Sailing Blog
Racing Starts Today »
May 12, 2010
After 3 solid, productive days of practice in Cagliari, the Melges 32 Europeans gets underway with a very civilized 12:30 pm start time for the first race. The weather so far has been very unstable with the seabreeze fighting a light gradient breeze, along with passing showers and thunderstorms. We have been able to salvaged enough breeze to look at sails, work on crewwork and line up with a few other boats to make sure we on pace with speed.
17 boats are registered from 9 countries and it is tough to predict a winner at this stage as many of the Italian teams are improving, and other solid teams from the UK, Germany and Denmark are here with talented squads.
More info and photos can be found at the official Melges 32 Europeans Website. Stay tuned to 42Marine.com for the inside scoop.
Update from Cagliari… »
May 10, 2010
After a longer than usual flights to Europe that had to be diverted either North or South of their usual routes due to the ash cloud spreading from Iceland, the team has arrived into Cagliari (pronounced like Calgary without a “g”. I have been corrected on this many times already by a few team members who seem to think they have the Italian language mastered) and we are ready to get sailing. The next objective is to reach our target weight which will be a bit of a challenge with more weight to lose than usual and delicious food surrounding us, but it is clear we have all taken to filling the gaps out our stomachs will espresso, which has all made us a bit wirey and a little cracked out. Tuesday morning is the first opportunity to weigh and without Joy Dunigan to call to sneak in early on the scales, we are going to have to get creative on how to grease the wheels of the regatta organizers.
The sailing team is looking in great shape, but unfortunately our shore team is banged up for this event. Our main boat manger, Eric Arndt remained in the states for a procedure, and our social coordinator/Minister of Splicing, Todd “Hop-a-long” Meyer managed to tear most of the ligaments in his ankle while is a sky-diving tunnel, still managed to make the trip, but needs to be chauffeured any where he goes with a certified handler. He has been likened to Forrest Gump before he was able to shake the leg braces as a youth. I have not had the opportunity to be Todd’s handler yet, but when I do, I will make sure to include lots of stairs and hills. Big Jim Condon (6’4″, 294 lbs) is filling in for Eric to watch over the boat and has taken the responsibility of make sure he puts on whatever weight the sailing team loses. Fuzz Foster has yet to hit the disabled list, but we all are keeping a close eye on him.
We have our first practice scheduled for later today and with plenty of time before racing on Thursday, it will be good to shake off the jet lag and work on some boathandling. Our normal bow guy, Buddha was not able to make the trip for this event, so we have Shana Rosenfeld’s, husband Peter filling in. Peter has taken on the task of dropping over 18 lbs to make up for the difference between him and Buddha, so judging by his commitment to drop weight, he has quickly become popular with the rest of the team.
The fleet is stacking up to be a good one with over 20 boats on the entry list and the top European teams in attendance. B Lin Sailing has been looking tough with Federico Michetti-Melges Europe Pres, and Melges 24 world champ, Lorenzo Bressani teaming up, and it will be interesting to see how the French Teasing Machine does after their winning performance in Miami. Hopefully the Samba team can return to our winning ways that we displayed in Key West and take home the first Melges 32 Europeans title.
Stay tuned for more updates, and check Melges32.com for up-to-date results. Standing by in Cagliari (Calgary without the G)
UP NEXT »
May 3, 2010
With the early ice out on Minnetonka this year, sailors are chomping at the bit to get out on the water and shake the rust off. The coaching calendar is filling up with sessions already taking place with the Power Play Racing MC program, and the Mevin Racing A Scow Program. 2010 is shaping up to be a great summer.
On May 7, preparation for the Melges 32 Worlds in September continues with a trip to Cagliari, Italy for the first ever Melges 32 European Championships. I will be trimming on John Kilroy Jr’s Samba Pa Ti, and will have daily updates. Stay posted and take a look at the updated crew list.
Two Steps Forward, One Step Back »
April 21, 2010
For some, having a good regatta is like hitting a nice golf shot, just the moment you think you have it figured out, you shank your next shot in the woods. But like a consistent golf game, if you can put the good shot out of your head and start over on the next hole, and remember the process of your swing, chances are your next shot will be as good as the last instead of relying on the previous shot to get you through the hole. This past winter I learned a few valuable lessons with regards to managing expectations and remembering to always utilize the process of what it takes to have a good event. Read more »
Constant Angle of Heel »
February 20, 2010
Here is a link of the World Champion UKA UKA Melges 24 team sailing in 20-25 kts. While it is cool to simply watch a Melges 24 do its thing if 25 kts, if you a look a bit closer at the technique of the driver, you can pick up a few good nuggets on how to keep a boat on its feet and flat going upwind. Anthony Kotoun pointed this link out to me and provided his own take… Read more »
K.I.S.S. – Dumb it Down and Sail Fast »
January 11, 2010
With my two main sports growing up, sailing and hockey, I would often look around and be intimidated by the talent around me, thinking, “These guys are faster and more skilled”. After contemplating quitting and taking up piano (I happen to think playing the piano is a very valuable skill, and I do wish I would have taken my lessons a bit more seriously), I did the only thing I knew how to do well…put my head down, work hard and not take “no” for an answer. Read more »