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2007
At the London boat show, I decided to purchase GXD Laser grey hull. The sail and hull
numbers are 189130.
On Saturday 10th February, I picked up the boat from Northampton at the Laser Center. The
plan was to sail at the Freezer series at
Weston Sailing Club near Southampton. Unfortunately, as the boat was not ready and
that the weather was not encouraging, I did not go to
Weston Sailing Club. In addition, the
alarm clock did not start either. From the review that I have received, although the
races started, the wind hit 40mph and very few finished.
On Saturday 17th February, I raced for the Freezer Series 3 and 4. On the
arrival, I realised my watch has stopped but the battery seemed to operate properly. The
wind was almost inexistent on the first race. With the new boat, old habits have not
died far from it. The new boat also required new settings. The Cunningham and the outhaul
were the same as the previous boat. They were fine. Their settings were not as good as
they should have been. However, I spotted several problems: the kicker, the rudder, the
elastic for the outhaul and the dagger board. The outhaul elastic was not a big issue.
However, the kicker was not as efficient as it should have been. The dagger board had no
elastics and this would have made any capsizes a bit tricky. My position on the boat was
not very good but this was as expected after several months break. However, against good
sailors this looks awful. In addition, I could not time my start properly or knew the
starting sequence properly. I also lost of a lot of ground as the tiller was not fitting
properly. Therefore, the rudder was not straight. After the first race, I practised the
roll tacking and gibing but they did not look as good as the competition. During the
lunch break, I forgot to amend all the little things that I could. On the second race, I
was frozen at the start. I did not pay attention to one competitor. I was pushed the
wrong way of the starting line. In addition, about 10 boats started very quickly. By the
time I passed the starting line, the wind oscillated. Although I was slightly unlucky,
my position on the boat and hiking were awful. My cheap gloves were useless as I had no
grip on the main sheet. The problems of the first race were still present and made the
day pretty awful. However, there were a few positive things. I managed to plane in the
second race. This was very enjoyable. I finished both races as one competitor gave up at
the start of the second race. To be fair at that stage, I was thinking the same.
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On Sunday, two more races were run. The wind was slightly lighter than the previous day.
I spied on a few XD laser. I noticed that the outhaul need re-adjustment as well as the
Cunningham. I sorted the outhaul on site but the Cunningham will need sorting later on. I
also reset the kicker as it was twisted. The start of the first race was not brilliant
but it was not too awful. It was considering that I had no watch. In addition, I did not
pay attention to where the marks were. It is quite tricky when the route is unknown.
However, I did not do too badly. The boat setting could have been improved but the main
problem was the rudder not being straight. One encouraging point was the boat speed.
At one point, I was neck and neck with boat that is as old as my previous one. But, a
few seconds later, I took off with no apparent reason. This was very nice. The wind
was very oscillating and no way near yesterday afternoon. In overall the first race
on Sunday was very encouraging. The second race was however a completely different
story. First, the wind dropped to Force 1. Second, I made a mess of the start as I was
fixing my rudder a few seconds before the start. Third, I made a fatal tactical error.
I went too close to the shore whereas all the competitors went away. By the time I
realised what I was doing wrong, they were at the first buoy.
What I found from this first racing outside Shirehampton is that I need to improve
a few points: my boat settings, my position on the boat, be patient under very
light wind and be prepared e.g. find what the course is.
What I found from this first racing outside Shirehampton is that I need to improve a few
points: my boat settings, my position on the boat, be patient under very light wind and
be prepared e.g. find what the course is.
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On the 10th March, I intended the UK qualifier laser open in
Stokes Bay Sailing Club at Gosport. I
expected not to do well. I was not disappointed. I stayed on Friday night in a guest
house. This allowed me to have a good night sleep. I arrived well in advance to the club
house. There was a lot of competitors already. What stroke me was the organisation either
from the sailing committed or the competitors. With 40 minutes to go, all the sails went
up. It was quite a view of about 200 laser sails. The standard sail class was "only" 80
boats or so. The start was under black flag even though this was the first race of the
day.
