05 December 2009
The Argonauts in Florida
Spirits and hopes are high for the Argonauts as we begin the winter M32 circuit in Florida. The regatta began yesterday in an all-but sunny morning with rain squalls passing to the north and south of us and wind hovering at zero knots. After waiting off shore for a few hours, the afternoon saw a break in the clouds and racing began in a 7-12 knot southerly which whipped up a frothy chop from the southeast. These were tough conditions for racing. Nonetheless, the 23 boat fleet - just 6 short from the fleet at the worlds - managed to eek out three races in which Argo got a 4, 8, 12, placing us in seventh place. After one day of racing, only 11 points separate second from eighth. No pictures from our chase boat yet, but in the mean time, check out the event photos here.
27 September 2009
26 September 2009
Racing in PC - Days 1-3
With three days of racing under our belt, Argo is in thirteenth place with finishes 10, 10, 6, 17, 6, and 15. Only five points separate us from tenth place and only sixteen points separate us from third, so we’re looking for some top-five finishes over the next few days to propel us up the rankings.
Wednesday, the first day of racing, saw a slow start for Argo. Our pair of tenth place finishes represent heroic effort on the part of the Argonauts, as both races saw us start much deeper in the fleet. In a competitive fleet such as this one, a good start is a critical element to having a good race. If you find yourself in the second tier of boats at the starting line, you’re constantly locked in a scrum for at least the first quarter of the race. Tacking back and forth to clear your air and often getting boxed in by other boats severely limits the tactian’s options and makes a breakaway beat to windward nearly impossible.
On Thursday we left the dock in a steady, miserable downpour. As we were leaving the harbor, the race committee raised the AP flag, postponing racing for 30 minutes until the bulk of the showers passed. Argo returned to her berth, and after the rain delay, we emerged onto the Med to find 4-5 foot waves with some swells larger than 10 feet and steady winds at about 20 knots with gusts to 25. These conditions are particularly demanding, but Argo is well practiced for such days, so we welcomed the challenge. Sailing upwind in such conditions requires extreme focus since the boat has to stay tracking forward as it gets pushed back by waves and sideways by puffs (temporary increases in wind velocity). Downwind we get no reprieve. Calling puffs is critical since the trimmers and skipper must depower the boat so that it doesn’t broach (get laid on its side) in the increased wind velocity. After an exceptionally drenched hour and a half of racing, numerous wipeouts in the fleet, and some close-quartered sparring, Argo fetched a sixth.
After cleaning up (and drying off!), Argo returned to the yacht club to celebrate Jason’s birthday with the rest of the fleet. The high-spirited festivities included a boat race against Bliskem, many popping corks, and an appearance of the Baxter’s mascot Terrence. Argo kept the party alive with a sumptuous seafood restaurant, which included a 6L Jeroboam of Moet & Chandon that was ultimately consumed in the Clipper through three-foot long straws.
Friday greeted us with much better weather and much more complicated conditions. The wind had moderated significantly, flowing 10-12 knots for most of the day. The lighter breeze and the frothy sea state – large 6 foot rollers from the north mixed with a constant 2-3 foot wind-blown chop from the ENE – made smooth sailing impossible. Just as the boat would start to get on pace, another set of swells would sweep by, requiring defensive action by Jason and the trimmers to keep the boat powered. Our experience yesterday was diverse: At one point in the first race we were as deep as 27th and races two and three saw us climb into the top group of boats. Protest flags were flying throughout the fleet as the competition got even more intense and mark roundings got more crowded. The complicated rules of sailing are designed to minimize instances of contact between boats, but at mark roundings in an extremely aggressive fleet, fouling other boats and contact are sometimes inevitabilities. Regardless, the level of sportsmanship kept most protests on the water with boats exonerating themselves soon after infringing the rules.
There are three races today and one tomorrow to round out the series. Wish us luck!
