Confusion, Humiliation, Redemption, and Just Plain Fun

Last weekend was the final regatta of the year for me, and probably the last until next Spring's thaw. It was the Blue Chip, an invitation only event held at the end of the season.


When I was growing up, a Blue Chip invite in E-Scows meant you have made the big time. You have performed well enough to win place or show in sanctioned regattas, or maybe top 5 in an Easterns or top 10 in nationals. It's a regatta where everyone there is a great sailor that can win any race or place last in any race. Since I was a teenager I wanted an invite. As a skipper I never got one. As a crew I was on a few boats that received invites, but we never went. I'm 47 years old now and never got to go to a Blue Chip.


A few years ago I borrowed a boat for the local regatta and won the regatta. On the way to the first start was the first time I set foot in an MC-Scow. I received a Blue Chip invite for that. But I had no boat, no money, and absolutely no confidence I could sail an MC-Scow.


Flash forward to 2010. I sailed 3 regattas and failed to qualify. OK, fine. I get it.


So this year I set a few goals as you can see in prior blog entries. I wanted to win a regatta, (failed at that), place top 10 in Nationals (success), place top 3 in the local regatta (failed), and qualify and attend the Blue Chip and not get last (succeeded), and rank in the top 10 nationally (failed). Last year a couple people outside the local fleet learned who I was. This year I wanted become a more recognizable name by doing well and sailing with the "A-Fleet" boys.


Well I think many of them know who I am now.


So I'm driving 9 hours to Spring Lake, MI, Friday afternoon. I'm nervous, a really excited nervousness. I'm coming off a nationals where I got second in a clean hard fought race and won a local knowledge race. Yes, I tanked a race. But I'm stoked. I know I can sail with the top national level sailors. I'm listening to a book on tape and eating my wife's secret stash of candy. All the way across Ontario I'm getting more of a swollen ego than ever. I'm going to win this thing. I have the boat, the sail, the talent, and...well maybe not the fitness level I need.


Whatever. I carry my crew with me between my belt and chest.


I pulled into Spring Lake Yacht Club about 10 PM just as the last folks were leaving for the night.


Spring Lake: Seven miles of beautiful lake. Unfortunately it is not in my view. There must be more around the corner. It looks like I can clear this lake with a 3-iron. Hmmm.


The next morning I set up my boat and meet lots of really nice people. They jokingly explain the sailing area is somewhere between the 9th green and the 10th tee...right in front of the club. Oy.


I did something I hadn't done ever with my boat. I measured the rig. Rake was 2 1/2, and 3/4 inch difference between sides. Oh my. For non-sailors, it was like I had a car with a carb that was running rich and wheels out of balance. It may be fast but not a winner. I fix it.


Skipper's meeting: interesting black flag modification that if you are over you won't get called but you CAN restart. And if someone flips you back upright you can keep racing. I get it. This regatta is to be SAILED, not won or lost on technicalities.


There are something like 7 past national champions in the fleet, the current Junior Champion, and various regatta winners and age classification winners. I have sailed against about half at one time or another. The fleet is small though, only 23 boats. But the water hazard, I mean lake, probably couldn't handle more than 30 or so.


RACE 1 - CONFUSION


"Wind" was 2-8 from the NE-WNW all at the same time. It was a washing machine of directions. I poke around the lake checking shore effects and such. Easy peasy. Poke in this cove, hit that point, avoid that bay...etc.


The starting sequence kicks in and I have to poop. Now now. Easy there.


I think 20 of the 23 boats hit the line right and off we go. Tack, cross, duck, tack, in phase. Good. I'm sailing great! Speed is good, point is good, sail adjusted just fine. 3/4 up the first leg I'm in about 7th place playing with the big boys. I'm on starboard heading to a port layline 100 yards from the mark. I'm thinking of the pack and where I can slip in between other boats to get around the mark. Header - tack. Perfect. Right on the mark. The pack to the right is toast.


Header. Low on the mark. That's okay. I'll go to the starboard layline and cruise in. Not as much advantage but still good. More header. Hang on. Why would I tack 50 yards short of the layline? People seem to be though. I'll pick them up on the shift back, the inevitable oscillation. More header. Crap. Time to cut my losses.


