2013 Easter Laser Regatta Results

Place	Sailor	Sail	Sail#	Age	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	Total
1	Scott Young	Full Rig	195649	53	1	1	6	3	1	12
2	Chris Alexander	Full Rig	194532	27	8	2	1	1	8	20
3	Doug Kern	Full Rig	181275	49	2	5	2	6	12	27
4	Patrick Hitchins	Full Rig	162453	29	7	3	8	7	2	27
5	Ravi Subramanian	Full Rig	191910	45	5	9	7	5	3	29
6	David Grogono	Full Rig	176263	47	6	13	4	2	10	35
7	Doug Peckover	Full Rig	195708	62	13	7	12	4	4	40
8	Max Guerriero	Full Rig	200615	15	9	4	11	10	6	40
9	Howdy Hughes	Full Rig	194291	15	14	6	5	12	5	42
10	J.P. Mull	Full Rig	198420	46	4	11	15	8	7	45
11	Eric Faust	Full Rig	192923	47	10	8	3	16	14	51
12	James McTurk	Full Rig	176221	33	3	16	10	11	18	58
13	John Halter	Full Rig	198004	46	11	12	18	15	9	65
14	Forest Atkins	Full Rig	157833	55	17	17	14	9	11	68
15	Ash Beatty	Full Rig	200359	54	18	15	17	13	13	76
16	Norm Grail	Full Rig	167271	60	15	19	16	18	16	84
17	Bruce Moore	Full Rig	166854	52	12	21	13	19	20	85
18	Fred Schroth	Full Rig	188109	60	19	10	19	22	15	85
19	David Morgan	Full Rig	181854	51	31	14	9	17	17	88
20	Bill Mitchell	Full Rig	188139	60	16	20	24	14	24	98
21	Sebastian Dubois	Full Rig	164245	36	20	25	22	20	19	106
22	Alanna Strong	Full Rig	190303	53	21	24	21	24	23	113
23	Greg Wallace	Full Rig	149083	46	23	23	23	27	21	117
24	Ed Hill	Full Rig	751	56	31	18	20	21	31	121
25	Charlie Daniel	Full Rig	188169	60	22	26	25	26	25	124
26	Mike Mashl	Full Rig	181157	53	24	27	26	23	26	126
27	Thomas Fuller	Full Rig	164302	19	25	28	27	25	22	127
28	Bob Fuller	Full Rig	135979	60	26	30	31	28	31	146
29	David Wallace	Full Rig	162347	53	31	29	29	30	31	150
30	Tanya McGowan	Full Rig	9	44	31	31	30	29	31	152
31	Pam Newton	Full Rig	14942	49	31	31	31	31	31	155
Radial
1	Haddon Hughes	Radial	199144	16	5	1	2	1	2	11
2	William Romero	Radial	176238	17	4	3	7	3	1	18
3	Keen Butcher	Radial	175016	17	2	6	5	2	7	22
4	Lenox Butcher	Radial	187697	15	1	7	1	4	9	22
5	Collin Scoville	Radial	196184	15	7	2	3	8	4	24
6	Sophia Sole	Radial	145422	14	6	4	8	7	5	30
7	Parker Hugher	Radial	204101	14	3	9	9	5	6	32
8	Daniel Kendrick	Radial	198005	16	8	5	6	6	8	33
9	Robbie Nicholls	Radial	200396	14	10	8	4	9	10	41
10	Reese Guerriero	Radial	2001311	14	9	10	10	10	3	42
4.7
1	Jillian	4.7	198011	14	2	1	3	1	1	8
2	Sullivan Foster	4.7	200196	14	1	2	2	3	2	10
3	Michael Morran	4.7	177033	14	4	3	4	2	3	16
4	Christine Kendrick	4.7	198085	14	3	4	1	4	4	16

A Lazy Man's Trip to Oman

By Doug

Paul Goodison (GBR) coming off the starting line. He finished third.

The results of Mussanah Race Week have just been published. This was a practice run for the Laser World Championships to be held there later this year. There are pictures and videos that show what the conditions could be like.

The first thing that I noticed is that, for open water sailing, it was not very windy and the waves were small. In fact, it looked more like the lake sailing that we get here in Dallas. Interesting...