--
PS. Check out coverage of Argo on http://www.sailinganarchy.com/! Argonauts Molly Baxter and Chad Corning have published articles on there in the last few days. Also, some YouTube coverage of our birthday party for Jason: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kc1FFvnsBFY&feature=player_embedded#t=160.
Wednesday, the first day of racing, saw a slow start for Argo. Our pair of tenth place finishes represent heroic effort on the part of the Argonauts, as both races saw us start much deeper in the fleet. In a competitive fleet such as this one, a good start is a critical element to having a good race. If you find yourself in the second tier of boats at the starting line, you’re constantly locked in a scrum for at least the first quarter of the race. Tacking back and forth to clear your air and often getting boxed in by other boats severely limits the tactian’s options and makes a breakaway beat to windward nearly impossible.
On Thursday we left the dock in a steady, miserable downpour. As we were leaving the harbor, the race committee raised the AP flag, postponing racing for 30 minutes until the bulk of the showers passed. Argo returned to her berth, and after the rain delay, we emerged onto the Med to find 4-5 foot waves with some swells larger than 10 feet and steady winds at about 20 knots with gusts to 25. These conditions are particularly demanding, but Argo is well practiced for such days, so we welcomed the challenge. Sailing upwind in such conditions requires extreme focus since the boat has to stay tracking forward as it gets pushed back by waves and sideways by puffs (temporary increases in wind velocity). Downwind we get no reprieve. Calling puffs is critical since the trimmers and skipper must depower the boat so that it doesn’t broach (get laid on its side) in the increased wind velocity. After an exceptionally drenched hour and a half of racing, numerous wipeouts in the fleet, and some close-quartered sparring, Argo fetched a sixth.
After cleaning up (and drying off!), Argo returned to the yacht club to celebrate Jason’s birthday with the rest of the fleet. The high-spirited festivities included a boat race against Bliskem, many popping corks, and an appearance of the Baxter’s mascot Terrence. Argo kept the party alive with a sumptuous seafood restaurant, which included a 6L Jeroboam of Moet & Chandon that was ultimately consumed in the Clipper through three-foot long straws.
Friday greeted us with much better weather and much more complicated conditions. The wind had moderated significantly, flowing 10-12 knots for most of the day. The lighter breeze and the frothy sea state – large 6 foot rollers from the north mixed with a constant 2-3 foot wind-blown chop from the ENE – made smooth sailing impossible. Just as the boat would start to get on pace, another set of swells would sweep by, requiring defensive action by Jason and the trimmers to keep the boat powered. Our experience yesterday was diverse: At one point in the first race we were as deep as 27th and races two and three saw us climb into the top group of boats. Protest flags were flying throughout the fleet as the competition got even more intense and mark roundings got more crowded. The complicated rules of sailing are designed to minimize instances of contact between boats, but at mark roundings in an extremely aggressive fleet, fouling other boats and contact are sometimes inevitabilities. Regardless, the level of sportsmanship kept most protests on the water with boats exonerating themselves soon after infringing the rules.
There are three races today and one tomorrow to round out the series. Wish us luck!
--
PS. Check out coverage of Argo on http://www.sailinganarchy.com/! Argonauts Molly Baxter and Chad Corning have published articles on there in the last few days. Also, some YouTube coverage of our birthday party for Jason: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kc1FFvnsBFY&feature=player_embedded#t=160.
24 September 2009
22 September 2009
Practice Days 3 and 4
The sun has set on the third and final day of practice here in Porto Cervo, and an eager calm has fallen over the team as we anticipate the trials of the next five days. It’s about 11:00 PM here in Sardinia, and half of the team has turned in for bed, with the remainder enjoying quiet conversation or boat repair before resting up for tomorrow, the first day of racing.
The last two days of practice have seen a lot of speed testing, which involves sailing in close proximity to another boat to gauge your relative speed. This activity allows a crew to effectively measure the efficacy of their combined efforts to get the boat through the water. It makes experimenting with technique, trim, and tuning more of a exact science than the confused alchemy that can easily result when determining the interrelation among the myriad variables that affect a boat’s speed through the water.
