Laser District 12

Savannah, GA May 2008…. Waiting on Eric Oetgen again!!

Beaufort, SC April 2008…..Still waiting on Eric Oetgen

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SC States , Beaufort 2007
CYC -SC : SAYRA Open 2007
NC STATES 2007:Light shifty conditions prevailed for the weekend’s regatta. Some of us got in a little practice during the thermal breeze in the cove before the races started. I think this proved beneficial to me as it had been 2 1/2 weeks since I had been out in the boat. This added to the mental preparation I had been putting together during that time. I was expecting light air, shifty conditions, boat wakes, and lots of lasers. My goal for the regatta, Win and to have fun. The fun part was easy, the racing was challenging, in the first race we had a dying 2-3knot breeze. Since the right side had the breeze first and last, I figured it would be favored as the wind got lighter and lighter. I started midline and sailed pretty much up the right side middle, keeping an eye on where the wind was strongest and trying to stay in its path. With the breeze so light, I avoided wakes when reasonably possible by tacking and rolling through them abeam. I sailed the boat with slight heal, and fairly low avoiding pinching whenever possible (sailing fat angles). Rounding the 1st I quickly boreoff and sailed a hot by the lee angle to the rightside of the course nearest the LNYC, here the breeze was still there as the left side looked fairly glassy. The fleet followed and I narrowly avoided the pack at the leeward mark, keeping cool and patient I rounded and kept a loose cover going to the finish line. Rig settings: loose foot, traveler, cunningham, mainsheet tension, and a tight hiking strap. Race 2: was similar for me, only the guys who had a great pin end start beat me to the mark so I rounded about 4th by playing the rightside early and the middle late in the leg as a nice righty came in and saved me, though I was expecting it. Down wind I played the rightside and held on to pick up one spot on the last beat. Same rig settings as 1st race.< Race 3: Middle right on a good start, ran into each header going up the middle of the course, sailed fat angles to beat the rightside favored boats to the 1st mark. took the rightside early down wind as the breeze faded and it paid huge as the left side was all glassy. Sunday: Race 1 similar breeze as Saturday. I started at the right end farther up than I wanted to. It showed as the pin boats immediately tacked to port and laid the mark after the gun. I thought the right looked best as the wind appeared to fade and I even got a nice header on the right before the race started. So once the cannon sounded I too tack to port immediately, almost laying the mark and scared to look over my shoulder at all the boats up the line. I refocus myself on going fast, ignoring all those boats, half way up the leg as I get lifted and start the hopeless circle route to the mark I am planning my downwind strategy as the pressure seems more on the right than the left. I round the mark in about 8th, setting my sights on the lead boat which I can barely make out the sail #s. Potter! I dive deep going back to the faithful rightside which had just failed me up wind! It looks as if the left was dying and the right will surely payoff soon, it never did even though I gained on the leaders, my position was risky, deep inside about a 10 boat overlapped pack. I hail for room only to have the door shut by someone who forgot about having been overlapped 20sec. ago. I bitch and moan for a moment but quickly set out to get up to speed and salvage a decent finish. I went in the direction of the cleanest air and sailing lanes and worked my way up the rightside until it died and figured I better work left or I’ll never get to the finish if it does die. I kept in the game and pulled a top 10 to keep 1st overall. Thanks for the great sailing and the opportunity to share my experience with you.