Weymouth Training

I am currently training at the Olympic Venue in Weymouth, England with the Canadian Team. I am here until the 20th, when I head to the Netherlands for the Delta Lloyd Regatta.
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More updates to come.

Laser ACCs

I am in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina for the Laser ACCs and a training camp with the Ontario Sailing Team. Event results can be found here.

Video from training:
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Saturday, April 29
Today was the first day of racing. We had 8-12 knots from 075* at the start of the day going to 125* at the end of the day, with solid swell. In the first race I had a nice start near the middle of the line, and got out clearly with options, but with a slow right winder I was a bit back of the first group at the weather mark. I was able to pick off 5 boats on the first run and another on the last run to finish 7th. In the second race I had a good start at the boat end, headed right and led at the weather mark. I lost a boat on the run, rounded the second weather 1st, and lost a boat again on the next run to finish 2nd. In the third race I didn't have a good start, and got caught in traffic on the starboard layline to the first weather mark and rounded around 20. I passed boats throughout the race to finish 5th. In the last race I was able to get out cleanly from the boat again and led the fleet out to the right. I rounded the weather mark 3rd, was 1st at the bottom and held to take the last race of the day. After 4 races I am in 3rd. Racing continues tomorrow with 3 races scheduled.

Sunday, May 1
Today started off with around 14 knots and big swell. The wind decreased to about 8 over the course of the day, but the waves stayed the same, making for tricky downwind sailing. In the first race I didn't have a great start, and was forced to tack out. The group on the left came out ahead so I found myself back a bit around the first weather mark. I had a good final run to finish 5th. In the second race I had a good start at the pin, but got out of phase and spent too much time in a spot with less pressure and lost out to the boats on the edges. I had a decent second beat and finished 6th. In the third race I had a great start at the boat and was cleanly ahead of the group of boats around me, but made a series of poor choices coming into the windward mark and was around 8 at the top. I didn't sail well downwind and held 8th to the finish. Despite the poor sailing today I was able to move up to 2nd in the event.

Monday, May 2
Today we had a 3 hour session. 25 degrees, 8-12 knots, decent sized swell.

Tuesday, May 3
3.5 hour session. 28 degrees, 8-15 knots, big waves.

Wednesday, May 4
3.5 hour session. 20 degrees, 8-16 knots offshore

Thursday, May 5
3.5 hour session. 22 degrees, 5-14 knots, decent sized swell

Friday, May 6
Today we had a slightly shorter session before packing up and heading out. 2.5 hours, 22 degrees, 8-12 knots, decent sized swell

Laser Midwinter's East

I am in Clearwater, Florida for the Laser Midwinter's East regatta. The event is an ISAF Grade 1 event.

Update: I finished 6th. See results and daily reports below.

Results
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Thursday, February 24
Today was the first day of racing. The first race was sailed in a light offshore wind. I had a good start near the middle of the line, and held out to the left side of the course. There was pressure at the left layline, and I came in to the weather mark 8th at the back of the front back, with a big gap back to the next group. I passed one boat downwind and had a nice second beat to round the 2nd weather mark 3rd, which I held to the finish. For the second race, the wind had swung to the right with the sea-breeze. I started at the boat and flipped out to the right, but the wind filled from the left. I rounded the weather mark with about 12 boats behind me. I was able to pick off boats throughout to come back to 8th.

Friday, February 25
In the first race I was lined up for a pin end start. The wind went 10 degrees left in the last minute, and I was not able to make the pin end. I had to scramble off the line, but found a clear lane on the left. The wind filled from the left, and I rounded the weather mark 2nd. I lost one boat downwind, but held 3rd to the finish. In the second race I had a good start in the middle of the line, but didn't realize when I had weeds on my boards and spent too much of the beat going slowly. I had a good first run and continued to pick off boats throughout to finish 9th. In the last race I had another good start in the middle of the line. I held out to the left side of the course and rounded the weather mark around 8. I stayed even throughout and finished 8th.

