Busy sailing schedule over the Weekend

I have put three days of sailing behind me. A lot of fun meeting with friends from different classes and on Friday evening with a boat, that I had never sailed before. The Optimist Dinghy. Yes, I have folded 190cm into this little pram and it did not feel as bad as I thought. It all started with a promise or better a birthday present which I had given to K. last week. She got a voucher to take part in the local women Opti regatta and I promised to organise everything. From the fully rigged boat right on the pier to jump in, to babysitting our little one. I was able to delegate the boat logistics to some members of our little sailing club (HSVS) where K. is giving sailing lessons to the beginners and they came with a whole group of supporters and sailing the Opti around the corner to the SSC. And yes, I was very nervous watching the race. There are some talents in the Club. A last minute starter had been the actual German Ladies Matchrace Champion. K. rounded the first windward mark in the top position and had been rolled by one of the top helmsladies (OK, lady skipper sounds better to me). We were able to see that her rig was not set right for the light conditions. The boom looked much too high. She climbed back at the next weather leg, ducked the leading boat at the mark (see the picture, klick on it) and ran away from the group. She had reset the rig and with the fuller mainsail the boat just glided away. K. won the regatta and I was proud that she made some good decisions on the course and I have to fear that the helm on our boat will be hers next year.

Next it was the mens turn with the Optis. Older than 40 years or above 100kg is the rule. There was just one starter and therefore the ladies catched most of the men hanging around at the club and it was also my turn now. The baby had behaved well and it was OK for me to sail in the race. No excuse worked. I had never before sat in an Optimist Dinghy and I thought it would not work. But I was wrong. The lower legs need to be either outside the boat or you have to knee in the boat and lean forward across the bulkhead as much as possible. Both seemed to work. My start was good. Front row but halfway up the beat I was rolled by Norbert. A little higher and faster he was sailing. More boats passed me on the first downwind leg and the course was shortened much to my delight. My good friend Robert passed me 5 meters in front of the finish and I came 5th. Only 9 starters but it was OK for me.

Saturday we sailed the Blue Ribbon of the Schlei Fjord. A distance race. Up to the first bridge and than back home. The start happened in medium fog. We could just see the starting marker but I think I was way below it at the signal. It was a downwind start, something I never seem to manage well. My friend Jürgen with his Melges 24 just ran away from the fleet in the light air. He was so much in front 2 minutes after the start that he was not even blanketed. We had to jibe and jibe again but we never really freed ourselves from the main bulk. The Bull just did not wanted to sail faster than 5.2 kn. We never came into sailing an apparent wind. The boat did not glide through the water. Therefore we misjudged a few things, we did not change into the light weather sheets and we ran out of good mood. I realized that I should have hauled the boat and cleaned the underwater after a good long season in the water with only some Wednesday night sailing. I am not taking these things serious any more. Therefore I cannot expect good placings. We lost distance on all angles of sail. Upwind it felt strange when the speedo stopped at 5.2 and the pressure increased but not the speed. Nobody else to blame but me. At the end we finished in 12th position. Corrected result under Yardstick: 30th. After nearly 4 hours of sailing in light to medium wind we finished 27 minutes behind the first boat across the line, a Melges 24. The Bull team can do much better, I am sure.

Sunday we did sail the yearly Laser City Championship. I can remember the Nr. of my boat: 84048. Interesting to know that I get this Laser borrowed from Hartmuth, who with 84 years of age is not participating in the Laser regattas anymore. But he did sail the Blue Ribbon with his beautiful H-35. The Laser regatta is another story and will follow some day later.

Small high´s and big low´s at the Skiff Days

This boat immediately tells you if you have done enough practising as well as maintenance work. It doesn´t matter if you have an idea of reading the wind, or to know something about tactics, if you haven´t done your homework, it will show you already minutes after the start. OK, I should not write as pessimistic as this sounds. Not all had been bad, but I am still disappointed about my own result in the "long distance race". I did not even finish. Being second last boat and dead slow on the run I decided that enough was enough and turned the bow around to sail home. It was not possible anymore to see the front runners in the Moth class. I could name my boat the "lame duck" as it has no name at present. But this name is more appropriate for myself, as I have steered it around the course. And I am responsible for the set up. Less height than my fellow competitors, therefore a bit slower. Less deep running on foils, therefore lots more miles. Anyone with ideas to get me out of this, please comment. I have to hit the road now and might write a more positive report later about the "Kohlhoff Skiff Days", held in Kiel on the inner Fjord last weekend. Great organisation. Good fun for everyone. Watchful eyes can see me doing a port start with my GER 3170. Not bad, but than came the header... and a lull on the left.

