My friend George doesn’t know a ton about sailing. But he wouldn’t have a hard time picking a team to root for in Fleet 50. Back when we were in college, during the dark ages of Red Sox Nation, he used to take every chance possible to remind us of the heart-wrenching collapse of the Red Sox in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series. He did this by yelling at the top of his lungs—often in response to any sort of pro-Sox chant—“MOOKIE OF THE YEAR.” This was, of course, in tribute to Mets outfielder Mookie Wilson who played such a pivotal role in that game: According to Wikipedia.org, “Wilson avoided being hit by a wild pitch, allowing the tying run to score in the bottom of the 10th. His ground ball later in the same at bat went through the legs of Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner, allowing the winning run to score.” At the time, the early 1990s, with the Patriots, Sox, Bruins, and Celtics all in the crapper, it was tough to think of a snappy comeback.
Why am I telling that story? Because this week I sent off some questions to Pete Levesque, who’s been driving the J/24 Mookie—which one could say is equally as famous as the eponymous baseball player in J/24 circles—in Fleet 50. Levesque and team finished second and then first last Thursday. Levesque, who works at Hall Spars, was an outstanding college sailor at Tufts. Since graduating he’s been part of the very successful Silver Panda team racing syndicate, which won the last two ISAF Team Racing World Championships. He also placed seventh at the 2009 J/24 Worlds in Annapolis, Md., in May.
1. Pete, you’re relatively new to the fleet. Last Thursday was another classic Newport situation, where local knowledge plays a big role in the tactics. How have you gone about gathering the necessary local knowledge, and how did you pick your tactical strategy for the races?
We have been sailing the Mookie with a pretty consistent group of Nate Frizzell, Caroline Levesque, Ryan Scott, Ted Chwalk and myself since the beginning of last season. Our goal was to put together a strong effort for the 2009 Worlds so we took Thursdays pretty seriously last summer. To learn the venue as quickly as possible, I photocopied a chart and took notes on the conditions (current and wind) from each night. This plus asking many questions of Charlie, Will, Chuck, Chuck and Anthony helped. This past week we had Matt Cohen directing us around the bay. He was very good and you could tell he’d been on this course a few times before. Our main goal was to get out of the current without overdoing it and sailing out of the pressure. Matt did a good job of this.
2. Getting a J/24 to point properly isn’t easy, especially in lighter air and flat water. Sail off the genoa telltales in conventional manner and you’re likely to be 5 to 10 degrees lower than much of the fleet. What sort of guides do you use in lighter to moderate breeze to keep the boat pointing?
I like to look at the boats around us quite a bit. We generally have somebody on the rail giving a constant stream of relative speed and height information. This past week we used a genoa that was different than what we normally use. We used the North technora genoa. It was very nice and seemed to perform well. There were a few odd things about the cut that took a little while for our eyes to get used to, but we felt good with it while racing. In terms of trim, we look at the distance off of the top spreader, depth of the foot, depth of scallops and shape of the leach. We also like to sail by other boats that we know are fast and check out their setup.
3. How did you approach the downwind legs? Upwind it’s fairly easy, get out of the current. Downwind, the current is helpful, but it reduces the apparent wind.
Generally downwind we like to gain lateral separation from boats that might affect our breeze. This also gives us tactical options. We’ve found that during the past few weeks, pressure has trumped current. So we think about finding clear lanes with good pressure before we get too worried about the current.
4. Finally, what about starting? As a former college All American, I’m assuming you’ve developed a pretty good handle on how to start in a crowded fleet in a dinghy. How have you adapted your technique and strategy for keelboats, for Fleet 50?
The lines are generally very crowded at the favored end with many fouls going un-reported. So we like to be safe and try to start away from the crowd. It’s tough to win races this way, but we avoid disasters with this approach. Sometimes there seems to be more emphasis on winning the night rather than the season so I think people take big risks on the starting line. I don’t want to risk getting a 1st one race and a 19th the next so we play the start as conservative as possible while still giving ourselves a chance to do well.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Friday, August 7, 2009
Knock, Knock
“Who’s there?”
“Bad tactical call.”
“Bad tactical call who?”
“Bad tactical call made by you!”
Wow, Last night’s decision to try the Fort Adams shore for current relief ranks right up there with some of the worst tactical calls I've ever made. We weren’t two or three minutes into the race—but one or two minutes past the point of no return—when I realized things we’re not looking good for the home team. By the time we reached the cable crossing markers off the Fort I knew the race was all but over. There had to be a knot or more of foul current running past those buoys, which are a stone’s throw from the shore. So much for the current relief. Not even Rolaids could rescue this one. Ugh. It was all we could do to cross the finish line going downwind before the first boat took the gun.
I’m not sure whether this is just my impression, but the path to success this year, especially in southerly breezes, seems to always lie on the Jamestown shore. Current coming in, head right. Current going out, head right. Slack current…well you get the picture. [Now, hopefully, so do I].
The second race was better. We bailed out early and headed right. Spending most of the leg sailing in bad air was no fun, but there didn’t seem to be many options. Finding clear air meant bucking more current.
It’s been a strange summer series for the Crack of Noon team. We were fairly consistent in the spring and one would think that would bode well for the Summer Series. But we’ve been all over the map in July and August. First one race, second another, then third to last, second to last, etc. Whoops. Not much time left to right the ship, especially with the summer series ending before Labor Day this year. Which reminds me, Lee Buress is looking for suggestions for the fall series. September is a great month to sail in Newport, so let’s find a way to make the most of it. Email any ideas to lburess(at)criticalpathsolutions.net
“Bad tactical call.”
“Bad tactical call who?”
“Bad tactical call made by you!”
Wow, Last night’s decision to try the Fort Adams shore for current relief ranks right up there with some of the worst tactical calls I've ever made. We weren’t two or three minutes into the race—but one or two minutes past the point of no return—when I realized things we’re not looking good for the home team. By the time we reached the cable crossing markers off the Fort I knew the race was all but over. There had to be a knot or more of foul current running past those buoys, which are a stone’s throw from the shore. So much for the current relief. Not even Rolaids could rescue this one. Ugh. It was all we could do to cross the finish line going downwind before the first boat took the gun.
I’m not sure whether this is just my impression, but the path to success this year, especially in southerly breezes, seems to always lie on the Jamestown shore. Current coming in, head right. Current going out, head right. Slack current…well you get the picture. [Now, hopefully, so do I].
