Team Odyssey Day 1
Paralympic Sailing Races 1 & 2 |
Hi folks,
I'm sorry that I haven't been able to get
more updates out. Finding time here can be
very difficult! But here's a quick report
on day 1.
The day started with very little velocity
and the winds coming out of the Southwest -
a direction that none of the forecast models
predicted. As we sailed out to the course
area, it became quickly clear that the
breeze was quite unstable. The race
committee waited for the pressure to settle
down, calling for a postponement before the
scheduled start time. It was a hot
drifter. Luckily for us, US Sailing was
prepared with cooling vests that we donned
to keep focused on our jobs instead of our
comfort.
It paid off. After a few tries to get a
course set, the wind completely shut down.
We thought there was no hope for the day - a
frustrating start. Suddenly the race
committee started moving our course to the
other side if the course area and informed
the competitors to "follow me" using the L
flag. we thought the move was wasted effort
as there was no indications of any wind
fill. Boy was this committee good! Within
10 minutes of moving the fleet to the new
start location, the breeze had filled from
the new Southeast direction. I was
impressed!
So we quickly jumped into race mode,
gathering our directional compass numbers,
doing our starting line prep, watching the
course for wind and examining the weather
conditions for any indication of what would
be coming next. Too bad the race officers
were not on board with us! Turns out we
didn't need them.
We got off to a nice solid start in the
first race. Conservative placement up
toward the boat end of the line with good
speed. We were forced to clear out after
100 meters or so, but our initial plan was
to protect the right side so that felt
okay. With wind speeds of 7-9 knots and
flat water, boat handling was easy and our
maneuvers were solid. A quick check over my
shoulder showed better pressure and left
shift starting to fill in. We took a hitch
out that direction and the gains were almost
immediate. By the top mark, we were in
second place on a 30 degree left shift.
With no course change, we executed a
bear-away set which put our bow right at the
leward mark. The leading Germans were not
so tuned in.
With France hot on our transom and Greece
close behind, we sailed a speedy run, taking
over the lead by the leward mark. It was a
lead we would not relinquish. The sound of
that first horn as we crossed the finish
line felt amazing! Cheers from the coach
boats and spectators were a real lift. But
the day was not over. Race two was to start
very quickly.
The start was very square with only one
notable occurrence. The Israeli's fouled us
on a simple port/ starboard situation with
20 seconds to go. In a friendly club race,
it was the sort of situation that you might
let go after some amenable "conversation"
between the two boats. But this is the
Paralympics and 20 seconds before the start
is not a time to foul somebody in a big
way. We hailed protest with vigor and then
started the race at the pin end where we
wanted to be thouh with a bit of a tighter
lane than we would have liked.
The breeze had filled in to about 10 knots
and the waves had begun to build. We felt
good and played the favored left side up the
first beat. Favored left side. Favored
left side. Remember that. By the time we
got to the first mark, the wind had shifted
slightly right and a number of boats had
overstood the layline. Though high risk, we
were able to sneak in around the mark on
port tack putting us in fourth place before
the run. High risk maneuver but it worked!
We sailed a great downwind leg, surfing the
waves and jibing well. Kudos to the whole
crew on this one. By the time we hit the
leward gate, we were 2 seconds behind the
leading French.
And we extended right. Right? Why? We
though - "oh we're lifted, stay until we get
a header." Sailing 101 - consilidate the
boats behind and put yourself between them
and the next mark. We didn't execute the
basics... By the windward mark, we had
dropped back to 7th and then lost three more
boats on the run. A real dissapointment
given our earlier position.
One final note: We did end up protesting
Israel and they didn't even sohw up for the
hearing. They were disqualified from the
race, giving them 15 points. We currently
sit in fourth place with the French leading
followed by the Greeks (wonderful suprise!)
and Norway in third.
Off to go racing! Three races today!
-Tim, Bill & Rick
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