Hello again. We had a day off from sailing yesterday; just did some boat work for about eight hours. We are trying to make our boat and the USA women's boat identical so we can do some two-boat testing.
Today was the start of racing for the Sail Melbourne Regatta. We are sailing out of Black Rock Yacht Club, five miles south of Melbourne, Australia. Nineteen men's teams and nineteen women's teams are here. We are sailing in different fleets. First start today was at 1:00 p.m., with three races scheduled.
This is the second regatta for the Japanese Olympic Trials so the Japanese are all revved up. There are a lot of other good people here too: the Gold medal Ukrainians, the Russians, Australians, three New Zealand boats, Canadians, Irish, Jamaicans, Netherlands, British, Polish and Mexicans.
Forecast was for light and variable winds in the morning, with afternoon sea beezes of 10-20 knots. We went out sailing at 11:45 a.m., and the wind was about 10 knots out of the sea breeze direction. We had changed a lot on our boat yesterday, so we were trying to figure things out. The wind slowly built, and the committee started the women's fleet off first.
The wind was now blowing 10-15 knots, so we depowered by raking the mast back and tightening the shrouds. Our first try at starting was a general recall because so many boats started prematurely, and they called the whole fleet back.
They reset the starting line, and we got off to a great start one boat up from the pin with a New Zealand boat below us. We had a left shift, so the question was how far to go left before tacking. Land was on the left about a mile and a half away. We took a puff and a header to cross the fleet and were looking good. The New Zealand boat, along with some others, went way left. We kind of got out of the left puff, and the people way left beat us to the mark. We probably rounded sixth.
The course was a single inner loop, so we went down the run staying toward the shore. We did not do too well but just hung on to round the right gate mark, probably in eighth, but the boats that passed us rounded the other gate mark.
We took a hitch to the right and found a great shift to come back on and gained quite a bit. Then we found a little lefty and rode it to the weather mark and rounded in fourth.
The reach was too tight to set spins, so it was a jib reach. New Zealand was winning, followed by the Polish, then the Russians, then the Japanese then us.
The wind was very puffy and shifty. We got passed by three boats. They went low in a puff, but we had passed one boat that went high. The second and third place boats jibed to go the puff that the boats that had passed us had caught, but we stayed on the outside and found the last puff near the leeward mark and shot into second place, then reached to the finish.
Race 2
Same wind. We started at the favored boat end while, most people
were at the pin trying to go left. We took a short hitch up to clear
our air and had a good righty compared to most boats.
Two boats farther left beat us to the weather mark, the Canadians and a different Japanese team. We went down the run trying to stay in the big puffs. We found some good ones and just got around the bottom mark in first.
We took a hitch right and lost the Japanese boat, but we found some good shifts on the top of the beat to move back into the lead.
We took off on the top reach about six boat lengths ahead and had a good run to get a little farther ahead then took the last reach for a first place finish.
Race 3
The wind looked like it was dying a little, so we powered up a little.
This would prove to be a mistake.
We had a good start near the boat and had a good lane going left. We got a little header and puff and decided to tack on it. We headed off on port on a small lift. Unfortunately, we never got headed again to go back left. We saw more wind ahead, so we decided to keep going even though most of the fleet went left. We ended up going all the way to the starboard lay line and were very worried.
We tacked over and were not looking terrible and had a good puff. Most of the fleet had hit a lull, and we just went as fast as we could to get across most of them. We rounded the weather mark in second, eight lengths behind a Japanese boat.
We played the puffs down the run and rounded two boat lengths behind the Japanese.
We took a hitch right to get out of bad air and came back left. The Japanese gained a little but then got too far right, and we got a great puff and lift to move into the lead. We tacked on him up near the weather mark and rounded ten boat lengths ahead.
We rode a puff down the run to double our lead and went on to win by a good bit.
A good day. Lots more racing to go.
P.S. Some boats had protested the first race because they thought the starting sequence had been wrong. We will find out tomorrow morning what has been done about it.
Forecast tomorrow is for a land breeze and 98 degrees.
More then.
Paul and Bob
Team 2000
The day started out with some unfortunate excitement. One of the Japanese teams had their car catch on fire in the parking lot. We were parked right next to them. Fortunately for us, Paul happened to notice the fire starting in the car. As the Japanese were trying to get gear out of the car before the fire got too big, Paul was able to move our car. No one was hurt, and the fire department came and put the fire out. It did catch the other car next to it on fire. No one knows what started it.
Race 1
Wind was out of the southeast at about 5-10 knots and shifting
about 20-30 degrees as it tried to settle. We had a good start at the
committee boat and rolled the guys below us riding a wave from
behind. We went out left, thinking the wind was going to shift that
way. The wind made some small, insignificant shifts but no big
lefty, and the right ended up being the place to be for more wind.
We rounded the first mark about mid-fleet. Nothing changed on the reach. On the run we were one of two boats to jibe out right away. We passed a boat but closed a lot of distance on the front pack. On the last beat we played the right better and moved up to about third at one point. We were a bit conservative in not hitting the right harder and rounded the weather mark in fifth.
