Forum :
Tips and Tricks
Topic :
Jaguar Cup Series
Annapolis friends and sailors, We raced the middle two regattas of the series. I had crewed in two Jaguar Cup regattas in previous years and this was my first experience at the helm and with my own Etchells, #1260, a former Cup winner in 2007 under Phil Garland. As an Etchells rookie driver, it was an exercise in preparation and trip management as much as racing. Results-wise, we were middle-of-the-pack, finishing in the high 30s and low 40s for each regatta. We didn’t hit anyone, and no one hit us – a private goal of mine. We did circles only once, perhaps against my better judgment, but all to keep it clean. In the standings, we could easily have done better – and will – with better starts in the first regatta and better tacks in the second. As Gary is want to remind us, second row is death row on the line, especially on a 60-boat line. And, as I’m learning, one over-steered tack is ten boats lost, at least in the Jaguar fleet. We had two finishes in the teens -- races where we did nothing more fancy than just sail well. Best moment was rolling over Jud at one start and holding our lane. Worst moment was my going waaay to wide at a downwind gate. The much-discussed windward gates are, to me, a great innovation and only a problem if you go too far left in an approach to the left-hand gate – think about being on port as starboard leaders come off the left-side off-set, spinny’s up, all yacking and yelling, all blind, no one thinking about you. That always made for hairy ducks and tucks in nasty fluster-f…s. You get the idea. As a club racer, it was both humbling and exciting to be amongst Olympians, World Champions and America’s Cuppers. To a certain degree, it was frightening to be in their midst, but I found it was actually more frightening to be among my more mortal peers – the leaders are just better sailors and, as such, you can count on their being more rational in the tight situations, whether in crossings, lee-bows, roundings, etc. So it was motivation to drive onto the front line and keep with them, not to be psyched out and notched down. That said, the Jaguar was a cruel reminder that finishing well in big Etchells races is very possibly a pay-to-play proposition. So many boats were staffed by paid pros and the coach boats were humming around us. Those very facts are something that take me aback. Nonetheless, in our second regatta, we paid a young ringer, John Porter from Lake Genera and now at Boat Locker.com, a $300 stipend to join us. He was great, but I lost my virginity as a no-pay boat and skipper. Just going to Miami was, for me, the real psyche job to overcome. I could only imagine the myriad routines and techniques for prepping the boat (and the car and the trailer), transporting, lodging, delivering, contracting, re-rigging, tuning, corralling my crew, registering, splashing… It was a daunting list. So was the cost – I tried to do this all for $8K with new white sails but $10ks gotta be the minimum. Logistically, however, it’s all do-able, and as Chuck reassured me, it’s altogether a nice drive up and back. I used my Ford SportTrac, which has a towing limit of 5,000 lbs, and was surprised how well the rig tracked and sped along. We weren’t as fast as 1211, whose Suburban passed us in North Carolina coming home, doing 75 mph. But then they ran out of gas and were happy to have us drive up, a tortoise to the hare. Returning to Annapolis, I’m anxious to see what I learned and if I’ll be faster. I’ll do both the regattas and Wednesday nights, or try. And, if all goes well, I’ll aim for Miami again next winter. Perhaps, too, you’ll do the same. You’ll be in the company of good friends, old and new. Best, Alan |
