>From Paul (unedited - sorry about spelling, etc.)
We had quite an interesting flight. Bill and I left dallas on ythe same flight Thusday afternoon, but I ended up getting to Isrrael 12 hours before him. The would not let him on the plane at our transfer in London. It seems the checkin people in dallas had not booked bill all the way to tel Aviv and when we got to london there were no seats left. so he had to go to the other London airport to find another flight. Any way I got here at 6:30 pm last niight and Bill got Here at 6:30 am this morning. I would not let him go to sleep so after som last minute measurement and some rapidlly putting the boat together and a gasket on we actually made the practice race today at 11 am. We didnt have a very good racce but it was better than nothing. After the race we sailed with a good Russian guy that was at the last Olympics and got a little more used to the wind and waves.
After wwe got in we got to do some more boat work and had to replace the gasket again> Bill assures me it will stay on this time>
The wind today blew out ofthe NW at 8-15 knot with pretty good ocean swells and a lot of chop in between the swell. Tempuratue high is 88 degrees and sunny. people are very nice and the security is prettr good (only a few guys with machine guns walking around). Forecast will be the same tomorow.
They will split the fleet and we will have qualification races for the next two days. All the good people are here and we have a lot to learn. And a lot of sailing to do.
We just had the openning ceremonies and dinner. I had to keep kicking Bill to stay awake. Well its 11pm here and I have sent bill home to bed. I am using the U.S. coaches computer to send this. We will see how tommorow goes hopefully We wont have too much jet lag>
Paul
8/24/97 9:30 pm
Well almost finished with another day here in sunny Israel. I cooked some past for bill and he did the dishes and he's probably already asleep.
We had a long day today. It was even longer for me be cause I kept waking up and checking my watch to see if it was time to get up (2am, 3am 4am 5am etc). finally I looked at my watch and it was7 am.
TODAY WAS THE first of two Qualification days. There are 56 mens teams here and 40 womens teams. The women do not have qualifiction races since hey have under 45 boats.
Our best womens team is in 9th place after 2 races and the other one is in about 20th I think.
We spit our fleet for qualification. so there are 28 boats in each fleet. They try to split the fleet according to ranking and therefore put some good guys in both fleets. In our fleet we have the Gold medalist Ukranian.
The best US guy Morgan Reeser and our Canadian buddies P.O. and james are in the other fleet. The top28 boats will go to the gold fleet and the remaining will go tho the Silver fleet.
Qualification race #1 Wind nw at 5-10 with good swells and chop. wind shifting10-15 degrees with major puf lanes that are very hard to see because of all the swells and chop.
We were the second start so we got to watch the first fleet take off. well almost the had a few general recalls first.
The course is a WIndward, leward, windward, reach, run and then a reach to the finish.
Our first race was ok. We didn't have a great start and worked the right side of the corse we were looking pretty good but just could not get back left. Its hard not knowing if its your boat speed or tactics because we are so new to the boat and especial here when you can be sailing right next to a guy and sudenly get 5more nots of wind and a 10 lift that the other boat doesent get. Also we are trying to get used to the waves and not fall down during the tacks.
Any way we rounded the first mark around 16 and gained and lost boats to finally end up 14th. We had some good moments were we were going fafst upwind and downwind, but erery now and then we would go slo for 30 seconds.
The second race was our best of the day. we got ok start in the middle of the line but made some bad tactical decisions and got rolled tacked then pinched of. But bill found uys some clear air and then we worked ythe right side and bill hit several good shiftsand we rounded the top mark around 8th just behind the Ukranians. We had some slow spots on the run but held off mos people ok. the next beat we worked right again and initially gained but lost if back at a shif near the weather mark and rounded right behind the Ukranians again. we had some good speed on the reach and stayed with the Ukranians. The next leg was dead downwind and we didnt' have a very goood transition from the reach and lost some t o the Ukrraniansant the guys. so we battled to hod of ythe guys behind and just maneged to round the last mark ahead of the pack and reach to the finish. we finished 8th but 2 boats ahead of us were pms and that gave us a 6th.
