Sailing Blog
Battle Looming on SF Bay – Melges 32 Worlds »
September 21, 2010
After a long week of preparation on San Francisco Bay, and even a longer year of regattas, training, sail testing and crew work, today marks the beginning of the Melges 32 World Championships. With some of the best pro and amateur sailing talent competing in this regatta, there are a handful of teams that can walk away with the title, but it wont be easy. Not only will the winning team have to have a great display of speed against other teams who have spent months perfecting sail plans and rig tuning scenarios, but they will also have to have great boat handling in what will almost certainly be a breezy regatta. And for those who have sailed on a 32 know, if there is a hole in your boathandling, it will be exposed in a place like San Francisco.
The Pre-Worlds concluded on Sunday with the Italian Team on B-Lin Sailing taking the title, and a nice new Rolex watch, with a few points to spare. Despite that the racing we saw last week was not very similar to what we will see in the Worlds with respect to the course location and wind speeds, the Italians did a good job of sailing clean, smart and letting their speed do the work. There were several other teams like Star, Full Throttle and defending World Champs Bliksem that showed flashes of why they have a shot at the title by winning races and finishing in the top 5.
On the Samba, we had a bit of a roster change on Monday when our tactician for the last year, Stu Bannatyne was swapped for John Kostecki who is fresh of his successful bid at the Americas Cup and a knowledgeable San Francisco Bay local. It is never easy to switch out a team member who is an extremely well respected leader, sailor and friend, but we are going to do our best to continue to compete at high level, and having Kostecki step in tactician is never a bad thing when going head to head with a fleet loaded with world class sailors. We are feeling good about chances being able to contend going into the last race of the regatta, but we also we know we have a lot of hard work between now and then. All of the groundwork has been laid with sails, rig tune and crew work, and now it is time for the real thing…no more dress rehearsals.
32 teams are here to line up for the first warning signal at 12pm pacific time. 10 races are scheduled in total over 4 days. Live video can be found at the Sailgroove site. Up to date results at Melges32.com. And stay tuned to 42marine for daily updates.
Final Results from Melges 32 Pre Worlds and Rolex Big Boat Series »
September 20, 2010
After 4 foggy, light air days on SF Bay, the pre-worlds concluded with the Italian team of B-Lin sailing taking the top honors. Full Results can be found here.
It looks like the front that has had a grip on the pacific Northwest for the past week will finally pass through by racing on Wednesday the 22nd which will be a welcome relief to a lot of the teams hoping to race in some nice SF breeze. Stay posted for updates from the worlds when the begin in a few days!
Looking for the Silver Lining on Day 2 of the 32 Worlds »
September 17, 2010
Day 2 of the Melges 32 Pre-Worlds/Rolex Big Boat series started out similar to the 1 day ended…covered in fog. After an evening filled with protests and redress hearings from other fleets racing in the regatta concerning boats that did not round marks properly due the fact they could not see them, the race committee wisely postponed the start of race 3 by a good hour to let the haze clear. It looked for awhile that the fog was only getting thicker and that we would not be going anywhere, than like someone blowing smoke from a candle, the skies cleared and we got underway.
With 28 Melges 32s on the start and a line that can hold about 29, we found ourselves getting shut out at the boat end, tacking immediately to the right side and finding a clear lane to new pressure. Once we approached the top mark, we were in very good position just behind the leaders B-lin and a few others who managed to call smart laylines and sneak up from underneath us. After benefitting from great pressure on the right side going upwind, we made the call to gybe set, pulled of the manuvuer, got on a plane and blasted off towards the leeward mark. We positioned ourselves well in the drag race to the bottom of the course with the front 5 boats, when all of the sudden the boat stood upright and we watched our spinnaker float softly on top of the water.
It took us moment to figure out what had happened, and as we looked up to the top of the mast, all we could see was the halyard connected to the head patch of the spinnaker with the luff and leach tapes dangling absent the body of the spinnaker. The back up kite was quickly loaded on deck and we did a good job of swapping to the new sail, but with 32s going high and low of us on full plane, we had now found ourselves in the back of the pack battling to get into a respectable position. The silver lining is that hopefully we are ridding ourselves of this kind of bad ju-ju when the Worlds start on Wednesday.
We did exhibit good speed and were able to get back into the top ten and at least feel ok about what could have been a terrible result. Bob Hughes’ Heartbreaker went on to win the race followed by Full Throttle.
