Coming Next August...VALUE For Your Hard-Earned Regatta $.

Delivering Value For The

Sailing Dollar:

Here in Sheboygan We’ve Been Obsessing About That.

Question:
 “Hey your organizers of the 2014 NA’s, I’ve heard you’re only charging $299 for the NAs. Is this some bare bones bait and switch? How can it really be that cheap? What’s included with my entry fee? “

Answer:

We are SO glad you asked that. We are proud of the value we can offer even at this relatively low price point.

Included in the ‘Regular’ NA’s $299 entry fee:

-At least 2 kegs of free microbrew after each day of racing with daily SWAG raffles.

-Traditional “Sheboygan Brat Fry” dinner on Sunday evening

-Dinner on Tuesday

-3 tickets to the Awards Banquet at The Blue Harbor Resort on Friday evening

-2 “What Was Happening Out There?” debrief/coaching sessions led by Greg Fisher

Included in the $150 for the Masters and Women entry fee and the $50 Junior entry fee you get:

-1 keg of free microbrew after each day of racing (Sorry, Juniors don’t get this but they do get entered in the SWAG raffles)

-Mexican Fiesta dinner party on Saturday evening

- Traditional “Sheboygan Brat Fry” dinner on Sunday evening

-Greg Fisher will be on the water shooting video and observing on Friday and Saturday. He will lead a video debrief and coaching session each of those days after sailing. This service is being funded by a grant from SEAS (Sailing Education Association of Sheboygan)

Options:

•Extra tickets will be available for all of the events. If you have friends and family along who would like to join the fun they are most welcome.

•Sheboygan Yacht Club will also be open for dining on the nights when event dinners are not held. You are welcome to eat in the dining room and order off the regular menu (reservations appreciated.)

•There will also be a short order  grill operating every evening for those who want to hang out outside or under the tents.

 •The club will be offering a la carte breakfast items each morning.

 • Competitor lunches to take on the water will be available every day for $6. You may order these for every day of the regatta with your online registration, at on-site registration, or the evening before you would like them.

• One of the neatest things about Sheboygan is that it has a whole generation of new restaurants within walking distance of the club. You will want to try some on the off nights. In fact that's why we've PLANNED the off nights! Sheboygan is wired so that the local merchants are actually EXCITED when sailors come to compete. That's kinda nice...and its actually true. There will be information about these options in your registration packet.

• Last, but certainly not least,  the famous Sheboygan Yacht Club bar and the “Tiki” bar in the Club’s  brand new Lowell North Pavilion. You will enjoy getting to know Barb the bartender and our club manager Sean.

• Temporary club memberships will be available so you may charge food, drinks…bail. Unfortunately I just checked and SYC does not have any Underhills on the member roster.

Update:

We continue actively on the look-out for sponsorship funding. The plan is to use additional donations to add features to the offerings at the same price point. SOLID MIDWESTERN VALUE…THAT IS SHEBOYGAN. We may not be LA baby, but have you looked at the rack rate at the Beverly Hills Hotel?! Here the beverages are cold and inexpensive and consistently available. 

Subliminal message: 

100 boats. 

Introducing A Person You Will Be Very Glad You Know In Sheboygan.

This past weekend marked the addition of a new member of our 2014 North American's Organizing team. Tess Larson joined us as COO. Todd Wake who is the Off-Water Regatta Chairman  and Bill Faude On-Water Chairman are delighted Tess has decided to join our squad.

                                                    -Faude photo which Tess does not particularly enjoy.

                                                 - Larson action photo Tess prefers.

As COO, Tess is responsible for helping make sure the W-M-Js and the NAs...operate smoothly. Before the regatta dates, Tess will help make sure the different committee chairmen are making the necessary progress on their deliverables. She will help keep us on schedule and when we discover we need something we  don't have a plan for, she will help make it happen.

During the regatta Tess will be the daily contact functioning as a go-between for the Sail Sheboygan and Sheboygan Yacht Club staff and the regatta organization. She will be a great asset in that roll for two reasons: 1. She has seemingly never met a problem who's A _ _ she couldn't kick. 2. As a local who practically grew up at SYC, she is well known to most everyone we're counting on. She also has more energy than most small Middle Eastern Emirates.

Tess will also be a great contact for you when you arrive. Need to know where to be or when to be there? Just Ask Tess. You can always go to Fred and Gail the regatta concierge team but when in doubt your can also Just Ask Tess. That's kinda catchy.

Tess Larson grew up in Sheboygan. Her family has a J-80 docked in the club slips. She graduated from The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire with a degree in Comprehensive English Education. She then got her Masters Degree from the University Wisconsin-Green Bay in Applied Leadership in Teaching and Learning. She is currently employed as a High school educator teaching English and journalism. Her Journalism students produce the school newspaper...among the first nationally to distribute their journalism 100% on-line. They are a very tree-friendly bunch and all social media'd up.

Prior to becoming regatta COO, Tess was a member of our social media committee. Come to think of it, she still IS a member of our social media committee. Through some clerical error, she was not allowed to divest herself of those duties, so she will be on the water during the regatta tweeting mark rounding positions, assisting with getting finishing scores and photographs quickly posted to the Sail Sheboygan website. To bad Tess didn't have Tess to help solve that problem...

Just over 184 days until the first day of measurement. We are very psyched to welcome more than 100 boats!!!

Happy...Yes. Spring...No So Much.

Good Morning, it is February 1, 2014.
All the best from Sheboygan, Wisconsin.

NOAA Photo

As of this morning, there are six months and six days until (187 Days) until the first day of measuring for the WMJs at the 2014 North American Championships. This morning, we are having our February organizational meeting where we are going to be discussing:

• The Electronic Registration Form and the included credit card payment option.

• The menu and the costs for the daily 'on water' lunches that will be available at the club every

   morning.

• Updates on the boat and car parking plans.

• Additional thinking about RV parking options.

• The registration packages and the regatta program.

• Guest charge privileges. 

• The on-site sportswear and regatta equipment provider arrangements.

• Options to open the harbor with explosives should the ice not have melted by August.

Faude Photo

The above photo was taken during some recent through-ice recovery training by the local fire rescue team. (News flash: They did not locate the rudder I lost just about right there during the Brotz Regatta of 1997.)

Yes, Polar Vortex and Son of Polar Vortex (PV-II) have been through these parts and they remind properly-aged people of 1978 when we used to have...winters like this. We're told that Lake Michigan is now approximately 45% frozen. But we can still see open water from the Sheboygan Yacht Club Bar. It's blue and liquid and we could probably plane across it for about 3 minutes before requiring a hot toddy and a head examination.  If anything, the lake is quieter than usual. There is no sound of breaking waves because the ice shelf extends a ways out toward the race course.

This is all to say that we are NOT letting this winter slow us down!! Our outstanding team of volunteers will be out in force this morning. We've been joined by one more VERY important member who you will meet in my next blog post. We're excited for this weather to reverse itself and welcome you at the 2014 Lightning North Americans in just, lets see... 4,488 short hours from now. Whew, that is right around the corner. I recommend you go out to the garage and check your trailer light connection right this minute.