2013 Laser Master World Championships (Mussanah, Oman)

by Doug

Results

Bear - upon hearing how his Daddy did today ...

Day 1

Race 1: breeze 5-8 with a light chop

Pam and I decided I would wear a head-cam so that we could watch the racing later. I started the first race the middle with a fairly decent lane. The breeze went left and I waited for it to come back, but as you'll see in the video (if interested) it did not, I waited too long, and a bunch of boats crossed on port. It seemed like the middle was not working because the boats that went right were also ahead.

About half way up the beat I stopped the camera as it was a distraction and was thankful of this because when I rounded the first mark there were only 3 boats behind me. Ouch - welcome to sailing in a world championship. I must admit that I was unable to see much of the wind on the water or sailing angles. But I also have to admit that my speed was not good when it counted.

So now for a confession - I have a partial tear in my rotator cuff in the left shoulder that will be operated on later this month. While the forecast for Oman was light, the conditions at a worlds are rarely what's expected. So with orders of not doing any strenuous exercise from two doctors (shoulder, eye), I decided to sail a radial. But if it stays light, this is probably a mistake because I have a much better feeling in these light, sloppy conditions in a full rig. Pam, you were right.

So I caught a few boats and finished 15th. The middle defiantly does not work and I've got to find more speed. If you've never sailed in a world's the short video will give you an idea of what it's like - pretty brutal at times.

Race 2: same conditions.

Started in the middle but could not hold my lane, so tacked and ducked about 12 boats. Played the right in clean air close to Bruce Martinson (USA), he rounded 3 with me about 6. The reach was uneventful except for being rolled by Vanessa Dudley (AUS) in the reach - she's really good! On the run and next beat there appeared to be definite wind lanes but I could not see them. The racing was close and I finished 6th with about 5 boats just below me. It was good, close sailing.

In both races, Bo Johannisson (SWE) played the left on the first beat and I think led at every mark - very impressive. Also impressive were Vanessa and Bruce who each has a 2nd and a 3rd. All three sailed really well and have a good lead over the rest of the fleet.

Others had an average day. Jaap Mazereeuw (NED) is a light-air specialist and was my pick to do well. He won the practice race but today finished with a pair of 9's. Lots of speed, and lots more racing to come.

Pam:  Seriously? Blind, injured and in a radial - you can still sail better than this. Are you just going to roll over and let me be right? Turn the camera off, pick a different dance partner, trust your instincts, feel, don't think and do better tomorrow. The goal is not 11, it's 1. Close one eye ... there. that's it. Now do it tomorrow ... no excuses.

We head out after waiting for the breeze to fill in

Day 2

I talked with Pam and told her that it was time to start taking chances, and also do more tuning with someone who is fast. We were kept onshore for an hour waiting for the breeze to pick up, which turned out to be a good decision.

Before the first race, Bruce Martinson (USA) and I went upwind for a bit and then compared notes. There was no difference in our speed, but on the run he has his boom further in and pays more attention to the telltales.

Race 3: breeze 8 with a light chop on top of rolling swells

Bo Johannisson (SWE) won both races yesterday by going hard left on the first beat, so I won the pin and went hard left with Michael Pridham (GBR) on my hip and pointing higher. He had great speed. When we got close to the lay line, he tacked and I followed. The fleet from the right merged with Bruce in the top group, and there was a lot of traffic. Michael managed to round about 4th and I got caught in a group and rounded 17th. Ouch. The top reach and run were just trying to hang on to that place, and the next beat I decided to play some of the minor shifts. On the final run, Jean Philippe Galle (FRA) passed me with some good downwind technique. I was just able to get room at the mark to move into 11th. The wind was picking up and there was some good surfing on the bottom reach but no passing. On the final beat, Takafumi Nishino (JAP) was just ahead and tacked, so I went to what I thought was the starboard lay line and then tacked and was able to get him on port/starboard at the line to finish 10th. Bruce sailed a fantastic race and finished 1st. He now has a 3rd, 2nd, and a 1st - well done!!

This is clearly not a boat speed event but rather a pick-the-correct-side-and-play-the-shifts. There's lots of speed in this fleet and any of the top 10 could win this, but picking the correct side is the most important part.

