Conserving Resources...

Yesterday was a day of good and bad... the good was that I was going fast upwind and getting good starts. The bad is that I was painfully slow downwind. I arrived at the weather marks in the top 5 or 6 boats.. turn to go downwind and immediately lose 2 or 3 boats. it would be the same leaking of places all the way down the run. At the leeward mark I had fell back to the mid twenties! Depressing because I'm normally very fast or at least even speed in most of the regattas I go to. I caught a few boats on the second weather leg and limped into the finish in 20th. The second race I was determined to better my score. Being near or with the leaders of the regatta gave me new motivation to sail my "complete race". My second start was brilliant.. punched out from my group and heading to the left with speed in good company. As I got to the first mark I was battling for 5th place. I worked up the left side of the course and I was coming into the mark on a tricky port tack layline. Tricky because port has no rights and has to keep clear of other boats rounding. The winds had piped up to the mid-twenties and boats were moving fast. I crossed Hummel the regatta leader but couldn't cross my friend Tracey Usher. I went into a crash duck to try to go below him but ended up getting almost clothlined by his mainsheet. We touched so not I was obligated to sail a 720 penalty turn before continuing. 720s are hard enough in 15 knots of wind.. But in 20+ they are outright dangerous in a laser. I managed to pull off two pretty clean turns and rejoined the race. Exhausted from the upwind and the 720, I was maybe too slow to react and the first big wave sent me into the dreaded "deathroll". That's all she wrote.. I was done. By the time I rode the boat and got back in I was well back in the fleet. Time to conserve my strength and equipment and call it a day. The world Championship allows for two discard races from your overall score card and that's what I did. I took my throwout. Racing today may be lighter winds. Well see how it goes. Peter

First a good Breakfast, then the Apple Store..

We ate a nice breakfast at trendy cafe on Chestnut St. called "The Grove". Chestnut Street reminds me a lot of like Montana Ave in West LA. Bottom line.. nobody is in a hurry to get to work there :). Well.. maybe late for yoga or the spa.. It's definitely the good life. Eating a good breakfast is critical for me to have the energy to sail effectively up here. When I'm out on the water, I only get to drink my special mix of water and a product called "Hammer Gel". I't very limited on what you can bring out with you on a laser.
I also eat a high protein Cliff Bar to help refuel the body for a quick recovery between races. This being my seventh Master Worlds, I've found that being properly hydrated before, during and after a race, plus eating right is the key to me being successful at these regattas. The promise of sustained energy and rapid muscle recovery from these types of products is enough for me to buy into it and the science behind it. But this morning I'm at the Apple Store in SF getting a new iPhone. I'm with my good friend and host Russ Silvestri who needed his previous one replaced. Russ was a Olympian in the Finn class from the 2000 Sydney and finished a respectable 6th place. Russ and I were also teammate at USC back in college. He's currently in 4th place in this regatta and always in the hunt to win any race. He grew up sailing in San Francisco and knows the bay well. He's been an incredible resource for all of us and stay at his house couldn't be a better setup. Truly a great friend and competitor. Being in the Apple Store reminds me how badly I need an iPad!!! I actually started this blog entry while I was waiting for Russ.. Got to get back to the yacht club.. Racing starts at 2:00pm today.

Where's Chuck??

The Rest Day?...

On the layday Chuck, Kevin and I rode bikes to our regular breakfast place on Chestnut Street. It's our favorite San Francisco spot and we go there whenever we're in the bay area. Afterwards the plan was to ride over to Tiburon via the golden gate bridge. It was perfect weather but a bit windy :) . Riding or walking across the the bridge has always been on my list of things I wanted to do.. so today was the day. The ride started through Chrissy Field then up to the city side of the bridge. We were just getting to the top of the uphill climb when Kevin's chain broke on his SoCal beach cruiser. This hill to most standards would be considered a very "lite" but my quads from three days of full hiking up and down the bay were screaming... "What are you thinking?" "It's a rest day stupid!" Regardless we made the trek to Tiburon, have fish and chips and a few beers.. and then took the ferry back across to the city. The breeze as we crossed the bay was ripping in the high 20's. Maybe even more the Tuesday's grinder on the bay. After a short ride back to the Marina District from Fisherman's Wharf.. we were back at the StFYC. I'm looking forward to the racing on Thursday.. More to come. Peter