Yesterday, we took advantage of the fact that some Italian teams had set up a starting line in a bay not too far from the harbor and supplemented our speed testing with some practice starts. Confusion abounded as the starting sequences and instructions were given in Italian. On Argo debate quickly broke out as to whether the unofficial race committee was giving the time to the start or attempting to set up his niece or nephew with one of the strapping, single, and luscious Argonauts.
Practice culminated today with official practice starts and a practice race, where times and instructions (thankfully) were given in English as they will be for the remainder of the regatta. A series of back-to-back practice starts quickly revealed that this will be an aggressive fleet to compete against. In every practice start a good deal of boats were at least 10 meters over the start line, something that makes starting cleanly nearly psychologically impossible. It’s an extremely disconcerting thing to allow a good chunk of boats to get ahead of you at the start, but you allow it knowing (and hoping) that the race committee will acknowledge their transgression and call them over early at the start.
Though we’ve been soaking up the sights of Italy, the weather has done it’s best to shroud the beauty of our environs in clouds and rain. Practice today started in a constant downpour that turned into an off-and-on drizzle for the remainder of the day. Staying dry is sometimes nearly as important as sailing smart, so the crew would particularly like to thank Gul for their sponsorship and support. For over a year, Gul has provided the team with some amazing sailing gear that helps us stay on our A-game. Thanks guys!
Off the water, camaraderie and morale within the team and the fleet have been high. There have been at least two trips to Clipper, a local maelstrom (read: “pub”) for sailors and their entourages. No casualties of carousing to report as of yet (save for some rosemary bushes), though there have been some close calls. After tonight’s skippers meeting, the team enjoyed hors d’oeuvres and cocktails on the roof of YCCS, the event’s host, while trading salt stories with the other crews.
We’ve come to Italy. We’ve seen what we can do. Tomorrow racing begins. 13 hours until the first warning signal.
Applying Bow Stickers
The team on the way out to practice
Battle flag
The last two days of practice have seen a lot of speed testing, which involves sailing in close proximity to another boat to gauge your relative speed. This activity allows a crew to effectively measure the efficacy of their combined efforts to get the boat through the water. It makes experimenting with technique, trim, and tuning more of a exact science than the confused alchemy that can easily result when determining the interrelation among the myriad variables that affect a boat’s speed through the water.
Yesterday, we took advantage of the fact that some Italian teams had set up a starting line in a bay not too far from the harbor and supplemented our speed testing with some practice starts. Confusion abounded as the starting sequences and instructions were given in Italian. On Argo debate quickly broke out as to whether the unofficial race committee was giving the time to the start or attempting to set up his niece or nephew with one of the strapping, single, and luscious Argonauts.
Practice culminated today with official practice starts and a practice race, where times and instructions (thankfully) were given in English as they will be for the remainder of the regatta. A series of back-to-back practice starts quickly revealed that this will be an aggressive fleet to compete against. In every practice start a good deal of boats were at least 10 meters over the start line, something that makes starting cleanly nearly psychologically impossible. It’s an extremely disconcerting thing to allow a good chunk of boats to get ahead of you at the start, but you allow it knowing (and hoping) that the race committee will acknowledge their transgression and call them over early at the start.
Though we’ve been soaking up the sights of Italy, the weather has done it’s best to shroud the beauty of our environs in clouds and rain. Practice today started in a constant downpour that turned into an off-and-on drizzle for the remainder of the day. Staying dry is sometimes nearly as important as sailing smart, so the crew would particularly like to thank Gul for their sponsorship and support. For over a year, Gul has provided the team with some amazing sailing gear that helps us stay on our A-game. Thanks guys!
Off the water, camaraderie and morale within the team and the fleet have been high. There have been at least two trips to Clipper, a local maelstrom (read: “pub”) for sailors and their entourages. No casualties of carousing to report as of yet (save for some rosemary bushes), though there have been some close calls. After tonight’s skippers meeting, the team enjoyed hors d’oeuvres and cocktails on the roof of YCCS, the event’s host, while trading salt stories with the other crews.