The second race was better. We bailed out early and headed right. Spending most of the leg sailing in bad air was no fun, but there didn’t seem to be many options. Finding clear air meant bucking more current.
It’s been a strange summer series for the Crack of Noon team. We were fairly consistent in the spring and one would think that would bode well for the Summer Series. But we’ve been all over the map in July and August. First one race, second another, then third to last, second to last, etc. Whoops. Not much time left to right the ship, especially with the summer series ending before Labor Day this year. Which reminds me, Lee Buress is looking for suggestions for the fall series. September is a great month to sail in Newport, so let’s find a way to make the most of it. Email any ideas to lburess(at)criticalpathsolutions.net
Friday, July 10, 2009
Where's My Yellow Jersey?
July is Tour de France month in my household. If I'm not watching it, I'm reading about it. And if I'm not doing either of those I'm out on my bike, grinding up Wapping Hill Road and pretending it's the harsh moonscape of Mont Ventoux. Some of the most powerful, and gut-wrenching, moments during three-week tour of France, and neighboring countries, involve the long breakaway that is caught just before the finish. For those of you who aren’t cycling fans, let me explain. In virtually every stage of the TdF, a rider or small group of riders will breakaway from the main pack, or peleton, early on. The lead can build to 15 minutes or more, but the vast majority of the time, the peleton will use its collective power to reel in the escapees before the finish. The peleton has a knack for doing this just before the finish, meaning the breakaway riders will suffer for 100 miles or more only to be passed just a mile or so from the finish. Much of the drama of any particular stage centers on whether the breakaway will be caught—everyone tries to be optimistic, but the answer is almost always yes—and when.
In the first race last night, on the Crack of Noon, we felt like one of those breakaway riders. A strong start coupled with a fortuitous left shift found us pointing directly at the windward mark, with the fleet splayed out behind us. Initially our advantage was quite generous, but by the windward mark, Salsa and Tim Healy were within a few boatlengths. To say the tension was running high on the old Crack O is a mild understatement. I know that, when in a strong position in the fleet in any particular race, you’re supposed to sail like you belong there. But that’s a lot easier said than done when you’re looking at two of the best boats in the world nipping at your transom. It didn’t help any that we’d seen the X-flag at the start, heard the race committee say "Individual Recall," but then heard no numbers. Fending off the thought that we might be sailing—winning, even—this race in vain was almost as difficult as keeping Salsa off our air.
The run was a fetch as well and at times the boys (and girl) on Salsa were overlapped with us and dangerously close to stealing our lunch. But we kept the wolves at bay to the leeward mark, got the kite down without any fuss and squeaked across the line in front of Salsa. Which brings me back to Le Tour. Watching a completely spent breakaway rider getting overtaken by the peleton after 5 hours of grueling work is heartbreaking. And it can make you wonder why they tried the breakaway in the first place. The answer is simple. Every now and again, just as we did last night, the breakaway can stay away. What a way to start the summer series, wearing the virtual Maillot Jaune.
Good luck to all the Fleet 50ers sailing in the Coastal Living Regatta this weekend. If you haven’t entered yet, don’t despair, there’s still time. And the weather looks great, for a change.
In the first race last night, on the Crack of Noon, we felt like one of those breakaway riders. A strong start coupled with a fortuitous left shift found us pointing directly at the windward mark, with the fleet splayed out behind us. Initially our advantage was quite generous, but by the windward mark, Salsa and Tim Healy were within a few boatlengths. To say the tension was running high on the old Crack O is a mild understatement. I know that, when in a strong position in the fleet in any particular race, you’re supposed to sail like you belong there. But that’s a lot easier said than done when you’re looking at two of the best boats in the world nipping at your transom. It didn’t help any that we’d seen the X-flag at the start, heard the race committee say "Individual Recall," but then heard no numbers. Fending off the thought that we might be sailing—winning, even—this race in vain was almost as difficult as keeping Salsa off our air.
The run was a fetch as well and at times the boys (and girl) on Salsa were overlapped with us and dangerously close to stealing our lunch. But we kept the wolves at bay to the leeward mark, got the kite down without any fuss and squeaked across the line in front of Salsa. Which brings me back to Le Tour. Watching a completely spent breakaway rider getting overtaken by the peleton after 5 hours of grueling work is heartbreaking. And it can make you wonder why they tried the breakaway in the first place. The answer is simple. Every now and again, just as we did last night, the breakaway can stay away. What a way to start the summer series, wearing the virtual Maillot Jaune.
Good luck to all the Fleet 50ers sailing in the Coastal Living Regatta this weekend. If you haven’t entered yet, don’t despair, there’s still time. And the weather looks great, for a change.
Friday, June 19, 2009
All Wet, But Far From Washed-Up: Salsa Rules The Day
I’m sure, had we racked up a couple of double-digit scores, I’d feel differently about last night. But 24 hours later it still feels like one of the more satisfying nights of J/24 racing I’ve had. The rain held off, for the most part, the breeze stayed on, and the racing was super tight, with passing lanes galore. On the sail in, we all remarked that it felt like we’d done much worse than we did on the Crack of Noon (a 6 and an 8). I would have to take off my shoes to tally up all the mistakes we made. But we kept plugging away, got some timely—and possibly undeserved—breaks late in both races and came away with two keepers. The conditions, and the closeness of the fleet, forced you to be engaged in the race from start to finish. Fall asleep for a second and you were likely to pay with a spot or two in the pecking order.
In the first race, we picked off a handful on boats on the final beat, nipping three of them at the finish by half a boatlength. We ducked two boats with just 200 yards to go to the finish, but that enabled us to get to the right side and control the favored boat end of the finish line. Phew. There was barely enough time in between races to get my heart rate back below 100. In the second race, we just held off a group of three boats in the last quarter mile of the run. A half boatlength less and we'd have found ourselves on the outside of a large pinwheel and outside the top 10 at the finish.
You’d think that a race course like Y(p)S(p) wouldn’t have a ton of passing lanes, being as short as it is. But that was certainly the case last night. Upwind and downwind there were plenty of opportunities to make or lose boats. A few times I only thought one move ahead and paid for it with a crash tack, ill-timed duck, etc.
