The NS14 Nationals kicked off today. We got some awesome breeze in the sailing area, out in Bate Bay from Cronulla Sailing Club. Hugh Tait, Peter V and Bryce are currently in 1, 2, and 3 after day one, sailing exceptionally fast and consistently in the shifty but strong conditions.
Waves were a big winner downwind, and I was really proud of how Chris (Canberra boy) improved over the day! We finished 10th in race 1 and 9th in race 2, and by the end of the day had found our groove. We will get out there and try again today!
Our vang blew up in the start of race 1, which we managed to fix but could never get enough tension, and we could have possibly gone a bit more rake, but who knows in such choppy and variable conditions! We were so quick downwind with the upright mast, and caught boats on those legs, so who knows!
Really enjoying the sailing with Chris, and learning about a new class. Who knows what the rest of the regatta will bring. We are aiming for top 10; fierce at the top (just check out how many class stalwarts are there) but we will see what we can do!
Rob Douglass (super one-armed supporter) was out with Trev Hilleard and Lea (Tasar 2868) yesterday to watch the action, was great to have them there, it was great to see how warm and dry they were on the yacht – but really, thanks guys for the support!
I will check in again at the end of the regatta (at least!). To stay tuned on the progress of California Times you can see Twitter (for live updates), the results, or the gallery – which I will update with pictures daily!
If you would like to see the California Times video, it is now live on YouTube!
I hope you all had a great Chrissy and have a great time on Saturday welcoming 2012!
Time to go racing and ride those waves!
Riding the wave