An evening out on the Moth

Yesterday, after getting ready with work and everything else like playing a round of football with the little one (got drubbed 4:5 and 2:5) I managed an hour af Mothing. Had to play against the wind (strong) and therefore got the idea of going sailing afterwards. A little more tweaking on the boat and a new, tighter tramp rig and it was already 19.00h. The wind from the east had calmed down to small white caps and about 4 Bft. I managed some good upwind legs though my upper legs hurted badly. Had good speed and a better boathandling than the other days on the reach/run but never a good jibe. Maybe I tried too hard. Ended up with the boom sticking into the air which than costs a lot of energy to get the boat into position for a re-start. Maybe I should try a more conservative approach to jibing first. Getting the boat low and safe around onto a tight reach to get it on foils and than bear away. But as a former slalom windsurfer I know what it costs dearly when you blow the jibe and have to go nearly upwind first when actually you want to head downwind.

Anyway it was a good session and I had seen some progress. Less time in the water and good solid flights. And as I used to say to my buddies: "It is the hours which you have spend on the rail that counts at the end. Talent is only 10-20 percent involved". Looking for more hours on the Moth as the temperature is raising now.

Edited: I ripped the above Foto from the Bladerider site to give my motivation a kick. I am a Regatta man and I should be able to do this...

Laser Regatta, Schleswiger Stadtmeisterschaft

Well, it´s already been a week ago since we have sailed our yearly LASERV „Stadtmeisterschaft“. A regatta privately organised by the local sailmakers, Ger and Roger. HOLM Segelmacher. It happens once a year, always on the Sunday after the Blue Ribbon race from the local Club. The Blue Ribbon had to be cancelled due to the flood on Friday. The whole club and downstairs facilities had been flooded and were full of mud. You might have seen the pictures on my last blog entry. Anyway on Sunday the water had lowered enough to rig the boats and to get on with the business of sailing. PRO Henning had called for a minimum of four races with three upwind and downwind legs. 22 competitors, mostly from the region of North Germany, and some are only bringing their boats out for this regatta as I do with a chartered boat. As usual I had promised myself last year, when not feeling really comfortable in the boat (the fridge door) to give practise a priority this year before the regatta. But as usual there were too many other things on the agenda and the plan did not materialise.

Kerstin had chartered a boat at the local sailing school, which we had to rescue from in the “flood”. It had split from it´s trolley and was floating around with other “debris”. We pulled and pushed it on dry land, drained the water from inside and outside and Kerstin was giving it a thorough wash and wax on Saturday late afternoon.

I also managed to look after my boat on Saturday afternoon but Hartmut, the owner had already saved it from floating around in the shed. Lasers and Optis had piled up but the damage was very small. I checked for parts but not for water in the hull as the drainage was closed pretty tight. Next day through the inspection hole I found a lot of water and drained the boat before rigging. It is an old boat with an old sail and without the latest boomvang and things which make a Laser more trimmable. I pulled the sheet to max, fastened the vang and stretched the outhaul to the max. This will make for a decent trim once under way and these old ropes are always easing a bit when getting wet. The mainsheet seemed to be very, very long and I tangled with my feet in it during the racing. Maybe it had been the safety rope. You cannot just a cut a rope on a borrowed boat, can you?

The starting line was heavily biased on the boat (Henning´s X-79) which nobody wanted to hit of course and there was a pile up of boats. It seemed that guys who are sailing this area a lot wanted the right side. Maybe due to the high apartment tower which is sittingon the left side in the West of the course which had to be laid with a windward leg to 270°. I started mid line to get free air but could not use it as best due to one or two boats under me gaining. I tacked…uuuhps way too many boats still on starboard and I had to tack back. Got entangled in the sheet and lost big time. I promised myself not doing so many tacks, especially not after the start. Why falling back into mistakes which I thought, I would not do anymore. Bearing away at the windward mark in a gust had also been a problem for me. But there were others who did worse. And I immediately jibed to the inside which in the short legs gave me a nice mark rounding position. If only the boathandling had been better. I still happened to be in the top ten but Roger, one of the sailmakers had a nice lead. Last years winner Ger, the Boss at HOLM, was in the near distance but after half way around the course he was in the leading group of 7 boats and I was in the middle of nowhere. Between the top group and the backmarkers. Around 10 to 12.

I did two acceptable races afterwards with some placings around 7th – 8th (still no scoring sheet available) but in the fourth race, I did a very bad start, nearly fouling the anchor line of the starting boat, now placed at the pin end and nearly came last at the first windward mark. Gained some places downwind but finished around 15th. Beer and pizza after the races and applause for every participant from last to first at the price giving, held by PRO Henning. This year Roger won and Ger came second. The first five boats were equipped with Laser sails made by HOLM, which is not within the class rules and my gut feeling is, that the cloth which these guys are using, is a bit tougher and stronger than the standard Laser sail. No excuse for my 10th place which I must say, I am happy with. Having beaten two guys with a new boat, new sails and spending many hours in the boat practising together with hotshot Roger.

I do hope that I can get a photo or two from the event to post a little later. Today I used the nice autumn sun and some gusts around 3 Bft for some practise with my Bladerider Moth. Did some bad tacks, still not being able to foil through a jibe and having problems downwind. Foiling no problem but the VMG just does not look right. I will see next weekend at the class championship in Bad Zwischenahn how it is going within the class. Still so much to learn for me in the hot little boat. Really looking forward to the weekend with only onegoal: Not to become last of the Foiler Moths. Stay tuned.