Arrival & Practice Days

The Argonauts arrived in Sardinia yesterday to cloudy skies and no wind, a vast departure from our experience in Cagliari on the south cost of Sardinia just a few short weeks ago. After settling into our amazing villa, we departed for the boat to tune the rig, get the boat appropriately provisioned, and go out for some sailing. Spirits were high and we were eager to get on the water to get some more boat time on the Med, but Mother Nature had other plans. After about 10 minutes of boat work a squall blew over the nearby mountains. With lightning strikes within a mile of the harbor, we sought shelter in the Yacht Club Costa Smerlda, our host for the event. Race officials reported that more cells were on the way, so we packed it in for the day and hit the road for a quick pre-weigh in run. Shedding water was incredibly easy since the area around our villa is aggressively hilly. Some team members also enjoyed the opportunity for some cross-training and mixed it up with a bike ride as preparation for various marathons and triathlons. After dinner provided by our amazing chef Sally, we turned in for the night to start an early day of practice today.

After weigh-in, we set out for practice and had a nice set with Shakedown, USA 178, one of the other 2 American boats at this event. After three hours of practice and a short break for lunch, it seemed like it was going to be another early day with rain on the horizon. After a few uncertain minutes of sailing, the squalls passed to our north and south and we practiced for a few more hours in off-and-on drizzle with a good chunk of our fleet. Now the crew is relaxing back at our villa, ready for boat measurements tomorrow and another two days of practice. Racing starts on Wednesday!