USA Liberty Champion, Alex Hruzewicz
Photograph:David Staley
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David Staley, South Beach Yacht Club, San Francisco, USA, Tuesday, 29 May 2007
Three days of spirited racing in fresh breezes made for an exciting and highly successful USA Access Class Championships held last weekend on San Francisco Bay.
The event was hosted by the Bay Area Association of Disabled Sailors (BAADS) in conjunction with the South Beach Yacht Club and the USA Access Class Association. Race management expertise and resources were provided by the St Francis Yacht Club.
Day One - Saturday May 26
Racing for the USA Access Class Championships got underway Saturday on San Francisco Bay. Sunny skies and winds rising from 10 to 20 knots greeted the 26 competitors here to contest the three day series in the Access 2.3 single person, 303 two person and Liberty single person classes.
Greg Williams led the 8 boat Liberty fleet with two second places, one point clear of John Greener and Dylan Young who are tied after the first two races.
Two profoundly disabled sailors, Fred Hess and Herb Meyer, are sailing in the Liberty Servo division among the general Liberty fleet. Hess had the better of Meyer in the first race, but the tables were turned in the second.
In the 303s, BAADS Commodore and blind sailor Ed Gallagher, sailing with Sophie Soltys were equal at the top of the table with Julia Sizemore and Scout Bailey, each swapping first and second places. Kristi Grotting and Cher Lander held on to third in both races to stay within reach.
Vision impaired sailor, John Wallace, sailed clear in the 2.3 division winning both races by a clear margin.
Day Two - Sunday May 27
The second day of the Championships was more overcast but fresh breezes persisted, testing many of the sailors with gusts over 20 knots.
Competition became serious in the Liberty fleet with Alex Hruzewicz, fifth placed on Day 1, winning both heats to move up to third. Yesterday’s leader, Greg Williams, finished 3 – 3 and has slipped to second overall. Dylan Young’s two second places moved him to the top of the table, just one point ahead of Williams.
Fred Hess won both races in the Liberty Servo Division to hold a handy lead over Herb Meyer.
Results at the top of the 303’s were a carbon copy of yesterday, with Gallagher/Soltys and Sizemore/Bailey each scoring a first and second. They remain tied on points, but both teams plan to break the deadlock on the water and avoid a tiebreak that could come to the result of the last race. Grotting/Lander went 4 – 3 today to hold third place by three points from Brandon and George Arthur.
John Wallace is unbeatable in the 2.3 division but Richard Bullock has persisted in the difficult bay chop and strong breezes for these small boats and holds on to second.
Final Day - Monday May 28
After very light breezes in the morning, the regular sea breeze kicked in just after the start of the first race of the day, building steadily to 20+ knots for the sixth and final race of the series.
Alex Hruzewicz, continued his progression up the fleet with two bullets. His four first placings were enough to give him the win by a point over Dylan Young who went 3-2 on the last day. John Greener had 2-3 to equal Greg Williams pointscore and one win to take third place by countback. It was a day of pleasure and pain for BAADS dinghy program director Williams, who struggled with injury and was forced to retire from the last race only to see sailors who he had coached post results that moved him out of the medals.
The brisk and shifty bay winds again made it hard work for the Liberty Servo sailors. Fred Hess bettered Herb Meyer in the first race but retired from the second with gear problems. Meyer gave the rest of the fleet a lesson in starting technique in the second race, blasting off the line and leading to the first mark. Unfortunately the strong gusts cracking across McCovey Cove were eventually too much for the septuagenarian quadriplegic sailor and he was also forced to retire.
The 303 championship was narrowed down to two very competitive crews on the final day. Ed Gallagher and Sophie Soltys managed two bullets on the last day, importantly finishing ahead of their rivals Julia Sizemore and Scout Bailey. Kristi Grotting & Cher Lander went 4 – 3 today to secure third place from Brandon and George Arthur. It was Grotting’s first regatta.
John Wallace sailed through the final two races to post a perfect scorecard in the Access 2.3.
Presentations were made at the South Beach Yacht Club by Regatta Director Herb Meyer, BAADS Director Dan Leininger, APL Representative Mike Murphy and International Access Class Executive Officer David Staley. Trophies were presented to:
- International Access 2.3 2007 USA Champion – John Wallace
- Access 303 2007 USA Champions – Ed Gallagher & Sophie Soltys
- Access Liberty 2007 USA Champion - Alex Hruzewicz
- Access Liberty Servo 2007 USA Champion – Fred Hess
- Encouragement Award – Brandon Arthur
These championships were quite extraordinary in how they enabled sailors with a diverse range of abilities and disabilities to participate. The 303s were closely fought right down to the last race by two teams comprising a blind sailor with a sighted crew. Wheelchair users dominated the Liberty fleet. Both of the Liberty Servo sailors are quadriplegic. Whilst Herb Meyer operated his boat with manual steering and joystick-controlled mainsheet and jibsheet winches, Fred Hess used a “sip & puff” helm and sheet winch controller for the first time in this class.
Another highlight of the event was the strong sponsorship support provided by two major shipping companies. Principal Event Sponsor, APL, and Maersk Line have cooperated to ensure a fleet of Liberties from the Access Dinghy Foundation was available for the championships. Shipped to San Francisco by the ADF’s major sponsor, Maersk, the container will be moved on to Ontario, Canada by APL ahead of the Access Class World Championships in August. Additional boats were also provided by the Treasure Island Sailing Centre.
With purpose designed, modern, accessible facilities at the South Beach Marina and South Beach Yacht Club, BAADS has developed as arguably the most vibrant program for sailors of all abilities on the West Coast. In addition to its three keelboats, the Association has a growing fleet of Access classes. The dinghy program has grown phenomenally over the past year under Dinghy Program Director, Greg Williams. Williams is at South Beach every week to ensure the equipment is in order and provide participation opportunities, basic skills training and race coaching. Many of the competitors in the championships, including a number of relatively new sailors, have benefited from Williams’ commitment to the growth of this program and the enjoyment of its participants.
For BAADS first major event, Meyer and Williams were strongly supported by an enthusiastic and dedicated group of volunteers, both onshore and on the water. The championships highlighted an outstanding organisation, event venue and sailing area ideal for sailors of all abilities.
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