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S1D Tactics with Mike: Tactics Simplified –the Power of Observation

September 30, 2013 by Sail1Design Editor Leave a Comment

2013 09 30 Tactics Simplified –the Power of Observation, by Mike Ingham

We recently sailed a regatta on a shifty lake. Our tactician was tied up and could not make it, so we asked our mast person to pinch hit. She wanted nothing to do with it claiming that being labeled a tactician was intimidating and not her core competency. I however had faith in her because she is one of the best observers I know and can very concisely paint that picture with her words.

She said no. We made her tactician anyway.

We did not just dump all the responsibility on her shoulders. Instead we simplified it by first asking her to observe, then to prioritize, then to make a call.

We asked her to carefully observe and tell us just four things:

$11. Compass information:

A. Agree on median headings for each tack before the race

B. Tell us are heading relative to that median, like “up five”, ” down seven”, or “median”

$12. Course geometry:

A. On “long tack” or “short tack”

B. Distance to mark

$13. Wind velocity:

A. Not every puff in lull, further out than that

B. We had her looking for the next trend

$14. Other boats

A. Traffic

B. Disturbed air

C. Which way most of the fleet was going

We had her cycle through those four observations every 20 seconds or so, which as usual she did quite well. Then we asked her from that information to tell us which at that moment she thought was most important. This was starting to get out of her comfort zone, but she gave it a stab.

For example, going upwind, one conversation went like this:

Her:

“We are up 5,

on the long tack by a lot but only half way up the beat,

the wind is relatively even across the course

most boats are on the tack with us, not many are leveraged one way or the other”

Me:

“Which is the most important?”

Her:

“The long tack, nothing else is very important right now”

Me:

“So do we tack or keep going”

Her:

“Keep going”

In that example the choice was obvious, but not so with the same scenario where we were on the short tack by a lot. Here is how the conversation went:

Her:

“We are up 5,

on the short tack by a lot but only half way up the beat,

the wind is relatively even across the course

most boats are on the tack with us, not many are leveraged one way or the other”

Me:

“Which is the most important?”

Her:

“The short tack, nothing else is very important right now”

Me:

“So do we tack or keep going”

Her:

“tack”

In this 2^nd example, she had to make a trade off. With all else equal, she decided being up 5 and sticking with the fleet was not as important as getting too far to one side (continuing on the short tack).

Each time we had the conversation, the key was getting her to decide which was the most important. Here are some scenarios where she changed what the focus was on:

-In a light air race, we agreed if in doubt it was most important to head to pressure

-Since it was a shifty venue, only the largest shifts took priority

-Since it was a shifty venue, we would err on sailing the wind instead of trying too hard to cover

-Unless the layline was the only place with wind, we would sail the long tack as much as possible

As the regatta progressed she would go through observations, state what she thought the most important factor at that moment, then make a decision with more confidence. She did great.

Of course there is nothing like a seasoned tactician that can make those and more observations instinctively and turn them in to magic. But short of that, you would be surprised how well you can do by simply observing, prioritizing those observations, then realizing that for the most part there are only 2 choices, tack (gybe), or keep going. And be decisive because hesitation is a decision to keep going for the time being.

Becker's Blog: J/70 North American Championship Report and Results

September 27, 2013 by Sail1Design Editor Leave a Comment

Final Report

2013 J-70 North Americans Report – By Geoff Becker

Day 3 – Final Day Wrap-up

4 races (all races course 4, 4 legs and downwind finish) Wind 6-12 knots @ 10°-40°

The final day of the 2013 J-70 North Americans brought an early first start (10am), moderate shifty winds and 4 races! Because no races could be completed on Day 2, the RC needed as many races as possible on the final day. This meant that more than half of the regatta was to be decided on this final day of racing.

Team Helly Hansen was able to endure the fickle and streaky conditions to finish the event 3rd overall, with scores of 2nd, 6th, 22nd and an 8th on the final day of racing. Consistency was something all the teams wanted, but for this regatta it was difficult to achieve.

Fortunately, we were able to stay out of major trouble and keep our boat going toward the better side of the course, most of the time.

Looking at the scores from this regatta, they show an effective illustration of one of the topics from my J-24 North American Blogs.

Thinking of a regatta score in terms of an average, a score of ‘par’

can be found. A ‘par’ score in sailing is basically the average score per race versus the overall regatta score. By thinking of a ‘par’

score, it makes looking at the larger picture easier when you do finish 25th or even worse. For example, if a boat finishes 5th and 15th for a score of 20 points in two races, the average score would be 10th and thinking in terms of two 10th place finishes often offers a more positive outlook.

Looking closely at the scores for the J-70 North Americans, it is easy to see that every boat had big scores. Add to that that this regatta offered no drop races, and the average scores were much higher than would normally be expected. The winner of the event averaged over 13.5 points per race and even counted a 55th. Our team, finishing in 3rd overall, had an average score of almost 14.5 points per race and only one race in the top 5. Again, these averages are higher because of the lack of a drop race.

After some experience looking at race scores, a winning average score can often be estimated before the event begins. Some elements that effect the forecast of an average regatta score are, number of boats, depth of the fleet, consistency of the sailing conditions and number of races. During the J-70 event it became obvious early that the regatta would have a high average score for the overall. There were 89 boats, including a large number of high level crews, which combined with the fickle conditions made consistent top finishes more than challenging.

Ok, why does guessing an average score before the event matter? The answer is simple, peace of mind. Knowing that the regatta will likely have a high average score, when your boat finishes a race in 25th place, that score doesn’t sting as much making it somewhat easier to re-focus for the next race. Basically, having an average score in mind helps even out the highs and lows that will surely occur during a long and tough event allowing the bad races to be put into the big picture more easily.

Our takeaways from the final day are…

1. The large and deep fleet made all the average scores increase.

2. Knowing the regatta would have a high overall average score made it easier to maintain focus after bad races.

3. All things considered, our 3rd place was an excellent performance!

Final Results

Information is provisional and subject to modification
Regatta results saved: Sunday, September 29, 2013 9:01:11 PM EDT

J70 | Corinthian

(89 boats) (top)

