Spun OUT!

The song for yesterday is "You spin my head right round".



Here it was finally, race day. An event I had been waiting for for 18 months! (Couldn't make the ECWF 09 in June due to certain circumstances). The forecast called for the wind to spin up throughout the day, which would bad for me considering my jibing situation as chronicled ad nauseum here. I decided to get to the beach (West Neck - near where I grew up and we would be sailing in Cold Spring Harbor where I first learned to sail when I was 8, so I'd have an advantage, right? NOT) early to get rigged and maybe spend a little time on the water before the racing. The skipper's meeting was scheduled for 10 AM and first race at 10:30, so I got to ol' WN at around quarter after 8.

Happiness! The wind around this time was light so maybe there would be time to get one course race in before the wind really showed up, or maybe the forecast was wrong and the wind wouldn't arrive until much later. So, I rigged up the 7.5 and the 6.9. First mistake here. As Andy said at the race clinic a couple of weeks ago, make sure you do what you always do. I have learned, and re-learned, this lesson many, many times in the past, but I feel like I make this mistake too often on the day of a competition (of any kind). I hadn't used this 6.9 since the late spring. I forgot that the mast I use for it is the same one I use for the 7.5. So, I had to use the 490 mast for the 7.5 (never rigged on that mast before), so I could rig the 6.9. Anyway, got it rigged and went out for a sail on the Pacer with the 7.5. Tried to plane, not yet, so put the board down, masttrack forward, and went upwind. Felt good, a couple tacks, ready for racing. Then, fell on both jibes. WHAT?? I never fall when I jibe the Pacer, what the heck?

Came in. Hopefully I'd work out the jibe problems during the first course race. But then, the skipper's meeting got delayed and delayed. I was annoyed. But, to the race director's credit, I am sure that he was waiting for the wind that he and ALL the OTHER windsurfers knew would provide for awesome slalom racing. Just not for me. Well, the wind finally did spin up and for the first 3 races, I figured the 133 board and 6.9 sail would be a fast combo.  And it was. I'd do my best to hang on.  Problem is, the sailor has more to do with speed than the equipment. Before the first race, I sailed the course. Got to the mark, got around it without falling but had to uphaul, sailed back to beach, no problem, I can do this.

First race starts. Oh, I'm doing okay, not last. Catching up a bit. (I always start last when they do these starts where you have to run in to the water carrying your gear. The others run. I walk. Wet rocks and everything. Don't want to slip. Wish we could start already in the water). Anyway, almost halfway across, still up. Picking up speed. Looking back to see who's behind me. Dooosh. Catapault. Now, I am in last. Get up, sail to mark. Carnage at mark. Good, maybe I can pass a couple people. Go into jibe. Doooosh. Get up. Ok, just finish. Halfway back, can't get into harness lines on port jibe. Line is twisted. I hardly ever use this boom because of this. Need to get new harness lines (Ordered 'em already). Dooosh. Catapault again.

The next race went a bit better, but still couldn't get hooked in on port jibe. The 3rd race started out to be my best. Was flying, moved up into the main pack by the mark, so I do have the speed.  Even passed Bob M. on this leg, who finished like 5th overall or something for the whole event, but then, he can jibe. Then, doooosh, at the mark. Got up, and sailed back not harnessed in, but at least finished. I was finished. Three runs across the bay without harness with 6.9 in almost 20 knot winds, too much for me. So, I watched and rested. Man, some of these guys (and gals) are fast. Sasha's wife was amazingly fast. Third in one race.

However, did meet some nice people. Ned C, who was the second one who showed up, came from the Hudson Valley and is a super stoked older windsurfer like myself. His wife seemed nice too. ( Might want to get one of those for myself sometime in the not so distant future.)

It was a nice sailing day, so I rigged up the 6.3 and went out on the 133 for a couple runs. Then on the 102 the rest of the day. But, I was tired from the non-harness runs, so gave it up after a while. The wind kept spinning up and the 6.3 was a bit much at times, but it was fun. Almost, but didn't quite make a jibe all day. Need to change mind set on this and try something else, like switching feet after rotating sail. Need to watch Peter Hart alot again.

Lesson: Don't try to race on equipment you are unfamiliar with. Murphy's Law will always catch up with you. On my trial run, I was able to get hooked in on port jibe, but during the actual races was not able to hook in port. That harness line is seriously kinked/twisted. Never using that manufacturer again. My other harness lines just ALWAYS hang straight, so ordered another set of those.

Problem: Spin out. The last few times I have gone sailing, I have been having this problem. Am I pushing on the fin too hard? I know spin out is caused by air mixing into the flow around the fin and disturbing it and causing ventilation/cavitation which then cause the fin to be surrounded by air and it loses "grip" and the board goes sideways. But, why is that happening to me? Different boards, different sails, different fins. Obviously, I am not doing something right. I need some guidance here.

Feeling good about:
 1. The fact that I am now going fast enough where this stuff happens. Also, I am (more and more) going fast enough that I can feel myself skimming along the tops of waves and just going fast. Too much fun.

2. This was, after all, my first attempt at a real planing slalom race. I managed to finish ahead of 3 people for the event. (No idea how that happened.) So, nowhere to go but up. It is really cool and fun, just need to relax and just sail.

Well, that's my story, if anyone has any thoughts as to why I am spinning out so much, please let me know, I'd like to hear them. I think I might try discussing this with Peter Hart too. I think he has a section on this on his DVD.

Till the next time (which might not be for a while)