The Jamaicans were in front of us, and we almost passed them on the run, but they managed to hold us off. We finished fifth.
Race 2
The wind had shifted right about fifteen degrees and was still
unsettled and hard to predict. We started near the boat and thought
we were down on starboard, so we tacked. About three-quarters of
the way toward the right corner, we got a little right shift and
tacked back. There was a little more wind on the right, so we were
looking good on the fleet to the left. A few boats to the right of us
beat us to the weather mark. We rounded sixth or seventh.
Nothing happened on the reach. We jibe set onto the run again with most of the fleet and passed the New Zealanders who didn't jibe set. The breeze had shifted more right. We tacked around the leeward mark and got lifted a little more.
The wind didn't shift back left, so we had to sail a header to the mark, but there wasn't much port in the leg so our position didn't change. On the run, we jibe set again and came close to passing the Dutch team. We finished in fifth again.
Race 3
The wind had shifted farther right but it had stayed from the same
direction for a while, a possible sign that it wasn't going to shift
right any more. We started at the pin and stayed on starboard as the
rest of the fleet headed out right. Taking a bit of a risk, we stayed
on starboard as every other boat headed out right. The wind went
right three more degrees, but by this time we were committed, and
it looked like we were sailing into some good breeze. After we got
into the small puff, we tacked and were looking bad until the wind
went left a few degrees.
With about a half-mile of leverage, we were way out in front. After the reach, we did a bear away to the leeward mark and almost laid the mark, surfing low on waves. After the leeward mark, the wind went a little further left. We decided to protect the left side, which we did as we covered the closest boats. The wind went a few more degrees left that leg, so it was good we protected left.
We did another bear away set onto the run and laid the mark on starboard, then reached to the finish, only we didn't get a horn at the line; the Russians behind us did. We had been over early at the start. With six races completed we have a throw-out, so we can throw out that race. Dumb, dumb, dumb. No reason to be over early.
Well, we'll try and be better tomorrow.
Paul and Bob
TEAM 2000
*** UPDATE BELOW ***
Thursday January 13, 2000 Noon
No cars on fire this morning.
This morning's wind and we are under postponement.
Race 1 was not thown out so we get to keep that 2nd place finish.
Possible racing this afternoon if a sea breeze comes through.
Paul
Well, pooh!
The good news is we did not make the same mistake we made yesterday--no over-earlies.
Race 1
Race 1 must have begun at about 2:00 p.m. when the wind came in.
The course was 155 degrees, same as the first race yesterday when
the right was favored. We wanted to go right, but so did a lot of
other boats. There was a big pile-up at the boat end, but we were
able to be the first ones off on port tack. The wind went right as
predicted, and we were second to the weather mark. A British team
was ahead.
We jibe set and went down the run, keeping our air clear while trying to go low with boats behind that were kind of reaching up. We had a good run, and we rounded right behind the British boat.
We tacked left for clear air, then came back right after we had cleared the chutes. The British boat was three boat lengths ahead on the next cross and tacked right in front of us, forcing us back left. But the wind had gone so far right we were now close to the starboard tack lay line, so we decided to keep going. We got lifted more and laid the mark rounding ten boat lengths ahead, with a Russian boat now in second.
We went down the last reach, run and reach maintaining our lead to win.
A good race and good game plan. Speed was okay.
Race 2
Wind was now at 190 degrees, and that was just about as far as it
had gone right yesterday. It was a toss up which way to go.
The boat was favored, but we decided on a conservative start in the
middle of the line. We had a good start and accelerated well.
We had a good lane but could not tack right without a big duck because of boats on our hip. We rolled the Russian who had started below us, and he tacked right and led around the weather mark. Needless to say, the left was not the way to go. We did okay, though, leading our side and rounding in about eighth.
We did a jibe set and hit a good left shift and puff halfway down the run to round the leeward gate in fifth.
We took the left gate and were going left thinking that the wind was now headed back left. The first half of the beat we were looking good in about third, but then the right came in at the end of the beat, and we overstood the port lay line, so we rounded in sixth. People who were high on the starboard tack lay line were trying to roll over us.
We also were having to do a windward set with our spinnaker onto the reach. We tried to set too soon, had a bad set and got rolled by five boats. Bummer!
Went down the run, stayed in clear air, and passed two boats, one Japanese and one Mexican. We had the slows on the last reach, did not defend very well and lost three boats. Pooh! Bummer! Stupid!
We ended up 13th and threw away what should have been a good race.
Well, hopefully we learned from the mistakes. The problem is that I know we have made these before. Always relearning old mistakes. I hate that.
There will be two races tomorrow.
Hopefully, different mistakes.
Paul and Bob
Team 2000
Lots of wind blowing 10-20 knots out of the northeast this morning when we got down to the boat at 8:30 a.m. It had been doing this for the last few days, but today it looked stronger so there was a chance we actually might race in it.
