 |
|
 |
Racers on the Road RVYC Sailors with blogs... MIKE LEIGH Laser, CAN 188818 ABE TORCHINSKY Laser, CAN 192288 ISABELLA BERTOLD Radial, CAN 182662 KEAMIA RASA Radial, CAN 187383 ZAC PLAVSIC RS:X, CAN 33 Road Report: Last day of racing - French Olympic Sailing Week Racing was scheduled to start at 11am but due to no wind, and then very unstable winds, we were postponed onshore until 3:30pm. Finally, us girls got off a start close to 5pm after 2 general recalls. The wind was quite light - anywhere between 4-6 knots. My plan was to start near the pin end of the line, which was favoured but also super crowded. I ended up tacking onto port within 30 seconds to go, fought hard to keep my place and had a perfect start. Up the first beat I was in the leading bunch, but when the wind continued to shift to the left, a few girls were able to pass me on the inside. I rounded the top mark in 8th. Through out the race I was able to keep my position for the most part, I only lost one girl on a reach as she went low (which I didn't think was going to be to her advantage) and another on a run (Chinese silver medalist in Athens) to finish 10th - which I am very happy with. It is my first time that I have finished top 10 in a World Cup Grade 1 event in these conditions. I thought that the 10th place would pull me up in the standings a bit, but with the points so close and it just happened that the girls I was around in the standings also had a good final race, I only moved up one place to 22nd overall. I was 33 points out of the top 10, which when I look back at my races could have been attainable. For my first regatta of the season, I am stoked with my result and will continue to push forward for the upcoming regatta, the European Championships. The European Championships are in Brest, France starting May 1-10. I will be driving there in the morning. Thank you for your support and e-mails! Nikola Day 4 (April 23) Although the forecast for today was strong winds, it started off glassy. Slowly the wind filled in a bit, but too inconsistent to start racing for us so were postponed onshore for over an hour. We were finally sent out, only to wait around some more. The wind was between 3-7 knots. They tried to start the men's fleet several times before they got an actual start off due to the shifting winds etc. About 10 minutes into the guys upwind, the race was called off cause the wind switched 90 degrees. We were all sent back to the beach to wait some more. After another hour, we got sent back out again, this time the breeze had filled in nicely and we were actually planing - between 10-13 knots. Before our race we were fully planing and I thought the wind was here to stay. I had made a few sail adjustments which would be better for the wind, but then within our start sequence the wind lightened off and it stayed marginal railing conditions (7-10 knots). I won the first start of race one. I started at the committee boat and tacked right away onto port, I was in the top 5 coming into the last 100 ms to the top mark. I wasn't going very well on starboard and lost many boards within just a few metres from the top mark. It was a very difficult race because of the challenging wind conditions and my sail wasn't set up for the lighter conditions. I slipped back into the 20s by the time the race was over. I also won the start of the second race today. Once again, I started at the committee boat end, but this time in the last few seconds before the gun went off, I was squeezed out the back - I decided to tack immediately, took a few sterns and was then the first board to lead the fleet to the right. Once on lay line, I tacked and led almost all the way to the top mark. I was passed just before the mark by another girl. On the reaches and downwind I lost a few more girls, but it was really on the last downwind where I lost lots. Puffs come from behind...and when the boards behind you get into that pressure and start planing, there is not much you can do. Needless to say, after a very tiring 52min race, I finished 23rd. All in all, I am pretty happy about my day. I was working on my starts - which I nailed in both races. The conditions we had today are my most difficult and finishing well in the top half of the fleet in both races was an improvement for me....and of course having been up there to begin with is also great. Thank you for your support! Nikola Day 3 (April 22) Racing was abandoned already at 10am for us this morning. The mistral was already in full force blowing a solid 25-30 knots with gusts expected to 40 knots. Tomorrow should be much the same as yesterday, still windy but sailable.....hopefully. until tomorrow! Nikola Day 2 (April 21) After 15 hours of non-stop rain pelting down on us in 25 knots yesterday and overnight, the breeze shifted 