Well, we are at it again, trying to redeem ourselves from the end of the last regatta.
It was about a ten hour drive up from Medemblik, Holland. Bob got pulled over by the police in Denmark. Apparently the speed limit when you are pulling a trailer is 70 kilometers per hour (45 mph). He was going 119 kph. The cop said it would cost 2400 Danish Kroners, or 340 US dollars. He let us off the hook, though, without a ticket.
We did boat work all day yesterday, trying to get our new mast figured out. We'd bent the old one in Holland.
This regatta is being held ten miles north of Copenhagen on a waterway that joins the North Sea and the Baltic Sea (Brrrrrr!). Forty men's 470s are here.
When we came to the boat today, it was raining with no wind and about 60 degrees; pretty warm. The water is pretty cold though, 50 degrees.
We got out to the start early. Our racecourse is pretty far away, about 45 minutes if there is wind. The wind picked up to get us out to the course, but when we got out there, the race committee postponed us.
The Solings are on our course, and they started first at about 11:00 a.m. Then the committee tried to start our fleet, but the wind kept shifting and we kept having general recalls.
Race 1
We finally got off under a Black Flag start. The wind was 5-12
knots out of the west, and the current was going about 0.3 knots
downwind.
We won the pin end at the start. After a short time, most boats had tacked onto the lifted port tack. We held out for a few more seconds for a nice puff to tack in. By going a little further left, we stayed in more wind than the rest of the fleet for most of the leg. That and the fact that the wind shifted even further left for most of the leg got us around the windward mark in first place.
We were sailing an outer loop trapezoid this race. The reach was long and uneventful, and we extended a bit on the run. On the last beat, we let a few boats get too far to the left of us. They gained a bunch, but we caught ourselves in time and got left soon enough to stay in first.
On the last run, the boats behind were catching up in a puff from behind, but we hung onto the lead only to find out when we got in that we were OCS.
Race 2
It looked like the left had more wind again, but the right side of the
line was favored. We decided to start on the right end late in the
sequence, so we were reaching over there as fast as possible. There
was a big crowd where we wanted to start, so we just kept going on
port and ducked all the boats on starboard.
We were looking good in a right shift, but we got too greedy and kept going right for more. We tacked in the righty, but it was late in the shift, and it went back left halfway up the beat. We rounded the mark in the twenties.
The course was an inner, and we jibe set to get clear of the traffic but overstood the leeward mark. Our comeback over the rest of the race was only marginal. We finished 16th.
A tough day, but nothing to do but keep racing.
Paul and Bob
Team 2000
Same deal today, rain in the morning, and cold, our start was at 10:00 a.m.
More wind today though.
Race 1
Wind 8-14 with big chop; current going downwind at .5 knots.
We had a good start at the boat end and tacked left in a good puff and shift.
We were going good and crossing all the guys to the right of us. But the shift never went back right and the leaders came out of the left.
We rounded the weather mark in about 12th place, but we misjudged the current and hit the weather mark. We did a quick spin and took off on the reach. However, half the fleet went on a run.
So half the fleet was sailing one course and half a different course (it turned out later that the race committee may have changed the course after our warning gun, we are not sure yet.)
Well we had our own race to go, and were now in sixth. We immediately rolled two boats to move into fourth and passed two more boats on the run to move into second.
Up the next beat we had good speed to move into first by two boat lengths at the weather mark. However, we hit the mark again. Darn current. We did a quick spin and were still leading.
The third place boat was going fast downwind and got by us but we blanketed him at the leeward mark and got back ahead. We did a great jibe on the reach to the finish and won (our race at least).
Race 2
Same wind.
We had a great pin end start and tacked and crossed the fleet; but fell into a hole in the middle so tacked back right.
Then a big 30 degree righty with puff came in and we were in the cheap seat. We were working back and passed a few boats on the reach that turned into a run.
The race committee put up a change of course flag but did not tell us where they were changing it to (this race committee definitely has problems).
Well the guys ahead found a mark to round so we followed and reached around the course to the finish where we found the race had been abandoned.
