I Finished All the Races

Sometimes there's a day where you just want to make sure you finish the races. Conditions today were about as tough as it gets here in Puck. Temps were in the low 50s, and it was blowing 30 with gusts as much as 40 sometimes. Nobody wanted to get out on the water, and we all waited around until the last possible second to blast out to the committee boat. When it's that windy and cold, it is really hard to wait on the water. One or two falls before a start can really sap your strength, as can standing on your board fighting your sail just to stay in one place. Most sailors will keep sailing up and down while waiting.

The committee began a sequence, but it was apparent that their anchor wasn't holding and the boat was drifting backwards. After about a half hour (it was an hour of water time total) they sent us in so they could find a different anchor. It was not so nice to have to change in and out of a wet, cold wetsuit after not having completed any races!

After a few hours they sent us out again and we ran 3 back-to-back races. The rapid-fire racing was really good, because there wasn't much opportunity to freeze between races. It was so windy that everyone was in survival mode. Tactics included one tack per upwind, one jibe per downwind, and above all, don't fall! I did have a few spills but managed to finish all the races. Only seven girls made it to the course today. Every race I got a bit faster. I could see improvement both technically and mentally, so it was a great day of regatta training for me. 3 races, 30 knots, 50 degrees, max HR 173, 2900 calories, 40 miles sailed, 27.2 mph max speed...not too shabby.