Sailing Blog
UP NEXT – E Scow ILYA Champs »
August 9, 2010
When the humidity in the Midwest is hovering at a solid 70% dewpoint, the VFW’s and Lion’s clubs are having there annual corn-roasts and Lake Minnetonka is about as warm as jacuzzi, it must mean it is the middle of August and that the annual ILYA “Big Inland” Championships are just around the corner. Although this event does not draw the big numbers it used to when my old man was racing C-Scows, it still draws the top talent in each class as sailors in the midwest are still eager to etch their names on class trophies which date back to the early 1900’s. This week is special for many as it culminates a summer of hard work and provides a chance to race against the best scow sailors in the country.
A unique aspect of the Big ILYA is it allows a competitor to compete in several class championships with the E and MC Scows kicking the week off with racing on the 12th-14th, then the A Scows take over on the 15th-17th, followed by the C Scows on the 18-21st. Geneva always draws a big fleet in each class as it is close for many of the Wisconsin teams who shy away from the event when it is close to the Minnesota border…maybe this has something to do with it, or this…regardless, it is always fun to race in Lake Geneva with its scow history, proximity to Melges headquarters and the big draw of the event.
The E-Scow portion of the event should draw 45-50 boats with the best names in the class in attendance. Unlike the NCESA National Championships late this year in September, the ILYA Champs do not allow for a throwout which means you need to make each race a keeper and battle to the end for every point. The team on the M-42 will need to remember not to repeat our mistake of last years regatta where we capsized between the whether mark and offset on the first day, having to eat a DNF and 40+ pts. (not to mention it was only blowing 9kts!).
The M-42 is packed up and ready to go, and the main concern at this stage is the forecast as it is for temps in the 90s, high humidity and variable breeze from just about every direction. The good news is the forecast is just that, a forecast, and you never know what you are going to get on race day. We will be bringing our golf clubs just in case and hoping the Fontana Lions have a corn roast this week.
42Marine will have daily updates from what will be a tightly contested regatta in Lake Geneva.
32 Nationals Wrap Up »
August 4, 2010
Ok, I have waited until mid-week to do the 32 Nationals wrap up. I became captivated with 3 hours of the Bachelorette on Monday night, which is 3 hours of my life that I will never get back, and Tuesdays nights are for A-Scow racing on Minnetonka which is a good time, even when spectating.
One theme that stuck out from the 32 Nationals is when to follow your game plan to exacting standards, vs when to have a more general gameplan and the ability follow it loosely. On the first day of the Melges 32 Nationals, it did not take long to figure out that the people who would be atop the leader board (Red and Volpe) would do everything the could to get right, even if it meant having a delayed start and tacking immediatly at the boat. For the Samba on the other hand, we had talked about getting to the right, but started in the middle, played the middle/left up wind and ended up in the middle of the pack at each first weather mark in the first 2 races. By the third race, after watching boats come storming out of the right for 2 races, we finally convinced ourselves that working on the fringes of our gamplan would no longer suffice; we had to start at the boat and get to the right if we wanted a decent finish.
In this case, our gameplan was to get right, but it was kind of a toe-in-the-water type of approach. There are times when sort of following the gameplan will work, and there are times where you have to follow it to a T and the first day at Harbor Springs a perfect example of this. I am a huge fan of taking the conservative route, especially when you have have good boat speed, but again, there are a few times when you need to get aggressive. Sometimes this is dictated by a venue like Lake Garda where you need to get a clean start and sail to the eastern shor in a hurry, or when sailing in the City front in San Francisco to get current relief, and there are other times when you are a few points out of a finishing position headed into the final race. These are times when you need to roll up your shirt sleeves and get it done.