Pos	Bow/Sail	Boat	Skipper	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Total Points	Pos
1	95/ 95	MUSE	Gregg Earl/Bardenheier, Heather/Joe	5	55	5	3	5	13	9	95.00	1
2	96/ 96	Savasana	Keane, Brian	22	14	6	1	11	1	42	97.00	2
3	C2/ 2	Helly Hansen	Healy, Tim	23	31	9	2	6	22	8	101.00	3
4	29/ 209	Trouble	McChesney, Peter	19	2	20	9	27	9	25	111.00	4
5	53/ 353	Heart Breaker	Hughes, Robert	21	15	30	20	2	25	2	115.00	5
6	47/ 187	Catapult	Ronning, Joel	15	6	1	14	44	33	32	145.00	6
7	51/ 51	Black River Racing Powered by	Strebel, Douglas	3	36	23	43/ZFP	1	32	14	152.00	7
8	63/ 369	Cool Story Bro	Brigden, John	7	28	18	46	24	7	23	153.00	8
9	46/ CAN 246	Touch 2 Play	Kullman, Martin	18	1	22	90/BFD	9	10	4	154.00	9
10	45/ 45	Wild Child	Filter, Henry	47	3	44	4	15	19	27	159.00	10
11	17/ 217	Joint Custody	Wulff, Jennifer	9	40	13	29	30	2	41	164.00	11
12	88/ 388	Flojito y Cooperando	Julian, Fernandez Neckelmann	11	29	17	13	45	16	35	166.00	12
13	34/ 34	Perseverance	Greenwald, Bennet	4	4	4	31	55	48	22	168.00	13
14	76/ 67		Killeen, John	49	33	29	19	3	28	11	172.00	14
15	39/ 185	turbo duck	von der Wense, Bodo	2	62	8	38	23	5	39	177.00	15
16	85/ 85	Dazzler Goat	Terhune, Allan	6	26	59	27	7	42	10	177.00	16
17	11/ 11	Menace	Klingler, Kerry	1	32	60	21	10	45	13	182.00	17
18	23/ 222	Junkanoo	Leech, Suzy	13	12	55	26	37	24	17	184.00	18
19	94/ 94	Lifted	Cunningham, Jim	35	20	10	27.5/RDG⁽¹⁾	40	27	33	192.50	19
20	32/ 32	US 32	Ullman, David	10	5	78	24	4	51	30	202.00	20
21	35/ 35	Moxie	Allsopp, Cole	16	38	45	63	8	41	1	212.00	21
22	68/ 68		Thompson, Ron	36	7	14	35	33	37	51	213.00	22
23	81/ 181	GB	Lewis, Chris	14	39	34	23	60	17	26	213.00	23
24	99/ 99	Nostalgia	Kimbrough, Blake	31	35	48	37	50	8	5	214.00	24
25	C1/ 167	Risk	Tisdale, Gary	20	23	51	8	16	54	46	218.00	25
26	56/ 245		doyle, tyler	32	16	3	51	17	59	50	228.00	26
27	86/ 86	BRUNO PASQUINELLI	PASQUINELLI, BRUNO	34	56	54	30/ZFP	13	46	3	236.00	27
28	43/ 243	VitaminJ	Johnson, Ted	41	42	24	57	20	30	24	238.00	28
29	15/ 15	Junior	Finkle, Donald	28	48	42	16	29	38	38	239.00	29
30	93/ 309	CloudSourced	Copfer, Ronald	77	37	19	7	21	31	48	240.00	30
31	69/ 69	USA69	Colling, Joseph	51	8	63	22	58	3	37	242.00	31
32	C5/ 5	Instant Karma	Betts, David	26	27	12	90/BFD	25	47	20	247.00	32
33	36/ 364		aras, john	30	47	2	45	43	52	34	253.00	33
34	12/ 312	Soul	Koski, David	42	41	47	17	36	55	16	254.00	34
35	40/ 40	B Squared	Elliott, Brian	65	61	43	10	22	40	15	256.00	35
36	71/ 171	Running Wild	Vessella, Peter	12	10	64	6	65	81	28	266.00	36
37	42/ 342	Hurricane	Cook, Ian	53	34	11	70	12	56	31	267.00	37
38	41/ 340	Rimette	brim/Aras, john/Evan	48	45	25	28	28	57	36	267.00	38
39	74/ 174	Magic Bus	Mylett, Gregg	17	60	7	55	66	14	55	274.00	39
40	52/ 152	Sundog	Parks, Kathy	70	43	26	32	26	62	19	278.00	40
41	22/ 322	Sail22	Furry, Ed	40	58	65	5	39	20	52	279.00	41
42	49/ 49	Relative Obscurity	Duncan, Peter	62/ZFP	9	62	36/ZFP	47	49	18	283.00	42
43	59/ 159	Torqeedo	Flack, Brandon	68/ZFP	30	28	15	32	68	49	290.00	43
44	44/ 44	Gnixe	Vickers, William	25	68	15	65/ZFP	52	15	57	297.00	44
45	91/ 91	Carlos	Sudofsky, Mike	39	65	80	41	38	34	7	304.00	45
46	57/ 157	Spring	Franzel, Dave	59	17	75	36	51	26	44	308.00	46
47	48/ 48		Lotoff, Joe	61	19	74	11	59	53	45	322.00	47
48	13/ 151	Reach Around	Bowen, Thomas	63	46	40	39	46	60	29	323.00	48
49	18/ 218	Tsunami	Olds, Todd	64	50	16	53	42	67	40	332.00	49
50	26/ 26	Jungleland	Groobey, Chris and Carolyn	8	53	53	64	19	78	60	335.00	50
51	31/ 311	it	Sminchak, Jim	76	54	33	44	14	44	70	335.00	51
52	19/ 219	GetMyBoat	Rowland/O’Brien, Basil/Thomas	38	59	52	48	69	75	6	347.00	52
53	73/ 73	Occam’s Razor	Pletcher, Walter	57	78	81	50	49	35	12	362.00	53
54	66/ 66	Eagles Wings	Gottwald, John	46	72	36	30	54	65	65	368.00	54
55	55/ 155	Ragtime	Johnstone, Rodney	72	13	71	42	41	73	63	375.00	55
56	27/ 27	Derecho	Golden, Jim	56	51	61	69	67	6	67	377.00	56
57	25/ 25	PaPa Wheillie	Dodge, John	78	49	41	66	64	11	69	378.00	57
58	60/ 360	REX	weakley, scott	24	21	21	43	90/DNF	90/DNC	90/DNC	379.00	58
59	78/ 197	Nirvana 7	Donahue, Louis	43	24	31	68	77	72	64	379.00	59
60	87/ 87	Tick Tock Croc	Nesbett, Richard	67	57	50	67	18	80	43	382.00	60
61	20/ 220	Phoenix	Firey, Peter	73	64	66	34	62	29	58	386.00	61
62	61/ 6	HCMAX	Hillman, Mark	29	66	68	33	63	79	53	391.00	62
63	37/ 317	Late Life Crisis	Corbishley, Corbo	33	70	56	90/BFD	53	21	72	395.00	63
64	83/ BER 308	Elusive	Millican/Cucahiaro, Chuck/Steve	90/OCS	22	90/DNF	58/ZFP	31	61	47	399.00	64
65	72/ 199	Mojito	Evans, Catharine	27	82	38	76	56	43	77	399.00	65
66	89/ 189	Sotapanna	DiMatteo, John	37	52	67	60	68	58	62	404.00	66
67	16/ 216	Possum	DaMore, Justin	66	79	58	61	57	36	59	416.00	67
68	65/ 225	Shred	Skaane, Stein	69	44	70	77/ZFP	71	66	21	418.00	68
69	64/ 64	Exit Strategy II	Martin, Jack	75	88	85	54	35	4	90/DNC	431.00	69
70	28/ 28	Mission Impossible	Malkin, David	78/ZFP	25	39	52	82	90/DNF	75	441.00	70
71	14/ 168	USA168	McKenna, Marty	52	83	27	65	83	63	68	441.00	71
72	80/ 387		Guzman, Hector	85	18	86	73	61	39	81	443.00	72
73	58/ 357	USA 357	Berry, Kristen	58	67	37	75	81	71	56	445.00	73
74	54/ 54	Little Rascal	Pfarr, Rick	82	86	46	83	74	12	66	449.00	74
75	33/ 169	Empeiria	Heaton, John	79	69	32	78	73	64	54	449.00	75
76	24/ 324	Reggie Imamura	Imamura, Reggie	54	80	35	62	78	69	79	457.00	76
77	62/ 362	362	Wicker, David	71	87	87	72	48	23	71	459.00	77
78	38/ 385	Safe Haven	Donald, Keith	55	11	82	90/BFD	80	84	61	463.00	78
79	50/ 50	Rogue Warrior	McDonald, Bruce	45	63	57	76/ZFP	75	74	74	464.00	79
80	84/ 84	Bazinga!	Goldberg, Daniel P.	86	71	69	80	85	18	78	487.00	80
81	30/ 230	iZula	Smith, Kenneth	62	75	73	79	84	50	83	506.00	81
82	98/ 98	USA 98	Poindexter, Al	84	81	72	90/ZFP	34	70	76	507.00	82
83	21/ 200	Cat’s Pajamas	Johnstone, Drake	74	77	49	74	76	90/ZFP	73	513.00	83
84	97/ 97	Loki	Zupon, Michael	81	73	79	49	70	83	90/DNC	525.00	84
85	10/ 210	Vortex	Bomar/Powers, william/Austin	68	76	77	89/ZFP	72	76	80	538.00	85
86	70/ 320	Windsong	Jordan, Jeff	87	84	83	81	79	86	85	585.00	86
87	75/ 205	Tigress	Weibel, Timothy	88	89	76	84	86	82	84	589.00	87
88	82/ 208	Shamrock	Flaherty, James	83	85	88	82	87	85	82	592.00	88
89	C4/ 4	Sport	Wagner, Mark	80	74	84	90/BFD	90/DNC	90/DNC	90/DNC	598.00	89

Notes

⁽¹⁾	Average Points (A10(a))
⁽²⁾	Scoring System is ISAF Low Point 2009-2012
⁽³⁾	Time limit expired (TLE) penalty is: Finishers plus 2

2013 J-70 North Americans Report – By Airwaves writer Geoff Becker

Team Helly Hansen

Skipper: Tim Healy

Tactician: Geoff Becker Trimmer: Paul Abdullah Bow: Gordon Borges

Day 1 Report

3 races (both races course 4, 4 legs and downwind finish) Wind 4-10 knots @ 0°-40°

Light and shifty winds and almost 90 boats in the fleet, then add a high level of talent and you are in store for some major mood swings.

After Day 1 of the J-70 North Americans in Annapolis, MD, it is clear that there are going to be highs and lows for everyone. Team Helly Hansen saw ups and downs today, and finished the day with a 23rd, 31st and a 9th. Believe it or not, but that is good enough for 12th overall and only one point out of 10th.

The depth of talent in this regatta is outstanding. There are dozens of professionals and dozens more excellent amateur sailors all on the same course. Small mistakes, especially early in a race, will find you well back from the lead pack and struggling to find clear air, much less any passing lanes. Keeping your nose in clear air and being able to sail at full speed will surely help get you up to the front 1/3 of the fleet. If you are then able be on the favored side of the course, well that’s a bonus and might thrust you into the top 10.

On the way to the racecourse in the morning our team had a discussion about our overall strategy for thi
s regatta knowing that there were so many boats and this was a no throw-out regatta. To us, that meant we had to work hard to pass boats no matter our position or situation. It was likely that most teams, including ours, would have difficult races back in the fleet. Overall positions in the regatta could easily come down to how many boats could be passed from the first mark to the finish. Staying focused and patient would be our biggest asset on the day, and each point would matter to our overall position.