One team that didn’t set a foot wrong was Salsa, not that anyone is surprised. They were so far ahead by the second mark of the two-lap first race, that you could've assumed they were in a different race. We posed a few questions[in bold] to Jens Hookanson, who was back at the helm of USA 1964. His responses are below. Take it away Jens:
It was a beautiful night for racing this Thursday. Well, maybe not a beautiful night with regard to the weather, but it was a beautiful night with regard to the conditions. And I must say that the race committee did a great job setting up a proper starting line and a great course as well. My crew for the night was Jock Hayes, Will Donaldson, Ralph Kinder, and Mark Wiss. I decided to helm for the night so I could get a little practice before heading off to Block Island Race Week next week [where Jens will be driving Robert Armstrong’s J/100 Good Girl, with a posse from the U.S. Virgin Islands]. Some nights you find that you and your crew are “in the zone” and that’s how it felt for us last night.
Can you tell us a little bit about your genoa set up last night? We had flat water, especially for the wind strength. How did you set the halyard? How were you playing the jib cunningham. Everyone seemed able to point extremely high. How do you sail the telltales in those conditions?
Last nights conditions saw a steady easterly breeze in the 14- to 20-knot range with flat water. Typically the breeze dies as the evening progresses, but due to the nasty weather conditions we believed this was not likely to happen. Before leaving the dock, I set the rig tensions at 27 upper and 24 lower which I thought would be a good setting for the breeze. I also knew that my mast step was in a light air setting (fairly far aft) so after a brief upwind jaunt before the start, I went down below and moved the step about 3/8 of an inch forward for the breezier conditions and flat water. Now the boat felt set up properly for the conditions. With regard to settings on the boat, we were at max weight so we set the jib leads in at max power. The jib halyard was pulled on to about 90-percent of max (good to have a lot of jib halyard tension in breeze and flat water) and we never used the jib Cunningham at all. The breeze was not only strong, but quite puffy especially as you got closer to Goat Island. Therefore, it was critical for one person to call the puffs and lulls before they hit the boat (have them paint a picture of the anticipated breeze over the next 30 seconds or so), which allowed me to sail the boat steady and flat. In a breeze like this, I totally disregard the telltales and sail primarily by feel of the boat, keep a good lane and try not heel too much in the puffs. If the boat gets hit by a big puff and heels way over, you not only slow down but the keel stops working and the boat goes sideways. This is really slow!
In both races, I believe you favored the left side off the line. What was your game plan for the course?
We always have a game plan for starting and playing the first beat and this is generally discussed with the crew briefly prior to the start to get feedback from everyone. The tide was high at about 4:30 p.m., so we figured the tide would be ebbing during the entire evening. We did not see as much flow as we expected, but did see some. We also noticed that the flow was coming out of the harbor as we sailed out to the starting line, which meant we wanted to avoid going right immediately after the start. The starting line was positioned in the cone of Rose Island and we noticed a slight flow moving easterly between Rose and Goat Island. This would favor starting near the port end and going left initially, but not too far left. Lastly we noticed the puffs were mostly left-hand heading puffs as we sailed in toward Goat Island. This meant we would likely see nice port tack lifts along the Goat Island shore. Lastly, we thought that the starting line was slightly favored at the port end. All of these factors together made for a game plan of starting at the lower third of the line, continue on starboard until we got into max current and some heading shift and tack when we had a clear lane. On the first start, we were not challenged at the pin so we took that spot and carried out the leg according to plan, working even better than we expected. On the second start, we saw no reason to change the plan—what works once, should work again, right?—only we knew that we would likely see more boats this time going for the same plan. This was certainly the case, but rather than being pin end boat we were the second boat from the pin with Bob Kinsman at the pin (who finished second in the race). Bob was going really well, but I think we had more weight on the rail and inched him out at the windward mark.
In the first race especially, you were able to grab the early lead and then extend. What is the key for building upon an early advantage in those variable wind conditions? How much did you play the wind vs protecting against the fleet?
I think the key to keeping and extending on a lead is having the confidence to sail your boat as fast as possible while at the same time minimizing the risk of losing the closest boats behind you. Keeping a lead is one thing, and extending on that lead is another. To extend on the lead you need to keep pushing the boat and crew around the course and have the confidence to keep sailing your own race, rather than let the boat behind decide your tactics for you. Of course, it’s always smart to keep a loose cover, but you want to make sure that if you do split tacks with the boat behind you that you are going the right way. Since you have the lead you should be able to control this tactic and if you are correct in your choice, then you should be able to extend on the lead. If you are happy with just keeping your lead, then simply try to stay between the boat behind you and the windward mark with a loose cover. If you try and cover too tight this could lead to a tacking dual, possibly having the boat behind you get off to the favorable side of the course and losing your lead. I often think that the best strategy is sailing your boat to the best of your ability and taking advantage of any possible wind shifts and currents up the leg. Try not to let the competition get too far away while doing this and generally it will pay off in the long run.
In the first race, we picked off a handful on boats on the final beat, nipping three of them at the finish by half a boatlength. We ducked two boats with just 200 yards to go to the finish, but that enabled us to get to the right side and control the favored boat end of the finish line. Phew. There was barely enough time in between races to get my heart rate back below 100. In the second race, we just held off a group of three boats in the last quarter mile of the run. A half boatlength less and we'd have found ourselves on the outside of a large pinwheel and outside the top 10 at the finish.
You’d think that a race course like Y(p)S(p) wouldn’t have a ton of passing lanes, being as short as it is. But that was certainly the case last night. Upwind and downwind there were plenty of opportunities to make or lose boats. A few times I only thought one move ahead and paid for it with a crash tack, ill-timed duck, etc.
One team that didn’t set a foot wrong was Salsa, not that anyone is surprised. They were so far ahead by the second mark of the two-lap first race, that you could've assumed they were in a different race. We posed a few questions[in bold] to Jens Hookanson, who was back at the helm of USA 1964. His responses are below. Take it away Jens:
It was a beautiful night for racing this Thursday. Well, maybe not a beautiful night with regard to the weather, but it was a beautiful night with regard to the conditions. And I must say that the race committee did a great job setting up a proper starting line and a great course as well. My crew for the night was Jock Hayes, Will Donaldson, Ralph Kinder, and Mark Wiss. I decided to helm for the night so I could get a little practice before heading off to Block Island Race Week next week [where Jens will be driving Robert Armstrong’s J/100 Good Girl, with a posse from the U.S. Virgin Islands]. Some nights you find that you and your crew are “in the zone” and that’s how it felt for us last night.
