Jacksonville Training Weekend - December 16th
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Jacksonville Winter Training Series
December 2007
When we initially set up the Winter Training Series, the idea was to find a fun way to go sailing in the winter months. Our friends in Jacksonville offered up The Florida Yacht Club as our home base for a series of weekends starting in December 2006. Since that time, the training series has been a highly anticipated series!
The kick-off of the Winter 2007/2008 Series was this past weekend (Dec 15/16). We were a little nervous setting this up so close to the holidays, but it seemed like the only available weekend for the hosts & organizers. In hindsight, we couldn't have picked a better weekend from a weather standpoint.
A manageable group of nearly 30 sailors worked a rotation so that everyone could get some sailing in and participate in the drills set up in advance. If you wanted to match your speed and technique against some good sailors, this is the place as we had a number of champion-caliber participants in attendance.
In the past, we have set up these weekends so that on the Wednesday prior to the event we have a go/no-go call based on the weather. This past weekend's forecast wasn't ideal with winds forecasted to be light on Saturday and ultra-windy on Sunday. A few folks decided to not attend and unfortunately for them, that seemed to ensure that the weather was going to be perfect!!!! Thanks! ;-)
Saturday we had 7-12 knots and temperatures in the 80s. We all sailed in shorts and t-shirts and sailed until the sun went down. We all agreed that if we didn't sail on Sunday, the weekend would have been a success! It was a day that reminded us why we love this sport in the first place.
The drills were outlined in advance and were executed to near perfection. A few boats used the drills as opportunities to "explain" to crew the cause/effect of the maneuvers...truly a perfect time as opposed to the heat of the battle of a regatta.
Drill #1 - Straight line speed.
Drill #2 - Tack on the whistle.
Drill #3 - Gybe on the whistle.
Drill #4 - Skewed windward/leeward (to practice down-speed roundings i.e. gybe sets & tacking around the leeward mark)
Drill #5 - Traditional Windward/Leeward courses (4-5 laps)
BREAK FOR LUNCH
Drill #6 - Skewed windward/leeward (to practice port layline sets)
Drill #7 - Downwind sprint
Drill #8 - Upwind Speed Testing - Race to the dock
We all tried hard not to make a big deal out of the epic conditions that we experienced, but it was tough not to. Many comments ranging from "the weather couldn't have been nicer" to "this was a perfect day" were heard throughout the drysail park at FYC. The day however, was only 1/2 over as we went to Paul Abdullah's house to recap.
We started by reviewing some of the data captured by our VELOCITEK devices. It was interesting to see the different "styles" of upwind sailing and how they affected overall gains. It was also cool to hear feedback from those that used the VELOCITEK devices. They would try different sail trim, crew weight placement, etc. and they were able to see how it affected speed. Very cool learning tools!!!
We then watched the video from the day and looked closely at set up, maneuvers and sail shapes. Skip Dieball was able to explain some of the difference in the various sails that are available and educate the crowd on "things to watch for" when they are setting their boats up.
The video was then replaced by digital still shots enhancing the same conversations.
Dinner was served while we had our debrief and it was a very cool, casual evening. Special thanks to Paul Abdullah, Pete Frissell and Dave Van Cleef for spear-heading the food and libations!
While we had the PC & Projector up, Greg Griffin fired up the Weather Radar. It was interesting to see the frontal passages that extended from Tampa through the Carolinas. Lots of Green and Red made the outlook for Sunday grim. We devised a plan to check in at 8:30 AM, get breakfast and then rally to see what we should do. The option of leaving early for many northerners was enticing, but after Saturday's fun, we all still wanted to sail!
Upon arrival to FYC, the wind built bigtime! A few low, dark clouds brought wind and rain, but there was some clearing on the radar, so we decided to hold for a 1/2 hour and then make a decision. That move paid off as we devised a plan to sail from the cove to the leeward shore and back. The deal was that it was going to be in 18-22 knots! Clearly close to being out of the range of which we'd normally sail, but we were all game to have some fun.
Greg Griffin made sure that we were all on the same page. Everyone was to wear PFDs, not venture out without the group and everyone looks out for one another. We had a rescue boat, without which this would never had happened.
What was the motive? Fun, for sure....but also to use the GPS's to see what a Thistle can do in those conditions. How about averaging 13 knots and topping out just shy of 16 knots with spinnaker and flogging mainsail!!! Not bad in just 18-22 knots of wind! Oh yeah, we tested the speeds with just Jib & Main on a blast reach....11-13 knots.
What more can be said other than it was the ending of a nearly perfect weekend. Yes there was a capsize. Yes there was some minor damage. But it was totally worth it. We'll be talking about this for a long time.
Want to join in the fun? Mark your calendars for February 2/3. The Florida Yacht Club is one of the best sites for this kind of thing! Thank you FYC!!
Thanks too to the particpants: Paul Abdullah, Ben Mercer, Ashley Saylor, Mike Stark, Caiti Dust, Rick Rothebuhler, Greg Griffin, Josh Putnam, Nick Turney, Matias Heinrich, Becca Heinrich, Denny Griffin, Peter Frissell, Scott Frissell, Scott McCormick, John Fewell, Johnny Fewell, Skip Dieball, David Van Cleef, Emily Pulos, Patrick Wilson! A truly talented group of sailors making this a totally worthwhile event!
