I will have updates soon...
J fest:
Elvestrom Zellerbach
Thursday Night Racing
Wednesday Night beer Cans with the 505
Bullship El Toro Regatta
Friday, April 29, 2011
Monday, March 14, 2011
Spring Dinghy!
Just when you thought sailing on the city front could not get any more challenging, they throw a tsunami in the mix.
The Spring Dinghy at the St Francis yacht club was one of the most tactically challenging regatta this season to date. All weekend long the tides were crazy unpredictable due to the aftermath of the previous days tsunami from Japan's 9.0 earthquake.
The water was acting screwy, the tide was flooding when it was supposed to be ebbing. Usually you can set your watch to the currents and plan your tactics accordingly. This past weekend the currents changed each leg of the race and to throw in another element there was a huge storm front rolling through that caused a lot of huge wind shifts and a bit of moisture. Good times!
Besides mother nature throwing a bunch of curve balls at us we had a good turnout of a solid twenty boats. I was filling fired up this weekend and eager to mix it up with the local big dogs.
All weekend I had great starts, great boat speed and even better boat handling. Minus a couple capsizes that were self induced by being to aggressive down wind, my short coming was my tactics, every single leg of each race was a roll of the dice. I constantly was finding myself in the top pack and then just when I thought I had the course dialed the fleet would split in different directions and in most cases I would choose the non-favored side of the course.
Man oh man was I loving short tacking up the city front! Zero too five boat lengths from the boulder riddled shore, ripping currents, gusting wind and nineteen other boats fighting for the same space. This was my bread and butter on Saturday and I found myself constantly passing multiple boats every time the fleet ventured to that side of the course. This part of the city front always makes me nervous but for some reason this weekend I was feeling in the groove, and loving every minute of it!
I had my moment of glory when I managed to lead most of the first race on Sunday. It always is nice looking back and having a few world champions and an Olympic medalist chomping at the bit to catch up to you. It was a long race so I was loving every minute of my glory, until the lead pack joined forces and chased me down and passed me on the last leg due to a slight tactical error. Arrrrg! So I have fired my tactician and am in search of a new one for my next regatta in a few weeks. Let me know if you have any leads...Despite my tactical short comings I managed to get few solid finishes in and finished the weekend in eight place overall. I am fired up and can't wait for next months Elvstrom regatta which is held on the same waters!
The Spring Dinghy at the St Francis yacht club was one of the most tactically challenging regatta this season to date. All weekend long the tides were crazy unpredictable due to the aftermath of the previous days tsunami from Japan's 9.0 earthquake.
The water was acting screwy, the tide was flooding when it was supposed to be ebbing. Usually you can set your watch to the currents and plan your tactics accordingly. This past weekend the currents changed each leg of the race and to throw in another element there was a huge storm front rolling through that caused a lot of huge wind shifts and a bit of moisture. Good times!
Besides mother nature throwing a bunch of curve balls at us we had a good turnout of a solid twenty boats. I was filling fired up this weekend and eager to mix it up with the local big dogs.
All weekend I had great starts, great boat speed and even better boat handling. Minus a couple capsizes that were self induced by being to aggressive down wind, my short coming was my tactics, every single leg of each race was a roll of the dice. I constantly was finding myself in the top pack and then just when I thought I had the course dialed the fleet would split in different directions and in most cases I would choose the non-favored side of the course.
Man oh man was I loving short tacking up the city front! Zero too five boat lengths from the boulder riddled shore, ripping currents, gusting wind and nineteen other boats fighting for the same space. This was my bread and butter on Saturday and I found myself constantly passing multiple boats every time the fleet ventured to that side of the course. This part of the city front always makes me nervous but for some reason this weekend I was feeling in the groove, and loving every minute of it!
I had my moment of glory when I managed to lead most of the first race on Sunday. It always is nice looking back and having a few world champions and an Olympic medalist chomping at the bit to catch up to you. It was a long race so I was loving every minute of my glory, until the lead pack joined forces and chased me down and passed me on the last leg due to a slight tactical error. Arrrrg! So I have fired my tactician and am in search of a new one for my next regatta in a few weeks. Let me know if you have any leads...Despite my tactical short comings I managed to get few solid finishes in and finished the weekend in eight place overall. I am fired up and can't wait for next months Elvstrom regatta which is held on the same waters!
