Race Day

• great wind. Southerly 8-21 knots, and gusty.
• left seemed to work very well today
• Connor/Camille put on a boat-handling clinic. They did get a little tired in race 5, and didn’t look as good, but everyone else apparently was tired too so that didn’t hurt them. Their one bad start was mitigated by a patient upwind philosophy; they tacked on the correct shifts regardless of traffic, and made noticeable gains each time someone else got out of phase
• gate choice hurt some people today
• downwind. Head right for the marks unless
  • A. going to big pressure
  • B. getting clear air
• sail off the back end of the main in overpowering conditions. Remember that our sails teach us to be very strong; almost all other mainsails will NOT be as hard to handle. This is a good thing; you will be stronger
• don’t make silly mistakes against good competition. You look silly.
• max your cunningham/outhaul vang too at times. Too many of our boats had poor sail trim
• You have to love conditions like these or you will hate them. There is no middle ground. Whatever it is you need to do (sail more in big wind, listen to Metallica before you go out, etc) you must realize that this is the time when sailing really becomes an athletic/endurance type sport. Get mentally ready. Opti kids went out after you all, and the wind was actually stronger. If they can do it, so can you.
• Further to that point, make decisive moves. Don’t hesitate when gybing. Do it. Don’t tack with hesitation. get the boat on the other tack right away.
• Tacking less in big wind is usually very fast. Have a plan to train yourself to see bigger shifts and dont tack too much.
• There were lulls. Please shift your weight in lighter air. Why not be fast always?
• We beat up pretty good on a college team. that’s a good sign of progress; our top three boats were still top 3.
• Crews do not underestimate your role in hiking hard and being active. You are 50% of the success of the boat.
• Think earlier and more often before starts. Too many boats didn’t plan well before the start. Much room on the line for boats that had creative plans; unfortunately, too many boats didn’t take advantage.