Marc Jacobi's Sailing Blog

Great resource for regatta management

2012-01-21T04:07:00.000-08:00

This site provides links to a treasure trove of information on how to run a big regatta:

http://organizations.ussailing.org/Resources/BBR.htm

Thought it might be helpful to those who are hosting important events this year, or who aspire to sometime in the future!

Marc

2011-11-14T07:55:00.001-08:00

(click on the image at left to see a bigger version)

With the fleet becalmed trying to reach the starting area, this Sunday didn't start out very auspiciously. Those who bailed early missed an awesome day of sailing, however! At around 12:30, the wind came in with a BANG, allowing PRO Mike Matan and his team to click off five long races in 12-6 knot SW breeze.

With the weather mark up near Cockenoe Island, and the leeward gate to the east of Saugatuck Harbor channel, the ebbing tide played a big role. As always, I checked the tide before each race, and was surprised to find it was heading only 20 or so degrees east of the wind near the starting area. Given the proximity to the channel and the general ebbing direction further out in the Sound, I would have expected a more easterly, or even southerly, flow. I surmised that the tide would be much more southerly to the right of the course, where the tide coming out of the channel would have more effect.

Geography was also a key factor. Cockenoe Island tends to block the ebb, and also the wind in a SW breeze, so my plan was to approach the weather mark on port to minimize the wind effect and maximize the tidal one. Leaving the top mark, I sailed quite high to: 1) get away from the wind shadow made by the fleet approaching on starboard; 2) get away from the lee of Cockenoe; 3) position myself away from the more southerly flow coming out of the channel (which would have a progressively larger effect the further one got down the run); and 4) get myself over to the NE tidal flow that was evident near the start line.

Before the racing began I stood up to find the weather mark (which was waaay up there by the island!), and then aligned myself between the top mark and the leeward gate to get a land sight for the rhumb line to the leeward gate. I find this so helpful on the approach to the weather mark when planning the leeward leg, and when on the leg to find the gate quickly.

Most of my first beats were serviceable, if not fabulous. A couple of times I was pinched off soon after the start, forcing a clearing tack. Knowing it was important to not bang the right corner because of Cockenoe's effect on the wind, I would tack back as soon as a clear lane was available, then try to sail fast forward to try to gain some fore-and-aft position on the boats to leeward. Given the variable wind strength, there was a lot of back-and-forth, and it took discipline to keep sailing on lumpy starboard when the boats to leeward would be sailing higher and faster in a puff (and something else, which I'll mention later!).

The runs are where I made my moves. I really appreciated the boats ahead and around me bearing 20-30 degrees to the left of rhumb line at the top mark, slowing themselves down in the lee of the fleet and Cockenoe. By heading high then bearing off to ride the first big waves, I was able to gain 3-5 boatlengths straight away. Toward the middle of the leg the boats to my left moved forward some, but not enough (in my mind) to justify the extra distance they sailed. The latter 1/3 of the runs were very satisfying, as the boats to the left, now sailing into the strengthening adverse tide coming out of the channel, had to head up to a dead run (going slowly) to get to the gate. Sometimes I'd gain 20 boatlengths on one run!

The leeward gate had a right pin (looking downwind) favor all day. Early on it made sense to round that pin, because going around the left would have meant sailing into the wind shadow and disturbed waves made by fleet coming downwind. As the day progressed however, more people were sailing closer to rhumb line on the run, making the starboard tack off the right pin more lumpy and slow. In addition, the strengthening tide coming out of the channel helped those on the right make massive gains: in the third race, Steve Fisk went from 4th or 5th to a solid 1st by going right. Failing to learn my lesson from Race 3, I tried the left side of the final beat again in Race 4, and went from 2nd to 7th or 8th!

The final race started at around 2:40, after a little delay caused by the RC moving the top mark further right and a bit closer. I knew it was going to be the last race, and was determined to take all I'd learned to finish decisively. The RC also made the pin irresistibly favored, so I started in that quarter, tacking soon after to free myself from a boat close to leeward. I was JUST able to cross two boats while sailing on the favored port tack, then tacked back in a slight header onto starboard. I was determined to be more middle-left than right on this beat, because I had seen so many guys come out on top from that side. Sure enough, I encountered something different here--a COUNTER CURRENT going perfectly behind me on starboard! THIS must have been what was allowing the boats to leeward of me to scoot forward and higher in those earlier races!

A few boats that were further to leeward tacked over and were crossing. Normally I would have tacked to leeward and ahead of them to avoid their wind shadows and to lead back to the middle, but I wanted to ride the counter current for as long as it lasted so I waved them across. The counter current held to within a minute or so of the port tack layline. I tacked over to port and, even with the left collapsing a bit toward the end, rounded the top mark first!

I think a lot of people didn't take the course shift into consideration, and sailed their old angle (now even FURTHER off rhumb line) down the run. This allowed me and James Harvey to really break away from the fleet. Determined to not repeat my previous error, I rounded the LEFT gate on port and found lovely breeze and nice smooth water--no wonder this side paid off before! Did a few tacks to stay in touch with the fleet and finished the final decisively, just as planned.

BOAT SET-UP:
The wind was rather up and down, and sailing on starboard in the lumpy waves with chop on top was challenging. As the day wore on I sailed with looser and looser outhaul and downhaul to keep power up, using my vang as a quick depowering device when needed in the puffs. If the puffs were longer in nature, I'd pull on some downhaul.

During the debriefing and pizza session after racing, PRO Mike mentioned that I seemed to be sailing with a consistent and noticeable amount of heel--not dead flat, not way over. When conditions are variable I like to do that, because it gives a little safety net of heel should one encounter a light spot--if the boat was dead flat, it would heel to windward. Also, the boat seems to go through that chop better with a bit of heel, and water that comes over the deck tends to slide harmlessly off to leeward instead of filling the cockpit. This technique worked on starboard, but on port I tried to sail the boat dead flat, as the waves were more on the beam.

Downwind, I saved by-the-lee sailing for light spots or to catch waves. In puffs, I headed UP, to dead downwind, allowing me to get back to rhumb line and also sail longer in the puffs. There is a tendency by many to bear off even further in puffs, but that just means one is further off rhumb line, usually on a bad reaching angle, when it's time to get to the mark. Try it sometime!

Frostbiting at Cedar Point YC

2011-11-01T14:46:00.000-07:00

Eight hardy sailors ventured out Sunday, 30 October 2011 for a good hard day of frostbiting. A gusty, phasing Northerly swept the fleet to the racecourse and allowed 5 races to be sailed in velocities ranging from 10-25 knots.

Because the wind was phasing, I found it very important to get onto the lifted tack as soon as possible, to stay in synch with the shifts. The phases usually didn't last an entire leg, so banging a corner definitely didn't work. At the beginning of the day the breeze was forecasted to go a bit right, and I had success working that side of the fleet. In addition, the tide was still rising early in the day, so being right meant one got a little bit of current help on starboard toward the top of the beat (the weather mark was set near the channel).

We did a number of Harry Andersons, and in the beginning the first reaches were very broad. This, and the puffy conditions, made it very challenging to keep speed up the whole leg. The second reaches were full on blasts--I found having the right amount of vang (tighter than one might think) was very helpful, and when the breeze was full on I tightened the downhaul a bit to keep the draft forward.