Friday, March 11, 2011
Spring Keel and the Midwinters!
Let the fun begin!
We had a great first race day for our J 24 team "Little Wing" at the St. Francis Yacht clubs Spring Keel. This was only the second day with the new crew sailing together and our first day of racing. Somehow the boat owner Luther put together a solid team of rookies and veterans and managed to pull off two third place finishes for the day. This was no easy feat, we were plagued with the usual rusty crew hijynx, tangled spin halyards at the leeward mark, crash tacks and a jib sheet override at the finish line. Despite our short comings we were by far the fastest boat in the fleet, and our tactics were dead on! Not a bad start to the season, I can't wait for our next regatta! Way to go Marnie, Will, Kara(care-uh), and Luther. It is good to be back on a proper keel boat team!
The last day of the Richmond Mid-winters turned out to be a bust! There was plenty of wind on the way to the course, right as the racing was about to begin the wind shut off and the tide started ripping. So no wind and a ton of current equals a long tow back to the club and no racing. This was unfortunate, I was sitting in forth place 5 points out of the lead. All I needed was one good race and I would have been in the money. A top five finish is all good, and my fourth place warranted a beer bottle cooler. It's all about next year!
We had a great first race day for our J 24 team "Little Wing" at the St. Francis Yacht clubs Spring Keel. This was only the second day with the new crew sailing together and our first day of racing. Somehow the boat owner Luther put together a solid team of rookies and veterans and managed to pull off two third place finishes for the day. This was no easy feat, we were plagued with the usual rusty crew hijynx, tangled spin halyards at the leeward mark, crash tacks and a jib sheet override at the finish line. Despite our short comings we were by far the fastest boat in the fleet, and our tactics were dead on! Not a bad start to the season, I can't wait for our next regatta! Way to go Marnie, Will, Kara(care-uh), and Luther. It is good to be back on a proper keel boat team!
The last day of the Richmond Mid-winters turned out to be a bust! There was plenty of wind on the way to the course, right as the racing was about to begin the wind shut off and the tide started ripping. So no wind and a ton of current equals a long tow back to the club and no racing. This was unfortunate, I was sitting in forth place 5 points out of the lead. All I needed was one good race and I would have been in the money. A top five finish is all good, and my fourth place warranted a beer bottle cooler. It's all about next year!
Friday, February 18, 2011
So many boats so little time!
This season is shaping up to be a busy one!
The usual Laser campaign, a full season on a J-24 and few fun regattas for the 505! Not to mention a few practice days thrown in between dates...
Ryan's Racing Schedule 2011-2012
Location: Event: Date: Boat
StFYC Spring Keel March5 J-24
RYC Richmond Midwinters March 6 Laser
STFYC Spring Dinghy March 12-13 Laser
SCYC Laser Nor-Cal Champs April 2-3
STFYC J/Fest April 9-10 J-24
STFYC Elvstrom Zellerbach April 16-17 Laser
RYC Vallejo Race April 30-1 505
RYC Elite Keel May 14-15 J-24
RYC Dinghy Invite May ? Laser
SCYC Laser PCC's June ? Laser
STFYC SF NOOD Regatta June 25-26 J-24
PICYA Lipton Cup July 16-17 J-24
LWSC Dinghy Delta Ditch July 24th? 505
STFYC Laser Slalom Aug 5th Laser
BYC TMC District Champs Aug 6-7th J-24
TYC Kip Lar Rieu Sept ??? Laser
STFYC Fall Dinghy Oct 22-23 Laser
RYC Great Pumpkin Oct 29 J-24
The usual Laser campaign, a full season on a J-24 and few fun regattas for the 505! Not to mention a few practice days thrown in between dates...
