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11, 10 on Day Two. Strange Conditions on Gage Roads today
December 12th, 2011 in General.
We had everything from 8 to 20 knots through our two races today. Ian and I took two very different paths to get two very similar scores. Race one was a mostly cloudy offshore puffy race. A persistent lefty dominated the first best and caught us out right. We rounded 25th or worse and had to scramble back through the shifty course to get 11th.
Race two was a very different story. Two rain cells on either side of the course funneled 15-18 knots of southerly breeze onto the course. Lightning spread across the distance toward Rottnest Island as we went into sequence. Ian and I started on the leeward half of the line and faded into a slow lefty. We were able to hold lanes. Better in the breezier conditions and rounded the mark about 7th. The battle was on from there and we went back and forth with about 10 boats around us in the next three legs and were able to pull off a 10th.
All in all, it was a better day. But we’ll have to do better tomorrow.
Ugly first day in Perth. Looking forward to tomorrow
December 11th, 2011 in General.
A non traditional seabreeze filled in a little late for our 1230 start today. We had a short delay but got under way after one general recall on Leighton course to the north of the mouth of the swan river. We sailed around the course in race one in the middle of the pack without really threatening the front but making nice gains on the runs. Between races the breeze shifted to nearly parallel the shore from the south and the course was stuck under the breakwater at the river mouth. The breeze was chaotic at best and the conditions made it really tough. We got hammered at the first mark rounding and spent the last three legs catching back up.
Tomorrow has to be a better day to turn this thing around. We’re ready. The breaks will start coming.
Boat’s in the Water. Racing tomorrow
December 10th, 2011 in Regattas.
We spent yesterday measuring, buffing the boat and going out for a short sail. Here’s a photo of us tuning up with our German buddies, Misters Polgar and Koy:
Photo: Leandro Spina
We’ve put on our bow numbers for the regatta. We’re happy to have the #04 on the bow. We’ll have to work hard to hold up our end of the bargain and one-up our ranking. The boat weighed in a little heavy, but better than a little light. We had to shorten one mast by a smidge, but everything else went without too much trouble. Sail measurement went without a hitch. Ian and my weigh-ins will be happening every morning before we head sailing at the Annexe. The boats are currently moored in the water along the breakwater behind the Royal Perth YC Annexe. We’ve been joking that the grandstands to watch the Centre Course should be turned around to watch our mooring and docking area for the morning. It’s going to be virtually impossible to get in and out under sail. We’ll be avoiding the sharks while swimming on the boat bottoms in the mornings too! We’ll let you know how that goes.
Racing starts tomorrow at 1230pm on Leighton Course, to the north of the Swan River mouth on the Gage Roads. The conditions seem like they will be classic Fremantle conditions.
We will let you know updating here at www.CampbellSailing.com.
Also check out the twitter feed @campbellsailing.
Star class reps will be tweeting @ISCYRA.
The regatta live blog is perth2011.com/live-blog.
Results will be found here: http://www.perth2011.com/competition/PERTH2011/SAM007000/results
Meanwhile you can cheer on Paige in her medal race tomorrow.
Star Trianing in Fremantle
December 4th, 2011 in Training.
Rumbling upwind off the Fremantle Docklands on “Leighton Course.” Photo: Jacqueline Campbell
The heat wave continues in Fremantle. The Doctor hasn’t really managed to live up to its reputation the last few days and it looks like it may hold off a few more while half of the Olympic classes start their world championships this week. In Star-land, we have a week to go until our regatta starts so we’re in the final stages of making sure our equipment will cut the muster. We’ve had early-morning dock-off times the last couple of days to make the most of the morning offshore breezes and avoid the midday light air and afternoon heat (well into the 90s the last couple days). While I think most of us will welcome the steadier Doctor’s seabreeze, it has been good to see what havoc the offshore breeze can bring in terms of squirrely, puffy and shifty stuff. The seabreeze is legendary here though and we’ll have to beware cursing its absence, lest it come back with a vengeance. Ian and I will spend the week getting some good training in, taking some preemptive rest days and trying to keep up to weight as best we can.