Good practice anyway.
Race 2
Try again.
We tried a port tack start at the pin since you could ride waves on port. It did not work but we kept going right anyway. We were looking good but went a little too far and the left came in. We rounded about 20th.
We took a flyer on the run and lost some more, but the next beat were going fast and found a good shift on the right and rounded the top mark in about 10th.
We were going down the reach but the main sheet was caught in the spin pole and I could not let it out and we flipped over. We got back up but not for a while then the mast kept inverting out of the partners. Bob shoved it back in twice then we reset the spin and continued.
Needless to say it was a bad finish, very depressing.
The race committee decided they did enough damage for one day and sent us in. It only took another hour.
Well we got rained on on the way in and then a little more after we got in.
Out mast has a little permanent bend in it and one of our gaskets was half way off. Tough day on the boat too!
Well after some boat work it's time for a rest. Hopefully we can stay out of trouble tomorrow.
Paul and Bob
Team 2000
Hello again.
We actually raced well today, and the race committee did a good job too. Wind was out of the west at 8-15 knots, with current running downwind at 0.2 knots and good waves to ride downwind.
Race 1
The race committee has learned to put up the black flag for our first start.
The pin was strongly favored, and we got the best start about four boats up from the pin. We tacked over and headed right in a little lift. We got most of the way across before we tacked in a righty and rounded the weather mark first by three boat lengths.
We went okay downwind and rounded the leeward mark in the lead. We stayed pretty even up the next beat, with two Australians close behind. Down the last run, one Australian was going a little better than we were, and then we overstood the lay line to the leeward mark by a lot. He passed us, and we finished second.
Race 2
We started near the boat and immediately tacked. The pin was favored, so we were behind;
but we had clear air and were going fast. We slowly got headed going left and rounded
the weather mark in first a little ahead of a US boat and a Russian boat.
We were going okay downwind, but the Russian was going a little better and passed us. We got back ahead up at the top mark and found the last shift, to round in the lead by four boat lengths. The reach was even, and we actually went fastest on the run and won.
We checked our gaskets after the second race. They were making a gurgling noise. We found the front one was peeling up a little, so we turtled the boat, dried the gasket off and duct taped it back on.
Race 3
We started down from the boat but were a little late, so we did not have very clear air.
We hung okay off an Australian's hip and waited for a place to tack. It finally came.
We were going well after that and managed to round the weather mark in about 12th.
We jibe set, found some clear air and went down the run. The clear air helped, and we rounded the bottom mark in about eighth.
We found some good shifts and rounded the top mark in fifth.
The reach was normal, and on the last run we passed a Brazilian boat to finish fourth.
Well, it's a start. Finally a good day. Last day tomorrow.
Paul and Bob
Team 2000
Today is the last day of the Danish Spring Cup. We have the same race time (10:00 a.m.), but only two races today.
Race 1
Wind 9-14 knots with 0.4 knots of current going downwind.
We started at the boat end, but a left shift came through and we tacked immediately. The guys on the left were ahead, and we were going right waiting for a right shift. We rounded the weather mark in 10th and tried going high on the run. That worked, and we gained coming back; but a Greek boat jibed on our wind so we did not gain as much as we could have.
Up the next beat, Bob called two great shifts and we moved way up. We rounded the weather mark in third and stayed that way to the finish.
Race 2
A big storm was moving in way upwind. We had a good start in the
middle and led the pack going left. The right was a bit favored, but
we caught a little at the top mark. We rounded seventh and did a
jibe set because of the right shift. This paid, and we passed a few
boats, rounding the leeward mark in sixth.
We passed one boat up the second beat and stayed in fifth all the way downwind to the finish.
Well, it seems like we are getting back on track.
The next regatta is in two weeks in Kiel, Germany. We are defending champs of that regatta, having won last year in a 109-boat fleet, so we need some rest now and warmth. It was 50 degrees here and raining all afternoon as we packed our boats.
We have a twelve-hour drive now to get to Amsterdam by tomorrow morning.
See you at home.
Homesick Paul and Bob
Team 2000