December 4, 2004 - Paul Adam

Some notes on Saturday's sailing:

The wind on Saturday was generally light and shifty, and it often (but not always) paid to go left early. I think this may have been because of the flooding tide, though I have not been sailing on Boston Harbor long enough to know that with any certainty. I did, however, note that Dave Franzell also chose this tactic. Since he probably has the best local knowledge in the fleet, he may be able to clarify if this was a wind- or a current-based strategy. Occasionally, the right paid big, but this was infrequent and short-lived and seemed to have more to do with short-term velocity changes.

Prior to the 1st race, as a crew, we discussed what we felt would be the key variables effecting the racing for the day and we tried to prioritize them. Eric Goethert felt keeping the boat moving all the times and being patient would be the # 1 priority. Looking back I think he was spot on. Reacting quickly to wind direction shifts and velocity changes (i.e. change gears) helped us keep our boat moving and allowed us to get back in the game after some rather disappointing starts. Changing gears is a total team effort and a mobile crew is critical. More than once, we saw a boat lift up off of us only to hit a massive header, react too slowly, slow way down, and allow us to cross.

Downwind was a game of keeping clear air and again placing yourself for the next shift or puff. With the wind so uneven across the course, it was more important to position the boat for velocity than to position it against the other boats. Again, however, simply keeping the boat moving was key. We saw this from both sides, when a wind shift combined with a too low initial course, forcing us to tack several times to make the leeward mark. The boats that simply held their course were able to pass us on that mark. Luckily for us, the win filled from behind and (more importantly) left, allowing us to get back into the race.

Hope this helps!