Once again the Delta Lloyd provided us with a breezy day of racing with winds ranging from 16-22kts with higher puffs. The added element of a steep chop due to a slight change in wind direction made the racing that much more challenging. When it was all over, we had posted a 8th, and two 17s. Definitely our top day in Europe to date. We are certainly pleased with our performances throughout the day, with both our 17's just one mistake away from being top 10's... And our 8th was probably our best race so far in Europe!
Our upwind speed and boathandling was good all day. Throughout the day, we were able to get the boat going well upwind seeing us in some strong positions. A definite comfort that permits us to focus on other aspects of the racing. On the boat handling note, we landing ALL of our gybes! Our tacks were solid all day except for a crash tack in the second race, second beat that saw us flip the only time in racing, and fall from 9th or so to 17... In the final race, we were looking good in 10th or so when we ran into some trouble at the leeward mark during the douse. Murphy's Law made its present known as the jibe sheet got tightly woven around Zanders leg leaving us unable to make the bear away right to windward of the gates. After spending the 20 secs freeing his leg and getting around the mark, 6 or 7 boats had ripped by us.
So all in all another positive result. Our boathandling and speed are the standout positives from the day. Hopefully we can improve on a our starting and tactics now that we have found some comfort in our speed. More breeze in the forecast!
Keep posted!
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Day 2 = Better!!!
Yesterday has to go down as one of the best days we have put together in Europe so far. We nailed a 15th and a 16th, after starting with an average 25th in the 38 boat fleet. Many of the players in the fleet are here and any finish in the top half is very respectable. The breeze started as a weak southerly and then faded into a moderate sea breeze northerly. The key was largely nailing two good starts and then managing the tricky breeze well. The reason for our worst race (race 1 of the day) was because of a bad start. We had managed to work ourselves back into the race, but got on the wrong side of a few bizarre windshifts. In the light air, a breeze we have practiced in a lot recently, our speed was good enough for us to play the game with anyone. If not for missing a few shifts in those two light air races, we could have had better scores than we got.
In the final race, with a solid (compared to early in the day) 8-10 kts, we had a great start up at the committee boat under a black flag and found ourselves in the top pack off the line. However, we lacked the pace to hold our lane for too long, but were able to stay in the race because we hit a nice shift at the end and rounded the top mark just outside the top 15. We had a great gybe set to pull us back into the top 15, but had a bad gybe later on the run which limited our gains. Final beat we lacked the pace again, especially because the breeze had died slightly and we lost a few more boats. After the race, we were trying to figure out why we were slow and lacked the power. We did find we were fast on guys whenever the breeze built a bit. So when we got in we measured our rig settings and found our rig far too bent for that 8-10 kts...our lowers had loosened up after the first couple races without our knowing. It was a case of us putting throwing a couple turns on the lowers to straighten the rig and power her up. Live and learn, but that setting cost us finishing out of the top 5! That's what it is at this level! So at least we are really seeing what is needed for a great race at this level (good start, correct settings and smart tactics, we had 2/3 of these and hence deserved our 16th).
-Zander
ps. windy here again. all boats remind grounded to wait for weather to pass, hopefully we get out later.
In the final race, with a solid (compared to early in the day) 8-10 kts, we had a great start up at the committee boat under a black flag and found ourselves in the top pack off the line. However, we lacked the pace to hold our lane for too long, but were able to stay in the race because we hit a nice shift at the end and rounded the top mark just outside the top 15. We had a great gybe set to pull us back into the top 15, but had a bad gybe later on the run which limited our gains. Final beat we lacked the pace again, especially because the breeze had died slightly and we lost a few more boats. After the race, we were trying to figure out why we were slow and lacked the power. We did find we were fast on guys whenever the breeze built a bit. So when we got in we measured our rig settings and found our rig far too bent for that 8-10 kts...our lowers had loosened up after the first couple races without our knowing. It was a case of us putting throwing a couple turns on the lowers to straighten the rig and power her up. Live and learn, but that setting cost us finishing out of the top 5! That's what it is at this level! So at least we are really seeing what is needed for a great race at this level (good start, correct settings and smart tactics, we had 2/3 of these and hence deserved our 16th).