The sea state were very choppy/lumpy upwind. For the really big swells I scooted back to the center of my hiking strap, hiked, sheeted out and sailed fast. For lesser sets of bumps, I found keeping my feet forward but hiking diagonally back was enough to keep the bow up, and in the flatter sections made sure to scoot forward to the usual place.

With the breeze so up and down, it was important to keep changing gears, easing vang and even downhaul to stay powered up. I think a lot of us, myself included, tend to keep everything really tight in lulls, kinda dreading pulling everything back on when breeze goes back on. That may be easy, but it's not fast.

Finally, a word about clothing choice. In the locker room most guys were going with wetsuits and spray/dry tops. That day I couldn't find my fleece gear and used three rash guards under a shelled jacket. It wasn't enough, especially after capsizing, and it took EVERYTHING I had to recover from a double capsize because of a super-tight vang going upwind. My basic suggestion is to dress WARMER than you think you'll need, since it's better to be too hot than hypothermic. You can darn well bet I'll be putting on the drysuit (or at least a few layers of fleece under a spray/dry top) next time I'm looking at 20+ knots on the water!

Hope to see you all at the Frostbiting Invitational regatta this coming Saturday! Contact Joe the Fleet Captain at 203-912-6855. or email him at jnice1@optonline.net

2011 Laser Master New England Championship

2011-09-25T19:58:00.000-07:00

Just got home from the 2011 Laser NEs at Third Beach in Newport, RI. 45 hardy souls braved rain, fog and atypically light breeze to compete in this year's event. It was nice to see many familiar faces, as well as a number of smiling new ones! I was excited to be attending my first Laser regatta since Spring frostbiting and anxious to get out there.

DAY 1
Saturday started out overcast and light. On the run to the racecourse, I checked tide at a mooring to get a data point before sailing out with fellow Cedar Point frostbiter Britt Hughes. The breeze was going pretty much straight from the beach up the river, at a slight angle to the flood tide and the large rollers coming in from the ocean. I observed that the wind seemed to be blowing right along the surface of the water without much vertical component to it, which made wind shadows on the run out very painful. Britt confirmed my observation and we both agreed that keeping clear lanes on the runs would be especially vital here. Two important data points amassed on the way out.

Once we got to the start area Britt and I did a 3-minute split (start together, one boat tacks away, both sail 3 minutes on opposite tacks before tacking back to the middle). Our split showed the right to have a decided advantage, which made sense given the adverse tide. Another data point.

On the way back downwind to the start area we discussed strategy and basic wind impressions. I also noted which angles and sail trim seemed to work best downwind (data point). Once the start pin was set I quickly did another tide check and discovered 3/4 of a boatlength tide over 30 seconds, moving downwind perpendicular to the start line--significant data point!

In the starting area I sailed downwind briefly, lining up roughly on the rhumb line between the weather offset and leeward gate to get a general idea of the course and feel of the waves. More on this data point later...

The RC posted a W5 (windward/leeward/windward/leeward/finish) course with the weather mark at 220 degrees. I thought the line was boat-end favored, and given the tide situation, nailing a good start up there and tacking over ASAP was the game plan. The tide research really helped me nail *the* weather end boat position, but I wasn't moving particularly well when the gun went off. Boats slightly to leeward accelerated a smidge better and were off like rockets, while I had to contend with the sizable wind shadow made by the huge committee boat. One more data point!

Fortunately, this first attempt at a start resulted in a general recall. Many people either stop or go right back to the start line after a general is sounded, but I like to sail a little bit further to see how the fleet is looking. It's not a perfect guide because (obviously) some boats are poked out an unfair amount, but it is another data point to reference when setting up for the next start.

I tacked too soon to port, and because of the adverse tide, had to tack again to clear the committee's anchor line, then tack back AGAIN to go right--not fast. Surprisingly, things still looked pretty good on the boats that went left. Before it became too obvious to others how nice the right was, I headed back to the start area, another handy data point acquired.

With the I-Flag up for the restart, the fleet was a little better behaved but more intent than ever on crowding the boat end. Armed with my detailed tide data, I felt very confident manuvering in the crowd then waiting, waiting, WAITING for a hole to appear at the boat before pulling the trigger at 7 seconds to the gun. About 3 boats down from me, Peter Shope got away clean and fast and legged out a bit. Anxious to get right, I tacked over and *just* cleared the RC boat's anchor line--whew!

The adverse current meant that down-speed moments would be punished especially hard, so I concentrated on keeping the angle of heel constant and speed maximized. Sitting at the front of the cockpit with my butt about half-way between the weather rail and the outside corner of the cockpit, I leaned my upper body progressively further out as the big rollers raised the boat up-up-UP into clearer wind, then eased the upper body as far down as face to the boom when in the troughs. Keeping the angle of heel constant also helped maximize pointing in these conditions.

While I went pretty hard right, I didn't just two-tack the beat. I kept in mind prior regattas sailed here, watching Scott Ferguson exploit subtle shifts upwind to great effect. Armed with that memory, I tacked over when boats to windward were pointing down toward my transom, even though it felt uncomfortable tacking away from the current-favored right side of the course. Per the textbook though, every time I did I'd consolidate on the boats to the left, and boats that just banged the right sometimes looked headed, sometimes overstood since they had to accept whatever hit them way out there near the layline. Sailing the favored tack the whole beat with little in the way of dirty air, I overstood slightly myself and powered over Dave Frazier just before the weather mark to round first!

After settling down on the short reach to the offset, I took a quick look to leeward to make sure the leeward mark hadn't been shifted by the race committee. I rounded the offset with a three- or four-boatlength lead and sailed a very broad reach to get away from dirty air at the mark before turning down to my desired course (which had already been determined by my research before the start).

Others behind bore off immediately around the offset and sailed by the lee, at least 20 degrees off rhumb line. This made me happy for two reasons: they were sailing down into the dirty air and waves made by the boats on the offset leg, AND they were sailing extra distance without a commensurate increase in boatspeed. In spinnaker boats we know that "what goes up must come back down," but in the Laser it's the opposite: what goes down (by-the-lee), must eventually come back up. Better to save those by-the-lee moments for light air spots than waste them so early in the leg!

Paid very close attention to the wind as it hit my neck, bearing off to by-the-lee in the lulls to maintain speed, then turning back up in the puffs to consolidate back to rhumb line. With solid knowledge of the course and nice clean air well away from the fleet I managed to pull away, rounding the favored left (looking downwind) gate mark about 20 boatlengths ahead.

Definitely favored the right side but worked a few shifts back left to stay in touch with the fleet and pulled further ahead on the next beat. On the second run in slightly less breeze I again sailed more on the rhumb line, while a right shift/puff allowed boats who went left downwind gain some. Rounded the gate and almost immediately tacked onto starboard on the short beat to the finish, prevailing by about 45 seconds over the second place boat. Ominously, the fog began to roll in as the remainder of the fleet finished, and the breeze got lighter.

By the time the RC started Race 2, it was impossible to see the weather mark. When asked the course to the next mark, the RC said "we THINK it's at 240"--pretty sketchy! I couldn't believe the committee was starting a race in such conditions. The breeze felt a bit left, so I, being without a compass, made an incredibly dumb mistake: I just assumed the weather mark was to the left to adjust for the lefty, not 20 degrees further RIGHT (as any simpleton who knows how a compass works would be able to tell you).

So..., I got another decent start at the boat but boats that started more middle tacked over in the lefty, crossed and headed right. I tacked right in an OK lane but armed with my erroneous game plan came back left a few painful times and lost boats.

