| 2008 Youth World Qualifier Coach Feedback | |||
| Some general pointers to all crews from coach and past 29er sailor Alex Bernal. |
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First off I would like to congratulate all the teams that sailed in last weekends regatta because the level of sailing I observed was some of the highest ever. It was a very tough regatta especially amist the ever changing sea state conditions and "patience demanding" breeze that seemed to be at the mercy of storm cells drifting over the race course. Nonetheless I believe that the ABYC ran an exceptional regatta on the best venue available. Although all the coaches were at the mercy of a strict race committee to keep 100+ yards distance from the competitors the key elements to success for the weekend I personally observed were:
Without a clean start it was uphill battle plain and simple. Starting 2nd, 3rd and even 4th row was all to common for boats in the middle of the line and led to getting rolled/ pinched off, missing the first shift and having to struggle for clean air even at the corners of the first beat. Boats that consistently won the ends of the line had more opportunities tactically and less trouble with getting rolled or pinched off. Over the weekend it was clear which boats could adapt to the changing wind and sea state conditions because by their boat speed directly reflected their "gear changes" (adjust sail trim, hull pitch and misc. controls). Having bow deep in the water and very tight leech profiles were essential for keeping the right balance of sail power and pointing ability in the light-moderate wind and flatter sea conditions. As the wind increased velocity and waves increased in size and frequency, the boats who could slightly open up the jibe slot and main profile seemed to gain much more as it was relevant that boat speed through the water was even more crucial than in the lighter conditions where point ability ruled the first beat. Downwind, boats that were too hasty to trapeze seemed to give away the speed gain to wider laylines and loss of gauge on the fleet where those who played the "who could go lower without going slower" game saw their positions increase dramatically at the leeward mark. Also boats who minimized the downwind leg to 2-4 gybes also seemed to gain because less maneuvers = more forward speed. Lastly the most impressive thing I saw that separated the top 5 was their ability to manage the fleet on such a widespread course and with such wild tugboat/oil island traffic running through. Teams that seem to lead the fleet to the favored side ( i.e., into the header or into the puffs) consistently saw large leads as their competitors got smaller behind them. One move in particular was very impressive where it was a 3 boat dogfight downwind to the finish at the leeward gate and there was a tug moshing through the middle of the course. To make a long story short one boat used this large moving obstacle as a blocker as he let the other two boats get stuck in its turbulent wash. Very creative. overall, very impressive sailing. | |||
