January 10, 2012 -   TOMORROW   Gary Jobson - Sailing: Speed and Passion - (NOTE - Tickets will be available to the door).  OPEN TO ALL - hosted by FISHING BAY YACHT CLUB at the Hilton Garden Inn (Richmond) - Cocktails at 5:30pm, program at 6:30pm.  Cost includes light hors d'ouvres, coffee, tea, soft drinks (there will be a cash bar) - $20 per person, FBYC members $15.  Gary, in his own special, comfortable style,  will cover  the America's Cup, preview the 2012 Olympics, and talk ocean racing.  

Southern Bay Racers will soon be racing in Florida.  Fort Lauderdale to Key West Race - start is THIS  WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11.  There are three (3) southern Bay boats racing in the 160 mile dash down the Florida coast:  Sledd Shelhorse (HYC-Virginia Beach), MERIDIAN X (Farr 400), is racing in PHRF A;  Glenn Doncaster (FBYC-Richmond), NANUQ (Sabre 426), and Christian Schaumloffel (HYC-Virginia Beach), MIRAGE (Hobie 33) are both in the PHRF B fleet.  Meridian X and Nanuq  plan to stay and race 'round the buoys at Key West Race Week (Jan 15-20).

February 4, 2012 - 2012 MORNING WITH MURPHY - A RACING RULES SEMINAR - OPEN TO ALL - hosted by BROAD BAY SAILING ASSOCIATION  at the Old Dominion University Sailing Center (Norfolk)   (9:00am - noon)  The morning will focus on situations that really do happen on the race course. So, bring your rule book (If you have one), and your questions and/or war stories,  and come ready to hear about what you always wanted to know, but were afraid to ask!  The MORNING WITH MURPHY will be presented by John McCarthy, USSA Senior Judge and Regional Race Management Official.  John's humorous, engaging style is familiar to those who have attended the "Murphy Rules Made Easy Seminars".  Cost: $15 - Coffee and deeeelicious pastries included.  To register call Scott Almond at (757)471-2663  or click on http://www.broadbaysailing.org/misc/murphy/index.asp  Checks should be made payable to BBSA and mailed to Scott Almond, 2236 Welsh Drive, Virginia Beach, VA 23456.   Please  PRE-REGISTER  to be sure you have a spot and to help the host organization make plans.

First southern Bay new sailor of the year.   Henry Latell decided to arrive five weeks early. He was born at 5am on New Years Day, making him the first new southern Bay sailor of the year!  He weighed 5 pounds and is doing really well.  Mom and Dad, Andrea and Jerry Latell, and big brother Jackson are all doing fine, too. 

Proud momma,  Brenda (Switzer) Clark, a former regular on Graham Field's Independence, wants all her southern Bay sailing buds to know that   ". . . we have a new future sailor!  Abigail Grace Clark was born at 1711 on Thursday, December 29, 2011 weighing 6 pounds  6 ounces and 19 inches long. She has strawberry blonde hair and bright blue eyes and everyone is doing great. "   Look for Abigail Grace to "Grace the fleet", when she makes her Spring visit from Georgia.

Thanks to Sergio Diehl for sharing this link to a recently released recap of the first two legs of the Volvo Ocean Race. Serge says, and he's right, it's  ". . . a great video, well worth watching, which puts you onboard all of the six boats through the New Year."   Here's the link: 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDfDgJ8UvhQ&sns=em     Wear your foulies while watching!!!

Here are the early Early Birds, already entered in  SOUTHERN BAY RACE WEEK 2012:  First to enter the regatta, Sledd Shelhorse is bringing Meridian X (Farr 400) to race in the PHRF A1 fleet;  David Eberwine's Sea Star (J36) is first to enter  the PHRF A2 fleet;  Ben Weeks and Michele Cochran, Rumble (J29), were the second boat to enter the regatta and first in the PHRF B fleet;  Vernon Bumps Eberwine, Spray (Olson 25) is the first of the PHRF C fleet to enter, and Leo Wardrup, Black Widow (Irwin 38), is first entered to race in the PHRF NS fleet.  Also, returning to the SBRW  and first to enter the 2012 very special Cruising Fleet  is  Booty Baker's O'Day 39, Klimax.   Southern Bay Race Week offers racing for all PHRF classes, spinnaker and non-spinnaker, one-design classes with 5 or more boats, and, for  Cruising boats there is a special two-day package and separate course.  For details and info, click on www.blacksealcup.com  or contact Lin McCarthy at (757) 850-4225 or mcbear@earthlink.net   Y'all come racin'!

