Oman - Ready or Not?

by Pam

The Laser Master Worlds in Oman are rapidly approaching and I was convinced that Doug will not be ready. I was yapping at him and ran through my laundry list of how he’s regularly getting beat by locals, he hasn’t been exercising or doing much sailing, he’s been neglecting a possible injury and how it seemed to me that the trip to Oman was more about seeing old friends than a serious attempt to do well (not that seeing old friends isn't a good enough reason to go).

In our household, sailing has priority and honey do's come later and there just aren’t many good reasons not to go sailing. The sad truth, though, is that I’ve been focused on a new job and have had little time for sailing this year and Doug has been politely down playing his sailing so that I wouldn’t feel so bad. However, since I’m not doing as much sailing, I need to live vicariously through him and he should have been playing it up so the reality of not getting on the water wouldn’t nag at me so much.

So, as I was making my very insightful and profound points about how he’s just not putting forth the effort this year, out come his charts about how much sailing and exercising he’s been doing and how he’s on track. To reassure me, I asked him to chart all of his past and present numbers and how he did. He didn't always keep track of everything but here's what he has.  What do you think? Is he ready?

World's Year	World's Venue	World's Finish	Wind Conditions	Sailing Days	Sailing Hours	Days of Hiking Bench	Days of Cardio	Days of Strength Training
2013	Oman			32*	93*	32*	44*	10*
2012	Brisbane	4	Medium	31	100	21	unknown	unknown
2010	Halifax	6	Windy	46	136	66	68	20
2008	Sydney	12	Medium	20	36	60	51	12
2007	Spain	9	Medium	69	158	91	158	unknown
2006	Korea	1	Light then Windy	52	134	78	155	15
2001	Ireland	8	Medium	47	128	94	110	50
2000	Cancun	3	Medium	33	64	67	56	35
1999	Melbourne	3	Honking	26	68	33	39	21
1998	The Gorge	2	Honking	53	129	85	63	34

* Still in process

Kiwi Spirit

The Best of What Were They Talking About?

By Doug

(from Sailing Anarchy)

I saved a ton of money on my car insurance by switching to Geico. I think I'll need it.

Russell: Jimmy give me the keys!

Jimmy: No!

Russell: GIVE ME THE KEYS!

Jimmy: NO!

Russell: 1, 2, 3, .....

Jimmy: (silence)

Russell: You're grounded!

Jimmy: (back on the boat) Sorry boys "have to pull the plug," I got grounded.

Russell: Take off your helmet

Jimmy: Nope, I'm not falling for that one again.


Russell: Larry just called.
Jimmy: (gulp) Am I fired?
Russell: Na, no worries. He phoned to say he just purchased New Zealand.

Masters Rule!

By Doug

I have only had the pleasure of sailing against John MacCausland twice - at last year's Midwinter's where he finished a strong third and this year's Midwinter's which he won. John is currently competing at the Star World Championships and is leading with two days to go... awesome!

Update: John has won the Star World Championships!!

John is an owner at Moorhouse MacCausland Sailing so keep him in mind next time you're buying sailing gear.

Another master in the news is Robert Scheidt who was winning at the Europeans. I have had the pleasure of watching Robert sail in many Worlds and look forward to seeing him race again in Oman. He is the most gifted Laser sailor I have ever seen.

Update: Robert finishes second!

Sailing in the Middle of the Fleet - Finding Clean Air Downwind

By Doug

So you've rounded the windward mark and are heading downwind. Unlike the windward leg, a run is different because the fastest way to get to the bottom mark is to head straight for it. Or is it?

If you were sailing on your own, then this might be true. But middle-of-the-fleet sailors usually have lots of other boats around them, and finding clean air can be a problem. So, let me tell you something about an Aussie sailor at the Cancun Worlds who taught us all an interesting lesson.

At the Laser World Championships, the course is a trapezoid with an inner or outer loop that is used to keep the various fleets separate. At the first windward mark, you turn onto a run if you're on the inner loop and onto a reach for the outer loop. Occasionally, the lead boat will get this wrong.

