The usual end of regatta time warp swallowed us at the conclusion of the Sail for Gold Regatta in Weymouth.  We are both home, our van and boat are in a container bound for Miami, and the seeds of our next few months’ training are sown.  We finished the event in 20th position, which maintains our position of 18th ranked in the world.  While we wish we could have done better, we know we had some great races and we learned a great deal about the Olympic waters and about what we need to continue to improve upon.

Our starts were great all week, save one or two.  We also had tremendous upwind boat-speed.  We still need to work on laylines, both upwind and downwind, and mark roundings.  The corners are where many points can be won and lost in the highspeed game of 49er racing.  We need to work on gleaning that extra quarter knot out of the boat that will put us just ahead of the boat we are fighting off or that was just ahead of us before arriving at the mark.  When the boats slow down to put the spinnaker up or down, the ones that slow down the least, for the shortest amount of time and go the right way will make gains every time.  That is where we can still make the greatest gains, and much of where we will focus in the coming months.

Packing up in Weymouth was a mammoth exercise in logistical planning.  Not only need we send our boat, van, and much of our gear home in a container bound for Miami, we also had to keep our other training in mind.  We are scheduled to go to Australia for 45 days between November and December, and we are also going to make a training trip to Kiel, Germany in October.  Therefore, we sent gear to both these destinations as well.  I am sure we never would have been able to pull it all off a year ago, but time has a way of making such things seem far more manageable!

We will take a few weeks to decompress after the final regatta of the summer before delving into the training that we believe will lay some of the last bricks we need to accomplish our goals.  The offseason is when real progress can be made, and we intend to make the most of it.

Thanks to all of our supporters, many of whom we had the chance to meet again over the past couple of months.  We hope to continue to meet many of you.  Please don’t hesitate to contact us.  We enjoy being able to share our experiences and aspirations.  Also, as always, thanks to the US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics and their supporters and sponsors. 

It was a weird and wacky day of sailing on Weymouth Bay today.  The breeze ranged through fifty degrees and went from 8 to 20 knots all while we were racing.  We managed a 15-9-15 in the very tight gold fleet racing, keeping us in 17th overall.

The breeze made for difficult racing in an already difficult fleet.  We had good starts in both the first and second races.  In the second race, we executed a very good “port tack ducking start,” which is something we have been working on.  That type of start is most utilized when the pin end is favored and the right side of the course on the first upwind leg is favored.  The idea is to start on port behind the fleet and shoot out going towards the right side with a clear lane.  Having to do one less tack makes it even more worthwhile.  It is all about timing, and we hit it perfectly.  We found our way to the top of the beat in the top ten, and held on around the racecourse.  The third start did not go as well, but we were able to fight our way back and get a decent finish.

Tomorrow is the final day of gold fleet racing before the medal race on Saturday.  We hope to put up a few more good scores and see where that gets us, though the medal race is probably a stretch at this stage.  

Thanks to all of our supporters, and to the US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics.

What a Day!  We went on the water in the afternoon for just two races.  We developed a game plan, got off the starting line, and followed our strategy.  Our upwind boat-speed was great again, and we put it good use!  We scored an 8 in the first race and won the second one!  The nine-point day was good enough to put us in 17th overall and into gold fleet!

In the first race we had a fair start, but we were forced to tack out sooner that we had hoped.  We took a clearing tack, but we stayed true to our game plan and tacked back to the left soon thereafter.  We found ourselves in 6th at the first mark.  The second upwind leg was very similar to the first, and we stayed in the same position.  We didn’t have a great spinnaker set, and two boats passed us on the final downwind leg. 
We finished eighth, which is definitely a keeper!

The second race was set up just like the first race.  We won the pin and went to the left, near the layline.  We tacked and made one small duck to go towards the weather mark.  We were first from the top mark, and we continued to extend around the course. The finish couldn’t come soon enough though, and we didn’t stop pushing until we heard the horn and crossed the line.  It was exhilarating to get a race win!

Tomorrow is the start of the final series.  We are sitting in 17th now, and we hope to improve upon that in the top-25 boat gold fleet racing to be held over the next two days.  Six races are scheduled before the medal race, more than enough to make a jump in the standings.  Results can be found on the regatta website, here.

Thanks to all of our sponsors and supporters, including the US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics.

Stay tuned for more exciting news from Weymouth!

We went into day two of the Sail for Gold knowing we would need to perform to make a move up the standings after our difficulties on day one.  It is a long regatta, but there are only so many races before final series racing begins.  The schedule is for nine races over the first three days before the top 25 are seeded into gold fleet.