Ryan's Racing Schedule 2011-2012
Location: Event: Date: Boat
StFYC Spring Keel March5 J-24
RYC Richmond Midwinters March 6 Laser
STFYC Spring Dinghy March 12-13 Laser
SCYC Laser Nor-Cal Champs April 2-3
STFYC J/Fest April 9-10 J-24
STFYC Elvstrom Zellerbach April 16-17 Laser
RYC Vallejo Race April 30-1 505
RYC Elite Keel May 14-15 J-24
RYC Dinghy Invite May ? Laser
SCYC Laser PCC's June ? Laser
STFYC SF NOOD Regatta June 25-26 J-24
PICYA Lipton Cup July 16-17 J-24
LWSC Dinghy Delta Ditch July 24th? 505
STFYC Laser Slalom Aug 5th Laser
BYC TMC District Champs Aug 6-7th J-24
TYC Kip Lar Rieu Sept ??? Laser
STFYC Fall Dinghy Oct 22-23 Laser
RYC Great Pumpkin Oct 29 J-24
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
I Survived The Miami OCR!
Sorry for the wait!It was a long distance to travel to get my butt kicked, in the end it was well worth it! I figure the only way I am going to get better in this sport is by racing against the best in the world. Although my results did not show it, I was hanging with the big guys! This event is the biggest Olympic Classes regatta in the country, and the organizers did a great job of running a high end regatta for over 700 athletes.
The laser fleet was so big that they separated us into two fleets of 52 boats. Throughout the week the wind ranged from 0-25+ knots and out of a different direction everyday. I think the wind actually averaged around 15 knots for the week. The weather was a warm 70+ with the water temperature around 75. Most guys looked cold and were geared up with jackets and and other warm apparel, me I was toasty sporting my Zhik hiking pants and a rashgaurd. Good Times!
Eating and sleeping Lasers!
A quick rundown my typical day at the Miami OCR:
-Wake up 7:00am shower eat some breakfast and a glass of GU recovery.
-Drive to the US Sailing Center to check the notice board to see what fleet I was in for the day.
-Stop off at the market and grab a sandwich and snacks for lunch.
-8:00am start rigging the boat and snacking.
-8:45am begin stretching/yoga exercises.
-9:00 Throw on sailing gear and get in line to launch boat (165 boats, one ramp!)
-9:30 get in the water and start sailing to race course, while eating a sandwich and hydrating with GU Brew.
-11:00 Hopefully make it to course by now! Usually takes an hour and a half to sail to the course depending the wind. Start tuning and figuring out the course and eat at least one packet of GU gel.
-11:15 Race start time! During/between races I drink two bottles of GU Brew, 3-5 packets of GU gel and 2-3 Snickers Bars.
-3:30 Finish racing and start sailing in...
-5:00 Arrive back at sailing center, wash and de-rig boat and pound a bottle of GU Recovery Brew.
-6:30 Find something healthy to eat for dinner... Everything is fried or covered in cheese here!
-8:00 Call friends and family for a debrief.
-9:00 Pass out!
*A few guys in the boat yard did the math and figured that we sailed 22 miles a day!
The week in review!
The first day I was plagued with bad starts. A little bit "Star Struck" and intimidated by the competition, i.e. Paul Goodison defending Gold medalist, current World Champion, and Clay Johnson top dog on the US Sailing Team just to name a few. Unfortunately in this big of a fleet it is all about the start, and it was hard to make up any distance with elite of a group. I finished 46th and 42nd out of 52 for the day.
By the second day I got my first day jitters out of the way. I had great starts and was able to hang in the middle of the pack. This fleet was so competitive that if you made one wrong move, shifted your body in the wrong position while going off a wave you would looses speed and get sucked up by the fleet and end up in the back of the pack. I finished out the day with a 45th and 43rd.
As the week progressed I found my groove, amazing starts and even better boat handling/speed. I kept finding myself up in the top half of the fleet and would be there throughout two thirds to three quarters of the race and somehow I would manage to make one little mistake and find my self getting sucked up by the fleet. Arrrrrrg!
I had two areas that I really struggled with through out the week that kept coming back to bite me. The first being the reaching leg, I kept loosing boats on this leg almost every time. This is do to the fact that most of the regattas that I compete in on the west coast don't use the Olympic trapezoid course that involves long reaches, so I lack that experience. The second area of improvement is sailing in 15+knots with close steep chop. I do have a lot of experience with this situation while sailing in the Berkeley circle, though I still have not perfected the technique to the degree that this fleet has. Nothing more time on the water and hopefully a coach can't help!