Can you tell us a little bit about your genoa set up last night? We had flat water, especially for the wind strength. How did you set the halyard? How were you playing the jib cunningham. Everyone seemed able to point extremely high. How do you sail the telltales in those conditions?
Last nights conditions saw a steady easterly breeze in the 14- to 20-knot range with flat water. Typically the breeze dies as the evening progresses, but due to the nasty weather conditions we believed this was not likely to happen. Before leaving the dock, I set the rig tensions at 27 upper and 24 lower which I thought would be a good setting for the breeze. I also knew that my mast step was in a light air setting (fairly far aft) so after a brief upwind jaunt before the start, I went down below and moved the step about 3/8 of an inch forward for the breezier conditions and flat water. Now the boat felt set up properly for the conditions. With regard to settings on the boat, we were at max weight so we set the jib leads in at max power. The jib halyard was pulled on to about 90-percent of max (good to have a lot of jib halyard tension in breeze and flat water) and we never used the jib Cunningham at all. The breeze was not only strong, but quite puffy especially as you got closer to Goat Island. Therefore, it was critical for one person to call the puffs and lulls before they hit the boat (have them paint a picture of the anticipated breeze over the next 30 seconds or so), which allowed me to sail the boat steady and flat. In a breeze like this, I totally disregard the telltales and sail primarily by feel of the boat, keep a good lane and try not heel too much in the puffs. If the boat gets hit by a big puff and heels way over, you not only slow down but the keel stops working and the boat goes sideways. This is really slow!
In both races, I believe you favored the left side off the line. What was your game plan for the course?
We always have a game plan for starting and playing the first beat and this is generally discussed with the crew briefly prior to the start to get feedback from everyone. The tide was high at about 4:30 p.m., so we figured the tide would be ebbing during the entire evening. We did not see as much flow as we expected, but did see some. We also noticed that the flow was coming out of the harbor as we sailed out to the starting line, which meant we wanted to avoid going right immediately after the start. The starting line was positioned in the cone of Rose Island and we noticed a slight flow moving easterly between Rose and Goat Island. This would favor starting near the port end and going left initially, but not too far left. Lastly we noticed the puffs were mostly left-hand heading puffs as we sailed in toward Goat Island. This meant we would likely see nice port tack lifts along the Goat Island shore. Lastly, we thought that the starting line was slightly favored at the port end. All of these factors together made for a game plan of starting at the lower third of the line, continue on starboard until we got into max current and some heading shift and tack when we had a clear lane. On the first start, we were not challenged at the pin so we took that spot and carried out the leg according to plan, working even better than we expected. On the second start, we saw no reason to change the plan—what works once, should work again, right?—only we knew that we would likely see more boats this time going for the same plan. This was certainly the case, but rather than being pin end boat we were the second boat from the pin with Bob Kinsman at the pin (who finished second in the race). Bob was going really well, but I think we had more weight on the rail and inched him out at the windward mark.
In the first race especially, you were able to grab the early lead and then extend. What is the key for building upon an early advantage in those variable wind conditions? How much did you play the wind vs protecting against the fleet?
I think the key to keeping and extending on a lead is having the confidence to sail your boat as fast as possible while at the same time minimizing the risk of losing the closest boats behind you. Keeping a lead is one thing, and extending on that lead is another. To extend on the lead you need to keep pushing the boat and crew around the course and have the confidence to keep sailing your own race, rather than let the boat behind decide your tactics for you. Of course, it’s always smart to keep a loose cover, but you want to make sure that if you do split tacks with the boat behind you that you are going the right way. Since you have the lead you should be able to control this tactic and if you are correct in your choice, then you should be able to extend on the lead. If you are happy with just keeping your lead, then simply try to stay between the boat behind you and the windward mark with a loose cover. If you try and cover too tight this could lead to a tacking dual, possibly having the boat behind you get off to the favorable side of the course and losing your lead. I often think that the best strategy is sailing your boat to the best of your ability and taking advantage of any possible wind shifts and currents up the leg. Try not to let the competition get too far away while doing this and generally it will pay off in the long run.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Best Laid (Over) Plans, Plus Sail Thoughts from the World Champ
It was a great idea. And by was I mean not that it was a good idea that came to fruition. But rather that it was a good idea that, when it came time to become reality, wasn’t such a good idea. In fact it was a horrible idea.
Allow me to explain. This year we decided to practice before the first race of the season. We decided to put the boat in a week ahead of time, then practice the Tuesday before. While putting the boat in, we tried to run a new topping lift. We couldn’t run it that night, and it was raining. So we saved that for the practice day, when it took another two hours of effort. By that time it was getting dark and so, we started the season without any practice.
But it did seem like we’d accomplished something. While talking about the racing we remembered how often a quick jibe is needed when rounding the special race mark up by Hammersmith Farm, and how this wasn’t something we did particularly well, often getting beat to the punch by the boats right behind us. So we decided that our practice sets this year would always involve a quick jibe, with the trimmer and skipper working together and the rest of us following their lead.
Fast forward to last Thursday. The wind is up, the sun is out, it’s a beautiful first night for Fleet 50. We’re off the dock early with plenty of time to shake off the rust. We beat out the harbor from the Newport YC and then pick a buoy to round. “Set, then jibe, real quick like,” is the call.
We round, and set. But the spinnaker sheet is under the jib sheet. Time out. Re-run the spin sheet. “OK, throw it up,” It goes up, and 5 seconds later we go down. And I mean down, mast tip in the water, keel in the air, beer tumbling through the cabin. Whoops! Dave Reed hops over the rail, stands on the keel and we slowly right ourselves. What a way to start the season.
After pulling one crewmember back on board—I guess this is why they require lifejackets when you fly the blade—we take stock. Everything and everyone is in one piece, well except the starboard cockpit stanchion, which is flat on the deck. That’s not going to work.
The skipper calls home, and we turn for the dock. He’s got a spare coming to meet us. A quick pit stop and we’re back on the course in time for the first start. Just like in Indy.
The racing. Well it went about as well as could be expected after such a star-crossed start. But we kept the boat right-side-up for the remainder of the evening. So that’s a plus.
