Regatta Reports 
#3 Spring Dinghyfest (Dallas) May 19-20 Rush Creek YC

Conditions: Light to NO BREEZE

Saturday started off pretty good. We had a little bit of breeze and this guy from houston came up and pounded us the first two races. I ended up with a 4th and a 5th. I made some tactical errors and would have done much better in the second race if I would have stayed on the left when a huge lefty came in. For some reason I started and was going left, then tacked and sailed a knock across the whole fleet then got lifted. I hate that and really know better.

In the afternoon we didnt have any breeze and played scrabble on shore with some kids who couldnt spell. Race committee finally suckered us back out and we raced to races in nothing. For some reason I notice that my boat really goes well in the drifter conditions. I led both races only to my demise and ended up 4th and 2nd respectively. The 4th was because I went up the middle and boats on either side of the course caught some puffs to blow by me.

Sunday started off great with a little breeze. I sailed so crappy though. I was very frustrated becasue I feel like in the light to moderate conditions I get stomped out. I had boats sail completely around me from leeward. What was that all about. Also had another boat behind astearn lift up and pass me. All I can attribute this to is two things; too heavy for the boat for starters, and different lanes out on the lake. So I sailed crappy up until the last race. The wind died down to nothing and drifter conditions were on. I noticed I was super fast on Starboard and went slower and slower the further right i went. So I banged the left side and caught a puff. I was closing the distance on the mark and was looking very good. Race committee came up and blew three signals to cancel for the day. Oh well, you win some you lose some.

#2 Easter Regatta/D15 Grand Prix/Area F O'Day (Austin) Apr 07-08 Austin YC

Conditions: Light Cold Miserable.

Definately cold in a shorty and spray top. Light breeze, needed better starts and more speed. Always lost boats downwind. Still need to lose weight. 245 pounds doesnt cut it. Gavin won and he weighs like 165 to 175... He was consistently in the front of every race.

#1 Spring Break Regatta (Seabrook/Galveston Bay) Mar 24-25 Seabrook Sailing Club

Conditions: Decent amount of breeze. Very choppy and surfable waves.

#7 Wurstfest Regatta (New Braunfels) Nov 04-05 Lake Canyon YC

Conditions: Light

God I need to lose some weight.

#6 Fall Dinghyfest (DFW area) Oct 21-22 Rush Creek YC

Conditions: Windy

Conditions were right for my 245 pound gut to grind down everyone I saw.

Venue: Centerboard Regatta
Location: Lake Travis
Date: July 8th and 9th
Club: Austin Yacht Club

The Centerboard regatta brought 16 Lasers total. 6 guys showed up from Dallas, and a lot from Austin. Light breeze both Saturday and Sunday. Saturday the breeze was South Southeast. Sunday breeze out of a more South Southwest direction.

The first race was miserable for me. I started on starboard and quickly tacked off to port. A boat below me and a boat above me gave me the ol squeeze play and shot me out the back. I tacked to starboard and of course no lane back to port going the right way. I found myself in the biggest hole ever with boats moving on the far right. Every time I would try to consolidate to the right, my bow would be pointing at the last boat over there. I was being buried alive. I picked up a few boats with a 13th place finish. That race was my worst.

My main problem Saturday was speed, and getting off the line with speed. I need to focus more on starts and getting speed up. Also I need more patience, a few times I was so frustrated I couldn't even focus on getting going.

We had a total of 5 races on Saturday. 3 races on Sunday. Sunday was a little better of a day for me.

I remembered I was doing decently well the first race. Although the whole race seemed like a fetch the whole time on port tack to the windward mark, I rounded and should have tacked. I just kept a straight course on port. Boats behind me just lifted right above me and then the breeze filled in with a huge lefty. I was passed by at lease 5 boats. GRRR not my regatta.

Second race Sunday was much better. I was sailing great in the top then the last downwind leg got protested in regards to rule 17.2 by a fellow Laser sailor. He ended up going right, I took the left and he still ended up beating me but still protesting me.