The wind was quite strong around Force 5. With this type of wind, the waves were quite
powerful. With limited experience of waves sailing, I was in trouble already before even
started. During the upwind phase, I struggled to keep the boat flat and I lost a lot of
energy. To add insult to injury, I could not negotiate the waves properly. I tried to
depower the boat with no results. On the reach phase, I could not stay on top of the
waves. Therefore, I capsized each time a gust or a wave hit me. After capsizing about 6
times in 15 minutes, I decided to call the day. I packed up around 3pm as the wind was
due to be stronger the next day.
The conclusion is that I tried and I should not be ashamed of it. Saying that, I need a
radial rig, carry on participating open meetings and see where it goes from there.
On Sunday 25th March, I sailed at the club i.e. Shirehampton. It was my first
time on the river with the new boat. The wind was around Force 3 with gust of 4. My first
thought of previous tries had been confirmed i.e. the boat is lighter than the previous
one. I struggled to keep the boat straight with each gust. However, I was planning most
of the time. This was very pleasurable. I capsized because I did not pay attention to
the gust when I was playing with the rudder and tiller. I thought that was sorted but it
needs a re-think. In overall, although I was suffering from a cold, it was a pretty solid
sail. Prior to the sail, I managed to take a few pictures. The only worth showing is shown
below.
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On Sunday 8th April, I sailed at Shirehampton. The plan was to sail rudderless and do either MOB or small 360o.
However, the wind was not strong enough to do rudderless. In addition, my Cunningham was well too tight. I did not
tune at the start and I realised it on the way back. However, I applied the principle i.e. move the body windward or leeward,
sheet in to luff and sheet out to bear away. I passed struggling the Neilson point but my position on the boat has improved
dramatically but more patience and work required. To finish, I did a few quick turns around a buoy. I do not believe that there were
any tight circles. I will continue further in the coming months.
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On Saturday 14th April, I raced at Shirehampton for the Queen Mary Cup. The
wind was oscillating, shifting and not very strong. In other words, it was not going to
be my day as they are not my favourite sailing conditions. Nonetheless, the rest of the
weather was very nice i.e. very sunny and quite warm. I started on time and first. It was
due more to luck than good judgement. I was happy with the first 10 minutes of my race.
My position was not very good but I kept the boat moving forward. This was an achievement
with the wind conditions. However, I made several mistakes. The first one is that I
forgot to put a stopping knot on the outhaul. The second one is that I undid the outhaul
after 10 minutes. I had to redo the outhaul. By the time I finished put back everything,
I was several boats length behind the leader. I almost caught him at the end of the
upwind mark on the first lap. He pulled away on the run with shifting wind. My position
on the boat was not perfect and I need to work on that. At the end of the first lap, the
gap remained the same. However, having detuned my boat after losing the elastic holding
the sail against the boom, I struggled to catch the leader. I managed to do so at the
upwind mark on the second lap. I kept the gap constant but the race stopped at the end of
the first lap. I still believed that I would have pulled away comfortably. However, I am
not sure that I would have won the race. It was very frustrating because I made too many
mistakes and the race was stopped well too early for my liking.
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On Sunday 15th April, I participated to a Laser-Solo open meeting at the
Bristol Corinthian Yachting Club. This open meeting
was part of the Wessex Grand Prix circuit. I was not aware of it but now I know about it.
As most club of the South, the reception and the atmosphere was very good and encouraging
to sail. The weather was very nice i.e. temperature well above average and very sunny.
The only thing missing was the wind. The meeting was due to start at 11.00am but with a
lack of wind, the organiser postponed it by two hours. I have to admit that I was not
optimistic to sail. However, a nice sea breeze turned up. This made the races possible.
However, this made the race trickier: three races back to back with no break. I grabbed
a nice lunch and I picked my boat. I launched relatively well thanks to the advice and
help of the club officers. The laser started first and the Solo second on each race. I
was on the line at the first race. However, I did not accelerate on time. Most of the
competitors were gone before I could react. However, managed to caught a few on the run.
