Monday, August 23, 2010

Laser World Championships

I am in Hayling Island, UK for the Laser World Championships.
The Canadian Team is training here August 20-29 and the Worlds run August 30th - September 5th.
Click on read more for daily reports.
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Monday, August 30
Today was the first day of racing. We had a medium offshore wind with significant pressure and direction changes making the racing quite tricky. In the first race I had a good start and was able to get myself cleanly out to the first puff on the left. I hitched back out left near the top of the beat and missed out on some pressure and lost to a pack on the right. I had a good first run and second beat, and passed 3 boats on the last beat to finish 20th. In the second race I did not do a good job of identifying the favoured end and started in the middle of the line, and was significantly behind the group of boats that started near the pin. I did not have a good first run and leeward mark rounding, but was able to make gains on the final half of the course to finish 33. Racing continues tomorrow with another 2 qualifying races scheduled.
Weather: Partly cloudy, 18 degrees, 5-10 knots

Tuesday, August 31
Today was a tough day at the office for me. The wind was quite light and we had a strong current making the racing very tricky. I did not account for the current well on the starts and did not get off the line well. In the first race I came out in okay shape but went up the wrong side of the course and lost out when the wind went right. In the second race I did not have a good start but was able to get clear quickly. I missed a few pressure lines near the top of the first beat and faded throughout the race. I posted a 48,46 today dropping me to 124.
Weather: Sunny, 20 degrees, 5 knots

Wednesday, September 1
Today we had a nice gradient wind with decent sized waves. In the first race I got a clear lane to the right and came back nicely with pressure to round the top mark in the top 20. I did not have a good reach, but made up 10 boats on the second beat and finished 18. In the second race I got out nicely again and rounded in the top 20, but did not have good pace on the reach. I lost out a bit on the second beat, but was able to make some gains on the final beat to finish 27th.
Weather: Sunny, 20 degrees, 12 knots

Thursday, September 2
Today I had to sail a solid day in order to remain in the silver fleet. I started well today and rounded the weather mark in good position but got run over on the first reach. In the first race I was able to make some gains on the second run and finished 24. In the second race I was higher up to begin and dropped a few throughout to finish 22.
Weather: Sunny, 20 degrees, 12 knots

Friday, September 3
Today's conditions were quite similar to Wednesday's, but with the current a bigger factor many boats were black flagged (a total of 39 BFDs in the senior fleet today), including myself in the first race. In the second race I had a clean start at the boat end. I didn't play the first beat as well as I had hoped, but rounded the weather mark in the top 20. I did not go the right way on the run and found myself back in the pack at the bottom, but was able to make some gains to finish 28 in the race. Two days of racing remain.
Weather: Sunny, 20 degrees, 12 knots

------- Training -----

Saturday, August 21
After sorting out my charter equipment I sailed out and joined the training group for a short session. I did a few races with a large group before heading back in.
Weather: 20 degrees, partly cloudy, 15 knots

Sunday, August 22
Today the wind was lighter with some swell left over from the day before. We ran through some practice starts and races and had a good downwind back against the current.
Weather: 22 degrees, cloudy, 5-10 knots

Monday, August 23
Day off

Tuesday, August 24
Today it was quite windy with winds in the 30-35 range and big waves. We did several races and I spent a fair amount of time swimming but it was good to get some practice in this amount of wind and some good pointers on what I was doing wrong.
Weather: 22 degrees, partly cloudy, 30-35 knots

Wednesday, August 25
When we first got out today it was quite light so we got some practice in light air. The wind picked up throughout the session and by the end we had nice hiking conditions.
Weather: 17 degrees, cloudy, 5 knots increasing to 18

Thursday, August 26
It was quite windy this morning with big waves, but by the time we got out the wind had come down to around 18 with the big waves left over. Again we ran some practice races.
Weather: 17 degrees, partly cloudy, 18 decreasing to 8
Friday, August 27
Day off

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Sail for Gold

I am in Weymouth, England for the Sail for Gold regatta. The venue will be used for the sailing competition in the 2012 Olympic Games.
Racing runs August 9-14. Results can be found here.
Click read more for daily reports.
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Saturday, August 7
Today was my first day back on the water after two weeks off because of a foot injury. I was a bit slow in my maneuvers but hiking was not an issue. It was good to get back in the boat again.
Weather: 21 degrees, cloudy, 12 knots

Sunday, August 8
I spent the day organizing my spare gear and making sure everything is ready to go for tomorrow. Racing begins at 10am with 2 races scheduled.

