Regatta Rituals

R2R Leads The Pack Downwind Pre-regatta Tasks Preparation begins about 10 days before the first gun. Rich sends in the entry form and emails the team to let everyone know the schedule for the regatta weekend. On the weekend before the event, Rich and Thom will go through R2R to make sure all equipment is in good working order or replace anything that looks marginal. About mid-week, Rail-to-Rail is converted from an OCSC teaching platform to its racing configuration. Sails, cushions, the 6-hp motor, and the fuel tank are put ashore. Beginning Wednesday, Thom will download the Pacific High Seas 500mb and surface analysis forecasts and email them to the team. On Friday, he will email the team a series of charts illustrating hourly current flows that have been generated by the Local Knowledge current prediction program. The evening before delivery, R2R is hauled out and wet sanded using 600 grit paper. Morning 1 at the Dock The intensity level notches up on the regatta’s first morning. The team generally meets at the dock around 8:00 am. We’ve found that morning routines work best if one of us takes on the role of crew boss. Rich generally steps up and keeps people motivated and moving. This is an art because each person approaches competition differently. For example, unless Thom is involved in doing a major repair, he likes to bypass the small talk, read over the sailing instructions and develop the day’s game plan. Often you will find him in the yacht club’s lounge or below deck doing his thing. In contrast, Lou Anna likes to chat while drinking her cup of coffee as she sets up the foredeck. Trena will run the lines while Larry tunes the rig. When everything is done, the team is off to the skipper’s meeting and a final head break. Sailing Out to the Course About 1.5 to 2 hours before the first gun, Rail-to-Rail hoists sails and makes its way out to the intended racing area. After a few minutes of chit chat, Thom will lead the team in a discussion of the day’s game plan. We’ll talk about the likely courses, currents and their switch times, general course strategy, expected sets and douses, and other issues. Warming Up When Rail to Rail reaches the racing area, the crew moves to the rail as Rich and Larry work on tuning the rig and shaping the sails. Their goal is to get R2R going at top speed and if another competitor is nearby, we’ll do a bit of speed testing. As the boat continues to sail upwind, the team performs a series of tacks to warm up, get the tacking angles down, and chart the timing of wind shifts. If time permits, R2R will sail up to the windward mark to check out the current. Sailing downwind to the starting area, the team will also do some warm up gybes and look to see if we can get another read on the current. If the race committee had set a leeward gate, Thom will take a bearing shot to see which side is favored. Between Races It’s been 90+ minutes of pure adrenaline and concentration. The team needs time to mentally and physically relax and we do so. The spinnaker stays put. Trena get everyone water and food while others rest. About halfway down the course, Thom will move aft to check in with Rich and Larry while Trena runs the chute’s tapes and Lou Anna sets up the foredeck. We’ll then have a brief team talk about the upcoming race – what went well in the last effort, what we’ll do better in the next race, and what changes we’ll make to our game plan. At the bottom of the course, Rich and Larry will check wind speed and make decisions on rig tension and headsail. Back at the Dock The day is done and overall we’ve had a great time. Thom will head up to the yacht club to see whether others are protesting us or if necessary file one on our own. Meanwhile, the rest of the team will focus on putting equipment away and making a punch list of needed repairs and gear replacements. When all the busy work is done, we’ll congregate in the back of the boat for a short discussion about the day’s performance. Our talk is candid yet respectful. Our goal is to help each other improve and we pay a lot of attention to following this principle in what we say and how we say it. The dock debrief concludes by planning tomorrow’s arrival time and then it’s off the evening’s festivities. Morning 2 The team arrives at the dock at the appointed time. If major repairs are needed, Thom will take the lead because he enjoys working on the boat. Rich, Larry, and others pitch in as needed. After all the fixes are made, the crew will set up the boat while Thom goes off to see where Rail to Rail is in the standings. He’ll make a list of boat names and point differences. This is key because Day 2 is about climbing up in the standings while defending against moves by other boats. While sailing out to the racing area, Thom makes sure to let everyone know whom we’ll be hunting and who will be after us as Rail-to-Rail. This information will be updated between races. Otherwise, the day’s routine is similar to previous days. Post Regatta Hopefully, Rail to Rail will be on the podium at the awards ceremony. If so, we’ll be there as a team. If not, one of us will be dropped off at the yacht club dock to drive the truck back to Berkeley while the others have a fun sail home. At R2R’s home berth, the team quickly re-converts Rail to Rail back to a teaching boat and stores the racing equipment up in the loft, maintenance shed, and fuel locker. We then join each other in the OCSC clubhouse for a celebratory beer regardless of where we finished. With final team hugs, we’re off to home and families.