Latest US News


  • Tips for the Perfect Turkey October 13, 2012 Tips for the Perfect Turkey
    Keith Magnussen (above, Sailmaker at Ullman Sails and West Coast Viper Rock Star) and Phil Toth (Aussie Olympic Star contender, below)  will be hosting a Viper tuning and boat mechanics clinic at ABYC on Friday before the Turkey Day regatta in November. Friday November 16th. They will have a coach boat and videos. Keith writes “This is a great opportunity to come practice and learn everything we know about tuning and how we sail the boats and best of all it is free. Please RSVP to Keith so he gets an idea of who wants to come. Keith Magnussen kmagnussen at ullmansails  (dot or period)      com Ullman Sails Newport Beach Mobile: 714-206-1002 Office: 714-432-1860 The Turkey Regatta is hosted by ABYC, the site of 2014 Viper North American Championships….and as their website says….”This is the big daddy!” The only question is “Why don’t we have a Turkey Day Regatta on ...
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  • Better Know a Viperer: Tony Chapman October 10, 2012 Better Know a Viperer: Tony Chapman
    We continue the “BKAV” series on the Viper class officers with treasurer Tony Chapman, a/k/a “the Road Warrior”, “the guy with the funny teal Viper”, or just “the British guy with the bandanas.”  Tony is one of the mainstays of the Viper fleet in Arizona — yes, there are Vipers racing in the desert.  When the temperatures reach 100 degrees in the summer, that’s the signal for Tony and others to hit the road to California, Seattle, and in Tony’s case, the east coast.  Tony endeared himself to the class by trekking 2500 miles in 2009 for Charleston Race Week and the NAs in Stamford, Connecticut, and made it to the 2011 NAs in Sarnia (where he finished a strong fifth overall) and 2012 in Marblehead, bringing two other Vipers with him on a triple stack.  If you haven’t met ...
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  • High Performance On and Off the Water October 8, 2012 High Performance On and Off the Water
    27 Vipers made the annual pilgrimage to Western Long Island Sound’s American YC for the HPDO (aka, the “High Performance Dinghy Open”).  Despite the lead appendages, Vipers have been a mainstay at the HPDO for several years, with 35 Vipers in attendance in 2010 and 27 Vipers in 2011.  The 2012 edition had 31 Vipers signed up until some late cancellations dropped the turnout slightly.  Saturday’s conditions started with a steady 13-18 kts from the southwest for the first three races, all of which were won by 2012 ACCs champ Jason Carroll and his team on Viper 160 Argo despite several general recalls, Z flags and even the appearance of the black flag for the second and third races. The breeze clocked hard to the right in race 4, skewing the course significantly.  The breeze stayed up as the clouds ...
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  • Better Know a Viperer: Dawn Kozak October 2, 2012 Better Know a Viperer: Dawn Kozak
    Now that we’re into October and on the wrong side of the class’s Annual General Meeting where our class officers were reappointed for another term, we’ve decided that it’d be worth the effort to get to know some of them better for the latest in the “BKAV” series — our officers hail from New Jersey, Arizona, Connecticut, Washington State and New York, so they’re all over the place.  First up is our Class President, Dawn Kozak.  Dawn was appointed late last year after Dan Tucker stepped down, and has been a great ambassador for all things Viper, owning three boats since 2005 and racing up and down the east coast.  Dawn currently serves on the Board of Governors at Raritan Yacht Club in Perth Amboy, NJ in addition to chairing the club’s Red Grant Regatta, the largest keelboat regatta in ...
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  • Better Know a Viperer: Doug Stumberger September 27, 2012 Better Know a Viperer: Doug Stumberger
    If you’re in the Viper class and you know Doug Stumberger, then either: You’re from Seattle; or You pay incredibly close attention to class activities and get a gold star. Doug owns the newest Viper in the Pacific Northwest, seen here (below) picking up Viper 174 in late 2011 from Garrett Greenhalgh of Spinnaker Sailing. Doug may be too new to have pictures of him actually sailing his Viper, but we promise it’s happened, as we met at Pacific Coast Champs at Whidbey Island Race Week this summer.  He has however, been around long enough to learn from past class president Justin Scott that it’s ok to drive 800 miles with an all white Viper and no bottom cover (though not long enough to be fully indoctrinated into the school of psychedelic West Coast Viper gelcoat hull colors).  Doug is also a sailing ...