Monday, August 9
Today was the first day of racing. We waited for an hour and a half for the wind to settle in before the first race got underway. I did not have a very good start, and when I tacked out I got tacked on and had to immediately tack back. With all the lanes to the right gone, I was forced to go hitch up on the left of the fleet. The right side faded and I found myself in the top 20 around the weather mark. I lost a couple of boats on each of the next legs, but had a good last run, passing a group of boats to finish 15. In the second race I had a good start, but got out of phase and was left back of the leaders. I did not have a good top reach and lost a couple of boats and a lot of distance and finished 33rd. Qualifying continues tomorrow with two more races scheduled and a forecast of more wind.
Weather: Cloudy, 18 degrees, 10-14 knots.

Tuesday, August 10
After waiting around for a couple of hours for the radials to get underway we got started. It was windier today, with the wind ranging 14-20 and a big swell. In the first race I bailed a bit too early after the start and had to fight to get back. I didn't have great downhills but sailed okay upwind and finished 32. In the second race I made some gains on the oscillations on the beat and made a good move upwind to get into the top 20 at the first leeward. I wasn't as quick on the second run and lost a few to finish 21. After 4 races I am in 80. Qualifying races continue tomorrow with less wind forecasted.
Weather: Cloudy, 16 degrees, 14-22 knots

Wednesday, August 11
Today the wind was from the northwest and ranging from 8-14. In the first race I had a good start relative to the closest boats but there was some localized pressure and I was back from the front row. I did not do a good job of staying in phase on the beat and rounded near the back but was able to make some small gains to come back to 40th. In the second race I had a good clear start and held out to the first leftie and tacked back with a group of boats, well up on the rest of the pack that had started higher and flipped earlier. I played the beat well until the last 50 yards when the wind went wonky and rounded around 20. I made a poor move at the start of the run and was out of the pressure and lost a few boats and a lot of distance. I had a good top reach and put 5 lengths on the boats behind, but again I forced a move downwind and fell out of the pressure to loose 10+ boats and finished 40th. I am in 94 after the qualifying series, putting me in silver fleet for the remaining two days of racing.
Weather: Partly cloudy, 17 degrees, 8-14 knots

Thursday, August 12
Today the wind was offshore which caused very unstable winds. In the first race I was able to sail relatively well after a poor start to come back to a mid fleet finish. In the second race I did not have a good start and after sailing into a hole I was left too far back to make any gains and finished near the back of the fleet. Racing continues tomorrow.
Weather: Cloudy, 17 degrees, 5-12 knots
Friday, August 13
Today was the last day of racing. Again the wind was offshore which meant some tricky sailing with winds ranging from 4-14 knots and 50 degree shifts. In the first race I did not get out great, but had a good first run and played the second beat well to come back to 32. In the second race I had a great start and was back and forth at the front of the fleet throughout and finished 13.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Laser North Americans

The 2010 Laser North American Championships are being held at Texas Corinthian Yacht Club in on Galveston Bay, June 24-27.

Follow results here.


Click here to read daily reports.



Tuesday, June 22
I arrived in Texas today and picked up my charter boat. I went for a quick sail not wanting to stay out too long in the heat - it was 40 degrees today, sunny, and the water is 32.
I am doing another training session tomorrow. Racing begins on Thursday.

Wednesday, June 23
After registering today I went for a 1.5 hour sail. We had similar conditions to yesterday - 6-12 with small waves, but it was overcast and not as hot, making the sailing more bearable. Racing begins at noon tomorrow.

Thursday, June 24
No racing today - no wind.

