Americans (Houston YC Oct. 9-12)
– Soto 40 South American Championship (TBA)
– Australian National Championship (TBA)
– EFG ...
...read more - Vipers Streak Chicago NOOD June 13, 2013
The Great Lakes Viper Fleet invaded the Chicago Noods this year for the first time in class history. Local boat owners Nick Kofski (#55) and Anthony Bowker (#194) were joined by five boats traveling to Chicago (#29, #41, #43, & #57) as the class sailed out of friendly Chicago Corinthian Yacht Club and shared the race circle with a bunch of Rhodes 19s.
Also in attendance was Dan Tucker from Rondar Raceboats USA, who came down to race with rookie Doug Hennessy. Dan was busy on Friday taking out potential owners and promoting the fleet (Thanks again!). On shore the others got together, shared some Goose Island beers (Thanks to Anthony), and shared tips and tricks while rigging up for the weekend.
The first day of racing saw light to moderate breeze. Both the Rhodes and Vipers were postponed until ...
...read more - The “New” New Englands June 4, 2013
While the New England region has always technically included Connecticut, when the Viper fleet thinks “New England”, they usually think first of the Newport Bridge and drinking on the wharves, or late nights at Maddie’s Sail Loft in Marblehead after a day of sailing on the Tinker’s Line. In 2013, the class asked everyone to travel into the southwest corner of the region to Cedar Point Yacht Club in Westport, CT, one of the best one-design clubs in the country, and home to a growing one-design regatta in early June. Throw in the desire of a couple of CPYC members to get Vipers, and making Cedar Point the site of this year’s New England Championship became a no brainer. Good decision too.
Cedar Point is like the Alamitos Bay Yacht Club of the northeast, or the Severn Sailing Association of Connecticut. It’s ...
...read more - Memorial Day Madness May 28, 2013
Memorial Day is traditionally the kickoff to the northeast sailing season, but Mother Nature did not cooperate in 2013, bringing big winds of 25+ knots with gusts into the 40s, canceling racing for 14 Vipers at the Larchmont Memorial Day Regatta and for the Marblehead Viper fleet. The West Coast Vipers continued to remind everyone how most of us live in the wrong part of the country by having seven races in the typical Long Beach Chamber of Commerce conditions. Teams from host Alamitos Bay YC owned the top of the scoreboard, with Ed Feo’s Locomotion team coming out on top.
In the meantime, the Western Long Island Sound Vipers decided to turn their lemons into lemonade. First, there was the requisite Saturday night BBQ, hosted by Peter & Carol Bauer. While huddled around the keg in the garage, people started ...
...read more - Familiar Faces; College Sweethearts; Greased Lightning; and Other Tall Tales from the Low Country April 25, 2013
There’s something about sailing in Charleston that causes Viperers to wax poetic. Not that Class Governor Justin Scott needed an excuse to put pen to paper, but now that the chicken and waffles have been digested and the carrier pigeon received with an article tied to its leg, we’re ready to publish. Enjoy.
Familiar Faces
Charleston Race Week was close, very close. Brad Boston, Lee Shuckerow and Eric Vigrass were not allowed to relax and celebrate until the last races were abandoned, but once again our favorite “homeboyz” from Detroit and Sarnia took home the Charleston Race Week championship. Only four points separated the top three boats. Brad admitted that “It was tough out there,” and commented, “Everyone in the fleet is getting better and better. There are no easy clear lanes on the Viper course. It’s all about hitting singles and staying consistent.”
College Sweethearts
Whenever ...
...read more - Charleston Race Week: Yeah, That Happened April 22, 2013
No one will forget the 2013 edition of Charleston Race Week any time soon. The new Jackpot won, and hit 22.3 knots in the process? Don’t believe it? They won And Sunday was barely a good day to be in a water ballasted ocean racer. But still, there were 8 races over the course of the two days that were sailable, lots of boats, nearly 30 Vipers, and countless Dark & Stormies on the beach. In ...
...read more - The Girls Rally for the San Diego NOOD March 22, 2013
My Viper adventure began with a cryptic email message from Tim Carter earlier this month: “Just heard that one of the KHYC Vipers may be available to use for SD NOODs… March 15-17… you would make 12… come on out girls, the water is fine…….:)” I responded “Are you kidding me? You want me to pull together a girls team for a boat I have never sailed on, and the regatta is less than 15 days away? I’ll make a few calls but no promises.” I thought this would be the end of it, another failed attempt by Tim to get me off my Martin 242 and on to a Viper. He knows I’m all about getting girls out on the water so he hit my weak spot. As promised I made a few calls, not expecting much on such ...
...read more - Better Know a Viperer: Jeff Jones March 21, 2013
So many people have requested that the Viper class profile Jeff Jones that we couldn’t ignore it any longer. It’s very possible that Jeff is the most prolific Viper owner in class history, having owned four boats and restored several others for the benefit of the Texas Viper fleet. As a true Texan, he is a larger than life character — the first one to rig and launch on days when weaker hearted (and weaker livered) sailors stay ashore, starting post race parties where none existed, and antagonizing past class presidents on a variety of internet message boards. The Viper class is a larger and more interesting place to sail thanks to Mr. Jones, but for the newbies on the coasts, you may not yet know this wily coyote. So here we go…
Name: Jeff Jones
Location: Belton, Texas (a small town ...