More to come from www.CampbellSailing.com.
Also check out the twitter feed @campbellsailing
Thanks to our sponsors:
Perth Training in Full Swing & America’s Cup WS San Diego Photos
November 28th, 2011 in Travel, Training.
Ian and I have been running around between the local venues before we move into the Royal Perth Yacht Club Annex today. We’ve had a great week of sailing down here. Breezy some days, really breezy on others! The water is warmer than we suspected and the wind is generally relentless. It’s cooled off some after the boiler we had upon first arrival, but the heat will be back on before the weekend. The town is starting to get set up for the regatta, which starts for half the fleets first thing next week.
Jackie’s put up her photos from America’s Cup World Series in San Diego last week. They look great. Click here to check them out: jacquelinecampbellphotography.com/blog
Here’s a preview:
More to come from www.CampbellSailing.com.
Also check out the twitter feed @campbellsailing
Thanks to our sponsors:
Made it to Fremantle
November 24th, 2011 in General.
30 hours of traveling is enough. We had a rainy stopover in Sydney and raced toward Perth across almost 5 hours of Australian desert to a blustery and dry ride in. Ian flew through Hong Kong and somehow we all made it. Our bags made it. Our sail tubes made it. Our boat made it.*
*Full disclosure, it was a mission getting the boat through customs the last couple weeks, but its here and Ian and I spent the morning getting it out of the box. Here’s a shot of Ian in the container:
After a bit of a runaround along the Fremantle waterfront we’ll be training out of a park south of Fremantle for the first weekend here until the Royal Perth YC opens its gates to us. All the clubs are a bit overwhelmed at the moment until they go into regatta-mode around town. The city of Fremantle is going to be 100% regatta headquarters come Monday. We’re ready for that to happen because until then we’re stepping on toes with our trailer wheels.
More to come from <a href=”http://www.campbellsailing.com” mce_href=”http://www.campbellsailing.com”>www.CampbellSailing.com</a>.
Check our Twitter feed.
Thanks to our sponsors:
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And we’re off…
November 9th, 2011 in Travel, General.
The first leg of a couple en route to Fremantle, Australia for the Worlds starts tomorrow. We’re heading south from a cooling Washington DC to the Cayman islands for a few days of fun racing with Jackie’s TP52 team Powerplay. Then west to San Diego for some R & R and America’s Cup World Series spectating. Then we’re heading down under. Luckily, I’ve got the photographer with me so expect some awesome shots here at www.CampbellSailing.com as well as on Jackie’s blog jacquelinecampbellphotography.com/blog (she’s just finished a photo essay on Weymouth and Portland where the Olympic regatta will be held next summer). Also check out the twitter feed as well. More to come…
Bitter End Yacht Club Pro Am Report
November 7th, 2011 in Travel, Regattas.
Only a week ahead of the 2011 Bitter End Pro Am, Ian and I were pushing ourselves through two weeks of training on the cooling Chesapeake Bay. We were meant to pack up the boat and take the next couple weeks easy, off the water and in the gym, when I got word from the BVI that they needed another sailor to fit the role of a Pro for their annual event. How could I do anything but jump at the opportunity to sail at the much acclaimed event? With such short notice I was skeptical that I could make it work, but some creative planning and it was a go. This year’s list of invited professionals presented a great field: Ed Baird, Dave Ullman, Peter Holmberg, Zach Railey and Anna Tunnecliffe Funk. Their experience with the event in year’s past gave me a lot of brains to pick about how to approach the racing and the regatta. What a better group to be able to go racing against?
