TorchSailing

The LA Tacohunt

2008-08-05T22:58:00.000-07:00

Today I'll deviate slightly from my normal documentation of my Laser sailing events. I will attempt to help one of my blogging compatriots in his quest, none other than the Taco Bandini!! I first heard about the Bandini and his quest just under a year ago when I came to LA with my dad for the Labour Day regatta at the Alamitos Bay Yacht Club. The Bandini samples tacos throughout LA attempting to find the perfect one. Last year when I was here I tried one of the Bandini's pics in the South Bay area called Don Chentes. It was suggested for its handmade corn tortillas among other reasons. I have long been looking forward to having another sample of Don Chentes tacos so for my first lunch in LA I convinced my teammates Luke Kev and Alanna to come with me to grab some mexican food. They were all a bit surprised that I was so passionate about some seemingly anonymous taqueria but were game to try it. I started off with a big order of two of each chorizo, al pastor, and carnitas. The tacos came on a big plate very full with both cilantro and onions on them. The two corn tortillas for each taco kept the juicy meat well contained. With the addition of salsa roja I started on my plate. The chorizo and al pastor were excellent and I would call the carnitas passable, it didn't have the same complex flavours as the other two meats. I was still hungry so I decided to try some handmade corn tortillas. I was told that they had beans as well as meat and salsa in them. I ordered one pollo and one al pastor. The more durable corn tortilla was good but the taste was overpowered by the beans, taking away from the overall experience. I would recommend the al pastor to anyone I know.

For dinner I went to a local mexican restaurant on the beach at Seal Beach walking distance from our hotel. Some random internet sites suggested it as a good place. It was called El Burrito Jr. I wasn't all that hungry after my big lunch so i ordered two al pastor tacos and two carnitas tacos, as well as a chili relleno. The first thing I noticed about these tacos was the price, they were about a dollar and a quarter more than the 1.25 at Don Chentes. I took this to be a bad sign and indeed I was right. The chili relleno arrived first and was little more than a small piece of jalapeno drenched in what looked like chedder cheese and some tomato sauce. The tacos arrived soon after and I was horrified to see that they were filled with tomato and guacamole instead of cilantro and onion as tacos should be. The al pastor was very stringy and had little juice and no flavour. The carnitas was better but still quite bad. In addition the tacos were too full. All in all a bad experience after a great lunch. I have a lead on a taqueria in Hawaiian Gardens, hopefully I'll be able to get there soon.

until next time,
the Laser Bandini

Heavy Weather Laser Slalom 2008 and the NA's

2008-07-31T21:28:00.000-07:00

This past week I have completed my first two regattas in North America in 2008. I left Europe after a successful European Championships, flying from Paris through JFK in New York to San Francisco. I had only five days between the end of the Europeans and the start of the North Americans, hosted by the St. Francis Yacht Club in the Marina district of San Fran. After arriving I had one day to spare before the regatta so I took the opportunity to catch up with a friend from UBC who took me to a Giants game. I personally don't follow baseball at all (I didn't even know the name of the home team) but going to the game was a complete blast. The stadium is located on the water just a short bus trip away from St. Francis YC. We sat in the bleachers with lots of other young people half watching the game and half catching up on what we'd each been doing lately, I'd recommend a ball game to anyone as a great venue for spending a casual evening. The next day I worked on my boat, making sure all the equipment I brought back from Europe was working well on my North American boat. It's a testament to the greatness of the Laser that it is so easy to pick up a hull, spars and foils at a new venue and bring all of your own lines and hardware so easily. I went for a quick sail with fellow RVYC teammate Kev Grierson and called it a day. The first few days of the NA's went by in a bit of a blur. The racecourse is set very close to shore with the beach/rocks only about a three minute sail on starboard from the start. A heavy flood tide made the shore very favored so the whole fleet raced for the shore and tried to short tack up the left side of the course. This was a far cry from the races I'd been sailing in Europe where we would often sail for between 10 and 15 minutes after the start before tacking. A lack of waves also proved to be very different from most of the European venues, all in all I felt a little like I hadn't practiced much for this sort of sailing and if anything I was a little worn out from previous regattas. All this changed after the second day of racing. I had a conversation with some fellow competitors that really got me fired up and wanting to win. I recognized that I was in a similar state of mind to a day of training before the Delta Lloyd regatta in Holland this year and tried to keep that feeling. It worked and I certainly sailed much better the last two days of the event, moving up the rankings a little bit to finish a close series fourth right behind Brad Funk of the USA. I really enjoyed the last two days of the regatta and I think i took away some lessons from the whole experience.

