- Thumbs Up! May 30, 2011
Picture of the weekend comes from Ken Kashing after day one of the Memorial Day Regatta at ABYC.
Yes……you read that right. Top speed of 23.2 knots and sustained average of over 15 knots. Yee Haw!
...read more - Viper Sail Registration. Need everyone’s help on this one… May 24, 2011
A little background: One of the attractive features of the Viper Class to many folks, especially in the recent economic turmoil, is our “one set of sails per year” class rule. This concept has been with us since the restart of the Class and was updated early this year via a Class vote that closed some loopholes and added provisions for registering or “buttoning” sails. Registration makes compliance easy for all of us to implement and monitor going forward.
Yeah, it can seem restrictive and even damn un-American to be limited to only one set of sails a year if you come from an open class and are used to buying lots of sails. On the other hand (and seriously) our sail acquisition rule really levels the playing field and allows us all to know we face the same decisions managing ...
...read more - You Can Viper Here May 14, 2011
I drove 3 hours this morning to meet Bob Bowditch, who purchased new Viper # 136 after one demo sail in Marblehead last August. Bob resides in Brookline, MA and summers in picturesque Boothbay Harbor, Maine. The purpose of my trip was to help Bob rig his new boat and take her for it’s maiden voyage.
Well, we pulled up to the town ramp, amidst thick trees and a private residence hidden in the woods. Within 5 minutes of arriving to rig the mast, out of the woods, almost from the height of the treetops, we both hear a voice…” Hey is that a Viper?” we both are shocked. Boothbay is more known for very traditional yachts and sailing sloops, nothing as modern as the Viper. So down from the stair steps comes Jeff, whose voice we heard. Immediately he is signed up to do ...
...read more - What actually is a Viper 640? We’ve begun to find out. May 8, 2011
So we’ve all been sailing around in this great boat that Brian Bennett designed. But as it turns out, there are no drawings or data files that define exactly what a Viper 640 is. We all know that the racing is very close out of the water, but the only detailed information we have on the boat is what you see on your trailer. At this stage in the development of the Class, the Exec Committee has decided to do something about this for a few basic reasons:
First, as an owner-driven class we need to be able to communicate with the current or future builder just what this boat is and how it is made. We want to ensure that construction is consistent in order to continue our close racing out on the water.
Second, is essentially to have a backup copy. Say Paul Young sold Rondar and ...
...read more - Viper Class Association and Settlement with Brian Bennett April 6, 2011
On April 4th, the Viper 640 Class Association and Brian Bennett mutually agreed not to pursue a settlement agreement, now or in the future.
Brian has stated that he will support the class and its members and that he wishes the Class Association the very best.
The Viper Class Association wishes Brian all the best with the VX One Design.
This ends a long process which has consumed many hundreds of hours of volunteer time and it is the best resolution for both sides.
The brief background to this is as follows:
Brian Bennett was the original designer and builder of the Viper beginning in 1996 and his company went bankrupt in 1999.
The original Viper Class Association raised funds to purchase the tooling from the bankruptcy receiver and recommence production in the US. However the molds were sold through an intermediary to Race One in ...
...read more - 2011 San Diego Noods April 1, 2011
Funny you ask…
So there we were….(as one of my crew likes to put it..) #143 Sinnerman was splashed after a short week and delivery from San Francisco to San Diego. Drew Harper had made sure the boat and I were ready to go. With only a week to prep for NOOD in San Diego we had our work cut out for us. I had been thinking of this moment for over six months. Rondar was amazing at keeping me up to date on the delivery but it could never come soon enough. I was a week out and had to figure out the boat. I had my new set of Quantum’s and was ready to go.
Day one…Decent breeze and the flat water of Coronado Bay. A great combination. We made our splash in the fleet but had better downwind than upwind ...
...read more - Southern Cal MidWinters March 8, 2011
Team Viral got in late about 9:30 after a wet exit from Los Angeles. When we got to Mission Bay YC, it was dark except for distinct noises coming from the bar was making noise and we were not shocked to find the bar full of Snake bit types. We had superstar Al hook us up a few, and then when he finally kicked us out we moved the party to the Catalina 30 we had secured for the weekend. After everybody squeezed in, there were more lies to be told and we successfully destroyed our 1st bottle of Mount Gay. All along there was 30 kt breeze rocking the boat and intermittent rain showers.
Saturday greeted us with broken clouds, small cells, and generally 5-7kt breeze. After we all got launched we sailed out the channel to the outside course, ...
...read more - Sport Boat March 3, 2011
Stu loved the logo on the hood of his car so much that he put it on his spinnaker. Now, Juan is driving the Porsche chute.
If anyone at upcoming regattas can get a great shot of this chute surfin’ downwind, please send a pic to class, because Porsche would love to use it.
