Eric Crawford in the 2012 Newport to
Bermuda Race said, "I have used Jenifer Clark's Gulfstream information since
I started ocean racing in 1993 and wouldn't do a race to Bermuda without
it. This includes being a navigator for an overall win ("Restless"
2000), and four class wins("Restless" 1996, 2000;" Belle Aurore" 2010,2012)
in the Newport Bermuda Race."
I’m pleased to advise that...the sailing vessel Avenir (Newport to Bermuda
Race boat) that was abandoned on Tuesday, June 26th after the
loss of her rudder is now under tow back to Bristol RI. ...Thanks Dane and
Jenifer for all your help in the recovery. Ron
Rostorfer (Skipper)
In May 2012, Dr. Roger Gray wrote... Jenifer and Dane, we arrived safe
and sound in Marion yesterday afternoon. a fair amount of motoring on the
Bermuda to Marion stretch, but no bad weather. Thanks again for all your
help - you have been a great resource and I'd be glad to serve as a
reference. will be in touch with you regarding the next offshore venture.
Hal Moore (Cruising Sailor) in May 2012 said: "Thanks again for your routing
package. Your planned route was on the spot. We got to Florida safely in
spite of the tropical storms."
****************
Joe Hanna in the 2012 Gulfstreamer Race - " Your forecast was right on (and
as you said) - the race should have been canceled ... all 14 boats abandoned
at some point except one. We went straight for the stream and did really
well on Fri night into Sat early morning. The swells/waves were rough, but
manageable for us and we had about 3 knots of stream current once we were
inside. The wind even changed to a bit of NW that allowed me to change
course closer to N. We were the only boat that decided to go into the
stream, in addition to the only finisher. Once Beryl was named Saturday, I
had to make the safe call and abandon the race.
Afterwards, I found out that half the fleet had abandoned over Fri night. I
ended up in Jacksonville where, unfortunately, the storm eventually made
land fall early Sunday morning. No damage to the boat or my pride ... just a
very uncomfortable night. Thanks for all the support."
Dear Jenifer and Dane,
As a professional delivery captain and sailing instructor, I have learned a
thing or two about the weather, and I was happy to find that my analysis of
the offshore conditions agreed with yours during the first week or so of
being delayed. It was pretty obvious that nasty conditions and/or short
weather windows were present during late October and early November, 2011.
What I could never have predicted was sub-tropical storm Sean. Your strong
recommendation to have me "pull over" in Buzzards Bay to see how things
develop was the best advice a captain could have ever asked for.
I rented a car and and my entire crew watched the storm wallop all who were
out there from our living room couches over the next week. Contrary to the
horror stories we heard from the weeks prior, our weather
windows were about as perfect as it could have ever been. I created a twelve
minute video about our delivery south and posted it under the "news" section
of my sailing school website:
www.blackrocksailingschool.com
Hiring your services was the best money I've spent in years. Your emails
were clear and to the point, and the ability to discuss things with you by
phone meant a lot to me. Jenifer's gulfstream analysis was easy to decipher
and fun to work with.
I look forward to utilizing your services when we bring the boat back up
north from the Virgin Islands in April 2012, and any other time I plan to go
well offshore.
The entire "Sunshine" crew and owner are your new groupies!
Sincerely,
--
Brenton Lochridge
Black Rock Sailing School
3 Bessom Street #327
Marblehead, MA 01945
617-639-3061
WEB: www.blackrocksailingschool.com
FB:
www.facebook.com/BlackRockSailingSchool
In the 2011 Caribbean 1500, David Povich (brother of Maury Povich) said, "Jenifer
and Dane...you did a great job, as only Blackbird beat us".
From the Navigator of the
record Havana to Key West swim attempt by Diana Nyad...
"Thank
you so much for your input into (our) decision-making. Your forecasting
was quite accurate. ...very appreciative." Sincerely,
John Bartlett
From Matt Wachowicz...winner of the 2011 Annapolis to Newport Race
"Your information for the Annapolis to Newport Race was
impeccable, and I'd like to use your services for the Transatlantic Race. I
really appreciated the efforts you went through on the Annapolis race, and
the hard work really paid off, as we won the race, in part using your
current information as a key bit of our strategy. Looking forward to working
with you on the transat..."