I emailed Scott “Chuck” Norris for his thoughts on his first-third performance in USA 1450. But he hasn’t gotten back to me. So instead, I’ve got an interview with world champion Mauricio Santa Cruz I did a few weeks ago, talking about the new rule allowing aramid fibers in genoas. I’m off to Detroit for the NOOD, so if anyone would like to put in their two cents on night two, feel free. See you in a week.
Maurico Santa Cruz is an independent sailmaker from Brazil, he's also a J/24 whiz, having now won three world championships, putting him second to some guy named Read. To find out more about Mauricio's sailmaking business, click here and here. Thanks for your time Mauricio!
Before the worlds, there was a lot of disagreement on the value of the aramid fabrics over the traditional polyester and PEN. Why did you feel it was important to use the new fabric for the worlds?
I had good conversations with Moose [McClintock, at Dimension-Polyant] and other guys from Dimension while the rule was changing. I visited them to know more about the cloth and I really like it. Back to Brazil, I talked with my sail designers – Ricardo Lobato and Horacio Camargo – to develop a new genoa. When the first prototype arrived, we didn't have any doubts about it. The new sail was faster in every training day. So it wasn't a difficult decision. First, the sail was about 2kg lighter. Second, the new shape we developed proved to be more versatile. We have the right people here in Brazil, so we could trust in our work and be confident on our sails.
Because the aramid fabrics stretch less, people thought they wouldn’t be as good in light air. Did you agree with this before the worlds or not?
The general idea is that you may need a more flexible cloth like Technora in a light-wind venue like Annapolis [Mauricio's sail was made with Twaron using D-Ps D4 MP process]. After the Worlds, I am sure aramid is better. We were very fast when the crew was fully hiking and I think the aramid sail is very responsive in this condition because it stretches less. I agree that there is some room for improvement in light winds for us. Actually, I was feeling a little underpowered when the crew was starting to go to the rail, but I don't think another cloth would help much on that.
With so little time to test before the regatta, how confident were you in your sail selection for the worlds?
We have two equal boats in Brazil and we did a good sail test program. I had already sailed in Annapolis and we worked hard in light winds. As a result, we have a special sail and a new sailing style.
Generally, what were some of your keys to victory in the regatta?
The victory comes with hard work! I know that many teams have worked hard too. But my key to victory is my team. I have a huge structure with everybody thinking on the boat and we are getting better and better. My team really knows what to do. So, I did not feel washed-out during the event. Of course, I truly believe that the new sail design and the cloth contributed for this title. We were also very fast downwind with a new spinnaker cloth. But I have to credit the title to the people and I would like to thanks everybody who worked with me!
Allow me to explain. This year we decided to practice before the first race of the season. We decided to put the boat in a week ahead of time, then practice the Tuesday before. While putting the boat in, we tried to run a new topping lift. We couldn’t run it that night, and it was raining. So we saved that for the practice day, when it took another two hours of effort. By that time it was getting dark and so, we started the season without any practice.
But it did seem like we’d accomplished something. While talking about the racing we remembered how often a quick jibe is needed when rounding the special race mark up by Hammersmith Farm, and how this wasn’t something we did particularly well, often getting beat to the punch by the boats right behind us. So we decided that our practice sets this year would always involve a quick jibe, with the trimmer and skipper working together and the rest of us following their lead.
Fast forward to last Thursday. The wind is up, the sun is out, it’s a beautiful first night for Fleet 50. We’re off the dock early with plenty of time to shake off the rust. We beat out the harbor from the Newport YC and then pick a buoy to round. “Set, then jibe, real quick like,” is the call.
We round, and set. But the spinnaker sheet is under the jib sheet. Time out. Re-run the spin sheet. “OK, throw it up,” It goes up, and 5 seconds later we go down. And I mean down, mast tip in the water, keel in the air, beer tumbling through the cabin. Whoops! Dave Reed hops over the rail, stands on the keel and we slowly right ourselves. What a way to start the season.
After pulling one crewmember back on board—I guess this is why they require lifejackets when you fly the blade—we take stock. Everything and everyone is in one piece, well except the starboard cockpit stanchion, which is flat on the deck. That’s not going to work.
The skipper calls home, and we turn for the dock. He’s got a spare coming to meet us. A quick pit stop and we’re back on the course in time for the first start. Just like in Indy.
The racing. Well it went about as well as could be expected after such a star-crossed start. But we kept the boat right-side-up for the remainder of the evening. So that’s a plus.
I emailed Scott “Chuck” Norris for his thoughts on his first-third performance in USA 1450. But he hasn’t gotten back to me. So instead, I’ve got an interview with world champion Mauricio Santa Cruz I did a few weeks ago, talking about the new rule allowing aramid fibers in genoas. I’m off to Detroit for the NOOD, so if anyone would like to put in their two cents on night two, feel free. See you in a week.
Maurico Santa Cruz is an independent sailmaker from Brazil, he's also a J/24 whiz, having now won three world championships, putting him second to some guy named Read. To find out more about Mauricio's sailmaking business, click here and here. Thanks for your time Mauricio!
Before the worlds, there was a lot of disagreement on the value of the aramid fabrics over the traditional polyester and PEN. Why did you feel it was important to use the new fabric for the worlds?
I had good conversations with Moose [McClintock, at Dimension-Polyant] and other guys from Dimension while the rule was changing. I visited them to know more about the cloth and I really like it. Back to Brazil, I talked with my sail designers – Ricardo Lobato and Horacio Camargo – to develop a new genoa. When the first prototype arrived, we didn't have any doubts about it. The new sail was faster in every training day. So it wasn't a difficult decision. First, the sail was about 2kg lighter. Second, the new shape we developed proved to be more versatile. We have the right people here in Brazil, so we could trust in our work and be confident on our sails.
Because the aramid fabrics stretch less, people thought they wouldn’t be as good in light air. Did you agree with this before the worlds or not?
The general idea is that you may need a more flexible cloth like Technora in a light-wind venue like Annapolis [Mauricio's sail was made with Twaron using D-Ps D4 MP process]. After the Worlds, I am sure aramid is better. We were very fast when the crew was fully hiking and I think the aramid sail is very responsive in this condition because it stretches less. I agree that there is some room for improvement in light winds for us. Actually, I was feeling a little underpowered when the crew was starting to go to the rail, but I don't think another cloth would help much on that.
