Me and coach P
Team USA: Claire Dennis, Christy Frost, Paige Railey, Erika Reineke, Christine Neville
Thanks West Coast Sailing!
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Video
Posting videos is a little slow. I am adding a few more.
Race 5
Race 7
Hauling out at the end of the day
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
The End - Races 11 and 12
Sitting in the airport in Dulles waiting to get back on a broken down plane. What better time is there to write about the end of the laser worlds! After waiting for a very mild sea breeze to fill in for the last two races, I watched Erika Reineke win the pin in the gold fleet and head right towards what looked like better pressure.
Race 11
With the pin still quite favored for our start, I thought I would do the same thing. I didn't have too much trouble winning the pin, and I had a beautiful start. I wasn't sure I could cross the fleet, so I waited until other boats tacked. Now the whole fleet was on port, and I was on the left. The wind was very light, but I thought I was doing okay, since I was getting lifted inside the fleet. Then it really died, and filled in from the right side. I watched as the whole fleet to the right of me went faster and faster. So, that was the most important part of the race, once the breeze filled in, it didn't change too much. I made a few small gains but there was only so much I could do. I remembered the day before and kept my head in the game though, didn't get discouraged.
Race 12
After a poor start near the boat, I tacked out and found a small lane going right. I focused on speed and clear air, and rounded the windward mark in the top 15. Worked hard downwind and played the right again upwind to start the reach in 4th! I was psyched to be making gains in light air and sailed really fast on the reach. Apparently it was too fast, since I got yellow flagged - 2nd time in the regatta. I didn't realize that meant I had to drop out of the race immediately, and I did circles instead. So that meant I had to score a DNE (score DNF but 'do not exclude').
In the end, my scores in the last three races of the regatta were very painfull, but I learned some good things. I was able to ask the judge who yellow flagged me about the motion, and learned that I have to be much more careful to steer the boat in conjunction with my body movement - I think it is especially easy to rock but go straight when reaching, so I have to work on that.
One thing that I have to work on is race attitude. I don't like to be pushy on the water, and I particularly dislike the whiny, irritable tone of voice that many of the other women use to yell at each other. But, the take-no-prisoners attitude is important! For example, I let other boats force me to the left side of the course when I want to go right. I should be tacking to port and trying to get away with crossing if I feel that is the way that I want to go.
Overall, the Worlds was an incredible experience! I can't wait for more big regattas because I know I can do better and I really want to use the things I have learned. Thanks again to everyone to helped make it possible.
-Christine
Race 11
With the pin still quite favored for our start, I thought I would do the same thing. I didn't have too much trouble winning the pin, and I had a beautiful start. I wasn't sure I could cross the fleet, so I waited until other boats tacked. Now the whole fleet was on port, and I was on the left. The wind was very light, but I thought I was doing okay, since I was getting lifted inside the fleet. Then it really died, and filled in from the right side. I watched as the whole fleet to the right of me went faster and faster. So, that was the most important part of the race, once the breeze filled in, it didn't change too much. I made a few small gains but there was only so much I could do. I remembered the day before and kept my head in the game though, didn't get discouraged.
Race 12
After a poor start near the boat, I tacked out and found a small lane going right. I focused on speed and clear air, and rounded the windward mark in the top 15. Worked hard downwind and played the right again upwind to start the reach in 4th! I was psyched to be making gains in light air and sailed really fast on the reach. Apparently it was too fast, since I got yellow flagged - 2nd time in the regatta. I didn't realize that meant I had to drop out of the race immediately, and I did circles instead. So that meant I had to score a DNE (score DNF but 'do not exclude').
In the end, my scores in the last three races of the regatta were very painfull, but I learned some good things. I was able to ask the judge who yellow flagged me about the motion, and learned that I have to be much more careful to steer the boat in conjunction with my body movement - I think it is especially easy to rock but go straight when reaching, so I have to work on that.
One thing that I have to work on is race attitude. I don't like to be pushy on the water, and I particularly dislike the whiny, irritable tone of voice that many of the other women use to yell at each other. But, the take-no-prisoners attitude is important! For example, I let other boats force me to the left side of the course when I want to go right. I should be tacking to port and trying to get away with crossing if I feel that is the way that I want to go.
Overall, the Worlds was an incredible experience! I can't wait for more big regattas because I know I can do better and I really want to use the things I have learned. Thanks again to everyone to helped make it possible.