At Cancun, the lead boat thought it was the outer loop and went off on a reach without looking back. The rest of the fleet rounded and headed straight downwind on a run. The Aussie sailor did not look back for about a minute, said (I'm guessing) "bloody hell," jibed, and came back to join the rest of the fleet on the run. So, how many places did this fellow lose? The answer is zero. In fact, he came back with the same lead he had at the windward mark.

This is a big lesson for middle-of-the-fleet sailors. If you're in a run and you're in dirty air, you can sail a different course and not lose any boatspeed. Heading up onto a broad reach or bearing off to sail by the lee both  work, so you have lots of choices.

                

And as shown on the right, you apparent wind will exaggerate the wind direction so you may not have to alter course much to get clean air. Here are other things to consider:

• The fleet will tend to sail to the right of the rhumb line (looking downwind), so bearing off will often get you clear air. But you have less rights when you bear off because if there are boats beside you, you're the windward boat. And jibing only puts you on port tack.
• Look for clues from the boats behind you that might be taking your wind. If there is a wind indicator at the bottom of a mast it will not be very accurate, but ones at the top of the sail will be. If it's pointing at you, then you're in dirty air.
• You can also feel another boat's wind shadow by closing your eyes and feeling the difference in the pressure on your face. This takes practice and is your best way to judge clean or dirty air.
• While you're looking backwards, also look at the water for clues about changes in the wind pressure. On a run, pressure is king.
• Don't be afraid to change your mind. Remember, you can sail wide angles without losing any speed. This is perhaps the most forgiving part of the race course. I have no problem changing which side of the course I'd like to be on. I'm always asking myself, "is it time to change dance partners?"
• If there is only one bottom mark, try to get over to the left so that you'll have room at the mark. In a close fleet, you can gain or lose 10 places by not planning ahead.

When I was a kid, sailing downwind was like a timeout when everyone took a break until racing resumed at the bottom of the course. Before Lasers came out, I sailed an OK Dinghy which is like a Laser made out of plywood. And I remember reading about a really young sailor from Sweden who won the World Championships because of his amazing speed downwind. And I remember thinking, huh?

Today, the downwind part of the course is really important. I saw an extreme example at the 2012 Laser Nationals where we all saw 2011 Youth World Champion Erika Reineke not worry about her position at the windward mark because of her remarkable speed downwind. She always stayed in clean air. And the distance she gained downwind was too much for people to make back upwind.

So for middle-of-the-fleet sailors, use your options and do everything you can to stay in clean air. Sailing in a straight line is rarely your best option. Even skippers of really big ships get this wrong.

Finding Something Positive to Say

By Doug

Larry Ellison was interviewed this week and he proudly called the America's Cup boats the fastest in the world being sailed by the best sailors in the world.  

Before the series started, I predicted here and here that the America's Cup could be won by the team that does not have a major problem. In the Louis Vuitton final, the first three races have been won because the other boat failed to finish. Let's hope my prediction does not continue to be correct.  So far, the total lack of tactics and winning margins of minutes (when a second boat is able to finish) makes it pretty boring even for sailors.

Australia put its winner in a museum, but it's safe to say that this year's winner will not fit in a museum. While you can still see 12-meters being sailed on Newport and Sydney harbors, it's unlikely that any of the AC72's will ever be sailed again (hey team, let's rig up and go for a sail... who's got a 150' crane?) So they'll be mothballed after the series is finished.

In the interview, Larry Ellison admitted his disappointment from the lack of competitors. He even mentioned a preference for a return to the AC45's next time around. So it's easy to get a little cynical about the current series, the financial bath that San Francisco is taking, and especially the death of Bart Simpson.

So where is the positive? This is a very special moment in sailing history because we may not see anything like these boats again. It's a once-in-a-lifetime pinnacle in our sport, so enjoy because they're probably not coming back. 

An unbelievable sight of the team I think will easily win the Cup.

Sailing in the Middle of the Fleet - Windward Mark Strategies

By Doug

So you've had a good start, stayed in clean air as much as you can, and have tried to stay with the leaders. And you may notice that if the first leg is one mile long, then half way up the leg it's also one mile wide. So the fleet often spreads out to give you more room to find clean air. But then something terrible happens - in the second half of the leg the fleet comes together to round the windward mark. And then all hell can break out.