The first race was light, and we had another good start and we were fast upwind.  We found ourselves in second at the top mark.  We had a small hiccup at the spinnaker set, but held on to get 6th in the race.  We were happy to put up the kind of score we know we are capable of.   It was all about avoiding the big mistakes, just like we discovered yesterday. 

The second race saw the breeze pick up quickly.  We were caught a bit overpowered, but were still able to round the first weather mark in the top ten.  The breeze shifted hard right, and we had to put a gybe in soon after the weather mark in order to avoid over-standing at the leeward mark.  With the breeze up and the waves coming in off the English Channel, we made a poorly positioned gybe and capsized.  We saw the fleet pull away from us as we fought to get the boat upright as quickly as possible.  We finally got going again, just in time to be close to last place.  We kept racing hard, and we were rewarded.  The breeze built more, and the waves got bigger.  We passed five or six boats that capsized while trying to bear away at the windward mark.  A few more boats capsized during the gybe.  A few more gybed too late and were forced to take the spinnaker down early and reach to the finish with the jib only.  We ended up 13th in the race!  It goes to show you; never stop racing!

The breeze continued to build, and the race committee sent us to shore after only two of three scheduled races were sailed.  The other qualifying group got no racing in, and so we will have to wait in the morning for those races to be completed before the fleet is split and the remainder of the qualifying races can be sailed.  No matter what, we will have to perform again to make it into gold fleet. 

We are still happy with our starts, our speed, and most of our boat-handling.  It is reassuring to see how commonplace it is for us to make it to the first mark in the top ten.  Now we need to iron out the little details so that we can stay there and move up in each race.  We are very close to a breakthrough.

Thanks to all of our supporters, donors, sponsors, and the US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics!

Check results at the regatta website here.

Stay tuned for more from Weymouth!   

We were fast.  We had good starts.  We sailed the boat well 98% of the time in our first three races of qualifying on day one of the Sail for Gold Regatta here in Weymouth.  The problem was that the other 2% of
the time led to some major losses.  Luckily it was only three races in a long series.

We were over the line early under a black flag in the first race.  We found out after crossing the finish line that our sixth would become a BFD (last + 1).  In the second race, one stumble near the leeward gate mark made us foul another boat, forcing us to do a penalty turn.  By fighting back through the fleet we were able to finish 16th.  In the final race, we were once again doing well up the first beat.  We missed out on the final shift, however, and found ourselves clawing back again.  We finished in 19th in the thirty-boat fleet.  We are currently in 47th.  There is lots of racing to go, and we are ready to put today’s mishaps behind us. 

A day like today reminds us that the important thing is to simply avoid the big mistakes.  It was a shifty, puffy day.  No one sailed a perfect race.  As our coach Rigo put it, we must strive for perfection in practice and excellence in racing.  Getting past mistakes in a single race and throughout a regatta is what separates the best from everyone else. 

Thanks to all of our supporters, sponsors, and to the US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics.

More to come tomorrow!  The forecast is for big breeze, so stay tuned!

We’ve had four great days of training followed by two days of recovery, and we are ready for the Sail for Gold Regatta to begin.  This is the last stop on the World Cup, and our final chance to race on the Olympic waters before the first portion of our trials next June!  We are very excited to take this opportunity to put forth a good result, but more importantly to learn as much as we can about this ever-changing venue. 


We’ve seen a bit of everything in our training since being here.  We’ve had breeze in excess of 25 knots on more than one occasion, and the lightest we’ve sailed in was around 8 knots.  We truly must prepare ourselves for anything!  The forecast predicts the typical southwesterly seabreeze of around 15 knots dominating the week, with the chance of a front moving through with some more breeze on Tuesday.  No matter what, the racing on the 49er course will be exciting.

All the best in the world are here for this regatta held at the same time of year as the Olympics are scheduled for in August of 2012.  Sixty boats are registered.  The fleet will be split in two qualifying divisions for three days, reseeded each night, and then there will be a final series for two days before the medal race on Saturday.  As usual, gold fleet will be the top 25 after the first three days of qualifying series racing.  We aim to sail as many races against the best as possible! 

Stay tuned for updates throughout the week!  We will be updating our website with reports after each day’s racing here.  Also, there will be results, photos, and videos on the regatta website here. 

Thanks once again to all of our supporters, donors, sponsors, and the US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics!   It is amazing to think how far we have come since competing here in Weymouth for the first time just under a year ago.  None of it would be possible without all the support we have received from so many individuals.  Thank you!

We had an uneventful trip to Weymouth on Sunday, allowing us to rig up and be on the water Monday morning.  It’s nice to be able to fly direct!  Of course, Weymouth is a bit off the beaten path once in London, but we’re used to that by now.  We are very excited for a few days of training before the regatta, which begins next Monday. 