The last race of the day was our worst. We didnt get the five minute gun and we thought we had the time from some canadians but I messed up and was 20 seconds off so we were slowing downand evr\very one else was speeding up at the start. Then we tried going left and could not find a shift. W e rounded the first mark around 22 and didnt' do any good on the nest run or beat. At the set to a reach we had to do a weather set and or spinnaker first drug in the water and then wrapped around the forestay. We need to practice that. Actuall we had a good weather set in the 2nd rrace, but then the wind was onlt about 7 knots. this time it ws blowing about 12knots. Anywaym or reach was ok and on the run we coaght up to a group ahead of us. We past one guy at the tuning Mark and were of to a reach to the finish. We were tring to work low to pass another boat and had a chance, but the guy we passed at the turning mark came planning up be hind us and rolled usjust before the finish. Not a very good finish to a long day.
But we did learn alot and hopefully will improve tommorrow.
P.O. and james had a bad dday and are in about 20th in ther fleet. Morgan had an ok day and is about 7th in his fleet. We are in 16th in our fleet (need to be 14th to make the top fleet)
Last day of qualifying is tommorow, possibly 3 races.
I' m tired and goning to bed hopefully I can sleep all night.
see ya later
Paul
monday 8-25---8pm
we have good news, because the scores for the qualifying round do not carry over to the finals, we are now tied for the lead! the bad news is we just barely qualified so we have our work cut out now. it was super important to make the cut so we can evaluate what the good guys are doing. only the top 28 boats are in the top cut. our finishes were 6-12-21 today we were psyched about the 6 because we hit some shifts to rally past the Ukranian gold medal winner.
the rest of the team is doing well. morgan is qualified in the upper middle
the youth team did not make the cut the girls are both around tenth in the womens fleet.
we had to pass two boats on the final tight reach to make the cut, never stop racing!!
skip has been a big help and so has the canadian coach nigel cochran.
the wind was the same as yesterday, light in the morning and moderate in the afternoon.
we suffer in the stronger stuff inlarge part do to boathandling.
our canadian friend p.o. and james did not make the cut.
Bill
The first race we had an awsome start nesr the pin. We tacked and crossed most of the fleet right at. the start. It was very fluck and puffy however and we would gain and loose I think we rounded the first mark around 10th. We stayed even on the run and then bill found some great shift up the second beat and we rounded 6th in front of some good israelis and the Ukranian. we did ok on the reach but lost distanec to the israelis and had to do some match racing to round the leward mark ahead ant cruise to the finish on a tight reach.
The second race we got shot out the back at the start. we found some clear air however and worked a solid race back to 12.
The last race we had an ok start but could not quite hang bill foud a few shift and we rounded around 18th. But i screw up the run and overstood the lewardmark and we rouned about 24th. we worked the right but the didnt get any thing. but we had a good reach and run to catch up and have a chance to pass boats.
I thik we are getting better but we know we have a lot of work to do.
We just had burger King for dinner
Bill kept waking up last night but I only woke up once at 2 am
we argettig more tired but we are getting more sleep.
Better start would help.
Bill says he wants to try and doo better than when he was here at the 470 worlds last time in 1988, he finished 21. That might be very hard to do. We just want to keep on learnig.
Tell everybody hi
See you later
paul
Hi everybody,
We had 3 races today.
The first race was in light air and we were able to hang on to the right
side of the course until our side came in and manage to finish eighth.
we were pleased because our start was good and our jybes got much better.
The second race was a total disaster our rig tension came off we missed some puffs and sailed a beat with our spinnaker pole hanging out the back of theboat, bad bad stuff wwe finished last.
the final race of the day was a little better we got a good start but were not going well up wind the waves were very confused aqnd so were we but overall we are happy today because our offwind speed and boathandling improved and so did out starts.
we are in 21st now right on target to beat bills result in 1988. three more races tomorow and many more after that!!
