Light (air) in Qingdao

Light (air) in Qingdao.
One of the most, if not the most, controversial sailing Olympics ever. Qingdao has become a sailing challenge for all the classes, not only for the mere fact of racing at the highest level in the world, but also for the local conditions as well: light airs have been the everyday deal, not to mention the proliferation of the algae, which has made it really hard for the organizers (kudos for their efforts!). Now, these conditions are showing something more than just weather and sailing skills. Our beloved sport is already struggling when we compare it to other disciplines where media coverage and fan action is as important as the competition itself, that is why boats are improving in design and becoming more demanding to the sailors, but Qingdao is not going to make it easy for anybody. Having an average wind speed of 7 knots, you don't see wild 49ers planning, capsizing or just smoking upwind; the RSX Formula has become an endurance race instead of a regatta where competitors are just looking for high pressure spots on the water and pumping as much as they can to gain that little extra speed, it has definitively being really hard on them. These are good news for three Tornado teams, though. With a new Code Zero designed to get advantage of the light winds of Qingdao, the teams from USA, Australia and Netherlands are calling the attention of competitors and fans, not all are nice comments. This will be a test field for these pioneers, some say they are breaking the rules....we don't think so. Picture courtesy of the Tornado International Class Association.

Coaching in Texas....during summer!

Ok, today was one of the windiest and warmest days of the Texan summer, we saw temperatures of 106 F in Lake Texoma, but still we had some decent wind and was good enough for a 3 hour sail practice. This time Course Racing went to the water on Cayenne, a Hunter 35 based at Cedar Mills Yacht Club, owned by David Bouschor, renowned Lawyer in North Texas (www.dsblegal.com ) and Roy Anderson, of the succesfull accounting firm Anderson-Spector (www.andersonspector.com). These two gentlemen have been putting a crew together for quite sometime now and they are certainly making their way thru the race course. Even though there are still many steps to follow ( I think on sailing there is never enough), the crew coordination is improving and the maneuvers are getting better and better, so keeping the pace of the practice sessions will be key to achieve the desired results on the water. Our main goal today was to improve cockpit work during the "off the wind" boat handling. Trimmers have set their task very clearly and now the once crowded and messy cockpit, is becoming a place where all the lines are running at the right time at the right speed. I must say that one of the best achievements of today's practice was the fact of realizing how important is the helmsperson during the jibe, since on a sailboat like the Hunter 35, where the technique to apply is the "dip pole jibe", the steering must be carefully made, since is the driver who helps keep the Spinnaker full will the foredeck crew reconnect the pole to the new side. Kudos's to the crew of Cayenne and let's keep up with the hard work.