My boat position was not good or was not good as the other competitors. More importantly,
their run position was more aggressive as well as their tacking-gibing. They gained a lot
in comparison to me. I finished last on this race. On the second race, I started to
accelerate at the same time as everybody but my tiller decided to do a runner. By the
time I recovered, they were a quarter of a lap in front of me. To add insult to injury,
I touched the upwind buoy. I caught a couple of competitors and I did not finish last.
On the third race, I was spot on and I accelerated almost on time. However, the OOD made
a general recall and raised black flag. This meant that anyone caught over the line would
have been disqualified. I played it safe. This meant that I was well behind in term of
position to the line and accelerating time. I caught up with the fleet at the end. I did
not finish last.
What I learnt from those three races, my start up needs to improve. The minimum
requirement is a sailing time. In addition, my tiller is still an issue as it is not
straight or secure. If those two points are improved, I will make progress.
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On Sunday 22nd April, I race at the SHSC for the first race of the Kiwi Cup. The wind
was not very encouraging i.e. just about force 1. With the tide, it was going to be
delicate. I was not disappointed. I drifted but not as bad as others. However, I lost a
lot of grounds on the first two boats. I was quite surprise that I kept going. Last year,
I would have given up. I caught a bit of air and caught the first two boats. I swapped
position with Ken for the all race. I made a few mistakes. Because of the wind, I could
not find a spot where I could pass Ken. The only option was to go the other side of the
river. However, I felt that the wind would not be there. The frustrating thing that I
was slowed down by Ken´s dirty air. I could catch him but I could not pass him.
I felt that my position on the boat, trim and sail setting were average for the weather
conditions. I do not believe that they slowed me down. One thing to improve is my
awarness of other boats. I had to do a 720o that kills my race.
I also need to
improve my killer instinct i.e. be able to pass competitors. The previous week, a similar
situation developed many times when I could catch other boats but was not capable to
pass them.
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On Saturday 28th April, I raced at Shirehampton for the second race of the Kiwi Cup. The
conditions were almost ideal with above average temperature, good wind and not too much
tide. The wind however was oscillating in force and direction. Nonetheless, it was going
to be a nice sailing afternoon. The starting line was different than usual. I was
slightly lost but I was not as bad as others. I was relatively close to the line. In
addition, I was quite happy with my timing as I accelerated about 5 seconds before the
gun. However, I should have accelerated about 10 seconds before the gun. I arrived at
the first buoy first. On the downwind mark, I started to pull away slightly. However,
the gap over the various other dinghies oscillated with the wind conditions. At the end,
I won it by about 2 minutes. The margin was greater than I initially thought. I was not
completely happy about my sail. I was not close enough to the line. I accelerated a bit
too late. In addition, I struggled with the gusts and I did not anticipate them. I was
told at the end of the race that my rudder was not fully on as shown below.
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I felt that in some
occasions that I was overpowered on the run. In overall, it was an average sail. I gave
me some pleasure to lap one of the Lightnings though, as shown below.
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I finished with small circles. I believed that that they were tight circles and I was in
control all the time. The last bit was enjoyable but very tiring.
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On Saturday 5th May, I went to
Chew Valley Sailing Club as a guest. It was useful as I have applied for a membership.
My application will be reviewed at the next monthly meeting. The weather was almost ideal:
warm temperature and very sunny. The only missing point was the wind. With two other members
of Shirehampton Sailing Club, we
sailed along the lake. It was a nice sail although the wind was not great. However, I did
not have to worry about the tide. I swapped with a Lightning. I have mixed feeling about
this boat. However, I stay with the Laser. In the afternoon, the wind died completely.
However, there was a couple of positive points: I practised roll tacking-gibing and I did
not give up when the wind died.
On Saturday 12th May, I raced at Shirehampton for the third race of the Kiwi Cup. Lets
start with the only good point: I won more luck than anything. Everything else was not good at most or awful.
