Hyeres Wrap Up

Here’s an analysis of Hyeres after a couple days to let it all sink in…

-Our finish in the event was not as strong as we would have liked, but we know the difference between where we are, and where want to be is not far. The fleet is extremely deep, and a testament to that is in the fact that three guys who were in Silver Fleet at Palma were 2nd, 7th and 9th in Gold in Hyeres!

-One of our big goals throughout this first trip to Europe was to work hard on our speed. This, after our Fall and Winter of working hard on boat handling. As this trip wraps up, we can honestly say we have finally found a good setting for <10knots that we are pleased with. The highlight of our event was the speed we had in the races in the final day. We were able to stay in a marginal lane off the line, which was important for the race as our confidence. In >10knots, we feel we are getting faster, but are not there yet- we need to solidify some settings for breeze.

-Something that we generally have been good at but put up a poor show here was starting. I believe we only had 2 good starts out of 15. Certainly not setting us up to a good first beat as the races were in relatively steady gradient limiting the passing lanes. Further, left side of the course was favored 90% of the time so being forced right did not help! I believe this was the biggest contributor to our lack of good roundings at the first windward mark. Developing the hole and a good spot on the line, nor acceleration seems to be the problem. Rather it is our positioning relative to the few boats around us seeing us a little too bow back. This is an issue because as we accelerate, everyone else is as well, and therefore we are not afforded a bow out position. So moving forward to SPA, we will make starting a priority. We must grant ourselves a chance in the race!

-A positive rooting from our poor windward mark rounds were in our ability to grind back some decent finishes. This sparks some confidence in our sailing (but also frustration at ourselves for not have good 1st windward roundings!) Our downwinds throughout the event were definitely a positive. Our tactical decisions, coupled with good speed seemed to help us make gains off the wind.

After a long month of sailing, we are taking a well-needed break for a couple weeks to recharge the battery. This first Europe Trip has been very productive with speed work and practice races as there have been many teams around. Looking forward to SPA and Sail For Gold, our goals will most likely revolve around speed work and our starts. After so much emphasis on boat handling and comfort in the boat over the last few months, we must now focus on the fundamentals of sailboat racing.