St. Francis Spring Dinghy

Good News, Bad News... The bad news is that we only had 12 boats show up for the regatta. The good news is that the best of the best showed up, which made for the most intense and closest racing of the season so far. My results were not as good as anticipated but giving the company I was in I am very satisfied.

Saturday Race 1: 5-10 knots of north breeze, 60 degrees and flat water with a 2 knot ebb. I had a good start on the middle of the line with clear air. I missed a shift and lost a few boats, and by the time I rounded the top mark I was in 7th place. On the downwind there were very few passing lanes due to the strong current so we were all playing follow the leader. On the next upwind leg I played the current a little better and was able to pass a boat and round the top mark in 6th. On the run to the finish I was able to just pass one more boat to finish in 5th place.

Race 2: 12-18knots of westerly breeze, 56 degrees and extremely choppy water with a 3 knot ebb. We were postponed for over an hour due to the change in wind direction and the race committees lack of ability to set a proper course in extreme currents. I was in a great position on the middle of the line when I went to power up at the start and my legs didn't get the message and I managed to capsize. I immediately got the boat upright and going when I found myself in last place by a considerable distance. I kept my head in the game and sailed hard, by the time I rounded the top mark I had caught up to the fleet. On the downwind I managed to link up a few waves and surf by a few boats. At the bottom mark I had a great rounding and forced a few boats to the outside of me, putting me in 8th place. The upwind leg was nothing special I covered a few boats and I rounded in 8th place. On the last run to the finish I was able to surf past a few more boats putting me in 5th place. Unfortunately with in the last 50 yards I could not catch a wave to save my life and I was passed, only to finish the race in 7th place.

Race 3: 15-20 knots of westerly breeze, 55 degrees extremely choppy with a 3 knot ebb. I had an amazing start! I was on the middle of the line with all but one boat to leeward of me! Everything was looking good for me! All of a sudden a port tacking boat went to duck below my transom and ended up t-boning me. The bow of the other boat ended up in the cockpit of my boat which forced me to capsize on top of him. I then had to jump on his boat in an effort to untangle our two boats. After I untangled our boats I then had to jump back onto my tutled boat. By the time I got the boat upright again and going I was a half of a leg behind the rest of the fleet. Some how I was able to compose myself and keep sailing. I was in last place for the entire race, and at the finish I had just caught up with the back of the fleet almost beating two boats.

Sunday Race 4: 8-12 knots westerly breeze, 65 degrees, choppy with a 2 knot ebb. Today was a new day! I started on the boats end of the line with a few boats sitting on me. I tacked to get some clear air and I did not tack back to stick with the fleet. I went for a flyer with the hope of catching up with the leaders. This did not work out! At the top mark I rounded in 10th place with my training partner Drake just behind me (who was sitting in 3rd place in the regatta). The two of us looked at each other and new that we had to sail our butts of to get back in hunt. Half way down the run I was in 8th place, and at the bottom mark I had a great rounding and passed two more boats. On the upwind I struggled to find a rhythm in the chop and lost two places due to my boat speed. It came down to the last 100 yards of the downwind run there was a pack of four of us surfing waves and trading places, I managed to stay ahead of three of them to finish in 8th place.

Race 5: 15-20 knots of westerly breeze, 58 degrees and a ton of chop with a 2.5 knot ebb. I had a great start! I was in the hunt! I played all of the right shifts and rounded the top mark in 2nd. On the downwind several boats sat on my wind no matter what direction I went this resulted in me getting passed by 3 boats. Arrrg! The next downwind I focused on covering what was left of the fleet so as not to loose anymore places. The last downwind leg to the finish I could not make any gains on the leaders and ended up finishing in 5th place.

Race 6: 15-20 knots of westerly breeze, 58 degrees a ton of chop and a ripping 3 knot ebb. I had a solid start on the pin end of the line, I was able to point higher than a few boats to windward of me which forced them to tack away. I then had clear air all the way to the top of the course. Unfortunately due to the crazy current I over stood the layline and found my self reaching into the top mark. I lost a bunch of boats! I rounded in 8th place with the lead pack within reach. I linked up a bunch of waves and passed one boat by the leeward mark. On the last up wind I finally got a good rhythm threw the chop! Unfortunately so did everyone else. I was still in 7th place at the top mark and new I had to put the pedal down to make up some places. There were five boats all within a close distance of me each trying to surf every possible wave hoping to get out in front. This situation forced me to sail the most intense and physical downwind ever! I crossed the finish line in 6th place having just caught a really good wave and narrowly missing 5th place by an inch.

To Sum It Up! I had a tough regatta, though I was able to hang with the big guys. Which consisted of one past Olympian, one future Olympian, one world champion, and two very experienced masters. These guys were great competition! Overall this was a great weekend, I had a several mistakes that I learned from, and I pushed myself harder than I have ever pushed myself in a Laser. I ended up finishing the regatta in well fought for 6th place.

*Pictures Coming Soon!*

March Madness!

It is going to be a crazy month of sailing! This weekend I have the Spring Dinghy Olympic Class Regatta at the St. Francis Yacht Club on the San Francisco city front. This is the first big regatta of the season. We should have 25 -30 boats on the start line. The wind either nukes or we work on our tans in the parking lot. I am hoping for a solid 15 knots and sunny sky's... Next weekend I will be travelling down south to the Long Beach Olympic Class Regatta at the Alamito's Bay Yacht Club. I have not participated in this regatta before, though I have race there a bunch in college. I am using this regatta as one last weekend of solid practice for the Mid-Winters West.

