LYC was well represented at the River romp regatta hosted by
Edison sailing center in Ft. Myers. The weekend was filled with top results as
well as a great team dynamic. Coach Sharon and I really enjoyed coaching the
green fleet team and getting to know the parents and chaperones.
This was a first regatta for many of our green fleet sailors:
Ella Taylor, Simone Moss, Skye Johnson and Michael Morley. One of the biggest
challenges is being able to handle the long days in the sun. This regatta was
an unusually long regatta with 9 races.
Miles Wolff dominated Green Fleet, winning with a
34 point lead! (Regattas’ are scored under the Low Point Scoring System – 1pt
for each place in each race, points are bad; sailors got to discard their worst
race). Anna Vasilieva was 8th,
Lucy Meagher was 9th, Bobby Rielly 23rd in an 111 boat fleet.
Conditions were very light and shifty, comparable to
conditions at LYC plus a really big fleet! With these elements it was very
important to have consistent finishes and keep your focus dialed in on making
your boat go fast.
One important thing was having good course and wind awareness; there were big wind
shifts in almost every race. In a couple races, sailors would be sailing a
reach to the windward mark instead of tacking close hauled. It was important to notice wind changes and
get on the long tack to the mark , then trim sails appropriately.
Having a clear lane is always important in a big fleet
especially in light wind. On the first beat (upwind leg), the goal is to sail
without any boats directly upwind or directly in front of you. This is easiest when
you have a good start, preferably at the favored end. If you notice someone covering
your wind, tack! Downwind you find a clear lane by looking at the boats behind
you and finding a window to sail in by working high or low. Kite (heel to
windward) as hard as you can and head down in the puffs. Miles made huge gains on the reach/run legs
by heeling further to windward than his competitors and paying attention to
sail trim. The ability to find clear air and work the boat downwind, allowed
him to catch boats every race.
A good goal was to keep it simple. If you are sailing your
best and your results show, don’t over think it. After the first, Miles was in
first place by 6 points. The entire team was so excited, but it was important
to remember that we still had a second day of the regatta. Its important to
have the right mindset. Sailing is process to get to an end result. You need to
sail in the moment, not focus on past finishes or the end result. The team had
the right mental preparedness going into the last day and that allowed them to
finish on top.
Sailors, please be ready to share something about the regatta
at practice this week, something you
learned or were surprised by, or something you need to work on.
Thank you to all of the parents for making this such a
special event. GO LYC!
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