Frustration for Andrew Campbell

by Andrew Campbell on 18 Dec 2007 Three races were sailed yesterday in some trying cold-front conditions yesterday on Sydney Harbor. Rain cells and high clouds dominated the weather as a strong 15-28 knot southwesterly blasted the fleets.

The eighty lasers, having arrived on time for their start but before the 49ers were finished up on our course, huddled for shelter in a funny little bay on the north side of the harbor. It was reminiscent of my sabot days when, after finishing a race, we would sail into the quiet lee of the yacht club fingers for a relief from the blasting (or so it seemed) 8-12 knot breeze. All the funnier it was to see eighty grown men hiding from the knock-down puffs rolling towards the harbor entance from the famed Opera House. Unfortunately, the shifty weather on top of the sheeting-out conditions made my racing a bit mediocre.

In the first race I went around the last windward mark a respectable 15th, and though 'Ok I’m only one good run out of the top ten here.' As it turned out I was only one bad run out of 22nd. The second race, after winning the boat end and heading right as intended, I found myself top ten up the second beat but on the wrong side of a monster lefty that handed many of us a difficult score. For me, again in the twenties.

In the third race the left side dominated the racecourse again and as a result of a poor lane choice and getting rolled about a minute and a half off the line, I found myself in a dismal 30th. I only managed to make it back to the mid-twenties. When the breeze makes the jump from fully powered up sailing to vang-sheeting sailing my upwind performance seems to decline.

Somewhere in the 18-20 range and up is where the work needs to go. I’ll tell you the most frustrating thing in sailing is when you know where you want to go and can’t get there, moreover when you see guys going the wrong way still beating you around the racecourse.

Today will have to be moving-day for a little bit of redemption. The breeze is still on, but our start is at 10 o’clock so we might be able to get our two races off and done in time to find a pub with Monday Night Football on television.

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