What a wild ride! John Morran, Terry Flynn, Philip Williamson and I, embarked on a two regatta J 80 campaign that began at the North Americans in Marion, MA less than a month ago. The four of us had never sailed together as a team prior to that regatta. My last J 80 event had been the Worlds in Corpus Christi, TX in 2006. We had no idea if we would be competitive but our assumption was that we were going to be able to compete in two of the best one-design keel boat regattas in North America in 2010.
Terry provided a boat that he and his partner had salvaged from Hurricane Rita that ripped up the Texas Gulf Coast a few years ago. They completely rebuilt the boat and I must say that it was immaculate. Yandell Rogers won Charleston Race week with it and Terry later won the Annapolis NOOD, so it was a pretty good bet that the boat would be fast. Terry is also the Quantum J 80 rep and I was very impressed with the Quantum sails that we used.
Our team was pretty incredible! My trusty tactician and best friend, John Morran has been with me in pretty much any regatta that I have ever done well. He is rock solid steady, super smart and will do anything for the team. John insisted on cleaning the bottom of the boat every morning in the chilly 55 degree water. He is just that kind of guy.
Terry Flynn has a J-22 World Championship under his belt with several other national and North American championships. I was pretty surprised when he offered me the chance to steer his boat. Believe me, there were plenty of times leading up to the NA's and Worlds when I questioned his wisdom.
Phillip Williamson joined us for the first time at the NA's. Phillip has raced with his brother-in-law, Glenn Darden for many years and together, they have won the J 105 North Americans, the JY 15 NA's and several Swan 42 regattas. He could not have fit in better with our team!
So...all of the elements were in place. Great team, great boat, great sails...now all we had to do was execute. After the NA's we felt that we were really starting to figure the boat out. We ended up a pretty strong 4th and felt like we were coming on strong at the end. The biggest unknown for me was how good the European boats would be. We were hearing a lot about how strong the Spanish teams were and I was a little worried that we might not be in their league. It seemed like a lot of the press covering the event had already conceded the regatta to the Spanish before it ever began which I think served to stoke the competitive fire of many of the American teams.
We got up to Newport a few days before the event began and spent the first day getting the boat rigged up, measured and ready to put in the water. Saturday evening, we had the chance to go for an evening cruise on Ft. Worth based Jimmy Harrison's 93' sailboat, Taza Mas. My wife Amy and her good friend Angela were able to join us for the first few days before the regatta began and helped us get our house set up and stocked with food for the week. Amy was absolutely glued to sailingupdates.com when she returned to Austin and was our biggest cheerleader all week from afar. Sailingupdates.com gave blow-by-blow updates at every mark rounding and really did a great job keeping those stuck at home or behind a desk updated in real-time.
We had hoped to get a good day of practice in on Sunday, followed by a practice race on Monday with the regatta beginning on Tuesday. Our plans had to be adjusted when a strong Nor'easter moved into the area leaving us with about 20 knot breeze and large confused seas. We went outside the bay on Monday and had about a 2 hour sail but were only able to line-up with a few boats and never could really tell how we were moving. It was important to get a feel for just how large the waves were and how to keep the boat on its feet both upwind and downwind.
The Nor'easter intensified on Tuesday to the extent that it was probably unsafe to go outside the bay into open water. The race committee elected to run the practice race in the bay and I think only about 15 boats braved the conditions with only one boat finishing. We had mixed feelings about sailing. We needed more time in the boat...especially downwind but also didn't want to break anything the day before the Worlds. We elected to stay in shore and John and I found a Yoga class nearby and tried to stretch-out a bit and relax.
The talent of this fleet was quite intimidating. I believe there were at least 5 former World Champions. The "Spanish Armada" as they were affectionately referred to were all very impressive. In Spain, the J 80 is used by their sailing federation as the boat for developing the talent of their best sailors. It was evident by the way they sailed their boats, especially downwind, that they were very comfortable and confident with their boat handling.
Notwithstanding the obvious American favorites of Glenn Darden, the Stork family, Jeff Johnstone, Jay Lutz, and Allan Terhune, amazing sailors were sprinkled about the fleet as trimmers or tacticians. Vince Brun, Max Skelly, Karl Anderson, Dave Loring, Scott Nixon, Moose McClintock, Tim Healy., Stuart Johnstone.....just to name a few were all competing. This was setting up to be one of the most competitive events that I had ever sailed!
