Monday, April 14, 2008

Pre-Worlds Day Two Crew Comments

Today was a huge day of learning for the entire boat; especially how the front and back of the boat can work together to better handle the intensity of the maneuvers that can be thrown at us being in such a competitive fleet. While we didn’t finish that well at all in any races today, we made huge leaps in understanding what we absolutely need to improve on to make for better jibes, take downs, and turns.

We begun the first two races with starts that were far less than stellar or aggressive. We did a great job of getting the trimmers locked into my train of thought for the pre-start maneuvers and jockeying for position and now feel much more confident about being able to get off the line. The first two starts of the day I simply did not pick the proper battles to engage in, nor were we able to win them partially to being much too passive on my end. Finally in the 3rd race of the day, we didn’t just find a hole on the starting line, we made one, defended it, and started in clear air which gave us a world of options and clear air for the rest of the upwind beat. Our understanding of what it is going to take to hang with these professional sailors and teams is becoming clearer every day. We are going to weigh in on Sunday morning again, we are 35 lbs over as a team, change out some sails, and hit the water!

The sun has been brutal, but the conditions could not have been any better. Getting to do this type of sailing, against this competition, in this arena, on clear water and sunny skies is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity

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