Race 4: breeze 10-12 with the waves building

So, where do you think I wanted to start this time? Take chances + the right is working = the committee boat. The only problem was that Jean Philippe positioned himself perfectly in my spot and did not drift out of the way until he bore off at the gun. I was able to squeeze in and bear off on his hip, and heard my favorite two words from any race committee - all clear. Good, and the breeze was filling in. Most of the fleet went left, I played a few shifts in the middle. When we converged near the mark, Michael was slightly ahead and rounded 10 seconds ahead of me. There was a tight group fighting for 3rd place with Rob Hodson (USA) in the hunt. On the run, Jean Philippe passed me again. Rob was in about 6th but, this was the last time I saw him. Jean Philippe and Michael took the left gate while I took the right because the breeze was coming over my left shoulder. They tacked and we went left this time. When they were headed, I tacked to take the lead. Michael is really fast in these conditions, so I covered him to make sure I didn't go the wrong way and led by 20 seconds at the top mark. On the run, we had marginal surfing conditions so I tried carving which did not work because he went straight to close the gap. The bottom reach and final beat were uneventful and I was happy with the finish.

Bruce finished 19th. He had a bad first leg and was then fouled by another boat at the bottom of the run. 19th was the best he could do - shows you how competitive the fleet is!

Waiting for the AP flag to drop... can you see it?

Day 3

This was a carbon-copy with an onshore delay and very similar conditions when we went out. Bruce and I did a little more speed-testing and we were equal.

Race 5: breeze 8 with a light chop

The pin was really favored so there was no option of starting with the plan of going right. Would have won the pin except a GBR came in below me with 10 seconds to go, leaving me no way to foot after the start. General recall. Under a black flag, lined up in the same place and Bo Johannisson (SWE) came in from port. I defended by bearing off towards him and he continued past me. Got a good pin start in good pressure. Wanted to tack and go right but could not until Michael Pridham (GBR) on my hip tacked. And then we were lifted in good pressure, with the boats below going right looking slow. Life is good. But then the last few shifts at the top of the beat did not work as planned and I rounded behind Michael Pridham (GBR) and Max Hunt (GBR). What the hell happened to my lead? The reach and run were very nerve-racking with lots of fast boats all around. On the next beat we were joined by Bruce Martinson (USA) and Vanessa Dudley (AUS). There were lots of shifts and I bounced around between 3rd and 5th. Approaching the top mark, I started to roll Michael when we were headed. So we tacked on the port-tack layline. As we approached the mark, I realized we could just cross the 4 boats on starboard. Michael was overlapped, so I pinched him off just outside the 3-boat lengths. And rounded in 1st just ahead of the 5 others. Phew! Starting the run, they sailed to the left by-the-lee so I headed straight for the mark. Vanessa was going really fast so I sailed by-the-lee to position for room at the bottom of the run. As we converged, there were 6 boats right behind taking our wind, all being closely watched by a jury boat. Was able to catch a wave, break any overlap, and round just ahead of Vanessa with Bruce right behind. At the end of the reach, I decided to cover Vanessa and we had a little tacking duel before she broke free, but I was on starboard and had her pinned. We tacked, and I, Vanessa, and Bruce finished within 3 boat lengths. I've won races by a good margin and that were relaxed and stress-free. This was not one of them.

Race 6: breeze 10-12 with short waves that we slammed into

The line was square, so I won the committee boat end and tacked to go right, leading. When we converged at the mark, there was a parade that came in from the left. Darn, I misjudged that one. Rounded in 6th with a very fast Jaap Mazereeuw (NED) and many others right behind. Positions did not change on the reach. On the run, most went by-the-lee left so Vanessa and I headed straight for the mark. At the bottom, the wind switched from over my left shoulder to right behind me, so I took the right gate right behind Vanessa and then tacked to go right with Ryo Miyoshi (JAP) who had taken the left gate. Everyone else went left, and I knew that they were being headed. Ryo banged the right corner while I was a little more conservative and played the middle right with Bruce who looked very fast. Well, the left must have had more pressure because when we converged, Vanessa was launched, followed by Bruce, and then Ryo. I was still in 6th. Had a good run to move into 4th, while Bruce passed Vanessa on the run to win his second race. It was another long, close race.

Current standings: in day 2, I moved from 11th to 6th, and today moved to 3rd. But this is very misleading because both Bruce and Vanessa gained a point on me, and Vanessa has yet to have a bad race. We're allowed 2 discards, so if we do this now, Bruce has 7, Vanessa has 9, I have 12, and Michael has 14. We're half way through the event and have tomorrow as a rest day. We still have a long way to go, and there are lots of very, very good sailors still in contention. Should be fun.

Waiting ...

Pam: Cue up the Jeopardy clock music while we wait for Day 4 racing ...

