Dear Sailors and Parents,
I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself and give you all a warm
welcome to the Fall 2013 Gunston Sailing Season! As a former Heron Sailor I am thrilled
to rejoin the team as the new Head Sailing Coach (and to join the school as an English
teacher). Since graduating from Gunston, I attended Hobart and William Smith Colleges
where I earned my Bachelor of Arts. During my summers I have been an active sailor in
local and long distance Bay races on larger keelboats. Previously I have taught sailing at
the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels, MD.
Here are a few notes on the upcoming season. Also see the attached “The Guide to
Gunston Sailing” for more detailed information on gear and regatta venues/ logistics. The
weekend regatta schedule will be finalized by the first week of school, but expect a busy
weekend regatta line-up—including an afternoon JV regatta on Gunston’s Sportsfest,
October 12th.
 Practice begins Tuesday Sept 3rd. - Practice is between 2:20 and 4:20 .
 We will not have practice on Mondays of a regatta weekends to ensure sailors have
adequate time to fulfill academic responsibilities.
 Required practice equipment: lifejackets, closed-toed shoes, foul-weather gear
 Recommended practice gear: gloves, sunglasses, hat, shorts/pants that dry quickly
 All Gunston required paperwork must be completed and sent to Gunston’s
Registrar, Kim Jettmar, by the first day of practice or you cannot participate.
 My cell phone number is 443-786-6135 and I can also be reached via e-mail at
mgeorge@gunston.org.
I am eager to meet you in the fall and look forward to a fun, safe and successful season!
Best,
Coach George
The Guide to Gunston Sailing
Equipment
School Supplied
• Boats: Gunston owns 12 Flying Juniors (FJ’s) that are stored on a floating
dock during the season and in the Barn over the winter.
• Safety Boats: We use a 20’ Carolina Skiff with a 40 hp engine. We have
access to the Crew Team’s V-hull runabout and a 16’ runabout.
• Dry suits: Gunston owns five dry suits that insure we can always dress sailors
to compete in any conditions.
Student-Supplied Equipment
• Lifejackets: Each sailor should have their own lifejacket. ISSA dictates that
lifejackets be in good repair, free of rips and tears that would expose flotation.
Gunston has some available.
• Shoes: Sailors must wear appropriate footwear at practice and regattas,
appropriate meaning CLOSED-TOED SHOES. Dinghy boots are
recommended, but sneakers are also acceptable (particularly popular: Converse
All-Stars).
• Gloves: Are recommended but not required to protect sailors’ hands. Try the
$5 rubber-dipped gardening gloves from the hardware store.
• Foul-weather Gear: Sailors should invest in some sort of waterproof gear to
protect them from rain and spray. Once or twice a year we will do a group buy
of gear at very discounted prices. High School sailors are eligible for regular
discounts on gear at Annapolis Performance Sailing, Douglas Gill online, Team
One Newport and others. West Marine also has reliable foul weather gear at
more reasonable prices.
Storage
All sailors must have a gear bag and may hang their bags/gear on hooks provided in the
boathouse. With the potential for storms and damage by critters, we recommend sailors
take gear home on weekends and over long breaks.
Schedules/Seasons
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Fall - Sept 3rd (start of school) to Nov 1st (later for Fall Championships)
Spring - March 1st to May 15th (later for Spring Championships). We put boats
away before Bay Studies week.
Practice Schedule
Because we have many weekends of all-day events, we do not practice on Mondays after
a regatta. This gives the sailors a chance to catch up with tests, tutors, extra-help and
other activities/clubs on Mondays.
I expect sailors to take responsibility for their own schedules. We sail double-handed
boats, therefore, it affects the entire team when one member is absent.
Monday through Friday 2:20-4:20 p.m. No practice on Mondays following a weekend
regatta.
Inclement Weather
• We will sail in the rain if wind conditions permit (practice/race).
• Should conditions appear unsafe or un-sailable as determined by the coaches, practice
may still be held as physical training or may move to the media room, where we’ll watch
video or discuss rules.
Absent, Missing or Late Sailors to Practice
• Will be subject to a Monday detention that may involve completing maintenance that
will benefit the team.
• Please avoid scheduling doctor and other appointments during practice time.
Competitions/Regattas
Schedule
• Is determined by the coaches and distributed as soon as possible to parents
and sailors.
• Regattas are one or two days in length, occurring on Saturdays and Sundays,
with occasional Fridays.
• Depending on distance, some two-day regattas may result in the team staying
in hotels or at team members’ homes.