After the North Americans ended on a Sunday, I had until Thursday to do with what I wanted before I planned to drive with Kevin to Monterey for the Pacific Coast Champs starting on Friday. I decided to take part in an event called the Heavy Weather Laser Slalom again at St. Francis. This event is steeped in Laser history. First sailed in the 70s it has not been sailed for over a decade. I don't think I am up to giving the event the justice it deserves so I invite you to google or youtube "laser slalom" to get the history behind it. Basically it involves sailing around a very short course against a single opponent close to shore. It is a double knockout scheme so you have to lose twice to get kicked out of the regatta. The course is close enough to shore that the spectators can be heard while racing as well as the commentator who announces over a speaker system clearly heard by crowd and competitors alike. All racing was done in boats supplied by West Coast Sailing, who I would like to thank by the way for donating these great boats and taking some great photos. After each heat we sailed to the beach and exchanged boats with the next sailors. The event was lots of fun to watch as well as sail in and the breezy conditions didn't fail to impress with lots of great gybes and wipeouts. Showboating was common among the boats waiting to race, I think the best award goes to Brad Funk for sailing by the lee standing up on the leeward rail in over 20 knots on a full plane. I progressed through the three day event without a loss until the finals for the winners bracket when I lost to David Wright, a fellow National Team member from Toronto fresh from a win at the North Americans. I next sailed against Anthony Boulieh from Quebec who had won the consolation bracket in order to win the right to face the finalist from the winners bracket. I managed to beat Tony to sail in the Champions race against Dave. Now if you've lost the plot a bit I'll clarify. I had lost once and Dave had won all his matches. This meant that in order to win I would have to beat Dave in two consecutive races whereas he only needed to win one of the two to take the title. I won the first race forcing a do or die final between Dave and I. With good friend Mike Kalin on the mic commentating and a crowd rich with Royal Van sailors cheering for me I felt confident. I sailed past the dock one more time with a wave for the spectators and a cheer for me before starting. I felt confident throughout and was ahead 3/4 of the way through the race before I fell behind for the last downwind where I needed to make four gybes in about 40 meters. I managed to stay on a plane throughout and came up to the finish hearing Kalin announce me as a winner! I continued planing past the spectators and attempted a standing backflip from my transom (it was more of a back flop i think). The awards ceremony was very nice and I was presented with a perpetual trophy bearing a Laser bow and my name engraved on it. Past winners were announced and beer was served. All in all a great event.

Tonnes of photographers were out taking pictures and video so as I find those sites I'll pass them along to you and post them here. I do know that Kimball Livingstone, an editor for SAIL magazine posted two writeups to his blog about the slalom, they can be viewed
here:

SAIL
and here:

SAIL
more photos should be available on laser.org and westcoastsailing.net

As i said, a search for Laser Slalom 2008 on youtube.com or google should bring up lots of pictures and a few videos.

2008-06-16T02:06:00.001-07:00

My world is in motion. I am writing perched upon a revolving bar stool affixed to the deck of a ferry which is rocking in the gentle Aegean swell. I have just left Paros, an island in the Greek cyclades and am now en route to lake Garda in northern Italy. Before I get into future plans, I should clarify my recent past. I left my car with my laser affixed to the roof at an airport in Milan about a week ago. I boarded an evening flight to Athens and went by bus straight from the Athens airport to the port area of Piraeus, the jumping off point for ferries bound for the Islands. I had hoped that at Piraeus I would find a shipping terminal similar to a train station or an airport which might be open around the clock and offer a pleasant place to sit and wait for the next ferry. I was to be disappointed. Piraeus was the end of the line for the bus I was on and as passengers disembarked I looked about myself with a trace of worry. The port was a dark strip of seedy shops with at least twenty store fronts advertising ferries to different locations around the Med. The closest thing I could find resembling a waiting area was a bank of metal benches covered by indistinct forms in sleeping bags. I decided that my best bet would be to make a reconnaissance of the entire port to try to find a hospitable place to spend the hours between midnight and seven. If this was not possible I planned to make the choice between returning to the airport or looking for a hotel.

I made quick time surveying the outer reaches of the massive concrete “U” making up the port. At intervals along the water large ships could be seen open and lit up with crews using high pressure hoses to clean them, both inside and out. I found nothing more inviting than a curb to sit upon and was beginning to think I would be unsuccessful when I came upon the port police station. I figured that this was a good start, as I should most likely be safe, if not sound. I quicked my step and headed towards it when I passed between a potted plant and the side of a building. I heard barking and realized that I’d just about stepped on two sleeping black dogs. I turned quickly to retrace my steps but the dogs were quicker and started to chase me. Remembering the lessons taught for bear encounters I dropped my bag and continued my retreat. The dogs stopped to investigate. I was alright but any attempt to retrieve my bag was quickly ended by the dogs’ protesting barks. Again thinking about bears I kept my eyes down and talked quietly, approaching slowly until I was able to pick up my bag.

I looked around feeling relieved and saw an all night waiting area with tables, chairs, internet as well as food and drink. It was here that I waited for morning and my upcoming ferry trip. The rest of the day passed smoothly, I slept on the upper deck of the ferry and was only awakened upon reaching the quay in Paros. When I arrived I followed the advice of fellow Laser sailor Adonis from Greece and rented a car to drive myself to the famous Golden Beach. The site of many past world class Windsurf events, the beach is famous for its heavy winds, flat water and fine golden sand. In a trend which would continue for the rest of my visit, three of these ingredients were present, missing only the heavy wind. I stopped at a petrol station near the beach and asked for Stefi, the Greek RSX sailor, the uncle of whom runs a surf club on the beach. I was directed by Stefi’s aunt to go next door to Stefi’s mother’s restaurant. Inside I beheld a young tanned muscled fellow who could only be a windsurfer. I introduced myself and explained my presence. Immediately I was welcomed and no time was wasted grabbing boards and heading to the beach.

2008-06-01T02:24:00.001-07:00

I last wrote from Holland, I'm now in Greece. The pace of life here in Europe has been fast and i've seen five countries in the mean time. I continued to have trouble at the Delta Lloyed regatta, posting only one decent score during the only really breezy race. It doesn't take a genius to deduce the fact that I need to work on light air sailing. In order to help make this more fun I've changed my new favorite sailing condition to "three to five knots" at least until I can go fast in it. I'd rather not dwell on particulars of the regatta in this forum but if anyone has any questions I'd be more than happy to talk about it. With that I'll jump forward in time to the end of the regatta. We had the annual party at the brakenbourg pub with the usual range of incidents. I arranged to do some training with Maties from Chile and Diego from Italy in Garda on June 10th. I decided that I might as well drive down to Garda immediatly with my boat and go from there.

