Sailing Blog
UP NEXT – Audi Melges 20 – Miami Winter Series #1 »
December 8, 2010
When Kevin Costner heard the whispers in Field of Dreams, “If you build it, he will come,” (often misquoted as “they”) there was probably some doubt in his mind that if he built a baseball field in the middle of a corn field, that the ghosts of baseballs’ greats really would come to play. For most people, this type of thing is only achievable through some serious hallucinogenics, but just like most things in Hollywood, Costner was able to sculpt the perfect baseball field out of the cornfields in his backyard and, voila, his vision did come true of having the ghosts of former players play ball on his makeshift diamond. When the Audi Melges 20 Winter series was introduced in Biscayne Bay just last year, it was uncertain if this fledgling one-design series would take hold. With over double the amount teams registered for the 10/11 season, the Audi Melges 20 has not only cemented itself as a premier racing one-design boat, but it is providing some serious, fun, laid-back racing for the owners and teams involved, all while leaving class organizers of other one-design fleets scratching their heads. And for the sailors who get to escape the frozen north and compete at an extremely high level in fun, high-performance boats, the Audi Melges 20 Winter series truly is a field…er…sea of dreams.
Think about all of the aspects that make up a great regatta: Fun laid-back racing, great competitors who don’t take themselves too seriously, a warm, picturesque carribbean-like venue with lodging steps from the boats, logistics that are easier than a family vacation, steady reliable breeze and a Race Committee with a true sailors PRO who’s main goal is to get off solid, quality races. Maybe all these great aspects of putting on a good event just happened by accident, but chances are that Melges brass, Harry Melges and Andy Burdick, have seen countless good and bad events over the last 20 years, and they put together the perfect competitive cocktail and the Audi Melges 20 now has legs of its own.
After taking a 3rd place overall in last years Winter Series, our team on M and M racing will have our hands full with plenty of quality veteran teams and a host of new teams. Like most Melges classes, there is not shortage of talent and the racing will be decided on inches. We will have a roster change on our boat for this event since Mary Anne’s husband Bill is normally our bow person, but since he suffered a broken toe just last week, we have had to replace him with a young, talented sailor in Coye Harrett. Coye will be a good fill in, but Bill’s determination and hard fought attitude will be missed.
As for myself, I got in a solid 2 days at home to regroup with the family. It is never easy to leave, especially this time of year when being with together with family is what the Holiday season is all about, but I also feel fortunate that when I am on the road, I am spending time with truly great people and getting to do something that I really enjoy. No doubt, when I return my list of household chores will be long, and I will have to make few trips to the pool with Lily, but I am looking forward to returning home to the frozen north with a successful M20 event on the books.
Stay tuned to 42marine for daily reports. The list of registrants for Audi Melges 20 Winter Series Event #1 can be found here.
Gold Cup Fades to Black »
December 5, 2010
After 5 years of participating in the Melges 32 Gold Cup and putting up a big “donut” for victories in every attempt for myself thus far, it was looking like the 5th time might be the charm and 2010 edition was going to be the real thing. Going into the event, I felt we had a reasonable shot at the title since the Volpe is the current National Champ and we have a very well run program with talented sailors, but like any Melges 32 regatta on the circuit, just when you start to feel comfortable, you better start looking around, because a change in the standings is just a tough start away.
Headed into the final day of the event with 3 races remaining, we managed to carve out a nice 12 pt lead after 5 very challenging and shifty races. Our team up to this point had battled back from tough situations that could have turned ugly, and through solid driving by Ryan DeVos and sure, low-risk tactics provided by Ed Baird, we were able to put up a nice scoreline of all top 5 finishes. With a strong front pushing through on Sunday and a 12-18 mph westerly providing even more, flat, shifty conditions than days 1 and 2, we knew it was going to be tough to hold off our nearest competitors on Ramrod and Warpath headed into the final day.