With so little time to test before the regatta, how confident were you in your sail selection for the worlds?
We have two equal boats in Brazil and we did a good sail test program. I had already sailed in Annapolis and we worked hard in light winds. As a result, we have a special sail and a new sailing style.
Generally, what were some of your keys to victory in the regatta?
The victory comes with hard work! I know that many teams have worked hard too. But my key to victory is my team. I have a huge structure with everybody thinking on the boat and we are getting better and better. My team really knows what to do. So, I did not feel washed-out during the event. Of course, I truly believe that the new sail design and the cloth contributed for this title. We were also very fast downwind with a new spinnaker cloth. But I have to credit the title to the people and I would like to thanks everybody who worked with me!
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Moose Droppings
Moose McClintock has been trying to stop sailing J/24s for longer than many of us have been sailing them. He first tried when longtime skipper Ken Read (he of the six world titles) got out of the class in the mid-90s. But then he got sucked back in to sail with Vince Brun in 1997 (first) and 1998 (second to Terry Hutchinson). He was back again in 2002 (with Brad Read, first) and 2005 (with Max Skelley, 8th with two DNFs). And in 2009, he was back again, this time with Chris Larson. To no one’s surprise, they had a strong regatta, finishing second to Brazil’s Mauricio Santa Cruz. All told, according to Moose, that’s five wins and three seconds over 15 world championship regattas. So I asked Moose to offer up a few gems on sailing these beloved boats. I considered keeping this all to myself—there’s some good stuff here—but figured that wouldn’t be fair.
Of course, if you don’t know, Moose works for Dimension-Polyant Sailcloth. They produced the genoa used by Mauricio Santa Cruz (to Santa Cruz’s design) and the cloth used for the genoa that Larson sailed to second (a North design).
Find out more about D-P here,
Before I get into the interview, some kudos for the management team which correctly canceled racing last week. I was a little upset to see Day 1 get blown off so early, but the breeze only picked up after noon and by 6 p.m., it was perfectly miserable, and dangerous. So we all live to fight this week, which is looking quite sweet, as long as the fog holds off.
Tell us a little bit about your team, led by former world champ Chris Larson
The crew we had, nobody regularly sailed J/24s. One of the guys Steve Frazier, works up at North, he does some night racing. And Curtis Florence, the bow guy, does bow on Farr 40s, but he hasn’t done J/24 stuff. Dave Hughes who’s a super, super crew, he sailed with Mikee Anderson-Mitterling in the 470, he’s fantastic, but he’d sailed like one J/24 regatta.
What I did with each guy is I went over their area and how to do the mechanics of it and once we got the mechanics down, then it was fine.
So for the jib trimmer, for example, what sort of things did you review?
For [Dave] it was more the mechanics of how to physically do the tack. He said, “I’m not a big guy.” Size has nothing to do with it. It’s all technique and hand speed. So we did a bunch of tacks and I showed him the easiest way to do everything from zero to 20 [knots]. At one point he tried to do something different and totally screwed up. I said, “What happened there?” He said, “I tried to do it my own way and that’s not working.”
It never got real up range so it was easy for him to keep in control and get the mechanics down for when the breeze did come up. I flew the kite downwind so he didn’t have to worry about that.
The J/24 carries a small kite by today’s standards. So what’s the key, especially in light air?
Just like every sail on a J/24—the genoa has to go zero to 20, the kite has to go zero to 30—you don’t have specialized shapes. What we do, and if you look at pictures you’ll probably notice, we always have the pole much lower than anybody else. In light and wavy conditions, having the pole low gives you a little bit rounder front end and you don’t have to sheet quite as hard, so you make the sail a little bit more asymmetric. So when you’re doing VMG sailing you have a little bit rounder leading edge to be able to sail off of and you don’t have to sheet quite as hard. If the pole goes up, the top of the sail rotates around and you have to oversheet into the boat and it backwinds into the main.
So that was one thing, we always had the pole a little bit lower and we always had it a little bit further forward too. Having it further forward makes the sail a little bit rounder for the chop and gets it further away from the boat so you get a little bit less disturbed air going through it.
Did you have any tactical thoughts that are specific to the J/24 or even to the big fleet where lanes are at a premium?
The one thing I tell everybody, if you get a bad start it’s very easy to whip the boat around, but don't do it. It's like in an Etchells, if you get a bad start the big thing is not to tack right away. Because if you tack and start reaching behind people you go backwards in a hurry.
We had a couple of really bad starts and we were able to pop out. The big thing is don’t do many tacks. You have to put the bow down so far to get the boat moving again after you tack that you’re just sailing backwards.
Our goal, for the most part, was to come off the line and sail for as long as we could. When you tack, make sure you’re tacking and not having to do big dips. Wait until you’ve dropped back a little bit so you’re doing close dips behind people and you’re not giving up a lot of leeway.
If you have to bear off, the boat just rolls over on its side and you start skidding, you’re going to leeward like there’s no tomorrow. That’s where you start losing lanes. That’s one thing that’s kind of quirky about the J/24. You look at people sailing them upwind and in every kind of breeze the boat is sitting bolt upright. The keel's not real efficient, and to get it work you’ve got to get it sitting straight up and down, and just get the keel down in the water. The boat heels and the keel doesn’t do jack. Those were the biggest things, don’t tack much and just keep the boat as flat as possible.
Looking around at the fleet did you notice any consistent mistakes being made by other teams?
Everybody sails with big scallops in the luff of the headsail. People have to realize when you get these big scallops, you’re making the entry [of the jib] really fine. And they’d be sailing along and sticking it [up] and sticking it [up] and then they’d reach the point of stall and all of the sudden they’d just stop. And they wouldn’t put the bow back down. A round leading edge gives…an Etchells jib is perfect example of this, it’s very round forward and when you put the bow down you get attached flow going again very quickly. When you have these big scallops and a very fine front end [of the jib] you’ve really got to put the bow down and ease. I saw a lot of people that would get into this mode of sticking it up, sticking it up, sticking it up and all of the sudden they’d just stop.
You mean just feathering the boat up constantly?
You sail really pinchy, J/24s don’t go a lot faster if you put the bow down, so everybody sails really high and you go about the same speed. Which is fine until you stall. Once you stall you’ve got to put the bow down and get the thing going again. We probably sail with a tighter luff than anybody. Overall we were pointing a little bit lower, but we didn’t have the issues of hitting the brakes every now and then.