2008-05-22T00:46:00.000-07:00

Just time for a quick one. The Delta Lloyd regatta started yesterday with moderate winds and big shifts across the course. I had a bit of a tough time with some aspects of the racecourse and I look forward to another day, although it is supposed to be even more shifty today. We have been keeping busy off the water in traditional canadian fashion by playing games of street hockey with other Canadian sailors. We have a bunch of sticks and a tennis ball along with a big empty parking lot. We also have a charcoal bbq used for entertaining and feeding ourselves. It's time to stock up on food and head to the site. i'll keep you posted!

2008-04-29T07:43:00.000-07:00

McDonalds may be an international company with the same logo everywhere but the product changes significantly from one local to the next. If you're wondering why an athlete is commenting on the McDonalds menu, it's because the fast food joint is the only place to get reliable internet in Hyeres. Since I last wrote the Semain Olympic Francais regatta has concluded. As I think I mentioned earlier I qualified for the bronze fleet due to problems encountered during qualifying and and was therefore not able to work on the sailing aspects I had planned. In lieu of gold fleet starting practice I tried to work on the mental part of sailing. I had some success with this during the event although it was made more difficult by a change in the weather pattern. The qualifying series of SOF had strong winds, sometimes cold temperatures and was downright stormy, one day was called off completely due to strong winds with no races even attempted. As soon as finals started the sun came out and the wind shut off. We were postponed onshore every day and only managed to get in three extremely light finals races, all of which took place late in the afternoon/evening. While the conditions were less than stellar, it was good practice trying to stay focused and stoked to race.

Only the top ten boats going into the last day race the medal race, everyone else just gets an early start on packing trailers. Canada had two boys in the top ten, Dave and Mike. Mike is my training partner, dave is my roommate, and both are teammates and friends so it looked like an exciting race ahead. I joined Dave for what I think must be his favorite breakfast ever, characterized by relaxing on a patio in southern france, munching on croissants and baguettes while sipping a cafe au lait. We were joined by our countrymen Chris Cook, Larry, and Colin. Chris is Canada's Finn sailor going to the games while Larry and Colin are his coach and the team Sports Psych respectively. During the course of breakfast the topic came up that I might be interested in sailing the Finn Europeans between SOF and the Delta Lloyd regatta in Medemblik. It seemed like a great opportunity to try something new and with the assurances of support from Chris, Colin, and at least five of the top ten world ranked Finn sailors, I decided that I'd join them in Italy. Now, I know that it may seem crazy to sail a European Finn Championship as my first experience in the boat, especially when I am at Laser weight and sailing Lasers competitively. Let me make you privy to some of my thoughts. I think that I may be getting to know people too well in the Laser fleet. For instance I suspect that my tactics upwind are not solely based on what I think, but on what other top Laser guys think, I mean, if the top five guys start at the pin and go left, I'm not too likely to tack right after the start. I think this regatta should be good as I know almost none of the 90 boat fleet. I am also excited to learn about another boat, especially one as technical as the finn. It should be a nice bit of time off before an intense training and racing block without being totally away from the boat. In any case I'll be back to laser sailing in Holland on May 12th again.

I seem to have gotten a bit away from myself on the finns and forgot about the medal race. I was invited to watch both finns and lasers from Chris's coach boat so as to be able to hear some "finn talk" as tommy calls it. Wind was very light with little or no swell, the finns started and Chris rounded the mark first. Unfortunatly on the second beat the wind really shut off and became very patchy. When it came back in it came from the left really favouring those sailors on the left side of the course. Chris had taken a conservative route and fell back in the standings. It looked like one of those times when a great race was sailed to poor results. The wind built up to around five knots for the Laser race. Expectations were high as Mike and kiwi Andrew Murdoch were for all intents and purposes tied, whoever bested the other person would be the victor, the other second. Third place was too far away to be of consequence.

The sequence began with the boats well seperated, Mike holding to starboard of the committee boat while Murdoch went upwind for a few moments. Around three and a half or four minutes to go, Murdoch came gunning for Mike who immediatly initiated circling. There were two jury boats right beside them as they madly tacked and gybed, chasing each other in endless circles. Mike broke off first, letting Murdoch overlap to weather of him as he made his way towards the line, about ten lengths away with around twenty five seconds remaining. Doc looked like he was going to try to hook mike who was looking upcourse but mike bore off quickly, scooting down towards the pin and the favoured end. Doc stayed high in the top third and tacked straight after the start while Mike started with the pack at the bottom, pinned left by Goodison (GBR) and above Christian (NOR), if memory serves me correctly. Doc went hard right while Mike stayed going left for most of the beat. He tacked back about two thirds of the way up, crossed and led to the top. Doc rounded around seventh or so. Goody passed Mike on the run and the two stayed quite close together up a relatively uneventful second beat. Goody took the gun with Mike taking the regatta win, what most would call the fourth biggest laser event of the year.

The day far from over we started loading the trailer for me to tow some friend's lasers and our coachboat around Europe. If the final few things fall into place I should be en route to Italy tomorrow.

It was a shock to go from this lackadaisical state to the mad rush to pack up the boats and get everything ready to drive away from the event.