Although I was near the start line, I only accelerated after the flag went down. Saying
that, I was first crossing the line. My hiking was not good for most of the race. I
pointed relatively well to the wind. I gained most of my time on the upwind part of the
race. On the downwind, I was well too close to the wall and I knew that I had to further
in the middle of the river. I was too scare for the jib. Therefore, I was caught in iron
about 3 times. I was sometimes overpowered by the wind. To be fair most of the
competitors capsized.
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On Wednesday 16th May, I installed the new Harken outhaul system. After
loosing one Velcro outhaul and having two disassembled on the water, I opted it for this
new system. I have not seen any difference in term of speed. However, I was pleased that
it was easier to rig the boat and less chance to loose the outhaul. The weather made an
almost perfect sailing evening: outcast, slightly below average temperature and a
moderate wind around force 4. I passed the Neilson point without too much trouble.
After this buoy, the wind was stronger and it made the sail very enjoyable. I planned on
every direction. My hiking was not too awful and I enjoyed the sail.
On Monday 28th, I sailed at Shirehampton for a normal sailing evening.
The weather was gorgeous: slightly below average temperature, dry although overcast and
very decent wind. I planed most of the time especially on the run. I struggled a bit as
the wind was relatively gusty. More important, I managed to have a good speed. This
was very enjoyable. I enjoyed it every minute. The only annoying thing is that I have
misplaced by battens.
On Thursday 31st, I sailed on a Wanderer as I could not find my battens.
The conditions were not ideal but we managed to keep the boat moving. It was a nice
sail overall.
On Sunday 10th June, I raced at Shirehampton. The conditions did not favour
me i.e. very light to light wind. I stayed above the line in purpose in fear of drifting.
I went below the line just 5 minutes to go. However, I made a mess of my start. I drifted
a lot but I managed to cross the line eventually. I lost several minutes. During that
time, two Lightning pulled away. I managed to sail forward but I should have moved to
the other side of the river much sooner. Nevertheless, I had the feeling that I was
catching them up until I grounded. I did pass a RS200 after my grounding. In overall, I
felt disappointed. I believe that my light wind sailing is improving but it is nowhere
near where it should be.
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On Saturday 16th June, I sailed at Shirehampton. The conditions were
acceptable i.e medium wind, overcast and relatively high tide. I arrived relatively
late and I was about 5 minutes behind everyone. I sailed alright up to the Neilson
point where I made a mess of the shifty conditions. Nonetheless, I went up to the
Cockburn light (the first time of the year). I struggled to come back to the club
as the wind dropped considerably. However, I was satisfied with my sailing
although I thought that I did not go as fast as I should be.
On Saturday 30th June and just after coming back from Menorca, I sailed at Shirehampton
Sailing Club. The weather conditions were not encouraging. The sky was overcast, gusty
wind conditions, wind around force 3 to 5 and below average temperature. In addition,
the BBQ was taking place. I sailed between the Pill and the club's house. This was
enough as around the bridge, the wind was very strong. I managed to plane most of the
time. However, I was caught by a gust. I saw it coming but did not do anything about it.
I lacked the enthusiasm for sailing the next day as the weather conditions were
deplorable.
On Saturday 7th July, I sailed at
Thornbury Sailing Club for their regatta and Wessex Grand prix series. Saturday
was not part of the Grand prix. The conditions were much better than the rest of the week:
medium winds, overcast, temperature below average. It was my first sail on a tidal sea
since my Menorca's trip. I misjudged the tide strength. I went under the first mark of the
first lap. I hit a Laser 2000 and I had to do a 720. I recovered somehow but I did a big
tactical error at the end of the second lap. I should have slowed and try passing another
laser after the mark. Instead I panicked and made a mess of the mark rounding. On the last
lap, I hit the mark as I could not see it because it was hidden by other competitors.
In overall, the first race was not very good. For the second race, the wind picked up big
time. I was overpowered and could not finish the race.