Lots of speed wrinkles!

The next thing I noticed was how the fleet set up for these conditions - they often sailed with "speed wrinkles." This was the fad that started in the 80's for medium conditions where, as shown in the picture, the cunningham is left lose so that there are wrinkles from the mast down to the clue. Frank Bethwaite once explained to me how these can be fast because the turbulence "washes away the boundary layer," which is also why sharkskin is not perfectly smooth. But the speed wrinkles in the pictures are bigger than I have seen for many years, including with many of these same sailors when they sailed in the Olympics. Interesting...

Multiple Master World Champion Wolfgang Gerz (GER) was there getting used to the conditions. I'll be competing against Wolfgang. He's very fast but only managed to finish 28 in a fleet of 44 boats. His best finish was a 16th. Very interesting...

The local women appear to wear normal clothing on the water but wear their Hijab on shore. The women travelling to Oman will be pleased to see in the picture that foreign women are wearing their normal clothes.

Ash Brunning (AUS) was there competing and has posted a good update, and you can read more about Oman here.  The Oman Worlds should be great.

Worlds Photo Contest

By Doug

So Tillerman won the first photo contest. Who'll win this one?

This is the back yard of a typical Korean home 500 years ago.

What was the stick used for?

Worlds Photo Content

By Doug

The 2006 Laser Worlds were held in South Korea. On the rest day, we were treated to a tour of our Jeju island and we visited several interesting cultural sites. Here's a restored village that shows how they lived 500 years ago:

Here's their millstone - really amazing workmanship:

Here's a traditional kitchen as shown by our tour guide:

And here's a typical entrance to these homes:

So, here's the question for this photo contest: Why are there two doors and why are they a different size?

Everything I Know About Hiking Benches

By Doug

Pam was not pleased with my short response to a recent question about how I use my hiking bench. So, here's everything I know about getting in shape using a hiking bench.

After winning the 1997 Laser Master Worlds, I was training with my friend Martin and felt really strong. I asked him how my form looked and to my surprise he said, "Crappy, you're dragging your butt." I thought, "How can this be? I just ended the longest winning streak in Laser Worlds history and my form is crappy?" Thus began a transformation that has changed the way I sail in a breeze.

Above a certain wind speed (for me about 15 knots), how smart you are and how fast you are become irrelevant. This is because sailing a Laser in a breeze is all about how strong you are. Without this strength, all of the tactics, boatspeed, boat handling, knowing the rules, a great start, and everything else that you work on are wasted.

The vast majority of major events are sailed on the ocean. If you live on the ocean and sail regularly, then you're lucky because sailing is the best way to get in shape. Duh. But it's interesting that many of the top sailors in Sydney still train on hiking benches. If you're like me and live hundreds of miles from the ocean or cannot sail regularly, you need to find another way to get into shape. And the most relevant, efficient way to get into shape is with a hiking bench.

When I was 25 and living in Albury, Australia (try to find that on the map!) I built my first hiking bench. Its design was from well-known books on Laser sailing.

When I moved back to Canada this was the only piece of 'furniture' that I brought back with me. It was fairly easy to use and getting up to 30-40 minutes was not a problem by just hanging:

In 1980, I tore the meniscus in my right knee and had to use crutches until my surgery. It was really painful to do anything... except hike! You see, the hiking form from using this bench was hanging, and this was actually pulling my knee joint apart, so there was no pain.

Fast forward to the 1993 Worlds in New Zealand. The Kiwi's and Nik Burfoot in particular had reinvented hiking, from loose hiking straps to tight, and from the strap on their feet to the strap on their toes. I watched Nik sail and he should have won the Worlds except for a tactical mistake on the last leg of the last race. But this hiking style was such an improvement that it became fashionable to 'hike on your toes' like a Kiwi. This was really hard to do, and there were reports of injuries by people who did not have the strength or technique to really do this properly. I tried it and quickly decided that this was not for me.