Day 3 Photos from the course...

all photos copyright Chuck Lantz

Day 3 Grinder

Day 3 was the windiest day of the championship so far with both races sailed in over 20 knots of wind. My first race started well but my decision to go hard right out into the ebb current didn't pay off like I planned. I was looking good going upwind in my group of boats till the big left shift launched half the fleet in front of me. This all happened right at the first weather mark. From that point on I was in major catch up mode trying to get back in the chase. When you're in the back of the fleet, you take more chances and more often make more mistakes. I was able to sail a good 2nd weather leg and get back into the high twenties for the last downwind and two reaches. The wind also started to really nuke by the end part of the race and stay upright became my first priority as I planned downwind. My fleet is packed with talent and experience but these conditions started to show its teeth. I shot past many a sailor who either lost control in the steep tide and wind generated waves or was just pushing too hard. The most common mishap is a maneuver known a "death-roll." A death roll is a long a is long and tiring personal disaster for any racer. You can lose many places in the race so I try to avoid this them at all costs. As I quickly approached the gybe mark at high speed I could see 3 boats with their centerboards pointing at the sky (flipped over). It resembled a sailboat graveyard when me and an Australia boat arrive on the scene. The AUS boat entered first and weaved between two flipped boats but lost control and flipped. It was my turn so I took a slightly different line through the chaos and make a cautious but clean gybe. I quickly gathered myself, hiked and sheeted and was shot out the other side. The short beat to the finish was merciful as I crossed the finish line in 25th. I was so exhausted I just luffed my sail and sat for a few minutes. My energy level was not good going into the last race of the day and I was feeling pretty spent. My goal was to just hang on and finish the next race. The race ended up being a grueling test of skill and endurance as the conditions just kept getting worse. We started in winds in the mid-twenties and I was in full survive mode... again. As I got on my final approach to the starting line, my position was shaping up to be pretty good. I noticed that I was starting right next to the regatta leader Brett Beyers from Australia. Brett is a 7-time world champion and arguable the fastest guy at this regatta. My start line strategy was once the starting gun goes off, he'll be moving so fast.. the bad air from his sail would be minimal as he drove over me quickly. Well.. it didn't quite work out that way.. Brett eventually did move to the front and lead from start to finish. But to my surprise (and my tried legs protest..) I moved up too into the lead group! Force by circumstance to play full out, I finished a respectable 12th at the finish. I was so exhausted I didn't think I could make the sail in but the thought of a hot shower and the layday ahead got me in safely. No sailing tomorrow.. more racing on Thursday! Peter

Be Fit or Go Home...

The San Francisco Bay issued a fierce warning yesterday... "Be fit or I'll send you packing." By the time I sailed out to the starting area it was a solid 22 knots of wind and building. "Fire hose conditions" in a laser. It was spray hitting you continuously in the face with the tops of the wave breaking off and adding to the drenching. Lucky from my pre-regatta intel I'm properly dressed and I'm relatively warm under my full winter sailing gear. The winds peaked for our races just under 30 knots and body is feeling every bit of it today. My regatta scores for four races (14-21-17-20) are starting to average out to the 16-20 spot but I think there's a lot of potential to improve. I haven't sailed my perfect race yet.. "perfect" is maybe not the right word... "complete race" is a better term to describe this experience. Breaking into the top ten should be achievable. Coming off a full broken collarbone just last September, my goals are to be competitive try to stay in the top twenty. I'm just achieving that now. But we are only approaching the 1/3 mark of the twelve race series. With a 2pm start each day, I got plenty of time each morning to go to leisurely breakfast on Chestnut Street. Organize my gear, repair or change any tweaks on the boat. Even watch a little of the morning group race out on the course. Today looks to be sunny with the forecast of maybe just a little less wind. I'm learning a ton about race in San Francisco with all it complicated tide changes and handling my laser in mid-twentys conditions. Tomorrow is our layday which means "rest day" and I know every master sailor is looking forward to that. More on my LMW adventure tonight.. Peter