Aus Nationals Day 1

So the first day of Australian moth nationals has come and gone (Let me apologize for the USA biased view for any internationals that read this). It started with the invitation race and finished with the first race of the series. For the start of the invitation race it was blowing around 25 knots I was set up to win the boat but pulled the trigger a little too early and ended up rounding up into a near capsize. Came off the line in around 10th, after about 2 min of starboard tacked out with Nathan (49er world champion) and charged off to the right. By the time Nathan and I got to starboard tack layline we were comfortably in the lead. Nathan led around the top mark with myself in second. The offset leg was in the "death zone" and I capsized trying to avoid the offset mark, dropping me back to around 7th. Had a decent run and a good beat, I tacked up the middle to round in third at the second windward mark, with Dave Lister and Nathan in front of me. At the bottom mark most of the others and I opted to save energy and not do the last lap leaving Nathan to win comfortably with Dave in second followed by Andrew Brown from New Zealand.



Race 1:



I opted for a pin end start being able to put the bow down and let the boat rip, after about a minute the rest of the fleet started to sheer off in a righty and I tacked taking four sterns. After about 1 minute on port I found and even bigger right shift and tacked back crossing all the boats that had gone straight. After I had crossed most of the bows of the boats that had gone left the righty had started to diminish so I led the fleet back to the right looking for more shift and pressure. The same right pressure came in again and Nathan and I tacked back to consolidate with the boats that were coming in strong out of the left. Simon Payne and John Harris being the two lead boats from that side of the course. After crossing the two leaders from the left I tacked again and lead when we all tacked back onto starboard on layline (this is the first time I tacked 6 times up a beat on a moth and was still in the lead), having a comfortable lead. With a couple hundred-yard lead going down the run I opted to gybe out before hitting a lull trying to avoid a hole. This was a mistake allowing Simon Payne to catch up in his new Mach 2, on my final gybe to leeward mark two camber inducers came off the mast (SH*T!@!!,curse of Charlie) rounding simultainously with Simon around the left gate heading to the right side. I tacked off early hoping the right shift that we rounded in would come back up the beat. Partly due to two cams that had come off the mast and partly due to a persistent shift Simon and the other boats that went further right were gaining. After a little lefty I tried to come back and crossed Simon then tacked again to cover. Unfortunately the right came in again hard and with 50 yards of leverage Simon turned it into a 100-yard lead. At the second top mark the order was Simon, myself, and Nathan. That was the way it would stay down the run with everyone gybing at the top mark laying the gate. After the gate Simon and I tacked simultainously. Simon being 100 yards to the right of me we were both laying the weather mark we both put the bow down to maximize VMG to the mark. Simon got a little more right shear and was able to basically one tack the beat. Nathan and I who tacked shy looked for a little lefty to come back on and get in-front of the other boats who went hard right. We both finally found one that lasted for around 20 seconds, which was enough to get us up onto layline. I tried to tack underneath a "fan" and promptly capsized Nathan went two boat lengths into the right pressure and pulled his tack to take second at the last windward mark. At the last weather mark the order was Simon, Nathan, Scott, John, Dave, and myself. Scott tried to gybe away from a hole going down the run, which gave me a passing lane. At the finish it was Simon, Nathan, Dave, myself, and Scott. Congrats to Simon and Amac for winning the first race out of the box, I should have made it a little harder for them, c’est la vie.



This is a tricky place to sail and I feel like I have let down the USAF star that I have put on the boat. Tomorrow is another day and we are scheduled for 3 races though the forecast does not look that good. I miss the USA so much, I am fully homesick. Wish there were more of you here to help the fight....





Bora

For Simon

If a picture is is worth 1000 words this is a really long post. This is for you dear room mate, may it cause you nightmares

Black Rock

Black Rock is now my favorite place to sail outside the USA (Cascade Locks tops the list). The Combination of wind, sun, beach goers, Black Rock Cafe, Black Rock YC, The friendly members, I could go on but the only thing that is a negative is the stupid flies that feel like being in-between my sunglasses and my eyes.  I been sailing every day and doing my part to stimulate the moth equipment suppliers in the troubling financial time.

It's a Revolution

No I am not talking about Doug Lord.  Since I purchased my cameras many friends have asked what I was using and subsequently bought the same camera's.  George Peet has yet to produce something but here is the first footage from John Harper.  My dentist and the fastest dentist in the world.  If he would have shown me this before I went to Sydney I would have been very torn on whether or not to get on the jumbo and head south. 

To think I could be doing that versus this

DN Worlds will be somewhere relatively close to home a month after I get back from AUS moth nationals.  As Harper would say  "Think Ice!"

Pimping Moth Videos

Well somehow the wise U.A.E has been able to censor the voice of the moth world there.  But with a little collaboration they have not been able to silence him.  This is his first video after the critically acclaimed "Vlog" series and I do think he has made some dramatic improvements. :)

Enjoy unless you are epileptic.  I probably would not watch the video then 

"Play my Game"

by

Figjam

Oh yeah just in case you missed it here was my first edited video with the new cameras.