Due to the deep water that is just a few miles offshore of Ft. Lauderdale, and a westerly breeze that was coming directly off the Port Everglades beach, the RC had no other choice than to set our weather mark a few hundred yards from land which made an already shifty breeze even more of a minefield towards the top end of the windward leg. And if you did not get a front row start, you immediately found yourself out of phase and playing a game that was not chosen by you, but instead dictated by lane management and the boats around you. In the first start of the day, we got shut out at the boat-end by 2nd place boat Ramrod and did our best to hang in a thin lane, but eventually had to tack, only to watch the boats that were able to continue on starboard off the line step into a left shift and put distance on us, making the first race a tough battle with the middle of the fleet that we could not escape from. With both Ramrod and Warpath having good races, we donated our 18th place as our throwout and took our fifth from earlier in the event as our result for Race 6.
After seeing our nice overall lead get cut in half, spirits were a bit down on the Volpe, but we were still leading, and after a few energy drinks and fist pounds, we regrouped and knew that we were one good start away from securing the event. With the shifts boiling off the beach at a very fast rate, it was important to keep a fluid starting position on the line to put yourself in-line with the best pressure. Seeing that the middle might be the place to be, we got into our hole around a minute and it looked promising to get off the line cleanly. After a big left shift and watching our nice 2-3 boat length hole dissipate into nothing, we quickly got sawed off and luckily, we were able to get a clean lane on port tack and it looked like we were going to be playing in the front group. Just as we started to feel ok, the boats in front of us started to wind up, and the pressure they had was clearly not getting to us, and thus began a slow, painful 1st mark rounding. The top 3 boats extended from leeward and ahead to clearly in front of us, the boats on our left hooked into huge left pressure, and the boats that we had put away on the right side came screaming in on right pressure that once again put us in the middle of the pack, leaving us to catch the boats that were catching us for the Gold Cup title.
After rounding the 2nd top mark in the high teens with Warpath in the top 3, and Ramrod a few boats ahead us, we continued to fight hard and were able to have a nice set, gybe in pressure, pick off Ramrod and finish 11th to maintain a 4 pt lead over both Ramrod and Warpath who were tied for 2nd headed into the last race. Sure, it wasn’t pretty, but none if this would matter if we could hang on to win. After 2 tough races, we felt ok that we were still leading and according to the law of averages, a few of us quietly assumed we were going to get a good start, get off cleanly and get the job done. We were soon going to find out that who ever wrote the Law of Averages, was a pretty average lawmaker.
With a 2pm time limit to get off the final race, the RC quickly reset the starting line and sounded the warning signal at 1:20. We managed a nice clean start at the pin end and our biggest challenge of the day looked conquered, until two horns sounded and the RC came over the radio, “General Recall.” The line was reset, competitors hurriedly re-pinged the line, and the next warning was sounded at 1:30…another clean start for us at the pin end, and another general recall. With no restraint shown by the fleet and the time limit fast approaching, the RC hoisted the black flag with the next warning at 1:40. The pin end was once again wide open and as the time ticked down, we turned up later than the nearest boats around us just to be conservative and off we went, fighting hard to save our lane with the boats to leeward and to windward. The RC came over the radio to annouce the boats that would be DSQ’ed due to being over early….”Bow 32…(pause for 15-20 seconds)….Bow 18.” “That’s us,” said our tactician Ed. Surprised and a bit miffed, I replied, “What. No way. Check our bow number. Are you sure we are bow 18?” After a quick check in vein at our bow number, we asked the RC for confirmation of the numbers hailed, than slowly eased out sails, tacked behind the fleet and continued a long, frustrating sail back to the Bahia Mar. Rod Jabin and his team on Ramrod would hold off Warpath by 1 pt to defend their title from 2009 as Gold Cup Champs.
