By Doug
I really like this place because of
their attention to detail. Their meals, for example, are exactly how I like to
eat during a competition - a late brunch, a light meal after the sailing, and then supper later. Max is anxious to help with all of the details we get in a
foreign country, such as taking me to a nearby English-speaking doctor to check
a potential injury to my neck.
The clinic started with brunch...
...followed by a chalk-talk that included some really good videos...
...and then we're on the water by
1:00. Being at the north end of the bay near mountains means that we got a wide
variety of conditions as the gradient winds from the north-west fought the building sea breeze from the west.
We had everything from steady 15-20 to pulsing 5-15, so there were lots of
gear change practice with the various controls.
After 40 years of sailing a Laser where I'd move forward to catch a wave like surfers...
...Coach Colin had me working on something new, where I'd move back to catch a wave, as shown by Tom Slingsby winning the medal race of the 2011 Laser Worlds:
It's a lot harder than it looks because as the boat accelerates, the apparent wind shifts forward taking pressure off the sail and making the boat really unstable. I may not have time to get this right before our Worlds start in 2 days, but I appreciate the chance to learn something new.
Good clinics attract good sailors, so it was great to practice with people from the US, Canada, Mexico, New Zealand, Sweden, and Australia.
I will not be at the Masters this year to sail with you at the GGM. Hope to see everyone next year. Have a great regatta.
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