In the end this was a great regatta for me! My results were not the best, by the last days I was rounding the marks in top 20 and even the top ten. My best result for the week was 33rd. I have a lot to work on before my next major regatta, this event fueled my fire/passion for competitive laser sailing even more. I finished out the regatta in 95th place with plenty of room to improve on for next year. After completing the regatta I was ranked 22nd in the US and 95th in world rankings.
I appreciate this great opportunity to travel across the country to race Lasers and compete against the best of the best! I could not have done it with out the support from my sponsors and especially my wife for flying all the way across the country to support me!
The laser fleet was so big that they separated us into two fleets of 52 boats. Throughout the week the wind ranged from 0-25+ knots and out of a different direction everyday. I think the wind actually averaged around 15 knots for the week. The weather was a warm 70+ with the water temperature around 75. Most guys looked cold and were geared up with jackets and and other warm apparel, me I was toasty sporting my Zhik hiking pants and a rashgaurd. Good Times!
Eating and sleeping Lasers!A quick rundown my typical day at the Miami OCR:
-Wake up 7:00am shower eat some breakfast and a glass of GU recovery.
-Drive to the US Sailing Center to check the notice board to see what fleet I was in for the day.
-Stop off at the market and grab a sandwich and snacks for lunch.
-8:00am start rigging the boat and snacking.
-8:45am begin stretching/yoga exercises.
-9:00 Throw on sailing gear and get in line to launch boat (165 boats, one ramp!)
-9:30 get in the water and start sailing to race course, while eating a sandwich and hydrating with GU Brew.
-11:00 Hopefully make it to course by now! Usually takes an hour and a half to sail to the course depending the wind. Start tuning and figuring out the course and eat at least one packet of GU gel.
-11:15 Race start time! During/between races I drink two bottles of GU Brew, 3-5 packets of GU gel and 2-3 Snickers Bars.
-3:30 Finish racing and start sailing in...
-5:00 Arrive back at sailing center, wash and de-rig boat and pound a bottle of GU Recovery Brew.
-6:30 Find something healthy to eat for dinner... Everything is fried or covered in cheese here!
-8:00 Call friends and family for a debrief.
-9:00 Pass out!
*A few guys in the boat yard did the math and figured that we sailed 22 miles a day!
The week in review!
The first day I was plagued with bad starts. A little bit "Star Struck" and intimidated by the competition, i.e. Paul Goodison defending Gold medalist, current World Champion, and Clay Johnson top dog on the US Sailing Team just to name a few. Unfortunately in this big of a fleet it is all about the start, and it was hard to make up any distance with elite of a group. I finished 46th and 42nd out of 52 for the day.
By the second day I got my first day jitters out of the way. I had great starts and was able to hang in the middle of the pack. This fleet was so competitive that if you made one wrong move, shifted your body in the wrong position while going off a wave you would looses speed and get sucked up by the fleet and end up in the back of the pack. I finished out the day with a 45th and 43rd.
As the week progressed I found my groove, amazing starts and even better boat handling/speed. I kept finding myself up in the top half of the fleet and would be there throughout two thirds to three quarters of the race and somehow I would manage to make one little mistake and find my self getting sucked up by the fleet. Arrrrrrg!
I had two areas that I really struggled with through out the week that kept coming back to bite me. The first being the reaching leg, I kept loosing boats on this leg almost every time. This is do to the fact that most of the regattas that I compete in on the west coast don't use the Olympic trapezoid course that involves long reaches, so I lack that experience. The second area of improvement is sailing in 15+knots with close steep chop. I do have a lot of experience with this situation while sailing in the Berkeley circle, though I still have not perfected the technique to the degree that this fleet has. Nothing more time on the water and hopefully a coach can't help!
In the end this was a great regatta for me! My results were not the best, by the last days I was rounding the marks in top 20 and even the top ten. My best result for the week was 33rd. I have a lot to work on before my next major regatta, this event fueled my fire/passion for competitive laser sailing even more. I finished out the regatta in 95th place with plenty of room to improve on for next year. After completing the regatta I was ranked 22nd in the US and 95th in world rankings.
I appreciate this great opportunity to travel across the country to race Lasers and compete against the best of the best! I could not have done it with out the support from my sponsors and especially my wife for flying all the way across the country to support me!
