Hi everyone,
Greetings from 1st place – we’re switching up the write-up person this week. I owe Farley a write-up, and even though Farley didn’t sail, I’m still happy to do it this round.
It was a great day! Sunny, not too cold, lots of boats on the water – and my absolute favorite conditions: super puffy and shifty. Thanks to Steen and Cuong for supporting us through five very solid races in spite of the variable conditions.
I’m going to focus on two main themes. First up: Navigating puffy/shifty.
I think I love puffy/shifty because it is inherently interesting, requires extra focus, and means super dynamic racing with greater potential to both lose and gain spots. Here is what worked for me:
- It was critical to stay on the lifted tack, even if it meant losing a bit by staying in bad air or fighting to keep a lane (especially after the start). The alternative was to very likely lose not just a few boat lengths but dozens or more in a relatively short period of time by being on the headed tack, even briefly.
- Related: it was critical to be ready to tack at a moment’s notice to stay on the lifted tack.
- Also: sometimes the wind would decrease significantly, but not really shift very much. I resisted the urge to tack immediately during sudden lulls and waited a beat to see whether the change was indeed a header or just a shift in apparent wind that made it seem like a header.
- I spent a LOT of time with my head out of the boat, especially looking upwind for puffs. While sailing upwind, I kept an eye out to be ready for a big ease/hike and to adjust my heading when the puff came; downwind, I wanted to make sure I was ready to add extra vang and bring in my sail a bit to better handle a strong gust and ultimately avoid flipping. It was also helpful to see where other boats were and how they were heading – for example, so I could better anticipate how the next shift would affect me.
- I stayed mindful of shifting gears – especially for me, this meant releasing the cunningham during extended lulls.
In other words, these conditions were all about anticipation, focus, and being ready to take action (e.g., tack) at any time.
Second theme: the mental game.
To me, we spend most of our time talking about two main categories for improvement: setting controls/general boat handling and tactics/strategy, both of which are important. But I think the mental game is also super critical, and we tend to neglect discussion of it. One key observation from today:
- Arrive with an intentional mindset. I didn’t have the best day during the Hangover Bowl, and I think it was partly b/c I felt overpowered and frustrated that I couldn’t adjust my controls very well due to the ice. But I also didn’t come with the right mindset, and it showed. Maybe in part due to this, I came to racing Sunday intentionally with more of a “I’m going to give this day everything I’ve got – and I’m going to fight for every boat/place” mentality — but also held lightly, in an experimental, “let’s try this and see” way — and I think it really helped. I’m one of those people who just loves being on the water, and if I’m not feeling extra competitive, I still have fun – but I also like to do well. Today was a big reminder for me about the stories we tell ourselves and how shifting a mindset (or belief about ourselves) can make a big difference.
Here’s hoping that this milder weather continues. See many of you on Sunday!
Laura
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