How much did you play the jib Cunningham.
When Curtis was on deck and there was good breeze, we played it a lot. As puffs would come through he’d crank on it pretty good. When the breeze comes up, you’ve got more waves, and the boat’s bouncing around and shaking and if you’ve got to put the bow down to get the boat going again after hitting a wave, you needed that round front edge. So we’d use it for that. Big puffs coming through, he’d wail on it and open up the mid-leech and that’s a big part too, when the breeze is on you’ve got to keep the mid-leech on the genoa open so you can drop the traveler down and keep the boat speed. The guys that go really slow are the guys that don’t keep the boat on its feet. The main starts flogging, so they keep it too centerline or something and they heel too much. That’s where the big problem is.
Any other last-minute secrets for Fleet 50?
One thing that was good about our guys is we generally had one guy who never came on deck half the regatta. And Dave would be down below a lot of times. In fact in the lighter stuff, I’d tack the genoa and just hand him the tail after the tack and he and Steve rolled from down below. Often we ended up with Curtis down below. We had three guys below and I’d just sit on the cockpit sole and stayed low and Chris would be the only one on deck. It’s really fast to do that because the boat’s so bouncy that the higher you get the weight up on deck, the worse it is. So we kept the weight really low. A lot of the best guys do that, you don’t see anyone on deck. You could see the guys that had people on deck [suffer], not so much in the flat stuff, but as soon as it got bouncy, it was huge.
Downwind, because there’s so much traffic in Annapolis, when you saw waves coming everybody got very low. If it was windy enough where I could see the kite, I’d just sit on the step and we’d have two guys down below and Curtis would just flatten himself up forward. We’d just lay there and we’d get through it. Once you start the bouncing, you get a little bit of a harmonic motion and the kite gets really unstable. We had an absolute minimum weight kite and we were able to get through that stuff pretty good. We were really fast downwind.
Of course, if you don’t know, Moose works for Dimension-Polyant Sailcloth. They produced the genoa used by Mauricio Santa Cruz (to Santa Cruz’s design) and the cloth used for the genoa that Larson sailed to second (a North design).
Find out more about D-P here,
Before I get into the interview, some kudos for the management team which correctly canceled racing last week. I was a little upset to see Day 1 get blown off so early, but the breeze only picked up after noon and by 6 p.m., it was perfectly miserable, and dangerous. So we all live to fight this week, which is looking quite sweet, as long as the fog holds off.
Tell us a little bit about your team, led by former world champ Chris Larson
The crew we had, nobody regularly sailed J/24s. One of the guys Steve Frazier, works up at North, he does some night racing. And Curtis Florence, the bow guy, does bow on Farr 40s, but he hasn’t done J/24 stuff. Dave Hughes who’s a super, super crew, he sailed with Mikee Anderson-Mitterling in the 470, he’s fantastic, but he’d sailed like one J/24 regatta.
What I did with each guy is I went over their area and how to do the mechanics of it and once we got the mechanics down, then it was fine.
So for the jib trimmer, for example, what sort of things did you review?
For [Dave] it was more the mechanics of how to physically do the tack. He said, “I’m not a big guy.” Size has nothing to do with it. It’s all technique and hand speed. So we did a bunch of tacks and I showed him the easiest way to do everything from zero to 20 [knots]. At one point he tried to do something different and totally screwed up. I said, “What happened there?” He said, “I tried to do it my own way and that’s not working.”
It never got real up range so it was easy for him to keep in control and get the mechanics down for when the breeze did come up. I flew the kite downwind so he didn’t have to worry about that.
The J/24 carries a small kite by today’s standards. So what’s the key, especially in light air?
Just like every sail on a J/24—the genoa has to go zero to 20, the kite has to go zero to 30—you don’t have specialized shapes. What we do, and if you look at pictures you’ll probably notice, we always have the pole much lower than anybody else. In light and wavy conditions, having the pole low gives you a little bit rounder front end and you don’t have to sheet quite as hard, so you make the sail a little bit more asymmetric. So when you’re doing VMG sailing you have a little bit rounder leading edge to be able to sail off of and you don’t have to sheet quite as hard. If the pole goes up, the top of the sail rotates around and you have to oversheet into the boat and it backwinds into the main.
So that was one thing, we always had the pole a little bit lower and we always had it a little bit further forward too. Having it further forward makes the sail a little bit rounder for the chop and gets it further away from the boat so you get a little bit less disturbed air going through it.
Did you have any tactical thoughts that are specific to the J/24 or even to the big fleet where lanes are at a premium?
The one thing I tell everybody, if you get a bad start it’s very easy to whip the boat around, but don't do it. It's like in an Etchells, if you get a bad start the big thing is not to tack right away. Because if you tack and start reaching behind people you go backwards in a hurry.
We had a couple of really bad starts and we were able to pop out. The big thing is don’t do many tacks. You have to put the bow down so far to get the boat moving again after you tack that you’re just sailing backwards.
Our goal, for the most part, was to come off the line and sail for as long as we could. When you tack, make sure you’re tacking and not having to do big dips. Wait until you’ve dropped back a little bit so you’re doing close dips behind people and you’re not giving up a lot of leeway.
If you have to bear off, the boat just rolls over on its side and you start skidding, you’re going to leeward like there’s no tomorrow. That’s where you start losing lanes. That’s one thing that’s kind of quirky about the J/24. You look at people sailing them upwind and in every kind of breeze the boat is sitting bolt upright. The keel's not real efficient, and to get it work you’ve got to get it sitting straight up and down, and just get the keel down in the water. The boat heels and the keel doesn’t do jack. Those were the biggest things, don’t tack much and just keep the boat as flat as possible.
Looking around at the fleet did you notice any consistent mistakes being made by other teams?
Everybody sails with big scallops in the luff of the headsail. People have to realize when you get these big scallops, you’re making the entry [of the jib] really fine. And they’d be sailing along and sticking it [up] and sticking it [up] and then they’d reach the point of stall and all of the sudden they’d just stop. And they wouldn’t put the bow back down. A round leading edge gives…an Etchells jib is perfect example of this, it’s very round forward and when you put the bow down you get attached flow going again very quickly. When you have these big scallops and a very fine front end [of the jib] you’ve really got to put the bow down and ease. I saw a lot of people that would get into this mode of sticking it up, sticking it up, sticking it up and all of the sudden they’d just stop.
