In sailing, if you win an Olympic medal (especially gold and preferably several), you'll probably have no problem getting hired onto an AC team. Nothing is a guarantee, of course...
Mike
Looks like it was a very tough first day at OCRs. Have seen some updates from British and Austrian teams on Facebook and Twitter. Sounds like 3 races in 25+ with lots of capsizes and breakages. Top US team is currently Easton/Pettibone in 25th with Aras/Hagood just behind in 26. Seems like Mike did the best job of going into survival mode. Hopefully none of the US teams have serious damage.
results:
http://www.sailing.org/worldcup/res...
Looks like much of the US fleet punted on race 2 and 3...
Some interesting notes... Bora Gulari of Moth championship fame has jumped into the game.... but there was no magic in his pairing with Stephanie Hudson. Mark and Caroline Mendelbratt had the best finish of the US fleet with a 13 in R1. Old Fart Enrique Figoroa has a new partner and he seemed to be sailing well...
I think Bora and Stephanie have single digit sailing days before today, so I wouldn't read too much into today's results. Mendelblatt is definitely fast, which is also not surprising given he is a two-time olympian and took second at a laser worlds.
I was sitting with a wind meter in my face all day on the pin, and it was steady high teens / low 20s with occasional gusts into the mid twenties.
Yes, there was a lot of carnage, but to say that it was steady 25+ is just wrong. The squall that went through (we weren't racing at the time) was pretty interesting. ~40 kts and sideways rain. But it only lasted about 15 minutes.
That being said, 9+ hours in a 17' Boston Whaler, wrangling huge marks in that kind of breeze - I'm knackered. It's time for Advil and bed.
Thanks Matt, just going off of the very little information I could find. Hope you guys have great conditions the rest of the week. We have a blizzard here!
From Easton via Facebook
Fun day learning to tame the Nacra 17 in 25-30+ with Katie Pettibone. Lots of carnage on the course (5 broken masts) so we were happy to finish all the races with just a few bruises and capsizes.
From Thomas Zajac and Tanya Frank:
Day 1 at ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami was brutal, rendering winds up to 30 knots, cold rain and heavy chop. After a crash-capsize during the second race, we finished in 44th.
Far less encouraging was how quickly the fleet diminished, with many boats headed to shore due to injury-- and a grand total of five due to broken masts. Another two capsizes during the second race prompted us to seriously re-evaluate the harsh conditions. Eventually, we decided to keep our mast in one piece and retire for the day.
With our equipment and our bodies still fully intact, we are focused and ready to start fresh tomorrow!
(Hopefully the weather will stick to the forecasted 18-knots!)
Check us out for more updates this week.
From Coen De Koenig:
First day OCR Miami. I think we all agreed it was bloody windy 20-30 knots. Had some issues (capsize, penalties etc) but hanging in there with 3 medium races 8,11,13.
From Robbie:
A rough first day. Talked s look at Briannas cheak and you will get a feel. Race committee continued on even after more than half the fleet had crashed and burned. I think 6 broken masts today. To the tune of almost 8000 each. Key Sailing worked hard to pack a trailer and get it to lake City where Brian will get it and drive thru the night to get it to Miami in the morning so people can sail. This is just too much wind for this boat. Too much carnage and hospital level injuries. It's crazy.
Robbie ok after getting separated from the boat and missing for over 30 minutes. Thanks Max for picking him up! Bri banged up a bit but a trouper. Thanks Sulley for jumping in with your cloths on! Thanks Enrique for being there for them.
report: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/2...
Just so everyone knows . . .
The course race officers (there are six course circles here) do not have the authority to call off racing. They must receive authorization from the Principal Race Officer (Ricardo Navarro - a Brazilian, who started out racing Hobie 14s).
I saw the PRO boat pull up behind our signal boat in late afternoon, so I'm sure there was some conversation about the conditions. Peter van Muyden (the course RO), is very experienced (he runs the N17s at most of the ISAF world sailing cups).
The top guys probably would have bitched if it was blown off.
Matt: no winning for the RC in those conditions, hopefully the rest of the week is great!
From Steph Hudson:
We had quite an interesting Day 1 of the Miami World Cup! Survival conditions on our 4th day in the boat together, and we were one of the lucky ones to only break small parts. Many Nacra masts broke yesterday, and without extra stock in the US, it is unfortunately game over for some of our competitors. Hopefully the rest of the week will not be so expensive for the fleet!!