Just like Day 1, the morning race was conducted on the Circle and the afternoon race took place on the Cityfront course. Our gameplan was similar to yesterday which was to tack shortly after the start, and leave Alcatraz to port as we made our way up the 4 mile windward beat to the whether mark near the Golden Gate Bridge. We had a poor start to race 4, and did manage to find a clear lane heading to the right side, but as we progressed up the course, the boats on our hip to whether who we looked good with off of the start, now begin to show a big left shift and we were clearly on the outside of the pinwheel. The boats who elected to sail between the City and Alcatraz made out pretty well and once we got to the top of the course we had a to eat a sizable header and limp our way around the top mark beating only 4-5 boats.
The downwind would be tricky with big veins of pressure making their way down the course and combined with a dwindling ebb tide, there were lots of gains to be made. Every boat with the exception of one left Alcatraz to port on the downwind and battled it out with each other to the bottom gates. Roxanne, who rounded behind us at the first top mark, went to the other side of Alcatraz and made huge gains, rounding 6th at the bottom mark. Whether it was a current or wind gain, they definately found something the rest of the fleet did not. We managed to pick off a few boats as well which we normally would have been encouraged by had Roxanne not stolen our thunder.
The last upwind was just as tricky and we did a nice job of playing the shifts and picking off a few more to finish 15th. Not a great result by any means, but a decent comeback from our position at the top mark in very difficult conditions for passing boats. The team of the day was Full Throttle who always seemed to be in the right place and going fast taking a 2nd in first race, and getting the bullet in race 2. The are a perfect example of how scary this fleet is and when somebody gets hot, they can really get going. There are so many talented teams racing it is no surprise to see a team like Bliksem win the day handily on day 1, followed by a totally different team on day 2.
With a weather system making its way from Alaska and put the clamps on the pacific NW, we are likely to see more unstable, foggy and uncharacteristic SF conditions for the next 2 days. Just like our sailing at times today, hopefully the bad weather is clearing out so when the Worlds arrives, we will have the typical daily 18-25 we have been hoping for.
Full results can be found here.
Cloudy Vision on Day 1 of 32 Pre-Worlds »
September 16, 2010
Typically regattas are known for things. They are known for big breeze, great or bad RC work, and after Day 1 of the Pre Worlds, this regatta will not be shrouded in controversy like some events are known for, but fog. As teams gathered at the docks of the St. Francis Yacht Club, blue skies were already present and it looked like it would be a stellar SF sailing day. By the time teams pushed off however, the fog had started to roll back in and would thicken at the fleet of 28 Melges 32s made their way down to the starting area in the Berkeley Circle.
After a general recall in Race 1, the fleet got off to a clean start and made their way up the 2 mile beat in 11-14 kts of breeze. About a 1/4 of the way up, the fog thickened even more to the point where you could only see the boats immediately around you, and it felt like you were sailing in a circled enclosure 10ft in diameter. For teams who had coaches trying to get footage of other boats, if they pointed their cameras at a white wall for a few hours they would have had similar footage of the sailing today. On the Samba, we looked to be in decent position on the halfway up the beat, but once we got to the top mark, a huge right shift benefited the boats the crossed behind us early in the beat and extended right, and we found ourselves in the middle of the fleet getting bounced around and unable to get to where we wanted to be.
The fog would clear mildly throughout the race to the point where you could see the leaders and the marks of the course, and we would discover that our tuning partners from earlier in the year, RED, had jumped out to a massive lead over Bliksem in 2nd. The Samba would continue to battle it out in the middle of the pack and settle for a tough 15th place.
With the Pre-Worlds being part of the Rolex Big Boat Series, they often conduct the racing on seperate parts of the Bay for each race. The morning race was on the Berkely Cirlce and the afternoon race would take place on the City Front course. The Cirlce is relatively straightforward, but the City course provides a few more elements as Alcatraz becomes a big factor in playing the current, as well as the shoreline of the City when current relief is needed. Just prior to the start of race 2 the fog looked to be clearing and it was looking to be a fun, breezy race 2.
After a great start, we made the decision early to leave Alcatraz on the port side en route to our whether mark just off of the Golden Gate Bridge. Once passed Alcatras with Star and Bliksem on our hips and looking in great position, the fog rolled back in and we were now totally clueless as to the whereabouts of the windward mark. We did our best to stay in touch with the two boats around us, and once we could see the St. Francis Yacht Club emerging from the mist, we knew we were probably close to the port layline. After a close tack onto Starboard with Star at the top mark, we tacked on a thin layline, and quickly found out that while the rest of the bay was still in an ebb current, the top inshore portion of the bay had started to flood which promptly pushed us into the top mark…not a good look. With a quick 360, we hoisted and blasted off downwind with Bliksem, Star and now B Lin in front of us.