Fast forward to 1997 when Martin burst my bubble. I went out and bought some 2" x 6" lumber and started playing with different layouts. The goal was to find a position where my body was flat and my butt didn't drag. After checking the dimensions of a Laser, this is what I came up with:

Looks pretty simple, doesn't it? Well I was in for a big surprise. The first time I used it, I could barely do 30 seconds!! From 40 minutes to 30 seconds? You have got to be kidding!! And if my body was not completely rigid, it would be on the ground. This was difficult!

What I had actually done was recreate the Kiwi's hiking position that is not really about hiking on my toes but rather hiking so that my legs are more connected to the deck of my Laser. So rather than just hang there and let the waves slop me around, I was locked in and connected so that my Laser felt like an extension of my body. It was an awesome feeling of control!

But there was a minor problem - I had to train a whole new set of muscles. Building up from 30 seconds to 1 minute, then 2 minutes, and eventually to 10 minutes took many months. The way I did it was to hike for 10 minutes a day in as many sessions as it took to reach my goal of 10 minutes. And when I finally made it in one session, I felt very fast on the water in a breeze.

So, after this very long preamble, this is how I train on my hiking bench that costs about $20 to build:

• If you look closely, I have not rounded the corners because I want my Laser to feel more comfortable than my training.
• For the same reason, my design has a mainsheet to hang on to but I do not use it.
• And for the same reason, I do not wear hiking pants.
• I start by stretching my hip flexors (see the end of this video). This protects my lower back.
• Doing sit-ups feels very realistic but I do as few and possible because I don't want to wear out my back.
• Instead, I touch alternate shoulders on the ground as many times as possible to simulate punching my Laser though the wave. When I get tired, I sit up to take a rest.
• At no time does my butt touch the ground because my legs are always flexed.
• Loud music helps dull the pain - something like In A Gadda Da Vida.
• I end by stretching my hip flexors again.

2008 Olympic gold medalist Paul Goodison practices on a bench that turns out to have a similar design that can be purchased. Here's how this translates to form on the water:

And here's 2012 Olympic gold medalist Tom Slingsby's similar form:

Notice that neither Paul or Tom are hiking on their toes. I think that the real benefit from the Kiwi's way of hiking was not hiking on your toes but rather having a much tighter strap so that you butt is higher and you're locked into your boat.

So now you know as much about hiking benches as I do.

2013 Florida Masters Week - Nontraditional Words of Wisdom

by Pam

It’s been a couple of weeks since Doug returned from a less than stellar performance at the Florida Masters (finishes of 31/60, 5/55, 11/58).  Although, he should be writing this, he didn’t feel that he did well enough to share anything of value so he posted interviews with the winners of the three events.  Then came Tillerman’s timely post about whether Words of Wisdom are really just crap and then I knew I had to write about the little tidbits I learned from Doug that I think have more value than the traditional words of wisdom.

However, Sunday evening before Doug arrived back from Florida, I up and decided I didn’t like my job … long story short … before Doug arrived home the next morning, I had received and accepted a new job offer, quit my old job on the way out of the office that evening and started the new job the following morning. Afterward, I kept repeating to Doug that ‘I just quit my job,’ half surprised and half shocked.  You see, it was sort of a Doug thing to do and is also one of my takeaways from his Florida experience.  Flexibility and seizing opportunities before they pass.  Two weeks later, all that has fallen into place at the new job has been virtually perfect, except I’m a little short of time, but I digress.

We all make stupid mistakes - don’t quit!

Each day, Doug called home to tell me of his progress.  Needless to say, at the first event, with him being DNC for 3 races, I was a little worried he might not be okay and I’m glad I didn’t know that someone was pulled from the course and taken to the hospital with chest pains.  When Doug called, I was relieved he was okay, but then asked what any sailing spouse would ask, ‘WTF?‘ 

He had a ready explanation that went on for several minutes which essentially translated to, ‘I was stupid, then I was stupid again, and then I was even stupider.’  Yet at the end of that event, Doug’s finishes were 6, 3, 6, 62, 62, 62 and he placed mid-fleet where he did as well or better than many people who sailed every race to earn their place. 

