Day 1:

Today marked the first day of my third French Olympic Week.  This regatta always has a few surprises as far as conditions go, and this year proved to be no exception.  When I got here about a week ago, the mistral wind was blowing 30 knots offshore.  For the next few days, I was training with the Polish team in very windy conditions.  We had one day of mistral wind and two days of onshore frontal breeze 20-25 knots, combined with some torrential rain.  The day before racing, the wind was very light and we finally got a respite from the rain.  Last year, we saw the same kind of onshore (southwest) wind and rain right up until the regatta, when it was five knots and sunny the whole time.  So conditions around here are variable, but this week is forecasted to be very windy.  

The racing opened up in about 15 knots of wind, which quickly built to 20 while rain clouds blew through.  There are about 60 girls competing in this regatta and we make up one fleet.  Before the committee started the girls, we had to wait about 45 minutes for them to move the start line, which was dragging downwind.  The first race I had a great start and was in the front 1/3 of the fleet, dropping a bit as the race progressed and the breeze built.  However, I lost everything on the last downwind.  I caught a wave and a puff at the same time, causing my gear to fly and throw me in the drink.  Recovering from a fall in windy, wavy conditions is never easy, and I got passed by a bunch of sailors.  On the downwind, I didn’t realize that my daggerboard had started to come out, causing me to lose lots of control.  When I fixed the problem, I was already behind, and a couple messy jibes through the slalom finish didn’t help.  We again had to wait a while for the second start, because the committee kept starting us and then postponing.  I had another good start but the wind had built to about 25.  In this condition I was not as fast as I wanted to be. However I got some clean air and made my way to the upwind mark, where disaster struck.  The wind started to build even more and I fell on one tack, struggling to get going again.  After a few tries I was underway, but just couldn’t maintain control in the building breeze.  I ended up not finishing the race, which made me pretty angry.  I’ll have to train more in big wind to get my settings dialed in better.  I also know that I definitely need a better fin.  Mine just isn’t there when I need it to be!

We have 15 races scheduled for this regatta, which is more than the normal 11 or 12.  We’ll see how many we get off with the 30 knot mistral forecasted for the day after tomorrow!  

Day 2:

We again had two races in building breeze today.  The wind started out from the west and gradually went northwest in the mistral direction, making course right a bit more favored as the regatta went on.  On course, the breeze was extremely shifty and gusty.  At first it was difficult to tell which side of the course was favored.  

The committee started us a little late because they were waiting for the wind to build.  Races for the men’s fleets went off first, and then they ran a start for us.  However, for unknown reasons they decided to abandon the race immediately after the start and not everyone saw.  About a third of the fleet reached the windward mark before realizing what happened, including me.  We sailed back downwind for the next start.  I had a good mid-line start but my speed was off and I didn’t place where I felt I should have. I think the reason is I didn’t have my sail tuned perfectly and also my fin is problematic.  By the end of the race the wind had built to about 20+ knots.  We had a general recall during the second start and it had to be redone.  During the second race I went right instead of left, with one third of the fleet, and lost ground.  However, the main issue again was speed and I had a tough time keeping the board down on the steep, short chop.  Also I was having a lot of spinouts.  We had a slalom finish and I was really glad my coach had drilled us in jibes all week! I had a lot of fun on the course today in the strong wind, but there was still frustration at not finishing where I should have been.  

I’m still not where I want to be for this regatta, but there is still a few more days of racing. Hopefully we will get some wind that is a bit less punishing.   

Day 3:  No racing today!  The mistral wind is back in town and we currently have 40 knots dead offshore, so conditions are a bit too dangerous to race in.  The 470 and Laser fleets were called out and back in again.  It was pretty interesting to see the 470s fly out of the harbor with chutes up.  They were rivaling the cats in speed!   

Day 4:   

We had two races today in breeze of about 8-10 knots.  After three days of nuclear wind, and a week of windy training, it was a little strange sitting around on the beach.  The committee called us out only a half hour behind schedule, but the breeze started to switch and they sent us all back in for another 45 minutes.  The sea breeze filled in to about 12 at first, and I went out a little underdressed, expecting it to be warmer.  Brrrr!  It was good that Romek had my jacket on the boat.   

I didn’t get off the line fast enough on the first start, and I tacked over to course right to get in clear air.  I was on top of a group of girls, which was a good position.  I went straight to the layline with good boardspeed.  The conditions were marginal planing and there was work to do downwind.  I had a good second upwind, and went through the slalom for my best finish of the regatta, 33^rd, midfleet.   

