Morning Light Crew To Sail Polynesian CanoeOver Thanksgiving weekend, the 15-member crew selected for Disney’s “Morning Light” film project will sail a Polynesian canoe on a two-day expedition off Hawaii. Aboard Hokule’a, a 62-foot, double-hulled voyaging canoe, the young sailors (and future film stars) will sail from Maui to Honolulu via Molokai. “Morning Light” producer Roy Disney sees the canoe trip as a way to give his team some perspective as they prepare for the 2007 Transpac race. “I love the almost mystical experience this is going to be,” Disney said. “It is our link to the past and is the roots of all ocean crossings, especially of Transpac.” For the latest “Morning Light” news, click here.Scott Young Wins Fifth Mallory CupLast week, Scott Young won his seventh US Sailing National Championship by placing first in the U.S. Men’s Championship (Mallory Cup) in Marblehead, Mass. The Texas native had previously won two Men’s Championships as skipper, two as crew, and, as a youth, had won both the U.S. Junior Doublehanded Championship (Bemis Trophy) and the U.S. Junior Singlehanded Championship (Smythe Trophy).Young’s most recent championship victory was no easy feat, however. In Marblehead, he and his crew, John Morran and Douglas Kern, had to compete in Sonars, a boat with which they were unfamiliar. Going into the last day of racing, Young was three points ahead of skipper David Bolyard, Jr. and crew Kurt Adler and David Bolyard Sr. (a previous Mallory Cup winner).”It was exciting even going into the final race today,” said Young. “We had a good start and managed to stay ahead. We tried to stay clean, out of trouble and sail consistently this regatta and that’s what we did.”With 3-2 finishes on the day, Young managed to stay ahead of Bolyard and win the regatta.For complete results, click here.Sodaro Dominates U.S. Women’s Sailing ChampionshipCalifornia native Vicki Sodaro won eight of 11 races to capture the U.S. Women’s Championship, sailed in J/24s at Edgewater Yacht Club in Cleveland, Ohio. This was the second time Sodaro won the Adams Cup, having won the Women’s Championship in 2002.”I had just a great crew and that made it nice,” said Sodaro. “All I had to do was steer.”Fellow Californian Susan Taylor placed second and New Yorker Anne Mooney came in third. For complete results, click here.Team Racing DemystifiedAt the U.S. Sailboat Show in Annapolis, Md., the U.S. Team Racing Committee will conduct a team racing demonstration to help clarify what has traditionally been a perplexing segment of the sport. The demo will include classroom presentations introducing team racing and outlining team-race strategy followed by an on-the-water mini regatta led by world champion Silver Panda team captain Pete Lesvesque. Video- and animation-based classroom training will be conducted in the downtown Annapolis Marriott Waterfront on Saturday, October 7 at 9:00 a.m., with sailing demo viewing from the Naval Academy Visitor Center at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 7 Sunday, October 8. Team racing coach Ken Legler will commentate on the racing from the Naval Academy Visitor Center viewing area.For more information about the demonstration, or to view some very helpful team racing diagrams, click here.
