Not happy with my final result

by Michael Blackburn on 22 May 2004 Hello,

As I return to Australia after a month in Europe, here is a rundown on the final day of the Laser Worlds in Bitez, Turkey - the most exciting of my trip.

Going into the last two races, Robert Scheidt (BRA), the six-time winner, was on 14 points, I was on 18 and American, Mark Mendelblatt, was on 27, rounding out the top three.

The race committee sent us out an hour earlier, to try to get two races in and hence make a ten race series, which would only then include a second discard.

As we could only drop one race from the final series but potentially two from the qualifying races, the later fact would advantage Mendelblatt by letting him discard an earlier bad race – if finished well.

We were delayed an hour waiting for the breeze to steady and build to about 15 knots. Robert kept a close eye on me during a few false starts and managed to get a little break on me when we finally got away. At the top mark he was about tenth and me about 15th. Meanwhile, the American was in third.

Robert is known for working his boat hard. On the reach he worked it too hard and was given the yellow flag penalty for excessive body movement. As he turned his boat through 720 degrees I slipped past him.

On the next run he steered straight up behind me, blanketing me. We came even, and then he slipped ahead on some good waves half way down the run.

Toward the end of the leg I had the better run of the waves and rounded the bottom mark just head. We were now in seventh and eighth positions.

We traded tacks a few times on the next beat and he slipped past again when the breeze went lighter and shiftier. I gained again on the next run and we were level again on the last reach.

All throughout, a Jury boat (with two members aboard) followed us closely, keeping us honest.

I watched as Robert did three big pumps of his sail to try surf down a wave. I thought that surely that would be enough for the Jury to give him his second yellow flag and hence a disqualification from the race.

I saw them look at each other, talk about it and pick up the yellow flag, but then nothing.

After the bottom mark, there is a short upwind sprint to the finish. Robert led round the bottom mark by a boat length. I tacked off immediately and we split, virtually leaving the outcome at the mercy of any wind shift. I thought I was looking good half way up, but then it shifted the other way and Scheidt was ahead again.

He dumped on top of me 50 metres from the finish line and looked sure to gain more points on me, but then he did something odd. He made his wiry body do three more large bounces. This time the Jury responded immediately.

Scheidt had his second yellow flag and was disqualified from the race. I finished seventh, the American second.

Before the start of the final race, my coach, Arthur, did the calculations and I could have won the regatta by keeping Robert Scheidt back to fifth or worse.

The American had a harder task, having to finish first in the race to beat me. Before this regatta, I had finished second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth in Laser Worlds, so I decided trying to slow Robert down (and ignore the American’s small chance) was the thing to do – it is my last Laser Worlds.

From the five-minute pre-start signal I sought out the Brazilian and matched raced him.

We dodged and weaved among the 70-boat Gold fleet, plus a number of coach and jury boats, preparing to start the race.

It’s always exciting to see a match race within a fleet race. The waiting silver fleet, coaches and jury boats saw what was going on and started to follow the action closely.

There were four general recalls and on a couple of the false-starts I ended up in a favoured position while in the other attempted starts he slipped away. All the recalls were black flag starts and the race committee disqualified those who were over, reducing the fleet by nine.

I’ve done many hours of match racing in Lasers during my regular training and from that, I know it is hard to trap or tag a nimble boat like a Laser.

This was made more difficult by the number of escape routes open to Robert by way of other Lasers, the committee vessel and other power boats. Also, the wind had now built to 20-25 knots, and conditions were ripe for the lanky Brazilian to use his remarkable upwind boat speed to escape any cover I could slap on him.

In the final 20 seconds before the actual start, Scheidt found a gap on the line next to a fellow Brazilian and nestled close to him, eliminating my chances of luffing him over the line. I came in below the other Brazilian, losing some advantage, and tried to luff both.

However, Scheidt had space to windward of him and did two quick tacks to give himself more space and I was stuck where I was. Once the start gun went, I seemed to hit a lot of bad waves and Scheidt turned on the speed, forging ahead quickly. The other Brazilian seemed to ‘disappear’.

I struggled in the next few minutes, being forced into a bad position by other boats and fell back.

Meanwhile, Mendelblatt cracked a great start from one end of the line and led to the top mark, with Scheidt third. Up the second beat I was still too far back to make a difference and retired from the race. At the finish it was USA 1, BRA 2.

That meant Robert would win his seventh Laser Worlds, with Mendelblatt second and me third.

Last year I was happy with third at the Worlds, but this year is completely different.

However, I am happy that I sailed well, having visibly improved in some key areas and I eagerly look forward to future events.

Good sailing,

Michael