From Cammas: http:/
I'm stuck in a blizzard, so will post what I see!
+1!
From Girke/Ramsay:
Big Monday has come and gone, leaving a trail of broken boats and souls littered across the race area. But for us, the day went very well in the testing conditions. Other then a few minor swims and some broken battens, the team is feeling strong, fit and confident going into the rest of the week's racing. Today's triumph comes all the hard work and training that has gone into this campaign as well as the sheer will power and determination to achieve what is possible. Tomorrow's forecast is for a near perfect 11-15 knots and sunny skies. We couldn't be more excited!
Some good day-1 footage on FB can be found here here
Sorry - couldn't get a direct link to work.
Looks like it was the real deal. Some serious pucker factor on the bear-away.
Live Tracking now: http://static.sportresult.com/feder...
Wilmot, Mendelbrat and Newberry finish first race of the day within 10 secs of each other.
Next Race Newberry Mendelbatt and wilmot finish within 8 seconds of each other..... (damn... can't wait to see how race three shakes out...
Wilmot, Easton and Newberry finish within less then a minute of each other AND close to the top of fleet...
Overall Wilmot and Easton are top US in standing since they survived Monday on the course.. Standing 20 or worse in the fleet.
Looks like JC had some issues with his mast replacement in race one... Its tough to recover after you break the stick you know so well.
looking forward to reports from the water!!
(Thank Goodness for US Laswr woman.... they seem to be strong for medal slots otherwise only two boats in the top 10s in the other fleets)
Sorry - couldn't get a direct link to work.
Looks like it was the real deal. Some serious pucker factor on the bear-away.
If you guys are even shooting video out on the water, please go easy with the zoom...it enhances the bouncieness and makes it hard to view.
Sorry - couldn't get a direct link to work.
Looks like it was the real deal. Some serious pucker factor on the bear-away.
If you guys are even shooting video out on the water, please go easy with the zoom...it enhances the bouncieness and makes it hard to view.
That was the German coach shooting video, not the pro media teams they have here.
Today, they had a camera from a balloon(!) shooting the gate roundings.
Much better day on the water today. But again, I'm knackered. We run 3 races for the 49er blue fleet, then 3 for the N17s. We left the dock @ 8:45 and didn't get back until 4:30.
Sorry - couldn't get a direct link to work.
Looks like it was the real deal. Some serious pucker factor on the bear-away.
If you guys are even shooting video out on the water, please go easy with the zoom...it enhances the bouncieness and makes it hard to view.
That was the German coach shooting video, not the pro media teams they have here.
Today, they had a camera from a balloon(!) shooting the gate roundings.
Much better day on the water today. But again, I'm knackered. We run 3 races for the 49er blue fleet, then 3 for the N17s. We left the dock @ 8:45 and didn't get back until 4:30.
A balloon!? How does that work?
They used a balloon during the F18 Worlds in Italy a few years ago.
It had a gopro hanging under the balloon which was about 20m in the air.
That being said, 9+ hours in a 17' Boston Whaler, wrangling huge marks in that kind of breeze - I'm knackered. It's time for Advil and bed.
Even on a flat lake, a 17 foot Whaler is a tough place to be all day, especially if there's more than two people on it.
Matt: What marks (of the course) are you responsible for? Are you the pin (anchored boat)?
Mike
Can anything be done with the masts? Being one design, are they stuck a design that has a weak point? There was a picture I saw on Facebook of the broken masts in a pile, and it looks like they snapped more or less in the same spot.
Let me guess - they broke at the joint mandated by the 2-piece mast requirement.
Masts are not two piece, that requirement was dropped
Don't masts pretty much break in the same spot? I haven't seen a lot a variation in break position on any of the beachcat spin boats I've seen. Look at any spin boat going downwind, you can pretty much point at it and say... it's going to break right there.
Don't masts pretty much break in the same spot? I haven't seen a lot a variation in break position on any of the beachcat spin boats I've seen. Look at any spin boat going downwind, you can pretty much point at it and say... it's going to break right there.
That's true, just seems like a lot of carnage, especially for a carbon mast.
Biscayne Bay is very shallow. I would bet that the vast majority of breakages are from sticking the mast into the bottom.
My take, $8000 masts. LOL
Jill's take.
World Cup update: By Jill. Well, the news is good and bad. Robbie and Brianna's regatta has ended early due to injuries but the good news is that they are trying to see if they can get out again before the end of the regatta. Brianna pulled a groin muscle yesterday.