-Christine
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Races 9 and 10 - Heartbreak hotel
Today was an emotional roller coaster. Sailed out to the course in less than 5 knots. Once everyone was out the race committee postponed and sent us back in. The mosh pit that happens when 135 lasers try to get their boats out of the water all at once with only 3 ramps is ridiculous. Every sailor is in their 'me first' attitude, boats bang into each other, people cut in front of each other, and waves from the coach boats are sloshing everyone around.
They finally sent us back out after a mild sea breeze filled in.
Race 9 -
I accelerated too late at the start and got rolled. Tacked out and went all the way right in to clear air. Some little shifts and better pressure in clear air allowed me to catch a lot of boats. I managed to stay to the side in clear air downwind, by the lee on starboard and moving pretty well with the waves. Upwind I stayed right again, in clear air, but tacking back to when I could. Same thing downwind to finish 9th. Pretty good after a horrible start.
Race 10 -
My focus was to have a good start. I also had a pretty clear picture in my head that I wanted to start near the boat and go right. I figured I would start just far enough away from the boat to avoid a jam of boats, wait for the boats to the right of me to tack, and then I would tack too. I had my good start, I was where I wanted to be, but there were a few boats on my hip that wouldn't tack. I didn't really want to duck them, so I waited. We kept going and going, boats were ducking us, but then a few boats crossed us. I finally decided I was going to tack and duck those boats on my hip, but they tacked as I was going to duck them. Suddenly I was in a bad place in bad air and a discouraging feeling of doom set in. Probably should have tacked back to go left, but I was so sure I had to go right. The bad just got worse and worse, the shifts weren't that big, and gains were hard to make. Got flagged by the judges for rocking downwind too and had to do circles. All in all a horrible race (49th).
So, what can I learn from that?
First of all, it is painfully obvious to me looking at the scores how much a bad result like that counts, and how much better a mediocre result would have been. I was winning the silver fleet, and now I am 23 points behind the leader, 23 places at the back of the fleet are worth fighting for just as much as a few places at the front of the fleet. Its easy to be discouraged when I am so far back, and easy to be motivated when I am near the front. Next time, I have to remember how important it is to make those little gains even at the back of the fleet.
Second, having a plan for the race is good, but I also need to give the plan weight so that if something is foiling the plan, I know whether to be open to changing that plan instead of forcing myself to follow it and risking a bad situation.
Third, if I am on starboard and I want to tack but there are boats on my hip, my plan is to first yell to them to tack to see if I can get them to go. If they don't, then I have to know how important it is to me to go that way, and only tack if I think it is worth the risk that they might tack right on me.
I do have pictures to upload, but the internet connection is slow, so I'll get to it when I can. Expecting a good sea breeze for the last two races, so I am looking forward to them!
-Christine
They finally sent us back out after a mild sea breeze filled in.
Race 9 -
I accelerated too late at the start and got rolled. Tacked out and went all the way right in to clear air. Some little shifts and better pressure in clear air allowed me to catch a lot of boats. I managed to stay to the side in clear air downwind, by the lee on starboard and moving pretty well with the waves. Upwind I stayed right again, in clear air, but tacking back to when I could. Same thing downwind to finish 9th. Pretty good after a horrible start.
My focus was to have a good start. I also had a pretty clear picture in my head that I wanted to start near the boat and go right. I figured I would start just far enough away from the boat to avoid a jam of boats, wait for the boats to the right of me to tack, and then I would tack too. I had my good start, I was where I wanted to be, but there were a few boats on my hip that wouldn't tack. I didn't really want to duck them, so I waited. We kept going and going, boats were ducking us, but then a few boats crossed us. I finally decided I was going to tack and duck those boats on my hip, but they tacked as I was going to duck them. Suddenly I was in a bad place in bad air and a discouraging feeling of doom set in. Probably should have tacked back to go left, but I was so sure I had to go right. The bad just got worse and worse, the shifts weren't that big, and gains were hard to make. Got flagged by the judges for rocking downwind too and had to do circles. All in all a horrible race (49th).
So, what can I learn from that?
First of all, it is painfully obvious to me looking at the scores how much a bad result like that counts, and how much better a mediocre result would have been. I was winning the silver fleet, and now I am 23 points behind the leader, 23 places at the back of the fleet are worth fighting for just as much as a few places at the front of the fleet. Its easy to be discouraged when I am so far back, and easy to be motivated when I am near the front. Next time, I have to remember how important it is to make those little gains even at the back of the fleet.
Second, having a plan for the race is good, but I also need to give the plan weight so that if something is foiling the plan, I know whether to be open to changing that plan instead of forcing myself to follow it and risking a bad situation.
