Tuesday, February 26, 2008

The JJ. Been there, seen it, done it............

............CAN'T WAIT FOR THE NEXT ONE!!!!

I am not really sure where to begin but it has been an eventful 10 days. I guess we didn't get off to the best of starts with our guest star, Craig Ferris standing in for Jamie during the Invitation Race. We sailed OK, we learnt some, we had fun and I broke my hand. Nothing major, just lots of pain and a swollen back of the hand that would give remind me of the Invitation Race for the rest of the week!

As with any week of sailing, we had high points and low points. The high was going around the top mark in 6th in the last race, the low point was capsizing when about 12th and finishing second from last. In 4 out of the 7 races we went round at least one mark in the top 10, yet our best place was 18th. Most of our fellow competitors thought we were doing better than we did and our overall position of 24th out of 29 was a bit disappointing. On the other hand, we finished 3rd on handicap. In fact, it was really 2nd equal with SLAM, but they got the position on count back. Now, the handicap results are just a bit of fun; after all, this is a one design. However, what it does mean is that we actually sailed better than we had during the regular season, which is pleasing to know.

The overwhelming memory of the regatta will be the performance of the 7 team. Seve, Rob and Sam were in a different league and sailed a great regatta. Others had their moments but time and again, & had the skill and luck to dominate. Even when they capsized with a few seconds to the start they got away with it because of a general recall. Then there were times they made their won luck, such as when, with 1 minute 30 secs to a start, they were forced to tack at the committee boat, as were we. They pulled away, gybed and reached down the line behind everybody and just as the gun was about to go, a hole opened, the headed up at full speed, hitting the line going 3 knots faster than anybody. 10 seconds later and they already had a 3 boatlength lead on the fleet and they were gone. And how about us? We gybed around, lined up behind a couple of others at the boat end and thought we had done well to tack off very soon after the start. 7 rounded the first mark with a big lead. Needless to say, we didn't!

The most important thing was that we learnt a lot and we identified what we need to concentrate on for next year. For instance, in the last race, we finally found a jib sheeting position that was perfect. The difference between good and perfect is the difference between 6th around the first mark and 16th. We finally had real speed (and a great shift to help us out!). Better late than never, but it is only right for a given set of conditions. We now need to learn the settings for all the other conditions. An 18 has a maximum speed upwind that almost any boat in the fleet can reach. However, a well set up boat stays at that speed for 95% of the time while the slower boats only manage it for 25%.

So, there we have it. It was sad to end the JJ as that meant that we had finished our campaign with Jamie, who is off to NZ for the rest of the season and doesn't know where he will be next year. We will therefore be sorting out a new sheet hand who is keen to help take things to the next level. We know what to work on, have a program of boat development for the winter and we are looking forward to next year. However, before that, there are still a couple of races left of this season.

In the mean time, thoughts change to foiling. The Moth has been neglected and it will be hitting the water again in the company of the rest of the 18 Footers League Flying Club. This exclusive club is currently made up of John Harris and Scott Babage off the Rag and myself. They are beginning to train for the moth worlds this winter (July) in Weymouth. With a trip already booked to the UK for next Christmas, I doubt I will be joining them but at least I can get some good training in and if I can help them, I will.

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