...read more - Registration is open for EFG Bank Pan American Championship Series. February 16, 2011
The Registration, Notice of Series and Website for the EFG Pan Am Series is open here:- http://www.yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=471
EFG Bank Pan American Championship 2011 Schedule
Round One: Viper Midwinter Championship at Bacardi Miami Sailing Week. March 10-12
Round Two: Viper Pacific Coast Championships at Ullman Sails Long Beach Race Week AND Viper Atlantic Coast Championships at Bacardi Newport Race Week. June 24-26
Round Three: Viper North American Championships at Sarnia Yacht Club. September 28- October 1
Registration is free. All participants in any of these individual regattas qualify for the series. The series will award trophies for overall and handicap results and for participation.
...read more - Hurricanes or Mojitos? February 3, 2011
Viper sailors face a tempting choice of two cocktails, two parties, two regattas and two coasts over March 10-13.Can we tempt you to join us for Hurricanes at Mardi Gras Race Week at New Orleans Yacht Club on Lake Ponchartrain ? Or can we seduce you with Mojitos at Bacardi Miami Sailing Week at Coral Reef Yacht Club on Biscayne Bay?
Both will be awesome Regattas and we are expecting to see a combined total of 30+ Vipers racing over this weekend. Come and join us.
Hurricanes
The New Orleans Yacht Club requests your presence for three days of hard core racing… and oh yeah -four nights of partying New Orleans style.
With Mardi Gras culminating on Fat Tuesday, March 8, 2011, the best sailors will just not let the party end and will roll through their hangovers, create new ones and rock the ...
...read more - Cactus & Vipers February 3, 2011
Three years ago I was participating in the Leukemia Lymphoma Society Fantasy Sail in San Diego and I met some sailors from Arizona. Having done a large part of my sailing on a river, I was struck by the idea of sailing in the desert. This year, upon realizing that Phoenix is a mere six hour drive away, I decided that I would head out to the Arizona Yacht Club’s big regatta to see what it was all about.
I arrived at the Pleasant Harbor Marina and RV Resort at Lake Pleasant which was not only where the regatta was being held, but was also where we would be staying for the duration of the event. My arrival happened to coincide with the start of the evening’s festivities (funny how that worked out, almost like it was planned). I can’t imagine ...
...read more - 2011 EFG Bank Pan American Viper Championship Series January 23, 2011
The preeminent championship circuit for three person sport boats in North America is the EFG Bank Pan American Viper Championships In 2010, 43 Vipers participated in the inaugural Pan American Championships. After 30 races spanning three premier regattas in Miami, Kingston, and New York, the series’ leaders were tied. The team of Brad Boston (Canada)/Lee Shuckrow (USA) edged out Barry Parkin (Great Britain) in a tiebreaker to take the title.
In 2011, the EFG Bank Pan American Championships will once again commence in March at Bacardi Miami Sailing Week. The second round in late June represents an exciting innovation for the 2011 series with simultaneous Viper racing on both the East and West coasts. On June 24-26, Vipers will be racing as part of both, the Viper Pacific Coast Championships at Long Beach Race Week in California, and the Viper Atlantic Coast ...
...read more - HPDO & EFG Bank Pan Am Championships October 11, 2010
Thirty Five Vipers on one starting line. Two days of sunshine and breeze on.
These pictures will help to tell the story.
Thirty Five Boats makes for crowded start lines.
…and not a lot of separation by the time we got to the first windward mark
Thirty Five boats, also means that Thirty Four boats didn’t come first.
But these guys did. Again!
But we were all winners with gorgeous sailing , and wonderful hosts, American Yacht Club, looking over Long Island Sound in the fall.
Dinner on Saturday night in the charming club house.
The members encouraged 35 Vipers to park on their immaculate lawns. Each boat had a custom parking space marked on the grass.
You had to get up really early to launch 35 Vipers and be in time for skippers meeting at 9.30 am on Saturday morning.
For a change we were not the fastest boats on the ...
...read more - Vipers for McKinnon-Tucker October 7, 2010
12-1-2010
Update:- Since this article was written, the US Sailing elections were held and Maureen was elected to the board of US Sailing with a large vote. We congratulate Maureen on her new role and thank Viper Class members for their support. At the US Sailing agm it was also announced that Justin Scott was elected to US Sailing’s house of delegates and a member of the US Sailing One Design Council. If any Viper Class members have views or ideas about what US Sailing should be doing for our sport, please contact either Maureen or Justin.
7-10-2010
Occasionally the President has to step aside from his/her executive role and do some political campaigning.
As anyone who has ever been involved in politics knows, rule #1 is to get a seat at the table. In the upcoming elections for the board of directors at US Sailing, the ...
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