Once at the bottom mark, the fog had thickened even more and we would do our best to even get a look at the boats around us. After being on port tack for about 10 mins, our legs were getting numb and we began to question where we were headed after we lost sight off all the boats around us. All we could hear was the horns and honks coming from fishing boats and ferries who continued to blast around the bay despite total lack of visibility. Once we did finally tack over on to starboard after a very long period of time, we could hear the horn coming from the Golden Gate Bridge and figured we were close to the top mark. After a few minutes on starboard, we could see a clump of Melges 32s down to leeward a hundred yards or so, and we had clearly overstood, by a lot. We reached into the top mark on an angle that would not allow us to set which would allow 4 boats to get around us. With a quick set, we headed to the finish at the St. Francis Yacht Club in 8th place with Bliksem taking the bullet followed by Star.
Overall a tough, confusing frustrating day on the Samba as we never really got a good grasp on how we were going…or where we headed. Hopefully the conditions will permit for more of a ‘normal’ San Fran day tomorrow and we can hammer out a few quality races.
Standby for day 2. Results can be found at Melges32.com
Does Hot Sauce Make Eating Your Words Taste Better? 2010 E Scow Nationals Wrap-Up »
September 13, 2010
In my preview post leading up to the 2010 E-Scow Nationals, I was so confident in the conditions that Little Egg Harbor had to offer that I decided to go out on a limb and make a few bold predictions. Not only did I learn a few new things about this normally reliable venue, but I also learned that I will stay away from making predictions on future posts since I was basically wrong in every statement that I made regarding the type of regatta it would be, including which region the eventual winner would hail from.
Just to summarize, here are few of the predictions that I made leading up to the event, and the corresponding result:
“Steady, reliable breeze” – Wrong. The great seabreeze that Little Egg is known for never made an appearance as a strong front passed through on Thursday and left brisk temps that never allowed the land to heat up. We were left with a dying NWestrly breeze on Day 1 that challenged sailors with huge velocity and degree changes and left a lot of “contenders” with huge scores on the results sheet after day 1. After the front passed on day 2, we were left with 8-10 mph easterly that left sailors mentally exhausted after 3 challenging races.
“Drag racing and boatspeed conditions” – Wrong. While it was still important to have good speed, the Nationals was all about getting off the line cleanly, closing your eyes and hoping you were headed in the right direction. What looked like a certain thing in the pre-start often resulted in many of the top teams stranded on a side and scratching their heads. With the big velocity and direction changes on Day 1, it was not uncommon be leading the race by a mile, fully hiking, vang on and sailing fast with the entire fleet in your mainsail window one minute, and the next minute have a 30 degree header, everyone on the low side, and 30 boats getting ahead on the other side of the course.
“Strong thighs and strong hiking straps” – Wrong. The only time this statement could have been true was if a team decided to go out and practice on Thursday prior to the event when it was blowing 25-30. Otherwise the hiking straps were used sparingly on Day 1, and could have been removed on Day 2.
“Great Social Activities” – Ok, I got one thing correct. The post race kegs and soft pretzels, the parties, food and everything on-land were top notch and is reason enough to return to Little Egg in 5 years.
“The ILYA has won the NCESA National Championship for 16 straight years.” – Wrong. Several teams from the ECESA, WMYA and “At-Large” areas would make pushes for the title, but a team from the ECESA would claim the title for the first time since 1994.
So after seemingly to put a jinx on the entire event, from here on out, I will save the predictions for someone else. As for the report from the M-42, we found ourselves surviving the first day with results of 14, 2 and in fifth place overall. Jason Sutherland would be the clubhouse leader after the Day 1 with a 5, 5. This made sense since Jason’s home lake of Grand Lake, CO and its high mountains can cause some seriously crazy conditions similar to what the first 2 races provided and it looked like Jason and his team were the only ones to make sense of it. After looking at the results sheet, it appeared that many top teams would have a hard time recovering from finishes in the 20s or 30s, but Day 2 would have plenty of action.