Tack. Header. What?! 40 degree shift. Jeesh! The right comes in, the left comes in, the entire fleet rounds the mark and I'm stuck straight leeward of the mark in a hole. I finally get there 2nd to last, and significantly behind the leaders.


In 3 minutes I went from a big emotional high to total confusion. I did it right! I sailed the way you are supposed to. It didn't work.


Next to me is this kid that is singing and carrying on like it was his birthday. He was wearing multi-colored shorts so I mentally called him Happy Pants. I recognize him. He sat on me at the nationals for my first 2 miserable legs of the first miserable race. I'm thinking about redemption. But he's kind of funny carrying on and such.


I sailed the remainder of the race trying to pick up one boat at a time. I eventually picked up about 6 to lose 3 at the line doing the same thing, finishing 19th out of 23. But mostly I wanted to beat Happy Pants. He got last. Woohoo! There was a race going on up front but I couldn't tell you much about it. I couldn't see that far. But my arch nemesis Chris Craig finished well. Goal #1 of beating him was going to be tough.


RACE 2 - HUMILIATION


My bad race was out of the way. My butterflies are gone. Okay this is it.


Wind was the same - all over the place.


I start mid-line with a really good aggressive anti-sag push and a good kick. I smoke the person above me and drive. Well I wasn't quite good enough. I'm lee bowed by the guy below. I have to clear. I tack, take stern or two, find a hole, tack back, get tacked on, and try to clear out again. I'm third row, in the middle of the course and in a hole. In 1 minute this race was shot.


In this fleet every boat is about as fast as they can be. The winner is tactically smarter, handles the boat better, and extends their lead in clean air. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer.


I'm 19th at the top mark (counting from the back), and about there at the bottom mark. Here is where someone in last has an advantage. The fleet is all over the lake, working both shores. I can see all the wind on the lake and exactly what is happening. Right is dying out, left is filling in, the pack left is laying the mark half a leg ahead. I go left.


Left dies, right comes in. The 6 of us left behind by the pack on the first rounding are now 2 at the top mark. I'm dead last with one guy ahead. As I round the mark I see the leaders about 1/4 of the way back up to the finish. I still have 2 legs to go.


I'm dejected. I'm crushed. For the first time all year I show some bad mojo. I'm standing (bad form in light), slouched, and just don't care. With each inevitable crap shift I'm more confused, cursing under my breath and pouting.


I catch Mark downwind. We round and split. I KNOW left will pay this time. Right pays better and I fall 10 lengths behind. The wind dies. We are the only two remaining boats on the lake. The time limit is now very much in play. Mark finishes. They give him a horn. Lunch is served, I'm still trying to drift over the line.


100 feet short of the line I hear a whistle and my number. The very generous race committee finished me, probably with little or no time on the clock.


Chris Craig had another top 10. Gap is now insurmountable. Goal #1 is fading away.


I go in for lunch. 44 points in 2 races in a 23 boat fleet. How much worse can it be? Chris has 16. Justin Hood won both races.


Lunch was tasty - lasagna, garlic bread, salad (eew), beer, etc. I meet Happy Pants. His name is Chris Lopez (C-LO). Good kid. We vow to fight to the death for last place if it comes to that. I'm sitting in second to last right now. He's a couple ahead of me.


RACE 3 - REDEMPTION


We sail out on the same air. We gather near the start and the wind dies. For about an hour we float around waiting for wind.


I stew. I'm a joke. Why did I think I could even compete here. These are the big boys! I can't start, can't beat them on boat to boat tactics, can't even pick the shifts. This can't get much worse.


It rains.


Wet, cold, depressed, old, worn out, and beaten, I draft the Craigs List note in my head: " 2008 MC-Scow lightly used, never won anything - cheep." I can probably save some money by leaving tonight.


The wind starts to fill from the opposite direction (generally) from before. It's nice, maybe 5-8 with a bit more at times. The race course is set up. The starting line boat is 3 lengths off the yacht club dock. It was like the old days as a kid in Jr. Sailing starting off the end of the dock. Getting the timing for that end was going to be tough. Right is the way. I'll start middle and work right.