On Sunday 8th, the wind had dropped slightly. However, it was too strong for
my liking. There were three starts with the same course as the previous day. There
were about 20 lasers. My starts were average. I was on time and trying to find a good
position. However, my upwind tactics were out of the window as I could not keep the boat
flat. However, I managed to keep the boat flat on the reach. This was an achievement
as I could not do it the previous day. I did not finish last but it was not very good i.e.
13th over 17 entries. In overall, after the Thornbury events, I am 20
th over 50+ entries. The next event will be Avon Sailing Club in September.
Further details will be shown when available.
The radial rig is starting to look as a necessity. This should improve my
upwind tactics when the wind picked up dramatically or is too strong for the full rig.
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On Sunday 22nd July, I participated to the annual Pill race between
PYSC and
SSC. I arrived early i.e. before
the gate was opened. However, it gave me plenty of time for the preparation. The weather
conditions were almost ideal i.e. overcast, building wind but strong tide. I started with
four other boats including three from
SSC. I started on time and with a reasonable speed. However, my mark approach was not
that good as my angle was wrong. I arrived second just behind the first RS200. The two
RS200´s hoisted their kite but did not gain any speed. I managed to pass first the second m
ark. However, the two RS200 and the Albacore flew away as they had more speed. However,
I tried to shadow one RS200 and did not panic as I knew when to arrive. However, one
Wayfarer followed me and took my wind. I lost a lot of time and I did not know what to
do about it. On the river, I almost caught up with the two RS200´s. However, I blew away
the advantage as I did not pay attention about where the wind was and the tide as shown below.
On the way back, I did another big mistake. I thought that I was on a lake but not on the
tidal river. The tide in the middle was very strong and I would have gained a lot of time.
After the Cockburn buoy, I struggled as I was overpowered. My biceps and abdominal
muscles could not cope with the wind strength i.e. about force 4. I finished 6 minutes
behind the SSC winner and three minutes on corrected time. I finished 22nd overall. I
cannot wait for next year. However, I need to improve my sailing awareness and my hiking
techniques. The hiking pants did not seem to make difference although I was starting to
be tired on my way back as I did not have any dry food.
On Sunday 29th July, I sailed at Shirehampton for a normal sail. I used my
hiking short again. They seem to work better this time. The weather conditions were ideal
for what I had in mind i.e. tacking and gibing in medium winds. I also wanted to improve
my hiking during medium winds. I enjoyed my sail and managed to do what I had in mind.
The hiking was alright as I used less the tiller than usual and I was relatively parallel
to the water. The only downside problem was my gybing. Although I gybed alright, I lost
power when I was going upwind just after the gybe. It was not an issue as far as I was
concerned. My tacking was also acceptable although I should have hiked faster. In overall,
it was a descent sailing session.
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On Saturday 4th August, I sailed at Shirehampton for a normal sail. Although
it was quite early, the weather was encouraging i.e. medium wind (force 3), slightly
overcast sky and about average temperature. My aim was to observe wind shifts and improve
hiking. I discovered a couple interesting points regarding wind shifts. It was not what
I anticipated but this will do for future races. In the estuary after the Nelson point,
the wind was more constant and slightly stronger. This was perfect to improve hiking
and tacking-gybing. The later was acceptable with not much speed reduction. The hiking
was better however, I struggled to keep the boat flat. I believed that further work
at the gym is required. However, it was very enjoyable session.
On Sunday 5th August, I sailed at Shirehampton for the John Roberts trophy
race. The weather conditions were very good medium winds although shifting in direction
and strengh, very sunny and about average temperature. I started on the left of the river
as it made a run start. However, Paul-Justine in a Wanderer had the same idea. I lost
a bit of ground however, I managed to stay ahead but not as much. We caught a Lightning
and a RS200. However, the wind shifted when all four of us arrived near the first mark.
We finished on a close haul instead of a run. For the second mark, I had to double tack
near it as the tide was strong. I pulled away from the Wanderer but I made a mess at
the end of the first lap. The wind shifted again in strength and direction. The RS200
almost passed me. At that point of the race, I thought that Paul-Justine had the race
in the bag. However, the gap between us grew further and further every minute.
