Lightning Class North American Championships 2008

Early Arrivals

2008-07-29T13:02:00.003-04:00

Attention Competitors! Important information for early arrivals!

The 2008 Lightning North Americans Organizing Authority has lined up Sail Newport as the Host facility for the Lightning North American Championships and the Women’s Junior’s and Master’s North American championships.
Please keep in mind, Sail Newport is only under contract to store boat throughout the event! (From Monday August 4th to Wednesday / Thursday August 13th / 14th).

However, we have unsecured boat storage available to competitors wishing to arrive early. The location is at Rogers High School’s Lower Parking Lot, located off of Old Fort Rd in Newport Rhode Island, (near the fire station) only about 5 min from Sail Newport. Directions below.
Any competitors wishing to use this facility are asked to keep their boats stored as out of the way as possible to allow facility parking and fire truck access. Also, owners are asked to leave some form of contact information with the boat in the event they need to be contacted. The event named with the contact info is "the 2008 Lightning North Americans".

Directions:
From Sail Newport:
Left out of Fort Adams onto Harrison Ave. .5mi
Straight Harrison becomes Beacon Hill Rd. .2mi
Bear Right Beacon Hill road becomes Brenton Rd. .2 mi
Pass High School on Left .4 mi
Take left onto Old Fort Rd .1 mi
Left into Parking Area

From Newport Bridge:
138 east on Bridge
RI-238 S ramp to Scenic Newport .1mi
Rt onto JT Connell Hwy /RI 138A /RI 238 .3mi
Right onto America’s Cup Ave / RI 138A /RI 238 .8mi
Turn Right onto Thames St. .8mi
Thames Street become Carroll Ave .1mi
Slight Right onto Old Fort Rd. .3mi
Rogers High School Lower Parking Lot on right.

2008-07-28T08:16:00.001-04:00

Schedule of Events for North American's Championship

Thursday, August 7 1200-1800 Boat Measurement Sail Newport, upper lot
1200-1800 Sail Measurement Sail Newport, Mule Barn
1200-1800 Registration Sail Newport, Mule Barn

Friday, August 8 0800-1600 Boat Measurement Sail Newport, upper lot
0800-1600 Sail Measurement Sail Newport, Mule Barn
0800-1600 Registration Sail Newport, Mule Barn
1800 Competitors Meeting Sail Newport tent by Mule Barn
1830 Lightning U Sail Newport tent by Mule Barn

Saturday, August 9 0700 Hoist on Sail Newport
1000 Qualifying Series - Warning signal 1st race of the day
After racing Annual Meeting Sail Newport tent by Mule Barn
Social Sail Newport tent by Mule Barn
FREE EVENING

Sunday, August 10 0700 Hoist on Sail Newport
1000 Qualifying Series - Warning signal 1st race of the day
1800-2000 Opening Reception NYYC, Arcadia Room & terrace

Monday, August 11 0730 Hoist on Sail Newport
1100 Final Series - Warning signal 1st race of the day
Championship, President’s Cup & Governor’s Cup
After racing Social & Lightning U Sail Newport tent by Mule Barn
FREE EVENING

Tuesday, August 12 0730 Hoist on Sail Newport
1100 Final Series - Warning signal 1st race of the day
After racing Social & Lightning U Sail Newport tent by Mule Barn
FREE EVENING

Wednesday, August 13 0730 Hoist on Sail Newport
1100 Final Series - Warning signal 1st race of the day
1800 Awards Banquet NYYC tent on the lower lawn

5 minutes to Sail Newport

2008-07-16T15:28:00.000-04:00

If you are interested renting a house in downtown Newport, 5 minutes from Sail Newport, please contact Patrick Zachary pz@bzvt.net

Hey Campers

2008-03-20T15:00:00.001-04:00

Looking for a campground? Find everything you need to know at www.onaquidneck.com

Housing for NA's in Newport

2008-02-23T16:20:00.005-05:00

Salve Regina: Salve Regina University is located among the Newport Mansions. It is close to downtown Newport, the Cliff Walk, Ocean Drive and First Beach. At an `~10 minute drive from Fort Adams it is the closest housing option to the regatta site.