Thanks a ton!
Ryan
Ryan
Friday, January 21, 2011
Going to Miami!
That's right Miami! I will be taking off this Saturday to go compete in the 2011 US Sailing's Rolex Miami Olympic Classes Regatta.
The regatta consists of over 50 Nations and 700 athletes that takes place on Miami's Biscayne Bay January 24th-29th.I will be competing in the Laser class against 102 other sailors consisting of several Laser world champions, Olympic medalists, and a bunch of other former and future Olympians from around the world. It is safe to say that I will have my work cut out for me.
My main goals for the event are to gain as much experience possible in a large competitive fleet and do my best to hang with big guys! I know I am not the best guy out there but the knowledge that I gain during this week will help me become a better sailor in the long run. I am just focusing on keeping a positive attitude and looking forward to kicking some butt! Anything is possible, I might walk away with the event win and a spot on the US Sailing Team!
I will do my best to keep my Blog updated during the event so as to keep you informed. As well you can follow on the even website. http://rmocr.ussailing.org/Rolex_Miami_OCR.htm
The regatta consists of over 50 Nations and 700 athletes that takes place on Miami's Biscayne Bay January 24th-29th.I will be competing in the Laser class against 102 other sailors consisting of several Laser world champions, Olympic medalists, and a bunch of other former and future Olympians from around the world. It is safe to say that I will have my work cut out for me.
My main goals for the event are to gain as much experience possible in a large competitive fleet and do my best to hang with big guys! I know I am not the best guy out there but the knowledge that I gain during this week will help me become a better sailor in the long run. I am just focusing on keeping a positive attitude and looking forward to kicking some butt! Anything is possible, I might walk away with the event win and a spot on the US Sailing Team!
I will do my best to keep my Blog updated during the event so as to keep you informed. As well you can follow on the even website. http://rmocr.ussailing.org/Rolex_Miami_OCR.htm
Friday, December 3, 2010
The year in review!
It has been a busy and fun year of sailing. Here is a quick run down of my results from the 2009-2010 season.
Richmond Yacht Club Midwinters 3rd place laser Fleet
Long Beach OCR 11th place
St Francis Spring Dinghy OCR 6th place
Laser Mid-Winters West 38th place
Laser Nor-Cal Championships 8th place
Big Dinghy 3rd place Laser Fleet
Elvstrom Regatta 8th place
Laser Pacific Coast Championships 13th place
Richmond YC Totally Dinghy 6th place
St Francis Fall Dinghy 13th place
Lake Washington Turkey Shoot 1st Place Laser fleet
Laser District 24 Grand Prix Ranking of 6th
North American Laser Grand Prix Season high ranking of 13th
Treasure Island Thursday Night Laser Series 1st Place
115 Individual races
38 Race days
*This Is Just Laser Regattas!
Whoa! Overall it was a successful year, and I have plenty to build on and to improve for next season. I appreciate the support from my sponsors, GU Energy Gel, West Marine Rigging, Zhik Sailing Gear, and the most important of all my wife Keely! I look forward to an even more action packed and successful season!
Thanks
Ryan Nelson
Sailing Addict!
Richmond Yacht Club Midwinters 3rd place laser Fleet
Long Beach OCR 11th place
St Francis Spring Dinghy OCR 6th place
Laser Mid-Winters West 38th place
Laser Nor-Cal Championships 8th place
Big Dinghy 3rd place Laser Fleet
Elvstrom Regatta 8th place
Laser Pacific Coast Championships 13th place
Richmond YC Totally Dinghy 6th place
St Francis Fall Dinghy 13th place
Lake Washington Turkey Shoot 1st Place Laser fleet
Laser District 24 Grand Prix Ranking of 6th
North American Laser Grand Prix Season high ranking of 13th
Treasure Island Thursday Night Laser Series 1st Place
115 Individual races
38 Race days
*This Is Just Laser Regattas!
Whoa! Overall it was a successful year, and I have plenty to build on and to improve for next season. I appreciate the support from my sponsors, GU Energy Gel, West Marine Rigging, Zhik Sailing Gear, and the most important of all my wife Keely! I look forward to an even more action packed and successful season!
Thanks
Ryan Nelson
Sailing Addict!
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