2008-04-22T11:46:00.000-07:00

One true statement. Ernest Hemingway insists that if he writes one true statement, others are sure to follow and he will end up giving truths, not describing things. I am writing from Hyeres in the south of france where I am mid way through the French Olympic Week. The week has not gone very well at all for me. I came here and did a few days of training with Mike, Dave, and coach Tommy. This was the first time I was in the boat since Laser Worlds in February and I was pleased that I could still sail reasonably well. I was very excited for the first day of the regatta and happily went through the pre race motions of registering, applying sail numbers and getting my sail all measured in. The first day dawned windy (It always seems windy here) and I felt good about the day. I started off with a 6th in the first race which I was very happy about. I had great speed around the course and I was very excited to be in the top ten after not sailing for a few months. My good mood didn't last long. After the race I rafted up with Tom and Matieus (AUS and CHI) to discuss the race. JP, the Chilean coach came up and told me that I had been scored BFD due to being over the start line in the last minute of the race. Practicing starting had been one of my goals for this event so I didn't let the setback affect me and went over the start in my mind, determined to use it as a learning experience. The next race I had a good but conservative start closer to the boat. I used my speed and stayed close to the fleet rounding the top mark inside the top fifteen right beside my countryman Dave Wright. I had an average reach and started the run determined to catch some boats. I carved aggressively trying to get every advantage possible out of the waves on the course. During one carve up I felt an odd feeling in my tiller but ignored it. Soon it got worse and I thought that maybe my tiller came out of the rudder head. I looked back but nothing looked wrong. All of a sudden I rounded up hard and had no feeling at all in the helm. I looked back to see the rudder blade broken right below the rudder head, dangling by a small piece of fiberglass. At this point I was quite angry and ripped the blade the rest of the way off to keep it from damaging the hull. At length a powerboat came take me in tow for the harbour. Even the simple act of towing in was difficult as I had no means of steering at all, meaning I had to let my sail luff completely and direct the tow boat, the operators of which spoke no english. Using hand signs i was able to get them to take me to the dock where I was helped ashore by many very helpful radial girls waiting to launch. Perhaps the worst part of the day was the difficulty I had getting into the dock which resulted in a capsize, all while about one hundred girls were watching. Very embarrassing. Anyways I managed to get through the first day with two last place finishes, a broken rudder and a flogged sail. I was last place in the regatta with nothing much to show for it.

The second day was very tough. We were treated to a Mistral which is the local name for the strong wind which blows off the shore creating flat water and shifty conditions. The first race I had a good start near the pin and held my lane through a right phase until I could tack and cross boats. I sailed some shifts at the top of the beat intelligently and got to the top around tenth place. I had a great reach but decided to go high on the runl. I think I must have been a bit rusty as I didn't look around as much as i should have and I missed the puff on the left side of the course. Most of the fleet was able to sail through me to leeward and I rounded the mark around 35th place right next to some guy from Kuwait. I passed a few guys on a very one sided beat to finish a poor 31st. The second race I got a little lost on the first race after starting at the boat and holding a lane above Julio from Argentian most of the way up the course. A big lefty came in at the top and I battled below the fleet trying to stay in it and sail to the mark. I had a mediocre rounding but sailed a great rest of the race passing people all the way around the course to finish 14th overall. With only one drop scheduled for qualifying and my being in 119th place it didn't look good for gold fleet and I was going to need a few good scores on the third day just to get into silver (remember I was holding a fleet score). The third day had 35 knot winds and no racing so I'm destined to sail the rest of the event in Bronze. I have taken some great lessons away from this, the sort of thing that I have never thought of before regarding events as a whole. Also I have been sailing very well so I have nothing to complain about.

I wouldn't be telling truths if I said i wasn't disappointed, especially after racing got called off today. I have been reading a book my sister Miriam loaned me called "Movable Feast" or something like that by Hemingway. I felt like I needed some alone time so I bought some ham, cheese, tomatoes, a baguette and a bottle of wine and had a wonderful feast on my balcony, reading Hemingway and feeling the Mistral blow over me and onto the Mediterranean sea where so much has happened and so much is yet to happen.

New York City

2008-04-11T05:56:00.000-07:00

I am on my final stop before flying to Europe for the spring tour. I have spent the last week in New York visiting Miriam and checking out the city. Yesterday proved to be especially nice as it was a warm sunny tshirt day. I started off the day by getting on the subway and going all the way downtown to Spring Street station. Here I got off and walked east a couple blocks to the Freeman Sporting Club and got inside. You might ask why I would go to such a place and believe me, there is a reason. Whenever I see Miriam she does me a service and cuts my hair. We were discussing this the other day when I mentioned that I would like to have a shave by a pro some time. Miriam recommended Freeman's as it is a clothing store done up to be really old english and they only sell hand-made english style clothes. In the back they have an english barbershop. Anyways I went all the way to the back and was greeted by a nice room with old style everything. From the clock to the fan to the barberchairs, everything was vintage. I asked about a shave and was told that it would be no problem. Now, these days shaving with a straight razor is a bit of a lost art. Indeed, I have never touched one in my life. I don't really understand why this is though because this shave was one of the most enjoyable experiences possible. It all starts with the chair which is made so that it reclines fully with your head on a headrest and your feet on a footrest. Now you are lying flat and the barber applies some slightly scented water to your face, rubbing it all over the lower part where one would shave. Next he lets it sit for a little bit and rubs some other stuff on. Basically he uses five different lotions or waters or creams and takes his time doing it. Next the Barber takes a hot wet towel and drapes it over your beard and indeed the rest of your face, leaving it there for about a minute. I think this is to soften everything up even more. Finally we were ready to get down to shaving. Some shaving cream is whipped up and applied to your face thick and uniform. Unlike modern shaving cream this stuff is thick and forms a solid layer on your face. Right after the cream the barber whips out his razor ( looks like a pocket knife) and starts shaving using short strokes with the grain. He is very attentive making sure to always change the angle of the razor to match the angle of your face as it contours. It is not painful at all, in fact the biggest thing I noticed was the sound of the razor against the hair. Once he has finished shaving he rubs more things all over your face and then replaces the hot towels and does the whole thing again, although this time he goes against the grain. Once this is done he rubs more water into your whole face and puts a cold towel over you to close your pores. I felt as though my face had been renovated. I got up, paid, left the store and felt my face. This is where I got my real surprise, my face was completely smooth, I mean actually no hair at all, no stubble it was the same as before I grew hair on my face. It was the oddest feeling. In any case I would like to get a straight razor and see if I can learn to do it myself. I don't think it can be that hard but if anyone has any tips for me on how to get started I would greatly appreciate them.