Think about it - the starting line might be several hundred feet wide, but all of those boats have to squeeze through a space only 10-20 feet wide. From up to a mile wide to just 10-20 feet! And some of the leaders will make things even worse because they'll round the mark and then head downwind straight at you screaming.

Here's what a middle-of-the-fleet sailor has to consider. And as an example, we'll take the worst-case scenario of rounding onto a run with no offset mark (rounding with an offset or onto a reach are easier).

Firstly, recognize that a plan is needed, and this graphic may help:

There are 4 boats in 4 positions:

1. is on starboard tack approaching the mark.
2. is on starboard tack and has rounded the mark.
3. is on port tack approaching the mark.
4. is on port tack and has rounded the mark and jibed.

Secondly, know that each boat has well-defined rights:

1. always has rights and can head straight for the mark.
2. has rights over 3 and 4 because they're on port, but if 2 jibes like 4 then it has no rights.
3. only has rights over 4 because 4 is to windward.
4. has no rights at all and must keep clear from everyone.

Thirdly, understand the rules of thumb:

• The ideal path to take is shown in green - starboard into the mark area and starboard out of the mark area.
• Avoid port-tack approaches to the mark. A boat rounding the mark is permitted to cut right in front of you because that's its proper course, so you have to anticipate this and stay clear.
• When you round the mark and would want to jibe, sail by the lee instead to stay on starboard. This way, you'll at least have right of way over the boats approaching the mark on port.
• If you round the mark and must jibe onto port, realize that you have no rights.

Don't forget to verbalize what you're doing. Saying things like "I have room coming up" or "I'm bearing off" or "hold your course" avoids confusion and is appreciated by those around you.

I've sailed against people who are very aggressive at marks and do things like bear off to head straight downwind knowing that there are boats on port tack going upwind that have no chance of avoiding them. This is quite selfish because they really would not lose any distance by sailing on a broad reach until there's a place to bear off. It's much more fun sailing with people who try to cooperate. The managed chaos can actually be really fun.

With a good mark rounding, middle-of-the-fleet sailors now prepare for the part of racing where the big gains (and losses) occur - downwind.

Look Who Just Turned 50!

By Doug

Question: what do you get when you have original old maps of the Pacific Ocean and add sailing items like pieces of old compasses, an old sail, canvas, part of a mainsheet, ring dings, wet & dry sandpaper, and a Zhik bag? You then add a little silk, coins from the US, Canada, and Spain, and some feng shui. You then give it to Erika Iris, an extremely talented artist who inspired a music video that has been seen over 700 million times. And what do you get? A portrait of Pam for her 50th!

The background of the Pacific Ocean is because that's our background too - we both have distant relatives whose paths crossed many, many years ago. Pam's relative actually discovered the Pacific and my relative was the most traveled person in the Pacific in the 1700's (on all of Captain Cook's voyages as well as the Bounty). So sailing is very much in our blood. How cool is that!

Update from Pam: My 50th was something I was hoping would just sneak by without notice. Doug, on the other hand, wanted to make sure it was celebrated, commemorated and never forgotten. Mission accomplished.

It’s very flattering for Doug to have put so much thought and planning into his gift and it has such meaning to him which makes it even more special. First, it was done by his favorite artist who is quite selective in the projects she takes on. Getting her to do it was his first hurdle. After she agreed, the project took on a life of its own and pushed the artist way outside of her comfort zone since most of her art has a simple white background. Second, it is made entirely of materials that have special meaning to us and celebrates how our history (and destiny) has crisscrossed and stretched back hundreds of years.

The picture doesn't do the portrait justice. There was no ‘ink to paper’ on any part of this portrait. The white of my face is made from an old Butterfly sail and the features of my face and hair is made from the material and netting of a Zhik bag with a little gray wet/dry sandpaper mixed in for texture. The highlights in my hair are both from the cord of the Zhik bag and well as a piece of Doug’s main sheet that he used when he won his first Laser Master Worlds in Chile (in the Pacific Ocean). My earrings are ring dings. The background is sprinkled with history and symbolic items that range from maps of the Pacific, Texas, and Canada to compass parts facing my best feng shui directions and includes sail canvas cut into bread fruit leaves (symbolic of the Bounty), scores from the Chile worlds and coins of significant year and origin. The silk ribbon at the top is intended to come off but Erika added it as ‘gift wrapping’ and silk is the traditional gift for 4^th anniversaries which Doug and I just celebrated a few weeks ago.