Friday, June 25
In the first race I had a great start at the pin end, sailed into the first patch of pressure and tacked onto port. I led the fleet to the first weather mark, but lost one boat on the run. I was able to pass the boat back early on the second beat, but lost Evert McLaughlin who hipped up on me and got some more pressure. I sailed a poor run and lost a couple of boats to finish 5th. In the second race I had a poor start near the boat end, but was able to tack out and get clear quickly. I sailed fast to the right hand side and came in to the weather mark in the top 8. I passed boats on the run and finished 6th. In the last race I again had a great start at the pin, but it turned out I was black flagged. I sailed a great race, leading throughout, going fast. With the disqualification I am currently in 19th in the fleet of 68. Odds are we will only get one race Sunday, if any, so the racing tomorrow will be crucial in trying to make up some distance to the leaders.
Weather: 6-10, ESE, 40 degrees, partly cloudy

Saturday, June 26
In the first race I had a good start at the pin end, and won the left side. The boats on the right came in ahead at the weather mark and I rounded around 10th. I made some gains on the first run but lost going left again on the second beat and finished 9th. In the second race I had a poor start near the boat end and was forced to tack out early. I had to foot out to get my own lane, but was eventually able to get clear. I positioned myself well coming into the weather mark and made some gains to round in the top 15. I lost a couple of boats on the second run but was able to make a couple back to finish 13th. In the last race I had an okay start near the pin end, but lost my lane after a couple of minutes. I played the shifts well, and came out of the left in okay shape, rounding around 10. I was quick on the reach and was able to escape to the inside on the first run with pressure and took off on the pack behind to round 4th at the bottom. I passed another boat on the second beat and held to finish 3rd. With scores of 5,6,BFD,9,13,3 I am in 5th place. Only 9 points separate 4th and 8th.
Weather: 6-14, ESE, 40 degrees, sunny

Sunday, June 27
In the first race I had a poor start towards the pin, but was able to get clear eventually and rounded the weather mark around 20. I passed 4 boats on each of the downwinds and made gains upwind to finish 11. In the second race I had an awful start and found myself well back. I was able to make some gains on the first run but lost again on the second beat. I passed a couple of boats on the last beat and finished 20. In the last race I started at the pin and was able to get a clear lane quickly and go fast. I rounded the weather mark second, lost one boat and distance on the reach, but was quick downwind and rounded the bottom 3rd with a gap behind. I was 2nd to the next weather mark but lost one boat on the run and another 2 on the final reach to finish 5th in the race and 5th overall in the regatta.
Weather: 6-14, ESE, 40 degrees, sunny

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Delta Lloyd Regatta

I am in Medemblik, Netherlands for the Delta Lloyd Regatta - an ISAF World Cup event. Racing runs May 26-30. Results can be found here. Click on read more for daily reports.
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Tuesday, May 25
I got my boat this morning and went for a quick sail to make sure all my gear is in order for tomorrow. Racing begins at 14:00 for the Lasers, with 3 races scheduled.

Wednesday, May 26
Today was the first day of racing. The wind was up and down from 6-14 knots throughout the day, with significant shifts. I generally sailed quick, but would make small gains up the middle on small shifts and lose to the boats on the side in the bigger shifts. In the first race I had a poor start, but made good gains on the first run. I made some more boats on the second beat, but could not gain enough ground and finished 28th. In the second race I lost my lane off the start but quickly tacked out and had a clear lane and good speed. I was going well relative to the boats on my side, but the wind went 15 degrees left and I was behind the pack on the left. I had a good first run, passing 10 boats, but sailed some extra distance on the last run and lost several boats to finish 28th. In the last race I got pinged around after the start and was left a bit back. The wind was up a bit and I was going well, but I again seemed to try to make the middle of the course work and lost out to the boats on the sides. After the first day of racing I am in 56th with straight 28s.

Thursday, May 27
Racing has been postponed for 2 hours, and will now begin at 3pm local.

Sunday, May 2, 2010

May Training

I am currently training at the National Sailing Sport Center Ontario (NSSCO) in Toronto. I will be training in Toronto for the first 3 weeks of May before I go to Holland for the Delta Lloyd Regatta.

Results from the RCYC HPT Regatta can be found here.