In race 1 we had a good start and were able to sail clean to the left side, which we thought was better, but found that the right side had a bit more wind and we got to the first mark in the 30s somewhere. After the first mark, we were able to scratch back to our 23rd and felt pretty good about it. For race 2, we were too aggressive on the line, started OCS and had to return and re-start. Our return was quick, we found a clear lane and survived to finish in 31st. The final race of the day, Race 3, we saw better pressure on the right, started near the right and had a clear lane to the right. At the first mark we rounded third! Yay! On the second upwind leg we again went to the right, but another pack of boats found more wind on the left and sailed around us. Fortunately we were able to stay inside the top 10 and save our best race of the day.

I can say that our patience was tested and at times it looked like we had no good options for gaining in a race. Something that has been said on our boat many times before became our mantra today…Day-by-day, race-by-race, leg-by-leg, puff-by-puff. Staying in the moment and keeping our focus on our best options each leg of each race was something we tried very hard to achieve today. Truthfully, there were several moments today when that ideal was challenging and it seemed like we had no best option, but for the most part we kept our heads and continued to look for gains on the course.

While our scores are not outstanding, we finished the day ready to work hard tomorrow. Light air, so many boats and mental highs and lows can be some of the hardest conditions to face on a racecourse.

Tomorrow we plan to keep our pre-race focus positive and fight hard in every race, on every leg and for every point.

Our takeaways from Day 1 are…

1. This is a large, talented and tough fleet!

2. Work hard for every point in competitive fleets with no throw-outs.

3. Try to stay focused and take each race leg-by-leg, puff-by-puff.

Results so far:

Pos	Bow/Sail	Boat	Skipper	1	2	3	Total Points	Pos
1	34/ 34	Perseverance	Greenwald, Bennet	4	4	4	12.00	1
2	47/ 187	Catapult	Ronning, Joel	15	6	1	22.00	2
3	46/ CAN 246	Touch 2 Play	Kullman, Martin	18	1	22	41.00	3
4	29/ 209	Trouble	McChesney, Peter	19	2	20	41.00	4
5	96/ 96	Savasana	Keane, Brian	22	14	6	42.00	5
6	56/ 245		doyle, tyler	32	16	3	51.00	6
7	63/ 369	Cool Story Bro	Brigden, John	7	28	18	53.00	7
8	68/ 68		Thompson, Ron	36	7	14	57.00	8
9	88/ 388	Flojito y Cooperando	Julian, Fernandez Neckelmann	11	29	17	57.00	9
10	51/ 51	Black River Racing Powered by	Strebel, Douglas	3	36	23	62.00	10
11	17/ 217	Joint Custody	Wulff, Jennifer	9	40	13	62.00	11
12	C2/ 2	Helly Hansen	Healy, Tim	23	31	9	63.00	12
13	95/ 95	MUSE	Gregg Earl/Bardenheier, Heather/Joe	5	55	5	65.00	13
14	94/ 94	Lifted	Cunningham, Jim	35	20	10	65.00	14
15	C5/ 5	Instant Karma	Betts, David	26	27	12	65.00	15
16	53/ 353	Heart Breaker	Hughes, Robert	21	15	30	66.00	16
17	60/ 360	REX	weakley, scott	24	21	21	66.00	17
18	39/ 185	turbo duck	von der Wense, Bodo	2	62	8	72.00	18
19	36/ 364		aras, john	30	47	2	79.00	19
20	23/ 222	Junkanoo	Leech, Suzy	13	12	55	80.00	20
21	74/ 174	Magic Bus	Mylett, Gregg	17	60	7	84.00	21
22	71/ 171	Running Wild	Vessella, Peter	12	10	64	86.00	22
23	81/ 181	GB	Lewis, Chris	14	39	34	87.00	23
24	85/ 85	Dazzler Goat	Terhune, Allan	6	26	59	91.00	24
25	11/ 11	Menace	Klingler, Kerry	1	32	60	93.00	25
26	32/ 32	US 32	Ullman, David	10	5	78	93.00	26
27	45/ 45	Wild Child	Filter, Henry	47	3	44	94.00	27
28	C1/ 167	Risk	Tisdale, Gary	20	23	51	94.00	28
29	42/ 342	Hurricane	Cook, Ian	53	34	11	98.00	29
30	78/ 197	Nirvana 7	Donahue, Louis	43	24	31	98.00	30
31	35/ 35	Moxie	Allsopp, Cole	16	38	45	99.00	31
32	43/ 243	VitaminJ	Johnson, Ted	41	42	24	107.00	32
33	44/ 44	Gnixe	Vickers, William	25	68	15	108.00	33
34	76/ 67		Killeen, John	49	33	29	111.00	34
35	26/ 26	Jungleland	Groobey, Chris and Carolyn	8	53	53	114.00	35
36	99/ 99	Nostalgia	Kimbrough, Blake	31	35	48	114.00	36
37	41/ 340	Rimette	brim/Aras, john/Evan	48	45	25	118.00	37
38	15/ 15	Junior	Finkle, Donald	28	48	42	118.00	38
39	69/ 69	USA69	Colling, Joseph	51	8	63	122.00	39
40	59/ 159	Torqeedo	Flack, Brandon	68/ZFP	30	28	126.00	40
41	18/ 218	Tsunami	Olds, Todd	64	50	16	130.00	41
42	12/ 312	Soul	Koski, David	42	41	47	130.00	42
43	49/ 49	Relative Obscurity	Duncan, Peter	62/ZFP	9	62	133.00	43
44	93/ 309	CloudSourced	Copfer, Ronald	77	37	19	133.00	44
45	52/ 152	Sundog	Parks, Kathy	70	43	26	139.00	45
46	28/ 28	Mission Impossible	Malkin, David	78/ZFP	25	39	142.00	46
47	86/ 86	BRUNO PASQUINELLI	PASQUINELLI, BRUNO	34	56	54	144.00	47
48	72/ 199	Mojito	Evans, Catharine	27	82	38	147.00	48
49	38/ 385	Safe Haven	Donald, Keith	55	11	82	148.00	49
50	19/ 219	GetMyBoat	Rowland/O’Brien, Basil/Thomas	38	59	52	149.00	50
51	13/ 151	Reach Around	Bowen, Thomas	63	46	40	149.00	51
52	57/ 157	Spring	Franzel, Dave	59	17	75	151.00	52
53	48/ 48		Lotoff, Joe	61	19	74	154.00	53
54	66/ 66	Eagles Wings	Gottwald, John	46	72	36	154.00	54
55	55/ 155	Ragtime	Johnstone, Rodney	72	13	71	156.00	55
56	89/ 189	Sotapanna	DiMatteo, John	37	52	67	156.00	56
57	37/ 317	Late Life Crisis	Corbishley, Corbo	33	70	56	159.00	57
58	14/ 168	USA168	McKenna, Marty	52	83	27	162.00	58
59	58/ 357	USA 357	Berry, Kristen	58	67	37	162.00	59
60	61/ 6	HCMAX	Hillman, Mark	29	66	68	163.00	60
61	31/ 311	it	Sminchak, Jim	76	54	33	163.00	61
62	22/ 322	Sail22	Furry, Ed	40	58	65	163.00	62
63	50/ 50	Rogue Warrior	McDonald, Bruce	45	63	57	165.00	63
64	25/ 25	PaPa Wheillie	Dodge, John	78	49	41	168.00	64
65	27/ 27	Derecho	Golden, Jim	56	51	61	168.00	65
66	24/ 324	Reggie Imamura	Imamura, Reggie	54	80	35	169.00	66
67	40/ 40	B Squared	Elliott, Brian	65	61	43	169.00	67
68	87/ 87	Tick Tock Croc	Nesbett, Richard	67	57	50	174.00	68
69	33/ 169	Empeiria	Heaton, John	79	69	32	180.00	69
70	65/ 225	Shred	Skaane, Stein	69	44	70	183.00	70
71	91/ 91	Carlos	Sudofsky, Mike	39	65	80	184.00	71
72	80/ 387		Guzman, Hector	85	18	86	189.00	72
73	21/ 200	Cat’s Pajamas	Johnstone, Drake	74	77	49	200.00	73
74	83/ BER 308	Elusive	Millican/Cucahiaro, Chuck/Steve	90/OCS	22	90/DNF	202.00	74
75	16/ 216	Possum	DaMore, Justin	66	79	58	203.00	75
76	20/ 220	Phoenix	Firey, Peter	73	64	66	203.00	76
77	30/ 230	iZula	Smith, Kenneth	62	75	73	210.00	77
78	54/ 54	Little Rascal	Pfarr, Rick	82	86	46	214.00	78
79	73/ 73	Occam’s Razor	Pletcher, Walter	57	78	81	216.00	79
80	10/ 210	Vortex	Bomar/Powers, william/Austin	68	76	77	221.00	80
81	84/ 84	Bazinga!	Goldberg, Daniel P.	86	71	69	226.00	81
82	97/ 97	Loki	Zupon, Michael	81	73	79	233.00	82
83	98/ 98	USA 98	Poindexter, Al	84	81	72	237.00	83
84	C4/ 4	Sport	Wagner, Mark	80	74	84	238.00	84
85	62/ 362	362	Wicker, David	71	87	87	245.00	85
86	64/ 64	Exit Strategy II	Martin, Jack	75	88	85	248.00	86
87	75/ 205	Tigress	Weibel, Timothy	88	89	76	253.00	87
88	70/ 320	Windsong	Jordan, Jeff	87	84	83	254.00	88
89	82/ 208	Shamrock	Flaherty, James	83	85	88	256.00	89

Notes

⁽¹⁾	Scoring System is ISAF Low Point 2009-2012
⁽²⁾	Time limit expired (TLE) penalty is: Finishers plus 2

Information is provisional and subject to modification

Principal Race Officer: Sandy Grosvenor
Jury Chair: Jim Capron

Sail1Design Weekly Digest

September 24, 2013 by Sail1Design Editor Leave a Comment

J24 NORTH AMERICANS REPORT AND RESULTS

Sail1Design’s Geoff Becker reports on the event, along with insightful tips, from the regatta-winning Team Helly Hansen.