I'm stuck right with a minute to go. The crowd is low of the line with a good right shift helping them accelerate late. I ride over 5 boats, 3 more. With 30 seconds to go I'm too close to the line. I look for an escape. None. Eric Hood (EHood) below me pushes. 20 seconds, way too close. Slower, stop the boat. Dan Fink (Blaze) is above me driving down. 10 seconds. Oh hell. 8 seconds, still too soon to go - way too close. 6 seconds and I go. EHood carries his speed from behind to a nice lee bow and Blaze drives down. I'm slower than both, sandwiched and totally screwed.


I have to get spit out the back. I wait, finally tacking to duck Blaze. I look and see I am now taking every stern. I can't clear anyone. I'm toast. Last place start. I'm headed right. The fleet is headed left. Left looks like good wind.


I'm deflated. I'm beyond deflated. Someone sucked the last bit of air out of the balloon making it all wrinkly and wet.


Whatever. I get lost in thought. The Devil on the shoulder kicks in:


Pack it in. The club is RIGHT HERE! Maybe nobody will notice I'm even gone. No. I can't do that. That would be more humiliating than the gutter ball last place trophy. Beside Happy Pants would beat me.


Maybe an injury. No. Nobody would believe it in a drifter day. The only possible injury is chapped lips.


What do the Japanese do? Hairy Carry? But no sword. Besides I wouldn't be able to spell it in the blog. But I have a knife. It's probably too short to get all the way to my heart. But there is a saw thingy in it too. I can cut away ribs.


I was sailing by feel. I look up for the first time in awhile. My sail is luffing. The shore is closing in. Whatever. Tack. Who cares.


I tack, trim in, look straight ahead and see the windward mark. Whoa! What? Yup I'm on a layline, and I'm hiking out in a breeze! How is this possible. I look through my window and see the fleet pounding up the left shore going like gang busters. That makes sense. This lift won't hold, they carry the oscillation back across and I get last like I should.


Hmmm it's holding. EHood calls out "tack or cross?" "Cross!" Absolutely cross. I'm on a layline!


Still on a layline. EHood tacks on my back hip in clear air.


I get a LIFT! What?! I peek through the window at the fleet. Looks good! Hike! Hike! You are IN THIS RACE!


I round first, EHood second, and there is a gap to third of about 100 feet. We both sail low and fast. I hold the lead at mark 2. Upwind I make a couple too many pokes into the right and lose EHood. He leads, I'm right on his transom, and Andy Molesta is on mine. Downwind I split from them, come back and slide right through them still all three of us bow to stern. That was cool. I lose Andy to an inside overlap.


Off the bottom mark I want right. Both guys ahead are hold. I'm in bad air. Andy tacks out. I have breathing room. I work to point, clear a width to EHood's left to reasonable air. He tacks to chase Andy. I go farther right. When we come back together, I'm a length in front of Eric.


I got...well let's just say I was very excited.


I went on the win the race holding off both EHood and Cam McNeil who caught Andy. Last in race 2 to first in race 3. And now with this entry everyone knows it was total dumb luck. Even a blind bird gets a worm sometimes. Take down the for sale sign. I'll stay another day.


Nemesis Craig got a 20. Happy Pants got a 16. The plot thickens.


We are sent to shore because of thunder. We soon realize the storm will be here for awhile and further racing for the day is cancelled. I'm 16th overall, out of gutter ball trophy contention. Time to party.


DINNER


Eric Hood was nice enough to arrange with Jamie Kimball for me to stay at their incredible house on the shores of Lake Michigan. We all go there. I don my jacket from 20 pounds ago, and what appears to be a child's tie. Off we go to the restaurant.


Nemesis, aka Serge (according to his name tag) buys me a drink. I realize I forgot my wallet. Uh oh. Dinner is great. Lots of laughs. But I pretty much stayed sober. I wasn't driving. I knew there was no way I could find Kimball's place ever again on my own.


So I became "DD" for a few people, 7 to be precise. We piled into a tiny car, blasted the country music and debated the virtues of Taco Bell back to the house. Great people. And Connor Davis is my hero.


RACE 4 - FUN


I wake to rain. Lots of rain. And lots of wind too. The forecast is for it to blow a lot and increase to blow snot.


I swap out the new sail for the club race sail. No sense blowing out the brand new sail. I'm not in contention for anything. I'm just going to go out and have fun.