Day 2 did not allow for as much of a “cut and dry” gameplan as we found ourselves prepping to start in a dying easterly. Fresh with the experiences from Day 1 in our minds, we decided to go for the win at the heavily favored pin end. We set up with a nice hole at 45 seconds, defended well and when the gun went we were moving at full speed and rolling the 2 boats between us and the pin. After a nice first beat and rounding the top mark in 4th, we steadily lost boats, rounded the 2nd top mark in 9th and clawed back to pick off 2 more boats on the final run for a finish of 7th. A clear lesson learned in this race was to minimize the maneuvers and keep the speed on. Yes, there were shifts to be played, but the boats that made huge gains were those that extended out of the first bottom mark to the right side, tacked once and kept the pedal to the medal. Gybing is especially a killer in light air and when we did a gybe-set and a 1 gybe run on the last downwind, we were managed to pick off a few boats. Granted, this race was highly variable and it effectively re-started on the 2nd up-wind, but maintaining boatspeed is key in any condition, but even more so in light air when speed trumps angle.
With the “Win the favored end of the line” mentality still in our minds, we headed out for what would be the final race of the event in a westerly breeze after a long lunch break. This breeze would set up very similar to the first 3 races which meant start at the boat, get right and once you are on the right side, go a little further. The only problem was this time, every boat in the entire fleet had the same idea as there was not 1 boat on the leeward 1/3 of the starting line, and those to leeward of the pack at the boat would be the ones to do well since there was a tangle of Melges 32s when the gun went, the Samba being one of them. It is never a good feeling to hear the gun go, watch the boats around you blast off towards the windward mark while you are moving sideways with no fore and aft movement over your foils.
Interestingly enough, regatta winners Volpe with 18 year old helmsman Ryan Devos and tactician Ed Baird knew just when to go for it and when to hold back. The first 3 races when the rest of the fleet was more conservative about hitting the right hard, they took it every time. When the fleet figured it out by race 5, Volpe started to leeward of the pack, tacked and crossed the mess still tangled at the boat. There is something to say about feeling the vibe and aggressiveness of your particular fleet and when to go for it or hold back. There are some who say not to go for the favored end at the begining of the regatta, because all of the competitors are amped to win races…the time to go for it is after lunch when everyone is sleepy.
Days 3 and 4 would not allow for any racing due to lack of breeze and would serve as a contest of who could stave off boredom the best. Harbor Springs is a great, idyllic American town, but it starts to feel really small when you are there for a week with little to do and cannot take advantage of other activities since we were on stand-by for racing. It was a bummer not to get a nice SW 15-18 mph lake breeze since it can be great sailing conditions, and of course we heard from the locals in response to the lack of breeze, “That this never happens here!”
There Melges 32 fleet now heads to San Francisco for the Cal Cup in mid-August which will serve as the 2nd to last event before the World Championships in September. Stay tuned to 42Marine.com for the inside scoop.
No Breeze on Final Day…Results remain unchanged after Day2 »
August 2, 2010
Every attempt was made by PRO Bruce Gollison to try to get at least 1 more race off during the Melges 32 Nationals in Harbor Springs, but it was not meant to be. The fleet headed out for an 11:30 warning, but the 4-7 kt westerly quickly died off before most teams could hoist their mainsails.
18 Year old local Ryan Devos, and his team with tactician Ed Baird won the event with a very solid event and no races out of the top 5. The Samba took 2nd and the Full Throttle in 3rd. Stay posted for a full regatta wrap up later this evening.
Full results and photos at Melges32.com
No Racing on Day 3 »
July 31, 2010
Racing was canned for the day at 3pm on day 3 of the Melges 32 US Nationals due to lack of breeze. Many of the teams did their best to stave off boredom by visiting each other on the college campus-like atmosphere of Harbor Springs, and it was a relief for many when the racing was canceled so beers could start to be consumed.
The forecast is bleak again for the last day of racing, so hopefully we will get a bit of a surprise when we get to the dock in the morning. The Samba still stands in 2nd place overall and we will need 3 quality races tomorrow to have any shot at mounting a comeback against Volpe.
Check out Melges32.com for full results and photos.
Great Day for Waterskiing on Day 3 of M32 US Nationals »
Just as the forecast has predicted, there is a complete lack of breeze in Harbor Springs with spotty rain showers. PRO Bruce Gollison is providing 1/2 hour updates, but looking at the PHRF boats attempting to race, it does not look promising.
