October 3rd is here! We are on the eve of racing the US Trials. Today was the first day of measurement. We spent the day in the boat parking lot, derigging and running around with all of our boat parts to get weighed and measured, then rerigging the boat while making last minute changes to this and that.
Casey and I managed to get out on the water for a short sail before the end of the day. More measurement will take place tomorrow and Friday. I tell you, 470 boat work can go on and on! We have a pretty short work list to complete before Saturday morning comes and the racing begins:
1. Replace Nicole’s spin halyard handle so that it doesn’t break her fingers anymore when the jib blocks the chute coming out of the bag during sets.
2. Fix two small “dings” in the gelcoat on the centerboard and the rudder.
3. Drill two drain holes in the air tanks back by the transom (class rule) – ah! Drill holes?
4. Make a small stitch at the front of the compression batten pocket to allow consistency of tension on the luff of the main.
5. Attach a second, shorter line to the head of the jib so that we can adjust where the jib rides on the luff wire in heavy wind when we are raked back.
6. Lengthen the continuous traveler line.
7. Check all knots, ring dings, fittings, lines for fray, bungy cord for stretchiness… tape everything up that causes disruption in sail trim or air flow in general!
8. Teflon wax the hull of the boat and the blades.
9. Affix the regatta bow stickers.
10. Open up the air tanks during the hot, dry afternoon so any existing moisture is wicked away.
We have certainly come a long way from our first day on the water in Niantic, CT. We have learned so much more than we wrote into our blog for you to witness. I can only plead blog-negligence. I guess a lot of you will just have to wait for the traditional face-to-face storytelling that friends share after experiencing adventure.
I’ve included an interesting picture for you. Yesterday, I visited Pacifica High School with our practice boat while Casey and Jonas (our awesome coach) were visiting a stretch-guru named Bob Cooley. I addressed the student body (2000 kids!) during their lunch break. I told them about Olympic sailing and tried to rev them up to pursue their passion in life.
Casey and I managed to get out on the water for a short sail before the end of the day. More measurement will take place tomorrow and Friday. I tell you, 470 boat work can go on and on! We have a pretty short work list to complete before Saturday morning comes and the racing begins:
1. Replace Nicole’s spin halyard handle so that it doesn’t break her fingers anymore when the jib blocks the chute coming out of the bag during sets.
2. Fix two small “dings” in the gelcoat on the centerboard and the rudder.
3. Drill two drain holes in the air tanks back by the transom (class rule) – ah! Drill holes?
4. Make a small stitch at the front of the compression batten pocket to allow consistency of tension on the luff of the main.
5. Attach a second, shorter line to the head of the jib so that we can adjust where the jib rides on the luff wire in heavy wind when we are raked back.
6. Lengthen the continuous traveler line.
7. Check all knots, ring dings, fittings, lines for fray, bungy cord for stretchiness… tape everything up that causes disruption in sail trim or air flow in general!
8. Teflon wax the hull of the boat and the blades.
9. Affix the regatta bow stickers.
10. Open up the air tanks during the hot, dry afternoon so any existing moisture is wicked away.
We have certainly come a long way from our first day on the water in Niantic, CT. We have learned so much more than we wrote into our blog for you to witness. I can only plead blog-negligence. I guess a lot of you will just have to wait for the traditional face-to-face storytelling that friends share after experiencing adventure.
I’ve included an interesting picture for you. Yesterday, I visited Pacifica High School with our practice boat while Casey and Jonas (our awesome coach) were visiting a stretch-guru named Bob Cooley. I addressed the student body (2000 kids!) during their lunch break. I told them about Olympic sailing and tried to rev them up to pursue their passion in life.
Casey and I are competitive people, and we are going to give our competitors the best we have. But in the end, the essence of this Olympic endeavor has been the passion for competitive sailing we both have inside us. I told my father in an email several weeks ago, “I am already winning inside, regardless of the racing outcome...” Many thanks for those of you who gave this chance to us.
