Colorado Laser State Championships

by Pam

Doug and I headed north to cooler temperatures this past weekend to compete in the Colorado Laser State Championships in Grand Lake, Colorado. While there we connected with Jim Young and dropped off a carload of Butterfly trophies for the Single Handed Butterfly Nationals being held in Longmont, Colorado in September.

This was Doug’s show and I was along for the ride. Doug gave a clinic on Friday and then raced on Saturday and Sunday. The clinic was well received and there were two full days of racing with the race committee getting in 7 good races. Doug took 2nd and John Miller, a fellow from Kansas who Doug has been loosely mentoring, took 1st. John sailed extremely well and went home feeling quite good about the weekend and Doug was thrilled to see how good he’s gotten.

I raced double-handed with my brother on Saturday and by Sunday we’d been in the 50 degree water at least twice each and had righted the boat both the traditional jump on the centerboard way and the way Doug recommended which was to pull the boat over on you, turtle the boat and bring the sail all the way through a 360 degree rotation. The 360 roll was surprisingly efficient. Staying on the boat would have been better though. One word of caution. When pulling the boat over on you, it’s probably a good idea to check the surrounding traffic. We learned later that the guy that called starboard and made us turn sharply, narrowly missed being struck by the mast. For some reason that made me smile. By Sunday, my brother and I hurt in places we didn’t know we had and decided not to race.

Perhaps the best part of the trip was Sunday’s racing. Doug got pushed over the line and had to re-start then got called back because it was an around the end re-start so after he started for the third time, he was in last place a minute and a half behind the fleet. Not surprisingly (anymore), he worked his way through the fleet to a 2nd place. There is a knowledge in that man’s head that I am determined to access and share. I sat with Jim Young for the second race and he gave me a play by play of the race. What a privilege. He sees and anticipates so much. He seems to be a great coach. I wished I’d had a tape recorder or video. It’s such a pleasure to watch a race with a pro and have them tell you what they see.

Seabrook Sailing Club 6-30-2010

by Pam

Seabrook Sailing Club 6-30-2010

A cool slide show of Seabrook's rebuilding.

The recent Gulf Coast Laser regatta at Seabrook was quite the event with approximately 120 boats sailing in the event. More than 50 boats registered at the last minute the morning of the event. Can you imagine scrambling to accomodate an extra 50 boats. What an outstanding accomplishment. Good for Seabrook to draw that many boats before their rebuilding efforts were complete.

Seabrook's Facebook page has pictures of the event and the rebuilding:

http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=134265595152&ref=ts

Laser 2010 North Americans (6/27/10)

by Pam

Be sure to check out the link to the Laser Gulf Coast pictures below. Little ole Seabrook had about 50 extra boats register the day of the event. Lasers were everywhere. Now it's TCYC's turn and there are even more boats.

Sailgroove has now teamed up with laser.org and there are live updates and videos beign posted for the North Americans.

Results
http://www.sailgroove.org/videos/coverage/view/237207-2010-laser-north-american-championship
http://www.lasernorthamericans.com/

Laser Gulf Coast Championship (6/20/10)

by Pam

Pictures

Standard Results - 39 entrants

Radial Results - 64 entrants

4.7 Results - 19 entrants

What a great event for Seabrook to host in its efforts to rebuild. Several local sailors (and possibly familiar names) went down to complete in the full rig, scoring 7, 14, 22, and 27. In second place, was the young rock star that Doug went down to play with in Corpus a couple of weekends ago. Doug thinks he might have learned his special go fast technique. Maybe, he can teach us. Something about carving downwind (and being in your early 20s doesn't hurt).

On the not such great news front ... keep your ears open: Stolen Laser - Sail #188969

Laser District 15 - 4th Circuit (SSC)

by Pam

A couple of Dallas/Fort Worth sailors, Doug and James, headed south to Seabrook Sailing Club for a Laser circuit stop to show their support of their rebuilding efforts. The first picture shows the damage from Hurricane Ike and the other two show the rebuilding efforts as of Sunday. There was a good showing of Lasers with several young rock stars arriving early and using the event to train for the upcoming Gulf Coast and North American Championships being held the last two weeks of June.

Last year Mark Eldred traveled to WRBC to sail in the Wrangle and won it. This year Doug reciprocated by traveling to Houston to sail at Seabrook. There was some very good competition and Doug and James came back with a 3rd and 5th. James got to enjoy what it's like to travel with Doug and pick his brain playing 101 sailing questions. Doug, on the other hand, got schooled by the young guns at the regatta. The cross pollination continues. The next generation of Laser sailors are wicked quick and will certainly up the game.

Note that Seabrook's new club will have an elevator so the old Masters can get up to the clubhouse after sailing.

Sunfish/Laser District 15 - 3rd Circuit (RCYC)

by Pam

Laser and Sunfish circuit stop at Rush Creek Yacht Club. It was mainly a Fish event with 31 Fish and only 7 Lasers. We had an abundance of windage and flippage. Doug often says he's a one trick pony (meaning a Laser) and I learned this weekend that when the wind kicks up, I'm a one race pony. Time to hit the gym. By Race 3 I hit a brick wall and Doug was kind enough to escort me back to the docks and then we sailed double-handed on the Fish for the rest of the regatta. Tacks and gybes were challenging and sloppy and we turtled and swam twice. Slow.

Those that stayed on the course simply amazed me at their strength, determination and talent. I felt like an observer in the middle of greatness with bunches of role models around me. That's not to say that I didn't also admire the sanity of those that stayed on shore or returned and chose not to abuse their bodies. I'm pretty sure I'll be grunting, groaning and saying ouch for the next week.

Laser District 15 - 1st Circuit (AYC)

http://www.schrothfiberglass.com/Easter2010results.htm

Doug 2nd and becomes oldest sailor in event's history to win a race at the Easter Regatta.

2009 Laser Master World Championships (Halifax, Canada)

by Doug

These are my Worlds race journals.  I send daily updates home to friends during the events and often receive good advice each day but I also find them to be a useful analysis tool when preparing for the next event.  I’m making them public so that others might learn something from them.

Fred Schroth and my boat on their way to the Worlds

Today we're hunkered down riding out the hurricane. So far not all that exciting. It’s raining really hard but winds here are in the 20-30 range and we still have internet. It looks like the meat of the hurricane is well to the east of us.