As we we headed out for race 3, our goal for the day was to keep our 14th as our “throwout” race assuming we could get enough races in. Well, that disappeared pretty quickly when we found our selves OCS in the first race, and when we attempted to reround the boat end of the line after being in the middle bucking current the entire way, it was almost as if time stood still on our boat, while the rest of the fleet blasted off towards the windward mark. Once around the committee boat, the leaders sail numbers were not visible and we knew we were in for a long race. The only consolation is that our good friends on the M-3 were also OCS and it provided at least a little bit of levity to have some share the pain of battling it out in the back of the pack. We battled hard to get back to a 36th, but it was no doubt a tough start to Day 2. All was not lost however as a few of the leaders from Day 1 we close to us in this race. Jason Sutherland (GL-31), Peter Hurley (MA-11) and Jeff Bonnani (LE-73) were also going to have to use a new high sore as their throwout. Meanwhile, after a harsh first day, Brian Porter on his team on I-49 returned to form and took the bullet in race 3.
We managed to eek out two keeper finishes in races 4 and 5, and when we returned to LEHYC, it was anyones guess as to who was winning the event. Porter smoked everyone on Day 2 with a 1, 1, 5, but his 29, and 20 on the first day would be hard to battle back from. Bobby Koar and his team also had a great day 2 with a 15, 2, 1, but their 48th in race 2 would keep them out of the lead. Once the results were posted, it would be Peter Hurley on MA-11 who would lead with 54 pts and five boats right on his tail including Art Brereton who was tied for the lead and the only boat in the top ten to post all top 20 finishes. if one more race was to be completed however, the throwout would kick-in and the leaders would find themselves replaced by Bobby Koar and his team who would get to rid themselves of a 48 and have a small lead over Hurley, Porter, Rogers and Barkow.
With a 9am Harbor Signal on Day 3, it looked the RC was eager to get off 3 races on the final day which was a welcome sign to a lot of the teams praying for a 6th race. As teams prepped their boats, dark skies loomed on western shore, and after a quick look at the radar, a nice line of T-storms and rain would be approaching the area. After a 2 hr delay, the RC would make an attempt to get the boats on the race course, but a power outage would not allow for the cranes to operate and we once again would be in a holding pattern. Once the power resumed, the call was made to get out on the water and attempt to get off at least one race. With less than half of the 70 boat fleet making the effort to go out, the possibility of our team making a 7 pt comeback (with a throwout) was looking more and more bleak. As we attempted to get out of the harbor, it was clear the passing storms had swallowed any ounce of breeze and we were left with a glassy racing area that would not change in time for the 1pm race limit.
The results would remain unchanged from Day 2 and Peter Hurley and his team on MA-11 would take the NCESA title. Overall, a fun, crazy highly unpredictable event with plenty of lead changes and unexpected results. Congrats to Peter and his team. Results can be found here. Next year the NCESA heads to Torch Lake for its annual championship and while I have heard great things about this venue, I will be sure to keep my thoughts to myself.
A huge thank you goes out to Bob Donat and his team at LEHYC for an outstanding event. I dont think I have seen a regatta Chairman work as hard as Bob did throughout the event. And of course, a huge thank you to the team on the M-42 for a great season. Chrisy, Tony and Lynn all made huge sacrifices to attend the events this year and it was a total blast. You guys are the best!
UP NEXT – 2010 E Scow National Championships »
September 9, 2010
Every 5 years, the NCESA packs up and makes way to Little Egg Harbor, NJ for its annual National Championship. For those who have been to Little Egg Harbor, it might be the best natural venue possible for racing E Scows in the country; with is wide open waters, steady and reliable seabreeze and great social activities, there is a reason the class puts this venue on the calender repeatedly. What will be most welcoming is that the sailors can almost certainly count on being able to stretch their legs and put the webbing in their hiking straps to use.
When compared to this year’s variable and shifty E Scow ILYA Champs on Lake Geneva, the Nationals will be a full on drag race event, a true test of boatspeed as opposed to rolling the dice and hitting a shore. When the seabreeze comes in Little Egg, the boats in the front are tacking 2-3 times in 15-18 mph winds on 1.5 miles beats which usually draws groans from crew members who are doing the equivalent of a 11-12 minute wall sit during the upwind beats. During the 2005 Nationals when I had the opportunity with race with Vincent and Bri Porter, we decided to sail with 3 people and during one of the upwind legs on Day 2 with a fresh sea-breeze, our jib man Bri had a hard time taking the pain in his legs and quietly asked me to club him over the head so he could still be in the straps, but not be awake for the pain. When racing E Scow in Little Egg, you will need good boatspeed to succeed, and some strong thighs as well.