The winner of the 1st event, John MacCausland, had a race where he started just above Doug but Doug had his bow out by about 2 feet so Doug got away, the boat above John rolled him and John had to tack and in doing so, ducked a guy, missed, hit him, had to do circles and then found himself so far back that he was having to count from the back instead of the front to see where he was.  He was only able to claw his way back to 21st.  His finishes were 6, 21, 4, 3, 3, 4.  Two mistakes and he would not have been the winner of the event. Andy Roy, who won the next two events, had finishes of 8, 3, 10, 18, 29, 9 for a 7^th place. 

My takeaway words of wisdom is that those at the front of the fleet, regardless of the circumstances, don’t quit mentally.  They rely on their experience to recover a decent finish from their stupidity.  Perhaps a key is practicing enough to not only minimize mistakes but gain experience in recovering from them.

Andy Roy’s regatta wins of the next two events were with finishes of 21, 2, 3, 1, 5, 2, 3, 2 and 1, 3, 2, respectively.  Another winner with a 21 early on in the regatta and a ‘it’s not over until it’s over attitude’.  But then I hear from Doug that before the start of one of the races at the second event, Andy Roy accidently lassoed Doug with his mainsheet on the start line, Doug tipped, and while Doug was frantically trying to save the feather at the top of his mast because it was a handmade gift from Frank Bethwaite, Andy was repeatedly saying, ‘Sorry, sorry, sorry!’  Now, I find comfort in this story because right there in that moment, there is no difference in me and the regatta winner.  I too often practice being a nuisance, out of control and other random bafoonery.

Enlightenment from training partners

There is much to be learned from the observations of a skilled sailor.

Between regattas Doug did some turning with David Hiebert with regatta finishes of 4, 6, 14.  David observed that they had the same speed but then something would happen and Doug would jump ahead for a few seconds and then they’d be back to the same speed again and Doug would maintain his lead.  David’s observation was that Doug was ‘switching gears’ and transitioning and responding to the wind changes faster.  Doug spent years sailing at night so that he responds to the feel of the wind and not the visuals available during the day.  Faster transitions would seem to be a natural result so that doesn’t come as a surprise but he didn’t realize it was noticeable.  This didn’t come as a surprise to me.  Doug is always sailing.  We walk the dog every night and mid sentence, Doug calls the wind change.  He’s always aware.  Sitting in the doctor’s office looking at a picture with sailboats, a beach, waves, and a flag and Doug is looking to see where the wind is coming from only to say the artist isn’t a sailor because the flags and sails say the wind is coming from opposite directions. 

Peter Vesella, at the 2^nd event, mentioned to Doug that he was really good in these conditions (light) and that he sometimes sailed higher and faster than other people.  Doug asked Peter to elaborate on what he saw Doug doing and Peter said that he was sailing the boat really flat and sometimes healed to windward and that at times, he just jumps ahead.  Peter noted the same thing last year.  Doug has spent some time learning to sail by feel in light conditions and learning what he calls ‘pressing’ where he heels to windward, traps the wind, and makes subtle weight shifts (steering changes) that actually generate speed.  I’ve even learned to do it better than Doug but that skill doesn’t make it to the race course for me. 

At the last event, Doug was disappointed with the fact that it seemed like he’d forgotten how to sail and Andy Roy asked him what he expected since lives in Dallas and doesn’t sail in these conditions.  Andy is exactly right.  This is Doug’s major weakness and biggest concern.  And it’s the reason he drove all the way from Dallas to Florida to compete in Florida Masters Week. 

Not to mention the reason I gave up my car for a week so that Doug could safely drive to Florida, while I got to spend the week driving around town in his 20+ year old BMW.  It looks like hell, half the windows don’t work, it’s rock, paper, scissors on whether the heat or air conditioning will work, and as I drive down the road alarm bells continually go off telling me about the various things that aren’t working.  And yet when I step on the accelerator, that sucker hits 60 mph before I can get out of 2^nd gear and even though every time I turn the key, I say’ ‘don’t start, don’t start, don’t start’ the danged old fossil starts every time.  The car is very much like its owner, you can’t judge its performance by its looks, but I digress again.