The last weekend of the month is the Mid-Winters West at the Richmond Yacht Club. This is a strictly Laser event that attracts competitors from all over the world, where there should be over 100 boats participating. The event counts towards my National ranking with the US Sailing team. This is the regatta that I have been training for all winter long.

With the 3rd place finish at the Richmond Mid-Winters last weekend, hopefully I can build on that and have some solid finishes over the next few weeks.

Podium Finish!

The results are in! We had 18 out of 37 signed up boats show up for the last Mid-Winters. It was sunny, light winds and flat water. My official scores were not as consistent as I would have liked, though it got the job done.

First Race: 5-8 knots of breeze, 65 degrees and flat water. I had a good start in the middle of the line with clear air. I kept a clear lane and avoided any excess maneuvers and found myself in third place at the top mark. On the down wind run I found an extra gear and was able to reel in the top two guys. I tried attacking the second place boat with some match racing tactics. It worked I was able to force him away from me, which gave me some clear air so that I could attack the first place boat. At the bottom mark I rounded in second place. On the last leg I was able to point higher and faster than the first place boat and I was able to roll over the top of him. While I was distracted with covering the second place boat, the third place boat went on the attack and managed to sail over the top of me. In response I went on the attack and was able to force him into a bad shift and I went on to win the race!

Second Race: A very shifty 5-8 knots of breeze, 65 degrees and flat water. I had a really good start on the pin end of the line and had some clear air. Unfortunately the shifts that I played on the last race were not there, in fact they were opposite. I had some bad tactics and a few extra tacks at the top mark due to the increasing tide, and I ended up rounding the top mark in 12th place. On the downwind run I found another gear and made up some ground. Bythe time I got to the bottom mark I found myself in 5th place. Durring the last leg I chose the wrong side of the course and I lost a few boats and finished in 1oth place! Arrrg!

Third and Final Race: A very shifty 0-7 knots of breeze, 70 degrees and flat water. I had a bad start on the pin end of the line, which was the favored end. With about a minute to the start the wind shifted to the right and the boat end of the line was hugely favored. After the start I ended up having to duck most of the fleet to get to a clear lane and the favored side. I did a good job of playing the shifts and I rounded the top mark in 7th place. On the downwind I was able to catch a few puffs and I closed the distance on the leaders. I was still in 7th place towards the bottom mark, when all of a sudden there was a 90 degree wind shift, which I noticed and was able to pass two boats at the mark rounding. On the last leg the wind died down to less then 2 knots, this made for a very slow and suspenseful finish. Right at the finish line I was able to throw in two quick tacks and I passed one more boat to finish the race in 4th place.

The Wrap Up: I made a few mistakes and learned a ton. I feel that over the course of this series I have made some huge gains toward establishing myself in the upper echelons of the fleet. My consistency in the top of the fleet led to my 3rd place overall in the series! This is a great launching pad for the rest of the season!

Richmond Mid-Winters 4

The last Mid-winters of the series is this Sunday! Right now I am sitting in a solid 4th place. We have 35 lasers signed up for this last event, with a forecast of partly cloudy and 5-10 knots of breeze. My goal for the event as usual is to make less mistakes, and finish consistently in the top 5 and hopefully move into 3rd place or better!

"Laser Days"

Here it is!, My first sailing video! Crank up your speakers because it is a must for this video! I recorded this last week while I was training out of Richmond yacht club. It was blowing 20+ knots with a crazy ebb tide working against the wind, the combination made for some great downwind surfing. I'm working on my cinematography, I will have two more cameras for this weekends training. You can also see the video in a larger format on my You Tube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/rigboy6

America's Cup!

Ok so I am a little late! If you did not all ready know the San Francisco based America's Cup Team BMW Oracle won the Cup Last Week! It took two and a half years of lawsuits, boat development and training to make it happen. BMW Oracle built the fastest, most amazing sailboat ever created. It consists of a 90' trimaran hull/platform with a 235' wing sail. Wing Sail? It is basically an airplane wing stood on end which creates an insanely efficient sail. The boat defies physics, it can sail 2-3 times faster than the wind. Crazy...The defender of the cup was Alinghi. They are a Swiss based team that has successfully held the cup for ten years. Unfortunately for them they did not have as good of lawyers, sailors, and designers. Alinghi's boat was a 90' catamaran with a 190' tall mast with soft sails. There boat was a fast but with out the wing sail they did not stand a chance.

The race took place off the shore of Valencia Spain.The racing was close at times but once BMW got the wing going there was no stopping them. In the end BMW Oracle won the best of three series 2-0.

The cup is now back in America where it belongs! The future of Sailing in the bay area is looking good. Right now there are a lot of negotiations about where the next America's Cup will be held. San Francisco, San Diego, and even San Jose are lobbying to be the host city. My hope is that it will be here in the San Francisco bay! This will boost my industry, as well possibly open up some opportunities to be involved with one of the teams.

Congratulations BMW ORACLE!

GOAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Soccer? Yes Soccer! Due to it being dark and or raining when I get home from work I don't have the ability to go sailing. In an effort to get in better shape for sailing during the winter months, I have decided to take up indoor soccer.

Indoor soccer is played on a hocking ring with astro-turf. The result is the non-stop action of soccer combined with the physical contact of hockey. My team is called F.C. Alameda, which consist of 7 guys and 7 women. So far this season we have two wins and two losses. Out on the water I can allready feel the results of my added work out!