I really think this class needs to think about a more manageable wind limit. The first day was not manageable by over half the fleet.
Injuries were numerous, 6 broken masts, spin poles, sails and the list went on.
I left here at 330 am to pick up a trailer of parts so people could sail the next day. For those of you who know Brian, he had left at 11pm to drive up and meet a trailer coming from Pensacola and planned to be in Miami at 730 am. All was going well until he blew his transmission at 3am....that is when I was rousted from a rather pleasant sleep, jumped in the truck and started driving North. Once I was on the road and awake.....and I do mean that in that order, I realized that I could not make a 9 hour round trip and be back in time to let people make the 1pm start so I made the all important call at 430 to bob and Cheryl Johnson. You know who your friends are when the just say yes before they even know! They woke up, jumped in their truck and started driving South, picked up the trailer from Brian and kept driving South until we intersected. By them getting the trailer an extra hour South, it saved me 2 hours and I was able to get back by 10am and met the frenzy of sailors in the parking lot. Thanks big time to Bob and Cheryl and to Brian who drove 7 hours for us, then sat on the side of the road Nd waited for his dad who we also woke up to come and pick up him and the truck.
I am kicking in 500 to help with his transmission. Brian helps everyone when he is at an event with us.....if anyone would like to help, it would be appreciated I am sure.
I heard that someone posted that winds were in the teens. I do not know what they where using to measure the wind with but anyone can look up and see it was not just in the teens. The wind was steady low to mid 20's with big gusts. If the race committee can not see that or judge by the amount of carnage, we have a problem!
Safety is a real concern. Robbie was separated from his boat for over 30 minutes before being picked up by a sailor. The boat with Brianna was over for about 20 minutes before someone got to her. Coaches are not allowed on the coarse, but the race committee does not seemed to be too concerned about boats over. How is a boat in the course and on its side with no safety boat response! Enrique was on the coach boat that day and had been helping another team. There must be a better answer. I have not seen as many injuries on a cats ever as we are seeing in this fleet. These concerns need to be addressed before someone dies again! A good ratio of safety boats to sailors are a must....that is not the case here.
The regatta logistics is a bit disappointing but kind of what was expected. Conditions in the boat park, although slightly better than last year is primitive. There are some portolets in the parking lot and a food truck that is here most of the time that has stuff for sale. There are a few big umbrellas in the boat park near the 49rs and some shade over at the rowing club but other than that, it seems pretty barron. There is a beach captain this year so at least there is someone here, but if there is any problems like on the first day, the poor guy is overwhelmed. It is really a shame and it does not make the U.S. Look very good at least as far as the Fx, 49r and N17 fleets are concerned. The one good thing over here is we have plenty of parking.
Fortunately the Marshacks were kind enough to loan us their RV again. Although we can not stay in the lot over night it is allowing us some convenience. We are also turning into the medical tent as people come in looking for some aide.
To add insult to injury, they have a 90 minute limit from the time the last boat finishes to file a protest. So first you have to sail in, which is significant. Then IF you have a car you have to drive in rush hour traffic, which is pretty slammed, then you have to find a parking spot which is next to impossible. They had agreed to let the sailors file electronically thru the beach captain, which solved a ton of problems but then they rescinded that decision.
The coaches are having to anchor their boats to the shore or tie them to a fence. U.S. Sailing put 3 moorings in the water but with no way to get in and out it is tough to use them.
The sailors are feeling like they are in a third world county. It is a bit embarrassing again, especially after the same venue was used last year. World Cup events are suppose to be on a professional level. This is our time to shine to the sailing world. I am afraid we are not shining at all.
I hope the organizers try to improve the conditions over here for next year. There are some pretty easy things that can be done.
- Space out the containers and tie a canvas between two containers and set up some tables and chairs so they have a place to sit and eat and relax....very little expense...and someplace to get out of the rain.
- have a couple of volunteers over here to help....very little expense.
- have some medical assistance here. ...very little expense
- have a trailer brought in with reasonable bathrooms and showers....minimal expense.
- have more wifi available...minimal expense
- have remote filing of forms
- have a more reasonable arrangement for coach boats.
All these things are minimal expense and would help to put in a better show to the world sailors.
End
I'm a little surprised at the mast costs. I know the A-cat doesn't need to support the same kind of loads - but last I was involved with it, you could buy an A-cat tube for a little under $3000 (without hardware).