Hi all,
On to the next world cup event! Kiel Week. Held annually in Germany for like 100 years (except world war 1 and 2 and some of the cold war) this is the biggest sailing regatta in the world. Over 3 million people visit Kiel for the festival (a whole lot of drinking beer and eating bakery goods and hotdogs) and to see the sailing. Its a big deal !!!
I arrived a few days before but was plagued by gear breakage and stealing losses (boom, crack in bottom section, trolley wheel and battens) leading to some 420 euros to replace them to all to sail in the regatta. Insane!!!
Anyway I launched today and sailed for about 10 minutes before I was assaulted by the biggest darkest rain cloud … The rain POURED down and soaked me to the bone for about 25 minutes and then the sky cleared and a light wind started up from the shore. I was frozen … so so so cold … but not as cold as Denmark
Anywho after quite a wait before they could set up the course we had our first start. I wanted pin because left was favoured when I made pre start calculations. So i locked in about 1\3 up from the pin but found the other guys advancing out around me. I backed out and looked for a hole to jump into down toward the pin a bit more but got barred. I gybed back and started ON PORT … but to my suprise everyone tacked onto port so I just slotted into a hole between boats and held ground before tacking back out to the left. I was in good shape!!!
I got onto a few good lines and then ended up tacking back onto starboard on a good lift angle. I held onto it and watched as the fleet tacked and took what looked to be (and was) a knock back out to the right!!! even better …
Then disaster struck. As they tacked and went back right the wind shifted markably to the right and they knocked like 20 degrees and tacked back. I was still OK and on a simular angle to them but then I looked back and they lifted even higher and higher again … I got destroyed
I waited patiently on the lift for a knock to come back on but found nothing but a big knock and rounded in 8th last. Over the course of the race I managed to catch a few more but would have been early to mid 30s … crap
Obviously disappointed I needed a good race to get my spirit back in order.
Next race I started on boat in a right handed breeze and tacked off the boat. I lead the fleet out to the right in a small group of boats and tacked with Matias to cross. He made it past everyone and I ducked a few transoms. Its all good though and I rounded the top mark in 10th. The reach went smoothly and i held ground. Downwind I picked up a few places and upwind I held ground. The final downwind I noticed the pressure coming more from the right hand side of the course and I got into it and jumped past 4 boats to make it into 5th. I held 5th to the finish!!! solid race and a good way to make up for prior disaster race 1.
We then waited about 2 hours after the second race but the wind shifted about and changed too much to set a course so they sent us home. Abandoned for the day and me in the hot shower to defrost!!!
Today was OK, wind conditions between 4 – 8 knots and big oscillations effected by cloud fronts moving in … I can only hope to improve in these conditions and the key is OBSERVATION !!!
Anyway apparently no wind tomorrow so lets hope we get in a few more races. Looks like on official results i’m 46th … deeeeeeeep but comebackable start
Cheers, Ash
this is the big one. good to be reading about top 10 finishes. nice to read that you podiumed at aalenbra as well.
stay strong bru dont worry about the long quiet arvos. good focus time!!