The Samba Team is hunkered down at team Headquarters doing our best to stave off boredom. Stay tuned to 42 Marine for updates.
McKee V Porter…and 2 Races Completed on Day 2 »
July 30, 2010
We reached the dock after the 2nd race on Day 2 at 5:00 pm, and I am still waiting for the 3 advil that I took upon arrival to take effect. Today was a challenging, mind-numbing sort of day where you crossed your fingers every direction you headed and hoped that your side would pay. The only upside is that the races were reasonably short for the extremely light conditions and the pain would only last for an hour at a time.
After looking at the forecasts for Day 2, most of the fleet strolled down to the Harbor Springs City Dock around 9am expecting to do our best to stave off boredom for most of the day from a lack of breeze. Once on the dock however, an easterly had stuck around from the early morning hours and was still putting out a nice 6-8 mph which would be enough for RC to get race 4 started on time. After a great start at the pin and controlling our own destiny, the Samba flopped shortly after the gun, found a nice vein of pressure up the middle of the course, showed good speed and rounded in 4th at the top mark. We were a bit surprised to see regatta leaders Volpe leading at the first mark after we rolled them at the start, forced them to tack to port, then spotted them in trouble on the right side half way up the first beat. There is no doubt these guys are loaded with talent, but after watching them crawl out numerous tough situations, we are not sure if they put their pants on one leg at a time like everyone else.
The first downwind would prove to be very painful in a dying breeze and the fleet split at the top mark to hit a corner and minimize the maneuvers. We chose to extend on the run and while the boats ahead of us managed to get out alive, we lost a boat, rounded the left gate in 5th and were forced to tack off onto starboard to get clean air. Shortly after, the breeze would pretty much shut down and the race effectively restarted with us, Full Throttle and Argo on the left side of the course, and Volpe, Ninkasi and a charging Star on the right side. Breeze could be seen building on the sand dune shorline between Harbor Springs and Petosky, and while it looked like it would fill a bit sooner on the left side, there was no angle to it and the boats on the right were able to come charging into the mark with pace, and we would end up watching a few more boats get around us to take a 9th at the 2nd top mark. Painful.
The last downwind would see even more patchy holes and after learning our lesson on the previous upwind, we did a nice gybe-set at the mark, sailed to the left side of the course with good pressure and Stu did a nice job of calling a good layline for us to come into the finish with speed and we picked off 2 boats on the run to finish 7th. Volpe would hang on for the win and our main competition in the standings was just in front our behind us.
Instead of prolonging the anguish of most of the fleet, PRO Bruce Gollison, who is a sailors PRO, made the conclusion that the easterly that had been reduced to 2-3 kts would be giving way to the seabreeze in a few hours, and decided to send us in for a long postponement/lunch on shore. After a few hours, the tennis courts in the center of town were a nice attraction as Full Throttle teammates Vincent Porter and Charlie McKee squared off for a good 2 set match to the pleasure of a few onlookers. Charlie owned Vincent for the most part, which was a bit surprising considering Vincent was fully decked out in Nike tennis apparel and looked like he was attempting to qualify for Wimbledon. It just goes to show the cunning and old age can still beat youth, enthusiasm…and good fashion.
Just as the 2nd set was drawing to a close in McKee’s favor, the call was made over the radio that the seabreeze was filling and the fleet should get out on the course for a 4pm start. Once to the starting area, the hopes of a nice 12-15 kt seabreeze were an illusion and we would have to settle for a 6-8 kt contest. With a course set up similar to Day 1, the goal was to start clean at the boat and get to the right early. Unlike yesterday, we were not able to pull off a clean start at the boat end and we found ourselves going sideways once the gun went. After watching the majority of the fleet flop to port and cross, we continued on starboard and once we had a clean lane back to the right side, tacked and found ourselves with good pressure and looking like we might be able to get to the front pack.