Brett Beyer very generously left Doug all of his video footage of every single start in the Open Worlds. Better boat, better angle, better camera, from a phenomenal coach with a keen eye of what to watch. You already saw a screen shot from one video and then there is his other video. Be sure and check back after Doug returns home and has time to go through the footage. 

Lay Day

One of His Majesty's boats

Muscat Bazaar

I took this picture at the end of the top reach

Day 4 

Another delay and very similar conditions when we went out.

Race 7: breeze 5-6 with a light chop

The breeze was shifting 20 degrees and was to the left just before the start. But a pin-favored start meant having trouble tacking onto port, so I started again at the committee boat and tacked with Alan Tarrant (GBR) to go right. We were the only ones on that side of the course and took the lead as the others came in on a knock. I led at the first mark and at the end of the top reach. So far, so good. But on the run I played the middle and both sides were faster, with Vanessa Dudley (AUS) was just flying. So I rounded a close 4th. On the second beat, there were lots of shifts - it amazing how well some of these sailors play them when without a compass. Michael Pridham (GBR) and I played them best up the middle and we rounded the top mark in that order, just a few feet apart. On the run, I tried jibing to sail by the lee but that did not work, so I jibed back again. Big mistake - in doing so I let Michael get away - should have covered him to go for the lead. Instead, I had to defend against Vanessa who again was flying, Max Hunt (GBR), and Alan, with Vanessa passing by the bottom mark... just too fast. The positions did not change for the rest of the race, so my 1st ended up a 3rd. Darn, one mistake and a lack of downwind speed wiped out a bullet.

Race 8: breeze 8-10 with a steeper chop

The breeze was neutral and the pin was favored, so I started one up with Vanessa on my hip. After about 2 minutes she tacked on a knock and I followed. A whole bunch came in from the right with Bruce Martinson (USA) leading. There was lots of tacking and trying to stay in a clear lane, and tacking above the starboard tack layline really paid off as many got greedy and tacked too soon. Rounded 5th behind Bruce, Michael, Vanessa, and Bo Johannisson (SWE). She went high on the reach with speed and took the lead, and then took off on the run. I passed Bo to move into 4th. The next beat was fun to watch as Bruce and Michael tried to reel in Vanessa and they were even at the end of the next beat. Bo passed me on the last shift and rather than try to pass him again, I had to defend against Jaap Mazereeuw (NED), Takafumi Nishino (JAP), and Max who were right behind. While Vanessa and Bruce were fighting it out on the final beat, Michael passed them both for the win, his second today. Nice.

Standings: with 2 discards, Bruce and Vanessa would be tied with 13 (but Bruce would win the tiebreaker), Michael has 16, and I have 20. But had I held on to my 1st and 4th, Bruce would have 13, Vanessa 14, and I'd be tied with Michael with 17 (but I'd win the tiebreaker). This is what I love about competing at this level - the tiny little mistakes make a big difference.

Day 5

For only the second time in Laser Worlds history, a girl has beaten all of the boys. Vanessa Dudley (AUS) scored a 1st and 2nd to win her first world championship with a day to spare. I trained with her last week and competed against her this week and can assure everyone that she deserved the win.

Another delay and very similar conditions when we went out.

Race 9: breeze 5-6 with a light chop

Race 9, top reach

The breeze was swinging back and forth about 20 degrees and the line was pin favored, but with 2 minutes to go, the breeze went right so I decided to start again beside the committee boat. At the gun, Bo Johannisson (SWE) tried to get inside but fouled me. I tried to play the shifts in the middle but the sides came in leaving me 5th at the first mark. Bo was just ahead and I reminded him that he had not done his circles which he immediately did, putting me in 4th behind Vanessa, Bruce Martinson (USA), and Michael Pridham (GBR), as shown in the picture above. These three also happen to be the three ahead of me in the standings, in that order, so I  knew it's going to be tough catching up. Notice how Vanessa goes high on the top reach into her passing lane. The run was uneventful only because you get used to having lots of really fast people right behind. The next beat was tricky and I misjudged the final shift permitting John Reay (GBR), Bo, and Ryo Miyoshi (JAP) to pass me. Got back Ryo on the run, held even on the lower reach, and caught Bo on port on the finish line to finish 5th. Vanessa won this race by leading at every mark. Very impressive. It always amazes me how important the first beat is, with the first 6 people around the first mark finishing in almost the same order 40 minutes later.