SEE DETAILS: Sailing rules used or learned

Race three was average. The last leg made the difference, I rounded the leward mark and kept sailing on port out to the right. A little more velocity on the right kept me going. Two boats in front of me tacked to starboard to consolidate with the rest of the fleet but the meat of the breeze was just a little further. Sailed to it and then tacked to starboard for a lift to the layline. Almost passed both leading boats but then ended up getting the breeze also finishing just right ahead of me. I ended up third this race.

Overall this was a great regatta and AYC is a great host. The breeze was a little weak but the water was nice clean and cool to jump inot in between races.

Venue: Summer Solstice Regatta
Location: Galveston Bay
Date: June 24th and 25th
Club: Seabrook Sailing Club

The Summer Solstice regatta brought 10 lasers total. All were from around Galveston/Houston area. Saturday was very light breeze to no air all day.

The first place guy was always on fire but was always in reaching distance. He was very good at sealing the deal. Second place guy from England, did very well and always had speed. It was his first time in the boat as well. All competitors were very friendly and made for a lot of fun on the race course.

The first race was very light and the breeze died up the last full weather leg. Breeze filled in on the left and allowed me to lose a boat from the left, yet gain one from the right. After the first race we went in for lunch due to no wind.

The last two races that day were very slow moving and very shifty. It was a very frustrating day as the left paid most the time and the wind was out of the north which is an unusual direction.

Second day was much better from the wind perspective. Had more breeze, just not enough to hike. At times it was hiking weather. The first race I banged the start well and ended up on the left hand side allowing me to round in the top of the fleet. The breeze always looked stronger on the right but it was an illusion to intise you to go the wrong way. The left pretty much paid all Sunday. It was really tight racing between 4 and 5 boats all switching positions constantly. I just got screwed every time when it came to who crossed in front of the finish line first. I need to focus on the end of the race more.

It took me a week to write this report that is why the details are quite vague.

Venue: Mothers Day Regatta
Location: White Rock Lake
Date: May 13th and 14th
Club: Corinthian Sailing Club

The mothers day regatta brought 12 lasers total. Mostly from Austin and Houston and Dallas. Saturday was light and variable wind out of the southwest to south. The breeze was about 5 to 12 and I never really had to hike that much.

The top two kids were from Sweden and were light. Eric Faust seemed to be battling it out in the top three most the day as well. Seemed like most the day people were making big gains on the right of the course. For some reason I kept going to the left as I had in the back of mind the weather report that stated the breeze would shift left around 3 o clock. It never really happened. The main thing was to be patient, keep speed, and tack when the shifts seemed like they would hold.

Saturday I ended up with a 4, 5, 5, 8, 4. The 8th place was a real let down and lost much patience. The thing that I learned from this is to keep in phase even when it means bad breeze.

Sunday was a lot different, with breeze blowing 15 to low 20's. The breeze was real volatile, meaning shifty and puffy. I started the first race and seemed to have great speed on my competitors. I learned Saturday that the lighter kids were pinching the boat in the puffs and would end up getting to shifts I didnt get to. I took note and didnt want to make the same mistake so even though I could drive the boat full, I still pinched ever so slightly so that i had a little bit of ripple in the sail. I never would pinch so much it would bubble and it seemed very fast.

I pretty much held my position in 2nd place around the race course and then the kid in first flipped on the final run allowing me to have the win.

Second race I ended up rounding the weather mark around 4th place, had missed a few shifts. Going down wind I closed the gap on the guy in third and rounded the leward mark inside of him giving me a little clear air. He was pinched with the sail out and I pretty much grinded right over him. Took a knock a little bit later and was on the inside of the shift gaining me boat lengths on the guys ahead of me. I worked the shifts beautifully rounding in 2nd place at the weather mark. I noticed a huge puff coming down as I takced from port to starboard and hiked balls. This puff hit Eric and he flipped in fron of me. I was very conservative downwind giving me the win.

The last race I was pretty out of phase and couldnt be on the right side ever. I ended up 6th for the final race.

I was very happy with how my first regatta went. There were three throw outs. So a total of 8 races went well except for 2 of them. My whole goal was to get a top 5 finish.