Well played dear Doug. Yesterday, as Doug sat and watched the video of the foiling Laser on the 100 Races blog he was grinning ear to ear and drooling and said he’d picked out his Christmas present. Coincidence?

Many thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes. 

To highlight the talent of the artist, this is the picture Doug sent her and the first sketch she sent him. I rarely like any picture of me but a sketch that removes wrinkles, dark circles and all signs of age is just plain cool.

 

Bob Saltmarsh

By Doug

Bob on the left hamming it up at the 1992 US Masters at Lake Moosehead.

Very sad news - we have lost another gentleman from the sport of sailing. Bob was one of the most gracious and fun people I have even met. RIP my good man.

Sailing in the Middle of the Fleet - Staying Clean Air

By Doug

Even with a good start, middle-of-the-fleet sailors have to deal with boats in front of them. It's really important to stay in clean air, especially on the first windward leg when the boats are more bunched up. There are two ways to do this. The first is visual.

If you're green and red is between you and where the wind is coming from, then you might think that you're sailing in bad air. This would be true if you're not moving (in which case you have other problems!) But when you're moving, the apparent wind shifts forward so you're probably OK for now.

You'll get the best reading if red has a wind indicator at the top of its mast.

You'll be surprised by how long you can hold this position. This is especially important when sailing in a group, and being able to do this is called "holding your lane."

It's like a get-out-of-jail-free card because holding your lane as long as possible helps you stay with the leaders as the rest of the fleet thins out behind you.

As mentioned, there's a second way to tell when you're sailing in bad air and that's by feeling. You'll feel your boat hesitate and slow down. You can also feel a slight turbulence on your face. When this happens, it's time to look at your options: bear off to get a little speed and clear air or tack if you can. If you want to stay with the group, putting in 2 tacks to get clean air is better than sailing in bad air.

Sailing in the Middle of the Fleet - What to do With Clean Air

By Doug

So, you've got clean air off the starting line... what's next? We'll look to see if there are clues about which side of the course is favored. This will depend on where you are sailing, and there is good news.

The top sailors tend to sail in open water where the top events are held. Most events for middle-of-the-fleet sailors are on lakes where there are lots of clues because the wind is not as steady. And the less wind you have, the more clues you'll see because the wind has less momentum and changes direction and strength more often.

In the last post, we looked how the good sailors starting at the favored end of the line can get trapped going the wrong way. But middle-of-the-fleet sailors who get clean air are more likely to be able to tack when they want. Consider a pin-favored start but where there is better wind in the middle or on the right.

Pin favored, but wind on the right... many good sailors will miss this.

In this example, middle-of-the-fleet sailors have a great opportunity to have the line bias clear the unfavored end of the line. This permits them to get a good start at the committee boat, get clean air right away by tacking, and head for the dark patches. Many boats at the pin will be unable to do this and will go the wrong way for enough time to negate their pin-favored start.

In these conditions, the golden rule is to stay in the pressure where there is more wind. I'd rather be conservative, go for clean air, and then head for the pressure knowing that sailing in pressure in light air is more important than on being a lift. It's pretty simple: dark patches = more wind = more speed. For me in these conditions, wind strength is more important than wind direction or line bias.

Here's a more interesting example where the patterns show exactly where the pressure is. If it's pin favored, this wind pattern might be wasted because very few in that group will be able to tack. 

I'd much rather start where I'm able to tack. Here's why. Look at the wind as an obstacle course - where do I need to go to avoid the dead patches and stay in the wind?

Planning the route is simply connecting the dots, and the first dot is off to the right so I'll need to tack ASAP.

In this extreme example, four tacks keeps me continuously in the pressure. I'd much rather have the chance to do this at the committee boat end of the line than risk being trapped going the wrong way at the more favored pin end of the line. Only clean air and a more conservative start will give you the chance to do this. Advantage to middle-of-the-fleet sailors!

Split Vote for Oman

by Pam

I’ve been on the fence about going with Doug to the Laser Master Worlds in Oman in November. My bucket list has a lot of places I’d like to visit. Oman has not been one of them. In fact, when they announced the location I had to look it up and do some research and we even had a guest post about all the things to do and see in Oman. It sounded interesting. I was intrigued and leaning towards going.

