By Mike Ferring
When the AC75 boats headed out onto the water off Barcelona last fall, you can imagine the skill it took to pop them up on foils, to keep them teetering at top speeds of 50 knots and more.
Our March meeting speaker knows exactly what that’s like and exactly what it took to wrestle the smaller, more agile AC40s around a racecourse. Severin Gramm was one of the sailors trimming the sails and tweaking the foils on the American Magic AC40 Youth team, the team that finished second out of 12 entries in the Youth America’s Cup.
Join us on Tuesday, March 11 at 7pm. Doors open at 6pm, so arrive early for dinner.
Location: Dave and Busters in Tempe Marketplace (In the Showroom)
2000 E Rio Salado Pkwy / Suite 1100 / Tempe AZ 85281
American Magic is sending six items to be raffled with the request that proceeds go to support our youth sailing programs. Raffle tickets will be $5/ticket or 3 for $10. Please bring cash! Plan on attending and bring a guest!
Severin was chosen for the American Magic team after excelling in a host of other classes, winning the F18 World and European Championships, the E-Scow National Championship, the 29er Youth Championship, and finishing second in the 49er Nationals. He’s also competed in Moth and Wasp and is gearing up for the Moth Worlds at Lake Garda (and hopes you’ll contribute to his nonprofit to raise funds for the campaign). Somehow, he found time to graduate from the Brown University Business Program.
The helmsman for Severin’s side of the AC40 (there are two helmsmen and two trimmers, one on port and one on starboard) was Rolex Yachtsman of the Year Harry Melges IV and the two have teamed up often. He’ll tell the story of what that’s like, what it took to make it to the Big Show in Barcelona, what it was like to be part of that huge team, and, oh yes, a huge crash that injured him before the competition.