Flexibility

So Doug headed to Florida without a plan.  He didn’t know when he was going to sleep or where and just stayed loose and flexible.  It’s that seat of the pants, flexibility in life and on the water that has taken him to some interesting places.  For the second half of the trip he was rewarded with some very comfortable accommodations.  I received a call between the second and third event from Jack Swenson’s daughter asking me if Doug can spend the night with her ... the last regatta is for the Jack Swenson Memorial Trophy.  How on earth did he manage that?  Then Doug tells me some random trivia about how Jack tried to convince Peter Seidenberg to call his ‘dolly’ a ‘molly’ after Jack’s wife.  I have no idea how Doug manages to stumble into history and learn such interesting trivia except that he seems to stay flexible and opportunities find him both on and off the water. 

So, I threw caution to the wind and quit my job and landed in situation I couldn't have planned any better. 

Another Laser Tipping Point

By Doug 

After the Master Midwinters, I was talking with Dick Tillman about the upcoming Midweek Madness and Florida Masters and he said, "This will be my last Laser event." I asked, "You mean this week?" And he answered, "No, these Midwinters."

This was a piece of sailing history I did not want to hear.

Dick has been a sailing icon since winning the first three North American Championships, from 1971 to 1973. Ten years later he won the North American Masters, and in 2002 won the Great Grand Master Worlds. Is seemed like Dick would sail forever but, at the age of 76, he's retiring from the Laser.

This is a reminder to all of us that the Laser can be a brutal boat to sail and that we will all reach a point where it ceases do to good and starts to do harm, and it's time to move on to other challenges. I've had the privilege of sailing against Dick on many occasions in many countries. He represents everything good about our sport and will be missed at Laser regattas. He's a classy guy and his book, of course, is a classic.

2013 Master Madness

By Doug

To remain competitive, I like to rest for several months over the winter. The year starts with three back-to-back events in Florida. We had a great turnout and some great sailing. The winners were clearly in better shape and a lot faster than me. Here's how the best of the best won in each of these events.

Master Midwinters East: flat water, light and shifty!

Midweek Madness: flat water, medium, patchy!

Florida Masters: windy, waves, like being in a big washing machine. On the first day, an experienced swimmer tragically drowned in the rip tide trying to save two young girls. The second day was windier and the race committee decided to cancel the racing.

Frank Bethwaite's New Book is Now Available

Laser Master Midwinters East - Day 2 & 3

By Doug

Day 2 was one of the strangest days on and off the water. It had everything from great racing to rumors that I was in the hospital with a heart attack.

The first 2 races were ideal - a tight line, clean starts, good shifty breeze, and close sailing. Some good sailors got caught on some of the shifts, but the leaders generally had good finishes. I would have had a 3 and 4 except for losing 2 boats on the final run. My downwind speed is still a problem in certain conditions.

After the second race, I noticed that my downhaul was set up for heavy air (both up and down on the same side of the boom) so I undid the vang, pulled off the boom, readjusted the lines, and then put the boom back on... when a gust hit. The boom slipped out of my hand, hit the deck, and the plastic insert at the forward end of the boom came out and went overboard. So, I'm a mile from shore with the next race about to start, and with a major problem.

Note to self #1: it it's not broken, don't fix it. Duh.

Feeling rather stupid but creative, I stuck the end of the boom over the gooseneck and pulled on the vang hoping that it would hold. But it looked really bad. So, I headed for the nearest support boat and asked if they had a radio, showed them the problem, and asked them if they could bring another boom from the beach. The said they would and started talking on the radio. I headed for the starting line and actually got a decent start, and rounded the first mark about 10th.

The problems started on the run because the mast would not rotate easily with the boom. Like, it was just hanging there. At the bottom mark, I had room on an unsuspecting fellow and warned him that things could explode, so he kindly gave me a wide berth. Sure enough, things did fall apart shortly afterwards and I retired from the race.

I tried to chase the original support boat but he was heading upwind, so I sailed down to another support boat and asked where my boom was. The fellow called on the radio, talked with someone, and then told me that "it was denied." Realizing that I was very confused, he pointed to the committee boat. So I sailed over where the PRO told me that they could not spare any support boats and that my request "had been refused."

Note to self #2: when you ask for help, get an acknowledgement.

