CNN mainsail showtimes are below and the weblink is on there. The moth’s are in the second section of the video. Big shout outs to AMAC and Adam May for getting their ugly mugs on mainstream TV.
March 2010
25 Thursday 13.30
25 Thursday 18.30
26 Saturday 08.00
26 Saturday 18.30
27 Saturday 04.00
27 Sunday 08.30
27 Sunday 16.00
You can also catch it online at www.cnn.com/mainsail <http://www.cnn.com/mainsail>
Looks like we have another women entering the Dubai fleet as well now. Good times!
One thing i learnt was do not leave the AGM to go to the bar as you will get voted to do something……….
I figured out a new high mode upwind with help from Brad. I figured that batten tension is a very important thing, as is batten choice. I was using 6mm glass battens in the bottom two battens of my north, and a sanded down carbon batten in the third one up.
I also learnt that at the top of the fleet, little pace changes make a big difference in the results. I changed a few things between the nats and the worlds and it dropped me down from going round the windward mark in 5 to going round in about 9th or 10th. After this I could not get back to my previous set up… which was very annoying. Like me, Scott went the other way from having trouble in the nationals with pace to getting up about 3 to 4 places a race most of the time, which is the difference in our results across the entire regatta…
I learnt how to pull the trigger on people around me by sailing very aggressively when it needed to be done. There were more mind games going on at this regatta than had been in Weymouth or the Gorge.
I have learnt that Belmont is going to be super competitive and that i need to get down the gym and start program 300 tomorrow… 8 kgs here i come!
And the B-Rad on the dance floor!
So I rigged up yesterday and took Pip the pin chick for a sail as she is super keen to get in a boat and head down to Belmont for a crack at the women’s title. She is a pretty talented ex 420 sailor so if we can get her moving along quick in the boat she will be going pretty well pretty soon.
The worlds has finished and Abu Dhabi have announced that the Volvo is coming to the Middle East….. wowza. And they want to put a national on the boat. Wonder if I can convince them that living here for 25 years I should be a national anyway and be given a go.
I got an email yesterday asking us to be part of the water sports festival in April down in Abu Dhabi. They have promised us wind down there so I might go down. There are going to be pro wakeboarders, kite surfers and a few other things going on at the same time so it will be a good platform to look cooler than anyone else.
I am so glad the worlds are over, now I can chill out and not have stupid questions asked to me on a regular basis. I was pretty happy with the way PUMA stepped up. They did a good job and are trying to do good things for sailing on the whole. 100 plus boats in Australia will be good. The sailing in Dubai was a bit frustrating i guess and i think a few of the sailors went home a bit sour faced by the whole thing, but thats sailing.
A couple of months more sailing before it gets too hot. I have to weigh up if I am going to go and do the European’s or not. Its a bit of a mission from Dubai to get my boat up to the lake and I feel like it could be a very expensive exercise. I think I am going to blog off for a while, the world of internet mothing is getting a bit too tit for tat.
Well I have the B – RAD staying with me for the regatta and I think I have passed my pre worlds MOJO over to him as he is ripping it up and is in second right now. I seem to have lost a little upwind pace since the preworlds and am going round the windward mark in 7th 8th and 9ths. If i can get round the mark in the 4th 5ths and 6ths then i will be happy for the remainder of the event. Scotty and Mike Lennon are just in front of me by one point and Bora is a few in front of them so its all to play for between us lot. I have a 25 point gap behind me to I guess its time to attack attack attack. I dropped my rig back today to get s touch mroe uphill pace but it was not working for me really. I have had 5 of the worlds worst starts in a row now so I have to change that tomorrow as well. I think 7 is also my number for the week having had 5 7th places out of nine races. I think thats pretty good consistency but not the kind I am looking for…. Anyway, I cant complain, I am enjoying the regatta but a little over the light airs now!!
Bring on the beefcake program for belmont and a high airs sail as well.
I cannot remember the last time I got the flu, it was years ago. I got off the water yesterday feeling pretty rubbish and it has now developed into full blown cold. I think I might sit out the slalom and just take it easy today. I had a good day yesterday. After a general recall in the first start of the day they put the black flag up, which i thought was a touch harsh. Anyway, i got myself a bag fish and tacked off the boat end while the entire fleet foiled over the top of me… not good. I tacked up the middle and foiled back into the top few at the windward mark. I think Mike Lennon had a big lead followed by Simon Payne, Scotty, Rob Gough Brad and myself. I got a good puff and foiled down into the lead pack with Bora going low and fast to windward of me. I tried to gybe out to get back across but fell off the foils while Bora kept going for about a kilometer in the wrong direction only to jybe back and overtake myself, scotty and simon. Mike held on for the win with bora second and myself third. Scotty edged out simon for 4th.
Race two saw Simon clear out. I cant really remember what happened, i sailed most of the race by myself without seeing many people and finished about 5 minutes behind simon in second. I think Bora was third?? There was another general recall in that race with another blk flag up.
Race three and we got it away clean. The breeze had picked up a touch and i went up the middle again with the guys coming out the left going well. Adam May and Dalton lead round the top mark in front of JP Ziegert and Emma from Sweden. I am feelign pretty good with my downwind pace although on the first downwind i dropped my mainsheet and went into windward. I think in total i dropped my mainsheet about 6 times yesterday mid foil. Not a good look!. The breeze had built a touch in the last race and Dalton, Adam, JP and Myself had a good lead at the second windward mark. I foiled down underneath Dalton and gybed away, he did the same while Adam sailed into a huge hole out left and was foiling back at our transoms while we chuffed away. Dalton won, I was second with Adam third and JP fourth. Fifth was daylight i think to Scotty or possibly Arnaud.
I am really happy with the North and getting a good range from it, i used it friday and saturday while most people changed up a sail today. Anyway, lets hope I can get rid of this cold and not do the usual, sail well in the pre worlds and then get bumfucked in the worlds! fingers crossed!
I got 4th in the second race today. That was also DFL so it did not feel quite so good as it would have if 44 other boats were sailing with me. Anyway, fantabulous conditions for epic moth sailing today, pretty monster waves and building breeze meant it was a bit of a hang on and say your prayers kind of day.
The first race had all the big players out and the start line was worringly close to the rocks for the publics’ benefit…… It definately was interesting sailing upwind. The great white Hope had a blistering first 45 seconds, tanking everyone off the line and rolling the entire fleet. He promptly broke his boat. I tacked off up the middle with the rest of the boys sending it hard out left. I came back to cross the fleet and lead at the windward mark with Bora right on my ass. Being so suprised to be leading I had to ask Bora how many laps we were doing. I managed no swims on the first downwind so had a healthy lead with only Arnaud on the radar on the second beat. I had a swim on the second downwind, I fucked the race up by not being able to gybe for the finish line and wound up 100 meters past the finish layline…… and had to close reach home. I was a bit annoyed with myself but hey ho, it was awesome sailing.
The second race was a race of attrition. The breeze had built and I could not hang onto the new North I have. Everyone swam at the windward mark except Arnaud and Scotty. A few of the power boats were in the way between the windward mark and spreader mark which was really fucking annoying. I think i swam about 5 to 6 times on the first downwind and didn’t see another boat. I figured i was like 8th or 9th but was pleasently suprised that no one else made it round the course in one peice. So a bit of chillage tonight and hope its more of the same tomorrow. I’m glad Dubai has changed it up a bit. Will be interested to see Amac wind it up in the waves tomorrow and give us all a lesson in how to sail. Rob Gough was the quiet achiever today, coming in with two thirds.
My money is on the great white hope to send it tomorrow, he was ripping it today before he broke his stuff. I think it must be the new haircut!!