LASER FROSTBITING for 2012.  From Laser Guy,  Robert Suhay, comes word that  it is time   " . . . to gear up for Frostbite Series 2012. Old Dominion University Sailing has given the green light for a series in January through the end of April.  Hampton Roads Sailing will host a Sunday Laser Series starting January 15  running though through April 29.  Races will be held at Old Dominion University sailing center, off Powhatan Avenue, in Norfolk Virginia.  Skippers meeting each Sunday at 10:30. Races start at 11 and racing will finish up by 1 or 1:30 p.m.   The racing is free.  Lasers will be available for charter through Old Dominion University for $10 per day. There are eight boats and six full rigs. They will be chartered on a first-come, first-served basis."  For additional info, email Robert  at   robert.suhay@pilotonline.com

BLUEWATER RACERS:  If the 2012 Newport Bermuda Race (start June 15, 2012) is on your schedule, be aware there are very special requirements.  One involves  Safety at Sea Seminars.  There is a new seminar attendance requirement:  A minimum of 30% of all crew members shall have attended a US SAILING sanctioned safety at sea seminar within five years of the start of the race. The captain and either the navigator or a watch captain must be included in the required 30%. In addition, two members of each crew must hold a First-Aid/CPR certificate.  Go to www.bermudarace.com  for info, schedules, and registration.

The War of 1812 comes of age (200 years old) this summer on the Chesapeake Bay.  A lot of what happened during this scrap with Mother England happened right here on the southern Chesapeake.  Noted maritime historian William H. White has authored  ". . .our flag was still there", The Sea History Press Guide to the War of 1812 - Its History and Bicentennial Commemorations.  $24.50 + $6.95 s/h.   Call 800-221-6647,  ext 0.  Know your stuff, when you strut  your stuff in War of 1812 conversations!

OPSAIL SPEAKERS SERIES:  Two noted authors, both well-respected authorities on military and naval history in and around Virginia and the Chesapeake Bay, are the featured speakers in the second of a six-part OpSail 2012 Virginia^TM 1812 Bicentennial Speaker Series on Thursday, January 19, 2012 at 7pm at the Virginia Arts Festival Theater located at 440 Bank Street, Norfolk VA 23510.  Dr. Spencer C. Tucker will discuss his book, Injured Honor: The Chesapeake-Leopard Affair: June 22, 1807, which portrays the disastrous encounter between a British and American frigate off the coast of Norfolk, considered one of the precipitous events of the War of 1812.  Dr. Tucker is a former John Biggs Chair of Military History at the Virginia Military Institute (1997-2003).  David Healey is the author of 1812: Rediscovering Chesapeake Bay’s Forgotten War and scores of magazine articles. On January 19, his lecture will take a look at those who played a role- for better or worse- in the outcome of the war on the Chesapeake Bay, including several larger-than-life personalities such as Admiral Cockburn, Joshua Barney, and flagmaker Mary Pickersgill.  Doors open at 6pm, lecture begins at 7pm, followed by a book signing reception. There will also be a drawing for a one-of-a-kind gift set of autographed books from all seven featured historians in the speaker series.    All of the lectures in the series are FREE and open to the public; however, space is limited and reservations are required.  Interested parties can reserve their place for Thursday, January 19, 2012 by emailing opsail2012virginia@festevents.org.  Please RSVP by Thursday January 12, 2012. 

SATURDAY SEADOG SPEAKERS SERIES - January 14th, at Seaford Yacht Club (Yorktown) - David Niebuhr, Executive Director of the Watermen's Museum, will explore the  "Historic Roles of Watermen on the Chesapeake".   Complimentary coffee and donuts at 9:30am.  Presentation and discussion 10:00 - 11:30am.  Admission is FREE and open to the public, but space is limited. so please email almarlene@verizon.net or call (757) 259-0739 to make reservations.    Go to www.seafordyachtclub.com for details and directions.

MURPHY'S LAW:   Yrs Truly, the Racing Beagle,  of course, is a strong supporter of the Saturday SeaDogs Speakers Series (see item above).  Although attempts were made, the Murphster regrettably was not able to reach an agreement with organizers to appear on the schedule.  There are not enough milk bones in the world to make Yrs Truly, the Racing Beagle, give up the tales that are told on a racing sailboat!    /S/  Murphy the Racing Beagle, the sailing spirit in us all.

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SOUTHERN BAY RACING NEWS YOU CAN USE,  Lin McCarthy, Editor