Yesterday saw another day of winds from the "right" direction, though a bit more left than "normal", at 180. We sailed way over to towards the west side of the bay, near the shoreline, in general the winds as you get to the shore will be lighter and a bit right shifted. We sailed out through 15-18 to arrive at the start area in 12-15, or less and, from the racing. I'd say that the general trend is fairly accurate. In my races (blue fleet, inner trapezoid), the first beat was a big win for the boats on the right since they held pressure. However, the second beat saw the left win because it got soft on the right. I went left the first beat, right the second so did it exactly backwards. With the top 20-30 boats a "bit" faster on the runs there is no coming back from mistakes like that.

For the second race the fog started to come back in and the right stayed in a lighter phase. I went left on first beat and was actually doing really well, maybe even my best race when I misinterpreted Tim Pitt's "NO" as a "GO" and fouled him pretty badly. Two circles later and that race was in the history books. Anyway, left paid both beats with more pressure.

General impression was that the outer loop had more pressure the whole day, cannot say which side was favored on their beats but on our runs I did note a number of boats sailing upwind on what would be the right side.

After the hurricane the wind will get pretty screwy for the rest of the series, with Monday predicted to be northwest (our homeowner says that will be very puffy and shifty), Tuesday potentially nothing and Wednesday with breeze again. Then the general weather pattern should start re-establishing itself in time for the masters, though I think the daily highs are plummeting rapidly.

It looks like I missed the silver fleet by about 15 points which was just moving up into the low thirties in the races yesterday.

Masters are beginning to arrive, expect to start to see lots of boats sailing starting Monday. But I don't think they are going to get anything out of it with the wind in the wrong direction.

Here’s my game plan:

• Focus on starts by managing the box and bumping the hip
• Be mindful of Gerz and Bethwaite
• Focus on new starboard tack speed
• Be in the top 5 at the first mark
• Use weight to steer and keep surfing downwind
• Hold position downwind
• Avoid a throw-out for first 2 days, then reassess

We have another hurricane on the way – due on Sunday!!!

A total of 8 hours on the water – windy, pissy starts, slow upwind, fast downwind.

Day 1

Race 1: We waited awhile for the sea breeze to kick in, 14-20 from the southeast, waves building to 3 feet, on the inner trapezoid. Short line, boat favored, started 1/3 of the way down above Mark. No speed off the line, got rolled by a Canadian, looked for and found another lane two above. Everyone went left. Got into a groove and rounded 4th behind Mark, Bill Symes (USA), Jack Schlachter (AUS, same club as Slingsby), and just ahead of Gerz (GER). A good recovery, OK so far. On the long run, was able to catch Jack at the bottom mark to round 3rd. Gerz still 5th and was surprised he did not catch us. Upwind we all went left and then Mark and Bill went right and I followed, Gerz continued left. At the mark, Gerz came in 50 yards ahead to take the lead. Jack out-ground me putting me in 5th. Speed is good on the reach and run. Caught Jack and Bill at the end of the bottom reach to round 3rd. The group, still tight, split and I went left with Jack who was faster in the breeze. Finished 5th just behind Alan Keen (RSA) and Jack, although Jack has been marked DNS which is a mistake. Race duration: 80 minutes.

Race 2: Wind and waves still building, started at about 5 PM with the same line. Started 1/3 down below JAP who I cannot find in the standings and was sure he was over early. Got rolled by JAP!!! Could not see a lane for about 3 minutes, then put in two tacks to get some breathing space. Shitty start, in the teens already. Could not read the compass or play the shifts, so was not sure why people were tacking. Played the left near Mark. Approached the windward mark in 3rd but could not clear a group of boats, so tacked below them. Could not make the mark so jibed abound to round 10th. Damn!! Passed 2 on the run and to go left again. Gerz ahead and then the pack with Mark in the middle. Felt OK in the breeze but really had no game plan except protecting the left. Heard the ripping sound and immediately knew that Pam’s warning to me was right. Another damn!! My clue tie down strap gave, so I had no control of the foot or leach. Blowing about 18-20, so had to pinch with the flat sail and no leach tension. Rounded the weather mark about 8th. Good speed on the reach, run, and then reach. Worked the boat really hard on the final beat with Gerz punched out chased by Mark. Approached the finish line on port in 3rd but could not quite clear a very fast Regis (FRA) who had a pack on his hip. Tacked below and then realized that the pin was way-unfavored. Lost 5 boats on the finish line. Crap! Another 80 minute race.

So, we were on the water for 8 hours, the racing was windy, and I’m in 6th place.

The good news: Pam’s boat is beautiful, but I’ve got to change the lines because the vang, downhaul, and shock chord are all black and make a great knot. So-so speed upwind in the breeze and good wind downwind.

The bad news: bad starts, not race-hardened. I’m reminded of a conversation I overheard at a previous worlds. One person was really mad at himself saying that he never makes these mistakes at his club. And his friend said, at your club, those were not mistakes.

I know I can move up, but lighter wind would help.

Turns out that Jack Schlachter (AUS) was scored incorrectly, so I’m bumped down to 7th. And the person who rolled me in the first race was Ken Brown (CAN) and in fact was over early.

A total of 8 hours on the water – less wind, good starts, great upwind, fast downwind.

Day 2

Race 3: 6-10 from the South. Started mid-line with a good lane. Punched out with excellent starboard tack speed – one of my weaknesses I’ve been working on. Doing something I’ve never done before – cleating the main and focusing on steering. The fleet went to the predicted left. Tacked at the lay line and the fleet followed. Led by 20 seconds at the first mark. Was the only one to try sailing by the lee on the run and doubled my lead by the bottom mark. So far, so good. Went left again and the fleet followed. Then, the unexpected – part of the lead pack including Mark and Gerz tacked on a shift. I thought crap, gotta go with them. So took a header to foot across to them, remembering Steve Bourdow’s ‘a lead is not for saving but for spending.’ Got on top of Gerz for a long port tack time. Could not roll him – very fast! He tacked near the starboard tack lay line and I lee bowed him. We traded tacks and he crossed me near the mark. Damn! I protected the right, got a little more pressure, and crossed him and tacked onto port. He “suggested”I tack on the lay line which I ignored. Tacked 10 seconds later and he followed. I barely cleared the mark (tide) and he had to put in 2 more tacks. While all this was happening Rob Lowndes (AUS) came in from the left and rounded in first. So it was Rob, me, Gerz, and Mark who had caught up. On the reach, run, and bottom reach Gerz tried sailing high and low to pass but we finished in that order. Rob sailed really well and Gerz finished just behind me. Race duration 70 minutes.