December 2007
When we initially set up the Winter Training Series, the idea was to find a fun way to go sailing in the winter months. Our friends in Jacksonville offered up The Florida Yacht Club as our home base for a series of weekends starting in December 2006. Since that time, the training series has been a highly anticipated series!
The kick-off of the Winter 2007/2008 Series was this past weekend (Dec 15/16). We were a little nervous setting this up so close to the holidays, but it seemed like the only available weekend for the hosts & organizers. In hindsight, we couldn't have picked a better weekend from a weather standpoint.
A manageable group of nearly 30 sailors worked a rotation so that everyone could get some sailing in and participate in the drills set up in advance. If you wanted to match your speed and technique against some good sailors, this is the place as we had a number of champion-caliber participants in attendance.
In the past, we have set up these weekends so that on the Wednesday prior to the event we have a go/no-go call based on the weather. This past weekend's forecast wasn't ideal with winds forecasted to be light on Saturday and ultra-windy on Sunday. A few folks decided to not attend and unfortunately for them, that seemed to ensure that the weather was going to be perfect!!!! Thanks! ;-)
Saturday we had 7-12 knots and temperatures in the 80s. We all sailed in shorts and t-shirts and sailed until the sun went down. We all agreed that if we didn't sail on Sunday, the weekend would have been a success! It was a day that reminded us why we love this sport in the first place.
The drills were outlined in advance and were executed to near perfection. A few boats used the drills as opportunities to "explain" to crew the cause/effect of the maneuvers...truly a perfect time as opposed to the heat of the battle of a regatta.
Drill #1 - Straight line speed.
Drill #2 - Tack on the whistle.
Drill #3 - Gybe on the whistle.
Drill #4 - Skewed windward/leeward (to practice down-speed roundings i.e. gybe sets & tacking around the leeward mark)
Drill #5 - Traditional Windward/Leeward courses (4-5 laps)
BREAK FOR LUNCH
Drill #6 - Skewed windward/leeward (to practice port layline sets)
Drill #7 - Downwind sprint
Drill #8 - Upwind Speed Testing - Race to the dock
We all tried hard not to make a big deal out of the epic conditions that we experienced, but it was tough not to. Many comments ranging from "the weather couldn't have been nicer" to "this was a perfect day" were heard throughout the drysail park at FYC. The day however, was only 1/2 over as we went to Paul Abdullah's house to recap.
We started by reviewing some of the data captured by our VELOCITEK devices. It was interesting to see the different "styles" of upwind sailing and how they affected overall gains. It was also cool to hear feedback from those that used the VELOCITEK devices. They would try different sail trim, crew weight placement, etc. and they were able to see how it affected speed. Very cool learning tools!!!
We then watched the video from the day and looked closely at set up, maneuvers and sail shapes. Skip Dieball was able to explain some of the difference in the various sails that are available and educate the crowd on "things to watch for" when they are setting their boats up.
The video was then replaced by digital still shots enhancing the same conversations.
Dinner was served while we had our debrief and it was a very cool, casual evening. Special thanks to Paul Abdullah, Pete Frissell and Dave Van Cleef for spear-heading the food and libations!
While we had the PC & Projector up, Greg Griffin fired up the Weather Radar. It was interesting to see the frontal passages that extended from Tampa through the Carolinas. Lots of Green and Red made the outlook for Sunday grim. We devised a plan to check in at 8:30 AM, get breakfast and then rally to see what we should do. The option of leaving early for many northerners was enticing, but after Saturday's fun, we all still wanted to sail!
Upon arrival to FYC, the wind built bigtime! A few low, dark clouds brought wind and rain, but there was some clearing on the radar, so we decided to hold for a 1/2 hour and then make a decision. That move paid off as we devised a plan to sail from the cove to the leeward shore and back. The deal was that it was going to be in 18-22 knots! Clearly close to being out of the range of which we'd normally sail, but we were all game to have some fun.
Greg Griffin made sure that we were all on the same page. Everyone was to wear PFDs, not venture out without the group and everyone looks out for one another. We had a rescue boat, without which this would never had happened.
What was the motive? Fun, for sure....but also to use the GPS's to see what a Thistle can do in those conditions. How about averaging 13 knots and topping out just shy of 16 knots with spinnaker and flogging mainsail!!! Not bad in just 18-22 knots of wind! Oh yeah, we tested the speeds with just Jib & Main on a blast reach....11-13 knots.
What more can be said other than it was the ending of a nearly perfect weekend. Yes there was a capsize. Yes there was some minor damage. But it was totally worth it. We'll be talking about this for a long time.
Want to join in the fun? Mark your calendars for February 2/3. The Florida Yacht Club is one of the best sites for this kind of thing! Thank you FYC!!
Thanks too to the particpants: Paul Abdullah, Ben Mercer, Ashley Saylor, Mike Stark, Caiti Dust, Rick Rothebuhler, Greg Griffin, Josh Putnam, Nick Turney, Matias Heinrich, Becca Heinrich, Denny Griffin, Peter Frissell, Scott Frissell, Scott McCormick, John Fewell, Johnny Fewell, Skip Dieball, David Van Cleef, Emily Pulos, Patrick Wilson! A truly talented group of sailors making this a totally worthwhile event!
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