Hi parents, Coach Chase here! Today was a big day because we had higher winds than normal and clear skies all day. My beginner opti fleet worked on starts today, one of the more challenging parts of a race. We did many repetitions of the mystery start drill and with a focus on holding a spot on the line. In the afternoon, wind speeds were so high that we had to move to a more sheltered location after a few spectacular swamps and capsizes. This part of the day was more laid back because everyone was so exhausted from start practice; we finished with a dock swim at the sailing center.
Mercury Mentors reviewed and practiced steering the part of a tack today. Each sailor got to steer through the maneuver a few times and the whole class later was quizzed on the parts of the boat.
Green Fleet and 420s spent both halves of the day racing in front of LYC. Both fleets sailed many races. Because of the short course, the races gave valuable experience navigating conflict among boats.
The World’s Team fine tuned their team racing plays in the ocean today. Team racing is 4-on-4 race where the lowest scoring team wins; this type of racing is a far more fast paced, tactical, and short form of the sport that focuses on interactions between pairs of boats. The team has its winning combinations memorized and were perfecting their plays to reach these combos on the racecourse.
LYC 1 practicing their leg 5 zone coverage