Becker's Blog: J/24 North American Championship Reports & Results

September 20, 2013 by Sail1Design Editor Leave a Comment

Final Day Wrap Up

2 Races (all races course 4, 4 legs and downwind finish) Wind 4-10 knots @ 310°-325°

Team Helly Hansen Wins!! It wasn’t pretty for us on the last day, but winning a major championship is excellent no matter the ending.

Congratulations to Matias Seguel and his team from Chile for giving us all we could handle the final day and moving up to second place just two points behind.

The final day of the 2013 J24 North Americans started stormy and the RC moved the course north of the Newport Bridge to better take advantage of the expected Northerly breezes and unfriendly weather.

Scattered storms, surrounding land effects and strong outgoing current made for trying conditions for the entire fleet. Once again, just staying in front of the fleet (inside the top 10) was a real challenge for us, especially since we were mainly trying to avoid the big mistake with the lead we had to start the day.

To make our stress level go up, the team from Chile (Semi Pro), who started the day in third, got the first big shift of the first race and was leading at the first mark. We got most of that first shift, but not as much as several other boats and rounded about 12th at the first mark. We worked what passing lanes we could find in the light and shifting breeze, and were able to move up to 9th by the finish.

Because Semi Pro finished the race 2nd, the standings were that we had an 8 point lead into the last race. Since our throw-out was a 9th place, if the Chile boat was to win the last race the worst we could have we could have would be a tie for the overall lead in the regatta.

Unfortunately, if they were to win the last race, they would then have the tiebreaker over us in the overall standings and win the event.

So, we needed to keep Chile from wining the last race, simple enough.

Before the start we tailed the boat from Chile and kept them from getting a very good start. However, in that process we also put ourselves into a position to have a significantly worse start and found ourselves in the last group on the racecourse. From there we were spectators, watching the boat from Chile move up the fleet from 15th, to 10th and all the way up to 3rd for the last leg. We had moved up the fleet ourselves, but we watched on as the lead boats maintained their advantage and we took the title. Not the way we would have planned it, but certainly the most stressful way to win since the last hour of the regatta was completely out of our hands and we were watching as if rooting for our favorite team on TV. Fortunately this time, our team won!

FINAL RESULTS

1 13/ USA 5235 Helly Hansen Mollicone, John 2 4 1 5 7 8 9 5 9 [17/20%] 50 1
2 4/ CHI 5464 Semi Pro Seguel, Matias 6 2 7 3 [12] 5 12 12 2 3 52 2
3 6/ ARG 5499 Elvis Cubria, Nicolas 5 10 [18] 14 1 4 2 7 15 4 62 3
4 42/ USA 5362 Cougar Welles, Will 4 14 2 17 16/10% [20/10%] 1 9 1 17 81 4
5 34/ USA 5482 Pipe Dream Marshall, Michael 14/10% 21 5 2 5 [32/ZFP] 5 10 17 7 86 5
6 7/ ARG 5463 Cacique Pendola, Sergio 16 16 6 1 3 1 10 21 [24] 18/10% 92 6
7 9/ USA 5287 team tarheel Bream, Peter 3 1 11 6 25/10% 7 16 18/10% [40] 11 98 7
8 2/ JPN 5430 Sokokumaru Shimoyama/Hillman 23/10%, 10% 8 29 18 6 2 [33/10%] 1 4 19/10% 110 8
9 29/ USA 4255 Dogfish Kinsman, Bob [40/30%] 12 16 8 18 16/10% 17 6 3 20 116 9
10 38/ USA 2021 Sticks Werner, Kris 1 9 8 9 [29] 18 6 20 22 25 118 10
11 16/ USA 2547 Buckshot Kirkpatrick, Steven 27 [32] 3 10 13 6 18 18 6 23 124 11
12 45/ USA 5432 HoneyBadger Odenbach, Travis 10 3 12 15 14 25 14/RDG 3 [44] 32 128 12
13 12/ USA 1829 BASH Medlin Jr., Ron 20 17 27/10% 4 4 14 4 27 12 [35] 129 13
14 31/ CAN 5483 Clear Air Milev, Rossi 14 5 31 21 17 18/ZFP 14 4 5 [34] 129 14
15 39/ USA 5476 Velocidad Laborde, Christopher 24 15 9 [39] 32 12 11 14 11 15 143 15
16 27/ PER 5429 Wayra Arribas, Javier 7 13 23 25 [32/10%] 24 7 13/10% 8 26 146 16
17 23/ USA 5253 3 Big Dogs Toole, Patrick 22/10% 7 27/30% 20 22 17 8 24 [31] 10 157 17
18 24/ CHI 5431 Gringa Y. Vernon, Robert 8 6 24 32/20% 2 [43/ZFP] 20 11 19 39 161 18
19 5/ ARG 5461 TWIN De Martis, Guillermo 15 11 19 16 [47/DNF] 10 3 47/ZFP 38 5 164 19
20 47/ USA 5472 Panceta Doble Wilsey, John 18 28 14 [34] 19 19 13 15 14 30 170 20
21 35/ CAN 1964 Drivers Wanted Bartlewski, Ted 22 19 4 11 26 28 26 23 [34] 21 180 21
22 15/ PER 3510 Tiamat Peschiera, Lucas 21 [37/30%] 26 12 13/10% 13 23 33/10% 27 12 180 22
23 46/ CHI 5484 La Banca Del Castillo, Raul 19 20 30 38 [47/DSQ] 3 47/DSQ 2 16 9 184 23
24 17/ USA 4520 Bubbles Neff, Taylor 32 25 15 28 30 27 15 [37/10%] 23 1 196 24
25 30/ CAN 3935 Mister H Howarth, Michael 30 29 35 7 25 29 30 [46/ZFP] 26 2 213 25
26 11/ USA 4331 Adrenaline Rush Blunden, Gregory 12 31 38 29 [41] 20 31 22 13 22 218 26
27 19/ CAN 2246 Sticky Fingers Whynacht, John 11 [47/DSQ] 28 27 15 21 25 19 32 41 219 27
28 22/ USA 5351 Murder, Inc Poulson, John 23 36/20% 21 26 33 [42/ZFP] 27 17 20 18 221 28
29 37/ USA 4119 Little Martha Clancy, Chris 38 22 25 41 10 16 21 30/10% [45] 24 227 29
30 8/ USA 4202 ZOT McNamara, Frank 35 [47/30%] 33 30 16 47/ZFP 32 39 7 6 245 30
31 36/ USA 1048 Spooky O’Rourke, John 25 24 26/20% 24 38 35 [40] 29 29 19 249 31
32 41/ BER 3942 No Skirt Required Taylor, Gary 28 18 [47/DSQ] 19 21 39/ZFP 33 16 33 47/DNF 254 32
33 44/ UAS 2109 Airodoodle Denman/Smith 36 30 20 32 24 37 22 34 25 [43] 260 33
34 10/ USA 4453 Bearlymuven Nahmias Turowski, Lindsey 43 35 37/10% 13 9 [47/ZFP] 47/30% 31 10 38 263 34
35 25/ USA 4446 On the Beach Buress, Lee 31 26 27 33 23 31 29 35/10% 28 [36] 263 35
36 3/ USA 3688 Crack of Noon Scott, Ian 34 33 10 35 36 32 [39/10%] 33 39 16 268 36
37 43/ USA 1359 Shifty Gallagher, Martin 29 [47/20%] 37 31 28 22 37 36 21 29 270 37
38 14/ USA 5256 Crash C. Greene, Roger 33 41 43 22 [47/DSQ] 26 19 38 35 31 288 38
39 33/ USA 1502 Sparky Wills, John [47/DNS] 47/30%, 30% 36 40 31 39 35 26 18 42 314 39
40 40/ USA 2324 Heffah Borden, Margaret 42 39 42 42 35 36 41 [45] 43 27 347 40
41 28/ USA 451 J-Peas R. Anstey, Paul 37 [47/10%, 10%] 34 37 47/10%, 10% 38 38 35 36 45 347 41
42 21/ CAN 3729 A-salt Rees, Ed 39 [47/DNF] 39 36 34 43 39 41 41 37 349 42
43 26/ CAN 3366 Premature Gray Blais, Stephan 41 37 40 [45] 45/10% 44 43 44 30 33 357 43
44 20/ USA 3297 Straight Jacket Tyler, Sanford 40 43 [44] 43 42 42 44 42 37 28 361 44
45 32/ CAN 2761 Humidor Connolly, Tim 44 40 41 [47/10%] 39 40 47/10% 43 42 45/10% 381 45
46 1/ USA 2243 Invictus Sheldon, Chris 45 44 45 46 43 [47/DNS] 45 46 46 44 404 46
Notes
-1 Scoring System is ISAF Low Point 2013-2016
-2 Time limit expired (TLE) penalty is: Finishers plus 2
-3 Finishes in [brackets] denote throwouts
Information is provisional and subject to modification
Principal Race Officer: Anderson Reggio

