Also, my first daughter came on June 18, three weeks early, so it’s been hard enough to remind myself to shave and shower on a regular basis, let alone contribute some pithy reports on Thursday night sailing. But I did sail, my wife giving me a much appreciated hall pass 36 hours after giving birth.
The bottom line, however, may be that there just wasn’t a lot to write about. In the last three weeks the Crack of Noon team has turned in a mixed bag of performances. A few good results, some average ones, and some poor ones. We haven’t been able to string together two good finishes. We’ve left more than a few points on the table, but we’ve also had our share of good fortune.
Last week could be a microcosm for the Spring Series from our perspective. In the first race, it was apparent with 15 seconds to go to the start that we would be lucky to find ourselves in the second row once the gun went off.
If there was a bright spot to this really disappointing realization—aside from the fact that the cooler was full of beer—it was that we came to it quickly. We tacked to port before the gun and started making tracks for the right side. Because we tacked so early, we were able to get through the traffic without anyone camping on our lane.
The current on the right side proved to be the deciding factor and it wasn’t long before we found ourselves in a four-boat group lead group. From there we played the percentages and took in a satisfying fourth, enjoying a front-row seat to a nice North v. Quantum sailmaker battle among the top 3 boats along the way.
Our second start was better, at first blush, but since we’d already burned our Get Out of Jail Free card, we found ourselves fighting through bad air for much of the first half of the beat.
We pushed hard into the left corner on the run and spent a lot of time trying to prop up our morale with statements like: “I think it feels like we might have more pressure on this side. Yes. I really think that.”
Two or more of the following words in any sentence assessing relative wind strength—like, feels, possibly, maybe, should, think—and you know you’re in trouble.
And that ended the Spring Series. Personally, I think that nothing would be better than sailing on July 3rd, watching a few fireworks on the way in and relishing in the fact that the following day was a holiday. Maybe we can revisit that decision next year. Summer’s too short anyway, no sense taking a night off.
But nothing we can do now. So enjoy the holiday weekend. We hope to have some Winner's Wisdom from Will Welles. And then on July 10th, we’re right back into it. We’ll see you all out there.
The bottom line, however, may be that there just wasn’t a lot to write about. In the last three weeks the Crack of Noon team has turned in a mixed bag of performances. A few good results, some average ones, and some poor ones. We haven’t been able to string together two good finishes. We’ve left more than a few points on the table, but we’ve also had our share of good fortune.
Last week could be a microcosm for the Spring Series from our perspective. In the first race, it was apparent with 15 seconds to go to the start that we would be lucky to find ourselves in the second row once the gun went off.
If there was a bright spot to this really disappointing realization—aside from the fact that the cooler was full of beer—it was that we came to it quickly. We tacked to port before the gun and started making tracks for the right side. Because we tacked so early, we were able to get through the traffic without anyone camping on our lane.
The current on the right side proved to be the deciding factor and it wasn’t long before we found ourselves in a four-boat group lead group. From there we played the percentages and took in a satisfying fourth, enjoying a front-row seat to a nice North v. Quantum sailmaker battle among the top 3 boats along the way.
Our second start was better, at first blush, but since we’d already burned our Get Out of Jail Free card, we found ourselves fighting through bad air for much of the first half of the beat.
We pushed hard into the left corner on the run and spent a lot of time trying to prop up our morale with statements like: “I think it feels like we might have more pressure on this side. Yes. I really think that.”
Two or more of the following words in any sentence assessing relative wind strength—like, feels, possibly, maybe, should, think—and you know you’re in trouble.
And that ended the Spring Series. Personally, I think that nothing would be better than sailing on July 3rd, watching a few fireworks on the way in and relishing in the fact that the following day was a holiday. Maybe we can revisit that decision next year. Summer’s too short anyway, no sense taking a night off.
But nothing we can do now. So enjoy the holiday weekend. We hope to have some Winner's Wisdom from Will Welles. And then on July 10th, we’re right back into it. We’ll see you all out there.
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