Race 10: breeze 8-11 with steep waves

Race 10, top reach

Line square, right looked good, so I started at the committee boat again. Bo decided to start below me this time and we worked the shifts on the middle left. Bo played the shifts better and rounded 1st followed by Vanessa and Bruce, as shown in the second picture. Notice how Vanessa is again in the passing lane on the top reach. In the run, for perhaps the first time in the event, I had speed downwind and surfed past Bruce into 3rd. Only at the bottom of the run did I realize that I had forgotten to let out my outhaul. Hmmmmm. On the next work, I got caught by the last rightie and Ryo rounded ahead with Bruce right behind. I did not let out the outhaul on purpose and surfed past Ryo back into 3rd. Bo finished well ahead, followed by Vanessa, me, Ryo, and Max Hunt (GBR).

Current standings: Vanessa has won so it's now a race for second place, with just 6 points between Bruce, Michael, and me. One more day to go.

Day 6 - final day

Being 4 points out of 3rd and 6 points out of 2nd, I decided to roll the dice and take chances trying to move up. It was another groundhog day with similar delays and conditions.

Race 11: breeze 5-6 with a light chop

Decided to start at the committee boat and go the opposite direction to get some separation. The fleet went left so I sent hard right. Did not work, rounded 12th. Tried different things but none worked, so I finished 11th, which was my drop. Bo Johannisson (SWE) had a 4th and was now just 6 points behind me. He's won 3 races in this light condition, so it was now time to switch from offence to defense to hang on to 4th.

Race 12: breeze 5-6 with a light chop

Pin favored, planned to start at the pin below Bo but he pulled the trigger faster than expected and I could not really see where the line was. With the guys in the pin boat staring right at us, thought I was early, so I jibed around and sailed under the entire fleet on port. My worst start, and Bo was leading the fleet to the left. Played the shifts in the middle, Bo rounded the first mark in 2nd with me in 7th. If he could get one more boat between us he'd take 4th. Ouch. On the run I played the middle left in a narrow lane in tricky conditions. The boats on the right came in faster at the bottom mark with Bo still in second. At the end of the next beat, Bo was still 2nd with me 6th but with 4 right behind. If 2 passed, Bo would win the tiebreaker.

Grabbed this picture on the bottom reach.

By start of the bottom reach, Falque Olivier (FRA), Max Hunt (GRB), and Takafumi Nishino (JAP) were trying to roll me. Very nerve racking because if one blanked me, the others could follow and I could only afford to lose one. Was able to just hang on to finish 6th to secure 4th overall.

Bruce Martinson (USA) sailed really well today and won both races. He deserved to come in second overall. Michael Pridham (GBR) had a pair of 3's to finish third. Along with Vanessa, they deserved the top three spots. There were several others who had speed when it counted and I'm thankful to have finished 4th. I must admit that I did not have a good enough feeling for the radial and did not have the speed that I can usually count on.

I appreciate the many supportive comments about this blog and only wish that Pam was in Oman to hear them as well - this blog is very much her idea and hard work. It started from us talking about what works on the race course and what does not. It's grown, and the posts of the Oman worlds have been read by people in more than 1,000 cities. Pretty cool.

Doug's World

by Pam

The Laser Master Worlds in Oman right now is a bit of a throw back regatta for Doug. With the oil in his good eye, his vision is such that he's struggling to see and recognize people. 

When I first met him (before his multiple eye surgeries), he seemed so very odd because he would say hello to the same person repeatedly on the docks as if he'd just seen them for the first time that day. Come to find out, everyone was a blur and he didn't know who he was talking to until he either recognized their voice, the subject they were talking about or some distinctive hat or clothing color. Added to the vision problem is that his hearing isn't the best so when someone would talk to him and he couldn't see their lips moving, he wasn't sure who was talking, if they were talking to him, or what they were saying so he'd just start talking about random subjects that seemed to have no connection to the conversation taking place. Until I realized what was happening, I thought he was just the strangest guy.

We were talking by Skype this evening and he tells me he's finding himself avoiding eye contact with folks in Oman (like he use to) because of the whole 'who is that, are they talking to me and what the heck did they just say?'  So, if you're in Oman and you read this blog, help Doug out by putting a hand on his shoulder, talking loudly and identifying yourself every time you strike up a conversation. He does much better once he's on the water. To him, people have distinctive ways of sailing, be it their posture, where they sit, hiking style, their boat handling, sail trim, etc. Even though he has much better recognition on the water, he still can't hear very well. So if he ignores you, he isn't being rude on purpose. All that said, do not cut him any slack on the water or you'll regret it. 