The rest of the day I spent walking around canal street and eating dumplings. Also I went to the Strand and got a book off their one dollar rack and sat reading in Union Square. Soon I shall be writing from France!

On the move again

2008-04-02T15:25:00.000-07:00

I will post the last Laser Worlds post soon. Right now I have once again taken to the road in the name of boat racing. I left Vancouver on April 1st and I plan to be away until the beginning of August, making the total time away from home four months. The first regatta I'll be in will be the French Olympic Week (SOF) in Hyeres which is in the south of France between Marseilles and Nice. I anticipate the SOF will be a well attended regatta as it is in a great sailing location and it the timing is far away from the Olympics in August. I am excited to get back in the boat but before I do so I will be visiting some family members in America on the way to Europe. Currently I am in Miami with my grandparents enjoying some heat before I head north to New York to see Miriam tomorrow evening. I will spend about two weeks in NY before crossing the pond so stay tuned for land based updates from the big apple.

Three days away

2008-02-04T03:47:00.000-08:00

The mood at the Laser Worlds site has undergone a subtle shift in the last day or two. In most training scenarios sailors work together to improve their skills and in general try to share knowledge for the benefit of everyone. At the beginning of the week training started to degenerate into large rabbit starts followed by hectic windward leeward racing. Today marked only three days before the start of the regatta and on water training was markedly different. I think that most people are done trying to improve technique and are out testing gear and making sure everything was working as it should. Instead of one or two large groups on the water there were many small groups of five or so boats speed testing and doing wind sprints. The wind was up and down with a wind chop overlaying a solid swell making the balance of heel and trim important. I went out for just over 90 minutes with a few friends and did a couple short upwind and downwind legs. My speed was on target but I found a problem with my deck cleats not holding my downhaul and outhaul while I was in breeze. On shore it was a bit of a fight to get everything sorted out properly. I think that i have found some replacements that will work well for me. The other upside so far has been that my topmast has stayed pretty straight in spite of some heavy vang use in the last couple days. On shore competitors can be seen checking their gear with a fine tooth comb, running fingers over surfaces to test the finish and spinning spars to make sure they are straight. Any possible problem is brought straight over to the Laser builders to try and get them to fix it. All in all people are more concentrated, more secretive, and more nosey than usual. I look forward to the start of the regatta when some tensions might be dissipated.

Pre Worlds Training

2008-02-03T03:13:00.000-08:00

The watchword regarding conditions for the Laser Worlds has been a proverbial "mixed bag". Far from the predicted steadily strong wind and wave conditions, we have had everything from two knot drifters to a couple of fifteen knot days. The last two days have been light with a very lumpy sea making it hard to carry steady speed around the course. I have worked hard to maintain an optimal level of heel and I think that I have made some quality progress in these last days. It may seem late in the game to be making major improvements but it should be known that most of the sailing I have done in the last three months has been in windy conditions and light air is a very different game. The training has involved gate starts followed by either one or two windward legs in which anywhere between twenty and sixty boats participate. While there are many top sailors on the water it easily slips into uselessness when things become too hectic and athletes aren't following basic rules. To combat this problem Mike and I have been trying to go sailing a bit earlier so we can get at least some of our practice in with a smaller group and fit in some more directed training. There are only a few more training days before the Worlds starts and we are getting close enough for Worlds weather forecasts, which for me indicate the anticipation building within everyone.

To launch we must wheel our boats out of the enclosed boat area (cricket field) and down a ramp to a beach into the water. A small swell often runs making it necessary to time the waves perfectly before pushing your boat into the water. It is with pity that I looked upon a few boats today which got picked up by breaking waves and dropped on the beach. It was easy to tell who had this problem as the curling wave picks up sand and deposits it on the boats. Even more dangerous and humiliating are the breaking waves off the reef. We launch into a tiny protected bay which is protected by a small reef. As waves reach the reef they curl and break, big enough for people to surf on. To reach the racecourse we must sail past the reef and turn 90 degrees to starboard and then sail into the ocean. Many competitors have been tempted to cut the corner between sets of waves in the hopes of getting in sooner. Most people have turned out alright but at least three today were caught by breaking waves and had their boats "rinsed" or flipped in the wave. As the water is so shallow this usually resulted in at least a few broken spars. One of the Dutch sailors made this mistake near the end of the day when most people were on the shore and were watching him. It is only a short sail to shore so when he finally pulled his boat up the ramp with a broken rig he was treated to a cheer and standing ovation from assembled sailors. In reply he pumped his fist in the air. Like the good sportsman he is, when I asked him what had happened he replied "I caught a good wave".

