SCREWPILE ENTRY PROCEDURES: Entries must be submitted on the Official Screwpile Challenge 2011 Entry Form, available at the official web site www.splc.us  , and be accompanied by a check.  The deadline for entry is  July 13th.    Make checks payable to Screwpile Challenge and mail with entry form to: SCREWPILE CHALLENGE 2011, PO BOX 66, HOLLYWOOD MD 20636

Heading for SCREWPILE:  Here's how the numbers break down as far as boats coming out of southern Bay clubs/sailing associations:  Hampton Yacht Club - 6;  Fishing Bay Yacht Club - 4;  Broad Bay Sailing Association - 3;  Dahlgren Yacht Club - 2; SAYC - 1.  Hampton Yacht Club won The Battle of the Chesapeake at Screwpile in 2010, and will be hoping to bring the coveted trophy back home to Hampton after this year's regatta.

 
Time and again the fraternity of southern Bay college sailing coaches come through for the racing community - most often loaning facilities, equipment, time and expertise.  Such was the case a weekend ago at the 50th Broad Bay Sailing Association Annual Regatta (small boats).  In addition to loaning the ODU Sailing Center (head coach Mitch Brindley),  some boats were shared for the racing.  To help support the regatta, ODU chartered boats for a modest fee and six of the seven Lasers on the course were ODU charter boats.  And, then Mitch gave up a major portion of his July 4th weekend at the Junior Olympics - Bay Open in Hampton,  running a clinic and serving on the protest committee. 
 
Two great opportunities to race this coming weekend and to support two important efforts:
 
**VET CUP 2011 - Saturday, July 9th.  Organizing authority is Langley Yacht Club.  This year  the regatta will honor, in addition to all veterans,  local veteran L. "Armie"  Armstrong (Colonel, USAF, Ret.) as  "one who exemplifies the character traits that make our veterans stand out."  Col. Armstrong flew in the Army Air Corps in World War II.  Also, racers and friends will be encouraged to make donations to the Virginia Wounded Warrior Program at displays set up at the skippers meeting and the post-race party.  Remember, you do not have to be affiliated with the Armed Services to participate.  The racing will take place off the Buckroe area and is open to all PHRF classes as well as to Cruising Fleet boats.  Four boats of a specific kind will constitute a one-design fleet and a separate start. Event officials hope to have two races on drop mark triangular courses.   Entries are due by July 7, 2011.   For information and entry, please contact Annette Connors at (757) 327-1514)  and you may register on-line at www.langleyyachtclub.org
 
 **SOUTHERN CHESAPEAKE BAY LEUKEMIA CUP - Saturday and Sunday, July 9-10.    Fishing Bay Yacht Club and Stingray Harbour Yacht Club have teamed up to provide this event in support of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. The regatta includes a Cruising Class and a Classic Class for yachts designed by 1976 in addition to PHRF spinnaker and non-spinnaker classes.  Event officials are offering multiple races each day; drop mark courses will be in the Chesapeake Bay off Stingray Point. This is the 13th edition, of the event. Early Bird Pricing has been extended! For info and/or to enter, please contact Sue Willis at 800-766-0797 or sue.willis@LLS.org.
 
In the Whittemore household, there is a newbie-crewbie.  Rob and Allison Whittemore are the proud Momma and Poppa of recently arrived  Reid Pierce Whittemore.  Rob says he and Allison are not checking out colleges yet, but he has  ". . . started looking at Opti’s!!! "
 
Top young sailors all come from somewhere.  Ian Stokes is an outstanding young racer who calls the southern Bay (Norfolk) home.  He has gone from  2007 Optimist National Champion to currently representing the United States in the RS:X windsurfer class.  He is heading to Croatia in July for the ISF-Youth World Championships.  Ian is a high school junior at  Norfolk Collegiate, and helped lead his high school sailing team to both fleet and team racing championships and a regular season championship.  He  recently sailed in the local Hampton One Design (HOD) fleet with his dad, Gordy Stokes.   Ian's goal is to make the U.S. Olympic team.   (Thanks to Latane Montague of the "Ian update")
 
WATCH THIS!!  Gill National College Sailing Championship airs on ESPNU on Wednesday, July 6 at 7:00pm ET. Host Gary Jobson takes an in-depth look at the top 18 college sailing teams vying for the Collegiate Championship. A special feature is exclusive onboard footage along with interviews of the sailors.  Pump up your Hi-Def stuff - this should be good!
 