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I stayed
clear from the RS200 and increased the gap. I made a few mistakes when the tiller
extension. I kept not in the middle of the boat during the run. However, I was sailing by
the lee and my roll tacks were good i.e. not loosing too much speed. However, I lost
the plot a couple of times that could have cost me the race. In overall, it was a hard
race win but it was enjoyable.
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On Saturday 11th August, I sailed at Shirehampton for a normal sail. The
sailing conditions were pretty good except the wind: light wind dropping to almost
nothing at the end, overcast sky, high tide and about average temperature. My aim was
to practise roll tacking and gybing. However, the wind was not strong enough to practise
roll gybe. I practised my tacking from the club's slip to the Nelson point. I tacked and
sailed half way through the river before doing another tack. I was not focussed on sailing
close to the wind. I believe that my roll tack is not too bad but I need more practise.
On Sunday, I was on safety duty rota.
On Saturday 25th August 2007, I sailed at Shirehampton Sailing Club for the
Sturmey Cup race. The sailing conditions were almost ideal however only two other boats
competed against me. I did not hear the start sequence because of the Pill regatta. I
thought that the noise came from the Pill and not from Shirehampton. I stayed in contact
with the RS200 of Paul and Bob. At the first buoy, I tried but failed to have an overlap.
I gybed behind them. I knew that could do it however, after passing the buoy, Paul, who
was the helm, overcompensated. Therefore, I touched their mast with my boom. I did my
720. I almost caught them at the end of the first lap. At the end of the second lap, they
were caught in iron and I passed them. On the way to the buoy, they passed me but we swapped position once more in the third lap.
I kept my distance and increased the gap between them and me. At the end, I almost lapped them. The sailing was hard mainly because
of the heat, the ships and the shifty wind. In overall, I am happy that I won however I struggled to make the most of the wind. I was
aware where the wind gusts were. I have almost been caught by the tide. The ships´ anchors indicated the tide not the wind. However,
I used them to decide where to sail and use the tide to my advantage.
I sailed again at Shirehampton the following day i.e. Sunday 26th August. The
sailing conditions were almost the same as the previous day except that the ships had
disappeared. The wind was slightly shifty. I was caught in iron at one point whereas
other boats were on the run a meter away from me. However, I got some wind and off I went.
I managed to get some speed and even managed to plane a couple of times. I was quit happy
with my sail even other sailors found my speed very good. I also did some close circles
but did not move my body fast enough. In all, I was quit impressed with my sail.
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On Monday 27th August, I did not enjoy the sail as I was exhausted. The sailing
conditions were almost perfect except the wind that was light and shifty. However, it
forced me to look at my wind indicator for its direction. This was a good exercise for
further sails
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I sailed at Shirehampton Sailing Club on the 1st September. It was an early
start even the wind failed arriving on time. The wind increased to force 2 with gusts of
3 at the end of the sail. The tide was high i.e. 13m. I launched later than the other
dinghies. I found speed even planning up-wind a couple of times. I did of few 360 but not
very short. I sailed alright but not very well. On the return to the club, I was well
shadowed by a Lightning. I could not sail away. In all, it was acceptable sail but not a
brilliant one.
On Sunday 2nd September, I raced for the Challenge Shield. The sailing
conditions were acceptable: high tide (12.9m), overcast, average temperature and medium
winds. With the wind direction, it was quite gusty below the bridge and the Pill. My start
was awful i.e. one minute after the gun and with almost no speed. At one point, I was
almost pushed against the bank. This motivated me. At the first buoy, I arrived third
after keeping speed with RS200. However, I almost blew it away by touching the buoy. I
lost my concentration as another dinghy was alongside me. Although he did the course, he
was not racing. I managed to regain my concentration and gained on the two RS200. On of
them tried his kite. At the end of the first lap, I passed one of the RS200 and cut the
gap with the other one. The between the other RS200 and me oscillated through the
remaining laps. The race was affected by the Balmoran and the speed pats. I cut the gap
during normal sail but lost the gain when approaching the buoys. I managed to plane
upwind on all the laps and down wind on the last two gaps. I finished 20 seconds behind
the RS200 of Ken-Ann. I never managed to catch them. I suspected that the gap was too
large even in corrected time. However, they were hit by a nasty gust near the last buoy.