The fleet navi-groped its way around another W5 course. It was increasingly frustrating not knowing where the hell the marks were, and the mark boats weren't making any sound signals to help us out. In retrospect, if I: 1) had a compass; 2) realized that 240 is RIGHT of 220 not left; 3) had dead reckoned by noting minutes sailed on each tack; and 4) stayed in better touch with the fleet instead of taking those painful tacks left, I might have pulled out a Top 10 finish. As it was, i limped in at 21st.

The RC sent us in after that, so of course the fog lifted and the wind built. Pizza, however, was ashore waiting to be devoured, and we partook! It was so nice to have the results posted right away--apparently, the scorekeeper on the boat entered finishes into her iPad, with results available online in real time--amazing!

After two races it was Great Great Grandmaster Lindsay Hewitt topping the leaderboard with a 10, 2 (pre-handicap), while 2011 Apprentice World Champ Ben Richardson nipped at his heels with a 6, 1. (Apprentice Master Ben spots GGMs like Lindsey 3 points per race in Masters events!). With a 1, 21 scorecard, I was in 9th place. Some of the guys went to a bar for drinks but I was in a more quiet mood and went to see a movie, then checked emails and the weather forecast before getting to bed at a reasonable hour.

DAY 2
Got up early and rechecked emails and the weather--it didn't look promising, with less than 5 knots predicted all day. Sure enough, the water was like glass, which no-doubt made surfers happy if not the Laser sailors!

A postponement ashore allowed people to catch up and check out each others' setups. There were some creative trailers in the boat park too, and one that had a missing lug nut and three loose ones! Tools quickly materialized to set things straight, the sun made an appearance, and a light nor'easterly began filling across the river. Postponement flag down, sails up, and now a beat out across the river to the start area!

I went right initially, figuring the flood tide out in the middle of the river would push me upwind on Port, then be on my stern when on Starboard. One boat near me tacked off to the left and gained, so I flipped over for a short while before flicking back onto Port. Sure enough, Dave Frazier, who had been well behind me before I tacked left, was pointing like a bandit to leeward and ahead. Eventually, he tacked onto Starboard and crossed easily--at least a 10 boatlength gain.

Taking this as a sign, I dug in hard right on Port, but got progressively lifted as I went. With no righty in sight, I tacked back to the left on the layline to the now-anchored RC boat, with Dave a little speck ahead of me coming out of the left side. That was one CRAPPY beat out, but lessons learned!

Once again I hooked up with Britt for an abbreviated 2-minute split before the start. This time I came out of the left ahead by about 4 boatlengths. Britt mentioned that he was in light wind while sailing right, and felt the breeze progressively increased after tacking back toward the middle. On the left, I had pretty good height on starboard, and tacked back to the middle on a decent heading as well. Given Britt's account of light wind to start on the right, I had some doubt about the left being strategically favored.

We then sailed downwind toward a nearby mark, where a tide check indicated that instead of flooding as I thought, the tide was EBBING at a rate of 2/3 boatlength per 30 seconds. With the left being closer to shore and therefore more shallow, it made sense why this side made out during the split (and the sail out). With corroborating data points gathered, Britt and I agreed on a strategy of going LEFT on the first beat.

The RC set a very short, pin-favored line and was rewarded with a general recall. Retaining the short line but raising the I-flag resulted in a clean start. I started about 3 boatlengths up from the pin, happy to be away from the boats wadded up going for THE pin-end start.

Dunno how he did it being so heavy and all, but Andy Pimental below me was pointing like crazy. I thought a slightly lower course would be faster and said so, but he was undeterred. Fortunately I was high enough to not be affected by him until a wee header allowed me to tack back to the middle just shy of the layline. In nice pressure and working every single roller, I sailed fast back to the middle, moving forward but retaining height relative to the boats to leeward. Tacked onto starboard about 6 boatlengths from the mark and just managed to force Pimental to duck instead of tacking inside me at the mark--in first again!

The run was very interesting strategically, with a dying breeze, ebb tide behind but big rollers coming from in front and at a slight angle. I initially stayed just a little bit high on the run to line up with the current and get away from the offset mark, while Pimental dove hard down, eventually gybing over to port. The rest of the nearby boats sailed a more moderate course directly upwind of me, forcing me to sail a bit by-the-lee to maintain a thin lane between their wind shadow and Pimental's. Lucky for me, Pimental was on the wrong gybe and heavy, while the nearby boats slowed each other down. I managed to extend a bit before the boats behind figured it out and spread out. It was a bit unnerving having so much lateral separation between me and nearly 10 boats, but I was moving well on a good heading so I just got down to the business of working my boat over each oncoming roller, taking advantage of the increased breeze near the tops to head up a bit, then bearing off to slightly by-the-lee in the lulls to maintain speed.

Had a sloppy rounding of the left (looking downwind) gate, which was further upwind but not taking me to the advantaged left. However, this was a case of tactics overriding strategy, as the fleet was coming downwind and I didn't want to have to deal with the resulting dirty air. A few boats took the risk though, and when I had a clear lane I tacked back left to loose cover.

Pimental, who rounded the left gate behind me, presented a conundrum by continuing right. He's a local so I wondered if he knew something I didn't, or perhaps the current had already changed, or was it just a desperate move? After a quick assessment, I decided to let him go--he was the only one near me going right, while the bulk of the fleet was going left. It was the percentage thing to do.

The boats well to leeward were looking stronger and stronger, and I was happy to have covered them when I did. As it was, I barely managed to tack in front of hard charging Philippe Dormoy from Canada, forcing him back left and taking his nice lane back to the middle.

The breeze was dying, and Ben Richardson was zooming up directly behind me. I checked for weed on my blades and seemed to do a little better, but then he tacked over for some more left. Up ahead on the right saw what I thought was a bit more breeze so I toughed it out to the layline. When Ben tacked back onto port in breeze he seemed to be FLYING. Turned out I was a bit shy of the layline and fortunate to able to tack on Ben and slow him down a bit. Pimental's gamble on the right didn't pay and he was way back.

Rounded the top mark in first, about 3 boatlengths ahead of Richardson, who like Pimental before him dove down hard around the upwind mark. I pulled out a bit as a result, but Ben kept up the pressure with a few astute gybes to close the gap. I got a little out of phase on the bottom quarter of the leg, going low and slow on the approach and letting Richardson close to within 5 boatlengths in a further deteriorating breeze.

The final beat was marked by a protracted tacking duel with Richardson, who closed to within a boatlength but was unable to break free of my cover. I shot the starboard side of the line on port, while Ben finished moments later in a well-deserved 2nd position. I was relieved to have finished when we did, as the rest of the fleet struggled to complete the course in nearly non-existent breeze.

Ben and I had a nice chat before the RC hoisted the postponement ashore flags, effectively ending the regatta. After 30 minutes of continuous flapping of the rig I made landfall, derigged the boat, then enjoyed more pizza at the award ceremony. The raffle after featured the broadest set of valuable prizes I've ever seen: a rolled Hyde sail, new fiberglass daggerboard, new fiberglass rudder, a killer life jacket, deck cover, spar bag, a beautiful Zhik jacket, gloves, Seitech goodies--you name it! Almost everyone got something.