After several eye surgeries, Doug's vision was better than 20/20 in his good eye (which it will be again when the oil comes out in a couple of months).  For reference, we were once looking at some blurry pictures and I asked him to point out which ones were close to what his vision use to be. Check it out ... it just blows my mind!

Doug's vision in 2006 when he won the Worlds in Korea

Doug's vision in 2009 when he came 6th at the Worlds in Halifax but he claims his weight was the biggest problem

Oman Worlds - Who's Ready?

by Doug

Good evening ma'am

The competitors have had up to five training days including the practice race that we just finished. It's interesting to listen to people speak about their experiences so far. There is a consensus that it will be light, it's hard to see the wind patterns on water, there are some very strange variations in pressure, big shifts, and even talk of how current may be a factor. Some countries with lighter competitors could do very well.

Here's an example: yesterday I was sailing with a fellow from SUI on my hip just 10 meters away. In the light breeze, he was faster and he started to roll me. I thought, no problem, I'll get the breeze in a moment. Well, he rolled me and I never did get that breeze. Just 10 meters away!!! I told this story to a quick Aussie and she said that I had done this to her the day before. Go figure!

Normally light conditions are familiar to me because I sail in Dallas which is inland and only has small lakes. But nothing that works in Dallas works here - it's like learning all over again. This really gives you an appreciation of how consistently good Robert Scheidt was last week.

Our practice race confirmed what the conditions will be like - changes in pressure, shifty, and very tactical. And there are some people in our fleet with some real speed. One thing for sure - it will be important to look around to watch others for clues on the water.

I may have to use others to spot the pressure because of something that happened on Thursday evening. The US team had a Thanksgiving dinner, and at the entrance I was polite, smiled, and said 'Hi' to our hostess standing at the entrance ... only to realize is was a wooden mannequin. Boy, am I glad that no one was watching.

Sailing Movies Shopping List

by Pam

Tillerman has started a group writing project for reviews of the best and/or worst sailing movies ever. Having only seen a handful of sailing movies, I felt completely unqualified to join in. Instead I turned to Google and found Geni and John’s Nautical and Ailurophile Page with John’s Sailing Movie List where he has listed and reviewed every movie he could find that had something to do with sailing. I’ve heard of more than I thought but it appears there are many sailing movies out there that are worth seeing.

He rated White Squall pretty high and we were in agreement on a few others I had seen so I’m going to cheat off of John even though he hasn’t updated his list since 2011. Also, I’m essentially changing the writing project to a shopping list of sailing movies that a sailor should see.

Here are three movies with John's rating/review that I’m putting on my list of movies to see during this holiday season:

Riddle of the Sands *****

1979 Simply the all-time best small-boat sailing/adventure movie! The movie manages to capture the spirit and ambiance of Erskine Childers' 1903 novel, and, with the exception of deleting the Baltic sequences, and the character of Capt. Bartels, remained remarkably faithful to the book. Simon MacCorkindale and Michael York are perfect as Davies and Carruthers, and are well supported by a superb cast, including Jenny Agutter, Jurgen Andersen, and Alan Badel. All the elements that made the book a classic are here. A must-see for all sailors, finally available on DVD in the US.

Available DVD, VHS

Violets are Blue ****

1986 Sissy Spacek, Kevin Kline, Bonnie Bedelia. An endearing and well-crafted love story set in a small town on Maryland's eastern shore. This movie has some excellent small boat sailing sequences, including a pretty exciting Hobie cat race. Sissy Spacek is portrayed as a competent sailor, with sailing as an important element in both the plot and in the relationships between the characters. This movie is particularly appealing to me because the characters approach sailing the way most of us do; it’s their recreation, it’s what they do for fun.

Available DVD, VHS

Lucky Lady ****

1975 Comedy about Prohibition rumrunners with Burt Reynolds, Gene Hackman, Liza Minelli, Robbie Benson, John Hillerman and a yacht named Lucky Lady.  (Liza was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a comedy). This movie sticks in my mind because if I remember correctly, they gave away the sailboat as a promotion for the movie (and I think Lucky Strike cigarettes had something to do with it - but I'm not positive). Anyway, I didn't win it, and had to wait 20 more years to get a large wooden sailboat. I recently bought a DVD of this movie, and watched it with the wife. It starts kind of slow, and a little lame, but picks up, and becomes a very enjoyable film. There was actually quite a bit of sailing in the movie, and Burt, Liza and Gene looked like they were having fun making it. Aside from the one sailboat, there are about 40 power boats in the movie, and at the climax they are all on the screen at the same time. It’s one of the few sailing movies where the interior scenes were shot on a boat at sea. According to the director’s commentary, they shot the movie aboard the boats, on the Sea of Cortez, without models, or tanks. He said it was absolute chaos, which is why it’s so rarely done.