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  • Better Know a Viperer: Pat Gibson September 24, 2012 Better Know a Viperer: Pat Gibson
    The Viper 640 class has presidents past and present, fleet captains, sparkplugs and various other dignitaries.  It does not have many commodores, but Pat Gibson is here to change that.  After taking delivery of Viper 152 in early 2011, Gibson also took the top spot at Houston YC, host of the 2013 Viper NAs.  Everything is bigger in Texas, and while we’ll all get to know Commodore Gibson a bit better next year, we wanted to get a sneak preview of the man behind the ice sculpture. Name: Pat Gibson Location: Houston, TX Viper currently (or past) owned — name(s) and sail number(s): 152,  Seco Tu Pelo Tell us a bit more about the origin of the name of your Viper: Once at aTex-Mex restaurant, we were talking about names of a prior boat. My (now sailing at College of Charleston) daughter who was ...
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  • Pieter Taselaar and Bliksem Team Win 2012 NAs September 10, 2012 Pieter Taselaar and Bliksem Team Win 2012 NAs
    Press release attached.  More photos and videos to come in the following days.
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  • Day 3 of NAs: Bigger Breeze and Swells Separate Standings September 9, 2012 Day 3 of NAs: Bigger Breeze and Swells Separate Standings
    Press release for Day 3 posted. Quick video from Day 2 by Leighton O’Connor Photos from Days 1, 2 and 3 on the Viper 640 Facebook page.
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  • Day 2 of 2012 NAs: Down Under On Top September 7, 2012 Day 2 of 2012 NAs: Down Under On Top
    Press release posted.
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  • 2012 Viper NAs: Taselaar and Locke Tied for the Lead September 6, 2012 2012 Viper NAs: Taselaar and Locke Tied for the Lead
    Day 1 is in the books in Marblehead.  Press release here, photos by Leighton O’Connor here, results here.
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  • Start Your Engines: 2012 Viper NAs Set to Begin September 6, 2012 Start Your Engines: 2012 Viper NAs Set to Begin
    MARBLEHEAD, Mass. (September 6): After months of planning, over 45 Viper 640s have returned to the class’s unofficial home in Marblehead, Massachusetts to compete in the fleet’s largest North American Championship to date. Teams are signed up from five countries and eleven states and provinces, including two teams from Western Australia who will be chartering boats for the week. Racing begins on Thursday, September 6 and concludes on Sunday, September 9. Thursday’s forecast calls for light air, which may build late in the afternoon.  READ MORE.
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  • Better Know a Viperer: Deborah Wilusz August 23, 2012 Better Know a Viperer: Deborah Wilusz
    Any time your Viper sailing spouse has as his forum profile quote “Don’t Piss Deborah Off……..please”, you know you’ve found a candidate for your next installment of “Better Know a Viperer.”  Deborah Deats-Wilusz has made a strong impression on the class in a short period of time.  She and husband Craig finished a strong 9th at their first Charleston Race Week in 2011, following it up with a fifth at the 2012 Bacardi Cup and four top-three race finishes.  Barring any late summer hurricanes, they’ll be hauling Viper 100 “Ice Melted” from the Florida panhandle to Marblehead in a couple of weeks for the NAs, so we figured it’d be best to talk to her now and get on her good side before the first crossing on the course or the rum tent… Name: Deborah Deats-Wilusz Location: Fort Walton Beach, Florida Viper currently ...
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  • Better Know a Viperer: Kay VanValkenburgh August 17, 2012 Better Know a Viperer: Kay VanValkenburgh
    Next up in our series is Viper veteran Kay VanValkenburgh, better known to some folks in the class as “the really tall guy with the blonde ponytail.”  And while that is accurate, you may also soon know him as “Viper Class Governor,” since Kay has been nominated by the class’s Executive Committee and existing Governor to serve in that capacity.  In advance of the Annual General Meeting September 8, 2012 in Marblehead at the NAs, we wanted to catch up with Kay to find out what makes him tick and whether he has a new Viper world order planned… Name: Kay VanValkenburgh Location: Boston, MA Vipers currently (and previously) owned: 28 Qirq (first), 74 Qirqii (briefly), 98 Lo.qi (current) Tell us a bit more about the origin of the name of your Viper: the Viper is my first boat – I attributed my early ...
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  • Double Damned If You Do… August 14, 2012 Double Damned If You Do...
    The Double Damned Race is a rite of passage for sporty sailors in the Pacific Northwest — 42 miles, point-to-point, usually downwind, on the scenic Columbia River from Cascade Locks to the dam at The Dalles.  It’s The Oregon Trail, and while you shouldn’t get dysentery, the windy run may give you the runs as you try to keep your $hit together with boats wiping out around you as puffs funnel through the infamous Columbia River Gorge.  Anacortes, Washington Viperer Steve Orsini kidnapped Kaa (Viper 129) to brave one of the west coast’s wildest races.  Unfortunately, the 2012 race disappointed with a light air edition, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t stories to tell… We arrived at Cascade Locks at 4:00 pm on Friday, August 10.   It was howling at 30 knots with gusts to 40.   We set up the rig, ...
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