Overall, I feel good with how things went at this regatta. Did enough pre-race research to formulate winning first-leg strategies. Showed discipline when challenged and didn't bang corners. Had competitive upwind speed, was very quick downwind and boathandling was reasonably solid. Made plenty of mistakes too, but learned from them.

Know this has been a long read, but hope someone might find the point-of-view account of the event beneficial. As a sailing journal of sorts, it certainly helps me.

Finally, many thanks to Peter Seidenberg, the organizers, race committee and sponsors for another terrific Master NEs!

Happy Sailing!

2011 Laser NE results: http://www.diamondwire.org/regattas/79/results

Laser Master Worlds - I'm not there!

2010-09-14T08:31:00.000-07:00

It is with some sadness that I write this post from the comfort of home surroundings, as opposed to the cool and windy environs of Hayling Island in the UK, site of this year's Laser Master World Championship. The decision was made many months ago, and other things have happened that let me know it was the right thing to do.

Good luck to all the North American sailors competing! Will be watching the results with much interest! To follow along yourself, here is the event website:

http://www.laserworlds2010.co.uk/masters

Coaching ths Summer at AYC

2010-05-26T09:44:00.000-07:00

Hi,

I'll be running Laser clinics throughout the summer at American YC, coaching participants while demonstrating on my Laser. We plan to have video for review after each on-the-water session. The first clinic will be this Saturday, May 29th!

Hope some of you and/or your kids can join us! You can go to American Yacht Club's website (www.americanyc.com) or contact Rob Fear at the email below.

Best regards,
Marc

American Yacht Club is once again hosting some exciting programs this summer for Laser sailors!

Laser Clinic Series
Do you want to improve your boatspeed, boathandling, and learn from one of the best Laser sailors around? Then sign up for the Laser Clinics and take advantage of this opportunity to participate in a series of intense on-the-water sessions, with drills that are specifically designed to raise your level of sailing and have your very own coach giving you go-fast tips while he demonstrates advanced techniques from his own boat.

The Laser Clinics begin on Saturday, May 29th.

For more information please visit the AYC website at www.americanyc.com, or contact me by e-mail.

______________________________________
Rob Fear
rob.fear@miacanalytics.com

Frostbiting - Week 3

2010-03-30T06:18:00.000-07:00

Growing up in Hawaii I usually practiced out in the ocean and big swells, but many of the big regattas were in a large, protected bay on the other side of the island. For a long time it was tough for me to make the transition from wave sailing to flat water. This past Sunday reminded me of my youth, and how important it is to adjust one's technique to the conditions at hand.

The day started out cool and bumpy, with a 12 knot Southeasterly driving in chop on top of some big wave sets that were at a slight angle to the wind. Tide proved a major factor, with noticeable differences between to two sides of the course, and the wind got progressively lighter as the day wore on.

In such conditions I try to sail very powered up--it's easy to get intimidated and put too much vang on, which depowers the rig too much. Also, a loose downhaul prevents the top of the sail from twisting off. The boat is challenging to sail this way, requiring VERY hard hiking at the tops of waves (where the wind is strongest) and when bearing off while working through waves. Only when I am truly overpowered do I start dialing in vang, and then only enough to make the boat manageable.

This sail setup, combined with hard hiking and torquing the boat through the waves, helped me keep the boat flat and moving compared to others. It definitely wasn't a day to be heeling over and pinching like in our more customary flat water--those guys just slid sideways into my wake, slower and ultimately lower.

I misjudged the strong tide in the first two races and was forced over. Fortunately, was able to quickly find lanes to stay in touch by the top marks. Downwind I tried to immediately get clear air and waves, usually heading to the left looking downwind. Once I had some room to work, concentrated on taking the few BIG waves left, then working back right in lighter spots. As the breeze faded and current switched to flood, I stayed more middle and it seemed to work out.

Getting clear air, and especially waves, downwind was critical. In one race Grand Master Amnon Gitelson rounded the top mark 2 BL ahead while I had Mike Curtin right on my stern. I managed to hang onto clear air, but Mike flattened the waves enough that Amnon was able to scoot right away from the two of us, gaining an additional, insurmountable 5 BL to win the race--congrats Amnon!

Racing was tight out there, with only 8 points separating 2nd from 6th after 7 races. Curtin sailed an awesomely consistent day to end up 2nd, Britt Hughes was 4 points behind in 3rd, and there was a three-way tie for 4th, Gitelson's bullet allowing him to prevail over a rapidly improving Brad Thompson and Mark May. Good downwind speed helped me claim 1st in 6 of the 7 races for the overall win.

How often do we leave something broken or ill-working on our boats? I had an equipment issue, one that sprang up last week: the vang was jumping its upper shieve, which made any adjustment difficult. Should have taken care of it after sailing last week, but instead had to deal with a cranky boat all day. I had compromised upwind speed as a result, and in a deeper fleet would have lost many boats. Gotta keep whittling down those excuses to lose!

Sailing is one of those things that one can do when nothing else would be appealing. The day looked kinda yucky from the comfort of home, but racing was terrific and it wasn't bad temperature-wise when wearing proper clothing. I hope to see more of you out there in the ensuing weeks!

2010-03-11T07:36:00.001-08:00

First day of frostbiting at Cedar Point YC was this past, glorious Sunday, with 50+ degrees, sunny skies and flukey winds settling down to a phasing offshore breeze up to 8 knots. Was my first time in the boat (ANY boat) since December. Felt great to be on the water again!

When I've been away for awhile I find my body is more sensitive to inputs and forces on the boat. Sailing downwind to the racing area, I was very aware of leeway when sailing by-the-lee with too little board down (a COMMON error in Lasering), and force on the rig sailing downwind. Could definitely feel the transition point between sailing too far by-the-lee (with attendant decrease in rig loading) and optimum VMG sailing.

This latter point came in handy during the races. My first few starts weren't impressive, but I gained it all back and more on the runs. Was amazed to see others, in puffs, continue to sail way by-the-lee (BTL)!

Sailing BTL is, by definition, going across the flow of wind. To my mind, this takes one out of a puff sooner than riding dead downwind (DDW) with it. Inevitably on a slow boat like a Laser (vs. a Moth, for example), the puff passes by. If one sailed BTL in that puff, one would be way off to the side of the course, having sailed extra distance and now being forced to sail back toward the middle (even if that was not strategically or tactically advantageous).

When I get hit by a puff, I head the boat UP to DDW. This keeps me riding with the puff as long as possible. When the puff passes, one can either head up or go by-the-lee to hunt down the next puff, or maintain speed. The basic philosphy: if bearing off or heading up won't result in a compensating increase in speed, stick the bow to the mark whenever possible.

This technique is especially effective in phasing breeze, where, just like on a beat, working the "middle" playing the shifts makes sense. Head off to the side to get to the puff, ride it back to the middle, then prepare for the next shift on the other side by either heading up or sailing BTL. Speed is consistently high, going in the right direction, and you magically appear to know where all the shifts are!

Your mileage may vary, but using this technique this weekend I gained at least 10, and sometimes 20+, boatlengths on a single, short run--pretty compelling results.

Other thoughts:
I really must become more dilligent about starts. For me it's so much fun working through the fleet that I've gotten lazy about the opening game. As the fleet has gotten better this has exposed me to poor finishes. It also does me no good when sailing at big events. So: fewer comebacks and more bullets are the goal!

Patience is a virtue. Later in the day there were fewer, longer shifts, so one had to choose durable lanes that would last for the duration.