Race 4: Another good start but did not punch out. In fact, Mark and Gerz got an inside lift. After 5 minutes, I tacked onto port and Mark tacked above me and Gerz below. I thought that this will be good with my port-tack speed. Got above Gerz but could not out-foot Mark – very fast. Mark tacked when he got to the starboard tack lay line and I followed. Four more beat us coming in from the left, so I rounded in 6th with Bill Symes (USA) leading. In the dying breeze caught Mark and another to round 4th. We all went left again and then started to play the shifts. Passed another and was in 3rd when a 90 degree righty and velocity forced the race committee to abandon the race. Damn – was ahead of Mark and Gerz was deep.

The good news: Back up to 3rd overall because of good speed both upwind and down. Much better starts. Still a long way to go.

The bad news: none – it’s a privilege to compete with these people.

Day 3 10-15 shifty from the north, choppy waves, worst ever starts, OK upwind, good downwind.

Race 4: Talked with people before the start, got different feelings for what the wind would do. Felt it would clock and die and took out my light air mainsheet that was not needed. Lined up in the lower half not too close to the line, was more crowded than I expected. With 10 seconds to go, got a huge knock that meant I could not clear the pin. And the boat on my hip could not tack (Mark and Gurz could and finished 2, 3). So, was forced to stop and wait for most of the fleet to pass before tacking. Not much wind back there! Tacked several times looking for a lane and was one of the last to clear the line. Ouch. Went left looking for clear air and the breeze went right. The leaders stretched out as I rounded with just 6 boats behind me. Slowly crawled my way back from 31 to 18. One really miserable race. The truly great sailors can recover from a bad start. Not me this time.

Race 5: Same start, same lefty, and same jam at the pin!!!!!! Could not believe it! Could not ever remember this happening and it was 2 for 2 today. And was in good company again. This time Mark could not tack and was with me as people went by. He bailed and went left not to be seen again (finished 32nd). I went right and this time followed the fleet, rounding a distant 18. Might have passed a few on the run. On the next work, went right to get some separation from the lead pack that went left. Thought the right had more pressure. We converged with the pack forming a wall about 100 yards to windward. Played as few shifts in the middle and got a nice inside shift and pressure at the mark, moving into 7th. Whew! Passed 2 on the reach and had as group of about 8 just behind on the run with Jack right behind. Carved to stay just ahead on the long run only to get rolled by Jack on the lower reach. Finished 6th. Could have been alot worse.

The good news: a character-building day. Good speed downwind, am getting a feeling for the waves. And only dropped 3 places to 6th overall.

The bad news: two really, really, really bad starts. Not sure what I would do differently – being closer to the line risks an OCS. A 20 degree knock at the gun is unusual and puts you at the mercy of bunch of slower boats.

We’re half way through this world championship – a really challenging and fun event. Tomorrow is a rest day. Racing resumes on Thursday. I will be moving up.

Two really, really, really bad starts. Not sure what I would do differently. With the benefit of a little rest, here’s what I’d do differently. Jibe immediately, duck the fleet, and go right to get clear air. My definition of a good start is whether or not you have clear air after 20 seconds. In both races it took me at least a minute, so they were really bad. Ducking the fleet on the line keeps my 20-second definition with all of the options to continue right or tack back with the fleet. The challenge is admitting the start is a disaster and cutting your losses, even before the gun goes if possible.

Day 4 15-20 steady south, great starts, looong beats upwind, easy-to-catch waves

Race 6: Few boats at the favored pin end so started up from Mark and Fred. We charged off to the left. Speed was not quite as fast as others, in spite of wearing a heavy top to gain a little weight. Boats converged at the top mark in a large group with me in the middle, somewhere around 15th. Passed a few on the run. On the next looooong beat Jack Schlachter (AUS) punched out. Could not read the compass and never got a feel for the small shifts in the sea breeze but was able to gain and round 7th. On the reach, run, reach, and final beat was able to hold off Robert Blakey (NZL). Here’s the deal – even wearing wet clothing I cannot hang with the top 5 in a breeze. The speed differences are minor and I’m finishing about 20 seconds behind 3rd place, but I cannot close the gap.

Race 7: Boat favored line and “the boat” must be 70 feet long, so it was time to try something a little different. Edged past the stern of the boat with 20 seconds to go with the leader Gerz below and held until the gun. Bang, a perfect boat-end start. Tried really, really hard to roll him for about 5 minutes but he eventually squirted out. We crossed Mark and Jack when they tacked. Tacked onto the port tack lay line with Gerz just above me. The front row of 8 boats were very even in these slogging conditions. At the mark, Fred Schroth (USA) came in from the hard right to lead by 100 yards! Go (225 pound) Fred!! I rounded about 6th. Lost Alan Keen (RSA) on the long run but passed Jack. Followed Gerz left while Fred and Mark went right. Another long slog which I do not remember much of, except everyone was hiking hard with very minor speed differences. Rounded 8th and held even for the rest of the race. Mark and Gerz reeled in Fred who finished a really good 3rd.

The good news: Mark and Gerz punch out eventually, the rest of the lead pack is very even. Positions 3-10 finish within about 30 seconds. Boat handling is excellent, no one is tipping, everyone is playing by the rules and are sailing in a courteous manner.

The bad news: none – just wish I weighed a little more for grinding in the breeze. Above 20 everyone is overpowered. Between 15 and 20, weight is really important. Need wind below 15!!!

Day 5 15-20 south again, poor starts, looong beats upwind, easy-to-catch waves, Gerz wins worlds

Race 8: After watching the previous start, wanted to go right so set up at the boat end but a little late, started in the 3rd row and tacked immediately. Charged off to the right with Bill Symes (USA) above and Fred below. Boats very even. We tacked after about 5 minutes and were horrified to see a 20 degree lefty coming through the fleet. Rounded in the mid-twenties. Ouch. Good speed on the run but the fleet was really spread out. May have picked another boat off on the long beat and, for the first time, got a good feeling on the reaches. What worked was pushing the boat sideways down a wave, like the way you move your pelvis on a swing. At times the boat was surfing while heeled to windward. Felt fast and gained 200’ on those around me. Caught another few on the final beat because of a small righty to finish 12th. Bill and Fred had less luck catching up, finishing 18 and 29. No more playing the right.

