Thanks for the opportunity to provide my perspective on the day's races from my unique position in the middle of the pack. From this vantage point, I am afforded the unique opportunity to observe what's working, and not working, across the fleet. Winds were light and a little shifty, but seemed to favor the starboard side on most races. I tended to sail the starboard side of the course and was usually able to make the windward mark in four tacks. That said, the starboard side was usually the most congested at the start. For "non-aggressive" racers such as myself, I find myself trading off the merits of a good start on the non-favored side of the line versus a trailing position on the favored side. Thoughts? When beating, I made my best time when I moved my weight forward as much as possible on light wind, had my outhaul set at 8-10cm, slight tension on the cunningham, moderate vang tension (may have had my set a little too tight), and mail sheet out slightly. In addition, I lifted my centerboard a few inches on the first few races when beating because the wind was so light. The downhill runs tended to favor the middle of the course. I was able to catch and pass Jennifer on one race and, as evidenced by the video, Scott was able to pullout a victory from a third place position by racing the middle track. Things I did wrong: 1) In one race, I got my mainsheet tangled around the transom on a jibe near the leeward mark. (When this occurs, I find an ample amount of swearing highly therapeutic.) 2) In a few races, I had the vang on too tight on a few beats. When I released it a little and let out the sail slightly, I got a nice lift in the light air. 3) On the last turn of the last race, I raised the center board up a few seconds prematurely when rounding the windward mark. This caused me to slide into the mark. As a result, I did a 360 degree penalty which cost me two positions. 4) I need to repair my automatic bailer - it leaks continuously which adds weight to the boat (and chills the feet.) Most of the time, the boat wasn't moving fast enough to drain the water. All in all, it was a great day to be out on the water. I look forward to next week! Go Freezer Burn! |
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