Gunning Australia

2008-01-29T13:25:00.000-08:00

The other day I drove from Melbourne to Terrigal to start training for the Laser Worlds. I drove in convoy with Andrew and Dave in two cars over two days. We stopped for the night in a small town called Gunning around two hours south of Sydney and a fair bit inland as well. It must have been around nine pm when we rolled to a stop in the town of 1000 and called in at the only hotel in town to see if they had room and dinner for us. Dave went in to enquire and came out with a small pitcher of milk for coffee and keys to a standard three bed motel room. As for food we would have to go to the only place in town, the chinese restaraunt attached to the hotel bar next door. It was just before closing when ordered ourselves a feast of 8 or so different items to take back to our room to eat and we didn't feel like waiting in the chinese place so we sauntered over to the bar part of the establishment. As soon as we walked in I knew that I loved the place. The first thinks that I saw were the old barrels used for round tables and the chart drawn on a chalkboard recording the weight of fish that locals had caught each week. As we ventured further into the gloom we came across a man and his wife behind a bar serving one portly gentleman with a bushy beard and a cowboy hat. We ordered beers and found seats near one of the four walls filled with pictures of different rugby teams from all over the country stretching back at least twenty years. Pretty soon the bearded man was asking us what we were up to and all the usual questions which we tried to answer without being too complicated, at length we got to talking about beers and he professed that whatever we were drinking was crap and he would "shout" us some Cascades. Now we must have looked mighty confused as he kept offering to shout us a few until he just gave some money to the bartender and handed us short green bottles with a drawing of an animal on the front that looked like a cross between dog kangaroo and tiger. The name of this beast has slipped from memory but it only dwelt in Tasmania and is some sort of marsupial animal now thought to be extinct. The beer was indeed good with a fuller taste than most. Our benifactor explained that he had family in the Southern US that fought in the Civil War, and seemed to have an extensive knowledge of many of the battles. He also expressed a desire to go to America but thought that all of his DUIs might impede him. Our chinese food was brought over and it was clear that the bar was closing up. We were each given a beer coozie to remember the place by and I think won't soon forget it. By the way it was only 5 degrees as it is inland close to the snow fields. there were some great photos of the whole place covered in snow looking just like home sometimes does. We drove out the next morning through beautiful golden hilly terrain dotted with large boulders (suggesting glaciation?) and burnt and stunted trees with just enough cloud to make it interesting. Photos would be beautiful

2008-01-22T23:01:00.000-08:00

The last two days of Sail Melbourne held a mixed bag of weather on the laser course. Race seven was the first gold fleet race and I was quickly reminded how intense top end racing is. It has been a while since my last really stacked race and It was cool to see three quarters of the way up the first beat all fourty boats in line on port almost all bow even with each other and only a handful of boats behind this advancing line. In these types of situations it is fine details of sailing that differentiates the leaders from the last place boats and anything not done perfectly will cost places, often many. In the second race of the day the wind came up and I had a good think in the prestart about what to do in the first beat. I decided that the right would likely come out ahead and was able to follow my plan to a second at the top mark. My downwinds were not quite up to snuff and I was passed by nine boats in the succeeding legs. Race nine was quite light and after achieving my goal of a good start I was pinched off and fell behind the fleet. I finished 19th in the regatta and was very happy with this result. It's been an exciting ride over the last week and I look forwards to the worlds in Terrigal.

The day after the medal race a sailing event unrelated to sail melbourne was held in the Docklands, an area similar to false creek in vancouver. The Skandia Docklands Invitational is a promotional event for several sponsors and the sport of sailing. Along with an IRC regatta there were opportunities to try out sailing in small dinghies and remote control sailing in International One Meter boats. We were there for the King of the Docklands competition which was a winner takes all race in which 25 teams were split into five heats and the heat winners competed in the final for the prize - an $18 000 electric motor scooter. The boats used in the event were the Laser SB3 dinghy which is a three or four person boat with a retractable carbon pole, asymetric kite, and no hiking. I took the place of Finn sailor Ed Wright to join Andrew Campbell and David Wright on Team NATO. Campbell was on the helm, I trimmed and Dave took care of the mast and jib. The races took place on a skewed windward leeward course right close to shore and only about 500 meters long meaning that the start was all important. We arrived at the site in time to watch the first heat which included race favorite Paul Goodison. Goody skippered Skandia Team GBR including fellow Laser sailors Nick Thompson and multi-time Laser SB3 European champion, none other than Bapsy from Ireland. After leading all of the race GBR was given a questionable two turns penalty by the on water jury for infringing the no hiking rule. Goody was not able to come back from this setback and finished a close second. In the second heat we were up and went on the water close to half an hour early to do some training. We did the course a few times and went through all of our jobs on the boat and practiced key maneuvers. Just before the start we talked through our strategy and got ready for a fun race. Andrew drove to perfection and we led from the start opening up a big lead down the first run and up the second windward allowing us to clinch a coveted spot in the finals. We had about two hours between the end of our first heat and the start of the finals so we spent a bit of time going over the race and discussing what worked well and what could be improved on. Once we were satisfied with rehashing the race we went in search of an "Aussie Barbie". Said "barbie" was an event put on by the AUS Sailing Team as a welcome function for both sponsors and international competitors alike. I personally had mixed feelings about the event as I had been getting invitational text messages about it all week some early in the morning while I was still asleep. In any case we tracked the barbie down to a posh bistro overlooking the water. Even better than the view was the abundance of free food and alcohol (the aussies refer to free booze as "free piss"). After a light meal of a few of the rarest and best cooked steaks I've had, washed down with my favorite soft drink of lemon lime bitters, we moved to the window to watch the final heat before the finals. The view from the window was magnificent and that race was exactly what everyone has in mind when they discuss how to make sailing "more media friendly". The short course viewed from above with a few lead changes served to electrify the crowed. When one boat did two gybes instead of soaking deep and was able to burn through the windward boat on a hot angle you could hear the anticipation building in the viewing area. As the hot angle boat sailed through the boat to windward the stands erupted in cheering as people jumped up and down pumping their fists. Make no mistake, this was no Grade One medal race or olympic games, but the spectators were loving it. A little after the heat ended we made our way down to the dock to set out to beat the other four boats for the scooter.

