Erik Storck Articles
It’s been a crazy week in Hyeres, as shown by our posts thus far. We put up two great races (1,7) today in some lighter conditions and in silver fleet. We did not sail the third and fourth races. Trevor has been dealing with a shoulder injury since last September, and it has flared up a bit in the past month or so. We are taking the necessary steps now to make certain that he will be in top shape for the Olympics. Today, that meant not going back out after being sent in to race in two more races in more wind. Tomorrow Trevor will be flyi...
For the first time in a long time, we are going into silver fleet at a World Cup event. Obviously, this is not where we want to be. We are not concerned for the long term, though, as we are confident we can continue to learn from our mistakes and improve. Where we are now does not take away where we have been and where we know we can be in three months. Today was another short day here in Hyeres. The race committee did send the first fleet to the water for a 9 AM start, and we went shortly thereafter for one race. We made it to the top mark in...
The breeze was lighter than yesterday, and lighter than forecast. It generally died throughout the day, and we were out of phase from the start. We put up a 13-17-19 in tricky sailing conditions, and we made some mistakes that we know we should not at this point. Our downwind legs were very good, as we passed boats on nearly every one. Upwind, however, we struggled with fleet positioning, and we did not get off the starting line as well as we could have. Overall, it will be on to the next day as we continue to iron out all the details. Tomorro...
It was a wild and windy day one here in Hyeres, France at the French Olympic Sailing Week. We went to the water on time for our 11 AM start in a quickly building Mistral breeze, which is the local windy offshore breeze here in the French Mediterranean. It was up to 17 to 24 knots by the time we were halfway up the first beat, and the chop was steep! Racing in those conditions in a 49er is on the edge, especially when the chop is as short and steep as it was. Upwind is fine, as long as the boat is set up for it, but downwind is akin to riding a...
Numerous people unfamiliar with Olympic Sailing have asked us, “now that you’ve qualified for the Games, what are you going to do?” The stock answer is “the same thing we’ve been doing the past four years, namely training and competing in more regattas.” As our High Performance Director of the US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics, Kenneth Andreasen, has told us multiple times, there is only one regatta this year; the Olympics. The Princess Sofia Trophy here in Palma was a success because we got back in the boat and...
We had to execute, and we did. It feels great to have had our backs against the wall and deliver three solid races. We scored a 9-2-4, moving us back up to 10th place and comfortably into gold fleet. Today was especially rewarding because it was very similar to yesterday in a number of ways. The ability to hold a lane on starboard off the starting line was paramount. What we had such difficulty doing yesterday we were able to accomplish with much better efficiency today. In the first start, we found ourselves tacking out and chasing the left p...
It was one of those days we wish we could have back. We put up a 24-5-25, and we dropped to 22nd overall in the standings. It was a shifty, puffy day, and we found ourselves clawing from behind in a couple of races. In the end, there just wasn’t enough racecourse to dig ourselves out. It is difficult to find the positive on a day like today. Perhaps the best thing we can glean from the day is that the date is April 3rd, not August 3rd. We still have four months to address the final issues as we lead up to the Olympics. The other positive...
It was one of those days we wish we could have back. We put up a 24-5-25, and we dropped to 22nd overall in the standings. It was a shifty, puffy day, and we found ourselves clawing from behind in a couple of races. In the end, there just wasn’t enough racecourse to dig ourselves out. It is difficult to find the positive on a day like today. Perhaps the best thing we can glean from the day is that the date is April 3rd, not August 3rd. We still have four months to address the final issues as we lead up to the Olympics. The other positive...
It was a tough day of sailing here on day one of the Princess Sofia Trophy. We were forced to wait for wind, but it filled in and both 49er fleets had three races. We posted a solid 11-3-8, putting us in 8th place in the 80-boat fleet. The wind was about 5-10 knots, and there was a good amount of chop as we were so close to the shore. In a 40-boat fleet like we raced in today, there are plenty of tight situations. In our third and final race, we found ourselves in more than our fair share. We had a run-in with a French boat before the start an...
It’s been a crazy week and a half, but we are on the water in Palma getting ready for the first European stop on the 2012 ISAF World Cup Circuit. Logistical nightmares generally plague an Olympic campaign, and I’m glad we’re four years into this lest we be unprepared. The most important thing is that we are back on the water and feeling good with a few days to go before the Princess Sofia Trophy. Coach Dave Hughes and I flew to London last Tuesday night on the redeye. We were scheduled to take an overnight ferry from Barcelon...