-Zander
ps. windy here again. all boats remind grounded to wait for weather to pass, hopefully we get out later.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Blustery Day One
The first day of the Delta Lloyd event was FULL-ON. After being postponed on shore because of reported 28+ knots on our course, we were sent out when the breeze died to 20-25+kts… The Race Committee got off three races during the late afternoon session with the breeze becoming more volatile as the day went on. By the second race, the breeze ranged anywhere from 15-28 knots. Capsized boats were a common site throughout the day’s racing- lots of carnage out there!
Our results on paper do not do us justice for how we performed. There were many positives for the day despite our finishes. First off, our upwind speed was good. We were able to rip around the racetrack with above average speed all day. This is a big boost for us as we continue to gain confidence with our rig settings. Secondly, we had a good consistency with our gybe’s and tacks except for the odd one or two. This was a big plus considering the breeze strength.
The problems that led to our subpar results were due to a few different things. In the first race (arguably the windiest of the day), we flipped prior to the start and were 8 minutes late to crossing the start line. Despite getting a DNS because we crossed the start line after the time limit, we were able to catch up to the pack and finish a respectable finish. In the second race, after having a good start and first half of the beat, we found ourselves in a big righty crossing the whole fleet with the eventual 1st round the windward(top 3); however, a knock followed by a 20 degree, 28knot righty cleanbowled us (Jesse also got sent on the main and put a hole in it). We managed to get back into the race, but a missed shift/downwind speed was mediocre on the final downwind saw us lose 5 boats. In the last race, we had our one bad tack on the day seeing us fall behind early. After catching up on both the upwind and the downwind we got caught in a sticky situation at the leeward mark with a couple boats and flipped. After having issues getting it back up, we found ourselves too far behind to finish within the time limit.
So all in all, a really exhausting day of sailing. With many travails throughout the races, we see ourselves sitting below our potential. A couple critical mistakes alongside one incredibly unfortunate situation saw us blow a potentially good day. Though, our upwind speed was certainly the highlight of the day and leave us with some good feelings.
Keep posted for racing tomorrow! Look to be light before another few days of BREEZE follows.
Heres a shot of us on one of the downwinds!
Our results on paper do not do us justice for how we performed. There were many positives for the day despite our finishes. First off, our upwind speed was good. We were able to rip around the racetrack with above average speed all day. This is a big boost for us as we continue to gain confidence with our rig settings. Secondly, we had a good consistency with our gybe’s and tacks except for the odd one or two. This was a big plus considering the breeze strength.
The problems that led to our subpar results were due to a few different things. In the first race (arguably the windiest of the day), we flipped prior to the start and were 8 minutes late to crossing the start line. Despite getting a DNS because we crossed the start line after the time limit, we were able to catch up to the pack and finish a respectable finish. In the second race, after having a good start and first half of the beat, we found ourselves in a big righty crossing the whole fleet with the eventual 1st round the windward(top 3); however, a knock followed by a 20 degree, 28knot righty cleanbowled us (Jesse also got sent on the main and put a hole in it). We managed to get back into the race, but a missed shift/downwind speed was mediocre on the final downwind saw us lose 5 boats. In the last race, we had our one bad tack on the day seeing us fall behind early. After catching up on both the upwind and the downwind we got caught in a sticky situation at the leeward mark with a couple boats and flipped. After having issues getting it back up, we found ourselves too far behind to finish within the time limit.
So all in all, a really exhausting day of sailing. With many travails throughout the races, we see ourselves sitting below our potential. A couple critical mistakes alongside one incredibly unfortunate situation saw us blow a potentially good day. Though, our upwind speed was certainly the highlight of the day and leave us with some good feelings.
Keep posted for racing tomorrow! Look to be light before another few days of BREEZE follows.
Heres a shot of us on one of the downwinds!