We left the dock about half an hour before the warning signal to sort everything out and get warmed up. From the start we had some problems. Our boat had just been in a bit of a collision and some of the running lines for the pole were not running smoothly. Also, right before our sequence started we broke an outhaul fitting and had to make quick repairs. We entered the sequence about a minute late a bit flustered and worked to stay calm during the prestart. Campbell drove wonderfully hitting the line with speed right on time. The only other boat with such a good start was the Australian Sailing Team (AST) who were farther down the line. We sailed out left and hit a lefty which we both tacked on. AST was about two lengths to windward of us and just kept dialing up as the wind stayed left. We sailed to the mark and rounded a close second. We had a mediocre hoist and set off down the track screaming after the AST. Near the bottom of the run AST was in a hole while we rode a puff through the gate towards the bouy marking the point at which the kites had to be down. We had trouble dousing so as we came up fast on the marker dave just blew the halyard and let the kite fall to leeward of us before skimming it in above the water for a perfect douse. To our dissapointment the jury didn't see things quite the same way. They contended that hour kite was not in the bag so was not doused and gave us a two turns penalty ruining not only our race but that of the spectators as well. AST was now well in the lead and though we caught up a bit at points we were never really back in it. Luckily on the final run we finished in breeze and went through the line planing with the kite up and water flying. We were understandably sad not to have at least been able to make a race out of it and get to ride on a scooter (I have never had that pleasure), but still made sure to thank the organizing people and the other competitors. Also, a big thanks to Sailing Equipment Australia, our clothing and equipment sponsor for the race.

I feel extremely lucky that I was able to sail with Dave and Andrew as both of these guys are superb sailors and are the best team-mates I have ever had the fortune to sail with. I have not done much crewed sailing but I know for sure that these guys are something special. The attitude with which they approached problems coupled with their response to pressure ($18000 dollars worth) was simply amazing and made for one of the most rewarding days I have had on the water. I truly can say that I learned much from sailing with both these sailors.

Sail Melbourne-mid regatta update

2008-01-16T14:35:00.000-08:00

Three days of qualifying are completed, only two days of finals are left. I often find that this is one of the hardests times in a regatta. The qualifying series is characterised by the need for consistency in getting decent results in order to make it into the top third and gold fleet by the end of the third day. Once this goal is accomplished some pressure lifts as now the real regatta begins. Because of the qualifying system the points spread between the top twenty or even thirty boats going into the finals is usually very small, meaning that for most intents and purposes the deciding days of the regatta will be the final ones. This effective restart can have interesting effects on the minds of athletes. As I mentioned earlier I feel like I have cleared a hurdle by qualifying for the gold fleet and it is easy to relax too much and relish the feeling of accomplishment. In reality now is time for greatest vigilance in all things sailing, from boat preperation to sticking to my pre-race timetable, as well as making sure that I am amped up enough before I go sailing. The forecast for day promises wind (www.seabreeze.com.au) so eating and stretching lots will be important.

It's been two days of racing since I last wrote about anything sailing specific so I'll try to give you a quick idea of how the last four races have gone. Tuesday was light by comparison to the rest of the regatta, I dont think there was much serious hiking to be had during the first race or much of the second. I struggled to get good starts and on a racetrack without many passing lanes it was hard to come back much. I posted my two worst scores of the qualifying series on that day, a 21 and a 15. It should be rememberd that there are three fleets so multiplying by three gives the approximate score compated to the number of competitors in the regatta (about 120). On wednesday the wind returned for two breezy races. The racecourse was skewed to the right all day with a boat end bias so we had at least three general recalls on each start. I was able to get a clear lane soon after the first start and was able to pick my lanes up the first beat. By hitting a few shifts I managed to round the first make in third right behind New Zealander Dave Weaver, who followed his countryman Andrew Murdoch. Murdoch extended on us a bit throughout the remaining two upwind and three downwind legs while Weaver and I had a bit of a battle for second. I managed to pass him on the second run and then I overstood on the last beat and we came into the top mark overlapped. We stayed quite close on the run with Weaver a few boatlenghts left of me and we stayed even through the first half or so. I lost some wind, jibed to port and then came back to starboard as weaver headed up towards me. I think I must of caught a wave on the approach to the mark as he was not able to get room on me and I was solidly in second for the reach to the finish.

In the last race I thought that there would be more breeze on the right side of the course so I made an effort to tack away from the boat immediatly after the start. After sailing for a few minutes I filipped back and realized my error, the races leaders were many boatlenghts ahead of me. I tried to work the right side but ended up at the top mark very deep, I estimate around 20 to 25th. I passed a few boats on the run and worked the left side of the next beat hitting a massive left shift which brought me back into the top ten or fifteen boats. I dont really know how I passed the remainder of the guys infront of me, although a few did capsize, but I managed to get into 6th spot by the finish. It was a very pleasing day and the comeback I made in the last race left me very pleased. By the end of the day the wind had built to over 20 knots and conditions were really fun.

Today is the first day of gold fleet racing which I look forward to. results can be found at:
http://www.yachting.org.au/site/yachting/event/6997/default.html

Sail Melbourne-day 1

2008-01-14T14:45:00.001-08:00

Sail Melbourne, the Asia Pacific Regatta, is the first ISAF grade 1 event of the 2008 calander year. The regatta is sailed from the Royal Brighton Yacht Club on the shores of Port Philip Bay, within sight of downtown Melbourne. This year Sail Melbourne has special significance as it is the last regatta before the Laser Worlds in early Feb where many Olympic spots are up for grabs.