Then we heard about MERS (Middle East respiratory syndrome) which is causing concern with a 50% mortality rate and I was back on the fence. Then Doug pointed out the lead story on CNN this weekend about a Norwegian woman who was jailed in Dubai for reporting a rape. It’s the most backwards story I’ve ever read and just to make sure tourists know it isn’t an isolated incident, they say it also happened to two British women and an Australian woman. And Dubai is supposed to be one of the more progressive Middle Eastern countries!  I’m just not feeling the love for that part of the world.

Of course, I would have been traveling with Doug which isn’t comforting because he has a really odd sense of humor which some people don’t get. When I ask him to hold my purse so I can look at something in a clothes store, he gladly takes it and when I take it back, he feigns shock and loudly tells anyone nearby ‘that woman just stole my purse.’ Now how’s something like that going to go over in Oman? Heck, I don’t even have the same last name as Doug. We just didn’t bother with rings, name changes, or merging anything. I’d have a hard time proving I’m not a single woman and I don’t even know if they’d let us stay in the same hotel room.

Doug thinks it’s all quite backwards and pointed out a comment on the news post that said: No Arab country that has these types of laws should ever get world events. That means no Expo for Dubai, no world soccer, no Olympics. Nothing. They want to stay this backwards, they can forgo modern world recognition.

So, I remind him that in the United States former slaves were given the right to vote 50 years before women were. In Texas, in my lifetime, “women were considered affirmatively retarded” and a married women was classified with “infants, idiots and felons” and “could not buy or sell their own property, sign contracts, make decisions for their children, control their own paychecks, or open their own bank accounts,” until Louise Raggio changed all that in 1967.

So, the Middle East isn’t really all that backwards, but I live in the US and I don’t have a need to experience being anything but treated as an equal. I definitely won’t miss the Master Worlds in France in 2014 and Canada in 2015.

Sailing in the Middle of the Fleet - Using the Unfavored End

By Doug

Getting back to thoughts about sailing in the middle of the fleet, we looked at getting clean air at the start, doing circles before the start, and judging whether the pin or a person is behind or ahead. In doing this, we can see which end of the starting line is favored and which end is not.

If the line is square, there is usually a crowd near the committee boat. If it's boat favored, there will definitely be a crowd there. If it's pin favored, then the pin will be crowded. Rarely will the boats be evenly spread along this line. In most cases, boats will be drawn towards the favored end of the line as though pulled there by a magnet.

Most sailors put too much emphasis on which end is favored. For example, if it's pin favored, they start there and often end up going left in a group. Tacking on a shift or into better pressure is often a group decision, and many good sailors get trapped going the wrong way. The closer they are to the pin, the more dependent they are on others tacking before they can. The sailor who wins at the pin can sometimes tack and cross the fleet, but this is risky and rarely will more than one be able to do this. Definitely a low percentage option.

I personally do not like starting at the pin because there are lots of sailors who are more skilled there than me, and there are few options unless I get a really good start. Why waste a good race with a bad start? I'd much rather be more conservative, go for clean air, play the shifts, and use boatspeed. For me, this is a much higher percentage option.

And this is where middle-of-the-fleet sailors actually have an advantage. If they start at the unfavored end of the line and get clear air, they do not have the problem of getting trapped. So, if it's pin favored, start near the committee boat or in the middle of the line.

The same is true if it looks like the crowd will be at the committee boat end - there will be places further down the line where there will be clear air. But remember that your tacking options are not as good there because the boats starting at the committee boat will block your chances of tacking onto port tack.

So next time you see a line that's really favored at one end, be grateful because it will pull the good sailors off to one side and clear the way for you to have good start and clean air.

Prediction: The America's Cup Will Be Won By... Take II

By Doug

I wrote a post predicting that the America's Cup could be won "not by the fastest or by the smartest, but by the country that does not fall over." With the Cup competition about to start, here's another example of how (very) slow but steady can win a race.

The announcers make jokes in this, but I feel that it shows the true Olympic spirit - how competitors from every country are encouraged to compete, even if they have no chance of winning a medal.