Available DVD

Laser Masters Thanksgiving in Oman

Team USA Thanksgiving in Oman

More Pictures from Oman

by Doug

Pictures from Oman

by Doug

Local entertainment

Boats and hotel

Breakfast

Breakfast

Breakfast

Breakfast

Breakfast

Full rig or radial?

by Pam

When I first met Doug he weighed about 192 lbs. When we started eating together, I soon realized that I was going to end up gaining weight and that just wouldn’t do. I introduced him to something called food combining and convinced him of its health benefits.

Unbeknownst to me Doug doesn’t do anything half way. He jumped into food combining with both feet and in a matter of about a month he’d dropped 30 lbs. He stabilized at about 162 and said he’d never felt better. At that point he didn’t look like his skin fit anymore and people were beginning to politely inquire about his health. Oops!

He competed in the Master Worlds in Halifax and sailed a full rig and came in 6^th in the Grand Master full rig division. It was a windy series and he swore he couldn’t hang with the guys in front. He could hold his own downwind but they’d gain about 10 seconds every upwind leg. He made a couple of stupid mistakes that probably cost him a place or two and it was before his multiple eye surgeries so he was pretty much legally blind (kind of like now). Nevertheless, he was certain that even if he’d sailed a perfect regatta, he couldn’t win at that weight, in that fleet, in the full rig.

Doug tried to put on weight before competing again but it just wasn’t happening. He decided to switch to the radial rig for World competitions and stay at what he thought was a healthier weight. He came in 4th after a three way tie in Brisbane in the Grand Master radial division. He didn’t blame losing on his weight but on his technique in open water. He had one race where everything clicked and felt right and he was launched and won by a good distance. But that only happened for one race.

Robert Scheidt, a 40 year old master, competing in a full rig in the open fleet in Oman last week was sailing against the fittest and best Laser sailors in the world. He weighs about 2 pounds less than Doug does right now. Hmmm.

As a female learning how to play golf a few years ago, I soon learned the difference in muscle power and technique. My male golf partner could out hit me from day one and I couldn’t match him no matter how hard I tried. Then I took some lessons and learned the secret power behind proper technique. A swing with proper form produced a beautifully light sounding ‘tink’ and seemingly, without effort, the ball was flying through the air with the greatest of ease. My partner had muscle and I had technique and I was winning.

I can’t help but wonder if Doug is doing himself a disservice by not embracing the opportunity to fine tune his technique instead of focusing on tonnage.  

Is It A Coincidence?

By Doug

The open sailors have left and on Sunday the masters have started to arrive. The first were Wolfgang Gerz (GER), Peter Seidenberg (USA), Greg Adams (AUS), Keith Wilkins (GBR), Kerry Waraker (AUS), and perhaps 2 others. If you include Brett and myself who were already here, this means that 7 of the first 9 to arrive were current or former world champions who have collectively won close to 40 world championships. Is it a coincidence that people who arrive early tend to do well?

We now have 6 days to prepare for the Master Worlds. Oh, and the food now is even better.

Oman Open Worlds - Day 7 - Scheidt Wins!

by Doug

They held everyone on shore waiting for the breeze to fill in. We went out at about 1:00 and then sat and waited some more. With a few minutes before the 3:00 cutoff, the gold fleet finally got off. Here's the moment just before the gun taken by Brett from a different angle. It's a great example of why Robert, in the middle, gets off the line so well.

Robert went left with good height, tacked on the first shift, and led at every mark to win. There are a lot of people very happy to see him win. It was really an honor to have him back sailing Lasers.

Robert wins the last race and his 9th Worlds.  I took lots of video, hope some of it's usable.

Oman Open Worlds - Day 6

by Doug

More torrential rain overnight and some rooms in the hotel actually got flooded. The little boat I've been using had about 8" of water in it. I wouldn't be surprised if the local farmers try to get another Laser Worlds ASAP because of all the rain that we bring.

There was lots more talk about yesterday's racing. The key part of the race was being in the right place when a shift hit, and of course the first shift is really important. With all those boats with good speed, being on the outside of a circle really hurt, especially at the top of the course. The last shift is always persistent and being on the wrong side cost many people many places. So the most important shift for many was the last shift of the first beat.