A 2011 cruiser wrote us saying ...we went offshore at Georgetown SC and
had spoken to Dane on the way out. After that the trip was great, never
saw a current on the nose good N-NE winds 25-30 with quartering seas maybe
10-12 ft. We made great time averaging 7.0 Kts almost all the way to
Miami. We used your waypoints as guidance until reaching the Keys. Thanks
to you and Dane for the great information, it was spot on.
Stephen Johnson
SV-Chandara V40-171
Your help paid off! We
were the first J/42 to finish and were 2nd in Class.
We plan to depart Bermuda for Newport on Monday June 30th.
Regards,
Howard B. Hodgson, Jr.
Gail Greenwald in the 2011 Bermuda 1-2
Race said,
"Jenifer I just wanted to get back to you and thank you for the
support. The outbound leg was a pretty routine task for route planning as it
was a rhumb line route, but the return leg was very challenging. Based on
your preliminary chart and the altimetry data I was seriously considering
going east, and your final package sealed the deal. We went way east of the
rhumb line, and it worked out great for us. We got first in class and third
overall for both the DH leg and overall"
Jennifer & Dane: "Integrity" and crew
made the passage from Ft. Pierce FL to Annapolis Md without incident and
with the help of great weather predictions by you. Jennifer, the plotting
of the course through the Gulf Stream was extremely helpful and maximized
our speed through sometimes nonexistent winds. Thanks once again for a
great forecasting job.
..... John R. Zonarich, Esquire
Jen: We made the trip from
BVI to the dock in Annapolis in 8 days. I wanted to thank you and Dane
for the advice throughout the trip. It gives me great confidence to know
that I have such experts on my side. Thanks too from all the crew of the
SV CELEBRATION. Brendan Sullivan
2010 Cruiser: Just a short note to inform you
that our passage from the Chesapeake Bay to Duck Key, FL was a great trip.
Your weather forecasting was again very accurate and made for a safe and
reassuring trip. Be in touch for our next trip. With great appreciation,
John.
2010 Cruiser: Dear Dane and Jenifer...
We had such an easy passage to Tortola due to your excellent advice.
Everyone who left from the Northeast earlier than we did had a miserable
trip and broke equipment. We spoke with one sailor from Kittery Maine who
was really beat up by storms. A sailmaker from Yarmouth said he got
impatient and rode a gale to Atlantic City then waited there for three
days. A wooden ketch from Brooklin Maine had their sat phone dome fall
through the companionway. Thank you for all your help; we will certainly
call you again when we do an open passage... Maggie and Al
Ken Rhoads, Cruising Sailor on his
June 2010 trip to Bermuda from the Northeast U.S.....
"Just want you and Dane to know how
much we appreciated all you did for us. The trip would have been a
foolish adventure without both of you. Your waypoints were on the money
up and back. The weather forecast couldn't have been better. Thanks
again guys. We sure do need you out there."
Your forecast in the Newport
Bermuda 2010 race was a key factor for us winning our class in the Bermuda
Race!
Thank You,
Jack Neades
USCGA
"I appreciate that you are holding a spot for us (2010 Newport Race
Seminar) , your information was the only accurate information for the
currents and the anomalies in the stream. The NOAA and other data was
useless during the 2008 Newport Race....." - Sean Byrne
2009 Marion to Bermuda Race: Sheldon Brotman on "Whisper"
sent thanks to Jenifer and Dane for routing that helped him finish:
first in IRC, first NE
yacht to Bermuda and
second in class A.
In
May 2009 Blair Pyne wrote:
"...Hi
Jenifer and Dane. We are home. Six days and nine hours to Newport. Thank
you for the routing you had it right on. We had a 214 mile day in the
stream and Danes report for Thursday was exact. Thanks again hopefully we
will be in touch in the Fall."
"Your information was the only accurate information for the currents
and the anomalies in the stream. The NOAA and other data were useless
during the
2008 Newport Race....." - Sean Byrne
Blaise Pierson,
navigator of Midnight Sun, in the St. Pete to Isla Race won first in class
using Jenifer Clark’s Gulfstream services!
Long-time Jenifer Clark’s client Pete Rebovich, navigator of Sinn Fein used
Jenifer and Dane's ocean and weather forecasts to win the 2008 Newport to
Bermuda Race’s St. David’s Lighthouse, and the North Rock Beacon Trophies.
