> US SAILING Media > Sailor of the Week > 2010 > Sailor of the Week - September, 2010 > Marcia Everingham
Marcia Everingham
Sailor of the Week: Sept. 16-22
In 1970, Marcia’s husband Ted encouraged her to join him in an adult sailing program at the Detroit Yacht Club. Together, the couple learned how to sail Flying Scots and eventually became instructors. Years later, Marcia is one of the most prominent race officers in the Great Lakes region. Last week she served as the Principal Race Officer for the 2010 U.S. Match Racing Championship, hosted by the Bayview Yacht Club on Detroit River.
When Ted decided he wanted to start crewing on bigger boats, Marcia realized she didn’t enjoy racing the Flying Scots without him as much, and there wasn’t a lot of opportunities for her to crew. She started to think about all the people who worked on the race committees, and how they made it a possible for her to enjoy all those great racing moments. Marcia decided to join a racing committee.
The sailing conditions at last week’s U.S. Match Racing Championship on Detroit River posed several challenges for Marcia and her team. Fortunately, she is no stranger to the Detroit River and her experience was evident. Marcia commented on what factors need to be considered when setting up a proper course on the river:
“We have to be careful not to set up too close to the freighter channel. Where to set up the course in order to get enough length on the windward and leeward legs can take some thought. It may require moving either upstream or downstream of the club, depending on the conditions of the day,” Marcia explained.
“Another problem with wind direction can develop because the river flows from east to west with a fairly brisk current. Trying to set a proper weather leg in any north or south direction can be difficult. You have to compensate for the current set or the boats could easily reach a mark on just one tack. How much you adjust the mark from a true wind direction depends on several conditions. You have to think about the length of the weather leg, the wind velocity and oscillations and the conditions near the shore, such as trees or buildings,” she added.
Light breezes ruled the racing course on days one and two. The conditions improved on day three, and considerably on day four for the finals.
Marcia looks forward to next year’s Bayview to Mackinac Race. “This is the highlight of the sailing season for many sailors around the Great Lakes, and I am happy to have been invited to return as PRO for another year,” Marcia said. She is also part of the Detroit Cup committee again for 2011.
One of Marcia’s most memorable race committee moments, was the 1996 Olympics in Savannah, Ga. She was the liaison between the race committees and TV New Zealand, while they were broadcasting the racing for the world-wide coverage. Marcia helped coordinate timing with the course PRO and filming crews.
Marcia mentioned, “I had a front row seat to some of the most exciting racing I have ever seen.”