You mean just feathering the boat up constantly?
You sail really pinchy, J/24s don’t go a lot faster if you put the bow down, so everybody sails really high and you go about the same speed. Which is fine until you stall. Once you stall you’ve got to put the bow down and get the thing going again. We probably sail with a tighter luff than anybody. Overall we were pointing a little bit lower, but we didn’t have the issues of hitting the brakes every now and then.
How much did you play the jib Cunningham.
When Curtis was on deck and there was good breeze, we played it a lot. As puffs would come through he’d crank on it pretty good. When the breeze comes up, you’ve got more waves, and the boat’s bouncing around and shaking and if you’ve got to put the bow down to get the boat going again after hitting a wave, you needed that round front edge. So we’d use it for that. Big puffs coming through, he’d wail on it and open up the mid-leech and that’s a big part too, when the breeze is on you’ve got to keep the mid-leech on the genoa open so you can drop the traveler down and keep the boat speed. The guys that go really slow are the guys that don’t keep the boat on its feet. The main starts flogging, so they keep it too centerline or something and they heel too much. That’s where the big problem is.
Any other last-minute secrets for Fleet 50?
One thing that was good about our guys is we generally had one guy who never came on deck half the regatta. And Dave would be down below a lot of times. In fact in the lighter stuff, I’d tack the genoa and just hand him the tail after the tack and he and Steve rolled from down below. Often we ended up with Curtis down below. We had three guys below and I’d just sit on the cockpit sole and stayed low and Chris would be the only one on deck. It’s really fast to do that because the boat’s so bouncy that the higher you get the weight up on deck, the worse it is. So we kept the weight really low. A lot of the best guys do that, you don’t see anyone on deck. You could see the guys that had people on deck [suffer], not so much in the flat stuff, but as soon as it got bouncy, it was huge.
Downwind, because there’s so much traffic in Annapolis, when you saw waves coming everybody got very low. If it was windy enough where I could see the kite, I’d just sit on the step and we’d have two guys down below and Curtis would just flatten himself up forward. We’d just lay there and we’d get through it. Once you start the bouncing, you get a little bit of a harmonic motion and the kite gets really unstable. We had an absolute minimum weight kite and we were able to get through that stuff pretty good. We were really fast downwind.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Sun's Up, Which Means The Countdown is On
Some signs of spring are universal; we all see and appreciate them. Others are more personal. For me the ultimate sign that we’ve finally turned the page on winter and can look forward to a summer of Thursday night J/24 sailing comes courtesy of my office window, but not in the way you might expect.
During the cold half of the year, at least when the sun is out, I have keep the blinds closed to keep the sun from boring a hole into my brain. But one day last week I came to work and realized that the sun’s arc through the sky was finally high enough that the golden orb remained tucked nicely above the ledge overhanging my window and I no longer needed the blinds drawn to see my computer and get some work done.
I love the view from my office window, especially in the spring before the leaves completely obscure First Beach. But I think what really excites me about not having to close the blinds on each sunny day is that it means another season of J/24 sailing is right around the corner. Yup, the calendar confirms it, just a month to go.
For more than a few members of Fleet 50, the 2009 season will get off to an early start with the 2009 J/24 Worlds in Annapolis, May 4 to 8. Among the local stars that will be battling the world on the Chesapeake are former class world champs Anthony Kotoun on Bomba Charger and Jens Hookanson on Salsa. Also sailing will be Peter Levesque on Mookie, John Mollicone on Evil Donut, Charlie Enright on Talking Heads, Tim Healy on Pop Rocks, Brian Smith on Cougar Treat, and Will Welles on Paraloc. And I'm sure there are a few other fleet members scattered throughout the fleet. Former fleet captain Bob Kinsman mentioned that he'd be crewing in the regatta. You can follow that results at http://www.j24worldchampionship2009.com
Hopefully after all the practice, the Annapolis YC Spring One-Design regatta this weekend, the de facto pre-worlds regatta during the 2009 Sperry Top-Sider Annapolis NOOD, and the five days of racing during the worlds, they’ll be burned out and let the rest of us shake off the rust in a timely manner during May. Yeah, I agree, that’s not very likely. Looks like a little practice might be in order over the next month. See you on May 14th if not before. And don’t forget to sign up in advance, the fleet management is making a push to get everyone signed up before they sail their first race. You'll also want to pick your week for race committee. This year every boat will be required to contribute two people for one night of race committee.
During the cold half of the year, at least when the sun is out, I have keep the blinds closed to keep the sun from boring a hole into my brain. But one day last week I came to work and realized that the sun’s arc through the sky was finally high enough that the golden orb remained tucked nicely above the ledge overhanging my window and I no longer needed the blinds drawn to see my computer and get some work done.
I love the view from my office window, especially in the spring before the leaves completely obscure First Beach. But I think what really excites me about not having to close the blinds on each sunny day is that it means another season of J/24 sailing is right around the corner. Yup, the calendar confirms it, just a month to go.
For more than a few members of Fleet 50, the 2009 season will get off to an early start with the 2009 J/24 Worlds in Annapolis, May 4 to 8. Among the local stars that will be battling the world on the Chesapeake are former class world champs Anthony Kotoun on Bomba Charger and Jens Hookanson on Salsa. Also sailing will be Peter Levesque on Mookie, John Mollicone on Evil Donut, Charlie Enright on Talking Heads, Tim Healy on Pop Rocks, Brian Smith on Cougar Treat, and Will Welles on Paraloc. And I'm sure there are a few other fleet members scattered throughout the fleet. Former fleet captain Bob Kinsman mentioned that he'd be crewing in the regatta. You can follow that results at http://www.j24worldchampionship2009.com
Hopefully after all the practice, the Annapolis YC Spring One-Design regatta this weekend, the de facto pre-worlds regatta during the 2009 Sperry Top-Sider Annapolis NOOD, and the five days of racing during the worlds, they’ll be burned out and let the rest of us shake off the rust in a timely manner during May. Yeah, I agree, that’s not very likely. Looks like a little practice might be in order over the next month. See you on May 14th if not before. And don’t forget to sign up in advance, the fleet management is making a push to get everyone signed up before they sail their first race. You'll also want to pick your week for race committee. This year every boat will be required to contribute two people for one night of race committee.
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