Nick's Nationals Wrap-Up

Well, with goals being the flavour of the bloog month I guess posting my nationals goals is the thing to do.

I didn't achieve my one goal, finishing higher than mid fleet. There are no real excuses, I just wasn't good enough to get there. Don't get me wrong though, I was quite happy with the regatta, it was a great venue, good competition, good new friends and strengthened old friendships...but I didn't get my goal.

Let's break it down, starting with the good points.

Good

• Boat handling, mainly gybing (relative to the others around me)
• Downwind speed (relative)
• Downwind tactics (relative)
• Was picking my way down the gusts quite well, which is surprising for an ex river heron sailor.
• Finishing all laps in a few races
• Finished all races I started

I consistently picked up places downwind because of the above good points. This was a revelation because in the few group races we did in Queensland I always felt slow and couldn't maintain depth downwind.

Bad

• Starts
• Cannot be on second row and expect to finish well without exceptional speed, tactics and a bit of luck. The few races I got away reasonably well off the start line the better the result.
• Upwind VMG
• Can't point, can't keep pace
• This was atrocious and I can't pinpoint any one solution that will fix it.
• Lee helm was present at suitable heel angles.
• Sail is probably flogged and mast is soft (low leach tension)
• Mainfoil is "ok" but probably needs to be replaced and/or shifted forward
• I need to hike harder, longer. (Although was much better than at Mornington, I could atleast walk properly the day after a big day on the water.)
• Fitness
• 4 races a day was a killer (Definitely improved since Mornington though.)
• Strength
• Arms and hip flexors were flogged after the first race each day.
• Had been doing gym and pilates to improve these for most of the year. Definite improvements but still not good enough.
• Boat prep (minor issue)
• Dyform side stay had busted a couple of wires at the chain plate and I noticed it just prior to launching on day 3. Probably would've been fine but decided to jury rig a Pearson spare to fit my boat and got on the water for the last 2 races of the day. Once I made it to the start line the wind and waves were fairly big. There was a bit of carnage amongst the fleet and I didn't really want to risk the rest of the regatta for 2 races, so headed back in to replace the stay properly (fine, I got the wimpies). Shout-out to Toowoomba Tom for the materials and help with the new stay.
• Generally my boat has stuck together quite well. I haven't really broken much on the boat since purchase, except for a ripped out gantry pintle tube which was easy to repair. I'll take the stay issue as a general maintenance lesson.

Next year Queensland is hosting the nationals at Yeppoon so I want to put in a good performance on "home waters". Items to improve in some sort of order:

Skipper

1. Strength (arms, hiking)
2. Fitness
3. Starts (just fucking get in there!)

Boat

1. Fix minor issues
• New stays
• New tramps
2. Improve upwind performance
• Polish foils
• Stiffen mast and/or new mast
• New sail
• Move cb case forward after exhausting all other avenues
3. Improve downwind speed
• Hopefully the foil and rig mods take care of this.
4. Pimpin' once above items are improved (not till after Yeppoon nats)
• New main foil and control system
• Pimp existing hull
• Consider new hull with existing bolt-ons.

 Also got to fit in work, getting married and whatever other surprises get thrown my way sometime this year. Looks like it is going to be hectic!

Congratulations to the homebuilders, tinkerers and oddballs, I think you make the moth class.

Top Reach

Scary Bear-Away

Ahead of Markla

Shit Start (9364)

Woohoo!

Pushin' it to the limit!