The wind turned out to be much less than predicted, about the same as race 3 but from the opposite direction. We go down into this cove and start between someone's dock on one side of the lake and someone else's on the other side. I can't see the windward mark that is up the lake around the point. Apparently if you stand up and look between docks and such it is there somewhere. Needless to say the point is in play. In fact winning either end means tacking VERY SOON or hitting something.


I pull a hole pop start, mid line. This means I came behind everyone on port going fast, tacked into a hole, accelerated out of the tack and jumped off the line. It takes a lot of luck to have to timing fit the hole.


I have clean air, work the shifts and round the top mark top 10. I play all race anywhere from 7th to 12th or 13th. but every time I get out on a nice shot, there is 2549 again! EHood and I were always close. I think he was following me, or was I following him?


Right at the line I miss a shift and lose three boats to finish 11th. Very cool. I can actually count the boats ahead of me. In fact I was in touch with the lead pack most of the race.


Nemesis was 16th and Happy Pants 12th. Progress.


RACE 5 - MORE FUN


Same wind. More rain.


I abort another hole pop start because the pin is wide open. One boat there is early. I drive down and round up maybe 1 second early. Pin boat was over early. The Race Committee starts yelling numbers. I go back immediately and restart. As I'm restarting I realize they did not call my number. I won the pin and let it go. Oh well. I don't care.


Advantage me. The fleet is showing me the wind again. I get in phase and climb. I'm about 15th by the top mark, the same back at the bottom, and climb to about 10th on the next leg, right with EHood...again. Two legs later I lose a couple few at the finish and end up 12th. This is cool! I'm sailing pretty well!


Happy Pants pulls a 2nd. Wait, what? Nemesis and Brian Fox dog fight the last leg to not be last. Brien wins that last place with Chris just ahead. Up front Justin Hood locks up the regatta, for all intents and purposes.


RACE 6 - EVEN MORE FUN


Same wind, more rain, I'm hungry, cold, and I have to pee. I don't care. I'm loving every minute of this. The racing is tight, clean, VERY competetive, and intense. Risk reward balances are tough. Corners don't necessarily pay. Good sailing goes a long way.


I start mid-line sag with clean air and speed. Blaze is right with me. We work upwind staying front row with another 6 or 8 boats.


Dan Fink earned the name Blaze at Keuka. He wore this blazing bright orange jacket, which he was wearing again this day. You can't miss him. You can see him through your sail!


I round the top in the lead pack, like 6th and totally in touch with the lead. There's EHood, Blaze, Justin, Richard Blake, Ted Keller, ... This is so cool.


I mess around, play, take some chances and stay with that lead pack. On the last leeward gate I round right, Blaze rounds left with others. Coming together I'm within a length of him. We bot hare headed right in phase. I hard duck 2 boats. I lose 3-4 lengths on Blaze. If I had 1 more foot I could have crossed, sailed in phase and stayed with him. He went on to win. I finished on EHood's transom but three places behind him with Ted Keller and Justin Hood sneaking in between us. It was that close for 5th to 8th in that race.


Regatta over. Pack it up (in the rain).


At the trophy ceremony I collected my 10th place mug, the hardest earned and most rewarding mug of the year.


Gas, lunch, road. I went 400 miles of the 500 non-stop. I pulled in at home about 11:30. The car stunk (still does), everything was soaked (still is), I smelled like a rotted hot sweaty wetsuit. But I was still happy.


First time at Spring Lake (lots still to learn about that place). First time to a Blue Chip. First time I was last place in a regatta race since I was a kid. First Blue Chip race win. First top 10 in a Blue Chip.


It was a good way to end the year. Time to put the boat in storage.

Nationals Review

Day 3 of the national regatta started like the others, a little rain, cold air, and a bit of a hangover. I repeated the prior day's breakfast of champions: Excedrin Migraine, Prilosec, Sudafed, Immodium, and and allergy pill. I threw a diet Pepsi on top of that for good measure.

Race 5 was scheduled at 9:00 AM....really it was. So at 7:45 we crossed the lake to the club by motor boat. The wind was south 5-8 with the typical thermal band in the middle. I stopped and showed Jeff and Zack the "dust devil" type funnels of fog, and explained the thermal and how to sail it.

As race time approached, the thermal started to die. The Race Committee sent us out late after a last gasp of wind tried to show up. It fizzled out to nothing and the regatta was over.