Elizabeth Modlin and Rodney Paice (J/24, Chop Chop)  plan to tie the matrimonial knot in Portsmouth,  Saturday, July 9th at exactly 1907, i.e. 7:07 pm.  That is the official time of HIGH TIDE!
 
More on the tragic death of Olivia Constants while sailing in Annapolis just over a week ago.  From SCUTTLEBUTT 3374 - Thursday, June 30, 2011  Website: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com  Gary Hoyt details the issues at play in the specific type of capsizing.  Well worth the read for all, especially those who are involved in small boats. RESOLVING TWO CONFLICTING REALITIES, By Garry Hoyt, sailing innovator. 
 

On July 12, at The Mariners' Museum, The Perfect Storm’s Linda Greenlaw, America’s only female swordfish captain, speaks about her new book that chronicles her return to the sword fishing after 10 years close to shore. Seaworthy: A Swordboat Captain Returns to the Sea, is her fourth non-fiction book. In Seaworthy, Greenlaw takes up a friend’s offer to captain a boat for a season of sword fishing, during which her adventures range from the usual complexities of longline fishing and reading the weather to less expected complications–namely, being thrown in jail.  Greenlaw, featured in the book The Perfect Storm and portrayed in the movie version, is now on the Discovery Channel show Swords: Life on the Line.  FREE for Mariners’ Museum Members, $5 for non-Members.  TMM asks that you enter through the Main Entrance. Doors open at 6:15 P.M. A light reception will follow the lecture, with the author available to sign copies of her book.  Click on www.MarinersMuseum.org , call (757) 591-7749 or e-mail bhill@MarinersMuseum.org.
 
Save the date:  Hampton Roads Sunfish Challenge and Distance Dinghy Race - September 24, 2011.  This is a crazy (in a good way), crazy event.  The race for dinghies starts in Little Bay (aka Norfolk's Willoughby Bay) and runs along the big ship channel of the Elizabeth River  to the finish line off the ODU Sailing Center (mouth Lafayette River).  Along the way, racers get a special perspective of the US Navy fleet at the Norfolk Naval Base piers.  The race distance is approximately 8 miles.  2011 will be the third year and 25 racers are already signed up. Number 25 is Craig Olsen, who used to race his Olson 30, Namesake  and who cruises and sometimes races his current Olson 34, Loki, in Hampton Roads.
 
Sixty-three (63) young sailors raced over the holiday weekend in Hampton at the Bay Open - Junior Olympics.  Top three finishers overall in the 32 boat Optimist fleet were:  1.Paul Streater (NYCC), 2.Jed Londrey (FBYC), and 3.Hannah Steadman (FBYC).  Winner of the Club 420 fleet (9 boats) was Patrick Floyd and Jeremy Herrin won the Laser Radial fleet (13 boats).
 
So,  you think you might like to do a little cruising.  How's this sound?
The Malts Cruise 2011 starts in Oban, Scotland, on 8 July, when the first participants register at the cruise office in Oban Marina, Kerrera and the Oban Distillery welcomes Malts Cruise visitors for a complementary tour.  120 people aged from 8 to 80 years, from 8 nationalities and crewing on 36 boats will be coming together to enjoy two weeks of cruising, ceilidh, wildlife, whisky, islands, mountains and lochs.  The crews will get a real flavour of Scotland as they visit remote communities, sample local whiskies, vension and seafood, and join village ceilidhs (traditional dancing).  There will be time to explore ashore, with local guides helping participants to learn more (and hopefully see) wildlife such as red deer, golden eagles, ospreys, white tailed eagles and otters.  World Cruising Club will tell you more at www.worldcruising.com/maltscruise   World Cruising Club is the group that now handles the 2011 Caribbean 1500, with originates in Hampton.