Bill
Morgan had an ok day he is in 12th. We beat him the first race. Also in the last race when we finished 21 we actual beat the gold medal Ukranian. It is a tough fleet.
We had to do another gasket replacement today. we are getting much better at it it only took an hour this time. yhere was just a small part comming of but we decided to replace the whole thing. also we had a small rip in our spin. Not as much boat work as an FD at least.
Both U. S. womens teams are in about 10th. The Ukranian Women are winning by a lot.
An israeli team is winning our division.
Bill and I weighed ourselves last night after we had eaten. I weighed 142 lbs. I'm sure I'm even less today. Bill weighed 155 a good weight.
Our reaches are pretty fun very fast and we got to roll some more boats today and no one rolled us.
see` ya later
Paul
Dear fellow tejasians,
LIght air this morning we had a 2 hr postponement because there was no wind. But it finally came.
boy did we screw up today .
Our first race was good. we had a good start and went off to the start. we pinched the ukranian off at the start and went off to the right. we misssed one shift because the portuguise held us outy but were able to round the top mark around eighth. we sailed a prety good race but our runs were not great and we need to work on our gybes. we finished tenth.
race two we had another great start at the pin and were patient waiting for a shift to tack to port it finaly came and we rounded the top mark around tenth again. we held our own until the final rounding where we really screwed up. we tried to pass a boat right at the mark before going for the finishand bot ttangled up with him and we stoped for a while while about 10 boats rolled up. Oh well still learning.
OUr last race we had a bad start , the black flag was up so paul wzs being carefulll. but bill found some great shifts and we rounded the weather mark in 9th. our reach was good but our run was a disaster we were ok till we lost our wind` near the mark and lost a lot of bats at the mark we could not catch back up andfinished with a 23rd.
Still today was better than yesterdaym but it could have been muuch better.
we are in 20th now.
Morgan is in 9th
The girls had a bad day and are now in about 14, 15
The Finninsh sailor is winning our fleet.
we'll get better
We just had a burger king for dinner no boat work tonight
we are very tired and need some rest. but we are siill pretty mean
paul
Sorry about yesterday, we could not find the guy with the laptop to send the E-mail
To bad yesterday was our best day yet. We had a 11, 8 ,, 8. It was actually better than the top two boats had. and we beat morgan every race.
We did just about the same thing every race we came in late at the Committee Boat reaching in and would have enough speed to glide past the wind shadow of the large committee Boat. Then we would tack right into clear air and play the shifts up the right side. This was good because we always had clear air and were "scaring the fish" as Bill likes to say (this means we were the first ones into that water and no other boats had scared the fish.
Also our downwind was better we tried to sail in clear air and our jibs were ok.
Also we didn't try to do any "stunt" sailing. This is another of Bills terms were we put ourselves in a position were we have to do something crazy. Like dousing the spin at the last second.
Today was an ok day. The wind was kind of strange when we went out in the morning. It was pretty far left, and also there were no clouds in the sky and also it was a little windier. Any way we decided to work the right anyway and the wind went lef,t we kept working the right and kept getting behind. we got a 27 th but we still learned something and got faster downwind.
The 2nd an last race of the day was our best of the regatta. Bill decided he still wanted to work the right and we got a pretty por start near the boat. But we found some clear air and hit the fist to shifts and were out in the open. We kept working the shifts and rounded second at the first windward mark we heltd even on the fist reach but the leader stretched` on us by workin low. we jibed at the turning mark to go onto the first run. and worked hard and held eeven we almost had a disaster at the leward mark take down but we were able to get untangled.
We misssed a left shift and got passed by finland the regatta leader on the second beat. The next run we stretched on the guys behind us but no one was close enough to catch. So we just had a cruise reach to the finish and our best race yet of a third.
Our downwind speed was good that race but upwind on starboard tack where you pound straight into the steep chop our pointing was not goood. Something to work on.