Third, if I am on starboard and I want to tack but there are boats on my hip, my plan is to first yell to them to tack to see if I can get them to go. If they don't, then I have to know how important it is to me to go that way, and only tack if I think it is worth the risk that they might tack right on me.
I do have pictures to upload, but the internet connection is slow, so I'll get to it when I can. Expecting a good sea breeze for the last two races, so I am looking forward to them!
-Christine
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Races 7 and 8
Our light day turned out to be pretty windy, full hiking with medium chop for the first race, and it built for the second. As usual the shifts were big. There often seemed to be a lefty on the left side of the course, and a righty on the right side. In general I thought there was better pressure on the left near the top, but sometimes the right was good early on. One thing that is interesting here with the chop and all the coach boats, our last short windward leg to the finish is always like sailing in a washing machine, the waves are going every direction, and the breeze is often mixed up too.
Race 7 - I thought I was going to win this race for the whole first beat. Started mid line. I had a good line sight and everyone was hanging back from the line so I was punched out (black flag was up for the second time already - we have at least one general recall every race). I went left until I got to a breeze line and got knocked, tacked and played a few more shifts near the top, generally staying in the middle of the course. Overstood a little right a the windward mark, and let one boat inside me. In second now, I went a little too far off to the side downwind. I thought I was staying in clear air, but I lost some boats downwind. Not too much passing the rest of the race, I finished 5th.
Race 8 - Start was not great, had to tack out and duck some boats. Played shifts upwind, and tried to go fast, a lot of vang adjusting to stay powered up when needed, but get through waves. It's easy to tack too much here, and I am trying to make myself be more frugal with the tacking. Rounded top 15 ish, and lost a bunch of boats downwind when I went too far to the side again. I need to do a better job of staying with the fleet downwind. I hate being too close to other boats. Upwind I stayed on the left side and made some big gains, better pressure mostly. Fast reach, and somehow downwind, I caught boats. I think I was in better pressure, but I managed to find a groove sailing by the lee on starboard and turning up to catch waves. That was my first downwind leg where I made gains! Caught a couple more boats in the washing machine to the finish, I have to remember to go fast and not tack much on that leg. Finished 6th. Pretty happy.
Pictures to come later. Light wind and rain in the forecast.
Race 7 - I thought I was going to win this race for the whole first beat. Started mid line. I had a good line sight and everyone was hanging back from the line so I was punched out (black flag was up for the second time already - we have at least one general recall every race). I went left until I got to a breeze line and got knocked, tacked and played a few more shifts near the top, generally staying in the middle of the course. Overstood a little right a the windward mark, and let one boat inside me. In second now, I went a little too far off to the side downwind. I thought I was staying in clear air, but I lost some boats downwind. Not too much passing the rest of the race, I finished 5th.
Race 8 - Start was not great, had to tack out and duck some boats. Played shifts upwind, and tried to go fast, a lot of vang adjusting to stay powered up when needed, but get through waves. It's easy to tack too much here, and I am trying to make myself be more frugal with the tacking. Rounded top 15 ish, and lost a bunch of boats downwind when I went too far to the side again. I need to do a better job of staying with the fleet downwind. I hate being too close to other boats. Upwind I stayed on the left side and made some big gains, better pressure mostly. Fast reach, and somehow downwind, I caught boats. I think I was in better pressure, but I managed to find a groove sailing by the lee on starboard and turning up to catch waves. That was my first downwind leg where I made gains! Caught a couple more boats in the washing machine to the finish, I have to remember to go fast and not tack much on that leg. Finished 6th. Pretty happy.
Pictures to come later. Light wind and rain in the forecast.
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Races 5 and 6
Best results today, not quite good enough to make the gold fleet though.
Todays races are blending into a blur of hiking, being psyched with my position, and dissapointed with some mistakes.
Race 5 was good overall, I managed to put together a good race without any major blunders, although still losing boats downwind.
Race 6 - The start was super pin favored after two generals and a black flag. I was in the pile of boats close to the pin, but up a little. It was so hard to hold space, and my start was not that great. I sailed to the left in the pack, thought we looked okay, but lost to the boats coming in from the right at the top. Still in an okay position, gybed to port with the rest of the fleet for the downwind, and flipped about halfway down the run. Sooo mad. I got to the gate and forgot we had another lap to go. I banged the right corner thinking it was a persistent shift, which was a good call, but I went too far and overstood by a mile. Caught a bunch of boats, but was mad at myself for wasting so much. Sailed fast on the reaches, and only lost one boat downwind.
Now the goal is to win the silver fleet.
Sailing out
Pre start
Getting a line sight
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)