Race 9: Going left for sure. Accelerated 5 up from the pin just above Mark but got rolled. Must not have judged this line correctly and one of the boats above me was OCS. Tacked a few times looking for a lane. Felt slow with no real plan, just trying to stay in clear air. About 1/3 of the fleet was better at grinding in the breeze. Rounded about 15 in traffic. Same old story – caught some on the run by carving in the waves (felt really good) and then lost them on the next beat (felt really bad). Caught a few on the reach, run, and then reach. Finished 11th.

More action on shore: Gerz leads Mark by 4 points with one more day to go, but mathematically Mark cannot beat him. Mark protested Gerz for “hunting” and it’s the first time I’ve seen him protest someone in the 38 years I’ve known him. Gerz was on starboard and Mark was on port, ducking. The protest was disallowed for lack of evidence. So, Gerz wins.

A sad moment. Mark, me, and a British sailor named Keith Wilkins (who could not make it) have between us won a Laser master worlds every year since 1990 (Keith 10 times, Mark 6 and me 2).

Less wind from then north forecast tomorrow. I’m in 6th nine points out of 5th and cube. Would really like to move up a notch. Then, it’s home after want feels like a very long trip.

Day 6 5 from the north, shifty, no racing

Race 10: I talked with Mark to tell him that he had an outside chance of still winning. He needed 2 races with either a 1-1 or 1-2 and Gerz had to finish no better than 4th in both races. It was not meant to be. The wind was 5 and shifty – perfect for me but conditions that are deemed to be unsuitable for a Laser world championship. So after more than 4 hours on the water, we headed back to the club for the final time.

The Grand Masters was a tough fleet – former Sunfish world champ Ted Moore finished 21 and former World Master Games champ Gary Orkney finished 23. But the toughest fleet was the Masters with about 100 competitors. Scott Ferguson sailed a great series and became only the 4th US Master World Champion.

NO COAST LASER REGATTA

by Pam

This weekend was the No Coast Regatta on Lake Grapevine. Three sailors from White Rock competed and one judged the event. The Grapevine Sailing Club stepped up to the challenge and put on a first class event. GSC’s main interest in hosting this event was for the benefit of the juniors and they have done an excellent job of ensuring the future of sailing through the encouragement and development of their junior program. If the juniors participating in this event are any measure, the future looks very bright indeed.

Approximately 30 attendees traveled from as far away as Ohio, New Jersey, Florida, San Francisco and neighboring Texas cities to compete in three different fleets (full rig, radial, 4.7) with the bulk of the juniors in the radial and 4.7 fleets. The race committee got off six races on Saturday and another three on Sunday in a variety of wind conditions.

During a break between races 8 and 9, Doug sailed by the committee boat and asked if anyone on board wanted to give the Laser a try and three hands went up. Turns out none had sailed a Laser before but always wanted to give it a try. They really enjoyed watching the racing and said they would welcome the opportunity to host another Laser event. One by one, we’re going to convert those keel boat sailors to the seat of the pants thrill of a dinghy.

LASER CIRCUIT 3

by Pam

Doug and I went to Fort Worth Boat Club for the third Laser circuit stop. Laser attendance has been down in the circuit this year so we didn't know what to expect. It turned out to be an excellent event.

Our PRO, Alex, was a junior from the Opti fleet and his Dad sailed in the event. There were other father/son teams out and some very good sailors that were sailing a Laser for the first time or for the first time in quite some time. Everyone was welcome and we were all challenged by the sailing. It was one of my favorite events this year and FWBC really gave us the VIP treatment. One young sailor, Colin, kept Doug on his toes the whole weekend and it was quite entertaining to watch Doug use every ounce of his experience to stay on top of this very talented sailor. And just like we find in the Butterfly fleet, experience usually wins.

The weekend was topped off when Doug and I jumped on a J/80, Yoko, to race in their regular Sunday races. We'll be going back.

2009 EASTER LASER REGATTA

by Pam

Friday was practice day. Started with bunches of Lasers and me looking and feeling like I hadn’t sailed a boat in years. Ended with a screaming reach and a spectacular landing that turned uninterested bystanders into active participants defending their boats, trying to catch my boat, and a crash that dropped the rig on Doug and then came to rest on the rocks. Lovely! Couldn’t wait to see what the start of the regatta would bring.

Saturday the wind was predicted to be from 8 to 12 so I opted to sail a full rig. Mistake one. Wind from 8 to 12 does not take gusts into consideration. I managed two races without collisions or tipping and I think I actually finished with boats behind me. At one point early in the first leg of the first race, I actually had Eric Faust cross behind me and Doug just barely ahead of me. Turns out they’d gone the wrong way and didn’t have a good race but went by me like I was sitting still and worked their way through the fleet. After the lunch break, it seemed a little colder, it started to sprinkle and I had been hiking most of the morning so I convinced myself that it was going to pour down rain and they’d all get out there and not race and I’d be the smart one on shore all dry and warm. Mistake two. They needed umbrellas on one end of the course and sunblock on the other. When everyone landed they said it was great and I’d missed out.

Sunday the wind was predicted to be from 3 to 15 but wasn’t going to build until we were off the lake. I chose a full rig again. Mistake three. My kind of wind and we were headed up the first leg of the first race and Scott Young wasn’t too far ahead of me. And then it happened ... dark water ahead and Scott suddenly hiked all the way out and I knew what came next. The blast hit and I hiked all the way out and the gust was over as soon as it hit and I was in the water and the boat was trying to get away. I climbed back in and saw another guy just below me and his boat was over and he was in the water. Not too shabby. I went swimming but didn’t tip. The wind kept building and I managed to finish the race and opted to stay on the course rather than venture from the pack and attempt to go in by myself. Mistake four. Doug later told me that the wind was gusting from 20 to 25 in the first race. I sailed half of the second race hanging on for dear life with lots of screaming. I rounded up about twenty yards from the leeward mark and realized there was no way I could turn the boat down and round that mark. I’d hit my limit and I was done and the club was directly upwind across the lake. I made it back to the boat ramp without significant incident and had a beautiful landing but no one was around to witness it.

I’m told the racing at the front of the fleet was some of the best they’ve had in Austin in years with the top 3 places changing almost every leg. Scott Young won overall and tied Doug for the handicap racing with Doug getting the tie. I won the prettiest bunny of all simply for enduring the ride to and from Austin in the same vehicle as Doug.

It was a weekend of testing my limits. When I first started sailing a Butterfly I did alot of screaming and was out of control alot of the time but that gradually changed. I don't know if I'll see the same change in the Laser since I'm about 50 pounds too light for this boat but I won't know if I don't try.

