With no jobs to do on the boat, there are a few things to do, watch the America's cup races and do some decorating on a dismal day so far in the UK. There is also the 470 World Championships with some great video and the 18 footer Giltinan Trophy to see although the series has been wrapped up by SMEG. Amazing to think in this lockdown there is so much televised racing going on.
I am staggered at the closeness of the AC racing. One mistake and the race is all over as the two teams sail close to perfection. It is interesting to see the use of AI and predictive technology, sail set up, lay lines, time to start etc all controlled by computer. Thankfully we do not have that to contend with on IOM's.
470 racing is more reflective of our sport. You can see on a start line the boats that are able to hold there lane and gain an advantage on those around them. One momentary lapse of concentration, one missed shift and you fall back into the pack. I used to race these boats and the one thing I learnt was don't bother racing in big fleets if your boat is slow unless you want 2-3 hours of torture as you sail a perfect race and end up mid fleet. We only sailed at the weekend but you could see the difference with our competitors who were able to sail and invest more. There is nothing to replace hours on the water and regatta experience with good kit.
With only a few weeks now before we can go sailing, don't be the slow boat in the fleet. Get the boat our, check everything is OK especially the electrics, check the rig set up and be ready for that first outing without any hiccups. If your sails are looking a bit tired, why not invest in some new ones.
Finally do you think the cat was giving her approval of the boat. I think not, but she does like playing with the sheets.