...read more - Strutting Around NOOD March 18, 2013
Congratulations are in order to Team F.N.G., USA 148, for schooling the 14-boat Viper fleet at the 2013 Sperry Top-Sider San Diego NOOD this past weekend—racking up a mere 14 points over nine races. With a picket fence scoreline only interrupted by one score of “two,” and two scores of “three,” they dominated the fleet. Team F.N.G. was made up of owner and skipper Dr. Jim Sears and long-time Viper rock star crew Rachel Ellis and Sarah Hester. A name change is in order, and the F’in New Guy will now be known as the “Fantastic NOOD Girls.”
Not only did F.N.G. dominate the Viper Class, but the Viper Class dominated the regatta! Vipers tied with the J/105s as the largest Class in the event.
With the Js getting in only four races, team F.N.G.’s impressive win scored them the overall San ...
...read more - Jackpot Wins 2013 Miami Sailing Week March 11, 2013
Bacardi Miami Sailing Week, presented by EFG Bank ended in style on Saturday, with the Jackpot team of Brad Boston, Eric Vigrass and Shannon Bush emerging from a five-boat pile-up in the standings to take the title. Going into the final day, the top five teams were separated by only five points, and each brought their game faces in the teeth of freshening, shifty breeze. In the first race, Boston’s team took the bullet, moving them into the lead by two points over Glyn Locke’s Fer de Lance team, with Phil and Wendy Lotz two more points behind in the third spot. Jason Carroll’s Argo team sailed its drop race, and Pieter Taselaar’s Bliksem team added an eighth, which they could ill afford after a 16th in Thursday’s only race. Lotz’s team won race two, leapfrogging them ahead of Locke, ...
...read more - There is an “I am” in Miami! March 9, 2013
Day Two found some breeze today. Our favorite PRO Judy was able to bang out 5 races in today’s warm and sunny 9-12 knot breeze. The winds were shifting to the right for the majority of Fridaý, finally settling to a tactical afternoon of five and ten degree shifts causing positon changes thoughout the day.
Friday’s sailing found Peter Taselaar’s Bliksem two points ahead of Brad Boston sailing a Rondar worksboat. A tie and only one point behind the Canuckistan sailmaker has the British team led by Glyn Locke on “the snake boat” and Jason Carroll’s Argo. Rounding out the top five going into the final day of racing is Phillip and Wendy Lotz on Arethusa.
The racing is truly a blast down here in Miami, and most of us are sure happy we are not north of Interstate 10, with the ...
...read more - Fun in the Sun! March 9, 2013
No reason for question marks when determining whether it was a fun day on the water in Miami for Day 2 of Bacardi Miami Sailing Week, presented by EFG Bank. The winds filled at 9-12 knots and held for the entire day, allowing for five additional races to be sailed to make up for Thursday’s light air affair. With six races in the books, competitors are able to discard their worst result, which compressed the top of the standings heading into the final day. The top four teams are separated by only three points, with reigning North American champion Pieter Taselaar and his team aboard Bliksem scoring three seconds, a third and a fourth on the day to take the lead after getting stranded on the wrong side of the course on Thursday. Taselaar has several teams nipping at his ...
...read more - Fun in the Sun? March 7, 2013
Day 1 of Bacardi Miami Sailing Week, presented by EFG Bank, also known as Bacardi Cup (though apparently only the Star Class is legally allowed to call it that, even though everyone else does too — we just don’t get a giant trophy at the end that is taller and heavier than your average 420 sailor) is in the books. Fun? Sure — 18 Vipers were racing in warm weather, and the rest of us weren’t. The weather didn’t cooperate much — great breezes on the way out to the racecourse gave way to a light air start and an even lighter run and beat, at which point the RC shortened course to allow all of the Vipers to drift across the line. Could have been worse — several other classes that aren’t as strong in light air saw boats suffer ...
...read more - Class President Headhunted March 6, 2013
Congratulations are due to our President, Dawn Kozak, who has been offered a career opportunity that she is very excited about. Sadly, the corporation’s gain is our loss, because after a lot of careful thought, Dawn has realized that she cannot balance the role as class association president with her new work responsibilities. She gave the rest of the Executive Committee notice so that they could plan on succession.
Here are the changes that are effective as of March 1, 2013:
Dawn Kozak steps down as class president, and Peter Beardsley (New York, NY / Larchmont YC) has been appointed by the Executive Committee as Class President effective from March 1 until the Annual General Meeting on October 8, 2013 at Houston YC.
Additionally, two additional Executive Committee members have been appointed; Craig and Deborah Wilusz (Ft. Walton Beach, FL / Ft. Walton ...
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