I thanked the PRO and told him that I had retired from the race and sailed back to the beach to get another boom. I missed the next race and missed out on the final race by about 10 minutes. After watching it for a few minutes I headed back to the beach, where I left the boat rigged (the hose for rinsing off the salt was not working), had a shower, and filled out a form requesting redress for the 2 races I had missed.

Redress can be given to a competitor through an error or omission by the race committee. It turns out that the original support boat was immediately told that help was being refused, but this was not passed on to me. Had I known, I would have headed straight for shore, got a replacement, and only missed the one race.

Note to race committees: you have the right to accept or refuse a request for help. But you also owe it to the competitor to give them a timely answer.

After 30 minutes of deliberation, my request for redress was refused on the grounds that support boats are there for safety reasons and not to help competitors (this in spite of the fact that they were handing out water, keeping extra gear for people, etc.) So instead of being in 3rd place, I thanked them for their time and left the room in 31st place.

Looking back, I realize that it might have been possible to fix the problem on the water with lots of duct tape, but did not think to ask.

Note to self #3: remember duct tape can repair just about anything.

Pam refers to these bonehead mistakes as a way that I prepare for the Worlds. I'll be glad to get all of these out of the way!

The good news is people kept bumping into me looking surprised and happy to see me. You see, another competitor had chest pains and was quickly taken to hospital. When people got back to the beach, they saw my unrigged Laser and assumed that it was me.

So instead of spending the night in hospital I watched a great Super Bowl game with friends. Life is good.

Update: on the final day, not enough wind for sailing, John MacCausland sailed really well and has won.

Laser Master Midwinters East - Day 1

By Doug

Why I couldn't find Pam's Subaru

The Laser Master Midwinters East is being hosted at Charlotte Harbor in Florida. This is a beautiful spot that has some really good weather for those who are unable to sail in the winter. We're sailing in a protected bay that feels more like a lake than open water. Here's the first day's report.

Race 1: the wind was coming from the east about 8-12 with typical offshore shifts. The line was long with the pin favored. Being far from race hardened, I decided to start 2/3 of the way down the line so the experts could fight it out at the pin. This was my first race in 10 weeks and I felt rusty.

The fleet got away going left. Peter Shope won the pin, tacked, and crossed the fleet. I wanted to tack but could not. In fact, the boat on my hip almost rolled me before he tacked away. I followed with the 4 leaders on port below and ahead. After a few minutes, they tacked on a header and crossed just in front of me. I had the feeling that the right would pay so kept going right on port. When near the layline, tacked in good pressure, having moved up into 2nd. And then it happened - the dreaded 20 degree header all the way into the mark. Ouch. Was really fortunate to round 8th. On the run, there were about 10 boats right behind me so decided to jibe to get in clear air. But the left (looking downwind) had less pressure and I lost to those behind me, rounding the left gate in the mid teens. Having committed to the right side (looking upwind) went hard right in good pressure. Rounded 7th just behind Andy Roy. The 6 boats just ahead were lined up side-by-side. Buzzy Heausler and Peter Shope somehow got more pressure and finished 1, 2. James Liebl (former Master Radial World Champ) finished 3, while I passed Andy to finish 6th. Lots of rust but this was an OK race.

The wind was dying as the sea breeze tried to fill in, so I switched to my light-air mainsheet and took off my hiking pants.

Race 2: the pin was even more favored and crowded. Decided to start 100 feet from it and tacked on the gun. And was launched, in pressure, and in phase... when they called for a late general recall. Darn!!!

The next start was under a black flag and Andy Roy tried something I have always wanted to try - a port tack start in the middle of the line taking advantage of the lag with the black flag. In fact, because of the way the wind bends around all of the sails, Andy was actually sailing on a lift on port tack. On the gun, Andy hardened up and I tacked. We were about 50 feet apart on port and almost immediately I got a big inside lift. Two minutes later, I tacked on a header and crossed the fleet while Andy was deep. Watched one of the leaders sitting on the deck moving really fast... from rocking, Told him to cool it which he did. John MacCausland and one other had great speed and passed me before the mark. And then the wind died. At the bottom mark, what little wind we had shifted further west and the race was abandoned, so we headed in. Had been in 4th position.

