The locals said it was a good day..13 degrees centigrade just a little rain but not too windy.8-14 knots. Still, it was cold, grey and overcast out there. The wind was oscillating around 330, plenty of opportunity out there.to go up and down.

We had a fantastic first race. Had a good start, didn’t feel fast, but kept staying in phase and probably got more than our fair share of luck and ended up winning by 200 meters.the biggest margin I have won a race by in the last four years. Unusual for us, we were fast downwind today. We passed boats

on every run!

Freddie Loof did a very good job of working one edge of the last run to pass about 7 boats and finish second. Mansfield (IRL), Percy(GBR), Neeleman (NED) and Rohart (FRA) rounded out the top six.

We are getting a new mast sorted out and not 100% sure of all the settings yet. Yesterday we tuned with Percy and he pretty much blew our doors off. So it was nice to go out there and do well in the first race.

We had a bad start in the second race, cleared out to the right. Being back a bit meant fighting for our lanes which is tough but good practice. We got around the first windward mark about 14th and went well down the run, maybe passing a boat or two. Up the second beat we did well. The left was good and we were most of the way on the left. We rounded the second top mark 9th and passed two on the final run to finish 7th.

Rohart won the race(FRA) and Percy was 2nd, followed by Serge Kaats (NED), Marazi (SUI- second at the world Championship in Italy last month), Loof (SWE), and Ross McDonnald(CAN) rounded out the top 6.

Over all;

1) Percy(GBR)-6 points,

2) Rohart(FRA)-7,

3) Loof (SWE)-7,

4) Cayard/Trinter(USA)-8,

5) Neeleman (NED)-14.

To say that the field here is deep is an understatement. All the Olympic participants are here plus a few who were in the top of their qualifications. 40 boats in all. If you get behind it is tough to climb back through the fleet.

You should be able to get the full results at www.SPAregatta.org

Paul Cayard

We got the final race in just 30 minutes before the end of the time limit. It was a light air race-6-8 knots from 240. The course for today was three windward legs and two leeward legs.

We had a good start again and quickly found ourselves with 6 boats at the front of the fleet. We maneuvered our way around them and led at the first mark. Down the first run, we made a mistake in letting the two boats nearest us gybe first. The pressure filled a bit form their side and there was some current as well that swept us down to the mark. So we rounded that first leeward mark 3rd.

The course was pretty much a one-way racetrack to the right and it was hard to pass. Very near the finish we had gotten ourselves into second only to loose it again to the Danes to our right.

Anyway it was a strong way to finish the series, 2nd from yesterday and 3rd for today.. yesterday in 18 knits and today in 8 knots. It moved us into a tie for fourth overall which we lost to Mark Neelman(NED) because he had two first places.

Freddy Loof and Anders Eckstrom won the World Championship. That was two times in four years for Freddy. As Loof had an 8th as his worst race and Percy (GBR) had a 22nd, Fredddy sailed the two of them down the standings by covering Percy and driving the two of them back. The last race became their discard. That moved Marazzi (SUI) into second and Percy 3rd.

We were pretty happy with our 5th after breaking the mast on the first day. We had very good speed upwind in all conditions. But we also made some mistakes this week and we were not sailing as well as we did in the trials. In both of the last two races I made small but crucial errors that took us out of first place which we held at the first windward marks. That was frustrating to see but maybe it is hard to maintain the focus and intensity that we had in the trials. I feel that I may never have sailed as well as I did in the trials. I will need to devise a plan to get back in that mode for Athens. The Europeans are definitely the class of the class right now but we are not that far off the pace. We will keep training hard trying to narrow that gap.

We packed the boat up and got a ride from some friends to Rome. The boat is going back to the builder, Danilo Folli in Madello de Lario (Lake Como) for a refit. Phil will pick it up on May 20th, with a new mast or two, and head to Holland for the SPA regatta.

Going to sleep now and getting up at 0530 to fly to SFO.

Paul Cayard

We got the final race in just 30 minutes before the end of the time limit. It was a light air race-6-8 knots from 240. The course for today was three windward legs and two leeward legs. We had a good start again and quickly found ourselves with 6 boats at the front of the fleet. We maneuvered our way around them and led at the first mark. Down the first run, we made a mistake in letting the two boats nearest us gybe first. The pressure filled a bit form their side and there was some current as well that swept us down to the mark. So we rounded that first leeward mark 3rd.

The course was pretty much a one-way racetrack to the right and it was hard to pass. Very near the finish we had gotten ourselves into second only to loose it again to the Danes to our right.

Anyway it was a strong way to finish the series, 2nd from yesterday and 3rd for today.. yesterday in 18 knits and today in 8 knots. It moved us into a tie for fourth overall which we lost to Mark Neelman(NED) because he had two first places.

Freddy Loof and Anders Eckstrom won the World Championship. That was two times in four years for Freddy. As Loof had an 8th as his worst race and Percy (GBR) had a 22nd, Fredddy sailed the two of them down the standings by covering Percy and driving the two of them back. The last race became their discard. That moved Marazzi (SUI) into second and Percy 3rd.

