Chaos & Mayhem

Tomorrow is the RS200 Open Meeting at WSC, therefore I decided to race today, again, in the WHSA Autumn Series. As usual, 2 races back to back, break for tea and then one more race. Today, although I left home early, there was too much traffic on the roads in the area. I was planning to buy a coffee on the way and something to eat but because of the traffic I didn’t. So, I was quite hungry and not fully alert (I had a late night yesterday so I woke up late).

Brent and Pete were already there training. Steve called saying that he is running late because of the traffic and he asked if we could rig his boat. I rigged his boat but he missed even the second race for a few minutes. The weather was good for sailing. It was quite gusty and I was overpowered more often that I would have liked. The problem is that from a completely loose state with a flapping sail to getting it to a completely de-powered state with a flat sail, bent mast and lowered boom you go through a “powered state”. This is were the problem was.

On the first race I had a quite good start, and I came fourth. Once again the competition was not that good really but I saw people making mistakes that I don’t. Not because I am smarter or anything like that, but because I have already made those mistakes and I have learnt. It’s experience.

On the second race I really messed up the start. Basically I thought that the 1 and 0 minute guns were the 5 and 4. So, as a result while all the other Lasers were heading off the line I was cruising around. By the time I realised, the leaders were rounding the first mark. So I decided to head in because I was getting tired. I thought I better stay in during the second race to have a rest and then go out for the third race. At around that time I saw Steve. He had just arrived and since he had missed the second race, we had a chat and then went out together for the third race.

I had a good start but soon I found myself in the fourth place again. I could someone behind me catching me. He sailed passed eventually, on the last lap. He is much more experienced and he could point much higher than me. This is where I lost. Actually, this is what I need to improve. Eventually I finished fifth. Considering that Steve was racing and that he finished first he bumped down everybody else including me. So no big change there, but still I am quite glad with my performance. I still managed to capsize twice, but both times was outside racing, if it makes any difference. Well it makes, it didn’t affect my racing. First time was while I was going in after the first race, and second time was when I was going in after the third race. Actually on that one my buoyancy aid got caught on the mainsheet fairlead which is under the boom.

On the other hand I made other mistakes that made people quite unhappy. You see with the strong wind and the gusts, I was struggling quite a lot and a couple of times I lost control. The first time I was on port tack and the boat was heeling to leeward, so as I was trying to get the boat flat. In order to that I had to head to wind and there was a GP14 coming from the other direction on starboard tack.

The second incident happened while I was letting supposed to turn to starboard and as I was struggling with the tiller, I managed, somehow to turn to port. I almost t-boned a GP14. I mean the guy had to take avoiding action, I ended up doing a 360 and our bows missed each other by 15 cm (that’s 6 inches). I was expecting people to be angry at me for causing chaos and mayhem, but nobody really said anything.

Tomorrow I am video shooting the RS200 Open. Steve will be driving a boat with me.