I had a good regatta. I could have had a great regatta with another couple races. I firmly believe I could have picked up another 4 or 5 places overall with even one race. The door was open.

My goal going into the regatta was top 10. My stretch goal was top 5. A few of the names did not show up so finishing 7th was just about right where I expected. I had a really bad race, a bad start with a good race, and two good races all around.

The other goal I had was to become known in this fleet. I think I did that with a couple of the big names now knowing that I was in it to win, not just a local blaze of glory. I won a crap shoot race, but I was also 2nd in a hard fought grind of a race in race 3.

My goal for the year was to end up top 10 in the national rankings. Unfortunately that did not happen. It looks like I am 13th now and may slip a couple more. That is a bummer. I can place that entirely on two races: the last race of Horserace, and the last race of Train Wreck. Those two lost opportunities cost me about 8 places on the overall standings.

This coming weekend I travel to Spring Lake, MI, for the Blue Chip invitational regatta. There should be about 25 of the better sailors in the country there for this one. It will be my 6th regatta of the year, probably be my last regatta of the year.

Nationals Day 2

Started with rain and light air, ended with sun and light air. In the middle we had light air.

The class limit for starting a race is a minimum of 5 mph wind. We waited all day to find 5 in a direction that worked. In the end we started in wind that wasn't very good. I started at the pin second row laying the mark. The first time I got a header I tacked out left. I went about 20 seconds and went back on port just above the guy in front of me. I rolled him, then was the left most boat when the puff came from the left. I actually reached down to the mark rounding first.

Downwind was really a reach follow-the-leader (me) which I held the length of the course. Rounding the bottom mark they gave me a gun and finished the race.

The controversy was rampant. On shore the race was "abandoned" by the race committee. That was then protested by a competitor. The protest hearing found no grounds to throw out the race.

I now sit 7th (35 points) only 4 points out of second (31 points). There are three people with 31 points, and two with 32 points.

It was an emotional roller coaster. But in the end I won a race at a national regatta. It may always have a big asterisk after it but I won. The score is official and final. I feel good.

Tomorrow there is no wind forecast. If we sail it will be in a thermal South wind. By Noon I will know final results.

Nationals Day 1

The morning started with cold miserable drizzle. We took the motorboat to the club, had the skippers meeting and came back to the cottage to set sail.

The wind was light at 6-8 with maybe a 10 here and there. Northwest with lots of shifts meant a real head game, not a speed race.

I started very badly and rounded mark 1 38th. I stayed about there for three legs with all kinds of bad air. On the last downwind I picked up 8, and on the last upwind another 10 and finished 21.

Race 2 was more of the same. I won the pin, really winning it, taking it with me. When I rerounded I dragged it downwind to let others by. They owe me beer. At the top mark I was about 15th. I picked up boats throughout the race getting to 10th at the last mark, and 8th or so mid final leg. I lost three at the line to finish 11th. I was in 15th overall at the break at lunch.

The wind picked up for race three. I was second to the pin at the start and soon took over the left most position. I was 5th at the top mark, 3rd at mark 2, 4th at mark 3, 2nd at the last mark and held that to the finish.

Overall it was a good first day. I'm not as high in the standings as I hoped but not bad.

Not much more time to post. I have to go drink now.

Noreasterns Day 2

First place through fourth place all had 3 to 5 points. I had 11 in fifth place going into the day. To get to where I wanted to be I needed to have three solid races.

The day started hung over with an early start. We had an 8:00 harbor gun, and a 9:00 warning. The wind was light but building from the South, typical of Keuka's thermal.

Before the start of the first race of the day, I checked out the sides and conditions. It was fine. There were shifts to play and puffs to find. Any good start would allow me to do well. started mid-line, miscounted my own countdown (the last 15 seconds I count to myself so I don't look at my watch) and was about 3 seconds late to accelerate. I was lee-bowed and ended up second row. I cleared my air and ended up something like 8-10 at the top mark. I went west on each and every leg and made up good distance and time. By the downwind leg 4 I was within striking distance of the top 5. I made good decisions going upwind and at one point I thought second place was mine. But hitting every shift correctly put me out of position for the last couple. I had to get off cycle to get back to the line. I lost my gains and ended up sixth.