As we chugged along upwind hoping for more left pressure, one boat continued to poke out on the right side and extend into the lead. Once they tacked in the right corner and got closer, we could see that it was regatta leaders, Volpe. For all of those who played Nintendo growing up and remembered the game RC Pro-Am, watching Volpe was like watching the car that all of the sudden went into turbo mode once you started getting into the more challenging levels; there was nothing you could do but watch and hope they would slow down.
The Samba did a nice job of recovering from a harsh start, but we found ourselves always just a 1/2 boatlength away from being able to break into the top five. Whether we would get leebowed, tacked on, or forced to a side, we could just never get to where we wanted to be for a prolonged period of time which resulted in a tough fought 9th place and some well deserved cold beers when we hit the dock. Volpe would again go on to take the bullet and build a nice lead going into day 3. Despite our 16 pt day, we are still in 2nd place and looking to have better day tomorrow in conditions that are hopefully a bit more exciting for the sailors and spectators.
Results here.
Photos here.
Local Knowledge Pays on Day 1 of US Nationals »
July 29, 2010
There is a big difference between talking about a gameplan and what you would like to do on the start and first beat, and the actual execution of it. On day 1 of the Melges 32 US Nationals, on the Samba we had talked about starting at the boat end and getting to the right side of the course, but found ourselves taking the conservative route, starting somewhere near the middle of the line, and subsequently mid-fleet at the top mark. All it took was one look at the Harbor Springs local boat Volpe, with tactician Ed Baird, that started late at the boat in all 3 races, tacked right and were in the top 3 at the first top mark to figure out that the right was paying big, and you had better get over there fast if you wanted to do well.
PRO Bruce Gollison and his team did a great job of getting the fleet assembled for an on-time start at 10:30 under blue skies and a 10-12 kt Westerly. Being from the midwest, it is nice to finally get some of the people who I sail with and against into fly-over country so they can get an idea of how beautiful the Midwest can be. Harbor Springs in particular is a great place for racing as it provides a huge sailing area with challenging breeze, and a town setting that makes you feel like you are filming the sequel to “Pleasantville”.
The fleet was eager to get rolling in Race 1 and with 4-5 boats over early piled up at the boat end, it was not rocket science that the right side was favored, but just a matter of who could get off cleanly. After a mid-line start and getting bounced to the left side of the course, we managed to keep the speed on, hang-on to a mid-fleet top rounding and grind our way back to a 5th place throughout the race. Red would go onto win the race after getting off the starting line cleanly at the boat end and leading pin to pin, followed by Ramrod and Full Throttle.
Race 2 set up with a bit more of a port favored line, and after another clean start, we found ourselves once again crossing behind the boats on the right, and in particular, RED who got flicked onto port shortly after the gun went, found a clean lane on the right side and were able to lead by the top mark. The breeze lightened significantly after the start and with a lot of teams swapping to the light jibs on the downwind, it was a matter of who could change gears and keep the speed on. After battling back again from a mid-fleet first mark, the Samba did a nice job of keeping the pedal down, and really trying to execute our gameplan of getting to the right by living in bad lanes and tough situations just to get there. Once to the right side, there was clearly more velocity and huge gains would be made for those who could touch into it early. Red again would go on to win, followed by Volpe, Full Throttle and Samba in 4th.
The last race of the day, the breeze had freshened, and instead of going for the safe route, we decided to put on the foil and mix it up at the boat end of the line which was very popular. John did a great job of carving out a nice hole and we managed to get off the boat end cleanly, tack immediately, hold our lane with Volpe to leeward until the layline, tack, and lead at the first weather mark. Mmmm…I wish we could have made it as easy in the first 2 races. With 2 gybe sets and a battle of who could get closer to shore first, we were able to hold off a solid charge from Volpe, Heartbreaker and Tirade, a fresh Melges 32 team from New Zealand sailing their first event who will be very tough once they get a few races under their belts.
Overall, a picture perfect day for sailing in Harbor Springs with plenty of chutes and ladders. Tomorrow I have a feeling we will be much more steadfast in following our game plan…and paying much closer attention to where the locals are headed. Day 1 full results here. 10:30 am warning for race 4 with very light breeze forecast.
