300 Race Log - 21st October

Date: 20th October

Venue : ESSC
Race : Handicap race, 45 minutes
Conditions: NE f1, very patchy and shifty
Tide : 30 minutes after start
Result :  9th overall of 28 boats

Positives:
- Reasonable start.  Started being covered by an OCS boat, but clean air after 30 seconds or so (by which time 10 boats were ahead)
- Somewhat paradoxically, boat speed felt OK but was very slow compared to the other boats in the fleet (especially the 200s, 400s and Lasers).  Not too concerned - the focus next year is going to be 300 sailing (ie opens), and no racing unless the wind is > 4 knots.
- Did OK relative to the other 300 in the fleet

Points for reflection:
- Somewhat paradoxically, boat speed felt OK but was very slow compared to the other boats in the fleet (especially the 200s, 400s and Lasers).  Not too concerned - the focus next year is going to be 300 sailing (ie opens), and no racing unless the wind is > 4 knots.
- Boat handling was OK, but not great.  I put this down to a lack of experience/practice of sailing in very light winds, usually I wouldn't have launched in that wind strength.
- A start 1/3rd down the line would have been a more conservative strategy for a series.  At the pin end Matt and Gael did well in the first start, but were buried in the second (pointing the wrong way as I recall).  Andy and Vicky were buried in the second start but had the best start on the third.  I had a great start in the second recall, but not so good in the third.  The point is that with that set up of start/course, only one or two people will win at the pin end, maybe speed and a midish line start would have been better.

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Date: 21st October

Venue : ESSC
Race : Handicap race,1 hour
Conditions: NE f2-51, very patchy and shifty
Tide : 30 minutes after start

Result :  7th overall of 40 boats. 2.51 behind Dave in the leading 300.

Positives:
- Boat felt controlled for the whole race.  No dodgy moments.  Was actually looking for decent gusts downwind with a view to maximising VMG.  Nice to feel that I was racing rather than fighting the boat for control!.
- Reasonable boatspeed, especially downwind.  Dave had a much better start and was well in the lead by Little Deep, but I felt I was definitely taking ground back downwind.
- Good reaching speed
- 7th of 40 is not too bad, especially with the asymmetrics planing downwind.

Points for reflection:
- Atrocious start.  Early for the line, ended up having to dip and on windward quarter of John and Guy in their Stratos.  Took ages to break out (roughly Little Deep!!).  All went wrong when I failed to defend a really nice gap to leeward on the start, Matt and Gael tacked to lee bow and we both ended up slightly early.  Again a more conservative approach would have paid - a mid line start with space would have been better.  I wonder whether a late port approach into a gap would pay dividends, keeping space with that many boats on a short line is hard.
- Start line to Echo was poor, largely due to the start - didn't break out and found myself at close quarters with loads of boats, moorings, the floating jetties.  Ended up tacking 5 or 6 times on a 50m beat.  Apparently rammed by Andy and Vicky, although my recollection is hazy! 
- Remember the compass next time!!   Would have been very useful going upwind in the offshore NE wind.