Miami OCR Starts Tomorrow

I've been in Miami for 9 days preparing for the Miami Olympic Classes Regatta that starts tomorrow.  The OCR, which is the second stop of the 2010 ISAF World Cup, is a must sail for the top international Laser sailors.  There are 106 Lasers registered, and we'll race 10 races over the next five days before a medal race on Saturday.  Because there are so many boats, we'll have a qualifying series for the first three days, before a gold-silver split for the final two days.  The forecast looks good with breeze tomorrow (despite a chance for thunderstorms) and warm temperatures.

This past week I've spent a lot of time prepping for the event.  I got some windy conditions training with a big group of people last Saturday and Sunday.  On Monday and Tuesday I did some boatwork and organized some things for the event.  Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, I took part in the US Sailing Team Alphagraphics training camp.  We talked about reaching technique, analyazed some medal race tactics, and discussed some rules questions and put them into use with some great on the water drills.  These US camps prior to the World Cup events are a great chance to sail with other US Laser guys, bounce ideas off of my teammates in different classes, and receive top-level coaching.  The camp culminated with the first annual USSTAG Awards dinner.  I was awarded the "Most Improved Fitness" award, which I shared with radial sailor Paige Railey.  It was a nice award to receive, and the dinner was a great success.

Be sure to check back for daily updates during the event!