Bob Cole led that race wire to wire and looked very comfortable. Chris Craig who was in fourth had a bad race and dropped well back. So I think I was now in fourth overall.

The second race of the day was still in nice clean south air. This time I decided to be very aggressive on the start, even risking OCS. I timed it perfectly with speed, jumped out of the crowd, and within a minute I was able to freely tack and go wherever I wanted. I worked the west side of center and arrived at the top mark with the inside overlap on Scott Tillema. He fell in behind me toward the offset. We both jibed the mark to head west again. He drove high and hot off to the west and I briefly followed, maybe 5 seconds. It was enough though that Dan Fink in third closed the gap. At the bottom mark I still had the inside on Dan, and Scott was further back in third.

Dan was in my bad air off the bottom mark. He tacked to clear leaving me going west alone as I hoped. When I though he was coming back he stayed left. I could not better air in the center than I had on the right so I stayed right. We each sailed up good air closing at the top mark. Dan won the contest pulling out about 5-6 boat lengths on that mile leg. I was still in a solid second.

Downwind i held position, tried to close up on Dan but he had escaped to clear air ahead and I was struggling to keep my air clear. So the last leg just became a cover play, me covering 3rd and Dan covering me. We finished that way with me about 45 seconds behind first and about 45 seconds ahead of third.

On that last leg the wind was really starting to drop off, which Keuka does about 11:00. It also started showing right shots, southwest wind, which was forecast. During the break it dropped and shifted even more. Many boats were sailing up the center line of the lake on starboard.

In the last race the line was square, and the mark pretty well set. So I decided local knowledge says go west to catch the shifts and building west puffs (in this case a puff was 7 mph). With maybe 45 seconds to go something showed on the water way left. I was outside the boat to the right with no way to get there. I tried to penetrate the crowd at the boat only to get rebuffed. I started 2nd row 10 seconds late right at the boat. I was buried so I tacked to clear my air. 30 seconds later when I was ready to go back, I looked over my shoulder and saw my regatta go away. My heart sank. There was a massive left shift with wind coming off the East shore. Those on the pin were laying the mark on port.

So I have a decision to make. Tack over and chase that wind consolidating 15th place or so, or stay right and wait for the oscillation to come to me with the west. Factors running through my head include who is with me on the bad side, who is streaking away, and what the overall impact will be on the score. Regatta second was with me, as well as three other good sailors. The people streaking away were well behind me in the scores. Scott Tillema was leading that charge and he was about 7 or 8 points back from me. I decided if I went back I'd consolidate to about 13-15 place and have to work to get 10th. That might drop me 2 places in the standings. If I stayed put I might get the shift and consolidate to 10th or so and work back to 5th or 6th. If I didn't get the shift I'd still be able to catch 6 or 8 boats.

I stayed put, worked the right, and never got the shift. I had to work back against the SSE breeze to get the the mark. I beat only 2 boats there, and both the boat behind and in front of me were as fast as I am in this wind.

Now I had been 15th or so before, and picked up boats bunches at a time. But this time there was a big problem. I was MINUTES behind the leaders. And then the race committee shortened the course due to the lighter breeze. The leaders rounded the bottom mark shortly after I rounded the top mark. They picked up a nice South breeze with some volume while I was still going downwind. Picking up boats one at a time was going to take time, and I was out.

Besides working harder than in any other race that weekend, I had to roll the dice, risk a flier.

On the next upwind I hit the left corner, almost to the east shore, and closed the gap to the tail of the pack. Downwind I could do no better in a dying breeze than holding my position. Around the last mark I had to make a choice to hit the left or right corner. I needed to pick up 6-8 boats. The pack went right so I had to go left. I played the east shifts with good angles. But on the west side they had more air. When I converged with the pack I was close, very close, but still behind. I ended up picking up 2 boats on that leg and losing 1 that I had previously picked up. I finished 17th, but only 30 seconds out of 10th.

I lost 2 overall places in that race finishing 5th. Scott Tillema won the race and jumped past me to third overall. Bob Cole also did well enough to jump to fourth.

Years ago this would have been tragedy. I blew it. Age mellows. Yes I was disappointed, and a bit frustrated. But I know after the first tragic mistake I made, I made the best decisions I could. I took minutes off the gap, gained huge amounts, and balanced the risks with the reward. It didn't pay off. And sometimes that is just the way the cookie crumbles.