Coming fresh off a victory at the ILYA Champs, our team of Chrisy Hughes, Tony and Lynn Jewett are hopeful we can do what Tom Burton did in 2009; secure victories at both the ILYA and NCESA Champs. This is a rare feat with only a handful of sailors being able to pull this off and when you look at the names of who has done it, Melges, Porter, Burdick…you begin to understand why; with so many good sailors racing E Scows, you not only need to sail well to win one major championship, but you have to have a bit of good luck as well, and to do it twice in one year is exceptional. 2010 will be no different with the top talent in the ILYA and ECESA making the trek to Little Egg. Brian Porter, Vincent Porter, Augie Barkow, and Chris Jewett as well as a handufl of sailors from the East will all try to inscribe their names on the classic 1950s Tiffany’s bowl awarded to the winners. With over 70 boats pre-registered, whoever wins will have to display great speed and an ability to sail clean.
While most boats are individually doing there best to take home a National Title, there is also an underlying competition between boats in the ILYA (Inland Lake Yachting Association) and ECESA (East Coast E-Scow Association) and who has the tougher fleet annually. While there is certainly great talent in both regions, in the past 25 years the ILYA has claimed the National E Sc0w title 23 times, and 16 straight. With the Nationals taking place at an ECESA venue, and some very good talent evolving in their region over the last few years, it is very possible a boat from the East could make a strong challenge for the title this year…but we will do our best to keep the trophy in the ILYA.
After we unload the triple deck E Boat trailer towed graciously by Jeff Solum on M-12, our plan will be to get the E Scows rigged, tuned and prepped for racing. We will be sure not to work too late into the evening however since we have a date with flat screen TV for the Vikings/Saints game at 7:30. Racing begins at 10:30 am on Friday morning and with 3 races planned each day, the biggest challenge will be to ditch the great social activities early and get a solid nights sleep.
Stay posted to 42marine.com for daily updates from the 2010 NCESA National Championships.
In Need of a Cooler Dive after Day 2 of M20 Nationals »
August 28, 2010
During my Bachelor’s party a few years ago in Northern Minnesota, prior to an evening of revelry, a few us decided to challenge each other to who could last the longest doing a cooler dive. A cooler dive is when you submerge your head into a cooler filled with ice and water… not an easy task by any-means. After 3 hard races in 8-10 kts with leftover lump, confused Lake Michigan seas and 20-30 degree shifts, I was not sure if my hat was too tight, or if I was just thinking too hard, but the idea of doing a cooler dive for a minute sounded much less painful.
Day 2 started very similar to how Day 1 ended, with Michael Kiss winning another race. For those that could break away in the front pack, life was good, but if you fund yourself in the middle of the pack, it was a challenge to find clear air and lanes making it difficult to make any gains. Race 2 saw a dying breeze and halfway up the first beat, the breeze shifted 40 degrees to the right, leaving those on the left side hung out to dry, us being one of them. After looking great on the left side, we found ourselves looking at a large amount of starboard tackers and having to battle back to a 10th place. With 1.2 mile beats in a dying breeze, Race 5 fried a lot of brain cells on a lot of boats. Michael Kiss would again go on to take the victory.
The final race of the day, the course was set to a very manageable .75 miles and this race would be all about boatspeed. After a tough start, George did a great job of battling back and we managed to use our boatspeed, find clean lanes and round the top mark in first. After a quick gybe-set however, we coughed up a few boats at the bottom mark and found ourselves rounding the right gate, going left in what would be a right handed program. We did our best to get back right, but with the majority of the fleet pegging the favored side, we would drop a few and finish 7th place. Bora Gulari calling tactics for Chuck Holzman would finally break the string of bullets held by the team on Baccio who took a disappointing 2nd place.
Overall, a tough day with marginal results (11, 10, 7). The good news is we have great boat speed, and if we can manage to take care of the basics tomorrow, we should be able to pop a top 5 finish for the regatta. With only 9 points separated between us and 2nd place, it should be a competitive 2 races.
Full results can be found here.
Perfect Conditions on Day 1 of Melges 20 Nationals »
August 27, 2010
Day 1 of the Melges 20 Nationals kicked off with a SE breeze at 13-18 kts, 4-5 ft waves and perfectly sunny skies. For the 20 boats racing, the conditions could not have been more perfect with some awesome downwind surfing and great, tight racing.
The fleet gathered in the starting area just outside the entrance to Macatawa Bay, and for the out-of-towners who were wondering about what type of current could be found on Lake Michigan, it did not take long to figure it out after looking at the boat and pin end of the starting which were facing downwind and pulling on their anchor lines. After several general recalls and postponements, the fleet finally got underway for race 1 under a Z flag start after an hour of messing around.