Details:

Salve will be holding rooms for Lightning sailors from August 3-August 14

Rates: $70/single room/night and $50/double room/ per person per night.

Bed linens will be changed weekly and towels changed daily.

The cafeteria is available to Lightning sailors

Breakfast $8.07

Lunch $11.30

Dinner $14.53

Both wired and wireless internet access is available. Hard wired ports are in every room and there is a $10 cost per attendee. Wireless access is available in many common areas on campus

Fitness center is available to sailors over 18 y.0 $5 cost.

If you would like to reserve a room at Salve Regina please email Theresa Colantuono theresacolan@cox.net. Be sure to include your name, contact info., the nights you will be staying, single or double room and the number of people staying in each.

Residence Inn by Marriot, Hampton Inn and Suites, Howard Johnson

These 3 hotels are located adjacent to one another about 2o minutes from the regatta site in Middletown RI. The management is eager to gain the business of the sailing industry and are working with us to throw a social event during the WJM's

Rates:

Howard Johnson $139 standard room $149 deluxe room

Hampton Inn and Suites $199 standard room

Residence Inn $219 studio suite $229 one bedroom suite *$299 two bedroom suite

*5 night min. stay for 2 bedroom suite

The Residence Inn suites include full kitchens and pull out couches.

A complimentary breakfast buffet is available every morning and weekday social hours. There is an indoor pool and outdoor sport court.

When calling to reserve rooms at the Residence Inn be sure to mention the Lightning Class North American Championships 2008
401-845-2005

Hampton Inn.

$199.00 per room, per night, plus RI tax. We have reserved 8 standard rooms with double queen bed accommodations. We have reserved 7 standard rooms with king bed accommodations.

Your guest can book rooms at this great rate by either calling the hotel directly, on the internet at http://www.hamptoninn.com/, or by calling our central reservations line at 1-800-HAMPTON and using your assigned group code, LNA. We know that you and your guests will have a wonderful stay.

Please review the accuracy of this letter. It is important to remember that the cutoff date is June 2, 2008 and that any rooms not reserved by this time will be cancelled unless prior arrangements are made to continue to hold all or a portion of these rooms. All reservations made for Saturday August 9, 2008 will require a two night minimum stay. Once individual reservations have been made, should your guest need to cancel their reservations, they must do so 72 hours prior to arrival to avoid a cancellation fee.

Thank you for your interest in the Hampton Inn & Suites of Newport. Our team looks forward to serving you and your guests. Please call me at 401.848.6555 if I can be of any assistance.

Kindest Regards,

Bonnie Brake General Manager Hampton Inn & Suites Middletown/Newport Direct phone: 401.551.9205

Howard Johnson
Call Howard Johnson Inn directly at (401) 849-2000, ask for reservations and request a room from the Lightning Class North American Championship Block. (Confirmation #P10257). The release date for unguaranteed rooms will be 06/02/08. Guests must guarantee their reservations with either a credit card number or a deposit equal to one night room and tax. Our rates are based on double occupancy. There is an extra charge for each additional person in a room. A two night minimum stay is required on all Saturday arrivals. Please be advised there will be a cook out held at the Residence Inn on either 8/4, 8/5, or 8/6. A $10.00 cost per room (1 Night) will be added.

v Rates & Availability: Traditional room rate for the group is $139.00 and the deluxe room rate for the group is $149.00. All rates are per night plus tax. We are currently holding 6 traditional rooms and 8 deluxe rooms for your guests.

Sales agents answering the phone at the Howard Johnson 800 number will not have access to the block.

The Award Winning Howard Johnson Inn features an indoor swimming pool, sauna, whirlpool, fitness room, wireless internet access, game room, and guest laundry. The Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar, connected to the Inn, offers a continental breakfast for a fee. Applebee’s also serves lunch and dinner.

Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar, connected to the Inn, offers a continental breakfast from 7am to 10am for a fee and serves lunch and dinner Sunday through Thursday from 11:00am to 10:00pm, and Friday through Saturday from 11:00am to 11:00pm.

Please feel free to contact me when you have questions.