Monday, May 23, 2011
Windy Holland!
We are back in Europe for the second time this spring, ready to attack the heart of the European circuit (Grade 1 in Medemblik, Grade 1 in Weymouth, Euro champs in Helsinki). Right now, we are in Medemblik, Holland, as we await the start of the Delta Lloyd Regatta which starts on Tuesday. It is shaping up to be a windy event, as the North Sea is expected to have an active weather pattern for the coming week. This should make for an exciting event and we look forward to stepping up in these challenging conditions and putting some good results together.
Yesterday we had big breeze in our training session and we were able to nail some solid gybes and tacks in the ‘49er red line’ conditions (gusts over 25kts!). In the puffs while sailing off the wind, roaring with boatspeed, we would be heading directly downwind to keep the boat in control – a feat not too common for an asymmetric kite! One of the Aussie boats had a GPS on their boat and they hit 24.8 kts of boat speed out there, an unofficial record for the 49er. We had known it was windy, but it was nice to hear this that it was documented as such! In fact it got too windy to head back out for our afternoon session, as the whole fleet was grounded with gusts well over 30 kts. Forecast for tomorrow, more of the same. Day 1 = moderating.
-Zander
Yesterday we had big breeze in our training session and we were able to nail some solid gybes and tacks in the ‘49er red line’ conditions (gusts over 25kts!). In the puffs while sailing off the wind, roaring with boatspeed, we would be heading directly downwind to keep the boat in control – a feat not too common for an asymmetric kite! One of the Aussie boats had a GPS on their boat and they hit 24.8 kts of boat speed out there, an unofficial record for the 49er. We had known it was windy, but it was nice to hear this that it was documented as such! In fact it got too windy to head back out for our afternoon session, as the whole fleet was grounded with gusts well over 30 kts. Forecast for tomorrow, more of the same. Day 1 = moderating.
-Zander
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Europe Round 2!
After a nice break to relax and replenish both mind and body, we are ready to head back to Europe for a second series of events. This time around, we will compete in Northern Europe as the weather warms and compete in the Delta Lloyd Regatta, Sail for Gold and the European Championships. First stop is the Delta Lloyd sailed on a lake just north of Amsterdam. With the North Sea just a few miles away there's an awful good chance of seeing some cold weather. Alot different from our Palma experience!
Keep posted as we will begin training on Saturday with the event beginning on Tuesday!
Keep posted as we will begin training on Saturday with the event beginning on Tuesday!
Sunday, May 1, 2011
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.
-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.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Hyeres Training
We have had some good training here in Hyeres over the past 6 days, with largely a soft thermal in the afternoon. Typical high pressure has dominated the Mediterranean and given us plenty of time to play with our boat set up in these conditions and to work on starting techniques - to help ensure we are maximizing our acceleration off the line and holding our lane at will. These practices have been extra productive because we have been able to tag along with the US Sailing Team (Erik/Trevor and Alex/Val under coach Dave Hughes) and be involved with animated (video and photos) debriefs from each session. This has been great and is helping us close the boat speed gap with the top of the class.
The third party feedback is great and we hope to work with these guys as much as they want us around! We have been experimenting with different settings, trying to attack all the nuances of world class speed. Part of it is trimming and driving technique, and part of it is rig set up - shroud tensions (caps, primaries, lowers, fore stay), mast bend, jib tack, jib clew, main batten tensions, vang tensions, bridle settings, etc. The list gets complicated fast and you have to try figure out which combinations work together in certain conditions...you can imagine a sailing log for a 49er! Whenever you have good speed against good boats, everything is measured and the conditions are noted. This has helped us start to paint the 'boat speed' picture, but this blatant experimenting seems to be accelerating this procedure. Hopefully we can continue this!
Racing starts on Sunday and the long-term forecast is for a moderate to strong easterly, possibly continuing into the week. An easterly at Hyeres is wavey (like conditions we had last thursday) and is tough for the 49er. This should make for exciting and intense racing!
-Zander
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