Qualifying is finally over! Thanks to the mammoth efforts of the parents and coaches who have stepped in to help set marks, call the line, and run logistics on shore, we got in the 5th and final race needed for the qualifying series yesterday, and will be starting the final series this afternoon. We placed 13th in qualifying with a score line of (9), 9, 6, 6, 2, so we carry a non-discardable 13 into the next round, but aside from that, our scoreline is wiped clean.
We took many lessons out of the qualifying series, but I think that one of the most interesting lessons was one of regatta strategy. Of any of the boats around us, we were by far the most conservative, and as a result, the most consistent. While we threw a 9, only 2 boats ahead of us threw a 9 or better. In a 9 race series, this kind of consistency would be very beneficial, however with just 4/5 races counting towards our final score, and only 5 races in the qualifying series, it was clearly beneficial to take some extra risk in order to get some lower numbers. The next series will be interesting because it’s not likely that we will get a throwout. As a result, a conservative strategy will probably pay, but if we DO get 5 races, a more aggressive strategy would be favored.
So far the US has had a great showing with 4 boats in the top 25! Zach Downing and Andrew Cates, a San Diego team are currently leading the charge in 6th; we follow in 13th; Dane Wilson and Newt Cutcliffe, who I often coach in Santa Barbara, are in 15th; and Paris and Hans Henken are in 23rd. All of the US teams are feeling good after a nice, long sleep (this is the first day since day 1 that we haven’t had a first start scheduled for 8am), and we’re looking to move up today! Racing should start whenever the breeze comes up this afternoon, so stay tuned!
(results aren’t yet posted online, but photos are available on the media tab at www.29ereuropeans.org)
Go get ‘em, Willy!
By: George on July 22, 2011
at 4:20 pm
Good luck, guys!
By: Karen McB on July 22, 2011
at 5:13 pm