Having seen so many of our friends, family, and supporters while we were home was truly rewarding.  Thanks to everyone who came out to support us at Centerport Yacht Club on Wednesday, July 28.  It was an incredible day and night.  We were very happy to get to work with the sailors in the junior program, and I think they enjoyed the chance to see a 49er! 

Thanks also to everyone who came to the US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics event at American Yacht Club, and the USSTAG Golden Spinnaker Regatta and Gala at New York Yacht Club’s Harbor Court in Newport.  We were glad for the opportunity to get to participate in both events.  It is very encouraging and rewarding to see the level of support for the team and for us among sailors across the country!

We will train for three more days in Weymouth before measurement and registration.  Stay tuned for more updates as the regatta draws nearer.

It’s been a couple of weeks since we’ve returned home after the European Championship earlier this month.  It is imperative to get some time away from the boat, the van, Europe, and each other after a high-stress, month-long trip such as the last one.  We have sufficiently winded down, and we are ready to get back in action at the Sail for Gold Regatta in Weymouth in just a couple of weeks!  First, though, we will make an appearance at Erik’s hometown Centerport Yacht Club this Wednesday, July 28. 

We are especially excited to have the chance to work with the junior program at Centerport Yacht Club, where Erik got his start in the sport 18 years ago.  After guest coaching during the day, we will have a chance to show off the incredible boat that we sail.  Our 49er will be rigged up on the lawn for all to see.  For anyone who wants to know what the most high performance, fastest boat in the Olympic Games is like, this is a can’t miss!

As outlined in the announcement below, there will be two sittings for a barbecue dinner and presentation.  Come find out what it takes to campaign for the Olympics from the top 49er team in the US!  All are invited.  Please RSVP to clubmgr@optonline.net.

Boat preparation, on-water training, physical conditioning, tune-up events, sports psychology; all are important keys to success in this Olympic Sailing game.  Health of the crew, however, can trump all.  Trevor has been fighting an illness since the first day of the event.  After fighting through the first four days of racing, he had nothing left in his tank.  The bronchitis (as diagnosed by his Polish doctor) finally took its toll and kept us from getting on the water.  We missed three light air races, giving us some time to reflect on the past month we’ve spent in Europe.


We have made some huge strides in our time here.  We’ve won races, posted consistent scores in most, and avoided big mistakes, for the most part.  Eighteen months into this campaign, we have narrowed down our to-do list immensely.  We are scheduling our next year of training right now, and while we have plenty to do, our goal of qualifying for and medaling in the 2012 Olympics is a definitively surmountable task.

Of course, we need to stay healthy.  With my injury in Palma and Trevor’s illness here, our short campaign has had plenty of experience with unexpected setbacks.  We will continue to work out, travel, sail virtually nonstop, and take rest when necessary.  It is a delicate balance we must find.  If we overwork ourselves, we may get injured, sick, or mentally exhausted.  If we don’t train enough or effectively, we will be left behind the curve.  The 49er fleet, as all Olympic classes, is advancing at a tremendous rate.  The level continues to rise, and we must rise along with it and then some to get to where we want to be. 

There is one more race scheduled for Gold Fleet before the medal race.  We will see how Trevor feels.  Whether we sail or not, this trip and regatta has been successful.  We have made some great headway, and we cannot wait for the Sail for Gold Regatta in Weymouth in August.

Thanks to everyone for your support and encouragement.

Erik
Storck Moore Sailing

We were on the water for nearly six hours as the race committee fought to get ahead of schedule in the final series.  The wind began much like the past two days, but quickly died out.  Shortly after dying, a new onshore breeze filled in and built to near 20 knots.  The biggest difference now was the waves, which became hazardous.

We had four decent races, and we are now in 20th overall.  It was not our best day, but we are happy to have gained some invaluable experience in conditions that we will surely see more of in the future.  We scored a 16-21-OCS-12 in the 25-boat gold fleet.  Often in the race, we lost a few boats at the very end of our downwind legs, both going into the gate marks and before the finish.  It is crucial to keep the boat fast at these times, but tempting to ease up and “soak” down at the end.  We did have a solid race when we were OCS, and we can now say that we have had one.  It’s important to push it! 

We are very tired after an incredibly long day, but we will be ready for more come Friday.  Four races remain before the medal race, and we intend to make the most of them. 

The results are posted here.  Also, there are video highlights of each day’s racing going up here. 

Thanks to all of our supporters, and thanks to the US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics. 

Stay Tuned!

Erik
Storck Moore Sailing