There wasn’t much that could be said on the way in. We had put ourselves in a great position to win headed into the last day, and even after 2 tough races, we still had a chance to win going into the last race, and at the end of an event, that is what you hope for. We can look at the bright side and know that this will be a good lesson learned for an up-and-coming program with a good, young driver, but there is nothing that can take the sting away from having the event in your sights, and watching it slip away. Thanks to the team on Volpe (Ryan DeVos, Scott Nixon, Ed Baird, Drew Wierda, Mike Hill, Marty Kullman and Adam Burns) for a great weekend of sailing and good times. Thanks also to John Taylor on Ninkasi for free Heineken and Heineken Light all weekend, and to the CT and the Bronco team for the nice tailgate party on Saturday afternoon. Melges 32 racing is seriously fun.
Reports and photos can be found at Melges32.com as well as a bevy of photos and videos.
TOP TEN RESULTS (FINAL, After eight races)
1.) Rod Jabin | Chris Larson, Ramrod; 4-2-1-12-8-2-[18]-3 = 32
2.) Steve Howe | Morgan Larson, Warpath; [8]-8-1-5-4-8-3-4 = 33
3.) Ryan DeVos | Ed Baird, Volpe; 3-2-3-1-5=14=11=[22/BFD] = 39
4.) Joe Woods | Paul Goodison, Red; 6-[11]-5-9-6-5-6-7 = 44
5.) Jeff Ecklund | Harry Melges, III, STAR; 15-6-8-8-7-1-1-[22/BFD] = 46
6.) Dalton DeVos| Chris Rast, Delta; 11-9-12-3-[12]-7-2-2 = 46
7.) Lanfranco Cirillo | Michele Paoletti, Fantastica; 7-19-4-2-14-[22/OCS]-4-1 = 51
8.) Alex Jackson | Rob Greenhalgh, Leenabarca; 1-7-7-15-1-12-[17]-11 = 54
9.) Joel Ronning | Bill Hardesty, Catapult; 5-15-13-6-10-4-9-[17] = 62
10.) Jason Carroll | Dave Ullman, ARGO; 10-10-6-7-9-[18]-12-8 = 62
Melges 32 Gold Cup – Day 1 »
December 3, 2010
Success on the first day of the Melges 32 Gold Cup was all about managing the big oscillations in shifts, and more importantly, catching the last shift into the top and bottom marks. With a nice NNE breeze at 10-15 kts, and 30-40 degree shifts, there were plenty of lead changes and it was very common to have the fleet on top of you, then step into a shift, tack over and have your position flip flop with the boats on the other side of the course. We did a good job on the Volpe identifying the incoming shift and putting the bow down and getting to it as fast as possible. Our tactician Ed Baird put us underneath the new incoming pressure and kept our risk low with the rest of the fleet, and our helmsman Ryan DeVos did an awesome job of keeping the boat grooving all day. Our goal for the day was to sail clean and have 3 “keeper” races and we did good of doing both on day 1 with scoreline of 3,2,3.
The leaders of the event Ramrod also did a nice job of getting off the starting line cleanly and getting into phase immediately after the gun went. The shifts were coming so fast and with such big angle changes that if you spent anytime getting out of phase, you were instantly losing boats. The real shockers for some boats were on the downwind legs. It seemed if you got caught in the middle, boats on either side that extended to the corners were able to touch into pressure and make some nice gains. Warpath, who won the last race by a mile was in great position in the first 2 races, but fell victim to having the pressure fill in from behind on both sides while they got stuck in the middle. Laylines downwind were a bit tough today also, as you would often find yourself gybing on a good angle into the mark, then getting new pressure and being wound down 20 degrees which resulted in being over stood which is never a good look.
The forecast for tomorrow is for much lighter conditions out of the same direction which should the make the racing a bit more painful as it will be the same tough, shifty breeze, but we will all be moving much slower. There will be a premium on getting off the line clean, sailing fast and taking a look up the track to put yourself in the best position to take advantage of the new pressure.
Results can be found here, and real time updates and results can be found at a new site…Sailing Updates which seems to be pretty nice for people trying to get real time info. There is also some video and interviews on the Sailgroove website. And of course, stay tuned to 42marine.com
UP NEXT – Melges 32 Gold Cup »
November 30, 2010
The Vikings are 4-7, the snow is flying, Minnesota is experiencing one of the coldest Novembers on record, and Santa Claus isn’t coming for another 20+ days…its a perfect time to head to warm Ft. Lauderdale for some sailboat racing.