The second race I had a better start, but I started under some fast girls who rolled over me.  They forced me to tack over early, but then another fast girl tacked on me.  I was in too much bad air, so I tacked over again and went hard left.  Unfortunately I was under people the whole first upwind and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get out.  I rounded the top mark in a bad spot.  Meanwhile, the wind was decreasing and I was having a hard time planing downwind.  It was frustrating to see the really light girls catch me.  However, I noticed that the wind was switching a bit and I again went really hard course left on the first upwind.  It was a good move and I made up about 15 places for a halfway-decent finish.   

Today I got an international call from my volunteer manager.  He told me that we would have some financial difficulty with the arbitration. Basically, we would have to raise $30,000 in about 10 days, and I would have to come home to do it.  It was a little stressful getting a call like this in the middle of a regatta, but I borrowed a computer and started looking for plane tickets.  

Day 5:

 Yet another day of light wind faced us.  All the competitors were a little tired from the racing the day before, so we patiently sat on the beach in the sunshine waiting for the wind to fill.  I decided to get my plane ticket, so I went to visit my Czech and Slovak friends in their camper vans, where they had been appropriating some free internet from one of the nearby apartments.  I bought the ticket (last minute leaving from Munich!), made some arrangements with the Czech kid for a ride to the airport, and ended up joking around for a good two hours with the boys in the camper before the race committee pulled the postponement flag down, and away we went on the water.   

The wind had filled, but only to about 5 knots.  It was steady.  The course was totally skewed in favor of the left side, and everyone started on port. We had two general recalls and then the black flag went up.  As we waited on port, everyone was a little apprehensive of being over early.  The least apprehensive of all of the sailors was my light little 15-year-old Polish roommate.  She started about 6 seconds early and had the best start of the entire fleet!  I thought she was over early but she wasn’t…or she didn’t get caught!  She ended up having an awesome race, beating me by a few places.  I had a decent start, taking a cue from my roomie about how early to leave!  I was forced over hard left looking for clear air, and tacked overstanding the layline on port.  However, it proved to be a good move as I stayed clear the entire leg.  I did the same thing on the second upwind, and duked it out with the top girl in the Polish kid fleet the entire leg.  However, I lost a bunch of places on the downwind and slalom, due to board handling and a little boat speed.  It made me really mad!  However, I still had a decent finish, although I could have had a mid fleet finish if board handling had been better.  

This regatta proved to me that I am really learning to race.  I am making good decisions and my finishes are completely my own.  I know that I am the best American women’s boardsailor and this regatta proved it to me.  The wind wasn’t too crazy and tricky and I finished consistently much better than my competitor Nancy, even in the light wind races, because I have good starts and safe tactics.  I know how to fight with the Europeans and most importantly, I am fearless.  If I had had my boardspeed up in the breeze, I could have done even better.  I didn’t finish out of the back 2/3 of the fleet like I wanted to, but I came extremely close.  However, the conditions were tough and I am happy with the finish.  The regatta was also tough mentally because of the disappointment and exhaustion from the first day, when I didn’t finish one race, and more because of the stress of the arbitration situation.   

I had to fly home from Munich, and my Czech friend drove me up there. We had a great time driving through the south of France and Italian countryside, where the weather was great.  However when night fell we still had about 8 hours in front of us.  I drove us through Germany in the rain and mid-30 degree F temperatures, at around 2 a.m.  The drive took 20 hours and I just made the airport on time for the 7 a.m. flight. The flight was about 15 hours, so it was a very, very, very long trip home!  I’m back in Annapolis now and gearing up for some fund raising for the arbitration.  It is one of the biggest things I have ever done and I’m a little apprehensive, but I know I’ll come out of it strong.  If all goes well, the arbitration will be in Rhode Island the third week of May.

Check out the results of the French Olympic Week at http://sof.ffvoile.net/index.php.  

Check out a cool video of the racing at http://sof.ffvoile.net/index.php?page=6.  Scroll down to Day 2, and it’s called “Clip – RSX Femmes Jour 2.  About 2/3 of the video you can see me plane by the mark with the Compass Marketing sail.  You’ll also get an idea of how many people I’m competing with!  60 fast girls on the line is no joke.   

I’d also like to note that my Formula racing buddies “The Other Team” swept the Windsurfing Enthusiasts of Tidewater’s spring regatta this weekend 1-2-3.  Great job, guys.  Read a bit about The Other Team at the Calema Midwinters Regatta at http://www.farrah-hall.com/index.php?option=com_mojo&Itemid=21&p=8.  Note: the pictures on my blog aren’t working.  

Happy spring sailing!  

Farrah