Attention to detail. While fewer shifts were present, we still had small velocity changes (from 5-8 knots and back). I gained on others when paying strict attention to boat heel: not allowing ANY extra when velocity increased, and not allowing heel to windward in lulls. On one, 1.5 minute port-tack session, moved forward two BL and to windward 1.5 BL on a guy directly ahead of me at the leeward mark without adjusting mainsheet at ALL, just by better heel management compared to him.

Sailing one's own race. At one point I had my major competitor breathing down my neck. He practices, is fit and smart. My instinctive reaction was to cover him like a wet blanket, but his tacks are better than mine these days and I was losing. Instead, I just took a breath, looked up the course, and noticed a band of breeze toward the middle of the course. I let him off to my right, got into the pressure and pulled away to a 30 second lead. It's liberating to make one's own observations and decisions! Collect data, interpret, THEN act.

Fitness:
This day was relatively light and steady, but I still depended too much on my mainsheet deck cleats. Arms would've been wiped out on a windy day. Time to hit the gym!

Gear:
Tried the new centerboard stopper thing, and it's nice. No more need to have huge amounts of shockcord tension to keep board in place.

I felt "fat" with all my clothes on. Fitness plays a role here (mine is atrocious), but some guys were commenting about form-fitting, warm tops they had and liked. Will have to investigate these vs. the current spray top over layers.

Last Day

2009-09-05T14:43:00.000-07:00

Light winds caused an anticlimatic end to an exciting regatta on St. Margaret's Bay. The race committee attempted to get races off but abandoned two attempts after big oscillating windshifts caused one side of the course or another to be favored.

Scott Ferguson from Rhode Island was first, Arnoud Hummel from The Netherlands was second, with Andy Pimental and Mark Bear (both from Rhode Island) tied for third, Pimental winning the tiebreaker because of his two 1st place finishes to Bear's best finish of a 2nd. I ended up 11th overall. If I hadn't missed the hiking strap yesterday and held my 4th place in that race, would have been 9th. Woulda, coulda, shoulda... :)

Will write more later. Have to load up the boat then drive into Halifax (about 20 miles away) for the closing dinner.

I want to thank all of you who emailed or commented on this blog during the event. Hope all found it at least a little entertaining!

Day 5 - 2nd day of Gold Fleet racing

2009-09-04T15:13:00.001-07:00

Last night I was thrilled to be a last-minute invitee for lobster dinner put on by LauraLee and Bill Symes and their housemates, cooked to perfection by Chef and Grand Master sailor Alain Vincey from France. Today the Symeses celebrate their 10th anniversary. From what I can see, they'll be together for at least another 10 years--congrats you two!

Today was another gorgeous one on St. Margaret's Bay. About the same wind strength as yesterday.

Determined to have a more successful day, I got out earlier and did two 4-minute splits with Aussie sailor Stewart Casey. Both times, the left side paid off handsomely. The current was running with the wind. I was also flying downwind on the sails back to the start line.

Unlike yesterday I formulated a firm plan for the upwind legs, and fortunately it wasn't very difficult in light of the research: go left. Hard.

The first attempt at a start was a general recall, nice for me as I had a terrible start near the right side of the line. On the second go-around I started about 1/4 up from the left end of the line. Because of the current pushing us back there was a big sag in the line of boats--taking advantage of that, I got off clean and fast and motored out to the left. A few boats crossed me well up the leg but I kept going left and rounded the top mark in 4th. Gained a ton on the downwind leg and rounded right behind the two boats ahead. Regatta leader Scott Ferguson in 2nd and I went left, a fast Dutch guy in 1st to the right. For awhile the Dutch dude looked good out right, but then the right collapsed and Scott and I were launched (way out in front).

Scott had me by a pretty big margin at the top mark and blasted off on the reach. We stayed about the same distance apart on that leg, with him about 20 lengths ahead. By the next mark that had been reduced by half, and on the next reach I surfed right up to his butt. We had a little chat and took a moment to steal a quick look back at the fleet well behind before getting back to racing each other. He had a slightly wide rounding and I squeaked inside him with speed and immediately tacked to split with him. We had a little tacking duel and he pipped me at the line by maybe 3 seconds after over an hour of racing. After finishing Scott jokingly asked why I made him work so hard for the win instead of just taking it easy. :)

By now most sailors knew how favored the left was, so that end of the start line was more hotly contested. Nevertheless, I got another great start and only made two tacks the whole first leg to round in the top group. Another successful run and I was fourth. My upwind speed wasn't super, but I knew as long as I could hold my own upwind I could turn on the afterburners downwind. I held onto 4th all the way before disaster struck: on the final tack to the mark I missed the hiking strap and flew ass-over-teakettle off the boat, which then tacked over and flipped onto me! By the time I got the boat back up and around the mark I'd lost tons of distance and boats, but managed to reel in a few to finish 13th.

So, today was a tale of what might have been. I made some progress on boats ahead in overall standing, and moved from 15th to 11th out of 83. Tomorrow we will likely have two more races, and if I sail like I did today (sans capsize), I have a good chance at squeaking into the Top 10. Fingers crossed!

Regatta leader Scott Ferguson's secret weapon: Rascal Ferguson, who, it is said, feeds him vital strategic and meteorological information before Scott leaves the shoreline. As can plainly be seen here, Rascal is in full command...

Laser as lounge chair:

Day 4 - 1st Races in Gold Fleet

2009-09-03T13:17:00.000-07:00

It was a day of champagne sailing on St. Margaret's Bay. A nice 8-12 knot breeze and chop on top of larger rollers greeted us after another long sail out to the racecourse.

I was a little scattered again this morning, not reading the weather forecast, thinking I'd forgotten a few things when they were actually with me, etc... Got to the course a smidge late, but early enough to do one split with regatta leader Scott Ferguson and Mark Bear, both from Rhode Island. After 4 minutes of sailing right, Mark and I came out ahead of Scott by about 5 boatlengths. Then we sailed downwind, and I dialed into the waves nicely to lead back to the starting line.

So I had meaty information to work with. Right was fast upwind. It would have been wise to protect that side. But instead of coming up with a game plan for the race based on that info, I just kinda milled around before the start. I ended up starting at the very LEFT end of the line (it was favored by a handsome 10 degrees). My centerboard and rudder both hit the committee boat's anchor line, but I managed to clear without touching the boat and booked off to the left side with a fast Aussie just upwind of me. The wind stayed and stayed at the same heading, not justifying a tack. Unfortunately, the boats to our right were sailing closer to the mark and moving ahead--obviously, they were in more breeze.

I just couldn't bring myself to bite the bullet and get over there, and got ping-ponged coming out of the left side, doing about 8 too many tacks before Class President, 200 lb Tracy "Reach-around-the-Course" Usher motored over the top of me on a crucial port tack shift, causing me to tack away and get out of phase. It was UGGGLY at the first mark, with maybe 10 boats behind.

Must say: I sailed a brilliant run, gaining about 30 boatlengths on the next leg and surfing within striking distance of a big clump of boats. But I was so amped up working the boat off the wind that I didn't process the lesson learned from the prior upwind leg and again went LEFT! Again it sucked and I lost a ton of boats and boatlengths. Gained some on the first reach, again had superb speed on the run but CAPSIZED, then had a really fast last reach that netted about 5 boats before the final upwind leg to the finish.