2008 Laser Master World Championships (Terrigal, Australia)

by Doug

These are my Worlds race journals.  I send daily updates home to friends during the events and often receive good advice each day but I also find them to be a useful analysis tool when preparing for the next event.  I’m making them public so that others might learn something from them.

Terrigal is a beautiful coastal village 90 minutes north of Sydney. I’m one of 350 sailors competing in the 2008 Laser Master World Championships. I arrived early to train with Mark Bethwaite, who lives in Sydney and sails pretty much full-tine. We spent a total of 17 hours sailing on Sydney harbor and “outside the heads” in the open ocean. Was good upwind, but slow downwind compared to Mark.

Conditions in Terrigal: large ocean swells with lumpy waves on top. Tough going upwind with shifts on most waves, and hard to catch downwind. Downwind speed will win the world championship.

I’ll be competing with 53 other Grand Masters. Here are the ones to watch that I know of (there may be others who are really fast):

• Mark Bethwaite (AUS), 7-time and defending world champion. Mark is the one to beat. Very fast in all conditions, especially downwind in big waves.
• Jack Schlachter (AUS), former #2 in the world, this is his home club. He has the advantage of knowing how to sail in these waves.
• Keith Wilkins (GBR), with a record 10 world championships. Amazing sailor (duh).
• Wolfgang Gerz (GER), Finn Gold Cup winner. Have never sailed against him, but obviously really fast.
• Robert Lowndes (AUS), former #2 in the world. Always fast.
• Tim Alexander (AUS), former crew for Mark in FDs in the Olympics.
• Michael Nissen (GER), #2 last year. Came close to beating Mark.
• Peter Griffiths (NZL), the Kiwis are always quick in a breeze, Peter is probably the fastest.William Symes (USA), former #2, trained with him this week.

So to make the top 5, you need to beat several world-class sailors. Tough crowd.

I’m taking a different approach this year because I felt too much paralysis by analysis last year. I’ll be taking simpler, higher level notes. Racing starts later today, should be fun.

Day 1

We waited until 3:00 for the rain to stop and winds to settle down. The boat end was heavily favored. Could not break out and got rolled at the start. Rob Lowndes was leading. The wind died and shifted. Was in about 10th when the race was abandoned. We’ll try again tomorrow.

Day 2 10-15 with 5 foot choppy swells

The plan is a good conservative start, use upwind speed to stay in the front row, and try to hang on (and learn ASAP) downwind. The 2 Germans have apparently been here for weeks practicing in these unusual waves and it shows.

Race 1: started mid-line below Mark and got rolled. After a minute in the cheap seats, took about 25 sterns to get off to the right. Good speed upwind, rounded 8th. Not-so-good speed downwind in the swells (found it really hard to catch and surf). Caught a few on the final beat, finished 1 second behind Mark to get a 6th.

Race 2: Mark won the pin and really punched out to win the race. I got a good conservative mid-line start in clear air. Rounded 4th behind the two Germans. Lost 2 on the run, held even on the second beat. On the top reach, went low and was rolled by a group of 6 in a gust – ouch. Lost another 2 on the run, finished 1 second ahead of Keith Wilkins (GBR) to finish 14th. Definitely discard material. Upwind through the waves is working well, downwind is s-l-o-w compared to many others.

Lots more sailing to go.

Day 3 light, shifty, strong tide at the end

Terrigal was chosen because of its strong steady winds. An unusual weather pattern has forced the organizers to have us race in marginal conditions (a light forecast for Friday and very heavy conditions predicted for the final day on Saturday I’m sure is adding to the pressure).

We waited for the breeze and started at 3:00 in light, lumpy conditions – something that I like sailing in. After about 2 minutes, those who started on the right were 100 yards ahead, with Mark Bethwaite in that group. Such a huge difference is unusual so soon after the start. What followed was either pure joy or frustration, depending on what route you took. The race was won by a person whose previous best was a 42. Defending world champion Mark Bethwaite slipped from the lead pack to DF last. I finished 37.

Wednesday is a rest day, so we’ll be back on the water Thursday for 3 more days of competition.

Day 4 10-15 with large swells… a beautiful day on the water…

Two races today. Mark Bethwaite won both of them with pure boat speed, particularly downwind. He’s being chased by the 2 Germans and 2 more Aussies who are very good and make no mistakes. My races were identical (good starts, top 5 at the fist mark, and not very fast downwind). Would have got a 7th in both, but cut off 10-time world champ Keith Wilkins at the first mark of the second race and had to do my 720. That single mistake cost me about 10 places. Tough crowd.

John Bentley was the first US sailor to figure out how to work the wave patterns (he was really quick downwind today). He explains it like this: 2 wave patterns, when on a wave, look to a wave in another pattern next. I’ll try it tomorrow. There’s always room for improvement when competing with people at this level.

Day 5 15-20 with 9 foot swells

With the increased wind, the waves were again different. The boat slows down going up the wave as the apparent wind shifts to give you a lift, and then back again as the boat accelerates down the wave. The result was a 15-20 degree shift, but the rhythm was made difficult because a smaller wave at the top could give you a harder lift or immediate header. Timing is everything and there were many people doing it better than me. Just working the waves really hard did not seem fast as it does with other wave conditions.

In this the second-to-last day, there were no pre-start maneuvers. Instead, we saw a real battle for the lead between the Mark Bethwaite and Wolfgang Gertz, with each winning a race. In the first, Wolfgang started just below me and I was able to watch him motor away – just beautiful. Not hiking the hardest, but really smooth in theses difficult conditions. The speed difference between the lead pack and the rest of the fleet is significant.

Day 6 10-15 with 8 foot swells

We headed out on our final day in a beautiful southerly breeze. People were really aggressive on the starting line and I was black-flagged along with a dozen others. So having to count my 37 from day 3 put me out of contention for the top ten. I sat that race out watching Wolfgang Gerz (GER) and Mark Bethwaite (AUS) match race, with Wolfgang pushing Mark from 2nd down to 6th. This put the German just ahead going into the final race.

With a good start and having a better feeling for the conditions, I rounded the first mark of the final race in the lead. There was some confusion about the position of the lower gate because the waves were so big that we could not see marks. Mark and I went right and another group led by Michael Nissen (GER) went left. Michael was correct, turning the lead positions inside out.

After the next work and reach, Wolfgang led Mark by 20 seconds. I stayed out of the way of people still in contention and spent more time watching than racing as Mark caught Wolfgang on the run and reach. Mark was able to put 2 boats between him and Wolfgang on the final work to secure his 6th Laser Master World Championship. Great stuff.