I now have three days off before Nationals. My repair punch list is very short. But I also need to find a way to make the new sail faster. I simply am not seeing the shape I like nor feeling the speed I expected. Nationals will be in very different wind, lots more, and cold. Let's hope I got out of the way all the bad starts and bad calls now.

You Can't Win a Regatta on Day One, But You Can Lose It

I wrote that at Hoovers in the SPring too. I ended up 2nd in that regatta.

Today I finished 5 and 6 in the first two races of the Nor'Easterns. I'm sitting 5th overall.

Race 1 started in 6-8 but the breeze quickly died. I had a second row start and split to nowhere to try to clear my air. I did and ended up 5th at the top mark going the long way. The air REALLY died. I found some streaks and made some money downwind to compete for the lead at the last bottom mark. I had an overlap on the inside but no speed. I got rolled by the leader and 3rd place rounded inside me. I was driven left on a right favored leg and finished 5th.

Race 2 was worse. I started mid-line on port on a heavily favored port shift. The top guys were all to my left. Farther left was the place to be. I could not get over there without losing my shirt so I went the bad way and rounded the top mark 15-17ish out of 22. I passed 4 boats downwind by jumping to the unfavored uncrowded side. The upwinds I banged the left corner and rounded the top mark about 8th. Downwind I made some moves and picked up 3 more. Then on the last leg I hit all the shifts right with clean air until the last few. I got to third, then lost 3 boats at the line to finish 6th.

The leader has 4 points, the next three have 5 and 6 points. I have 11 points in 5th place. To advance I need help from them in the form of bad results. I doubt it will happen. I'm quite disappointed. I will have to drink more gin tonight.

Blue Chip

This week I received and accepted my second ever Blue Chip regatta invitation. In my years of E-Scow sailing I never received this invitation as a skipper, and never got to go as crew. On MC's I got the invitation when I borrowed a boat to sail the local regatta years ago and won that regatta.

The MC Blue Chip is a bit different than the E-Scow Blue Chip. It is larger with a deeper invite list. But it still will be the most competitive regatta I will sail this year. Of course it also makes the remaining schedule a challenge.

This weekend - Nor Eastern Championships
Next weekend - Nationals
The following weekend - Blue Chip

Lots of sailing over the next three weekends.

Season Finale

Keuka's season was very short this year with a lot of windless weekends followed by hurricane Irene. There was no season racing between week 2 and Labor Day. The result was a lot of creaky bones and not much muscle memory on racing.

Sunday I sailed 2 E-Scow races in the morning. I sailed the second race in the jib man position for the first time on an asymmetrical boat. It was different. It used to be that sitting in first seat was the second most involved person after the skipper. Upwind jib handling drove speed and handling (small rudder era). Downwind working the pole on jibes was physically challenging.

Nowadays, first seat does far less. Downwind was downright boring. I think I'll stick to middle man.

We lost the first race when we tacked away from a trawling fisherman on leg one. We had the right people covered until then. We slipped to second and never got around Bob Cole after that.

Race 2 we were over early but didn't know it was us until 1-2 minutes after the start. We started very far behind. We ended up third after significant catching up.

On shore after sailing we found out the start for MC Scows was moved to 1:30 rather than 2:00. It was tight but I got back to the cottage, ate, launched, and sailed to the course in time. Only 6 boats made the start, and the sequence was messed up. I led off the line and cruised to a 2-lap win.

Race 2 was the first competitive 2-lap race of the year. 10 boats started in 5-15 wind from the South. I started right next to Bob Cole, and simply was faster upwind leading at the top mark by about 5-6 boat lengths. I held that lead and extended a bit on the next 2 legs. The last downwind leg had the pack close up on a puff. I still led but not by as much. I extended a bit on the finish leg to win by about 20 seconds.

Race 3 was time pressured due to the annual meeting. We did a one-lap in lighter air. I led at the top mark again. But I lost that lead downwind when Brent Penwarden simply sailed past me. Around the bottom mark I was right on his transom. But upwind the air got real messy with holes and shifts. I didn't quite pick it right and lost to Brent by 5-6 boat lengths.

Finishes of 1-1-2 meant I ended the season losing 3 races and not sailing one when I took Emily to college. I won the season with half the score of second place.