This time I stayed to the right, not so much because I had learned anything from the race but because there were good waves to work over there and I was really concerned about minimizing tacks in the lumpy conditions. Managed to catch a boat or two right at the finish but was still only 22nd.

Now, the second race. This time the line was a bit right favored, and I had a SUPERB start right at the boat and motored out at the head of the fleet. A number of boats tacked and crossed behind, but I stubbornly hung on, thinking I was doing great on the boats to the left of me and not seeing any huge shift to tack in.

So, ended up out left AGAIN, lost a number of boats and got ping-ponged AGAIN, then, on another critical port tack had Mr. "Reach-Around-The-Course" force me back left AGAIN and lost oodles. Was fast again on the run, went left yet AGAIN after seeing local hotshot Andy Roy going that way, and figuring it HAD to work this time but not having any real justification for that hope. Of course it stank, I lost tons and rounded deep at the second top mark.

Had a fair reach, another fast run (pulled out nearly 20 lengths on a guy I rounded right with!), held my own on the reach, then had a terrific rounding and caught a guy before tacking a smidge too soon but still catching a few boats at the finish. Another 22nd.

I can't really complain; all the bad "luck" that befell me was my own doing. I failed to recognize that conditions were different from other days. I failed to take the information I had before the start and formulate a game plan. And I got myself into similar situations with the same boats and reaped the same results.

They say the definition of "insanity" is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Today I was insane. lol

So, I totally know what I did wrong. I also know I have my downwind mojo back in a BIG way, and that I can start and sail fast at the very front of the fleet. Now it's time to just get the boat pointing in the right direction and letting things happen!

Rest day - Misc thoughts

2009-09-02T18:29:00.000-07:00

It was a beautiful, warm, cloudless day, with probably the best sailing conditions I've witnessed in over two weeks here. Naturally, this was the lay day.

Went for lunch with Aussie siblings Alison & Stuart Casey, as well as top Canadian sailor David Wright, to a nearby lobster shack right at the bay's edge. The husband-wife owners were just delightful, very enthusiastic about their work and eager to share information. They showed us all different sizes of live lobsters in their tanks (including a huge 12+ pounder that was just for show) before boiling up some beauties for us to eat in the afternoon sun. The crustaceans were delicious, the company convivial, and the setting rustic but fitting--I even got a kiss from the proprietress when leaving! (pics to follow if I can get them from Alison)

After lunch Alison & Stu went for massages, so Dave went his way and I did some work stuff and talked with North American Laser Class President Tracy Usher about the state of the class and future plans, including a really nice looking radial sail for the full rig! Also had a great talk about sailing and life with Grand Master sailor Rob Cosi, who's built like no-one's business and currently has 3 bullets (first place finishes) in his class.

In the early evening the club had a little mussel bake for competitors which was poorly attended, meaning more mussels for those who came! Later, a jazz duo performed, followed by a band of middle-aged guys who rocked the place for over 4 hours while sailors and locals talked, drank and had fun. American sailor Michelle Davis and I loosened up the crowd by bumping and grinding to "Disco Inferno," and soon more and more couples hit the dance floor, carrying the dancing torch til the end of the evening.

People here seem very...content. They love it here. It shows in their attitudes toward others, their enthusiasm for the area's history, beauty & concern for its continued care. People toot horns and wave to each other when driving by. I grew up out west, so have some idea about friendly locals, but this is a whole other level. It's refreshing, and I kept thinking to myself "this would be a nice place for a family to vacation." Not whiz-bang exciting, just beautiful, peaceful and relaxing.

Sending a bit of Nova Scotia good cheer your way! Marc

3rd Day - final day of qualifying

2009-09-01T14:21:00.000-07:00

Hello from Halifax (Glen Haven, actually).

Oh boy, what a day! With the wind coming from the North (off the land) it was SHIFTY and PUFFY out there, the kind of day where one could go from hero to zero and back in a matter of moments!

Before the start I tuned a bit with Apprentice (35-44 yr age group) sailor Peter Hurley from New York. We split tacks, he going left and me right, and after 4 minutes of sailing to our respective sides we tacked back to the middle of the course to see who would come out ahead (sailors typically do this to see if there are any big geographic elements, like tide or land influence on the wind, on either side of the course). I led him by nearly 30 lengths--a huge amount. Later I watched two other fine sailors do the same thing--that time the left paid huge. Obviously, there wasn't some big geographic favor to one side or the other, just darn shifty winds!

The first race I got away fairly clean from the right side of the start line but felt compelled to immediately tack to the right. Then I waited. And waited. And waited for a shift to come back on, all the while the boats to my left (which had tacked over like me, only a bit later) were in stronger breeze and pulling away. ZERO! Eventually I got a little hint of a right shift and came back to the middle. It wasn't as horrible as it could have been, and I worked a number of small shifts, thinking I did ok (HERO?) until I saw a guy who was behind me at the start come barreling in from the RIGHT (apparently, HE found something good to come back on). I rounded the top mark in the high teens. ZERO

The next leg was a very light air reach, scary to be sailing in traffic. The boats ahead ran into less wind and the fleet tightened up considerably by the time we got to the gybe mark. The run was fairly uneventful, and the next upwind leg was full of wind holes and huge shifts. With the wind tumbling down off the land, it would hit the water and fan out. When you got a shift you had to immediately tack over to be on the outside edge of the shift, which would then lift you up and up compared to those who dug deeper into the new breeze before tacking--it was classic, off-the-shore sailing. I rounded the top mark in about the same position I'd rounded the prior, but was closer to the boats ahead.

The next run was interesting. Most of the boats ahead sailed hard left looking downwind, way off the direct route (rhumb line) to the next mark. I didn't see them having enough of a speed difference to justify sailing so far off the rhumb line, so instead sailed a more direct course to the mark with decent speed. It was the right move: I had more breeze and a better angle to the next mark! The breeze built and I started surfing, while the boats to the left were busy playing with each other, slowing each other down. I wanted to work left to get inside for the next mark, but had to choose the right time, catching a nice wave in pressure to pull ahead of American Mark Bear just before the mark, rounding in the top 8 or so (HERO!). Held onto that for the reach, then caught a few more boats on the short beat to the finish to end up 5th--it was an exhilaring end to a gut-wrenching, terrifying race!

Had a nice start in the second race but the guy just below me got a smidge more breeze and pulled ahead, messing with my wind. Instead of being patient and waiting for the fleet to clear out a bit, I tacked away early. It was unfortunate, as there were a lot of boats and disturbed water I sailed into. After a few more clearing tacks I was well back in the fleet (ZERO)--time to get to work! Concentrating on keeping speed up and the boat pointing toward the mark, I worked a number of seemingly erratic shifts and rounded again in the high teens--quite the comeback. By the end of the next two legs I'd pulled all the way up to round just behind the top 5 or so at the leeward mark. HERO!

For the first half of the upwind leg I stayed on message, working the shifts as they came. It was so erratic out there--one could either be in 5th or 15th at any given time. The last half of the leg we had to contend with another fleet sailing downwind from the mark we were aiming for. Sailing through them wasn't a good idea, as they would take one's wind, so it was decision time: stay left like the majority of the leaders, or...?

