So, we have now sailed the last race before the JJ and it was educational. Sunday saw a new wind direction and a new course, plus lots of discussion as to which rig to use. As usual, in that situation, there is lots of banter and one of my regular "sparring partners" was well up for it. Cocko (Michael Coxon on Fiat) has always been the one for the quick repartee. He calls me "Austin" (Powers) because I am a Brit and no doubt because he has heard about the strength of my Mojo and my reputation with the foxy ladies! On the other hand, he is also convinced that the shower I have on Sunday after the race is the only one I have all week, as all Brits are "soap dodgers". Of course, that will make the JJ tough for me as I will need 8 showers in 10 days. However, I will take those showers whether I need them or not! And while I am at it, here's a quick hello to Cocko's Dad!!
So, in the end the fleet was split 70:30 in favour of big rigs. We went small, because we wanted to learn how we went on a marginal day and because 7 went small as well, due to what they thought the course would be. And did we get it wrong! What should have been a very tight kite reach from one end of the harbour to the other turned into a 2 sailer until around the last headland and then it was a run to the mark. The little rigs got crucified! To make matters worse, the wind wasn't only shifting 20 degrees with every gust and lull, but those gusts and lulls were coming trough quicker than an express train and it wasn't really what most would call a pleasant day in the office.
And so we enter the home straight of the race that is the preparations for the JJ. For some, there will be the final little tweeks and polishing so that the diamond is all shiny and bright for the start of the racing. For others, there is a final attempt to slap lipstick on the pig in an attempt to make their campaigns look better. While I am working on the boat, we won't be practicing this week, partly because we have run out of lipstick and partly because we don't want to polish the edge off the diamond.
Boat preparations are behind schedule and have thrown up a few suprises. We had noticed some cracks around the rudder gantry so some investigation was in order. It became clear that matters were worse than I had thought when I sanded back some paint so as to laminate on some strengthening carbon. I masked the areas I didn't want damaged but on finishing sanding, I removed the tape only to have a 1cm hole appear where filler was pulled out! Some hard pushing and pulling ensued, which revealed that the whole gantry could flex and there were more cracks than had been first thought. There seemed to be less carbon that there should have been, although how much differenec it will really make is difficult to guage. So, instead of filling and polishing the bottom, I have been laminating carbon and hopefully, we now have a gantry that is up to the job.
The job list remains long, the time short and as usual, the last minute rush seems as impossible as ever. All I know is that we will be lining up with the rest of the fleet for the invitational race on Friday and then the main event starts on Saturday. We have worked hard at the task of learning to race an 18 and whatever happens, I feel we have given it our best shot. The only thing we could have done better was to have started training earlier, but we didn't have a boat so couldn't. We have our targets and if it all comes together, we can achieve what we want. However, the real key will be to enjoy the event and to learn as much as possible for next year.
So, in the end the fleet was split 70:30 in favour of big rigs. We went small, because we wanted to learn how we went on a marginal day and because 7 went small as well, due to what they thought the course would be. And did we get it wrong! What should have been a very tight kite reach from one end of the harbour to the other turned into a 2 sailer until around the last headland and then it was a run to the mark. The little rigs got crucified! To make matters worse, the wind wasn't only shifting 20 degrees with every gust and lull, but those gusts and lulls were coming trough quicker than an express train and it wasn't really what most would call a pleasant day in the office.
And so we enter the home straight of the race that is the preparations for the JJ. For some, there will be the final little tweeks and polishing so that the diamond is all shiny and bright for the start of the racing. For others, there is a final attempt to slap lipstick on the pig in an attempt to make their campaigns look better. While I am working on the boat, we won't be practicing this week, partly because we have run out of lipstick and partly because we don't want to polish the edge off the diamond.
Boat preparations are behind schedule and have thrown up a few suprises. We had noticed some cracks around the rudder gantry so some investigation was in order. It became clear that matters were worse than I had thought when I sanded back some paint so as to laminate on some strengthening carbon. I masked the areas I didn't want damaged but on finishing sanding, I removed the tape only to have a 1cm hole appear where filler was pulled out! Some hard pushing and pulling ensued, which revealed that the whole gantry could flex and there were more cracks than had been first thought. There seemed to be less carbon that there should have been, although how much differenec it will really make is difficult to guage. So, instead of filling and polishing the bottom, I have been laminating carbon and hopefully, we now have a gantry that is up to the job.
The job list remains long, the time short and as usual, the last minute rush seems as impossible as ever. All I know is that we will be lining up with the rest of the fleet for the invitational race on Friday and then the main event starts on Saturday. We have worked hard at the task of learning to race an 18 and whatever happens, I feel we have given it our best shot. The only thing we could have done better was to have started training earlier, but we didn't have a boat so couldn't. We have our targets and if it all comes together, we can achieve what we want. However, the real key will be to enjoy the event and to learn as much as possible for next year.
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