The other thing that I noticed was how Robert managed the top of the first run. He was on the left and the outside of a rightie at the first mark and rounded in 14th place. Robert is known for his downwind skills, so it was interesting to see at the end of the top reach that he continued past the mark for about 20 seconds. This looked more like trying to stay in clear air than looking for pressure. Playing the right worked until the bottom of the run because the boats in the middle had a better angle with the breeze. But the right/clear air certainly worked for most of the run.

                 

With so much to learn, I focused again on Robert today and saw something I had not seen before in a race. With 2 minutes to go, he wanted to check upwind from the boat end of the line, so sailing on port while planing, he stood on the back of the deck for about 8 seconds looking upwind. He must have liked what we saw on the right. With a good lead and being conservative, he started in the middle of the line. After a few recalls, you'll see Robert set up and defend. A minute after the start, he tacked and won the first race.

In the second, you'll see another way that he defends by tacking twice. In this race, he had a bad first leg and finished 26th.

Pavlos sailed really well and had finishes of 3 and 6, so he is now just 1 point back with one more day to go.

  

Oman Open Worlds - Day 5

by Doug

The fleets were split into gold and silver and, of course, all of the coach boats wanted to watch the gold fleet. This video is not going to win any Academy Awards - the conditions for videoing were good but with the slop, I had trouble holding the camera still as you'll see. 

Picking the correct side was important and the leaders played the right on the first beat. I talked briefly with race winner Nick Thompson (GBR) and he played the middle right and led at each mark. It's amazing how important the first beat is as the positions rarely change much after that. The rich get richer... 

Neither Robert or Pavlos had a stellar first leg or finish. 

We only got in the one race because of the big front that came through. You'll see a part of it at the end of the video. One of our roommates is Colin Leonard and after standing on our balcony he said, "that is the quickest I got soaked ever." And he's from Ireland!!! 

Like the locals say about the weather at so many Laser Worlds: it's never like this.

Oman Open Worlds - Day 4

by Doug

A lot of people are enjoying Robert Scheidt (BRA) in this competition and he's well-known for his speed, especially downwind. Here's something that may not be as well-known - his reading of the wind going upwind.

One of my roommates is Kristian Ruth (NOR) and he told me an interesting story about Race 5 yesterday. He and Robert were about even in the mid-teens on the run, and for the first part of the next beat. There was no speed difference between them. Robert then tacked away for 30 seconds and then tacked back again to catch the edge of a wind line that put him in more pressure sooner and longer. When Kristian tacked, Robert was 50 meters in front and went on to finish 2nd. Kristian finished 15th. I asked Kristian if he saw what Robert saw and he said no.

The breeze today shifted to the north and was lighter. The first race started in about 4 knots and this increased to about 8 knots. The waves are the gentle chop you can expect in open water. The shifts were 20º and pretty random. People feel that rolled sails are an advantage in these conditions. There were about 20 yellow flags handed out today and you'll hear the whistles in the video.

Robert had a 28, his drop, and another bullet. I tried to focus on him and between races, you'll see a short close-up video of his setup for these conditions. You'll also wee a video of him starting the next race near the boat, waiting for a port-tack lane to develop, and then tack and duck one boat to go right and win the race.

One other thing to report... others are carving, jibing, and trying to catch waves going downwind. In the conditions today, Robert heads straight downwind.

Olympic Silver Medalist Pavlos Kontides (CYP) has sailed with great consistency and is 5 points back but has a drop of only 10, which is pretty amazing. I've watched him start and he likes being near the pin and always seems to get away with a good lane.

[Warning - this video might make you seasick]

Rain on the way ...

Oman Open Worlds - Day 3

By Doug

The size of my little boat for veiwing

The forecast was the same but it felt windier because the waves were bigger and I had a lot of trouble taking videos while being bounced around. And I was under doctor's orders not to have much sudden movement after my eye surgery last week. And the boat did not have an anchor. So the videos are pretty bad, but I learned that even bad videos can be useful as you will see.

I'm always looking for something different, something special to remember, but this can difficult in an event that lasts for 7 days. I saw something at the end of the first race today that I thought would be the highlight of the day. It was the bottom reach in the first race and at the beginning the two leading boats had a comfortable lead and were very close. By the end of the reach, one had pulled ahead by what looked like about 100 meters. I thought, both are world-class sailors... how can one be soooo much faster? And who was it?

Two minutes later, they finished and it was Robert Scheidt (BRA) who had pulled away from Nick Thompson (GBR), who is not at all slow. I thought wow, that was fantastic!