Personnel
Coaches will determine which sailors will be attending each event as early as 2-weeks
in advance. Final traveling rosters will be determined by the Wednesday previous.
• 4-7 sailors will attend all fleet race events
• 6-9 sailors will attend all team race events
• When transportation allows, extra team members are encouraged to attend
events to learn, gain experience, help and possibly sail.
• Sailors are responsible for bringing their own gear and must bring appropriate
food and water to get themselves though the day. Food for purchase is not
common at regattas.
• Some events may allow a second Gunston team, multiplying the sailors
required.
• A minimum of one coach will attend each event, and often two!
• Parents/Fans - Most venues are good for spectating. Parents
and fans are welcome and can often ride on the bus with us.
Transportation
Transportation will be provided to regattas by bus or van, typically with professional
drivers.
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Bus or Van will leave Gunston in time to allow driving time to the event.
Meeting time can be 6:30 -7:00am.
Return time can be 5:00-7:00pm depending on wind, regatta location and traffic.
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For Western Shore events, an Annapolis, Severna Park or
Edgewater pickup can be arranged at a central location.
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On occasion, parents are asked to drive sailors to closer events
(and are welcome to stay & support)
Central League Regattas – Involve 18 high schools from Baltimore to
Leonardtown/Patuxent.
• Varsity- 9am report time, 4pm races end. Sailors who skipper
Varsity events are not permitted to skipper in JV events. (subject to change)
• JV- 10am report time, 3pm races end. JV sailors can move
up and down to Varsity.
Hosting Venues
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Annapolis Yacht Club (home water- Annapolis, Severna Park, Indian Creek, St.
Marys)
Severn Sailing Association (home water- Key School, Broadneck)
Washington College
Gunston
St. Mary’s Rychen
Southern Maryland Sailing Center
St. Mary’s College of Maryland
MASSA Regattas - (Middle Atlantic Scholastic Sailing Assoc.) –Must qualify through
League events. 45-50 teams from NY, PA, NJ, DE, VA.
Hosting Venues:
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Annapolis Yacht Club (home water- Annapolis, Severna Park, Indian
Creek, St. Marys)
Severn Sailing Association (home water- Key School, Broadneck)
Washington College
Gunston
St. Mary’s Rychen
Southern Maryland Sailing Center
St. Mary’s College of Maryland
Old Dominion, Univ (Norfolk, VA)
Norfolk Yacht & Country Club (VA)
US Merchant Marine Academy, Kings Point (NY)
SUNY Maritime (Throggs Neck, NY)
SUNY Stony Brook (Stony Brook, NY)
Rochester Yacht Club (NY)
Cornell Univ. (Ithaca, NY)
Hobart William Smith (Geneva, NY)
GUNSTON Home Regattas – We host 1-2 regattas per season, usually one-day
events. All team members are asked to attend either to sail or to help. Parents are invited
to contribute, usually in these areas:
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Race Committee, scorers, finish boats
Mark/Safety boats & operators
Boat Maintenance (fix small breakdowns to keep rotations going)
Set-up & break down of tables & tents
Food preparation & set-up break down
Racing Formats
 Fleet Racing: Most events will involve teams fielding two
doublehanded boats, referred to as A and B Division.
Typically A Division is tougher, with more experienced
sailors. Divisions sail two races then rotate boats and
personnel, scores are combined and winners are determined.
 Team Racing: We’ll sail 2-3 Team Races per season. Each
school fields three boats who compete against three boats
from the other team. Fast-paced and fun racing.
 Singlehanded Qualifiers: In the Fall, MASSA runs one Laser
& Radial Regatta to qualify representatives to the ISSA
Singlehanded National Champs. Gunston Sailors are
welcome to participate and a coach can attend with them.
Must provide Laser.
Communication
• Weekly Emails: To keep families apprised of news and schedule changes, the Coaches
will send out a weekly email, usually on Sunday or Monday.
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Informative Websites
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Gunstondayschool.org
MASSA Central League Sailing:
http://severnsailing.org/juniors/centralleague.htm
Interscholastic Sailing: Highschoolsailingusa.org
College Sailing: Collegesailing.org
Middle Atlantic Scholastic Sailing Assoc:
http://www.massasailing.org/
US Sailing Association: USSailing.org
Gunston Coaching Staff
Molly George, Head Coach
mgeorge@gunston.org
443-786-6135
 US Sailing Level 1 Instructor Trainer
 US Sailing Level 2 Coach
 US Sailing Level 3 Certification
Tom Smith, Associate Head Coach
tsmith@gunston.org