But there's more! After a very long sail back to the club, I put my Laser on the dolly while still in the water and then went to get my shoes. When I came back, I noticed the plug was not in. So, someone is messing with me or I'm a dumbass for sailing the entire day without plug. Wait, no, we have to be positive. So, some kind person helped me by taking my plug out... or I sailed the entire day brilliantly without a plug, with my weight so far forward that I only took on a few quarts of water. I think I prefer this second version.

Road Trip

by Pam

And Doug is off to the races ... I'll be checking the scores the whole time so I might as well post the links and schedule for easy reference.

Feb. 2-4 – Masters Midwinters

Port Charlotte Beach Park

4500 Harbor Boulevard

Port Charlotte, FL 33952

http://www.charlotteharborregatta.com/

Registrants / Results

Feb. 6-7 – Midweek Madness

          US Sailing Center, Martin County

          1955 NE Indian River Drive

          Jensen Beach, FL 34957

          http://www.usscmc.org/

          Registrants / Results

Feb. 9-10 – Florida Masters

          Palm Beach Sailing Club

          4600 N. Flagler Dr.

          West Palm Beach, FL 33407

          http://www.pbsail.org/

          Registrants /  Results

Preparing for a Regional Regatta

By Doug

For me, there are local events, regional events, and then the Worlds. Here's how I prepare for a regional event, in this case the Master Midwinters East.

This is going to be held at Port Charlotte Florida, a place I had to find on the map. It's a salt water inland bay that should not have any big waves and should feel more like lake sailing than open-water sailing. The weather there has been sunny with temperatures in the 70's. The wind can come from any direction and is rarely above 10 mph. So it could feel like one of our lakes in Dallas.

I like to give my body a rest between Worlds and with the Oman Worlds still 10 months away, I'm pretty much out of shape. I've spent a little time on my hiking bench but have been taking it easy as Pam and I recover from a touch of the flu. I'm not concerned about being out of shape because of the light winds forecast. Weighing 170 pounds should not be a problem.

What is much more important is preparing mentally. This will be my first event since November and there will definitely be some rust. To offset this, I like to walk through what the races might feel like. If it's like last year, the starts will be tight, there will be lots of speed off the line, and it will pay to keep  an eye on all parts of the fleet as it splits up. Having  a good first day is important as it will set the tone for the rest of the regatta, something that happened last year.

Of course, it's great being able to check out the Website to see all of the people who have registered. It looks like there will be at least as many people as the 57 we had last year. And the competition will be good, with Buzzy Heausler, Andy Roy, Mike Matan, John MacCausland, Peter Shope, and a bunch of other really fast people showing up. The pin is going to be crowded!

No one has won this event back-to-back since Ian Lineberger first won it in 2000. Perhaps this will change this year. But that's not why I'm going. It's a great event with awesome people who will help me get back into shape as the long preparation starts for the Oman Worlds. For me, this is the real goal and the Master Midwinters is my first step for preparing for this awesome event.

That, and of course having the privilege of seeing friends and sailing with some of the coolest people anywhere.

2012 - Those Who Inspired Me

By Doug

As I look back at 2012 there are many people who inspired me. They're very much the reason why I love our sport. Starting at the Midwinters, Peter Shope showed us all how you can weigh 175 pounds and still be really competitive in a breeze.

During Midweek Madness, Peter arranged a clinic by Luke Lawrence who showed how much there is to gain with great downwind technique - something that became really clear at the Brisbane Master Worlds.

Of course, the Worlds have tons of great inspirational people and most of them have signed up again for the Oman Worlds in November. But two stand out: Brett Beyer is the best coach I have ever met, and Lyndall Patterson is the only woman to ever win a Laser Worlds against the men. I've known Lyndall for almost 40 years and she has always been awesome.

For the entire time that we were in Brisbane a lone 470 would go out and practice every day, even when there was not enough wind for a race. It was of course Malcolm Page and Mathew Belcher. At the London Olympics, it was no surprise who won gold.

After the Worlds, we caught up with Julian Bethwaite in Sydney. He's doing some amazing things that we can all benefit from. On our last day, I was proud to introduce Pam to Frank Bethwaite who was such an inspiration to me when I first arrived in Sydney as a 20-year-old kid.

