We normally don't give a shit about anybody's blog, but Justin Law and Michael Miller are at the 470 trials in Los Angeles this week, and Miller’s got a nice diary of events going at Pinnacle Sailing’s website. Check it.

October 4:

So I’m at the trials in LA- concrete jungle or paradise? More like paradise on the water. Sunny, 65-75 degrees, 5-12 knots, just perfectly inviting sailing weather. But more like the concrete jungle with all the tension of the trials for the Big “O” games. (I’m technically not even allowed to say the word much less write it). Well the tension is mounting. For us it’s not too bad, underdogs and all, but the first morning here we were approached and asked to join some training that afternoon, breifing and debreifing, video and photos, nice stuff but with stipulation. We absolutely cannot share any of the information with anybody outside of the tuning group. HHmmm….

Then the US coach approaches us and asks for our afternoon plan. Do we sail with the five boats in the tuning group or do we go it alone with the US coach? Well we go out and hook up with the group and sail a race and all hell breaks out. Good thing the coach boats are inflatable. Nobody wants anybody but their coach or tuning partner looking at setups, definitely no pictures.

Next practice race, we are touched by another boat. We say “protest” and almost spark a fistfight. Dave Ullman (ironically in a North Sails coachboat) diffuses the situation like a referee at a boxing match. We retreat to our corners and regroup. Then the group sets kites and reaches in. We missed the memo so, left behind, we go upwind doing nearly a hundred tacks and then gybes on the way in.

We’ve missed the debrief and I’m glad. Too early to get into pegged into a group and all that mess. I go get some beer and ice and tell every team to have some. Most do. As the mood lightens, we joke about practicing safe tuning. If we tune with one team, then with another, then with another, we must use protection as to not ferment bad blood. We’re carefully measuring in, getting the sails stamped, dotting i’s and crossing t’s, trying to stay friends with competitors, and laughing at the tension in the air.

As an aside, the windsurfing trials are at the same venue and three days before racing starts there’s already a protest. Mike Gebhardt (former medallist) protested Ben Barger (current #1) for wetsanding his board. I’m pretty sure it was disallowed as you can sand your board (within limits).

Let the Mind Games begin!!!

October 8:

This has been a very testing event so far. After two days, we’ve had crazy ups and downs. Race 1, we start just up from the pin and with great speed pinch off five boats despite getting lifted, and lifted… and lifted. We were farthest left on a 60 degree righty. The first boat we dusted tacked, ducked the fleet and rounded third. We rounded last. No more major shifts equals no passing lanes so we opened the regatta 11th of 13. Wrong time to have a good start and great speed. Breeze settled in for #2, and we sailed to a conservative 4th, very normal race.

Today we had great breeze in the morning, but the OSC wants light, unstable winds for racing so we were postponed until the wind died (weird, huh?). Race #3 started in about 5 knots, we didn’t bang left after being burned yesterday but right wasn’t working. We had the discipline (or guts/stupidity) to bail out, breaking a huge “golden rule” ie. don’t cross sides, and regain some face to 7th. We got to the first mark overlapped outside of Mikee (US #1 team) and as we bore away to set, he shouted protest. We thought it was strange as there was over three feet in between us, but he’s having a bad regatta so far and the pressure and frustration is obviously showing on and off the water. We just ignored him and kept sailing, passing one more boat and keeping Mikee behind us to finish 6th.

Finally, the breeze picked up to 12 knots and the RC had to sail us to keep on schedule (Whew!). We started conservatively, stayed with the fleet and rounded second. We passed the first boat (who had banged hard left all alone) and held off a hard charging Stu and Mikee to win the race. What a relief. Almost. Mikee filed the protest because we beat them that race and they are desperate for every point. I want to stress that we really didn’t do anything differently in this mark rounding, it was just like thousands of others, except that it’s the trials and we rounded ahead of a very frustrated sailor. Three witnesses (two of them on-the-water judges) said everything was normal, but Mikee wins the protest and loses the respect of his competitors in the process. We have to eat a DSQ, and he gets one point closer to Stu.

It’s really tough not to be bummed. Wait, I am bummed. Tonight. But I know we can win races (like today!). I know we have the speed to stay in the top with very conservative tactics. I know it’s not worth getting angry over what other people do. And I won’t trade character for any number of points at the trials. Tomorrow is another day.

-Michael Miller

2007-10-09

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