A few very costly mistakes derailed our movement up the leader board we began yesterday. It was shifty, puffy, and blowing about 12-17 knots. We ended the day with a 12-6-10 after making at least one crucial misstep in each race. This was extremely frustrating, and we know we have to do better to live up to our potential and make it on to the podium in August.
In each race we got off the starting line well near the boat end and got hooked into the first shift. In the first race, we capsized on our first tack due to a miscue in the middle of the boat. We fought back hard in that race to get 12th. The next two races, we rounded the weather mark in the top 7, which is good enough for us to move up on the shifty, puffy 3-lap windward leeward course we were racing on in Portland Harbor. We were in 3rd in the second race at the final windward mark, only to lose one boat on the set and another two at the finish. In the final race, I made a late audible at the first spinnaker hoist to a gybe set. It was an unnecessarily aggressive move, and we paid for it. Again, we fought back to a 10th.
These kinds of mistakes are not going to win us a medal at the Olympics. We know that. We only have to go out and sail the way we know we can, every day. It sounds simple, and it is in a way. The Olympics will be all about not taking ourselves out of the regatta with the kind of mistakes we had today. Of course, this regatta is not over now, nor will the Olympics be if we do make some bad mistakes. We need to remain committed to the end, and we will practice that here.
We are in 11th overall now in the Sail for Gold Regatta. Results and live updates can be found on the regatta website here. Gold fleet racing begins tomorrow.
Thanks to US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider, especially title sponsor Sperry Top-Sider and Gold Partners Atlantis WeatherGear and Rolex. Also a big thanks to all of our supporters for being behind us ever since the beginning.
Erik
Storckmooresailing 