Closer to home, Fred's Easter Regatta is the best event in Texas. Great price, competition, food, and all of those bunny prizes!

At the Gulf Coast Championships, Greg Martinez was a pleasure to sail with. He was quick upwind and had fantastic speed downwind. Sooooo much speed! This event was followed by the Laser Nationals where only 16 full-rigs signed up. I decided to sail a Radial with 45 sailors who were mostly in their teens. They were exceptionally talented and much better than I was at that age. They were polite ('please sir, can we start now?' when I was late pulling the trigger), had great parental support, and were really fast downwind. The standout was World Youth Champion Erika Reineke who was fun to watch. She was the fastest person downwind. Again, sooooo much speed! But the best part was that the fleet was clean, not like a lot of college sailors that we see.

Another person who inspired me was Bruce Kirby who called us after reading one of Pam's articles. I do not know what I'd be doing without his Laser design but I'm sure it would not be as much fun. Or as challenging. Or with the same amazing people from around the world. 

In District 15, the Houston sailors are revving up participation and inspiring others to travel again. Here in Dallas, Greg Wallace is new to Lasers and made it to every single circuit event. Dallas sailor Eddie Lockey was my crew at the US Sailing Championship of Champions event and proved that excellent crew work is no match for a brain-dead skipper trying to learn how to sail a C-Scow.

It would be unthinkable to not mention Tillerman whose blog is the gold standard for all other sailing blogs. Every time we're looking for a new idea, we get one from him or one of his readers.

And then of course there's Brad Salzmann whose story inspires me every time I read it. To count Brad as a friend just makes it even more special.

Finally, I'm constantly inspired by people who take the time to promote our sport, by those who travel to regattas, who reach outside their comfort zone, and by all the newcomers young and old.

What an amazing year! What an awesome sport! And what amazing people! There were so many more who I could mention. I'm really looking forward to see what 2013 has in store for us.

Deck Cleats

By Doug 

We received a question asking my opinion about the use of deck cleats.  This is a good question.  For the longest time, I felt that deck cleats were for people who did not have the strength to sail Lasers. Besides, they get in the way when you move around in light conditions. And as one of only four basic controls, why would you not continuously want to play the main? But I now have cleats for two reasons:

• In light conditions, I use a really thin main sheet that makes it much easier to play the main when sailing on a run. Plus, the main sheet weighs less and is less likely to drop and drag in the water. But, a thin main sheet easily gets tangled into knots. If you round the weather mark and cannot let out the main, you'll get passed by many of the boats that you worked so hard to pass. When approaching the windward mark, I cleat the main and then run the rest through my two hands (one free, one steering) to make sure there are no knots. If there is, then I've got a chance to untangle the mess before rounding.
• The second reason is from something that I found by accident in race 3 at the 2009 Master Worlds. This is how I described it in my journal that evening: 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. It was light and coming off the starting line on starboard tack, I cleated the main, grabbed the grab rail with my right hand, and locked my arm to make my entire body rigid to then press down while steering the boat. I'd never tried this before and for those conditions, it worked really well.

I never use cleats when hiking because, for me, having something to hang on to seems to make hiking a little more comfortable. For the same reason, I do not have a main sheet on my hiking bench because I want it to be uncomfortable to make the training a little more intense.

Looking at the videos from the London Olympics, some sailors had cleats and some did not.
Tom Slingsby plays the main constantly and appears to not have them.

My recollection is that all the charter boats at the Worlds come with cleats.  I noticed from the videos and pictures at the Olympics that some had them and some did not. 

For light sailors, like Pam, cleats are almost essential.  She uses the cleats while hiking and when the wind is up, she pulls the main sheet in through the cleat.  This not only give her hands a break but it becomes like a third hand for her.  Also, because she is light, she will almost never be so far forward that she bumps into them.  So for a light sailor, there is no down side to having them if they always keep a hand on the main to be able to release it quickly.

If you're installing them, use this diagram from the Laser Class Handbook to locate the wooden backing plate so that your cleats are properly secured.