{we are so old and out of touch with the rules that we have been pumping 3 times per waves. Skip once again has enlightened us( just two minuites ago) and explained we are only alowed one pump per wave. No wonder Bill is more tired than eveyone!! Wehave not heared any bombs yet Bill was hoping they would be in ear shot as they were in Hiafa. }
Bill
The judges have been making people do spins` for pumping too much. But we have not been called although morgan has.
Anyway we our now in 12th. Finalnd is still leading and portugal is in second. Morgan had a good day today and is now in 15th.
The women had a layday today and are in 13th and 15th.
We cooked pasta at home last night and it was very good Bill is doing ok but is very tired and he has a bad cut on his finger but he is hitting some great shifts.
I'm felling very good especially aftter a short 2` race day today.. I haave been sailing without shoes to save weight and have a couple cuts on my right foot but the seem to be getting better.I taped up alll the thingsthat were cutting me.
Don't know whats for dinner we have been having PBJs for lunch\\\\\\\
Paul
* * * * * * *
Message from one of the 470 coaches:
There is one more race tomorrow, two for the women.
The guys (Paul and Bill) have a shot at top ten, but it is a bit of a long shot. They are getting so much better. It's amazing.
The Z means a 20% penalty has been applied for starting violations. Read about the Z flag in the rule book and it should be pretty clear.
Skip
PS: If you missed any of the reports you can still read them, thanks to
Jeff Kerr, out on the Team 2000 Web Page: www.rcyc.org/Team_2000.
Thanks Jeff!
Carrie
8-30-97 saturday 8 pm
Last race
Well as usual we were the first boat out of the harbor and scared all the fish off the boat ramp.
The wind was fresh this morning 8-12 out of the south (farther left than usual).
By the time our start happened at noon the wind had dropped a little and gone about 15 degrees right.
We thought the same thing was happening that happened yesterday and the left would be favored.
So we started at the left end of the line going left. But there was no wind on the left. a puff filled in in the middle that we missed. We got one last puff on the left and were able to round ahead of a few boats.
We didn't have much jets down wind so no help there.
The second beat we worked the right side, and of course the wind went left so we rouneded the last mark second fron last. we stayed even on the reach and lost one on the run to put us in last. On the reach to the finish we passed two boats that dropped there spinnakers and went high jib reaching. All in all a humbling last race. It will just make us work the much harder. It was important to get those last two boats because we ended up beating Morgan by one point.
We finished 15th and Morgan finished 16th. The gold medal Ukraninians got throw out of the last race for pumping along with another boat.
Well this was a good regatta to got to we have improved immensely.
The Finnish team won and the portugal team was second.
One of the U.S. girls teams won the last race. They ended up 10th and 16th.
We just got finnished loading 8 470's, 8 dollys, 12 masts one motor boat and all other sorts of miscellaneous` eqt. into a 40 foot container that is going to be shipped to kingston ontario for our next race IN mid OCTOBER. The Kingston regatta will be a qualifier for the International sailing world championships in Dubai, United Arab emirates, on the Persian Gulf.
We are excited to get home. This was a long regatta, we raced just hours after I got off the plane and kept racing every day. the final count was nineteen races!! Great training but I need some rest to heal my wounds. We are very pleased with our effort and are hungry for the next challenge, see you tomorrow.
Our flight leaves tomorrow morning at 8 am, we have to leave for the airport at 6 am. We fly from tel aviv Israel to London. Then to chicago and finally arrive home at 8 pm, thats another 20 hours of traveling and then we have to get over the jet lag again.
See you guys soon.
I just borrowed our coaches razor to shave. Fist time in 10 days. I don't think Bill is going to shave until he gets home.
P.S. We need someone to drive to Kingston Ontario and bring our boat home after the Regatta on october 15th. Any volunteers................????
See ya Paul and Bill
* * * * * * * * *
Carrie,
Paul and Bill did a great job and were really pumped up by all of your support. I hope to see you soon.
Skip