Day 3 Report

3 Races (all races course 4, 4 legs and downwind finish) Wind 10-14 knots @ 165°-175°

Day 3 was forecast to have a building breeze all day ending with up to 20 or more knots. What we saw all day was a fairly consistent breeze in both strength and direction and like Day 1, boatspeed was critical and many boats were competitive in the top of the fleet. Team Helly Hansen was fortunate to end our day, still in the lead for the regatta, with an 8th, 9th and a 5th, and the best way to sum up those scores, and the day’s performance is…“Sometimes par is good enough.”

The J-24 is a very competitive class and has a very large number of high-level sailors and teams competing at most events. The 2013 North Americans certainly illustrates that in the regatta scores to this point. There are so many competitive boats in the
46-boat fleet, that just staying near the front of the fleet is a challenge in any of the races. While our finishes have not always been at the very front of the fleet (only 3 of the 8 races have been better than 5th), we have worked hard to keep ourselves near the front.

Even small mistakes at this regatta can put a boat behind and the depth of the fleet makes it more than challenging to work your way back to the front. In golf, sometimes a player will make a bad shot and then spend the rest of the hole trying to just get a par. In this regatta, it is easy to have a bad start, get involved with another boat, or just get behind for any reason. The rest of the race is then spent trying to just get an average score, like par. The biggest challenge to achieve that goal is deciding what steps to take to move up in the fleet. In golf, after a bad shot, it is tempting try to hit the perfect shot, but that will normally result in making the situation worse. Races can be similar; have some bad fortune and it is tempting to look for one move to save your race, when such a tactic often makes the situation worse and removes any chance to gain even a few boats before the finish.

As mentioned in the reports from earlier in this regatta, when we have found ourselves behind in the fleet, we spend the remainder of the race picking off boats one or two at a time. There have been very few opportunities to make large gains in this regatta; so trying to consistently make smaller gains has been a large part of our strategy.

A good example today was in the second race (Race 7), where we were OCS and had to return to the starting line to re-start. Even on the sail back to the starting line the discussion on our boat was focused about how could we catch up. Our discussion on the return was focused around a single question, “which way do we want to exit the line after we re-start?”

It is easy to get frustrated after something bad happens, like an OCS start, but sometimes decisions made immediately after difficulty can be the most critical decisions of the race. In Race 7, our decision was to exit on port tack, and sail toward the right side of the course. That side had shown to be better the race before and was the direction we had planned before our starting error. After our initial dip and re-start, we had a sufficient lane, but not yet a ‘magic lane’ .

and after a minute or so we had to make one short clearing tack to the left before we found our ‘magic lane’ on port tack sailing toward the right side. Once sailing to the right side, we simply tried to keep the boat sailing fast and minimize the time we spent close to boats that could affect or direction or speed. In that race we were fortunate to find a lane so quickly, and one toward the favored side no less.

Something else that became apparent during our OCS re-start, and throughout all our tough races, was the atmosphere on our boat. In almost every situation, of course not all, our team is able to remain focused on doing our jobs and keeping the boat moving toward the finish line. Part of that focus is due to the fact that our crew consists of very experienced racers, but even more of a factor for our ‘calm’ during the storm is because of the time spent sailing together as a team. Our group has been sailing together, as a team, for nearly 4 years and there is no substitution for the comfort level that comes along with that time. I can tell you that we have certainly had our successes as a team, but we have also had some substantial disappointments and the cumulative affect allows us to stay focused regardless of the circumstance.

Our takeaways from Day 3 are…

1. Sometimes par is good enough.

2. Always look for the small gains since each point is valuable in talented fleets.

3. Remain focused as a team, no matter the situation.

Results after day 3

1 13/ USA 5235 Helly Hansen Mollicone, John 2 4 1 5 7 8 [9] 5 32 1
2 6/ ARG 5499 Elvis Cubria, Nicolas 5 10 [18] 14 1 4 2 7 43 2
3 4/ CHI 5464 Semi Pro Seguel, Matias 6 2 7 3 [12] 5 12 12 47 3
4 7/ ARG 5463 Cacique Pendola, Sergio 16 16 6 1 3 1 10 [21] 53 4
5 9/ USA 5287 team tarheel Bream, Peter 3 1 11 6 [25/10%] 7 16 18/10% 62 5
6 34/ USA 5482 Pipe Dream Marshall, Michael 14/10% 21 5 2 5 [32/ZFP] 5 10 62 6
7 42/ USA 5362 Cougar Welles, Will 4 14 2 17 16/10% [20/10%] 1 9 63 7
8 38/ USA 2021 Sticks Werner, Kris 1 9 8 9 [29] 18 6 20 71 8
9 45/ USA 5432 HoneyBadger Odenbach, Travis 10 3 12 15 14 [25] 25 3 82 9
10 2/ JPN 5430 Sokokumaru Shimoyama/Hillman 23/10%, 10% 8 29 18 6 2 [34/10%] 1 87 10
11 12/ USA 1829 BASH Medlin Jr., Ron 20 17 [27/10%] 4 4 14 4 27 90 11
12 31/ CAN 5483 Clear Air Milev, Rossi 14 5 [31] 21 17 18/ZFP 14 4 93 12
13 29/ USA 4255 Dogfish Kinsman, Bob [40/30%] 12 16 8 18 16/10% 17 6 93 13
14 16/ USA 2547 Buckshot Kirkpatrick, Steven 27 [32] 3 10 13 6 18 18 95 14
15 24/ CHI 5431 Gringa Y. Vernon, Robert 8 6 24 32/20% 2 [43/ZFP] 20 11 103 15
16 27/ PER 5429 Wayra Arribas, Javier 7 13 23 25 [32/10%] 24 7 13/10% 112 16
17 39/ USA 5476 Velocidad Laborde, Christopher 24 15 9 [39] 32 12 11 14 117 17
18 23/ USA 5253 3 Big Dogs Toole, Patrick 22/10% 7 [27/30%] 20 22 17 8 24 120 18
19 5/ ARG 5461 TWIN De Martis, Guillermo 15 11 19 16 [47/DNF] 10 3 47/ZFP 121 19
20 47/ USA 5472 Panceta Doble Wilsey, John 18 28 14 [34] 19 19 13 15 126 20
21 35/ CAN 1964 Drivers Wanted Bartlewski, Ted 22 19 4 11 26 [28] 27 23 132 21
22 46/ CHI 5484 La Banca Del Castillo, Raul 19 20 30 38 [47/DSQ] 3 28/10% 2 140 22
23 15/ PER 3510 Tiamat Peschiera, Lucas 21 [37/30%] 26 12 13/10% 13 24 33/10% 142 23
24 19/ CAN 2246 Sticky Fingers Whynacht, John 11 [47/DSQ] 28 27 15 21 26 19 147 24
25 37/ USA 4119 Little Martha Clancy, Chris 38 22 25 [41] 10 16 21 30/10% 162 25
26 17/ USA 4520 Bubbles Neff, Taylor 32 25 15 28 30 27 15 [37/10%] 172 26
27 41/ BER 3942 No Skirt Required Taylor, Gary 28 18 [47/DSQ] 19 21 39/ZFP 34 16 175 27
28 11/ USA 4331 Adrenaline Rush Blunden, Gregory 12 31 38 29 [41] 20 32 22 184 28
29 22/ USA 5351 Murder, Inc Poulson, John 23 36/20% 21 26 33 [42/ZFP] 28 17 184 29
30 30/ CAN 3935 Mister H Howarth, Michael 30 29 35 7 25 29 31 [46/ZFP] 186 30
31 44/ UAS 2109 Airodoodle Denman/Smith 36 30 20 32 24 [37] 22 34 198 31
32 25/ USA 4446 On the Beach Buress, Lee 31 26 27 33 23 31 30 [35/10%] 201 32
33 36/ USA 1048 Spooky O’Rourke, John 25 24 26/20% 24 38 35 [41] 29 201 33
34 10/ USA 4453 Bearlymuven Nahmias Turowski, Lindsey 43 35 37/10% 13 9 [47/ZFP] 42/10% 31 210 34
35 3/ USA 3688 Crack of Noon Scott, Ian 34 33 10 35 36 32 [40/10%] 33 213 35
36 43/ USA 1359 Shifty Gallagher, Martin 29 [47/20%] 37 31 28 22 38 36 221 36
37 14/ USA 5256 Crash C. Greene, Roger 33 41 43 22 [47/DSQ] 26 19 38 222 37
38 8/ USA 4202 ZOT McNamara, Frank 35 [47/30%] 33 30 16 47/ZFP 33 39 233 38
39 33/ USA 1502 Sparky Wills, John [47/DNS] 47/30%, 30% 36 40 31 39 41/10% 26 260 39
40 28/ USA 451 J-Peas R. Anstey, Paul 37 [47/10%, 10%] 34 37 47/10%, 10% 38 39 35 267 40
41 21/ CAN 3729 A-salt Rees, Ed 39 [47/DNF] 39 36 34 43 40 41 272 41
42 40/ USA 2324 Heffah Borden, Margaret 42 39 42 42 35 36 42 [45] 278 42
43 32/ CAN 2761 Humidor Connolly, Tim 44 40 41 [47/10%] 39 40 47/10% 43 294 43
44 26/ CAN 3366 Premature Gray Blais, Stephan 41 37 40 [45] 45/10% 44 44 44 295 44
45 20/ USA 3297 Straight Jacket Tyler, Sanford 40 43 44 43 42 42 [45] 42 296 45
46 1/ USA 2243 Invictus Sheldon, Chris 45 44 45 46 43 [47/DNS] 4
6 46 315 46