I decided to go to the right of the pack coming downwind. I didn't really have a reason, just that I thought splitting with the leaders might give me a better chance to pass. I didn't see any better wind on the right. I had to sail in light winds to get over there. The wind angle wasn't particularly good either. In other words: the decision had no basis in sound reasoning and I paid the price, falling WAAAY back and losing a solid 10+ boats. ZERO! The fleet had figured out how to sail downwind so I couldn't split with them on that leg, and the reach was a follow-the-leader affair. I did manage to catch about 3 boats on the short final leg to finish 17th, my worst result so far in the event. Lesson re-learned: 1) do the percentage moves; 2) only make decisions based on EVIDENCE; and 3) be the Terminator (never give up)!

We're now halfway through the event, and qualifying is over. I have easily made it into the Gold Fleet: my finishes having me in a tie for 6th overall (6 points out of 2nd), and 6 more boats (including two former world champions) breathing down my neck within 6 points behind--it's close out there!

Tonight the club hosted a nice party and dinner. The sailors are a great group of people from around the world, and it's so nice seeing everyone chatting and making new friends.
Tomorrow is a lay (rest) day--I'll thoroughly check over the boat and all its fittings for any damage, then maybe do some laundry or sightseeing, then get in a hot soak or sauna somewhere before a nice meal and early night in bed.

Second Day - Patience (and confidence) are virtues

2009-08-31T17:05:00.000-07:00

My nickname this morning would have to have been "General Disarray." I dawdled around trying to set something up for work back home, then had to scramble to get the boat rigged and my gear on. I left my Clif Bars in the truck, and forgot a minor piece of sailing clothing. With all that, I still got onto the water about in the middle of the fleet.

We're sailing WAAAAY on the other side of the bay from the yacht club. Today it "only" took 1.25 hours to get out there. I did some tuning with a few younger American sailors, and we came to the conclusion that the left side of the course was favored. One of them dutifully followed the plan, nailing the left side of the start line and booking out to the left corner. He was looking pretty good out there when my fleet's starting signal was made.

The breeze was dying and I watched the boats racing ahead. My gut was telling me to watch out for the right, and with the right side of the starting line favored, I NAILED the start and took off in the new right breeze! Unfortunately, a number of starters in my fleet were over early and we were called back to restart. The breeze went so far right the committee canceled the race for the prior fleet as well. My buddy came back and relayed that he had enough of a lead to limp out of the left in OK shape, but others behind him weren't so lucky.

The breeze stayed right, and the race committee moved us another mile away from the yacht club. While waiting for the gun to go off, someone came up to me and said "this offshore breeze must be pretty similar to what you have on Long Island Sound." His comment made me think a bit and settle down, as I tried to imagine myself back home, in my fleet, with that same confidence in the conditions and my ability.

Around 3pm we finally got a start off. Again I started well near the committee boat. A big left shift came through right after the start and I tacked over onto port, heading right with about 10 other boats. Most of the fleet to our left tacked over as well, and for a few minutes we all sailed on port tack toward the right.

After awhile the boats over my shoulder were starting to aim toward me. Normally, this means that the wind is shifting in your favor and you should tack to cross the fleet. I second-guessed myself for a bit, worried about the guys to my right gaining more, but decided to sail my own race, do the percentage move, and cross the fleet while I could.

At first it didn't look so hot. The breeze was kind-of light, and while I managed to cross the boats behind easily, the guys I let go right were looking pretty good. Then the breeze freshened a bit and went more forward. Again, I looked over my shoulder and the people now coming out of the right were aiming toward me. With that confirmation, I tacked again, and blasted off into the lead in a great left shift that held almost til the weather mark. I rounded about 10 boatlengths ahead at the first mark, and managed to extend the lead to about 1.5 minutes at the finish. It was satisfying, to say the least!

While waiting for the next race the breeze went left towards the standard seabreeze direction and freshened considerably. Again I started at the committee boat and had a decent first leg, rounding in the top 10 or so. The breeze got lighter and lighter. It was excruciating, staying crouched in the boat in a little ball, concentrating like crazy to get the boat to go forward with each little tiny puff of breeze. Then the wind died completely, and filled in from the right. The poor guy in the lead dropped almost to the very back--I, too, fell precipitously, before the race committee sounded three sweet horns to indicate that they were abandoning the race--halleluya!

After a long slow tow home I touched the dock at around 7:30, or 8 hours after I left it. Long day for only one race.

Tomorrow is the last day of qualifying. My 1st place dragged me up from 11th to a tie for 3rd overall. It's exciting, but there's still a lot of regatta to go!

We had a beautiful sunset tonight:
And much to my surprise, parked across from my Toy-home was a rare, Toyota-based Mirage. Never managed to find the owner, but here's a pic of this futuristic-looking thing with my rig in the background:
Check out the space-age fiberglass body and groovy front spoiler, fender flares and running boards!

First day

2009-08-30T17:53:00.000-07:00

After a 1.5 hour long sail out to the race course then waiting another hour or so for the wind to fill, the race committee banged off two races to kick off the Laser Master World Championship.

My age division (the Masters, 45-54 yrs in age) is the largest, with around 82 boats. They have split the fleet in two and are having qualifying races for the first three days of the event. Each day the fleet gets split a different way so folks get to sail against everyone. My group today consisted of two former World Champions plus a number of other fine sailors. Arguably, it was the more competitive of the two Master fleets.

In the first race I had a decent start but got pushed out to the right against plan. It worked out though as I tacked back early to stay in touch with the fleet, and with good speed I rounded the first mark in 6th or so and worked up to 4th at the finish.

In the second race I won the right hand side of the start line and halfway up the beat was looking great to the right side of the fleet. A fast Aussie came out of the left side and crossed about a boatlength in front of me--I thought he was in phase with the windshifts and tacked over to the right side with him. It turned out to be the wrong move as the boats to the left sailed into more breeze on that side. Frustratingly, I ran out of energy about 3/4 up that leg and just couldn't put the bow down and sail fast, but rounded the first mark in halfway-decent shape but in lots of company. I tried sailing low on the first reaching leg and lost a bit of distance on the leaders but caught the guy immediately in front of me. On the run I didn't get far enough away from the boats in front of me and was stuck in their wakes, slowing me down. The next upwind leg was tough as I was really running out of steam, but I am proud of the fact that, even though I was slow, I kept my thinking cap on and exploited a little shift on the right near the next mark and caught back a few boats! Gained a bit of distance on the next downwind, a bit more on the reach, and had a good leeward mark rounding and caught a few more boats on the beat to the finish. Still, I don't think I placed better than 12th or so.

So, 4th and 12th or so--not bad finishes, but not stellar either. The back is a bit stiff but otherwise good, my legs feel good and used. Tonight I totally pigged out to fill up the energy tanks, and plan to eat even more tomorrow before heading out.

Hope you all had a great weekend!

correction: revised results show I was 5th in the first race and 6th in the second, so I am standing in 11th at this early stage. Results: http://can09.laserinternational.org/index.php/component/content/article/15-content/80

Master Worlds: T minus 24 hours

2009-08-29T09:31:00.000-07:00

Last night some Americans had a little get-together for all the North American sailors. They're staying two houses down from the yacht club, in what can best be described as a MANSION with amazing views of the harbor. It was sunny, warm, and the crowd was convivial, making for a very pleasant cocktail party. Afterward, a bunch of us went to dinner and spent too much on too little food--I want my American portions!

The restaurant was in the same shopping complex as the gym and physio-center I've been attending, so stopped in apres-dinner and had a little breakthrough of sorts. While stretching in the sauna as directed by the physio, my back just loosened up! Never thought I'd be so excited at being able to bend over to one side or the other... Felt pretty darn good this morning too--not 100 percent, but perhaps 80? A definite improvement!

