Shields Fleet 9

Sun + wind.  Almost forgot that’s what Wednesday nights are all about.
The Race Committee did an excellent job taking advantage of the
conditions to get in two races – the first a long two lapper with the
wind in the high teens, followed by a smart one lap race as wind settled
in around 10kts.  If you don’t already, check out www.sailflow.com for
historical wind speeds on Rose Island (historical data is free).  If the
data is correct, we saw gusts in the low 20s between 4-6 p.m., which may
explain why things on your boat were a bit more fun, or in some cases
interesting, than they have been so far this year.  And speaking of
interesting, one of those gusts sheered our spin pole track off the rig
as we practiced with the kite before pre-start.  With a little time,
lashing, and a guy named HD, the boat was back up and running before the
start.  Our strategy for the day was to get good starts, play the
shifts, and use what we could of the fading ebb in the channel.  I am
guessing this strategy was not unique to our boat.  We executed on all
three pretty well, leaving us with a good result on the night.  A few
things contributed to our overall performance – a pre-race overview of
our tuning setup with Tim Healy helped us get dialed-in (and rid some
demons from the spring); being first to the race area allowed us to get
comfortable with the course, conditions, and rig setup; and picking up a
240 pound guy named Will (who was discovered while comfortably drinking
beer in an adirondack chair at Harbour Court) certainly helped in the
breeze.  I should also note that of our crew last night, 3 had never
sailed on 108 and 2 had never sailed a Shields before.  It’s always nice
introduce new crew to our boat and Shields racing with Fleet 9, and
luckily we got some well deserved sun + wind that was past due for all
of us.  Thanks to Chuck, HD, Kerry, and Will for a fun night, and to the
RC doing their magic once again.  -Jeff