Regards,

Karen Blomstedt Jennifer Joslyn
General Manager Front Desk Manager

Holiday Inn Express
Also located in Middletown ~20 minutes from the regatta site. The Holiday Inn is blocking 20 rooms for Lightning Sailors at the group rates listed below.

Aug 4-8 Singles and Doubles $159/night
Aug 8-13 Singles and Doubles $169/night.

When calling to make reservations mention Lightning Class NA Championships
1-800-222-4121

Welcome to Newport

2008-02-13T06:49:00.000-05:00

This website will keep you informed throughout the season as you get ready for the NAs. Make sure you check back often for new information and updates.

Event Schedule

2008-02-13T06:00:00.000-05:00

Here are the dates for the North American Championships. A more detailed schedule will be coming soon.

August 4 Measurement Women's, Juniors' and Masters' North American Championship
August 5-7 Racing
August 7 Measurement North American Champisonship
August 8 Measurement North American Championship
August 9-10 Qualification Racing
August 11-13 North American Championship Races
August 13 Banquet

Why the unusual dates?

2008-02-12T11:54:00.000-05:00

The Newport Jazz fest is being held during the "bridge weekend" between WJM's and the NA's.
As well as generating some sweet sounds accross the bay, it also gernerates a huge traffic jam at Fort Adams, location of the Sail Newport sailing facility, starting Saturday morning. So, all the boats have to be there and measured and hopefully in the water before the weekend revelry really heats up!
Becasue of other onsite, on-water, or event conflicts it was impossible to overlap the event on another weekend (NA's in late september anyone?) and measurement can't be moved to Monday because it's a full five days.

Where are we Sailing?

2008-02-10T16:31:00.000-05:00

We have three racecourses available to use depending on the days wind conditions, sea state, boat traffic, and number of competitors.

Course A: South of Narragansett Bay – “Outside”
Location: approx. 3.5 miles from Sail Newport, south outside Narragansett Bay. Sailing time is approx. 1.25 hours to course (wind dependent)
Environment: Often consistent Southwest wind; 8-20 knots. Otherwise, dependent upon current weather patterns. Some sea swell. Uniform moderate current. Almost no boat traffic issues.

Course B: North of Newport Bridge
Location: North from Sail Newport sailing under Newport Bridge approx 1.6 miles. Sailing time is approx. 30 minutes to course (wind dependent)
Environment: Wind is usually light Northerly, 5-8 knots, in the morning becoming stronger Southwest, 8-12 knots, in the afternoon. Flat water. Moderate Irregular current. Some boat traffic issues.

Course C: North of Gould Island
Location: North from Sail Newport sailing under Newport Bridge, and continuing North of Gould Island, approx 3.4miles. Sailing time is approx. 1.25 hours to course (wind dependent)
Environment: Wind is usually light to moderate Northerly, 5-12 knots, in the morning becoming stronger Southwest, 8-15 knots, in the afternoon. Flat water. Moderate current. Few boat traffic issues.

Housing Options

2007-12-27T05:37:00.001-05:00

We've got a bunch of housing options in the works!
Here's the quick low-down.
Salve Housing will be available again. We have a few blocks held for both events;
$70/night for a single, $50/person for a double. Limited availability.
Keep it Together! Beat traffic: carpool!
Residence Inn by Marriot has been working hard to get your business. Part of the package is a group deal with the other hotels that share the parking lot; Hampton Inn, and Howard Johnson.
All three hotels are offering us a group rate, and the Residence Inn is talking to us about throwing an informal get together during the WJM's, if we can get enough bookings.
So far we only have the numbers for the Residence Inn.
Studio: $219/night. One-Bedroom: $229/night Two Bedroom: $299/night (plus tax). Please contact them for more info: (401) 845 – 2005.
The others working the pencils right now. Well let you know when they are all in.
Options, Options, Options. Hunting for good deals for you!
Holiday Inn Express has also offered some good group rates.
$159/ night during the WJM's $169/night for the NA's. More details to follow.
We are also waiting on some possible group rates from Best Western and Clarion both by First Beach.
Rentals. Patsy Ewenson up to speed on the event and she is looking into options. Contact her at ewensonp@raveisre.com for rental inqueries only.