The next worlds are in Canada in 18 months. The fleet is definitely faster and will probably improve again. I’ll be focusing on practicing in large waves, which is the area that needs the most improvement. Competing in these world championships is an unbelievable blast and a great excuse to stay in shape.

2007 Laser Master World Championships (Roses, Spain)

These are my Worlds race journals.  I send daily updates home to friends during the events and often receive good advice each day but I also find them to be a useful analysis tool when preparing for the next event.  I’m making them public so that others might learn something from them.

It’s official – the largest Laser fleet ever has gathered for the Master Worlds. A total of 419 competitors will be broken down into different fleets – I’m competing as a Grand Master (age 56-64) with 76 competitors from 19 countries. It is by far the best group I have ever sailed against. Racing will be Sunday until Saturday, with Wednesday as a rest day. Some of the names to watch in the Grand Master fleet:

• Mark Bethwaite (AUS), 6-time world champion and probably the favorite to win. I’ve known Mark for 35 years and he gets better each year. He averages about 6 first-places per worlds – really dominates. We’re tied 2-2 in the 4 times we’ve competed against each other. Mark is very, very good (duh) in all conditions.
• Keith Wilkins (GBR) has won the worlds a record 10 times. Also very, very good, although said to be a little off the pace the year.
• Nick Livingston (GBR), former #2 in the world, only the third person since 1990 to beat Keith besides Mark and myself.
• Anders Sörensson (SWE), former Laser Master world champ, Finn Gold Cup and Finn worlds. Beat me the one time I’ve sailed against him.
• Jack Schlachter (AUS), former #2, very fast, but hurt his back training yesterday. Hope he’s OK. Trains in Sydney with open world champ Tom Slingsby (favored to win gold in Beijing),
• Wolf-Peter Niessen (GER), I was training with him on Tuesday and had trouble keeping up. Turns out he has also won the Finn Gold Cup and Finn worlds.
• Colin Lovelady (AUS), 5-time Laser master world champion.
• Rob Lowndes (AUS), #2 in the world last year in Korea.
• Magnus Olin (SWE), another Finn Gold Cup and Finn world champion.

A quick tally gives 27 world championships with the 7 world champions that I know of (I don’t know everyone, so there may be more). In addition to the many excellent sailors not mentioned, there are almost always one or two really fast people that show up that no one knows. So, finishing in the top 5 will be very challenging.

The conditions here have been windy – winds 15 yesterday and 40-50 mph on Wednesday (small sand dunes were forming between the boats on the beach – we won’t sail in these conditions). The waves seem to come from 2 directions and are steep and difficult to read, especially when combined with passing fishing trawlers. Nothing at all like the flat water in Dallas that we train in.

In the practice race today, I sailed the way I would in Dallas. It did not work – tipped 2 times trying to catch waves. The race was won by Sörensson who looked very fast. I’m going out early tomorrow to do a little more tuning with some U.S. sailors. Racing starts tomorrow afternoon.

Day 1 – 12-20 knots with 4 foot seas

Race 1: The Grand Masters (GM) were the forth and last fleet to start in the outer course. The race committee set an unusually long line and after several delays, we started in about 15 knots on the inner trapezoid course. The line looked square and there was a good line site onshore, so I started about 1/3 of the way down, above Jack Schlachter (AUS). Focused on staying with Jack who was moving well into the waves. There appeared to be two sets of waves, so they were really sloppy. We punched out with John Dawson-Edwards (CAN) and Ken Brown (CAN) just above. After about 5 minutes, Jack tacked and ducked me and the 2 Canadians. After another minute I tacked, mainly to stay with Jack. I might have been able to cross the two but played it safe and also ducked them. Worked hard sailing on port by pointing up into the waves and then trying to accelerate down the back. At the starboard lay line, Jack was about even and called starboard. Rather than try a risky lee bow, I ducked him, tacked, and was then lee bowed by Ken. Nicely done. We rounded together a few seconds behind Jack who led the fleet. Played a little inshore on the run and we pulled away from the rest of the fleet. We took the inshore gate to head inshore on starboard, just as another fleet was starting their second race in our area. With 130 Lasers now racing in the area, it was hard to tell our positions. The two GMs behind me tacked onto port so I covered them, and Ken covered me. Positions were unchanged at the top mark and reach as the wind increased. There was lots of traffic on the run and again I played a little inshore. Moved into second place by living dangerously catching a few big waves by the lee. A little too dangerously. A large one threw me out of balance and I tipped to windward. Got up quickly but the sail stalled to make bearing off difficult. Held even on for the rest of the run and the bottom reach with Ken just ahead. Mark Bethwaite (AUS) rounded just behind me to start the short final beat. He worked to windward and finished in 6th just ahead of me as we passed Ken on the finish line. Was pleased with boat speed and conditioning but not pleased with tipping. We just don’t get anything like these types of waves in Dallas.

Race 2: A carbon copy start with the same line, conditions, and plan. Was able to stay in clear air and worked the right side of the course to lead that group. Most of the fleet continued on starboard into the shore. When we tacked, it looked like the right pack was ahead of the left pack. As we converged near the mark, they were lifted, with Bethwaite and Schlachter leading. Rounded in the high teens. Ouch. On the run, some of the large waves were hard to catch. Continued to work the inshore side that did not pay. There were definitely some holes and lost a few places. On the second beat worked the middle with lots of traffic everywhere because we were again sailing with another fleet. At the windward mark, got more aggressive and tacked inside several boats. May have touched the mark with my sail so did my penalty turn and held even with others on the top reach. The run was patchy – lots of holes and gusts. Most sailed by the lee to catch waves, I decided to be a little more conservative by jibing onto port. Those that did not caught better waves but some tipped. Held even on the bottom reach. On the final beat, forced a NZL boat away near the finish line, which was ridiculously short. There were some collisions just below it and you had to weave through boats to get to the line. Finished 20th – definitely a discard.

So, the key is getting a good start and picking the proper side on the first beat. The fleet is too fast to do much catching up. I have not seen the results but believe that Jack Schlachter (AUS) and Anders Sörensson (SWE) are tied for 1st. Five more days and a lot more racing to go.

