SAP 505 World Championship

Two races were held today on the Berkeley Circle in moderate conditions. The first race was an 8-12 knot affair while the wind built to 20 at the end of the second race. The first race was delayed about an hour and a half as the wind was from the east this morning and we had to wait for that to die and the westerly to fill.

The track was tricky as there was more wind on the left and normally the right is favored on the Circle. We rounded the first mark about 12th and managed to get a 5th by working the left pretty hard, even over standing sometimes coming into the windward mark.

In the second race, there was a “general recall” in the start. Not sure if someone “Interfered with the Gate Launch or Pathfinder”. Anyway, we finally got underway and we had a decent race going around the top mark and even better at the bottom of the first run where we were amongst the top five. We chose to go out left which had been paying nicely all day but I think we sailed under too much of the fleet on that side. So we lost a bit up the second windward leg and then passed two boats down the reaches. Then we lost a bit up the third beat as the right was becoming a bit favored shift-wise. We passed one or two down the final run but then lost one up the last beat to finish 10th. We just never could get it all right and move up to the top 5.

That has us still in 7th place overall which isn’t bad. Of course we will keep trying to find our way into the top five over the next two days. Apart from the scores, I am enjoying this regatta immensely. To be out there, on the trapeze, with the waves trying to knock me off the side, the challenge of trying to out do the other crews in the tacks and gybes, it is all very rejuvenating. I love it.

There is a new leader in the series, Mike Holt and Carl Schmidt with 12 points. Mike Martin and Jeff Nelson (18 points) had a bad one in the first race, a 12th and at this point they are counting that while Holt/Schmidt have never been out of the top 4. Dalton Bergen and his crew of Fritz Lanzinger from Seattle won the day I believe with a 1, 5.

For complete results go to www.505sapworldchampionship2009.com

Start time for tomorrow’s single race has been delayed to 1330.