Many of us yearn for major regattas with a hundred or more boats, big wave sailing, strong tides or current, launching line-ups and loads of screaming kids pushing the rules of the sport. This past weekend the Ontario Masters Championships had none of the above. Instead, it was a fun-filled weekend of intense competition against fellow masters sailors in a park-like setting on Guelph Lake. The relaxed atmosphere, the great food, the volunteer support, the onsite camping and the apres-sail activities (Harry's stories: (1) Live life to its fullest; (2) Its ok to hit a lady when she is trying to drive off with your vehicle while you are sleeping in the back).
Camping on the point was spectacular and peaceful, as we were serenaded by howling coyotes, howling humans performing a concert across the lake, and the nearby snoring of Jeff, Simon, John and Gerry (or was it myself?).
The change of pace to a smaller event was welcome, and it allowed masters sailors who will be attending the World Championships in St. Margaret's Bay to work on different elements of their game, such as choosing the favoured end of the line, tacking practice, sliding your boat to the right on the start line, threading the needle when coming in on port at the windward mark, and rolling the dice on which side of the course to sail.
The first couple of races involved familiarization with the race course, the small lake and the frequent 30 degree wind shifts. Indrek Aavisto set the pace early on by playing the shifts perfectly up the middle of the course and holding his lead to win the first race. Between races several people spoke to Indrek about what he did right, and the reply was something about rolling the dice, as someone else shouted out "Texas Hold'em". I finished 4th and also felt I had just returned from the casino.
In the second race, Rob Koci earned a solid lead early on. Just prior to the first windward mark rounding as I was heading towards the starboard layline there was a huge shift from the left, with Rob Koci in the middle of the puff reaching to the mark on port and passing several boats in the process. Mental note to self - go left as you approach the windward mark. On the downwind we were still trying to shake out the favoured side of the course, but it was appearing as if the centre of the course had less wind. Note to self - avoid the centre. By staying left downwind you are in a favoured position coming into a very crowded leeward mark. I felt that could be worth a few boats, therefore I preferred this option compared to going down the right shoreline, although the latter was faster on occasion.
Approaching the second windward mark I was in 4th place, as the fleet worked up the centre-right side of the course. I stayed left hoping for Rob's puff from the left, and at about 100m from the mark, there it blew. Boats to my right were struggling in about 3 knots of wind, and there I was reaching to the mark in about 15 knots. I came up aces and won the hand.
After lunch the wind had shifted more to the right, just as Harri Palm (the local expect) had predicted, so the right side was generally favoured upwind. I followed a similar strategy as in the morning and faired reasonably well with couple of 2nds, a 3rd and a 1st. The winners were the ever-dangerous Joe Van Rossem, John Rae and Rob Koci. The 5th race delivered me a terrible hand as I dumped in a puff going downwind. However, luck turned and by going hard left into fresh breeze towards the leeward mark I was able to pass several boats, then gained a couple more on the final upwind, to finish just in front of Joe in 3rd. I told myself that the finish line is only 5 yards long, and it is right beside the committee boat. Given that the pin end was so favoured on the start (particularly when the wind shifted left), finishing at the pin meant that you were sailing an extra 3-4 boat lengths - a huge distance.
The following day brought similar wind that we had on Saturday. While I felt my strategy was performing reasonably well, several others had their strategy working better. Rob Koci was back in action after some tough luck on Saturday with a convincing win in the first race of the day. Then the day was handed over to the card sharks from Fanshawe, as Steve Carroll and Rick Goldt walked away with the remaining four wins - two each to dominate Sunday's action. Clearly the Fanshawe boys had figured out the course.
It turns out that the top 4 boats were within 5 points of each other in this closely fought battle of Ontario. Thanks to a recent birthday and graduation from the Apprentice fleet into the Masters fleet, I was able to hold on for the win. Getting older is one of the great things about sailing in masters regattas. I look forward to seeing you all at the next poker round.
Things that worked well:
- Play every shift, the angle you sail is so important
- Quick tacks. Forget about a huge roll tack... get onto the new course ASAP and head up.
- I love my telltale set-up for reading windshifts!!
- Keep your head out of the boat, looking for puffs and the sailing angle of other boats... so much more important in shifty wind than steady wind.
- Apply the brakes at the leeward mark when you are the outside boat, particularly on huge pinwheel roundings. Anticipate braking early.
- Clean starts.
- Starting: Get a good transit. If undecided about the phase of windshifts, start in the middle of the line to give yourself time to adjust to major shifts in the last 30 seconds.
Things that didn't work well:
- Hitting the windward mark. Despite Joe turning 70 on Saturday, his eyes appear to be working well, as he noticed that my boom just grazed the mark. I was in denial, but he had a better viewing angle than me (hard to see the back side of the boom from where you sit). After a friendly chat between sailors he was supported by another sailor... I turned.
- Too many boats coming into windward mark on port tack... no rights, very dangerous and potentially expensive.
- Running down the middle of the course. The sides were preferred.
Nigel Heath is an avid Laser and Radial sailor from the Water Rats Sailing Club in Toronto. Nigel is also a member of the Ontario Masters Racing Team.
