Last night we reviewed our upwind strategy, using the room mirror and then they took on the role of the coach and told me as the sailor what I should have been doing!
- Get a good start and have options
- Have good boatspeed
- Don't sail up the middle
- Keep in the pressure and use the shifts
- Keep your head out of the boat
Matt was given the captains armband for being the ET champ, and everyone else was the vice captain.
We were up at 0730, had breakfast, but Matt was feeling a bit sick [pressure of captaincy]. We also gave him a pill which he couldn't swallow.
Matt and me then went down to the club for the briefing, there were about 100 people- one coach and one sailor per team- Chris Atkins was stood on a table explaining how to protest. There were two race courses just off the club, we were on course A.
We were sharing a coach boat with Belgium and Peru for the team racing. It was a double elimination series, lose 2 and you are out.
The first race we had was against the unfancied Canada, who publically said they couldn't team race. Our team, with Ollie sitting out, proceeded to give a world class and masterful display of how to get every conceivable penalty going. Arran had 2 360's at the start and then had a jury red flag just off the start line. Strangely Scott was doing a great mark trap at the windward mark and got a red flag. Matt got a red flag on the run, and Scott got one for a port starboard crossing and [what me] Josh got a red for a rule 42. Anyway we snatched defeat from the jaws of victory and lost our first race. Ps Brian Willlis was umpiring that race.
In the is race the team used the following:-
Took 2 Cans off the course to the left
Mark trap,on mark 1
Pass back from mark 1-2
Starboard trap on mark 3
An 'after you' at the finish
We then got a bye in the next round so cooked in the heat instead.
Our next race was against Holland, and Arran sat out. We did team race well in this one, but it looked bad going up the last windward leg so I packed my bag to go home. The team came back all despondent then told me that the had WON, due to a penalty against the Dutch on the line- yipee. Meanwhile much Fancied Peru lost a race, and Belgium won a race. So we were all in the final races to decided the second day teams.
Peru won their race, Belgium lost and we had to wait until the second last race against Finland.
Just before the race the wind went hard right so the course became sort of very odd, it was really weird. it was a close reach to mark 1, nearly close hauled to mark 2, a reach to mark 3, then directly upwind to mark 4, and fetchy close hauled to the finish.
The racing was good and we lost on the Finish to the Finish, the team were a bit upset but got over after an ice cream. Its the closest we have come to the finals for few years.
Thats not quite the end though..........
There seemed to be 2 sets of grids for the team racing on our course, and some teams started to get a bit agitated. When we all came in about 20 minutes later the RC boats went out again to set up the race course again for Norway to sail against someone, anyway there was confusion then they all came in again and we still don't know what went on!
More soon, Alan
No comments:
Post a Comment