The first day of the Worlds dawned with the Nor'easter still firmly entrenched. The skies were quite overcast with winds in the 20 knot range with a large swell running. In the first race, Ben Schwartz with Scott Nixon calling the shots won with ease. We finished 8th and were very close to 3rd or 4th. We got locked in on trying to pass one boat on the last leg and didn't really sail the best VMG to the finish and lost 4 boats right at the end. Our inexperience kind of showed a little. We had to learn how to cut down on tactical mistakes when we were in close quarters with other boats!
The 2nd race was very similar with strong breeze and big swells and we had a solid 5th. Defending World Champion Rayco Tabres won the race.
The 3rd and final race of the day again started in strong breeze. We had a good start and worked the right-middle of the first upwind leg. It began to seem apparent that we had really good upwind speed and were actually making some pretty good gains downwind as well. We were winning our side of the course pretty handily and rounded the weather mark with a good lead. We popped the chute and got up in a plane and never looked back. We managed to extend our lead and crossed the finish line on a flat-out, screaming plane doing about 18 knots. It was very exhilarating to win a race in a World Championship...especially in the manner we did!
After the 1st day, we were in 4th or 5th with all Spanish teams in front of us. They were as good as advertised! They were aggressive on the starting line, adequate speed upwind, sound tactically and really fast downwind. As I have learned in the Laser class, all you have to do is hang upwind and all of the big gains are really made downwind. In planing conditions, this proved to be true in the J 80 as well.
The start of the 2nd day had us on the back side of the Nor'easter with steady rain falling. The race committee kept us ashore until about 2:00 and sent us out with steady rain still falling. We were questioning the wisdom of going out with the visibility so bad but by the time we got set up for a start, the rain had stopped and the wind had settled in at about 12 knots.
We had a so-so start but once again sailed a good first beat and round the top mark around 7th. No one could see the leeward gate with the fog and haze and we decided to jibe away to try and consolidate a little more to the middle of the course on the run. When we jibed back, we had lost close to 10 boats and ended up in a cluster in the middle of the gate. At one point we were probably 25th but made a decent rally to finish 15th. In the back of my mind, I was really hoping this would be our throw-out race but with such a talented fleet and 8 races to go, this thinking was probably a little naive. As it turned out though...this race was our worst.
The last race of the 2nd day saw the breeze start to increase quite strongly. We got a pretty decent start and played the middle left on the beat. About 2/3rds of the way up, it looked like we were winning our side. We narrowly rounded the first windward mark ahead of a pack of boats that had banged the right side of the beat. We got a puff after we set our chute and took off on a plane with spray flying everywhere. We jibed to port in a huge puff and by the time we rounded the leeward mark, we had a 100 yard lead. As we got closer to the next windward mark, we realized the race committee had shortened the course and were going to finish us. We crossed the finish line and breathed a huge sigh of relief that we would not have to worry about fighting off regatta leader Carlos Martinez on the final run.
Day number 3 started with a strong Northwesterly blowing. The forecast called for gusts over 30 knots. The race committee decided to keep us in the bay. With the full moon and the stormy conditions we had previously had, the tide was really ripping. We were seeing differences of close to 2 knots on our speedo (boat through the water) vs. our GPS (speed over the ground) when sailing into the current. With the wind direction, the ebb tide flowing the north-south orientation of the Narragansett Bay, setting up a race course was going to be very difficult.
The race committee was going to shoot for 4 races today so we knew this was going to be the pivotal day of the regatta. John made the observation that we tend to have a really good first day in many of the events that we sail and then we get a little conservative on the 2nd day and don't sail as well. He took me aside before we left the dock and told me that we needed to put the hammer down and sail very aggressively and not let up. It was exactly what I needed to hear.
With shifty, almost lake-like conditions, we were hopeful that we would excel and perhaps maybe it would mix up the fleet a little. After several general recalls and the black flag out, we finally got a start off. We started near the pin and played the left side of the beat. About half-way up, it looked like our side was doing well. Every so often, huge right shifts would come in with big breeze so you had to really stay on your toes. We rounded the first weather mark about 7th and jibed pretty quickly and caught a puff and jumped several boats. We rounded the leeward gate and picked off a couple of more boats and for a bit were in the lead. We let one boat get a little too far left of us and rounded the next weather mark second and couldn't quite reel them in on the last run to the finish.
