Day 2 - boring. No wind. No racing. The Radials were sent out at the end of the day but returned before any racing. The standards never got on the water.
Day 3 - Not boring. We sailed 3 races, one in the rain. The wind was predicted to be 20+ knots, but it never got that high - probably above 15 at most but then slackening.
Overall I was happy with the day. I think I am starting to get the feel for working over waves a bit better. Coming up as I go up the front of them, with a slight easing of the sheet, and at the top a slight bear away with sheeting in. I could feel the rhythm every once in a while. I tried torquing but frankly I am not strong enough for it to be very effective. But sometimes the waves are too close together for anything to work other than slamming through them.
Had some good downwind, catching a couple of boats and a very good reach at the end of the second race, overtaking a boat.
One poor start, one average one and one very nice with a very clear lane, although I was about a boat length behind the leaders on the line. But with the U flag up all the time, better to be prudent.
In the evening, a barbecue at Fort Henry and a show by the drum and bugle corps.
Do you really mean you are easing the sheet as you come up a wave and then bearing away over the wave while sheeting in? I would have thought the sheeting would be the other way round?
ReplyDeleteI think I do the opposite. But what do I know? I'm not at the Worlds.
Brings back memories!
ReplyDeleteBlake - I have no idea what to do with a Laser, as I sail a 1500-pound keelboat, but what I do in waves is foot off and ease the main and power through the worst of them (don't take them head on), and then try to head up higher when I can, sheeting in. What I do actually depends on what the waves look like - not all waves are created equal! If there's a wide trough, and lots of wind, you really have to foot off quite a lot. If they are closer together, sometimes you can keep pointing if you are able to go over the tops of them (at least as much as a keelboat can). This Laser thing sounds entirely complicated - but I am going to try one this summer!!!
ReplyDeleteIt's pretty much the same in a Laser in very short chop Deborah. But in some waves, with the boat being so light and responsive to tiller and body movements, you can work and/or steer the boat through every wave - or at least the bigger ones. Of course we Laser sailors are superfit from all that "torquing"!
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