I spotted their difficulties and took necessary precaution. In all, although I won the race,
I sailed ok but I need to refocus on the start and with the gusts. I failed to accelerate
when I was hit by a gust. In addition, I tend to mess my buoy approach. I am too eager to
pass the buoys and fail to approach them quickly.
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On Saturday 8th, I sailed at Shirehampton for a normal sail. The weather was
alright i.e. overcast and about average temperature. The tide was average i.e. 11m but
the wind was not very strong i.e. force 2 at best. Nonetheless, I sailed. I struggled like
everyone to pass the M5 bridge. However, after the bridge, the wind was slightly stronger
and I enjoyed the sail around there. It was a nice exercise to improve my light wind
sailing. I believe that my roll tack was acceptable but I did not practise my roll gybe.
In all, it was a nice day out.
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On Sunday 9th, I sailed at Chew Valley which I joined in June. Although it was
sunny, the wind was almost non-existent. The race was postponed by 15 minutes for the wind
establishing itself. I started later than the leading group however I had speed and
compensated by using a shorter route. This shorter router almost paid as I arrived third.
However, I did not spot the wind swings therefore I went back to the feet. I gained a bit
a few places but almost lost when arriving at a buoy at the end of the first lap. I was
caught in the middle of the fleet and did not know what to do. I did not know the course
either. On the last buoy, the wind dropped and did not spot the gust. I finished last. I
struggled with my main sheet and my tiller.
On Saturday 15th September, I sailed at Chew Valley for
the 40th anniversary pursuit race. Although the weather was gorgeous i.e. warm and sunny, the wind was not present.
There are
two conditions that I do not like: light and pursuit races. These two conditions were met for that Saturday. I started well i.e. arriving
on the line on time. However, I was not in free and lost a bit of time. I started loosing my motivation and drifted to the back to the fleet.
In addition, I did a couple of mistakes in comparison with mark rounding and give way at the mark. I regained my motivation when I
arrived close to other laser or dinghies. In overall, I did not do too well but this was expected in light wind.
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On Saturday 22nd September, I raced at Shirehampton for the Brunel Cup. The sailing conditions were not ideal i.e. light
wind and outcast. However, it was relatively warm for this time of the year. The race was run on a half pursuit system i.e.
one boat every 30 seconds. I started on time and with a good speed considering the wind strength i.e. force 2 maximum. I managed
to catch everyone except one Lightning and one Solo. At the end of the first lap, I was second. The gap between the leader and me
oscillated through the race. My roll tacking was inexistent. However, I kept my cool and try to gain some speed. With 20 minutes to go,
I passed the leader. However, my main sheet was strapped against the toes strap. I was therefore unable to let go for the run.
Instead to concentrate on my position, I tried to free it. This was a mistake. In addition, I did not give enough room the Lightning
and touched his boom by a few millimetres. To add insult to injury, I got grounded as I should have called water. However, I managed to
calm a little bit and got going again. My sailing was average but I made one mistake that cost me the race. I had a faster boat
but did not fully use it.
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On Sunday 23rd September, I sailed at Avon Sailing club for the Wessex Grand
Prix of the Laser Class association. The sailing conditions were interesting i.e. strong wind with force 4 increasing to 5, overcast
and rain at the end. The sailing area was restricted with trees. This made the sailing difficult with gusts and lulls. There were three
races: one in the morning and two back to back after lunch. Only 11 competitors raced. On the first race, I was in the middle of the
fleet when I failed to spot a lull. I capsized and lost my momentum and concentration. I stayed behind everyone and was unable to
catch anyone. I capsized a couple of times. On the two afternoon races, the situation worsened with the wind strength. I ran out of
energy and I was not capable to hike. In overall, a very difficult sail but a nice club to sail.
