Day 3 - Goal is to make top 10 - Miami World Cup

After two days of racing, I am sitting in 11th place. My races have all been pretty similar: pretty good starts not too close to an end, try to keep a lane, play a few shifts, get to the windward mark in the top ten, and lose boats downwind. I am very confident with my speed and tactics upwind right now, but the downwind is the struggle. Our conditions have been full hiking, breeze 10-15 out of the east. The first day was shifty, yesterday was more consistent. The downwinds have been tough. In the light chop, and medium breeze, there is a major speed difference between the sailors with excellent technique and mediocre. I am working very hard to rock and flatten and steer and time it all with the waves, but it is an art that will take a long time to master.

Today, the breeze seems a little windier, (forecast for 13-18) and a little more right. That might mean more waves and more weeds. I plan to work hard and not be risky on the starts and upwinds, and downwind really try to find a clear lane, smooth rythm and be aware of pressure and weeds. I will also make a special effort to figure out the downwind mode before the start by giving myself enough time to sail upwind, and not be rushed on the sail back down so that I can focus on technique.

Time to get stretched and rigged up!

Day 1 alright, psyched for day 2 - Miami World Cup

Medium breeze yesterday for day 1 of Miami World Cup. Very shifty, choppy, sometimes full hiking, sometimes not. Tough downwind, my upwinds were pretty good. It was important to look for pressure, and get fully into it before tacking. Also it was important not to de-power the sail so that you could get through the chop. The upwind mode was kind of a heeled, loaded mode of sailing. Now I have to work more on downwind rocking and flattening.

Today is windy, maybe a 16 knots? My goal is to have good starts, go fast, and really be careful not to make any big mistakes that could cause me to throw away the opportunity to get good results on a windy day. Should be fun!

Gearing up for Miami World Cup

Day 5 of Miami Laser training. The last couple days have been great practice with international sailors. We do a lot of short races. The top sailors are fast, and they don't make mistakes! So, one of my goals is to minimize my mistakes.

Welcome

Welcome to my new blog! I will be updating this site with stories from my sailing experiences, and my future plans and racing schedule. I hope you enjoy it!