Day 2 – 12-20 knots with 4 foot seas

Race 3 – Same conditions, course, and start sequence as yesterday. The line must have been 400 yards long with another good line site. Started mid-line just below Mark Bethwaite (AUS) and was able to point a little higher. A perfect start that was called back. Damn! Second start was identical with Mark just above me again. We punched out with Jack Schlachter (AUS) just below me. Another perfect start that was again called back. Double damn!! The third start was again almost identical and we were off. Had a clear lane and held even with Mark above and Jack below, although they were able to point a little higher through the steep chop. The entire fleet went left inshore. Mark was the first to tack, followed by Jack and then me. Both Jack and I over stood the weather mark which some feel is difficult to see. Rounded 4th. Held even on the run as everyone was about even catching the waves. What follows friends is a checklist of how not to finish a good race:

• Let Magnus Olin (SWE) pass me on the left on the run. With a right-gate rounding coming up, should have been more aggressive forcing him out.
• Mark had a clear lead at the bottom (see below) followed by Jack, Michael Nissen (GER), and Magnus. Closing in from behind on some good waves, I should have been more aggressive to get inside Jack to round in second place.
• Caught a big wave at the mark that allowed me to round just behind Jack, but in doing so caused Magnus to bear off to avoid me. Because I had no right-of-way, had to do my 720 penalty turns and lost about 5 places.
• At the windward mark, lee bowed AUS and could not make the mark. Should have ducked him and then tacked. Hit the mark and did my 360. Lost 3 more places.
• Held even on the reach and then tipped on the run. Some of the waves come from the side and one caught me sailing by the lee. Was really slow tip and I almost saved it but could not.

So this is how you turn a 4th into a 16th. There’s a time to be aggressive and there’s a time to be patient. I got it all wrong.

Race 4: Needless to say, I could not wait to get going again. The breeze clocked left making the pin favored. With such a long line, a bad start at the pin was much better than a great start in the middle. Started about 10 up from the pin with 65 boats above me. Without great pointing speed, started to slip down behind Michael Nissen (GER) below me. Above me, Magnus Olin (SWE) punched out and there was a gap before the rest of the 65 boat fleet. Tacked through the gap to get into the clear on port. About half the fleet continued left while the rest tacked behind me. There was good separation between the left pack and the right. About half way up, it looked like the left was being headed. Remembering what had happened in race 2, decided to change partners and head left, so tacked. Was ahead of all but one in the left pack. Tacked back onto port only to find out a few minutes later that the entire left pack had over stood the line. Mark Bethwaite (AUS) footed out from under me. Michael, Mark, Anders Sörensson (SWE), and Jack Schlachter (AUS) rounded ahead. Might have rounded 2nd if I had tacked below the left pack. On the run, watched Mark take the lead. Held on to 5th on the run and second beat. Magnus passed below me on the top reach which was really tight. Could not quite catch Magnus on the run. The bottom reach was very broad and was able to roll him but he headed lower to stay ahead. Very well done. Finished 6th, about as good as I can do in the breeze and the waves with this excellent fleet. Hope we get some lighter conditions like we get in Dallas. Note – the race committee has recorded me as over early for this race (OCS). Michael below me and Magnus above me were not over early, so I want to check the video tape in the morning.

A few comments about Mark Bethwaite. I’ve known Mark since 1971 and was able to beat him in Chile to win the worlds ten years ago because he was fast upwind but vulnerable downwind. Mark has been training with open Laser world champ Tom Slingsby and is today a completely different downwind sailor. He gains 200-300 feet on the entire fleet without doing anything radically different. Some carve and move around. Mark just steers through and with the waves better than everyone else. Upwind, he’s fast, steady, and does not make any mistakes but downwind Mark is on his own. He won both races today very comfortably and will easily win the worlds if the conditions remain the same.

Day 3 – 8-10 knots with sloppy seas

The good news from race 4: Magnus Olin (SWE) started above me and remembered seeing the pin with me well back, so I should not have been scored OCS. The bad news: the jury would not accept his testimony for my redress because it was filed after the one-hour cutoff. If I was in the hunt, I would have been upset about the 14 points that this error cost me.

Race 5: The wind was from the same direction but much lighter. But unlike sailing in Dallas, there were smaller random waves. Started near the pin in clear air as the front row charged off to the left with Rob Lowndes (AUS) just below me. The port tack lay line was crowded so I sailed just below. Did not have the same speed as others in these waves. Rounded 12th because people coming in from the right had more pressure. For the rest of the race, fought to keep the position because most people have good speed both upwind and downwind. Finished 11th. Mark Bethwaite (AUS) rounded 5th and won the race (more below).

Race 6: The pack wanted to start near the pin and the line was square, so I started near the committee boat, again going left with Rob. We played the middle left shifts until we got to the port lay line. Things got ugly near the mark with boats coming in from both sides. The positions were pretty random with good sailors having horrific finishes and back-of-the-pack sailors having great finishes. I finished 18th, having picked off 3 boats by approaching the tiny finishing line on starboard. Mark finished 6th.

Why Mark Bethwaite will win: I’ve been watching Mark sail in a breeze and in lighter air today, both upwind and downwind. He is winning on boat speed in a very unusual manner that I have not seen before. Others are throwing their weight around, sheeting out to go around waves, carving downwind, etc. Mark does none of this. He does not move his body or trim the main – he only focuses intently on the waves just in front and makes rapid, minor steering adjustments. That’s it – nothing else. Mark has learned a way to sail Lasers that is faster in all of the conditions we have sailed in so far. Definitely a minimalist approach – very efficient, clean, and fast. Rob seems to be using the same technique and is faster than last year when he came 2nd in Korea. My guess is that they have learned this from Tom Slingsby who is the current open world champ. They all live in Sydney and have been training together. Rob has invited me to train with them before the worlds that are going to be in Sydney in February. Wednesday is a rest day – I’m going to get more info.

Day 4 – 3-6 knots with sloppy seas

In Dallas, we practice various ways to sail on lakes with no significant waves. In the open water here there are always waves, even when there is no wind. Lake sailing techniques do not work in open water and are sometimes slow, and the boat gets out of balance and tips more easily. So the way some sailors are now managing open water waves for a pure boat speed advantage is really important, especially because all Laser world championships are held in open water. I talked with Mark Bethwaite about how he steers through the waves. He gave me a summary of what he is doing and I tried it with limited success. More on this later.

Also, I have seen and been using a new way of starting in big fleets. Typically you set up your position and hold, but do not know what is going on elsewhere in the fleet. I watched one sailor do this and it works: you start 200 feet above the committee boat and reach parallel to the line with 3 minutes to go. The goal is to make a general assessment where the boats are and where the holes are. When you pick your area, you broad-reach to below the line and then jibe onto port. You then look for a specific place and tack into it with 1 minute to go. With this position, you then protect, use your line site, and then go with the fleet.