We were pretty happy with our 5th after breaking the mast on the first day. We had very good speed upwind in all conditions. But we also made some mistakes this week and we were not sailing as well as we did in the trials. In both of the last two races I made small but crucial errors that took us out of first place which we held at the first windward marks. That was frustrating to see but maybe it is hard to maintain the focus and intensity that we had in the trials. I feel that I may never have sailed as well as I did in the trials. I will need to devise a plan to get back in that mode for Athens. The Europeans are definitely the class of the class right now but we are not that far off the pace. We will keep training hard trying to narrow that gap.

We packed the boat up and got a ride from some friends to Rome. The boat is going back to the builder, Danilo Folli in Madello de Lario (Lake Como) for a refit. Phil will pick it up on May 20th, with a new mast or two, and head to Holland for the SPA regatta.

Going to sleep now and getting up at 0530 to fly to SFO.

It is getting ugly. No race today. Not even a start, not even a warning signal. NO WIND.

Further, there has been controversy over the Dutch Team that won yesterdays race. First they were OCS.so out of the race. Then they protested and got back in. Then Bromby (BER) protested them, and the committee, as he was certain the Dutch were OCS. I don’t know the outcome of that at this time.

The Notice of Race says that no warning signal can be given after 14:00 on Sunday. We have to have three more races in order to have a World Championship. The only exception to this is if someone wins without needing to sail the last race. Further, there can be no more than two races a day. So, if all goes perfectly, there is wind by 11:00 tomorrow and we get two in, and there is enough wind before 14:00 on Sunday to get one more in.

Here is today’s forecast for tomorrow from Chris Bedford US Olympic Team Meteorologist:

Outlook for Saturday (05/01/2004): Weak sea breeze is forecast under good thermal conditions and weak gradient. Light and variable in the AM, becoming S/SW late AM and slowly veering to SW/WSW while building to a 6-10 knots. Mainly fair weather except for some possible showers onshore in the afternoon.

We are here to win. But win or loose, we are training for our ultimate goal. There are some teams here and some countries here trying to qualify for Athens. This is a real bad deal for them.

The most notable team is the Kiwi team of Rowan Lord and Andrew Taylor. They have been training very hard for one year and gone from something like 40th at the worlds last year to top ten so far this year. They are in the top four unqualified countries currently, so they are in a position to go to Athens. However, if we don’t get the series in, the allotment for Athens reverts back to last year’s results in Cadiz and the Kiwi’s don’t go. There are more injustices but that is one that stands out to me.

Anyway, enough with the bad news. The big picture is that we are all very lucky to be out here sailing around.or trying to sail around. Italy is beautiful, the people are very friendly and the food is good. We have a lot to be thankful for. As one friend of mine wrote me after my mast broke on Sunday;

“Hang in there buddy! You could be in an office building in San Francisco trying to sell insurance to a guy you don’t know in the building next door! Have fun, Go fast!! Doug”

Ain’t that the truth!

Hey, I want everyone to wish my lovely wife, Icka, HAPPY BIRTHDAY today. Send her an email at Icka@CayardSailing.com I love you Honey!!!!!!

It is getting ugly. No race today. Not even a start, not even a warning signal. NO WIND.

Further, there has been controversy over the Dutch Team that won yesterdays race. First they were OCS.so out of the race. Then they protested and got back in. Then Bromby (BER) protested them, and the committee, as he was certain the Dutch were OCS. I don’t know the outcome of that at this time.

The Notice of Race says that no warning signal can be given after 14:00 on Sunday. We have to have three more races in order to have a World Championship. The only exception to this is if someone wins without needing to sail the last race. Further, there can be no more than two races a day. So, if all goes perfectly, there is wind by 11:00 tomorrow and we get two in, and there is enough wind before 14:00 on Sunday to get one more in.

Here is today’s forecast for tomorrow from Chris Bedford US Olympic Team Meteorologist:

Outlook for Saturday (05/01/2004): Weak sea breeze is forecast under good thermal conditions and weak gradient. Light and variable in the AM, becoming S/SW late AM and slowly veering to SW/WSW while building to a 6-10 knots. Mainly fair weather except for some possible showers onshore in the afternoon.

We are here to win. But win or loose, we are training for our ultimate goal. There are some teams here and some countries here trying to qualify for Athens. This is a real bad deal for them.

The most notable team is the Kiwi team of Rowan Lord and Andrew Taylor. They have been training very hard for one year and gone from something like 40th at the worlds last year to top ten so far this year. They are in the top four unqualified countries currently, so they are in a position to go to Athens. However, if we don’t get the series in, the allotment for Athens reverts back to last year’s results in Cadiz and the Kiwi’s don’t go. There are more injustices but that is one that stands out to me.

Anyway, enough with the bad news. The big picture is that we are all very lucky to be out here sailing around.or trying to sail around. Italy is beautiful, the people are very friendly and the food is good. We have a lot to be thankful for. As one friend of mine wrote me after my mast broke on Sunday;

“Hang in there buddy! You could be in an office building in San Francisco trying to sell insurance to a guy you don’t know in the building next door! Have fun, Go fast!! Doug”

Ain’t that the truth!

Hey, I want everyone to wish my lovely wife, Icka, HAPPY BIRTHDAY today. Send her an email at Icka@CayardSailing.com I love you Honey!!!!!!

Paul Cayard