Dr. Charles Dupin on Charlie V said:“ Dane’s long range weather
was uncannily correct. Due to his prediction, we came in 4th place in the
Newport to Bermuda Yacht race”.
George Petrides, owner of AVRA, said:
"Your course helped us
hugely and we ended up 3rd in class and 20th in fleet."
In the 2008 Bermuda Ocean Race, Greg Dupier on Molto Bene said....
"Thank you very much for the BOR weather and Gulfstream information...it was
definitely a part of our success in taking 1st Place in class and 2nd Place
in the Fleet in the 2008 BOR!!!"
Howie
Hodgson wrote:
"Your help paid off! We were the first J/42 to finish and were 2nd in
Class."
From AVRA John Hummler wrote:
"Thank u for all your help. your routing was excellent and in the
final analysis it was the "blue line" as u predicted that helped us
achieve our 3rd place in our class w/in our division.
Thanks again."
2008 Newport to Bermuda Race
"Thankyou. Thankyou for your forecasts. Our route was
as it turned out
exactly your predicted route" -
Robert Childs
on Whimsical of Wight
Nat Ives said . . .
"we
won our class and the owner was thrilled, the Gulf Stream info was of
course fundamental in this and if you check out our route (Aquarius) you
will see how we used it!"
Nathan Baron, Skipper Minimus
Sailing Team, wrote . . .
Thanks again for you excellent advice before the
BOR. My crew was very impressed with the briefing and it confirmed for me
what a talented team the two of you are.
Ron Rostorfer - winner in
the 2007 Caribbean 1500 said ....
" ....Jenifer
and Dane, we won class by almost 24 hours - due substantially to your
routing."
From: Timothy B. Glynn
Sailing the Gulf Stream
When things are tough, Dane is available to talk on the phone. They
even gave me the phone number of their beach house one time and generally
they have not charged me for phone calls. One time when there was an
unanticipated shift in the weather Dane actually called me to prepare me.
It is like having a guardian angel. Any time you can rent a guardian
angel for $230, you should.
In May 2008, Didier
Lapierre on Boundless said.... we are 25 miles from the mouth of
Chesapeake Bay....your Weather updates were a big help and for that, we
the crew of the s/y Boundless are
grateful - thank you.....as we will be in the marina only hours before the
next
bigger low hits.
In the 2008 St.
Petersburg to Isla Mujeres Sailboat, Race John J. Christman writes:
I'm pleased to say that your
recommendations were very helpful. During the segment from
the next-to-last to the last, we were getting speeds over the ground (SOG)
of over 10 knots with through-the-water speeds of about 6. This gave us a
distinct advantage. I'm proud to say that in the end, we won our class!!!
Your
recommendations were certainly a part of that.
In March of 2008, Didier
Lapierre on the S/V Boundless wrote:
"...We used Jenifer
and Dane's services last year (2007) in May for a passage to
Bermuda. The charts and routing information were excellent. We had
a push from the stream almost half way to Bermuda..... "
In March of 2008,
Darlene Forte wrote:
"I want to thank you for
your informative and interesting talk at the Tartan and West River Club
symposium. Everyone really enjoyed it! You had such fun stories to share
with us, what an interesting business..."
Justin Christou on the
122 foot yacht Atlantide stated in November of 2007 that
"Jenifer's Ocean
routing was "spot on" for our trip through the Gulfstream from St. Martin
to Newport. The crew said I was crazy making all those course changes,
but in the end we followed Jenifer's waypoints and significantly increased
our speed through the stream and the eddies"
Joe Harris in the 2007
Bermuda One-Two Race said,
" .....your (Jenifer Clark) Gulfstream
forecast and Dane's weather were right-on, so well done to
you guys and thanks for your important part in my breaking the course
record."
In the
2007 Charleston to Bermuda Race....Scott Jones said
"We won
our division and came in second overall - thanks for the weather and
gulfstream data - you are the best!"
Comments in April 2007 ............
"Jenifer,
your information was spot on and made a significant difference -- Thanks
again. First in
class in Regatta Al Sol Del Sol April 2007. Navigator Sunset.