Nick is also in this report because in the next race there was a collision and he was disqualified. While unfortunate, that's not news. What is news is that he was in the 40's, which shows how brutal the conditions can be. Here's your new phrase of the day, spoken by an Aussie: anyone can have a shitter of a race.

But what made this day memorable happened back on shore. There was an unsolicited comment from one of the coaches about a US sailor who was 'yellow flagged' twice today. Translation - too much kinetics. Translation - cheating. The comment was made in the context of coaching. I added how US coaching at the college level is a disgrace because of the illegal (by international standards) kinetics that are actually encouraged. The international judges aren't stupid and know this, so the US coach here has a tough job having to un-train their sailors of the techniques that helped them get here. It's unfair, and the results were seen today. The coach I was talking with summed it up by saying that talented US sailors are nowhere close to their potential.

Robert had a great day with a 1, 2, 1. I congratulated him after the racing and the first thing he said was "I got a 2." From anyone else in the fleet, this would have been a statement of pure joy. From Robert, it sounded more like an apology.

The highlight from this memorable day happened after dark. There was an incident at the end of race 4 when Kristian Ruth (NOR) was fouled on the finishing line by another boat and I happened to video the incident. So my video was used as evidence which several people have told me is very rare because it has to be conclusive. The other boat also had a witness from Korea. We waited several hours before the protest hearing was held which Kristian won. It was the Korean's word against my video.

Here's the funny part - it could be the first time in sporting history when it was the Asian who did not have the camera.

[Warning - this video might make you seasick]

Oman Open Worlds - Day 2

by Doug

My first day in Oman happened to be His Majesty's birthday and the customs fellow at the airport said that I should be very happy. He was right, but perhaps for a different reason. I got to the hotel at 5:30 AM local time, having taken more than 50 hours to get to there. It was great to see Brett again, meet the fellows from Norway and Ireland he's coaching, check out the hotel (very nice), food (excellent), and start to get settled in.

Coach boats are extremely rare and Brett was unable to get his own, so he is sharing one with the Japanese coach. Everyone was a bit shocked when I was offered my own tiny boat by simply asking. The offshore breeze dies before the sea breeze kicks in, so there was a delay. We headed out just after noon.

So, here's my first Oman trivia question: what's the one thing that should never be hard to find in this part of the world?

Answer: Gas!! My boat had perhaps a liter and the coach from Tunisia had none and, get this, they stop selling gas at the marina at noon!!

It was one of those we-didn't-come-this-far-to-sit-on-the-shore moments, so I asked my new Tunisian friend if he would like to jump in, go 2 km upwind, drop the anchor, watch the starts and finishes, and then come (drift?) back to the harbor. He had no other option.

There's a joke amongst Laser sailors that the conditions for the Worlds are never what's expected. It only rains here 5 days a year and, sure enough, the outdoor opening ceremonies gala on Saturday was marred by, you guessed it, lots of rain. And the winds here have not been above 12 for the last month, so the first day was "fresh" as the Aussies like to say.

This second day was also windy - perhaps building to 15. But it's shallow so some the waves make it feel stronger. The waves reminded me a little of the Melbourne Worlds that was also in shallow water.

A rule is that no coach/media/spectator boat is permitted within 100 meters of where a competitor could sail, so getting good pictures is always a challenge. Add to this the bouncing around in our little boat, using a hand-held camera, using the zoom, and the sunlight reflecting off the tiny screen all made it hard to imagine what I was capturing ... but then I was having trouble seeing anyway.

We limped out to the starting area where all of the coach boats park behind the starting line. There were none at the pin so I suggested we park there, so here's the pin-end report.

The 120 competitors are split into 2 fleets for the first few days, so there are 2 starts.

Robert Scheidt (BRA) is back in Lasers and he has a very predictable starting sequence that I first noticed at the Ireland Worlds. He stands up with 2-3 minutes to go at the pin (part of the reason I wanted to be there), watches for about 20 seconds, and only then makes his final decision about where to start. No ones else does this.

The first fleet had 4 recalls and under a black flag about a dozen were disqualified including leader Nick Thompson (GBR). It's interesting to note that the middle of the line is where a lot of boats started early - there was no line sag. I also got a video of the end of the run of the second fleet, and you'll see Robert in the lead. He went on to win his race which is the second-to-last part of this video. On the way in, the fleet converged at the harbor entrance and a sailor beside was sailing hard by-the-lee, so I grabbed the camera and got a few seconds of that as well.