Over the past 4 years, the Melges 32 Gold Cup has evolved from a 12 boat training event where the fleet shared a coach, had video sessions at the end of each day, and owners were just getting their feet wet in this new class, into a 20+ boat annual event that features top level amateur and pro sailing talent. Although the event takes place at the end of the calendar year, the Gold Cup signifies the beginning of the next season since there is typically a 2 month hiatus between the Gold Cup and the last major event. Teams have a chance to regroup, reorganize and apply the lessons they have learned from the previous season to the start of the next.
For the 2010 Gold Cup in particular, having 23 boats is not only surprising, but a very good indicator of how strong this class has become. The assumption was that most of the 30 strong fleet at the Worlds would be taking a few events off and that the 32 winter series might see a drop in attendance. With several teams like Star, Ramrod (2009 Gold Cup Champ), Warpath, Leenabarca, Red, Arethusa coming off strong World Championships and hoping to carry that through this winter, along with new teams like Dawn Raid and Catapult, it is clear that fleet veterans are ramping up again, and new owners with talented teams are continuing to jump into the fray.
When it comes to events that have a good vibe and a great feeling, it is sometimes hard to put your finger on what exactly gets the job done, and the success of the Gold Cup cannot simply be attributed to the great competition it has drawn over the past few seasons. First, the Gold Cup has a great venue located at the Bahia Mar hotel and marina where all the teams are housed together and the boats are a 30 second walk from the lobby. Sure, the hotel itself needs a little touching up and you often wonder if the elevator is going to make it to your floor, but not having to get in a car all weekend is certainly a plus. The free Heineken Light provided at the end of each day by 32 owner of Ninkasi (Goddess of Beer), John Taylor is also a nice perk. John has been doing this for several years, and it not only gets him some crossings, but keeps the fleet mingling and in good spirits at the end of each day. Lastly, the best feature of the Gold Cup occurs on the last day which is take a Junior racing day. Each team is paired up with a junior sailor from the Lauderdale Yacht Club and it is always priceless to get a glimpse of the junior when they are handed the tiller and get to drive the boat on the way out to the race course. We get to provide the juniors with a great experience, and it keeps the teams from taking things too seriously and helps each of us to remember why we got into the sport in the first place.
Picking a winner is never an easy task in this fleet since there are plenty of talented teams and all it takes is for someone to get hot or find their wheels and they will be tough to beat. The crew list can be found here and feel free to take a stab at the top 5 in the comments section of the blog.
Stay posted to 42marine.com for daily updates and reports from the 2010 Melges 32 Gold Cup.
Un-American to Diet on Thanksgiving? »
November 21, 2010
As we approach the most gluttonous day of the American calendar year, most true patriots will be priming their stomachs for a mass amount of Turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, cheesy mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potatoes, stuffing, gravy, yams, green-bean casserole, fresh baked rolls, gravy, pudding, apple pie, french silk pie, gravy, pumpkin pie and many more traditional family favorites, like gravy. For Melges 32 sailors preparing for the Gold Cup which begins one week after our nations hearty holiday, they are faced with a weigh-in that will require a more modest serving of the tasty treats our Pilgrim friends brought to Plymouth Rock. While there is a constant debate over the nature of weigh-ins, their effectiveness, and whether or not to do away with them, the only concern I have is that it might be highly Un-American to partake in a crash diet over Thanksgiving; is this anyway to pay respects to the people who invented the Cornucopia?