We continued to sail aggressively for the rest of the day in very trying conditions. The wind would drop to less than 10 knots at the weather mark (the race committee literally had the windward mark about 100 yards off the shore line) and at the bottom of the course, it was sometimes gusting to 25 knots. At one point during the 2nd race of the day, a huge gust came through the course as the fleet was trying to finish downwind and I saw at least 10 boats on their sides with their spinnakers in the water.
We managed to end the day with a 2-6-4-4 which was if not the lowest, close to the lowest score for the day. With all of the carnage that had occurred with BFD's, 20% Z-Flag penalties and protests, we were very interested to see what the standings would look like going into the final day. Once we got to shore, we learned that leading Spanish boat, Peraleja Golf, steered by Carlos Martinez had BFD'd on one race and later that night we learned that Rayco Tabarez had been DSQ'd in two races. Suddenly, we now in tied for 2nd overall with ECC Viviendas, steered by Jose Maria Torcida and only one point behind Peraleja Golf with them throwing out their BFD. It was going to be interesting!!
The final day dawned with beautiful clear skies and a 15 to 20 knot breeze from the West. Instead of taking us all of the way out into open water, the race committee elected to take us about half way out and set the course up underneath Beaver Tail point (I think that is what they call it...) which gave us relatively protected water with a few wind shifts to play and some current as well. The forecast was for the wind to be a little lighter...not much more than 15 knots. As time would tell, the forecasters were a little off on that one.
Our strategy was to just continue to sail our race and not get too worried about points until the last race. John felt like there was more pressure on the left side of the course and so we played the left. Early on, it was hard to tell how we were doing but John got us out to a lane of wind that tacked under and we got about 15 degree lift and fresh breeze and started sailing over the top of the fleet. With about a 1/4 mile to go, I thought we might be winning!
A right shift came in at the end and a few boats from the right were able to get across us as we got to the windward mark. As fate would have it, we tacked under ECC at the windward mark and with the current pushing us towards the mark, we managed to eek around it. Unfortunately, the boat in front of us and the ECC guys behind us who we were essentially tied with claimed that we had hit it. My team was convinced we did not but with two boats claiming we did, we thought we would have a hard time convincing a jury otherwise.
Terry did an excellent job keeping me calm and we were able to do our penalty turn after the off-set mark and get our chute up without losing too many boats or distance. This did allow the ECC team to leg out on us a bit and we finished 4th to their 3rd. Thomas Klok with Vince Brun aboard won this race and the Peraleja Golf team stumbled to a 24th. We were now pretty clear of 3rd place and only one point behind ECC going into the 10th race.
Just before the start, the breeze freshened dramatically and with about 30 seconds before the start, the wind shifted hard to the left to the extent that no one could lay the starting line. We were near the pin and at about 20 seconds to go, it was obvious that we were not going to make it. I flirted with tacking to port and crossing but I thought this would be too risky so we did the conservative thing and tried to jibe around. The scene got so chaotic at one point with numerous collisions and lots of screaming with nearly the whole fleet rafted up in 25 knots of breeze, we felt sure that the race committee would call the race off.
We were shocked to find that they let the race go on. We were in real trouble. It took us probably 20 seconds to find an opening just to jibe around and once we did, we realized that we would have to duck the rest of the fleet. Fortunately, the ECC guys were pretty tangled up as well and we weren't too far behind. John quickly assessed that he felt that the boats on our hip on port didn't have as good an angle as we did and he really wanted us to stay on port tack.
I had a very narrow lane with Vince Brun's team immediately below us threatening to pinch us off. John and Terry told me that I had to sail the best that I have ever have to hold the lane because we had to stay on port tack. I mustered up all that I had and somehow, we miraculously not only were able to avoid being pinched off but we also eventually were able to roll over the top of them.
Through all of the carnage and even after ducking the majority of the fleet off the start, we were able to get around the weather mark in the top 15 with ECC just ahead of us. ECC had problems on their chute set as did we. Somehow, our tack line came un-cleated just after the chute filled and it tried to twist into a knot. John ran up on the bow and was able to straighten the chute out before it tangled into permanent knot and saved the day. Fortunately, our problems were less than the ECC team and we were able to charge away from them and we were able to pass several boats on the run and the ensuing windward leg. ECC was well in our rear view mirror as we rounded what we thought might be the last windward mark of the regatta.
