"Maxprop" wrote in message
nk.net...
Saturday and Sunday were our first races in the new (to us) one-design
class. Fortunately they were pre-season, and not scored. We were abysmal
for the first two. My three additional crew are two young men with
extensive dinghy experience and a middle-aged woman who has forgotten more
about sail trim and tactics than most sailors will ever know. I'm lucky
to have such great people. I hope they'll stay with me for most of the
season. Some crew changes are expected and normal, as peoples' schedules
have conflicts, but good crew seem to be plentiful where we race.

Both days saw light air, which is always tough for me. I'm constantly
searching for the wind and by the time I've re-trimmed, the wind has
altered substantially. I tend to believe the better sailors are more
consistent and trim less aggressively in such conditions.

Race one began on Lake M. with less than 4kts. out of the south. The
water was flat as four of six boats crossed the line early to receive a
general recall. The restart was equally poor, with no one at the line at
the gun. We were blanketed by another boat and held our tack too long
before escaping to clearer air. And it seemed everywhere we went the wind
was elsewhere. We finished dead last. Race two was a bit better. We
started well and maintained good boat speed until the final gibe. For
some reason it was as if the wind died and the sails went slack. Other
boats kept moving, but we slowed frustratingly. We finally got the boat
moving again, but too late to make up the lost time. We finished fourth
after a very good final windward leg. Sunday saw slightly more wind, and
predictably we sailed better. My foredeck man seemed to come into his own
and worked brilliantly. Our four spinnaker legs were near flawless. To
weather we moved very well, about 3.5 kts. in 4.5 kts. of wind, passing
two boats in the process to take second place. We were elated.

The post-race 'party' was a great experience. The fleet is made up of
serious sailors, but very decent and friendly folks. Everyone was
complimentary of our first efforts and made us feel like we've always been
part of the fleet. We're looking forward to the upcoming summer series,
which begins in two weeks.

Max


If you learned to sail in Colorado shouldn't you have mastered reading the
wind? It changes every minute in direction and intensity.