The 32 class rules are not going to change next week, which means I will have to reach my target of 185 lbs for the Gold Cup and deal with the guilt of upsetting the Pilgrims, but such is life, and duty calls. While every sailor has their own routines for losing weight, below is mine and if you need to make weight, or look snazzy for a class reunion, it might help:
-Start tapering 3 weeks before the event – No beer, cheeseburgers, fries, pizza or anything that goes together with 6 hrs of football on Sundays. Overall smaller portions and lower carb intake with much less bread, pasta and potatoes, and more fruit, veggies and water intake. Basically just eating healthier while dropping the portions down, but continuing to eat meals and small snacks. This is also in conjunction with a fitness schedule that shifts away from weights, to only cardio and core body. 4-5 times per week completing a 1.5 hr workout – 10 mile interval bike (stationary), 3 x circuit of crunches, side crunches, back raises, push-ups, lunges, 2.5 Mile Run (treadmill).
-2 Weeks Remaining- Continuing to taper meals with smaller portions, low carbs intake and cutting out the dessert which was meant to be cut the previous week. Continuing with work-outs.
-1 week Remaining- Taper meals. Having oatmeal as the highlight of your day has become depressing. Even though the meals are getting smaller, it is important to still eat something even though it is small to keep the metabolism going. Continuing with work outs…I can’t believe the Olsen twins do this all year.
-24 hours remaining – nothing by mouth. Don’t talk to me unless it is an emergency, or if the Vikings are going to win the Super Bowl.
-If the team does not make weigh-in…off to the sauna to get out every last drop.
Again, this type of tapering routine has worked for me when presented with a weigh-in, and it usually prevents having to make things really painful the last few days. I will be working hard for the upcoming weigh-in for the Gold Cup and will be doing my best to stay away form my Aunt Mary Lee’s cheesy poties, but being the holidays, and of course, for respect of the Pilgrims, I will most likely allow a sampling of what is on the table. Good luck to the other 32 sailors this Thanksgiving.
2011 Shaping Up… »
November 13, 2010
When your primary source of income is through racing sailboats, there is a very delicate balance committing to teams that are planning to do a lot of events, have a chance of succeeding and hopefully will be a fun team to be involved with. There can often be complicated calendar matrix that develops when trying to figure out the next season of racing, especially when involved with several different classes that have conflicting events. Even though you have an opportunity to win a few events in one class with a particular team, the sailing days are much less than they are with a different team in a different class of boat and when the dates collide, there are some tough decisions to be made.
The other thing that is tricky is the all important “commitment”. Committment is all you have. There are no contracts. You are banking on a commitment from the team you are with, and you are giving your commitment to them. If they break theirs, you are left looking for a ride that will be very hard to find if you have turned other teams down already. If you break yours, it had better be for a darn good reason…chances are that bridge is burned. It is always a tense moment when you sign on with a team, inform several others that you are no longer available, than you come to find out that what you had lined up has fallen through, and the teams that were interested before are no longer are.
Post Melges 32 Worlds, there has been some reshuffling going on within several Melges 32 teams and after spending all of 2010 with Samba Pa Ti, I will be sailing with 2 different Melges 32 teams for the upcoming season. For the Gold Cup, I will get my first experience racing with Quantum Melges 32 sails and will be joining the DeVos family boat Volpe. Volpe won the US Nationals in 2010 and with Scott Nixon, Ed Baird, and a solid, young helmsman in Ryan DeVos, we should be tough come December. For Key West and a few Carribean events, a team from St. Thomas has emerged and I will be hopping on along with good friend Anthony Kotoun and Peter Holmberg. It should be a great season of racing with the typical venues on tap and a good chance of success with both squads.
As for the Melges 20, M and M Racing is back in action for the 2011 season, and with a brand new boat and a hungry attitude, Mary Anne, Bill and myself are eager to improve upon our 3rd place overall series finish from last year. Mary Anne and Bill purchased a new boat and have really made the effort to ensure we can be in the hunt. We kick off the season with a weekend of training prior to Thanksgiving, than the first winter series event begins December 11-12. The Melges 20 fleet is projected to double in size, so we will have our hands full.
After a few nerve racking weeks in October of trying to piece together the schedule for 2011, the upcoming season is looking promising. Looking forward to providing some good race reports and antics from the front lines of the Melges 32 and 20 fleets…and whatever else pops up this winter!
