Long Day Sets Up For Exciting Medal Race
Today was the penultimate day of Sail Melbourne before the medal race tomorrow. We went out at 2 PM for a 3 PM start with the intention of sailing two races. At 2 PM, the breeze was very unstable and dying. We sat on the water drifting around until 5:15 PM when all of a sudden a 15 knot breeze line came from the Southwest. The race committee rushed to set a course, but very quickly the breeze shifted about 60 degrees to the left. As the race committee scrambled to reset the course, the breeze died to about 12 knots.
We started the first race at about 5:30. With the breeze going left, I decided to go for a pin end start and play the left hand side of the course. I had a great start, the 2nd boat up from the pin, and stuck to my game plan. Josh Junior (NZL) and Javier Hernandez (ESP) got good starts too, and the three of us played the left hand side of the course. It was a very interesting condition. Because the wind came so strongly from the right, the waves were from right to left on the course. So on starboard tack, you could put the bow down and surf at times. On port tack, you were heading right into waves and chop.
As we approached the windward mark, I tacked just inside of Josh and was technically first at the mark, though Josh was bow even with me and to windward. As we rounded, he caught one of the waves and surfed over me. Very quickly, a few guys followed, and I was stuck below a line of boats. By the time I got to the second mark, I was in about 7th place. I had an ok downwind and was able to catch up to 5th place by the leeward mark. I played the left again on the second beat and rounded in 5th again, a little ahead of 6th place and within striking distance of 3rd. I had a mediocre run, though, and came into the finish in 5th place. The good news though, was that Mike Leigh finished 15th and some other top guys had mediocre races too. I had an 8 pt lead going into the last race.
After the race, the breeze really started to die and become very unstable. It was 6:30 at this point, and I don't think that helped the breeze any. After two general recalls, we finally got a start off. The committee boat was very favored, but the breeze was bouncing back and forth. I had a great start below the main pack at the committee boat and decided to play the right side of the course, staying close to Mike Leigh, my nearest competition. Half way up, I was in the top group and looked under my boom to see Mike hedeged pretty far out right. I felt great about my spot. But pretty soon the breeze died a little more and some pressure filled from the right. Mike, and a few more guys came across the fleet with speed. He was in 3rd at the mark, and I was in 7th. As we sailed down the reach leg, the breeze continued to die. At the mark, the fleet converged and everyone rounded the mark very close to each other and fanned out on the downwind. I headed high, trying to keep my air clean. Most of the way down the run, though, the breeze went right, and I was on the wrong side. As we got to the leeward mark the RC quickly realized that the conditions were deteriorating and shortened the course! We were finishing at the leeward mark. The route I had chosen was not the best, and I limped into the finish in 14th place. Mike finished in 7th.
So despite the fact that I didn't sail amazingly, I ended the day in 1st place, four points ahead of Mike Leigh. Tomorrow is the last day and the medal race. The medal race will be the top 10 boats in the regatta sailing a short, double-point race for the championship. With third place pretty far back, I'll have to focus on Mike in the race. It should be a fun race!
