2014 Season is Underway

Well the winter sailing was a challenge. We took part in the pre and post Christmas events sailing most Sunday mornings in what generally ended up as very windy 20knot-30knot conditions, but on the bright side it was generally dry. The events really took their toll on the boat and crew, and in reality I think we went backwards as a team. By the end of last year, we had really transformed as a team and were working well and competing well in events. But that was all non-spinnaker. Throughout the winter we attempted to sail with the asymmetric and made mistake after mistake. Then our general sail handling, starts etc. started to get worse. We had a lot of breakages and the sail makers in Dun Laoghaire were becoming my best friends.

We needed to step back and consider what was best for us as a team. I had wanted to move from non-spinnaker (white sails) to Cruisers 1 this year, but it was clear we were just not ready. We were attempting to run before we could walk, and this could only damage and frustrate us as a team.

So a new plan emerged where we will sail and race non-spinnaker again in 2014, and use the time pre and post races to practice with the spinnaker.

This years campaign will have the following targets :

1. Dublin Bay Sailing Club - White Sails Class (non-spinnaker) weekly on Thursdays and Saturdays (April to September) ... target a top 5 and to regularly mix it up with the two top boats "Persistence" and "Act Two" (www.dbsc.org) - we will miss a number of the events as we are heading south for Cork week and this will hit our overall results missign 6-8 events - 28 boats in the class
2. Irish Cruiser National Championships (ICRA) - Corinthian Cup (non-spinnaker) 6 races over three days from the 13th to the 15th June. There were 16 entrants at the end of April so likely 25 or so by the time the event goes ahead ... target a top 3 position  (http://cruiserracing.ie/icranats/)
3. Cork Week - (non-spinnaker class) this will be a great event with two races a day over 4 days from the 8th to the 11th July. The event is in the south of Ireland so we will have to move the boat down the week before and try to get her back the weekend after. We would expect a lot of boats from the UK and around Ireland so our goal will be a top 5. (www.corkweek.ie)

Last year we raced non-spinnaker with our "white sails" which are a set of delivery sails. The Jib is tiny and not set up to use the tracks and the main is so baggy its hard to impossible to depower. We can't reef either - the main has reef points but the boat is certainly not capable of racing upwind if reefed and the jib is so small that when combined with a reefed main you go nowhere fast. We have two sets of high-tech sails (see our older set n the picture below) but we are not allowed use them in the DBSC series as the class is "White Sails" and forbids the use of laminates rather than being a "non-spinnaker" class (Don't get me going on this - a daft and costly rule).  

So I have invested in new "low tech" dacron sails from North Sails. They are due to arrive the week of the ICRAs - first week of June. I have gone for a 135% overlapping Genoa which should make us a lot more competitive in lighter airs and downwind - although hitting our IRC handicap. 

We have raced three Saturdays and three Thursdays this year so far. We had a poor start in the first Thursday and Saturday races, but got the boat lifted and cleaned and managed to win the last two Thursdays series (against both Persistence and Act Two). We were fortunate with winds in the 8-16knot range where we perform best. When we get the new Genoa we should be able to compete in lighter airs as well.