Saturday, March 20, 2010

Finding a different path

I am a creature of habit when I'm out racing. I tend to run the path that makes the most sense, because it makes the most sense. More often then not this for me equals a win or puts me in the best place to win, and regardless of where other racers are I always stick to my path.

Now I have a problem, while I was doing the same thing every race everyone else was getting better( I guess they do learn ). Getting my usual start is now virtually impossible as nearly everyone has adopted a similar starting method, landing me back a few places in the fleet under wind shadows and having to rethink how things are to be done.

In need of new tactics I've taken to sailing virtual skipper 5 in my free not racing in SL time, also I've become a huge fan of the Louis Vuitton Trophy races. Watching professionals in IACC boats dueling has taught me many valuable lessons, a major one being taking a different path can net great gains.

One of the biggest is don't be afraid to take a line that will leave you under the mark your heading for. Depending on wind angle and tack this can leave for windward of your rivals in clean air with more speed, as well as when you finally need to tack to make the mark it can put you in a position of rights to push others off their racing line and give you an advantage you wouldn't normally have. I used this tactic in a graded ACA race last night to gain a position and valuable points that my previous in the box thinking wouldn't have gotten me.

So when you find yourself in a bad spot find a new way and you may be surprised what results you end up with.

Saturday, January 30, 2010

The Stress Comes Off, 2010 ACA SL Trophy

Tonight, Saturday January 30th was the first day of a two day racing series to see who would walk away with the trophy. Lets get it out early, I lost. I went into the day confident of victory and walked away with nothing, and I'm glad I did. I started preparing myself for this race in April of last year, 8 months ago I bought an ACA and started racing waiting for the day when this race would come along. Since this event is tied in with the real life America's Cup we were left on pins and needles waiting, when we got our date we all ran with it and got ready. When January came the courses were announced and everyone who wanted to take parts focus was moved into training for the race series.

This meant for me abandoning the yacht club and race line I consider home for a nearly foreign line that I had little or no experience on. I spent a month in various groups and solo preparing for this race. The closer the day got the more my nerves came into play. I was given a little relief when I saw my opposition a few days before the race, I was ready and I refrained from extra practice as not to let people see how I did things so it couldn't be used against me( yeah I know paranoid).

Race day came and the heats were packed but as the day progressed things eroded away till the last few rounds boiled down into match races. One on one with a racer I have never seen before now I'm back on edge. After losing a best of 3 match race after 3 races I took a deep breath. Hey I'm done, I can go back to having fun. Not only that, the races that I lost were the closest that I have ever taken part in, I had the greatest time. To me those races that I finished within a second of the winner were better then any trophy someone can offer, I finished both races out of my chair willing on my little digital boat for an extra ounce of speed, laughing at the outcome.

Now I'm out, I have a person I'm rooting for to win the cup( the man who beat me of course) and I get to watch with no stress. A few hours after the line and (small) crowd left I went back to the line I had recently lost on. I stood and looked at the area for a few minutes, it didn't feel right I felt out of place. That's when I looked to the west, home. I returned to a race line and yacht club that has been my playground for most of my SL sailing time, a place where if you want to win on a Friday night in an ACA you have to beat me to do it. Yes this feels right now, I'm back where I belong, a place I call home, no stress, no trophies, just great racing.

Yes I'm home come and get me.