The Marblehead Nationals at Fleetwood

You can read my article on the MYA site or Yachts and Yachting on the weekend so here, I will focus on my performance or lack of.

Lets start with the boat, the F6. Over the last year I have extensively prepared the boat to insure that nothing would go wrong over the weekend as these boats take quite a beating with the wind, speed, salt and sun. Thankfully the boat came through with flying colours without a single glitch. I was very careful to rinse the boat with fresh water inside each evening and dry the inside with a blower. Not only no glitches, but the hull only had the smallest of water ingress with half an egg cup full of water after a windy race.

My speed with the B and C rigs was excellent but I have much to learn about the swing rig.

So I can tick off reliabilty, and speed as good.

What let me down was poor starting and skill on the first half of the first beat. Sadly this is becoming a regular pattern of my sailing and holding me back from a top five position so you can guess what I will be focussed on this winter. If you look at the videos of 154 with the bright yellow deck on facebook, MYA downwind and Fleetwood Model boat club you will see my problem. For those that watched Dad's Army, you can liken me to Coporal Jones. Always one step behind.

The easiest way to describe the issue is I am a step behind the fleet at the start. Being one or two boatlengths behind is a huge disadvantage and leads to sailing in bad air and not being able to tack freely for the shifts. The small disadvantage at the start multiplies itself as one has to navigate the first beat stuck in the crowd. Tactics are often dictated for you. I was impressed at my ability to get to the back of the fleet so quickly.

I suppose a positive was when I dropped into the B heat, I was easily able to escape and it gave me extra practice time.

There is lots to do over the winter. Practice, repaint the deck of boat and look closely at tuning the rigs which I have not really focussed on. There will be a number of people who want to go to the worlds next year and put in some practice over the winter. I will be joining them. Practice that is,not going to the worlds. Other priorities next year at that time of year.