Elise : Photos from the Nationals Day 1

Scott, our rockstar bowman who was trim 2 on that day... and killed it

Mark, our rockstar trimmer

Moonlight!

Andrea, our rockstar pit person

Nathan our rockstar tactician.

The first day was the long distance race. The course was Little Harding (in heavy flood), Angel Island, Red Rock, Angel Island, B and finish upwind.

We started well, good position on the line and fairly clean air. We tacked with most of the fleet to get current relief and made our way up to Little Harding.

First half of the first upwind, boat speed was great, we were keeping up with Wile E Coyote, Get Happy, Peaches, etc... Then the second half was really bad, I just couldn't seem to be getting the boat going. It was kind of midrange for the number one - neither light nor heavy.

Perhaps there were just too many voices on the boat, perhaps I felt too much pressure to please? My connection with the boat seemed just broken.

Scott who was sitting next to me simply said 'if I can make a suggestion, perhaps you can try to open up the main a bit and watch boat speed'.

That just did it, I relaxed and started to listen to the oat again and we were better, I could feel the boat move forward again.

We arrived at Little Harding one before last and started for Red Rock leaving Angel Island to starboard. We were one before last at Red Rock but by then I had gotten my relationship with Elise back and could find the groove (the good thing about the Expresses is that just like dinghy, they speak to you, if you make on adjustment, you can immediately tell if it is right or wrong) -

This is when Nathan had some magical tactical calls. He spotted current lines, kept us on the right side of them, and picked up an early ebb on the South side of Raccoon Straits with 1+ knot of positive current. We picked up 4 boats that way.

The wind increased to 18 to 20 knots back in the slot. We were on a reach on our way to Point Blunt and Nathan asked us to hoist the spinnaker - everyone hiked out hard but we carried the spinnaker on a power reach in heavy breeze all the way to after the point where we migrated to a broad reach in 22 knots of breeze and zoomed to B. We picked up one more boat on that leg (other boats went toward Alcatraz first and then set, the more traditional way of doing things)

We rounded the mark and headed up to the finish with good boat speed and then back to port.

So we dropped 8 places after the first half of the first upwind leg and picked up 5 back...I did most of the damage. Nathan and Scott saved the day!

Overall, it was a fun day on the Bay - and as usual, the boat was a delight to sail and the team was a ton of fun.

Mark teasing the foredeck person (foredeck always complain about the back of the boat being late to everything): 'only incompetent people can work at the back of the boat, not sure I want you anywhere near trim 2 position'

Scott replying in the same vein: 'I haven't trimmed in the last 6 year, so I think that I am plenty incompetent enough for the job.'

01 - Racing

One Design

Start: 08/23/13 at 10:55:00

Fleet:

Course: 2 Distance: 20.00

Started:

Finished: 15

Sail #

Boat Name

Points

Skipper

Rating

Finish Time

Corrected Finish Time

Club

WILE E COYOTE

Dan Pruzan