Day 2 Report

2013 J-24 North Americans Report – By Geoff Becker Day 2

3 Races (all races course 4, 4 legs and downwind finish) Wind 6-10 knots @ 215°-245°

Today was very different from Day 1 in that the conditions were more variable and the starting line had packs of boats being more aggressive. Team Helly Hansen ended the Day 2 leading the regatta with finishes of a 1st, a 5th and a 7th. On the surface those finishes look like a consistent performance, but in fact we had to work extra hard for every point on the day.

With the wind somewhat lighter and more variable in both speed and direction, there were more opportunities to gain and lose throughout racecourse. The lighter winds also seemed to make the start more significant since getting away from the line could really allow the leaders to extend early in the races. In race 3 (first race of the day), we had a great start near the left end and many of the boats near us were over the line early. After the OCS boats cleared out, we found ourselves with a great lane toward what ended up being the favored side and from there we were able to extend away from most of the fleet with a small group of boats. Once out with the lead pack, we were able to take the lead to the finish.

In races 4 and 5 we had a frustrating time with our starts. In fact, for both races we were not able to hold our lane for more than a couple of boat lengths away from the starting line. After both starts we went immediately into lane management mode and had to find a way to get a clear upwind lane ASAP! Fortunately, we did find clear lanes eventually and got to the first mark in positions that we could improve into quality finishes. Once back to the dock, a few other boats asked us, “how did you do so well with such bad starts?”

Everyone has been in a race situation where the start of the race was less than optimal, and the entire race seemed like damage control. The idea of ‘damage control’ is a good description because once behind early in a race, stopping the damage is the first priority before any real gains can be made. On our boat we have a simple and straightforward strategy for the initial tactics after a bad start; we look for a ‘Magic Lane.’

Immediately after a start where you have been pinched off, or rolled, looking for a way out is the first priority and that way out is most often getting away from the effect of other boats. Sometimes that escape lane is one tack away, but often it is two or more tacks up the course. The tactician needs to be completely focused on keeping his eyes outside the boat and planning out any tacks or ducks that will get the boat the clear wind and a position where the boat can sail straight without interference from other boats. This position is what we call the ‘Magic Lane’.

After the ‘magic lane’ is achieved, the boat should now be in a position to make tactical decisions to begin moving up in the fleet.

Remember, getting free of traffic needs to be the first priority before making any real attempts to gain back positions in the race. We often see boats with bad starts getting into small battles with other boats before the ‘magic lane’ is achieved. Since a ‘magic lane’

requires that you are free from interference of other boats, staying away from other boats, and certainly out of smaller battles, is a prerequisite. In many cases you are going to want to let any boats just ahead of you to cross you, regardless of what tack you are sailing, sending them away from your vicinity. Using your starboard tack to make a boat tack on your leebow, is exactly the opposite strategy needed when in search of your ‘magic lane.’

Lastly, after finally getting free and sailing in your ‘magic lane,’

normal tactics can begin to be applied to the racecourse. In most cases the best overall strategy after a getting clear from a bad start will be to look for smaller gains by picking off a boat or two at a time. It can be tempting to look for a home run to catch up quickly, but remember, the race just started and there will likely be many opportunities to make up places during the remainder of the race.

Swinging for the fence early in a race can easily see you strike out and put your boat so far behind that there will be almost no chance for a good finish in the race.

Our takeaways from Day 2 are…

1. Avoid congested areas on the staring line.

2. Work hard on finding a ‘magic lane’ after a bad start before other strategies.

3. After a frustrating start, look for opportunities to make small gains the whole race and avoid taking large tactical risks, especially early in a race.

Day 2 Results:

1 13/ USA 5235 Helly Hansen Mollicone, John 2 4 1 5 [7] 12 1
2 4/ CHI 5464 Semi Pro Seguel, Matias 6 2 7 3 [12] 18 2
3 9/ USA 5287 team tarheel Bream, Peter 3 1 11 6 [25/10%] 21 3
4 7/ ARG 5463 Cacique Pendola, Sergio [16] 16 6 1 3 26 4
5 34/ USA 5482 Pipe Dream Marshall, Michael 14/10% [21] 5 2 5 26 5
6 38/ USA 2021 Sticks Werner, Kris 1 9 8 9 [29] 27 6
7 6/ ARG 5499 Elvis Cubria, Nicolas 5 10 [18] 14 1 30 7
8 42/ USA 5362 Cougar Welles, Will 4 14 2 [17] 16/10% 36 8
9 45/ USA 5432 HoneyBadger Odenbach, Travis 10 3 12 [15] 14 39 9
10 24/ CHI 5431 Gringa Y. Vernon, Robert 8 6 24 [32/20%] 2 40 10
11 12/ USA 1829 BASH Medlin Jr., Ron 20 17 [27/10%] 4 4 45 11
12 16/ USA 2547 Buckshot Kirkpatrick, Steven 27 [32] 3 10 13 53 12
13 29/ USA 4255 Dogfish Kinsman, Bob [40/30%] 12 16 8 18 54 13
14 2/ JPN 5430 Sokokumaru Shimoyama/Hillman 23/10%, 10% 8 [29] 18 6 55 14
15 35/ CAN 1964 Drivers Wanted Bartlewski, Ted 22 19 4 11 [26] 56 15
16 31/ CAN 5483 Clear Air Milev, Rossi 14 5 [31] 21 17 57 16
17 5/ ARG 5461 TWIN De Martis, Guillermo 15 11 19 16 [47/DNF] 61 17
18 23/ USA 5253 3 Big Dogs Toole, Patrick [22/10%] 7 13 20 22 62 18
19 27/ PER 5429 Wayra Arribas, Javier 7 13 23 25 [32/10%] 68 19
20 15/ PER 3510 Tiamat Peschiera, Lucas 21 [37/30%] 26 12 13/10% 72 20
21 47/ USA 5472 Panceta Doble Wilsey, John 18 28 14 [34] 19 79 21
22 39/ USA 5476 Velocidad Laborde, Christopher 24 15 9 [39] 32 80 22
23 19/ CAN 2246 Sticky Fingers Whynacht, John 11 [47/DSQ] 28 27 15 81 23
24 41/ BER 3942 No Skirt Required Taylor, Gary 28 18 [47/DSQ] 19 21 86 24
25 30/ CAN 3935 Mister H Howarth, Michael 30 29 [35] 7 25 91 25
26 37/ USA 4119 Little Martha Clancy, Chris 38 22 25 [41] 10 95 26
27 17/ USA 4520 Bubbles Neff, Taylor [32] 25 15 28 30 98 27
28 36/ USA 1048 Spooky O’Rourke, John 25 24 26/20% 24 [38] 99 28
29 10/ USA 4453 Bearlymuven Nahmias Turowski, Lindsey 43 35 [46/30%] 13 9 100 29
30 22/ USA 5351 Murder, Inc Poulson, John 23 [36/20%] 21 26 33 103 30
31 44/ UAS 2109 Airodoodle Denman/Smith [36] 30 20 32 24 106 31
32 46/ CHI 5484 La Banca Del Castillo, Raul 19 20 30 38 [47/DSQ] 107 32
33 25/ USA 4446 On the Beach Buress, Lee 31 26 27 [33] 23 107 33
34 11/ USA 4331 Adrenaline Rush Blunden, Gregory 12 31 38 29 [41] 110 34
35 3/ USA 3688 Crack of Noon Scott, Ian 34 33 10 35 [36] 112 35
36 8/ USA 4202 ZOT McNamara, Frank 35 [47/30%] 33 30 16 114 36
37 43/ USA 1359 Shifty Gallagher, Martin 29 [47/20%] 37 31 28 125 37
Day Two- PRELIMINARY Results38 14/ USA 5256 Crash C. Greene, Roger 33 41 43 22 [47/DSQ] 139 38
39 21/ CAN 3729 A-salt Rees, Ed 39 [47/DNF] 39 36 34 148 39
40 33/ USA 1502 Sparky Wills, John [47/DNS] 47/30%, 30% 36 40 31 154 40
41 28/ USA 451 J-Peas R. Anstey, Paul 37 [47/10%, 10%] 34 37 47/10%, 10% 155 41
42 40/ USA 2324 Heffah Borden, Margaret [42] 39 42 42 35 158 42
43 26/ CAN 3366 Premature Gray Blais, Stephan 41 37 40 [45] 45/10% 163 43
44 32/ CAN 2761 Humidor Conn
olly, Tim 44 40 41 [47/10%] 39 164 44
45 20/ USA 3297 Straight Jacket Tyler, Sanford 40 43 [44] 43 42 168 45
46 1/ USA 2243 Invictus Sheldon, Chris 45 44 45 [46] 43 177 46