"A Day in the Harbor"

SIRs Report

Charlie McKee, [16 year-old] Hans Henken, and I traveled to Sydney for this event – it was the first chance for the US fleet to check in since the Weymouth World Champs.

Day 1: I ended up with way too good of a start in the first race – after 30 seconds I was a hundred yards ahead of the fleet, and the scariest boat in the harbor – the Manly Ferry – was inbound at 23 knots. Sydney Harbor gives right-of-way to these ferries, and their unwillingness to turn away from a sailboat is legendary. I got across his bow, and found three marks in the water that could have been a weather mark. I chose poorly, and took every boat in the fleet but Charlie and Scott Babbage with me – we all were DNF. Race 2 wasn't much better. Another good start, duking it out with Scott for the first three laps and putting some distance on him by the fourth. I lost count and sailed a fifth lap – this time only bringing four boats with me. Again Charlie got it right, crossed the finish line, and took the bullet. I went across in second – after sailing the extra lap!

So my realizations after day one: I might be color blind, and I have a hard time counting to four. In my defense, racing on Sydney Harbor in a Southerly is effectively like having a race course across a freeway. Between dodging 49ers, ferries, and tour boats that try to make you capsize, counting was pretty low on the priority list.

Day 2: Race 3 gave us a morning start in a dying Westerly. Charlie had a bad feeling about it, and he was right. They started a race and the ultra-lightweight mothies flew away with Scott, Hans, and Mathew Day finishing relatively fast in the fading breeze, the rest of is eating DNFs when the time limit expired. Race 4 added the Lasers, and the course was like a crowded market. The Southerly had fully come in by this point, the RC taking almost 2 hours to anchor in the stiff breeze. The Lasers had no idea of the issues skiffs and moths have moving around a mine field of them at 20 knots, and one Laser got speared by a 49er. I probably didn't do much for the goodwill of the moth fleet by shooing them away as they constantly came up and tacked 4 feet to leeward. Eventually the race started, but mass confusion meant only 5 moths actually on the line at the start. Scott and John had sailed in the go race their 18-footer “Rag and Famish” and I don't know where everyone else was. Charlie, Rob Gough and I had a good battle with Rob winning. I had a capsize after trying to dodge a “Rag and Famish” spectator boat that was inside our course.

Day 3: Another full-on Southerly, but post-weekend meant very little traffic. I could stretch my legs, and I led from wire to wire in 20 knots. On race 6, Dave Lister was pressuring me down the run when my foils ventilated and wiped me out right in front of him. I almost caught him in the end, but he took the bullet – he is extremely quick in the breeze. I finally put a race together without any big mistakes and took the bullet in Race 7 for a 1-2-1 day, 11 points out of first.

Day 4: Scott got a great start while I got rolled, and he took a strong lead to the favored side. After one lap I ran him down and led for the next lap and half, when I found a big hole. Charlie caught and sailed through me to leeward, and the order at the gate - Charlie, me, Scott - was how we finished. This effectively sealed my fate in third - making up 12 points on Charlie and 10 on Scott would be next to impossible without a major piece of luck. Then World Champ John Harris turned it on – getting into form to lead Race 10 up the favored side. Scott held onto second with Charlie third. After the race, Charlie and Scott realized that whoever beat the other in the last race would probably take the regatta – the stage was set for the final race. Everyone got a good start, with Scott and John heading hard left while I tacked up the middle to stay away from the Manly Ferry. Charlie shipped it hard to the right, and on his way back I tacked safely to leeward of him, comfortably on layline. Scott came from the left without avoiding me and over I went. I righted my boat and worked my way back up to third, while Scott's penalty turn took him back in the pack. Charlie finished a safe fourth place, winning him the regatta – with Scott in second and me and Hans rounding out the top four.

Overall it was a sweet result for Team USA - I don't think any of us imagined owning 3 of the top 4 spots at this regatta, but it was only our teamwork that made it possible. Charlie and Hans are staying in Melbourne to keep sailing, while my services were required in Hawaii, building a deck with my father and spending Christmas with the family. I'll be back in Australia for the big event – the Australian Nationals – where former World Champ Si Payne and designer Andrew “Amac” Macdougal will be in town on the new Mach 2. There are even rumors that Rohan Veal will be there, which would mean the three most recent World Champs on the water, making this the most contested Moth regatta in recent memory. 
-Bora

First day in Sydney

Well I had lots of action yesterday rigged two boats, had two sessions had a photog ask for some of my time I think it was mainly do to my color cordinated sail and boat.  Took some video that already has given some good footage of what is happening with the foils going through the water.

Tonight I will try to put together my first full length feature as Bruce and Luka called it.

Here is a picture of the color matched boat and sail.  Always liked a red boat.