The weather is cold and wet today, with no wind. Tropical Storm Danny is supposed to hit tonight and early tomorrow morning, so the organizers are requiring us to flip our boats over so they present less resistance to (and therefore are less prone to flying around in) the anticipated 30-45 mph winds:
If things go as forecast, we just might be able to get a race off. In any case I have to be ready, so have laid out all my sailing gear in one place so it's easy to find, and have been checking off last-minute items on my to-do list.

The boatpark is abuzz with word of how competitive the fleet is, especially the Masters (my) group. Apparently, at least two former world champs and a bunch of other notables. I still haven't given a serious look at the list, and am curious to see how everyone goes out there come the first start.

Tonight will try to catch a movie. Have seen plenty lately: Julie/Julia (great), Inglorious Basterds (uneven, entertaining if gory), District 9 (action, but thought-provoking as well). Get a nice, big dinner in. Tidy up the truck, then to bed by 11. Exciting life, eh? It's a nice routine though.

In spite of all the setbacks, I'm cautiously optimistic, and determined to just sail my best and make anyone ahead of me work REALLY HARD if they want to remain there!

Another pretty day!

2009-08-28T08:30:00.001-07:00

Sun shining, temperature a bit lower than yesterday.

Went to the physio guy again this morning. Am still pretty stiff, but he's quite happy with the progress we've made on my back and is encouraging me to sail the event, but NOT today. I've been given a set of stretches I'm to do at least 4 times today, a light gym routine, and orders to find someplace hot (sauna/jacuzzi/etc...) to warm up the muscles and promote healing.

I think the damage was caused by the drive up. Instead of doing my usual stretches at every gas stop/rest break, I just walked around a bit then hopped right back into the truck. Over the nearly 900 mile trip, all the tensing of the back muscles in reaction to road bumps caused them to lock up tight. That, combined with a quick, hard sail the other day, caused me to be in the current state.

So, will spend the day tending to the bod and boat, and get out for a short sail tomorrow. Sunday (the start of the regatta) we're supposed to get some nasty weather--we'll see!

Beautiful day!

2009-08-27T08:33:00.000-07:00

The wind is out of the north, the sky is sunny and the temperature relatively warm--a gorgeous day. Lots of masters milling about today, the grey hair quotient went up about 1000 percent!

Went to a physio this morning who actually knew what he was doing. He found lots of little issues up and down my back, and gently went about addressing them. Recommended I *not* sail today, drink lots of water and do a stationary recumbent bike ride or some other easy activity before visiting him again tomorrow for some more intensive work.

Will attend to boat stuff and registration today. They expect to see the boat, fully rigged, at the measurement station for review. This is rather much compared to most events, but the Worlds isn't "most events," so they're making sure everyone is starting out legal.

That's it for today.

A stranger's just a friend you haven't met

2009-08-26T16:59:00.001-07:00

As many of you know, I'm traveling to regattas in my trusty 1987 Nova Star RV, which is based on a Toyota pickup chassis. Owners of these rigs are rather proud of their little "Toy-homes," and often seek each other out or at least honk and flash when passing each other.

About 3 hours from Halifax I was enthusiastically greeted by the owner of this tidy '87 Escaper. He'd just gotten the rig this summer and was jazzed to see another one. We gave each other tours of our respective campers and I took a few snaps to capture the moment. Here's one of them.

One never knows where one might make a new friend!

Another day gone

2009-08-26T11:46:00.001-07:00

My back is still giving me troubles, so decided to take the day off. Got a massage and feel relaxed all *around* the affected area. Ibuprofen, here I come!

Breeze is up to a nice 18 knots and the fog is still here. It is the final day of the "regular" Worlds, and they're trying to get in a few more races. Masters are descending upon the venue and a few went out today for some practice.

It's interesting hearing the talk in the boat park. A lot of people are looking at the competition, trying to decide if others are in training/fit, etc... I really push those thoughts out of my mind. It doesn't matter to me the fitness of the other guys. Frankly, *my* fitness right now doesn't matter. I am where I am and can only do my best, so that's what my focus is on. Everything else is a distraction.

In these next few days I'll look over my boat very thoroughly and try to get every little annoyance dealt with. I'll clean up the RV so it's as pleasant a place to be in as possible. Stock up the fridge with yummy treats. Get lots of rest. And hope this back gets better.

The last time I was in Canada their dollar was worth only about 70 cents. This time around it's closer to 95, so nothing's a bargain: gas is about US$3.80/gal and food (at the grocery or restaurant) is spendy. Add to everything 14% provincial tax. It doesn't have Marc in much of a spending mood! :)

(the pic above is of the harbor we sail out of)

Finally, a good day

2009-08-25T13:22:00.001-07:00

Great day, actually. The wind slowly built up to a very pleasant 15 or so. I sailed out and watched two of the Gold fleet races. Between heats I chatted a bit with the racers, then started ahead of the fleet by 4 minutes and sailed the first beat. GBR sailor Paul Goodison led the fleet to the top mark, rounding it 4 minutes 5 seconds behind me... :) Not that I'm flattering myself much: at that point the wind was maybe 10 knots, and downwind I'm sure these guys would have blown right past!

I ran out of water so came home before the wind really piped up. It was a nice quick reach back to the club. Saw some masters out practicing but didn't join them today--maybe tomorrow.

It's inspiring seeing all the fit sailors in the boatpark. Makes one want to hit the gym really hard!

My back's been achy all day--will do some stretches in a few.

One bummer: while parking the truck this morning I backed into a 29er mast that was hanging out about 4 feet from the back of a trailer. It didn't have a flag on it or anything and I snapped the carbon fiber spar near the hounds. Expensive morning...

Practice day - drifting around

2009-08-24T12:43:00.001-07:00

For any masters who haven't left for Halifax yet, know this: the water is COLD. Went out w/the fleet in drifting conditions & just about had a heart attack when launching the boat. Even in the drifting conditions, when the breeze picked up (...we're talking 3 or 4 mph here), the temperature dropped precipitously.

Unfortunately I left my drysuit and farmer john wetsuit home. It's going to be a long cold regatta!

Starting Marc's sailing blog

2009-08-24T12:40:00.000-07:00

Here are old posts from Facebook:

Arrived in Halifax after a two-day journey from CT. I just *love* Canada! People are very friendly and welcoming here. Hurricane Bill blew through this morning/afternoon. I parked the RV in a Walmart parking lot and took a nap while Blowhard Bill gave it his all. No problems with the RV, no water leaks--all good! Tomorrow will return to the YC and see if there was any damage. If not, will head out for a sail!

There may be some drama before the event even starts, as Hurricane Bill may accompany me on the drive to Halifax. Bill is scheduled to hit Halifax around the same time as I am (Sunday), with early forecasts calling for winds in excess of 70 knots! Here's hoping these early forecasts are wrong, and that Bill decides to not take too close a look at the Nova Scotia shoreline... :)

Tonight I leave for the Laser Master World Championship, which will be sailed on St. Margaret's Bay in Halifax, Nova Scotia! Around 400 master sailors (35 yrs old and up) will be competing in four divisions, each representing a ten-year age band.... I will sail in the 120+ boat "Master" division for 45-54 year olds. I plan to use blogspot as my "blog" of the event, so stay tuned for updates!