We’ve come to Italy. We’ve seen what we can do. Tomorrow racing begins. 13 hours until the first warning signal.
Applying Bow Stickers
The team on the way out to practice
Battle flag
20 September 2009
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!
Day One - The Squall
Day One - The Squall
Day One - Waiting It Out
Day One - The World Championships
Day One -The Crew Taking Shelter
Day One - Porto Cervo
Day One - On the Dock
Day One - The Harbor
Day Two - Walking to Weigh In
Day Two - Sail Measurements
Day Two - The Crew Waiting to Weigh In
Day Two - Our View on the Walk to the Harbor
Day Two - Getting Ready to Sail
Day Two - Downwind Practice
Day Two - Skippy
Day Two - The Squall to the North
Day Two - The Crew (Weight In!)
Day Two - Chilling
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!
Day One - The Squall
Day One - The Squall
Day One - Waiting It Out
Day One - The World Championships
Day One -The Crew Taking Shelter
Day One - Porto Cervo
Day One - On the Dock
Day One - The Harbor
Day Two - Walking to Weigh In
Day Two - Sail Measurements
Day Two - The Crew Waiting to Weigh In
Day Two - Our View on the Walk to the Harbor
Day Two - Getting Ready to Sail
Day Two - Downwind Practice
Day Two - Skippy
Day Two - The Squall to the North
Day Two - The Crew (Weight In!)
Day Two - Chilling
19 September 2009
First day's practice was called off because a squall rolled through Porto Cervo with what looked like 2 more behind it. Instead of sailing, we spent the afternoon checking out ARGO, selecting our sails for measurement tomorrow (ISAF is here in force at this event!), and then went on a team run to prepare for weigh-in tomorrow at 9am. A small dinner, no more water and a 7am run should put us in a pretty safe spot to face the scales. Team chef Sally has promised us a big brunch after weigh-in. I haven't tasted bacon in weeks!
18 September 2009
09 September 2009
Argo on Sailing Anarchy
Check out coverage on Sailing Anarchy: http://www.sailinganarchy.com. The story is titled "Anarchy in the ITA" from September 8, 2009.
04 September 2009
Argo in Windcheck
Check out the article in Windcheck authored by Argo crew members Chad Corning and Molly Baxter. T-Minus 14 days until we arrive in Porto Cervo for the Melges 32 World Championships.
19 July 2009
18 July 2009
Day 1 Photos
Sailing is still postponed. We'll know within the next 30 minutes what the verdict is for the day. A mistral blew in from the Continent and winds have been consistently in the high twenties for most of the day. The class limit for racing is 25 knots, and gear starts breaking around 30, so it's probably a good decision to have kept the fleet in while this wind blows through. The team has been relaxing for most of the day on the beach or in vineyards, so life is good here in the middle of the Med. Photos from today's excursions will be uploaded sometime tonight or tomorrow, but in the mean time, enjoy these pics from yesterday.
17 July 2009
Cagliari Photos
Hey folks, I'm just throwing up a few pictures while the skippers meeting is under way. The first race is in two hours! Wish us luck!
The Team Arriving at the Airport
The View from our Villa - We look out over the bay on which Yacht Club Cagliari is located. That's our race course out there.
Dock Party
The Fleet
]
Ben Bardwell - Mast and Foredeck
Patrick Mauro - Pit and Sewer
Tuning Up the Boat - Practice Day 1
Inglesia on the Harbor
Coming in from Practice Day 1
Cruising back to the dock after practice races
The Team Arriving at the Airport
The View from our Villa - We look out over the bay on which Yacht Club Cagliari is located. That's our race course out there.
Dock Party
The Fleet
]Ben Bardwell - Mast and Foredeck
Patrick Mauro - Pit and Sewer
Tuning Up the Boat - Practice Day 1
Inglesia on the Harbor
Coming in from Practice Day 1
Cruising back to the dock after practice races
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