2010 – Year in Review »
October 20, 2010
The sailing season is not completely over for 2010, but October and November are the quiet months and the bulk of sailing for the year has already been completed. With a few weeks at home with Jenny and Lily, I have been able to reflect a bit on the previous season; the great events, the tough ones, the distant venues never visited, and the venues you love to return to. Even with the hectic schedule and sometimes crazy racing, when the schedule quiets and the dust settles there are a few constant, concrete themes that emerge at the end of every season.
First, the challenges in the sport of sailing present themselves in different forms and at times when you least expect it, and regardless of how much effort you put forward, there are no guarantees to success. In the past year, there were events and races where it seemed where we could do no wrong, and there were other times, where you wonder after 20+ years of competing on the water, how can you be so far off from where the leaders are. But I guess it is a combination of the two that make this sport so great; when you reach your goals, there is no better feeling, and when you get kicked around and come up short, you are left with a hungry feeling to not let it happen again. There was a good mix of both feelings in 2010, and the lesson learned is to not get too high when things go well because you are always one mistake away from a shocker, and don’t get too low when you have a tough day on the water…the next race is just around the corner and anything can happen.
Second, the characters and scene – Whether it is the Melges 32, 24, 20 classes, or the numerous scow fleets, there are unique people that you get to know like an old High School buddy. I always wonder to myself if this is how other sports and activities do it; do they all gather after a long day of competition with good friends and people they just met, share a few beers and cocktails at a bar overlooking a gorgeous evening at some lake, harbor, or ocean? For the car racers, golfers, and stamp collectors, I’m sure there is a great sense of camaraderie, but you can’t beat being on the water. Regardless of how great or terrible your day was, there is always a good party, a cold beer and a great atmosphere at the end of a day of sailing. I could get into some classic individual stories, but fearing reprisal, I will do the honorable thing and keep them to myself…expect for the time when a Samba teammate pegged a passing car with several oranges from the 4th floor balcony of our hotel in Cagliari, that was pretty entertaining.
Lastly, the venues – 2010 allowed for travel to a few far off venues that I can tick off on my sailing destination list like Lake Garda, Italy and the idyllic town of Harbor Springs, MI., and the return to great sailing venues like San Francisco Bay, Biscayne Bay and Newport, RI. The great travel destinations are not with out the pains of jet lag, exhaustion and time away from the family, but the reward is hitting the water on a different corner of the globe. With that, here are some memorable moments from the 2010 racing season –
Best Race – When the Mistral rolled in on the final day of the Melges 32 Europeans in Cagliari, the racing was, and I hate to utilize this overused word, epic. The RC sent us out at 7:30 am and with the breeze already pumping at 25-30, we thought it was merely a formality to get us out on the water. At 9am, a warning signal sounded and it was clear the RC was not messing around even with spray easily getting blown off the top of waves. This video from the Italian team ‘Brontolo’ captures a great downwind ride…
Harshest Race – OCS in the 3rd race at the E Scow Nationals in Little Egg Harbor in very difficult conditions to battle back. Just getting back to 25th would have given us a shot at the title headed into the last race.
Best Event – Winning the E Scow ILYA Champs on the M42 with Chrisy, Tony and Lynn. For those outside the ILYA, it is hard to appreciate how special winning an Inland Championship is, with all of the history and great competition in the class it is hard fought every year.
Toughest Event – Melges 32 Worlds. After a long year of training and preparation on the Samba, we failed to show up against the best competition in the world.
Best Competitor – Tough to call, but how John Porter and his team on Full Throttle took the Melges 32 class by storm this year was impressive. Jonathan McKee called tactics and with several of John’s sons and legendary Scow sailors onboard, they were one general recall away from a World Championship.
New Racing Experience – Going offshore with the Bella Mente…powerful boat with a great team to have my first offshore experience with.
