The wind blew a little stronger today with the sea breeze kicking in to provide about 12 to 15 knots. Mostly for me, the racing was more of the same as yesterday. I am mid fleet, apparently, and nothing I do seems to make me any better. I have to say I am slightly shocked, and not a little disappointed. The biggest problem I have is that I am not sure how to fix it. Perhaps it is more accurate to say that I don't think I can fix it-that I am simply not, and will never be -as good a sailor as I would like to think I am.
My starts were not bad, which means, if I am to be cynical, that I don't have bad starts as an excuse. I just don't have boat speed. I sail, and slowly, painfully, fall behind. My decisions are not bad. I make mark roundings relatively cleanly. I sail downwind relatively well. But at the end of the day, I am not fast, and when you are not fast and you are sailing against the best Masters in North America, you will not do well. It is painful to have to admit, but I have no advice, no message, no help today for the young or the inexperienced, except the advice that I can offer from a position of failure - don't let your boys grow up to be cowboys, don't let your daughters fall in love with them, and don't hang your self worth on you ability to sail a boat around a race course faster than a bunch of guys.
Rob Koci races in both the Laser Full-Rig and Laser Radial fleets around District 3. Currently, Rob is the District 3 secretary and maintains a frequently updated race diary on D3Laser.com. Rob's home port is St. James Town Sailing Club in Toronto, Ontario.
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