In the back of my mind, with the wind gusting over 30 knots and the time getting close to the limit within which the race committee wouldn't be able to start another race, I thought this downwind leg would be the most important of my life. I can't even to begin to describe how puckered up I was driving the boat down waves at speeds of 20 knots. John was playing the boom vang constantly to try to keep the boat from broaching and Terry was doing everything in his power just to hang on to the spinnaker sheet, forget trying to actually pull it in! Phillip was hanging off the back of the boat hooting and hollering and I was literally holding on to the tiller with a death grip quietly praying under my breath that I wouldn't do anything stupid to capsize us.
We came blasting through the finish line in 8th place while the ECC team had even more problems on the last leg and dropped back to 18th. We honestly thought at that point that we were the new World Champions! I thought there was no way the race committee would try and run another race. It was so windy and so close to the time deadline and boats were scattered about the race course in various forms of carnage.
We along with about half of the fleet stayed near the committee the boat waiting for a sign as to what they would do. Half the fleet had decided that they had enough and began heading to shore. We just had to assume that there would be another race and quietly started adding up the points. The ECC team was now 5 points behind us after having to use their 18th as their throw-out and now counting a 12th. Since we had two first places to their none, we would win a tie breaker. We just need to make sure that they got no more than 4 boats between us. We had at least 2nd wrapped up so long as we weren't worst than 15th and Peraleja Golf didn't win the last race.
Our celebration was short lived as we realized from the radio communications that the race committee was going to indeed move forward with the final race. It was now reportedly gusting to 35 knots!
We started near the leeward end of the line with Glenn Darden just above us and Rayco Tabares below! Not exactly where you want to be with a former world champion on either side of you. We held our own though and played the left side of the beat. As we approached the windward mark, it was evident that the right side had paid off big. There were boats that we hadn't seen the whole regatta ahead of us. The Storks were even crossing us with only a jib up as their main halyard had broken. That was a testament to how strong the wind was and how favored it was on the right. We were deep but ECC was just ahead of us.
As we rounded the weather mark, we set the chute and wiped out almost immediately. I hard a loud crack come from the rudder. I wasn't sure exactly what had happened but I suspected we had a problem. We got the boat back on its feet and realized the spinnaker sheet was now over the boom and if we didn't fix this, there would be no way that we could jibe. John went to the leeward side of the boat and some how forced the boom up and the sheet down as we are on crazy plane and got us sorted out. I began to realize though the boat was not responding the way it should and I was on the verge of being out of control.
We managed to make it to the leeward mark but the ECC guys had opened up some distance on us. We sailed a good next beat to round the weather mark just ahead of them. All we had to do was make it down one more run to really be the World Champions. As we set the chute, it looked like everything was going to be okay and then suddenly we got hit by a gust that literally pulled the spinnaker halyard out of the cleat and our chute was headed to the water. Somehow, John and Philip saved us from disaster and got the chute back up and we took off again, only to quickly wipe out. My steerage now was really bad.
The ECC guys took off like their hair was on fire and were passing boats right and left. With our rudder now angled 25 degrees to port, I was having a heck of time just trying to get the boat to the finish line. As the leg progressed, the reality of the situation was beginning to set in. There were boats in front of us broaching out of control and in one case, not even flying a chute. The ECC guys were going to pass these boats and for us to hold on to our lead, we somehow had to as well. Unfortunately, there was just not enough time or steerage for us to pass the boats we needed to. Even at the finish, we weren't really sure how we stood.
Our gut told us that we had lost but when we checked the preliminary standings on-line for our iPhone on the way in, they had us tied for first with us winning the tie breaker. We were suddenly elated but also very suspect as to whether this was right. We literally did not find out the final results until almost two hours until after we got to shore. As time went on, it was clear that our gut was right and that ECC had gotten the necessary boats between us to win.
I am still pretty disappointed because we were so close! On the other hand, if you had told me a month ago that we had a chance to win the J 80 Worlds and end up a very strong second, I would probably have taken that! Over the course of two regatta (the NA's and the Worlds), we sailed 24 races at two great venues with great wind and incredible competition and just got better and better. My sincere congratulations to the winners and to the other Spanish teams, Jeff Johnstone and his team and Glenn Darden and the Le Tigre team that rounded out the top 5.
My teammates were absolutely amazing! We had the best time both on and off the water! The J 80 Class is about as good as it gets. The competition and the sportsmanship was world class! I can't wait until the next time I get a chance to sail the J 80!
Posts