____________________________________________________________________________________

2013 J-24 North Americans Report – By Airwaves writer Geoff Becker

Team Helly Hansen Skipper: John Mollicone Tactican: Tim Healy Trimmer: Geoff Becker Mast: Collin Leon Bow: Gordon Borges

Day 1 Report

2 races (both races course 4, 4 legs and downwind finish) Wind 12-15 knots @ 335°-345°

Two words, “perfect conditions!” You could not have asked for a better day to start any regatta, with a 12-15 knot seabreeze and 70° temperature. Today is why we all love to sail and be out on the water.

To top it off, Team Helly Hansen ended the day in great position with a 2nd and a 4th, which has us sitting comfortably in 2nd place overall.

Because the conditions were so consistent during both races, no large shifts and fairly even wind speed across the course, the races came down to getting away from the starting line cleanly and having good speed around the track. Keeping lanes clear of other boats and bad air is always a large part of the tactical decisions on days with such consistent sailing conditions. Today did not offer many opportunities to make large gains using windshifts, puffs, or lulls, so keeping the boat going full speed all the time was our main goal throughout the day.

Fortunately, at this regatta, we are sailing the boat we regularly sail and one we have put a significant amount of time into the setup and learning to make go fast. Being comfortable with your speed is definitely an advantage in conditions like today, but it isn’t a guarantee to finish at the top. On consistent weather days, staying out of trouble and keeping lanes clear seems like a simple enough plan, but with almost 50 boats trying to do the same thing, it is always a challenge.

In the two races today, we got away from the starting line in good shape and were able to stay on starboard tack until Tim made the decision to make our first tack on the first upwind leg. Often, a poor lane off the starting line, forces a boat to make that first tack in a less than optimal position early in a race. In a consistent, straight-line racecourse, finding a strong first crossing lane after the start, can be the difference between the top of the fleet and back in the fleet at the first mark.

Our main focus in the prestart was to have an option to continue sailing on starboard tack until we made the decision to tack across the course on port. The best way to set up this strategy is having a position on the starting line with a comfortable space to leeward after the start. A good size leeward gap off the starting line can best provide the maximum amount of time on starboard giving the tactician the option to wait until the best tacking lane becomes available after the start. That lane might be inside the first minute, or it could be several minutes into the race, either way having a comfortable space to leeward gives the best opportunity to find the best possible crossing lane whenever it is available.

After finding your best, first lane off the starting line, keeping lanes clear both upwind and downwind allows the boat the ability to sail at full speed as much as possible. Often, sailing away from packs of boats is better in these consistent conditions, since packs of boats can slow each other down and prevent clean lanes for any of the boats in the pack. Simple sailing conditions require simple tactical strategies…Get off the line clear, stay away from packs of boats and keep your lanes clear allowing the boat to sail at full speed.

Our takeaways from Day 1 are…

1. Today’s conditions are why we all do this!

2. In consistent winds, get off the starting line with the option of staying on starboard until the tactician finds the best crossing lane.

3. To keep the boat sailing full speed as much as possible, stay away from packs and keep lanes clear both upwind and downwind.

Remember, Sail1Design offers professional, private coaching. The author of this piece is one our coaches!

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RESULTS AFTER DAY 1

1 9/ USA 5287 Team Tarheel Bream, Peter 3 1 4
2 13/ USA 5235 Helly Hansen Mollicone, John 2 4 6
3 4/ CHI 5464 Semi Pro Seguel, Matias 6 2 8

4 38/ USA 2021 Sticks Werner, Kris 1 9 10
5 45/ USA 5432 HoneyBadger Odenbach, Travis 10 3 13
6 24/ CHI 5431 Gringa Y. Vernon, Robert 8 6 14
7 6/ ARG 5499 Elvis Cubria, Nicolas 5 10 15
8 42/ USA 5362 Cougar Welles, Will 4 14 18
9 31/ CAN 5483 Clear Air Milev, Rossi 14 5 19
10 27/ PER 5429 Wayra Arribas, Javier 7 13 20

11 5/ ARG 5461 TWIN De Martis, Guillermo 15 11 26 11
12 23/ USA 5253 3 Big Dogs Toole, Patrick 22/10% 7 29 12
13 2/ JPN 5430 Sokokumaru Shimoyama/Hillman 23/10%, 10% 8 31 13
14 7/ ARG 5463 Cacique Pendola, Sergio 16 16 32 14
15 34/ USA 5482 Pipe Dream Marshall, Michael 14/10% 21 35 15
16 12/ USA 1829 BASH Medlin Jr., Ron 20 17 37 16
17 39/ USA 5476 Velocidad Laborde, Christopher 24 15 39 17
18 46/ CHI 5484 La Banca Del Castillo, Raul 19 20 39 18
19 35/ CAN 1964 Drivers Wanted Bartlewski, Ted 22 19 41 19
20 11/ USA 4331 Adrenaline Rush Blunden, Gregory 12 31 43 20
21 41/ BER 3942 No Skirt Required Taylor, Gary 28 18 46 21
22 47/ USA 5472 Panceta Doble Wilsey, John 18 28 46 22
23 36/ USA 1048 Spooky O’Rourke, John 25 24 49 23
24 29/ USA 4255 Dogfish Kinsman, Bob 40/30% 12 52 24
25 17/ USA 4520 Bubbles Neff, Taylor 32 25 57 25
26 25/ USA 4446 On the Beach Buress, Lee 31 26 57 26
27 19/ CAN 2246 Sticky Fingers Whynacht, John 11 47/DSQ 58 27
28 15/ PER 3510 Tiamat Peschiera, Lucas 21 37/30% 58 28
29 22/ USA 5351 Murder, Inc Poulson, John 23 36/20% 59 29
30 16/ USA 2547 Buckshot Kirkpatrick, Steven 27 32 59 30
31 30/ CAN 3935 Mister H Howarth, Michael 30 29 59 31

32 37/ USA 4119 Little Martha Clancy, Chris 38 22 60 32

33 44/ UAS 2109 Airodoodle Denman/Smith 36 30 66 33
34 3/ USA 3688 Crack of Noon Scott, Ian 34 33 67 34
35 14/ USA 5256 Crash C. Greene, Roger 33 41 74 35
36 43/ USA 1359 Shifty Gallagher, Martin 29 47/20% 76 36
37 10/ USA 4453 Bearlymuven Nahmias Turowski, Lindsey 43 35 78 37
38 26/ CAN 3366 Premature Gray Blais, Stephan 41 37 78 38
39 40/ USA 2324 Heffah Borden, Margaret 42 39 81 39
40 8/ USA 4202 ZOT McNamara, Frank 35 47/30% 82 40
41 20/ USA 3297 Straight Jacket Tyler, Sanford 40 43 83 41
42 28/ USA 451 J-Peas R. Anstey, Paul 37 47/10%, 10% 84 42
43 32/ CAN 2761 Humidor Connolly, Tim 44 40 84 43
44 21/ CAN 3729 A-salt Rees, Ed 39 47/DNF 86 44
45 1/ USA 2243 Invictus Sheldon, Chris 45 44 89 45< br />46 33/ USA 1502 Sparky Wills, John 47/DNS 47/30%, 30% 94 46

Mike Ingham on Tactics: Downwind Gates

September 16, 2013 by Sail1Design Editor Leave a Comment

2013 08 16 Downwind Gates, or How To Finish The Run, by Mike Ingham

Even in this Americas Cup I watch as these highly trained teams make mistakes choosing a downwind gate, and they only have two boats. Add the complexity of a large fleet and it is not so easy. Today we are going to explore some of the options and tradeoffs of how to tactically choose a gate. This finishes up the downwind tactics portion of what started as a dockside discussion before the 100+ boat Thistle Nationals on how to manage a large fleet downwind. We have covered: 1. Setting up for the run (that first move), 2. Tactics downwind, 3. Apparent wind and lanes, and now 4. Gates (finishing up the run)