On Wednesday 10th October, I went to Chew Valley.
The aim was to prepare for the dinghy instructor pre-assessment planned on Saturday 13th October. The sailing
conditions were optimal i.e. a very descent wind around force 4, slightly cloudy and above average temperature. I did two
sessions i.e. one on the morning and one after lunch. I trained on my weak point i.e. Man Over Board (MOB), rudderless sailing
and tight circles. I managed both easily at the end of the second session. However, I was not completely happy with my tight circles.
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On Saturday 20th October, I sailed at Shirehampton for the Single Hander race. The sailing conditions were not ideal
i.e. light wind, neap tide, slightly overcast sky and above average temperature. My start was not great, as I could not have clear
air. Two other dinghies had the same idea. In addition, as we were on the run, we wind shadowed each other. I managed to get to the
mark first but I was not capable to pull away from the other two dinghies. I swapped position with the winner several times. However,
my light wind sailing has not improved as I wanted.
On Sunday 21st October, I sailed at Frampton Sailing Club for the Wessex Grand Prix. Although the weather was
nice i.e. very sunny and above average temperature, the wind was almost inexistent when I arrived. It increased slightly to force 2
at the end. There were going to have four races i.e. two in the morning and two in the afternoon. However, only one race took place
on the morning. Twenty-two dinghies took part of the first race. My start was not very good but I was with the bunch. I struggled like
most of them to gain any speed. However, I finished thirteenth with passing a few boats in the last twenty meters.
I sailed at Shirehampton on Saturday 17th November. The sailing conditions were acceptable with average temperature, medium wind
(between force 1 and 3), medium tide but very early start. Despite those conditions, I reached the Nelson point with a bit of planning
on a couple of occasion. I decided to go for the Cobran light. I planned all the way between the Avon mouth to the light. On the way back,
I carried on with speed control. I was relatively happy with my speed, trim and boat handling. I almost got stuck a couple of times on the bank
but went away with murder. In all, it was a very worthwhile morning.
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For the last two
races, I took the decision to sail after everyone. The aim was to avoid collision and have clear air. I managed to do that for the
first race of the afternoon. On the first two marks, I was left behind. I managed to join the bunch but struggled to make a nice
rounding. I found difficult to have 10 boats around me at the mark. After that, I lost the plot. I mistaken the next buoy and lost
a considerable amount of times. I finished 18th. On the last race, my start was awful. I was too far behind and never
managed to find any speed. Nevertheless, I caught a few dinghies at the end but was not able to pass them. In all, it was a good
morning but an awful afternoon sail.
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On Saturday 27th October, I participated to the UK inland Master championship (for 35 years old and above) at
Chew Valley. The sailing conditions were tough i.e. strong wind above force 4 all
week-end and around force 5 on Sunday. Although I was exhausted after the week on the dinghy instructor course, I decided to give it a go.
At the first start, I was more or less on the line. However, without a watch, I struggled to accelerate at the same time as everybody else.
After a few minutes, the standard fleet was recalled. Notice that the radial fleet had its own start i.e. after the standard rig. On the
second start, I was similar position with some free air. However, I failed to accelerate at the right time. For the third race, the
Officer Of the Day put the black flag. I played cautiously and it paid off as some were disqualified. I struggled to make progress but
was not the only one. I managed to regain some positions when the race was called off. To be fair my up-wind tactics were completely wrong
as I took the wrong side of the lake. The wind started to build just before the start of the race. Again, I was cautiously on the start.
I struggled physically to keep the boat flat during the up-wind stage. I was not able to think properly. On the run, I forgot to ease the
kicker and could not carry on as I was not able to think. It did not help that I was starving. On Sunday, I did not even try to sail as
the wind was around force 5.
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Between the 22nd and the 29th June 2007, I went to Ses Salines
in Menorca (Spain). I sailed Laser 1, RS200, RS400, Laser 2000 and RS800
(my favourite).
I had a wonderful time. I recommend this center.
Further details on my trip can be seen on the
Menorca page.
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