Sunday, February 6, 2011

Bad Ending

The day started with no wind, built a bit and the Race Committee sent us out. The line was good, the air was OK, light at 3-6 maybe with a few 2-3 areas. I wanted to start center line just getting on the front row. I got caught up with a novice sailor and had to spin out and duck. That put me 30 seconds late for my plan and I ended up bailing to the pin. I won the pin but it was very much the wrong side of the course. The right shift came soon after the start. I took sterns trying to get right. I ended up about 25th place at the top mark, very bad.

The wind started easing up to make downwind very frustrating. The second upwind I needed a miracle so I banged a corner, and lost ground. There were 6 boats behind me.

By the top mark the wind was 0-1 from nowhere. We drifted the last two legs. I drifted better than many around me and clawed my way back to a 22nd place.

I ended up losing the tiebreaker for 8th overall, 2 points out of 6th, 7 points out of 4th. Like golf, you remember the last hole more than the entire day. I walk away from this regatta with a rough feeling that I blew it. All I had to do was follow around a hot shot and finish 12th or so to get 4th overall.

People say "Ah well, it's a lesson learned." I'm 46. I should have learned that lesson long ago.

I almost had a good start to the season. Instead I have a bitter taste from a lame start.

Next regatta is possibly April.

Between now and then I am concentrating on Indoor Drumline season.

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Train Wreck Day 1

Pretty darn good day.

I am sitting in 4th place after three races. Finishes are 6, 8, and 6.

I woke up this morning, kicked open the door, streched my legs and aired the stink out of the car (yes I slept in my car intentionally). It was cool, mostly sunny, and windy.

After breakfast I set about rigging the boat and getting ready. It was a borrowed boat with modifications I needed to get familiar with. The forecast was for a front to pass through midday, 10-15 in front of it and 10-15 after with 15-20 during its passing. When we set out to the course it was all I could handle.

I also very quickly realize how old, fat, and out of shape I am when I got tired limping along to the start.

I started mid line sag 1.5 lengths in front of anyone around me. Top mark I was 10th or so and worked my way up to 5-6 range through good upwind and an ocaasional good downwind. In fact I can sya this about each race. I stared mid line front row with clear air in all three.

The whole day I was challenged with the boat modifications. The mainsheet constantly got tangled in the double end block and cleats, and any line falling next to the traveller blocked its movement. Most tacks were failures. I lost a lot of distance on boat handling, probably 2 or 3 places in each race.

Race 1 was heavy with big right side gains. Race 2 was medium/heavy with right side gains and one left sied win (course changes got ahead of the clocking wind). I picked them all correctly.

Race 3 was light, post-front and 90 degrees different from 1 and 2. It was fogged and misted in with no visibility of the mark or shores. I flipped a coin and went left, way left. When people appeared out of the fog to see the mark and fleet, it was a crap shoot to see where you were. I was overstood a bit and left most boat. I rounded 12th or so. The rest of the race was sunny with a LOT of hard decisions on shifts and puffs. I did better than most actually ending up only a 150 feet or so behind the winner. I was in a pack battling for 4th through 10th. I made huge gains right and had to come in underneath a line of boats from the left. It was one of those cases where if I crossed I would be 4th, blow the tack and finish 10th. I did the best I could with the cards dealt.

I'm really happy with the results. If we get 2 races in tomorrow regardless of finished I will have had a good regatta to start the season.

Now I'm off to Walmart to get a pillow.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Trying to Get South

The Storm of the Century, they called it. The most snow since whenever. 6,000 flights cancelled. And what did we get? MAYBE 3 inches.

I was cancelled off 5 flights. I'm currently scheduled to get to Florida Friday. Let's hope that happens. I'd like to sail.