1. To start with, your tactician has to as ask the following questions:

a. Which gate is further upwind?

i. The upwind gate is important because the distance is essentially double since you have to go there then back again

1. For example, if you decide the left gate is further upwind by 2 boatlengths, since you have to sail down to it then back upwind, you are actually giving up 4 boatlenghts to someone that has rounded the other gate

ii. Here is how you can tell

1. If the gates are in before the start, try to sail to the gate and do a head to wind. This is not perfect because the wind can shift or the RC can adjust it (no signal required)

2. Mostly, just look and try to judge relative to boat angles

$1a. It’s not easy to tell, so get the whole team involved

3. Go dead downwind while on the run and take a look to re-orient yourself

4. The larger one may be further upwind, but be careful, one may be slightly deflated

$1a. The closer mark is not always the further upwind one

b. Which way do you want to go?

i. If you want to go left, then round the left gate (looking upwind)

ii. One of my favorite moves is if I am in a crowd, round the opposite gate then tack

1. For example, If I want to go left, then I will round the right gate, then wait for a lane, then tack, avoiding the pileup and inevitable double tack to go the way I want in clear air

2. On our boat, we call this “rounding the wrong gate”

c. Which is more crowded?

i. Assess which will have the least number of boats going around it

ii. You may be ahead of a small group at one gate, but just behind at the other which can be quite slow

d. Which can you effectively get to?

i. If you are playing one side of the run and the fleet is really crowded, you may not be able to get to the other side, you may be locked into your side

ii. This could well be different from which gate is less crowded, it’s just that there is traffic in the way so you can’t get there

e. Who are you rounding with?

i. If last year’s World Champ is rounding the left gate in front of you, he is likely to round wide then tight, so perhaps it is better to round the right gate behind someone else so you at least have a hope of holding your lane

f. And lastly, how much downwind traffic will you need to go through after you round?

i. If the course was skewed and all the boats will be blanketing one of the exit lanes after the left mark, then the right may be better.

2. That’s a lot to think about, so simplify the decision, here is how:

a. Narrow it down to 2 criteria (3 at most)

i. Of the 6 criteria, usually there are only a couple that really come into play, narrow it down to those two

b. Then put a boatlength gain or loss weight to each criteria

i. For example, if you decide that the 2 criteria that seem most applicable are: the right gate is upwind but crowded, then a logical way to look at it is:

1. The right gate is 2 boatlenghts further upwind, therefore you will gain 4 boatlenghts going around it (there and back)

2. But it is really crowded, you will have to slow down and expect to lose 2 boatlengths doing so

3. Well then the right gate is the way to go because I will gain 4 but lose 2 for a net of 2 boatlength gain

ii. Another example is the gates are even, you decide that the 2 most important criteria are: you want to go right, but you are on the course left (left side looking upwind, right side looking down) but there is a lot of traffic to get there

1. If you round the left gate then tack, you figure you will lose 2 boatlenghts to the guys that round the right gate and get further right then you

2. To cross the center, to will have to make 2 big ducks and there will be some wind shadow costing you 3 boatlengths

3. Then the call by 1 boatlength is to stick to your side and round the left gate then tack

3. Start thinking of how to set up for the leeward mark early

a. The sooner you start planning for that gate, the more chance of success

b. If in doubt, try to find a way to keep options open for either gate

4. Keep an open mind, often things change and you need to be flexible to take advantage of it

a. For example, you may choose the left gate assuming the boats in front of you will round the right, but at the last moment they round the left gate leaving the right open –you and your team need to be prepared to take advantage of that change

5. Finally, don’t panic

a. Boats behind have the advantage of getting puffs first and bringing them down as well as disturbing the air for those ahead

b. Things will compress both from you to the leaders and from those behind

i. Expect and plan for it

Sadly, the tradeoffs include factoring in losses. The rich get richer because their moves are less dictated by the fleet. One of the hardest things to do is admitting that the decision is based on minimizing losses. Logical decisions will turn into a relative gain on the boats that make risky choices. Whatever you chose, do so with confidence and make the best of it.

One Design Class Profile: The 49er

September 15, 2013 by Sail1Design Editor 2 Comments

By S1D One-Design Class manager Leslie Holt

In 1995, Julian Bethwaite designed the 49er, and since then it has been gaining popularity world-wide for its incredible speed. The boat takes several design cues from the poplar three-man Aussie 18, which is a larger high performance skiff. In 1996, the 49er was selected for the 2000 Olympic Games. This relatively new high performance skiff made its Olympic debut at the Sydney Olympics. It has been in every Summer Games since then and is a continually growing class. Harken calls it “The Formula One race car of the Games”, and perhaps this is why the 49er class has been growing so quickly.

This 16ft long skiff design has a beam of only 5ft 9in without including the wings; that sounds reasonable until you learn that the sail area amounts to 637.49sq.ft. including the spinnaker. The wings add to the beam of the boat and take it to a maximum width of 9ft 6in. This winged design allows the sailors more mechanical advantage while hiking than the narrow hull of the boat otherwise would.

Boat Specifications

LOA: 4.995m/16 ft 4 in
Beam: w.o/w wings-1.75m /2.9m(5 ft 9 in/9 ft 6 in)
Draft: 1447 mm (4 ft 9 in)
Weight: 70 kg (154 lb)
Main/Jib: 21.2 sq. m (228.19 sq. ft)
Spinnaker: 38sq m (409.3 sq. ft)

The combination of the large sail area and light-weight planing hull make this boat nothing short of a speed demon in almost all conditions. Those attributes also mean that this boat is very difficult to sail well in mid to upper level wind conditions. Any sailor looking to take on a 49er needs to be physically prepared for the power this boat possesses. It is going to take many many hours of practice and a great deal of communication and teamwork for a team to excel at sailing a 49er.

When asked how difficult it is to master these boats Finn Nilsen, who participated at US 49er Nationals, replied, “If you’ve never sailed a skiff, the 49er is not a boat you can just jump in and expect to race well immediately. As the wind ranges increase the boat just becomes more difficult and the margin of error becomes extremely small. For teams that are new to the 49er…the first couple months of heavy air practice are going to be spent swimming”

Charles “Campbell” Woods, who also participated in the 2013 US Nationals says, “The boat is crazy fast all the time and in the right conditions it truly flies. The close coordination of crew, driver and boat creates a system that when sailed properly is rewarding and really blows your hair back. Some of the best times sailing are just out training and raging downwind at mach 10 with your bodies all the way off the back of the boat and the hull just skipping wildly across the tops of the waves. Racing in anything over 10knots is a total blast and is both exhilarating and exhausting.’

The only thing about these boats that sailors seem to dislike is the time between the races in an event. The 49er will not sit upright unless underway which means no real breaks between races. Most 49er regattas tend to be fast paced in an effort to keep from wearing out the sailors in the time between the races.

If you are looking to get into skiff sailing, this is definately a class to consider. As stated before, you do need to be fairly athletic to handle these boats because of the huge sail area involved, but by all accounts, they are blast to sail. According to ISAF, the optimal crew weigh is somewhere between 145lbs and 165lbs; combined weight should be somewhere between 290lbs and 330lbs. The typical 49er sailor is very athletic and can handle high sheet loads and rapid situational changes. Both the skipper and crew on this boat are on trapeze and coordination between the two is essential to good boat handling. The competition in 49ers is fairly stiff due to the fact that it is an Olympic class, but there seem to be a number of 49er teams that do not have Olympic ambitions.

Oakcliff Sailing Center, which has recently been named a US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider Training Center, held the US Nationals for the 49er Class in Oyster Bay, NY from August 22-26. There were eighteen 49ers at this top level event including a few Olympic hopefuls. Brad Funk and Trevor Bird took first place on the 49er line.

There are currently 98 boats registered for 49er Worlds which will be held in Marseilles from September 21-29. Judging from the teams that have registered, it promises to be a highly competitive event.

Check out the 49er Class at:

United States 49er Class Association: 49erNA.org

International 49er Class Association: 49er.org

Thank you to the following Sailors and Sources who made this article possible

Finn Nilsen of Team Nilsen

Charles “Campbell” Woods of dinghylocker.com

Oakcliff Sailing Center

49er.org

Sailing.org (ISAF)

Yachtscoring.com

Harken.com

Olympic.org

Photos from

Yachtpals.com

49ersailing.ca

Sailing.org

Blog

S1D Tactics with Mike: Tactics Simplified –the Power of Observation

Becker's Blog: J/70 North American Championship Report and Results

Sail1Design Weekly Digest

Becker's Blog: J/24 North American Championship Reports & Results

Mike Ingham on Tactics: Downwind Gates

One Design Class Profile: The 49er

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