ADDISON HACKSTAFF, WINNER OF THE SMYTHE TROPHY - AUGUST’S SAIL1DESIGNER OF THE MONTH

Created on Tuesday, 04 September 2012 10:29

 

 

By Martha Pitt

Every year, junior sailors from around the country compete in their regional qualifiers to qualify for US Sailing’s prestigious Chubb Junior Championships. The championship event includes sailors in singlehanded, doublehanded, and triplehanded boats for the Smythe, Bemis, and Sears Trophies. The event encourages nationwide program development, allowing kids from each of the districts around the country to compete.

This year, US Sailing shook the competition up a bit! While the doublehanded competitors stayed in the traditional Club420, the single and triplehanded crews were thrown for a bit of a loop when the championships were announced - the “triplehanded” championship for the Sears Trophy was to be sailed in J-22s and due to weight requirements, the crews were able to go up to four sailors (which all did). In the singlehanded fleet, though most sailors qualified by sailing the Laser Radial, the finals for the Smythe Trophy were sailed in the Byte CII, a light, twelve-foot boat whose strict one-design class rules make it a true test of seamanship rather than superior equipment. Though many sailors in the fleet had little-to-no experience in the boat, some could say that that leveled the playing field and allowed raw talent to emerge.

Out of that fleet emerged one sailor victorious over all others - Addison Hackstaff from St. Petersburg, FL commanded the Byte fleet, winning seven of the ten races, and finishing six points ahead of the second place Clay Broussard of Houston, TX. Originally from St. Thomas, USVI, 16 year old Hackstaff grew up sailing in the islands learning to sail and race in optis. At the St. Thomas Yacht Club, Addison found himself in the shadows of many great sailors but was able to watch them and learn from the best. Over the past eight years of his sailing career, Addison has progressed immensely sailing Laser Radials, 420s, Snipes, J24s, Sonars, and just about any boat he can jump on - in 2010, he represented the Virgin Islands in the Central American and Caribbean Games skippering a Snipe with his father crewing. Now living in Florida and attending Lakewood High School in St. Petersburg, Addison’s sailing career seems to just be blossoming.

I was able to talk to Addison for a bit about the event, his success, and his future in racing:

Bytes are relatively new on the national youth scene. Had you sailed them much before? What made you decide to want to sail this event in that boat?

I've never sailed Bytes before and decided to sail in this event because my coach told me about the regatta and I wanted to compete in a National Championship. The bytes themselves were good boats. I liked the sail - it was huge compared to the size of the boat. It was crucial to get the right sail shape; other sails you just pull on controls and go.

What kind of training did you do before the event?

I hadn't sailed a singlehanded boat for about 2 months before this event but, I taught sailing at the SPYC camp all summer. Also, I sailed Snipe nationals and junior nationals (3rd) in June. I was very happy for the clinic day to shake out the rust.

What did you think of the San Francisco Bay?

I loved the San Francisco Bay. It was freezing but the wind and sailing were amazing.

What were the conditions like at the event? True to San Francisco standards of heavy wind and ripping current?

The conditions were between 14-18 kts the whole event with a flood current most do the time. This made the waves a little smaller but there were still lots of them. The conditions were very true to San Francisco standards - windy, wavy, and lots of current. Survival mode.

How did you like the conditions? What are your favorite kinds of sailing conditions, if any?

I loved the conditions. Medium to heavy wind with any kind of waves or current are my favorite, so they were perfect for me.

What would you say some of your strengths were for the regatta?

One of my strengths for the regatta was my understanding of sail shape and adjustments from all the different boats I've sailed. It was not extremely hard for me to acclimate. Another was my size - I could hike hard and sail flatter than some of the smaller competitors. Also, St Thomas has big winds and waves, so I was very comfortable sailing San Francisco's conditions.

What do you think were the greatest factors that led to your success at the regatta?

I think my success came from quick acclamation to the byte.

What's up next for you? Will you be sailing much this fall or winter?

I plan on sailing as many events that I can around the southeast and some further away- I'm planning on sailing the Cressy qualifier and ISAF youth worlds qualifier [in the Laser Radial].

Are you interested in college sailing? If so, where are you looking at?

Yes I am very interested in college sailing. I am currently looking at The US Naval Academy as my first choice with the US Coast Guard Academy, U of Miami and many other Universities with strong Engineering and sailing programs.

Keep an eye out for Addison on the top of the leader boards at future national events!