With the wind out of this direction, the shore is on the right side of the course and the water is a little flatter.
Race 1 1:00 p.m.
The wind had died down a little to 9-12 knots for the start of the
first race. We were the first start, doing a single outer loop. We
were not sure which way the wind was going to go, but we knew it
would be shifty since it was coming off the land.
We had a good start in the middle of the line, and the boats on our hip tacked right. We kept going and got lifted. We were pretty far left when the wind went back left a little and we tacked to port. There was a New Zealand boat left of us that won the pin at the start, and he was looking good. Two boats way right also were looking good.
A Jamaican boat on the far right crossed us, and we tacked and crossed the New Zealand boat. We were going a little faster than the Jamaican and beat him to the mark, but the New Zealand boat got the last right puff and was first around the mark, while we were in second.
We went down the reach and at the reach mark went down the run. We jibed inside the New Zealand boat, got a good puff and took the lead. We rounded first at the bottom mark and went right while the New Zealand boat went a little left. He gained a little on us, but we got the last right puff and got our good lead back.
We jibe set and went down the run keeping our lead the whole way. We won, followed by New Zealand, and the Australian boat moved into third.
Race 2
As predicted, the wind had died down to 5-9 knots, so we powered
up. We thought the wind would go more right. We had a good start
in the middle of the line and, after most of the traffic had cleared
out, we tacked and ducked three boats and went right.
Halfway up the beat, a big lefty came through with a puff. We got a little of it and took it way right, hoping it would come back. It did a little, and we rounded the weather mark in fourth place. The Australian was leading, and he was one of the guys we ducked off the starting line. In second was Canada, followed by Poland, then us.
We went down the run with a Russian boat on our tail. We stayed in fourth, but the top two boats got way ahead.
Up the next beat, we went right looking for wind and found some with a shift. We passed the Polish boat and gained some on the leaders, but they were still way ahead.
We rounded the top mark in third with a pack of six boats about five boat-lengths behind us. We took a puff low and gained on the pack, but one boat from Ireland rode the puff longer than we did and rode up to us.
They just got an inside overlap at the jibe mark, and we reached to the finish for a fourth place.
So we have one day of racing left--two races. Forecast for tomorrow is the same as it has been all week: morning land breeze, followed by afternoon sea breezes.
We are leading by 17 points over the Australians, and the Russians are 25 points back.
We need to sail well because our thowouts are an OCS and a 13th.
Final results tomorrow.
Paul and Bob
TEAM 2000
Last race day with two races scheduled. We had a 17-point lead over the second place Australians and a 25- point lead over the third place Russians. We just had to sail well and not be over early.
The wind this morning was actually from the sea breeze direction, but it was very light so they postponed on shore for 30 minutes. First race started at 1:30 p.m. with the women off first doing a single outer loop.
Race 1
Wind 5-10 knots with steep chop for our little 470 boat.
First start was a general recall with the pin way favored; we were at the boat. Second start was a general recall with the boat end way favored, and we were at the boat. Third start was good with an even line, and we started at the pin. There was an individual recall, but we thought we were okay even though our timing was a little off.
Well, it looked like we were going left. The problem was that the women's fleet was coming up the left side and giving us bad air. We tacked on a little left shift and were looking okay for awhile but then a right shift came through and the right side boats crossed us. We were in about 15th but managed to hit the last righty and rounded about 11th.
We jibe set and took off down the run in clear air. We did okay on our side of the run and rounded the leeward mark in about eighth.
We rounded the right gate mark and kept going right. Our speed was pretty good, and we had more wind than the guys that had gone a little left. We tacked on a little righty and were now in third! We were cruising.
We gained on the leading Japanese and the second place Russian and rounded about six boat lengths back at the top mark with the New Zealand boat three boat lengths behind us. We went down the reach and nothing changed.
Down the run, we stayed on the right while the lead Japanese boat jibed out. We got a good puff and were going fast and surfed up to the Russian and he jibed out. We caught a few more waves and jibed, too and when we met them again we were in the lead. We were going pretty fast because at the bottom mark we were six boat lengths ahead.
We reached to the finish and started worrying about being over early. But the horn sounded as we crossed the line--so no worries, Mate. Won the regatta with a race to spare. We headed in while the other boats stayed out for another race.
So we won the regatta with 34 points, followed by the Australians with 55, and New Zealand came in third with 59 points. The Russian was OCS both races today, dropping him from third to tenth. Japan #3700 was fourth, which means they won their Olympic Trials.
In the women's fleet, the Russians won, followed by the Ukrainians, then the Netherlands. The USA boat, JJ Isler and Pease Glaser, finished sixth.
Well, thanks for everyone's support; especially Granny Miller's for sharing her house with us while we were in Melbourne.
Tomorrow we drive back up to Sydney (ten hours). We will leave our boat there and fly home on the 18th.
See you then.
Paul and Bob
TEAM 2000