First off I would like to congratulate Jim Klein for tying Len for first place for the day. I believe that this is his first time winning a day.
Today was a gorgeous day for frostbiting. Temps were in the 50s and the wind was around in the 5 range with maybe some puffs near 8. The RC was able to get off 4 races. We did a little of everything starting with a triangle, 2 olympics, and a final windward leeward. The breeze slowly died off as we stayed out on the water.
As for sailing, the races that we run for frostbiting are relatively short races so the start is important. You can screw it up a little and make out OK but in general you need to come off the line with speed and clean air. On a light air day like today, finding the breeze and staying in clean air are paramount. At the starts of the first 3 races, I decided that the pin end of the line was favored and went for it. It worked fairly well in all three races for me and with each race, more people joined me at the pin end. The last race had a small shift (from my view at least) and I think the line was very even. But the shift came in the last 30 seconds of the start so everyone was stuck where they were. Other than starts and clear air, the important thing on light air days is to be patent with your boat and not get frustrated.
I look forward to seeing all the new people out on the water the rest of the season. And remember that we are still sailing next Sunday!
Farley