180degrees and we woke up to blue sky. The forecast was to get windy, but only to a maximum of 17 knots. This time, we had the wind direction offshore, in which the water was much much flatter than yesterday. It ended up being 15-20 knots with big shifts. Race One started...with what I thought was a general recall, but no flags went up and the fleet continued to race. I was 5th at the top mark and continued on towards the reach mark and then down to the leeward mark. At this point I was a bit confused as most girls were still racing, while others weren't. Finally, a coach boat told us to go back to the starting area. I made it back to the start just in time to get the four minute signal for the "real start" of Race One. What happened...I don't know, but the Race Committee must have made an error and not recalled us at the start... I had been racing for 20 mins already. .... So, after a short little breather, I had to continue racing as it was already well within my starting sequence. I started well, went left and rounded the top mark in the top 10. I continued racing well, and had moved up into 7th place but on the second upwind, the breeze lifted the boards on the inside of me - costing me 3 places. I finished 10th. Race Two: I had a great start, I was the 3rd board from the pin end of the line which was favoured. I sailed to the left side of the course, the two other girls I was with, we left the fleet behind. When we tacked over onto port, we saw that the girls that had started on port tack were well ahead from the right. It was unbelievable the distance they had on us. I sailed well around the course and was in 11th position coming into the final part of the slalom, when I slipped up on my gybe and my sail fell into the water. I got up very quickly - but lost 5 boards. I ended up finishing 16th, which would've easily been an 11th. So all in all, I had a pretty good day. I learned my lesson about the starting and had we had a 3rd race today, I would've started on port and headed into the shore. I've moved up to 14th place overall... Tomorrow it's supposed to be super windy; 25-30knots gusting 35. I think it will be a wait and see what happens day as there is talk of abandoning racing for the day if it's too windy. Until then, Nikola Day 1 (April 20) Bonjour! Today was the first day of racing for the Semaine Olympique Francaise (French Olympic Sailing Week). I've been here in Hyeres, France for a week now training up for this regatta. In the 6 times that I've sailed this regatta, I've seen every condition - but it's mostly both extremes, either it's quite warm and no wind or it's absolutely windy from one of two directions...from the south it's windy with huge steep waves and generally rainy or from the northwest the "Mistral" blows, offshore, flat water and chop - days can be blown out from either of these directions. The day started off sunny with great breeze of about 15knots from the South. Racing was to get underway at 11am, but us girls waited around till about 11:50 before we started as we had to wait for two men's fleet got underway. I had a game plan to start on starboard near the pin end of the line, go out left to avoid the huge waves and be on my way. Unfortunately, right at the start FRA50 (on port) collided into me (on starboard). I had the right of way but it doesn't really help me when I'm swimming. So, up out of the water I got and continued to race - with the fleet already hundreds of meters ahead of me. I sailed really well, had great speed and made some great tactical decisions to finish in 17th place...not too shabby out of 60 girls and the start that I had. Race two; I had a pretty lame start as I misjudged my timing and did not have my own lane...which forced me to tack out onto port and go right to clear my air. I was struggling now in the big waves as a squall came through and with wind against tide, the waves were now very steep ramps, launching us wave by wave. Needless to say, it was a graveyard around the course. I was in the water at least 6 times, until I finally moved my mast track more forward which helped control me a bit better in the waves. After being quite deep at the start, and albeit my many swimming sessions, I still was able to reel in over half the fleet to finish around 26th. The race was so tough that many girls ended up not finishing and going ashore early. I am pooped after today...and it's only day one! It was super fun though and with at least 8 more races, many changes in the results can happen. (I sit in 22nd at the moment). Tomorrow it's forcasted to be much the same, but even more windy. Should be interesting with the waves as they will have even more time to build overnight. Thank you for your support! Nikola www.nikolagirke.com
|
|
|
© 2002 - 2005 Royal Vancouver Yacht Club |