The concept of the Bitter End YC Pro Am is primarily for sailors to have a great time on the water. The location is simply unparalleled at the northern tip of Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands. Tropical easterlies are common in early November and the heat is tempered by a quick dip in the clear water all around. Guests can only arrive to the hotel via water, which sets the tone of the week. The Bitter End Yacht Club is an incredible hotel that has used the event to attract sailors from all over the US and around the world with its fantastic assortment of watersports and outdoors activities. They have what seems like an endless supply of options for sailing (racing or not), windsurfing, kayaking, paddle boarding, snorkleing and more available to all the guests of the hotel. The Pro Am Regatta is a promotion that allows all the guests of the hotel to race with some of the top professionals in the sport, whether they came down to specifically take part in the regatta or just happened to be on holiday. This set up a great variety of experience and generally unbelievable enthusiasm for each and every day’s racing. Racing open cockpit J24s called IC24s makes the boathandling a piece of cake and allows experienced sailors to be comfortable as well as first timers to get a quick handle on the sport. I sailed with close to thirty people through the course of the regatta switching crews in just about every race. I can’t think of one moment where my companions weren’t without a smile on their faces enjoying the sport of sailing. What a great thing! Because of the varied experience levels we could be having multiple conversations at once: sometimes taking about sailboat racing strategy, sometimes talking about weather, telling old stories about the other pros, teaching basic sailing concepts. It was all fair game!
I could certainly go into the specifics of the racing, but I’ll let the curmudgeon talk about that in his reports: www.sailingscuttlebutt.com. He’s probably got a better idea of the details anyway. The first day of sailing is racing in the dinghies. Day two is an IC24 “distance” race to a strange part of the island where massive boulders have piled up along the beach called The Baths. We race back upwind in the afternoon. Tuesday through Friday is IC24 fleetracing consisting of both intense and really fun one-design short course racing. Friday afternoon is the title-fight pairing the leaders up into match racing for a really exciting finish. We had a great week, finishing second to Ed Baird in the fleet racing, and I had to run on Friday afternoon so I unfortunately had to bail out on match racing. What a great event though. I can certainly recommend the regatta to anybody interested in putting in a lot of hours on the water while still enjoying an amazing time away from it all. Also many thanks to BEYC and the regatta organizers for the invitation. I look forward to racing with you all again!
Next on the calendar are a few days here in DC, followed by a few more in San Diego. Then we’re off to Australia to prep for the Worlds. I’ll be updating both here on www.CampbellSailing.com as well as on Twitter. We’re going to be putting up loads of photo and video content from our adventure down under so stay tuned!
Thanks to our sponsors:
October Training Update: Mid-Atlantic Fall has Come and is Going Quickly
October 26th, 2011 in Training.
Its hard to believe that October has already come and gone. After September’s wide-ranging domestic travel schedule, October has been a more local contrast. Ian and I have been able to put our heads down and work in the early mid-atlantic fall breeze with some local sailing in Annapolis.
We were in Colorado Springs at the Olympic Training Center for four days of heavy lifting, testing and seminars about fitness, nutrition and logistics for the upcoming winter events. The time since has been spent on the bike, in the gym and on the water at Ian’s home club the Annapolis Yacht Club about 45 minutes drive from DC. Local legend Kevin McNeil graciously offered his new Mader for us to use before it heads south his winter season. Three weeks have provided us with a great platform to start our training in Perth. We’ve been able to keep sharp, look at some sail options and put some new concepts up for testing.
The training hasn’t been without adventure. We have had a bunch of days with breeze well into the 20 knot range. A couple classic Chesapeake southwesterlies are enough to put fear into any sailor. Blasting around in the heavy weather will hopefully help us bring some good gumption for the forecasted breezes in Fremantle. One afternoon we ran downwind across the bay in a 18-22 knot westerly. The wave action near the Eastern Shore of Maryland was super-fun and probably more like what we’ll see in Oz than the shifty flatwater closer to the Annapolis shore. We decided to make a short upwind and go back for more. Upon turning to windward again we slapped into a couple pieces of chop and promptly broke the forestay under the deck. (more…)
4th in new ISAF World Star Rankings
October 5th, 2011 in Training, General.
Psyched to have moved up in the new world rankings this week to 4th, a personal high for me and Ian. Now we have to back it up with at the Worlds in Perth in December! Click here for full ISAF Rankings
We’ve got a Physical Training Camp with just the US Sailing Team Alphagraphics members this weekend at the US Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs to kick-start our Fall training. Camp starts tomorrow.
Updates at www.CampbellSailing.com and twitter.com/@campbellsailing