UP NEXT – M32 National Championships »
July 26, 2010
The next stop on the Melges 32 circuit is the US National Championships in Harbor Springs, Michigan. With one quick look at the crew list, it is clear this event will have some of the top sailing talent in the world, and combined with the backdrop of Harbor Springs and its crystal blue waters, white sand beaches and idyllic town setting, this will be a great event. The Nationals will also serve as the last event where most of the US teams can size each other up before the Pre-Worlds and Worlds in September…this event, along with the worlds is going to be a grudge match.
The Samba team is fresh off returning from the final Audi event in Lake Garda and we are looking forward to getting back after it with only a week and half after our last race. Normally we have at least a month or so in between events, so it will be good to be on the boat with the lessons learned from the last event still fresh in our minds. We have the same team for the most part, but with a few small changes due to schedule conflicts:
Helm – John Kilroy Jr, Tactics – Stu Bannatyne, Main Trim – Morgan Reeser, Jib/Spinn Trim – Sam Rogers, Pit – Justin Smart, Mast – Eric Dorman, Float – Kim Arntson, Bow – Alan “Buddha” Nakanishi
Stay tuned to 42marine.com for updates and results from the US Nationals. Below is a video from the last day in Lake Garda with 20-25 kt winds. We are hoping for more breeze like this! The video is a bit shaky at the start, but the ride near the end, and the commentary by Fuzz Foster is worth the view…turn up the volume.
Samba Wrap-Up from Garda »
July 20, 2010
Federico Michetti, Melges Europe Pres and trimmer on eventual event winner B-Lin Sailing, told our team on arrival in Malcesine that Lake Garda is an amazing place for sailing, but a terrible place for racing. While I do not agree that Garda is a terrible place for racing, it certainly has its challenges, headaches and you can go from hero to zero in an instant. But it also has some features that you cannot find anywhere else in the world, like short-tacking up the eastern shore underneath a castle built in the 12th century to take advantage of a left shift while hundreds of German, Swiss and Italian beachgoers watch with interest.
Other than the dramatic landscape and mountains that drop steeply into the lake, what was most impressive about Lake Garda, Fraglia Vela Malcesine and the surrounding area is it felt like you had traveled to a place purpose built for going fast in sailboats, and whoever you talked to was there to do the same thing. Our hotel was the Sailing Center Hotel with a staff that asked how we did every day. Our favorite restaurant a few miles down the road, Da Umberto was owned by a former 49er sailor, Luca Modena, with of course a sailing themed restaurant. Whether it was having breakfast at the hotel at 730 am and seeing hundreds of kite boarders and windsurfers taking advantage of the fresh Northerly, or watching Robert Scheidt head out for a Star boat tuning session on a casual Sunday afternoon, Lake Garda is a sailors paradise…with really good food and wine.
Our goals for the week in Lake Garda were 2-fold since the first 4 days were spent speed and sail testing with our tuning partners from the UK, Red, and the second part of the week was the actual event. The testing period would be our final look at which sails we want for the upcoming worlds in San Francisco, while also looking at our tune in varying conditions. As for the racing, we obviously wanted to do well, but after hearing about what a tricky place Lake Garda can be, we knew it would be tough to steal a victory from a handful of Italian boats who had local tacticians that knew when to peg the right side and for how long, than a short time later, would know to hit the left side as hard as possible. By the last race, we identified some things we had done very well throughout the week, but also found some weaknesses that will need attention if we are hoping to hang in the front once the Worlds start in a few months.
For anyone who has sailed or raced on Lake Garda, a typical day would involve an early morning wake up and dock-off time around 8am to take advantage of the Northerly which usually lasts until 11ish. From there, you have a lunch and an early afternoon espresso while you wait for the Southerly to fill around 1pm when you had back out for a 3 hour afternoon session where you can count on 12-18 kts for both sessions. While this timing of the breeze was pretty much spot on, the velocity was below average as the high pressure system that hovered over Northern Italy for a week proved to be too strong for the local breeze to reach its normal peaks. We never did get shut out, and it was a rare occasion if the boat did not get up on a plane at least once each day.
