Dacron and Spruce

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That’s Finland

Great place and people. Amazing racing, best the fleet has ever seen.

RESULTS

Follow the “results” from the racing here.

http://www.njk.fi/6mrworldcup2011

August 10th

Lighter breeze. The starting Line is so packed.

August 9th

n.

Sailpix

 

this shot form a couple of days ago

 

There is a fantastic photographer creating shots of the event.  TOTEM will definately be getting some prints from this outfit before we leave.  Check them out. http://sailpix.pp.fi/ ,

August 8th

 

 

Click on pics to enlarge

First World Cup Race – Wow City

Well , if you thought sailing behind the small Baltic island chain might soften the blow , it might not.

There has been a bit of grumbling because the race was abandoned in the middle of the 4th and final leg but there can be some satisfaction in having survived the 25 knot gusts and burning a ton of white knuckle calories .

Here they were – all the boats zipping back and forth and off the line. The wind was howling. Maybe twenty – maybe twenty four ( no sailing starts at 25) Totems groove was not ideal but we held on , then just as we were tacking to round the mark the jib car grabbed hold of the jib line and would not let go. Then freed -. Off we go to round then lift the kite. wow city. With a quick And loud pop the plow is pulling us down waves.

Conan tiller war would start up every once and again to keep the spin from overdoing a role. One battle brought us swinging over, pressed by a wave and a role almost crashing into a neighboring relic.

At the end of the third leg they sent us in.

No finish today.

August 7th

We were working hard in the Baltic sea today, small craft advisory Russian style. It was maybe blowing twenty on this almost fresh water, waves stacking up.  Just seemed more wild than twenty back home.

Very wet and very fun to steer. The window for optimum steering angle was wafer thin, what an opportunity to climb up and over and down again within that wind window. super hard but a joy to just tune into the optimum heel of the boat.

It was prime mono hull weather. Lifting and falling, beautifully balanced on the surface, pushing forward. Even un-thwarted by the chance to punch through when caught in a trough too deep and steep. Given, quite a bit of water washed over and into the cockpit.

Maybe thirty boats started, many a few boat lengths early, then half the fleet went in after tuning to the first mark.

We stuck too, long 1.5 mile legs with a fun duel at the end. Came in 6th, I think.

 

two shots heading home once back in protected waters.

Tuning day two, practice races

10 knots of breeze
Be at race course in twenty.

Tim Fallon , Dave Moffit , Chris Museler, Tom Lihan