Rick Higger
In June 2006, Dr. Richie Shulman, Captain of Temptress
[winner of the Gibb's Hill St. David's Lighthouse trophy] wrote:
"Jenifer - thank you. As always your prerace information was critical in our
success. Your gulf stream analysis was spot on - and Nick Nicholson was
able to take your information and put us right where we were supposed to
be. The cold eddy just south of the Stream was a spectacular boost. Dane's
weather forcast also got it right. On Thursday night we were convinced
that we should go East - and after the Friday AM weather briefings we
changed our plans and went West - that did it for us!"
Comments in June 2006 about Newport to Bermuda . . .
" I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you and your husband for the
current and weather
information for this years Newport Race. We found it to be invaluable. As
a result we finished third in class.
A great time was had by all. We will certainly enlist your services next
year for the Marion-Bermuda Race."
- Dan Biemesderfer "Shearwater"
"We are very pleased with our 4th place finish. It would not have been possible without your expert guidance.
We took the western route and absolutely nailed the big CE."
Jeff Ohstrom
Mezza Luna
Dirk Johnson, navigator of Bella Mente in the 2006 newport to bermuda yacht race says " you did an awesome job as usual.
The cold eddy gave us 5.5 knots of speed over a long period of time. See you again in 2 years!"
Brook Streit, navigator of Salty Goose:
"Jennifer, I just wanted to
thank you and your daughter for putting in the extra effort to make me a
chart the morning of the start. I ended up going west and your
predictions were spot on. "
********
I was
downloading grib files of the stream the whole time and was very
disappointed in their inaccuracy. I also heard other boats who were
using routing software say the same thing. We found your projections
to be
much more accurate so we didn't let the "toys" get in the way of good
judgment. Thanks again for a great forecast.
Jon Somes, navigator Sagitta
Again,
you are a genius.. We were 1 in class on BREEZING UP in the 2006 Newport to
Bermuda race. Your charts were excellent! - David Pratt
Janet Riesman on Intrepid
in the 2006 Newport to Bermuda Sailboat Race said,
..." Your advice was invaluable and exceeded all our expectations... the big
cold eddy gave us a huge push."
On
June 12, 2006 Larry Bowyer wrote about the
"regata
al sol del sol" . . .
"We came in second in our class and 4th in Division.
.... The Gulfstream analysis was right on and was very helpful in our
navigation. The boats that went to the east did well, while those going to
the west were towards the back of the fleet."
In June of 2006, Michael McGrenra wrote . . . .
We
really appreciated your assistance and strategizing. Your daily forecasts
were succinct and accurate; we found them easy to interpret. The waypoints
guiding us through currents resulted in favorable speeds often 1.5K better
over ground. We would use your services again and recommend you without
reservation.
In May 2006, John Bonds
wrote:
Moneypenny Position Report Sat 1345 edt:
60 nm offshore Currituck, VA, North of Cape Hatteras .....
Spectacular
night of sailing last night preceding frontal passage. Cruising kite
works great & we made great time yesterday. Jenifer Clark's gulfstream
forecasts were perfectly accurate.
In December of 2005, Dan Ellis wrote....."I
just wanted to say thank you so much for your services. You nailed the
weather and ocean route info.... we did great, had no surprises. I'm a big
fan of your service and I will strongly recommend it to other
passage-makers. Thanks again."
From
Mark Scheffer, s/v
Restless- June 23, 2005Jenifer, followed your route very closely for the marion to bermuda. We
were amazed as your water temps and currents were dead on. We had trouble
getting out of Buzzard's Bay against a strong southwesterly and tide, as our
boat does not do really well into the wind (shoal keel). We recovered from
11th in our class to ending up 5th, to a great extent due to the Gulf Stream
routing. . . . . Look forward to hearing from you and again, thanks
for the great data - we'll plan on using your services every time.
Thanks. Mark Scheffer
From Trawler Cruiser's David and Christine Saul.. June 10, 2005
We arrived safely, and on time, in St. Gerorges Bermuda... Dane, your
beautiful high was right on schedule, and we had beautiful weather all
the way...thanks for organizating that for us! Jenifer, your waypoints
were wonderful: at one time, at our normal cruising speed of 10kts, we
reached a top speed of 13.4kts!!!! I thank the two of you for
contributing to the fun, excitment,enjoyment, and SAFETY, of this trip from
Norfolk to Bermuda.