Best Competitive, Laid-back Racing – M and M sailing with Mary Anne and Bill Ward on the Melges 20. Great winter circuit in Miami with 2 extremely fun and motivated people.
Best Venue – Lake Garda, Italy. Fantasy camp for sailors.
Special Thank you to the following people who allowed another great year racing and coaching – John and Catherine Kilroy and the Samba team, Mary Anne and Bill Ward, Pat and Chrisy Hughes, Tony and Lynn Jewett, Hap Fauth and the Bella Mente team, David Weinberg, Steve Bernstein, Brian Burdick, George Gamble, Carl Zinn, Vince Driessen, David Ferguson, Rick Hartfiel.
32 Worlds Video and Photos »
October 6, 2010
Despite that the Samba did not have the overall result that we were hoping for, there is no disputing that the racing during the 32 Worlds was some of the best I have ever experienced. With mark roundings sometimes going 5 boats wide, the fleet ripping downwind at 17-20 kts shoulder to shoulder with other 32s, and crash scenes reminiscent of a NASCAR pileup, it will be hard to replicate this type of racing in the future. Sure, the talent will be back and the numbers in the fleet will probably grow, but there is no place like San Francisco Bay to race these awesome boats. Below are some videos and photos that help to capture in the week of the Melges 32 Worlds:
Photos below from JOY.
Sharon Green has her usual great photos which are featured on her site.
Videos of every race and interviews with top competitors can be found on the Sailgroove site. Race 1-6 are pretty entertaining…
More Collisions, Bumps and Bruises on Day 2 of Melges 32 Worlds »
September 23, 2010
After 9 days of sailing and another long day of with a 6pm arrival into the harbor after racing, my mind is spent, and my body is feeling like a balloon slowly losing air. To make matters worse, after 6 races the mental and physical fatigue becomes even harder when you are only shooting to make the top ten, instead of winning the title like we had originally hoped.
Our day started off ok with a 7 place, which in this fleet is more than a keeper. We were very encouraged by the second race when we had a bad start and rounded the first top mark in 25. After a first solid run, we were able to pass a bunch of boats and managed to sail a great last lap to take another 7th place. The vibe on the boat was starting to feel like a typical Samba day and we had a great feeling headed into the last race of day 2.
On the final start, we got of the line with some pace, tacked to the right side and were punched with the majority of the boats who had flopped early. We arrived at the top mark in 4th place, set and exited cleanly from the mark, leaving behind a massive fray at the top mark. I personally thought from here we would be able to look forward and focus on winning the race. Once again, I would be mistaken.
At the first bottom mark, we had a messy take down which would linger longer than any of us could have imagined. As we continued on port out of the left hand gate, our speed was struggling and we could not get our usual speed numbers. The boats on our whether hip started to look better and better and we were scratching our heads (with a bit of expletives mixed in) as to why we were going so slow. When we got to the starboard layline, we tacked and when we got settled onto starboard, we instantly found a solution to our speed problem; our tack line had been sucked out during the takedown and we had been dragging 60 ft of line behind our boat for over 6-7 minutes. Once we got the tack line re-rigged, the boats that we had extended nicely on during the run had closed the gap and we were now in the back of the front pack and battling for a decent finish.
The final top mark, the first 3 boats rounded cleanly and ahead of the pack, and from there it is amazing how close the racing is in this fleet. Boats are overlapped 4-5 boats wide at the top mark with port tackers calling short laylines hoping the ebb tide will push them above the mark, often creating traffic jams worse than a NASCAR pile up. The front boats get to experience a rich-get-richer scenario while the boats in the middle of the fleet are stuck battling it out, colliding, and eventually slowing each other down. Our cleanest exit from the top mark was to do a bear away set and do a one gybe and in to the bottom mark. As we approached the bottom, we again were overlapped with 4-5 boats, but did manage to get on the inside which was good, until the wheels fully came off.