Yesterday was the first day of the regatta and we saw a chilly sea breeze build all day up to around 20 knots. We sailed two races each just over 60 minutes on a trapazoid course with three windward legs. The "Seeding Commitee" made some interesting choices the fleet splits on the first day with almost all the top sailors in the yellow and blue fleets. I was in the red fleet which started last and was surprised with the lack of top 20 ranked sailors in the fleet.

After many general recalls in the preceding fleets we got off to a clean start and a slow left shift. I was able to hold my lane near the pin end and leg out a bit on boats to windward. I tacked near the port layline and rounded in first place. I was soon passed downwind by Milan from Croatia and we stayed pretty much even for the next lap of the inner loop. Near the top of the last beat I made some tactical errors and was passed by a few boats. I managed to hang on in the reach and then sail closer to the rhum line on the run and make it back up to third in what was definitly a keeper race.

I had a bit of a chat with CYA coach Tommy about my errors and tried to keep what he said in mind. The second race started in a similar fashion although my start was poorer and I just managed to hold my lane as we legged out towards the left side of the course. When the group I was in tacked to starboard we were already overtaking the back end of the previous fleet so it was difficult to see how I was doing compared to the rest of the fleet. I was plesantly surprised therefore when I reached the top mark with only Milan ahead of me. This race we were on the outer loop and our positions stayed pretty constant until the bottom mark. I kept coach's advice in mind during the next beat and got past Milan, I stayed ahead for the remainder of the race and finished the day with a 3,1. This was the first grade one race I have won and I must say it felt good.

After sailing I got some dinner with an old friend, icecream with my training partner and then off to bed.

rigs dropping like flies

2008-01-11T04:55:00.000-08:00

Today was windy. On my drive down to the yacht club (thanks ricky for the car) I got a call from Mike Kalin asking if I was near the water as he had earlier received a panicked call from coach Tommy. "Almost out of batteries, on rocks, anchorning, help" was the gist of the call. When I finally found my way to the club I ran into Tommy and was glad to learn he was alright. The trouble seems to have come from a missing pin in the throttle complex causing the engine only to work in reverse. By the time I had rigged and dressed Tommy had found another ride for the day. By the time I sailed out of the harbour that boat was in use towing Bernie back to the beach after he lost his rig, by the time I'd done one race, Dave was being towed in after similarly losing his rig. I was the last Canadian on the water and got in a few good laps of the windy course before I yelled to tommy "Im heading in!" At which point I gybed and my mast broke at the deck. A quick tow in, help from some friends and I was on the beach getting sorted for tomorrow.

It's so hot

2008-01-10T15:50:00.000-08:00

Heat was yesterday's watchword. All around the boat park people could be seen scuttling for shade or fanning themselves trying to keep the heat and flies at bay. Early yesterday morning I left Blairgowrie and drove the hour into Sandringham, one of the nicer suburbs of Melbourne. Most of the morning was taken up in unloading my boat and going for a short sail, eventually ending up in Brighton, five K's from Sandringham where the Sail Melbourne regatta will be held. Pulling my boat up the short beach was painful due to the latent heat of the sand. Once in the small boat storage area volunteers hurried over to hand out glasses of water (I think I left a glass in my boat, I must make sure to return it).

I was astounded by the way the heat affected my body. I had no desire to move at all and could only think about lying down. In fact, de rigging my boat seemed like such a daunting task that I completed it in two steps with a break in between. After settling into my accomadation the most I could do was play a few hands of cards and then fall asleep on the couch. The car thermometer clocked the heat at 43 degrees celcius outside and that number was by far the thing most on my mind throughout the day.

I have some photos of blairgowrie which can be seen at this address:
http://ubc.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2154230&l=ae7c9&id=21002323

Time to go back to work.

2008-01-08T18:19:00.000-08:00

Sadly, today is my last day in Blairgowrie. The past few days spent here since the end of the AUS titles have been some of the most relaxing and enjoyable days in recent memory. For the most part I spent my time cycling, windsurfing, and just going to the beach, all against the beautiful backdrop provided by this beautiful place. Situated on the Monrington Peninsula, Blargowrie is on a thin spit with an ocean beach on one side and a clear water shallow beach on the other.The temperature has fluctated with in the thirties and for the most part the sun has been shining bright. In amongst the wonderful attributes of this place are two. deficiencies. FIrstly there are a massvie number of flies which seem to be attracted to the ears, nose, mouth and eyes. These flies are so bad that one laser sailor, Mike Kalin went so far as to go shopping for a mesh net to cover his head. Secondly, internet has been hard to come by. Most internet that I have found has been expensive, unreliable and heavily used. I have spoken much about the physical attributes of blairgowrie but possibly the best part of my experience here has been the attitude with which I and the guys I have been with have been living. I have seldom been amongst such relaxed guys haveing such a relaxed time and for this I thank you.

We spent the morning cleaning the house I've been staying at and I am now spending the avo at the site for the 29er/49er worlds. Soon the medal race for the 49ers should start and I hope to get on the water to catch the action. The boats are packed so tomorrow morning we'll pack the car and head out early to be in Brighton by 0830.

get set for the next post comming at you from MELBOURNE!

First Post

2008-01-07T20:16:00.000-08:00

I am currently in Blairgowrie taking a few relaxing days off since the Aussie Nationals and before Sail Melbourne. I have learned to windsurf and since the first time I got on the board, windsurfing is what occupies my mind most. Even though I am tired from an early morning cycle i am checking out the trees out the window thinking about the water only steps away from the internet cafe/video store I write from. I hope today to be able to work on my harness and footstrap work on the board. In the next couple days I plan to go into Melbourne to start training in Brighton for the Asia Pacific/Sail Melbourne regatta.

Thats all for now