Michael Kiss with his son and tactician Chris Rast dominated the day with 3 bullets and showed that they learned a few new speed and boathandling tricks from their travels to Lake Garda earlier this summer. Michael is also a Macatawa Bay local and he seemed right at home in the big waves and breeze. In 2nd overall, John Adenhorst with Scott Nixon posted 3 3rd places and battled from the back of the fleet in race 2 for an impressive finish. And all the way from Great Britain, Simon Strauss is in 3rd place after a solid, consistent first 3 races.
On our team, “A Little Wicked”, owner George Gamble did a great job of keeping the boat moving and staying clean in all 3 races. Our goals for the day were to have good, clean starts and sail fast and let the rest of the racing take care of itself. We managed to pull off 2 great starts and our boat always felt fast which resulted in a 4, 8, 2 and 1 pt out of 3rd. There were not a ton a shifts to be played so having good boatspeed and staying out of trouble was key to having decent results.
The forecast for tomorrow is for a less breeze out of the same direction and with the swell left over from today, we should see some interesting conditions. Results can and photos can be found here. Stay posted for Day 2…
Cal Cup Concludes…Onto the Worlds »
August 23, 2010
The M32 Cal Cup concluded with 2 races on Sunday and a less than stellar performance from the Samba team. We managed to sneak away with the win, but it was very well understood that if we have a showing like we did in the last 2 races, we will be nowhere near the podium when the races count in a few weeks.
With 1 or 2 teams headed into the dock after the finish of the first race to catch flights, the mood on the racecourse was slightly more relaxed than the prior two days. Leenabarca maintained their great speed from the end of day 2 and managed to win the final day with a 1,3. Star returned showed top form as well with a 5,1 and sent a message to the fleet that they will be ready to rock and roll when the worlds begin.
A good event overall, but we will be looking forward to the pre-worlds when more of the class rules are in effect, like restrictions on coach boats. Since the Cal Cup was a non sanctioned class event, there was no sail declarations, weigh-in or coach boat restrictions. There were times when coach boats would be driving up behind us while racing within 2-3 boatlengths, snapping photos and getting a good look at our settings, than blasting off to the next boat to do the same thing. Very distracting and frustrating to have these flies buzzing around the track and getting in our way.
At the end of the final day, the fleet headed over to the San Francisco Yacht Club for some famous Mai Tais and good banter. It is amazing how when we would return to the dock at the St. Francis YC, it would be about 60 degrees and overcast, and once you get to the San Fran YC across the bay, it is 80, perfectly sunny and in a gorgeous setting. Guess it pays to be on the right side of town!
Final results here, pictures here. Headed home this evening, than off to the Melges 20 Nationals in Holland, Michigan on Thursday.
Day 2 of Exhibition Racing at Cal Cup »
August 21, 2010
6 Races have been completed at the Melges 32 California Cup, and if Day 1 was known for its collisions and carnage, Day 2 was similarly exciting, but for its close racing, not expensive repair jobs. The skies again cleared over SF bay around the same time as yesterday, and just like the first day, once the breeze started to fill, it was a right handed program both upwind and downwind and for the boats that could call good laylines from the far corner of the racecourse and pull off a good gybe set at the top mark, they often were the ones to do well. The fleet was much more tightly packed today and it is clear that with one day of racing on the Bay, everyone is improving and upping their games.
Several teams showed moments of brilliance today which we can only assume will be more consistent as we get closer to the worlds and each of these teams get better. Full Throttle won the first race of the day by nailing a great gybe set at the top mark and blasting off to a massive lead by the end of the 2nd downwind. On the Samba, we were able to hold off a strong push from current World Champions Bliksem for an entire race and pull off the win in race 2. And in the final race of the day, the team aboard Leenabarca showed some awesome speed and took a convincing win in the final race of the day.
Heading into the final day tomorrow, we have a 9 pt lead over Bliksem with 2 races remaining and we will do our best to hold off a charge from several challenging teams. While we are excited about doing well in this event and sailing hard against great competition, the California Cup is basically like a pre-season football game in the NFL…it doesnt mean much until the real season starts. The challenge for tomorrow and the next few weeks will be to remain hungry and push ourselves and the boat to the limit to ensure there are no questions left unanswered when the worlds begin.
Full results here. It is off to bed for another sound night of sleep, and a morning with several advil and caffeine.