Once the call was made to drop the spinnaker, the boat slowly started to slow down as the boats around us got further and further away until we eventually came to a full stop just underneath the mark. All it took was one quick look to the leeward side to see the spinnaker was getting sucked into the water very quickly and there were healthy shrimp in SF Bay, we could have made a lovely dinner with how far our kite was underneath the water. With the kite fully gathered after 1-2 minutes of being stopped, we lost 10 or so boats and the mood on the boat went from being optimistic prior to the start of the race, to drastically quiet, and we slogged our way from 4th to finish 19th. Knowing we would have to eat this on our scorecard, the frustration began to settle in on how many points we have left on the water the last few days and the already long sail from the Berkeley Circle got exponentially longer…Alcatraz even began to look friendly.
While we had plenty of our own issues on Day 2, there were several collisions including a big one at the end of the day with Bronco and Red. When Red set on the final downwind, they immediatly wiped out and rounded-up in front of Bronco who was storming down on a full plane behind them. It looked like Bronco did their best to avoid the collision, but could not and hit the bottom of Red’s hull near the transom and put a nice sized hole from their bowsprit. It was rumored there were some injuries on both boats, but I do not know the details.
B Lin, Full Throttle, Star and Warpath all had good days and with 4 more races remaining, this regatta is still wide open for the boats in the front group. Check out full results at melges32.com.
Mixed Bag on Day 1 of Melges 32 Worlds »
September 22, 2010
Day 1 of the Melges 32 Worlds ended up like the practice race finished, with huge San Francisco breeze and great racing conditions. With the fan turned on and fully pumping many teams would find themselves in collisions, wipeouts and carnage type situations, and many contenders would end the day with high scores, and a few darkhorses have found themselves leading the regatta.
With a solid 18-25 kts of breeze, Race 1 would go to the Kiwi team led by tactician and good friend Andrew Wills. The Kiwis have been getting better with each event and they clearly have found good wheels in the breeze. The most impressive performance in race 1 however was from the Full Throttle team who found themselves OCS and battled back all the way to 3rd place by the end. They pegged the right side of the course hard each time up wind, made massive gains and sailed cleanly downwind to sneak into the front of the group. On the Samba, we were shot out the back on the start and had to bail out, hanging in there for a 9th place.
In the 2nd race, we had a great spot in the front of the group at the top mark, pulled off a nice gybe set, only to find ourselves getting to the wrong side of a shift in a slightly dying breeze. The boats who did a bear away set made big gains downwind and we lost at least 7 to 8 boats. There were plenty of collisions, but there were also some injuries as the team on Arethusa found out when one of their team member’s ankles got wrapped in a spinnaker retrieval line from a nearby boat attempting to take down their spinnaker. Having someones ankle wrapped in a take down line as the other boat is pulling like mad and the boats are separating at a high rate of speed…not a good scenario.
Up to this point, we had found ourselves sailing ok, not great, but we did not have any “majors” up to this point and we were feeling good about having a solid race to finish of the day. One lesson to learn is when you let your guard down on SF Bay, you often get punished. When the gun went, B-Lin and Q nailed the pin, port tack the fleet and rounded 1-2 at the top mark. We muddled around in 10th as we went for our first hoist and as we pulled off a nice gybe set, we unexpectedly got rounded up and were on our side. With a quick look back, we discovered the bow sprit of Warpath was speared through our leeward stanchion and making it impossible to keep the boat going. Once we seperated, we lost a few boats and continued on to the bottom mark.
The final set of the day, we called for another gybe set and as we got ready to bear away to go around the offset, the breeze caught the head of the spinnaker a few seconds early, pulled it our of the hatch and our kite was hoisted sideways. At the same time, we got caught in the quarter wake from the boat in front of us, lost steerage and wiped out with a total yard sale at the top mark. Not a good look with plenty of helicopters and photo boats snapping pictures. We finally managed to get the kite back into the boat, re-set and hung on to beat 4-5 boats…needless to say a tough end to a very average day.
Breeze if is forecast to be a bit lighter tomorrow and with our throwout already used up, we will have no more room for error as we battle the next 3 days. Check Melges32.com for full results.