After 4 hours of waiting on the water for steady conditions, we started our sequence. This time the line was really short – not really enough room for our 75 boats. I targeted about 1/3 from the pin but there were really just too many boats forming 3 rows. Got into position 2 boats below Mark Bethwaite (AUS) and just up from Magnus Olin (SWE). Things were really tight. With 10 seconds to go, checked out the line site and we seemed to be on the line, so I slowed down (nervous about getting an OCS). With 5 seconds to go, the boats above pulled the trigger and punched out, giving me my first crappy start – should have taken the chance of focusing more on the boats above and not the line itself. Tacking would have meant taking 60 sterns, so continued to the left favored side in bad air. Probably rounded the first mark mid-fleet. We were on the same course with another fleet, so it was really hard to check positions or get clean air. Was able to gain about 12 places on the final 2 mark roundings and finished 23rd. Another character-building experience. The race was won by Anders Sörensson (SWE) who started about 10 up from me, punch out, and sailed really well. Two more days to go.

Day 5 – 2-5 knots with big rolling swells under a lot of slop

With an onshore delay, I sat down on some steps with a friend Brett Beyer from Sydney on my right. Brett is an unbelievable sailor and is on his way to winning his 5th apprentice master worlds. We were talking about Mark Bethwaite’s steering techniques and how Brett, who coaches Mark, uses his weight more to steer. We also talked about training plans for the next master worlds in Sydney, problems with the upcoming Olympics in Beijing, etc. After about 20 minutes, another good friend Colin Lovelady from Perth joined us on my left and we talked some more. Colin is a living legend and has also won 5 master and grand master worlds. I was thinking about how cool sailing is to be able to sit between and compare notes with two of the most successful Australians athletes in any sport. Brett then left to check his boat and Colin turned to me and asked, “Pardon me, but who was that?” Incredibly, they live 3,000 miles apart and had never met. So a sailor from Dallas Texas got to introduce them. Amazing.

We sailed out to the starting area in light, lumpy conditions. My fleet was the 3rd start and the Spanish race committee was really slow getting the starts off because the line was short, pin-biased, with no black flag. There was a great line sight because the pin boat had a tall mast and there were houses on the mountain in the distance. Decided to try mid-line – there were tons of boats all around. With 15 seconds to go, everyone pulled the trigger. With the line site, I knew they were all over, so did not even bother to sheet in. General recall. Decided to get a little more aggressive for the next start, so positioned below the committee boat, closed the door on others, and started beside the boat on the gun. Great start. We headed inshore in a light breeze with lumpy slop and big swells – slow going. Only one pin boat was able to tack and cross me. I tacked to cover the German. We slogged it out for 30 minutes trading lead positions, powered up with lots of foot and vang, and sheeted way out to keep moving – we must have been tacking thought 120 degrees. At the first, mark, the right pack came in with a little more pressure, so I ducked some and rounded about 8th. Sailing the outer trapezoid, was able to hold off Anders Sörensson (SWE) on the reach. Mark Bethwaite was nowhere in sight. On the run, I regretted not having my light-air mainsheet, but with the breeze able to pick up so suddenly, had decided to not risk it. On the next beat, the wind continued to fade as we played the middle left. A group of 10 on the hard left led by Jack Schlachter (AUS) started to get more pressure while everyone on the right looked really bad. So the committee abandoned the race and we headed in. One more day to go – I need some races to move up!

Day 6 – shifty 10-15 knots with small waves, just like Dallas

After a brief delay, the wind died and shifted from the usual southeast to the north. The weather marks were set close to shore. To the middle and right was a steep 1,000 foot hill, to the left was a large bay with the harbor. Seemed pretty obvious that a right approach would be risky because of the affect the land would have. As the first start, we were sailing the outer trapezoid.

We had a short pin-favored line with a poor line sight. The bottom part of the line looked really crowded, so decided to start 100’ from the committee boat and then go left. With 15 seconds to go, my sail completely stalled, so I let off the vang to get going again – scary moment. Got away cleanly and we immediately lifted. Played the middle left shifts that were quick and irregular – just like Dallas lakes. At times was way ahead of the left pack and at other times was way behind. Rounded 5th with Nick Livingston (GBR) leading. Nick rounded the offset and headed downwind instead of the correct reach. None of the other sailors called him back (tough crowd). Feeling that this is a shitty way to gain, I yelled and he rejoined us in 4th place by the end of the reach. The other positions were unchanged on the reach and run. Took the right gate (looking downwind) and played the left side. At one point, crossed Mark Bethwaite (AUS) who was going right. Seemed odd to be splitting tacks with someone so good at playing the shifts, but was sure that the left was better. Rounded a close first. On the run and reach, the 4 other leaders sailed completely different routes. Decided to just head straight for the marks playing the small waves. Rounded the bottom mark still in first with Michael Nissen (GER), Mark, and Bill Symes (USA) close behind. Bill tacked as did Mark, Michael did not, so decided to cover him for the short final beat and to be on starboard at the finish line. At the finish line, the left had a little more pressure. In a photo finish, it was Bill, Mark, and then me. Michael finished 4th. A good race, especially for Bill.

Our final race was immediately started in the same conditions. Started in the same position and strategy (and same stalling for some reason), with the pack going hard left. This time, the middle did not pay as well and rounded 12th with the main pack of 60 boats just behind. On the reach and run it was important to keep the air clean, with others doing a better job. On the beat, played the middle left shifts and gained a little. Positions were unchanged on the run and rolled Michael Nissen (GER) on the bottom reach. Just below the finish line, crossed Michael on starboard, tacked to cover, and got room at the pin. Finished 7th with Jack Schlachter (AUS) winning the race.

Mark Bethwaite deserved to win and did – his 5th master world championship. He had the winning combination of being very fast in all conditions and not making any major mistakes. In such a competitive fleet, my mistakes were costly. For the last few days, I’ve been in 11th or 12th. Finishes of 3 and 7 moved me up to 9th. Wish we had had more conditions like we get in Dallas, but this is rare in open water sailing. Was clearly under prepared for open water and the larger fleet, and will also need to work on the new steering techniques being used by some of the Aussies. While I would have liked a better finish, there is nothing more fun than competing at this level with so many great people from so many countries. The next worlds in Sydney start in less than 5 months. Can’t wait to get home to Big D.