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Miami OCR

I am in Miami for the Miami Olympic Classes Regatta, an ISAF World Cup event. Racing runs Monday through Friday, with a medal race Saturday. Follow the regatta website here.

Click read more for daily reports. read more...
Saturday, January 23
I arrived in Miami this morning. I went for a short sail today, joining up with US sailor Kyle Rogachenko for a quick upwind and a long downwind back to the regatta centre. Registration is tomorrow and racing begins Monday.
Weather: Partly cloudy, 28 degrees, NE, 8-12

Sunday, January 24
I took today off. Racing begins tomorrow with two races scheduled

Monday, January 25
After a long delay on shore waiting for a cold front to pass through, the fleet was finally sent out at 3. After more delays on the water we finally got underway at 4. I didn't have a great start, but was able to get clear air out to the left side and came back on some nice pressure and rounded the weather mark in 8th. I lost 1 boat on the first run, one more on the next beat and two on the final run to finish 12th. Racing continues tomorrow.
Weather: 26 degrees, cloudy, NW,12 knots dying to 6

Tuesday, Janaury 26
After a short race committee delay racing got underway in a northerly with big velocity changes and 15 degree shifts. In the first race I had a poor start and had a tough time on the first beat. I passed a few boats on the reach, 5 more on the run, 10 on the second beat and finished 16th. In the second race I had a better start, but again lost my lane. I picked a good lane upwind and came into the weather mark in good position. I lost two boats on the last run and finished 14th. In the last race I had a better start, but lost the lane again after a few minutes. I rounded the weather mark around 30th. I passed a few boats on the run, but lost a big group of boats on the last run and finished 39th. After 4 races I am in 39th overall. Tomorrow is the last day of qualifying races with two races scheduled.
Weather: 24 degrees, sunny, N, 6-14 knots

Wednesday, January 27
Today we had a similar wind direction with big changes in velocity and direction, but a lower average wind. I had trouble with my starts in both races today, but was quick downwind. I need to work on my positioning relative to other boats in the pre start and my ability to hold my spot. I am going too slow and am therefore unable to have a proper acceleration. I scored a 29 and a 30 today and just managed to qualify for gold fleet racing. There are two races scheduled for tomorrow.
Weather: 25 degrees, sunny, N, 4-10 knots

Thursday, January 28
Today we had an easterly wind with big changes in both velocity and direction. I did a better job today of getting a clear spot on the line, but was still a bit late pulling the trigger and lost my lanes a few minutes after the start. In the first race I had a poor first beat and rounded deep around the first weather mark. I was quick on both runs and was able to make gains around the track to finish 34th. In the second race I got clear out to the left hand side of the course and rode a nice leftie back across. I rounded the weather mark in the top 20, gained distance on the first run, lost a few on the second beat, and then gained a couple back on the last run to finish 18th. Tomorrow is the last day of finals racing with two races scheduled.
Weather: 26 degrees, partly cloudy, E, 6-12 knots

Friday, January 29
Today was the last day of finals racing. We sailed in a moderate southeasterly wind with slow wind shifts. My starting was better today, but I did not always put the boat in the right place on the course to take advantage of the wind shifts. In the first race I had an okay start, but missed out on a few shifts on the first beat and found myself near the back of the pack. I sailed a quick first run, passing some boats and gaining distance to the group ahead. I was quick again on the following run and caught up to a big group of boats. I managed to escape low on the final reach and hooked into coach boat wake, passing 15 boats to finish 21. In the second race I had a better start and played up the left hand side of the course. The first beat ended with a slow right hand winder and I did not manage to come back from the left side. I had a below par first run and was left too far back to make any gains and finished with a 44.
I finished 43rd overall in the event. Next up is the Laser Midwinter's Regattain Clearwater, Florida in two weeks.

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Miami Training

I have spent 3 weeks over the Christmas break training in Miami. After a few days training on my own I raced in the Senior Orange Bowl. I placed 2nd in the event after losing the tie-break to American Kyle Rogachenko. Full results. Click read more below for some pictures from the event.
In the new year I have been training with a very good group of sailors including Canadian Team, Ontario Team, and international sailors.
I will return to Miami the third week of January to race in the Miami OCR.

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