The first 2 days of racing were on the light/medium side as the heat stayed in the mid-90s and humidity tightened its grip on the sailors. This would provide for highly tricky conditions as the breeze seemed like it wanted to fill consistently, but just could not which resulted in sharp puffs to 12-13 followed by lulls in the 6-7 range. We managed to hang on the after the first day of racing and stealing a win on the final race, putting us in 3rd after 3 races (full day 1 report here). Day 2 would be a different day for our squad as we felt good about our speed and starting ability, but were left with our heads shaking as we could only muster a 8, 9, 11 on what seemed to be a day where we were destined to mid-fleeters. Our confusion was only compounded when we watched regatta leaders Calvi Network have 3 of the most horrendous starts, even going backwards when the gun went, and then recover by pegging the correct side and finishing the day with a 3, 3, 8.
Battling in the light air behind our tuning partners Red during Day 1 - Photo Credit, Max Ranchi
I am not sure if I awoke early Sunday morning to the thunder which sounded like the storm was actually in our room, or to Buddha scrambling to the window in his tighty-whities to get a look at what was happening outside, but after 8 days of oppressive heat, the weather finally broke with a massive storm that left behind cooler temps and stiff Northerly breeze in the 20-25 range. Wanting to make the most of the Northerly, the RC made a good call by having an 830 am warning for the final 2 races. With good Samba conditions on tap, we felt good about our chances to move up in the standings, and potentially sneak in a win with only 14 pts between us in 7th place and the regatta leaders.
Race 1 on the last day showed that we had great legs in the breeze as we were able to recover from an average start and find our way to the front of the fleet by the top mark. With solid boathandling and conservative tactics, we were able to hold off a charge from the B-Lin team who moved up in the standings with a solid 2nd place. For us to have any chance at a regatta win, we would need to win the next race and have a few boats finish out of the top ten which would be entirely possible with the breeze backing off and getting shiftier.
A nice photo by Max Ranchi of Samba racing downwind on the last day of racing.
After another average start, we were able to claw our way into the top 3 at the top mark, ahead of the teams we needed to beat in the standings. We continued to show great speed, but could not get around Red and Torpyone and on the final downwind, we stubbed our toes and watched B-Lin bring down a wave of solid pressure, gybe early and beat us by a boat length at the finish. This secured the win for B-Lin, and left us miffed to say the least, but the real pain would come when we looked at the results and saw we were 1 pt out of 3rd and would have won tiebreakers with 2 race wins. It is moments like these when you look back on the course of the regatta and think about every potential point lost or gained and it makes you want to work that much harder.
Overall, a good event, but not great as we left a few opportunities hanging that easily could have moved us up in the standings. The good news is that we will have a chance to rectify our mistakes in a week and half when the US Nationals begins in Harbor Springs. This will be a great litmus test for the worlds as the best talent in the US will be on hand.
I would like to give a big thank you to John and Catherine Kilroy for making this all possible and for providing such a great atmosphere when traveling to and racing at regattas.
Results here.
Photos
Big Breeze on Final Day in Malcesine »
July 18, 2010
The week long heat wave final gave way in the early hours of the morning with a huge thunderstorm and big cold front being left behind. With an 830 am warning, the Samba team gathered at breakfast and piled some extra protein while we looked out at the lake showing a 20-25 kt Northerly.
Using great speed in the first race and solid boathandling, we were able to carve out a nice race win. By the time the second race started the breeze had backed to the 13-15 range, but we were still able fight it out in the front group and hang on to a 4th place. We made a small charge to move from 7th to 5th overall, but being 1 point out of 3rd leaves a bad taste in the mouth when you look back at all the areas where you could have gained it back. Congrats to Luca Lalli on B Lin for a great regatta victory.
There Final results can be found here. Stay tuned for a final wrap up from Fraglia Vela Malcelsine.