Saturday, February 26
After a long wait ashore, we headed out to the course in a light southerly. I had a good start near the middle of the line and worked the left side nicely to round the weather mark in 4th. I dropped a couple of boats throughout, including a pack of 3 on the last beat to finish 9th. The race was sailed in near drifting conditions at times, which made it quite tricky.

Sunday, February 27
Today was the last day of racing. After an hour of waiting on the water for breeze, a light seabreeze filled in. In the first race I started one up from the pin. I got pinched off, but decided to go low and try to get out to the pressure on the left. There was not enough pressure, and I rounded the first weather mark deep. I sailed a good first run, lost a bit on the next beat, and gained a bit back on the final run to finish 16. In the last race I had an okay start near the middle of the line and decided to tack out. The wind was quite unstable, having increased and then decreased again, with 20 degree shifts. Most of the fleet headed out to the left where the pressure had been all week. I stayed out to the right and found good pressure and rounded the weather mark 3rd. I passed one boat on the run, and split gates with the leader a the bottom. I headed out to the left side of the course, went to the layline, and tacked back in good pressure, 15 lengths ahead of the boat that had been leading. I held my lead throughout and won the race. I dropped my first race today, and counted a 9 and a 1 to move up to 6th overall in the event.

Miami OCR

I am in Miami, Florida for the Rolex Miami OCR. The event is a Grade 1 ISAF event and a World Cup event.

Follow results at: http://rmocr.ussailing.org/2011/Results.htm
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Sunday, January 23
Today I did a check over my boat and a quick sail to ensure my gear is ready to go. Racing begins tomorrow.

Monday, January 24
Today was the first day of racing. We had a 10-15 knot easterly with long oscillations and pretty choppy waves. In the first race I did not have a good start and rounded the first weather mark around 25. I sailed a good first run and second beat to get up to 15 but made a big mistake and sailed out of the pressure on the last run. A group of 10 boats passed on the inside and I finished 25. In the second race I had a better start and sailed a solid first beat to round 6th. I lost a few boats on the reach and the run, and finished 12. Qualifying racing continues tomorrow.

Tuesday, January 25
Today the wind was a bit further south, and around 14-16 knots. In the first race I had what looked to be an okay start, but I wasn't able to get past a slow boat to leeward and went high and slow for too long off the line. I had an uphill battle throughout and finished 24. In the second race I was to leeward of a pack of boats who were scored OCS at the start, and had to tack out. I did a nice job getting the last shift up to the weather mark and had a good run to round the bottom around 20, just behind a pack of boats, but did not have a good exit from the mark and was unable to convert on my gain. I lost a bit at the bottom of the beat, but gained it back again to finish 20th. After 4 races I am in 39th.

Wednesday, January 26
Today was the last day of qualifying. I did not do a good job on the start line today and suffered as a result. I had a few good moments, but was indecisive on my second beats and tacked too much and stayed in the middle of the course. In the first race I finished 29th and in the second race I was 27th. Despite the poor performance today, I have qualified for the gold fleet. Final series racing runs tomorrow and Friday.

Thursday, January 27
As a result of a fighting gradient and sea breeze the wind did not settle and we did not have any racing today.

Friday, January 28
Due to the lack of racing yesterday, today;s schedule was changed to allow for 3 races to be run. In the first race I had an okay start near the boat, and was able to hip up into pressure. The right side was favoured and I rounded in the top 15. I made a costly mistake on the second beat and lost 5 boats to finish 20. In the second race I had another solid start and was able to play the first beat well to round the weather mark 7th. I got a bit run over on the first run and missed out on pressure on the second beat and dropped to 28. In the last race I had a clear start near the middle of the line. The wind went a little wild, and the left side came in big, with boats that had gone right left far behind. I rounded in the middle of the pack, but did not sail a good second beat and dropped some boats to finish 36, putting me in 42nd overall for the event.