Race one started a little late, light northerly, offshore and my start did not go well for me (and one other sailor). I ended up with a port starter straddled right across my boat between the backstay and mast. Thankfully their boat eventually slid off backwards and we were not too far behind the fleet. My back stay was now released off 99%, Super pointing and I could sheet out to keep the boat from totally rounding up in the light gusts. I was super lucky there was a huge lefty which I hooked and was back in the mix by the 1^st top mark. The race course all day was start middle of the course, top/spreader, bottom gate, Top/Spreader, bottom gate then up to the finish at the top. This made for 2.5 beats which gave plenty of time to try and recover in each race from a average start. The course officials had been struggling all morning as the wind shifts at this point of the were crazy big.

After race one we had a class rules protest. This is the first every NZ DF65 Nationals, so I think this was a necessary thing to do and glad some brave sailors did. As our class heads into self regulation in the future, some ground rules will need to be agreed upon by the Manufacturer, suppliers and all DF65 boat owners. This protest has shown we need to get together with the Manufacture, suppliers, NZ sailors and world groups and decide how to manage our class rules as a group going forward. Currently I here people say “this is how Australia managed it at there Nationals”. My personal thinking, is how the DF65’s come out of the box, and how the box manual explains how to put them together should be the only way they are currently put together, no exceptions. Therefore a new person constructing a boat out of the box has exactly has the same boat I have here at these Nationals. The new person would then know they are competing on an even planing field and the only difference is the skill of the skipper. If we are going to run exceptions, or allowable alterations, we should ask the suppliers to provide this information with all new box's sold. The manufacture, suppliers and other sailors may agree or disagree with my opinion and I think that is what we all need to formally discussed as a group and agree on at a later date. (The protest was unsuccessfully as our sailing instructions had altered class rule C1 to allow this patch for this nz national event)

In the mean time the race officials had been chasing the wind and had a new course set up in the other shore line, for the westerly that was starting to stabilize. Race two underway and it was all on for the rest of the day. 18 boats on the start line and they all wanted the prime spot. For the first few races the line was bias to the Pin and a port start was the ideal but very hard to pull off. It is a game of millimeters and I had one of those days where the luck fell me way for all of my starts. After a few races the start line was trued up and then the wind shifts for the rest of the day determined which end was best to try and start at.

Racing was very, very tight, and the start normally determined who got to the top mark first. From there a downwind with a either a puff on the outside or inside, so again a boat could gain or lose 30 meters on this leg. Left or Right gate rounding? Then another shifty windward beat. Fantastic tactically racing all afternoon. Most enjoyable, thanks everyone :)

25th Report - Finial days sailing - DF65 Nationals at Kapiti

Photos on the Kapiti Facebook Page

I managed to get another hour or two shut eye. Pie breakfast at the dairy and out to the Lake Winston by 8am. The Kapiti Club set up the staging areas and RO John was working out what the wind was going to do today. The breeze was already in at a good strength so it was likely we were going to start on time. I caught up with a few locals while my batteries charged in the Van.

Racing started on time and we pretty much had the same condition's we ended on yesterday. Mid A plus rig and wind coming down the lake from the North West. Again the line started with a bias to the pin end and getting off the line then sneaking across on port to the right was the trick without being tagged by boats still on starboard.

The temperature was up, but a surprise 5 minute rain shower got all of our transmitters wet during one of the early races. After that race we all sprinted to our vehicle to get our transmitter covers but they were not need for the rest of the day. Have a dozen races then a quick lunch.

The afternoon breeze was starting to get up at times. A few hairy moments downwind, and waiting for the right moment to tack upwind so you did not stall. I got a bit chicken quite early and really twisted the mainsail out for the down winds. It meant I did not have the drive downhill, but on the occasion heavy gust I felt quite safe knowing others would round up before me.

On the 3^rd to last race to go, I was just leading with my A plus rig, however I had huge downwind roundup. I waited out the gust before then just make the bottom mark but I was now in 2nd and could not catch the leader. The reset of the fleet were to windward all rounded up too. After that race, I quickly changed to A standard rig and got back to the start line with 10 seconds before the starting gun. Thankfully a general recall, so time to do a little more tuning up.

In this 2^nd to last race I struggled a little. I had the jib in to tight relative to the main and not enough twist in the main so I was on the helm and sheets the whole time just trying to keep her moving. This meant I however had good height when needed so I held 3rd against the A plus rigs around the course, until the last 100 meters where it went light on the finish line and I lost a couple of places. ( A plus pulls just a little better in a jobbly light upwind stuff, only 10 meters difference on the down winds when medium wind strength, and the same in the heavy but A standard a lot more controllable)

The finial race and I got the A standard setup right. It was at the very top end of A plus and they were struggling to tack in the gusts so I made huge gains on each tack upwind with the standard A rig. I was coming 2^nd on the last downwind and the wind came up to more than the A plus could handle. Every A plus rig rounded up on the downwind and I surfed away on the standard A rig. I rounded the bottom mark and could just tack. All the A plus rigs that made the bottom mark really struggled to get threw a tack during this gust and most stalled out for a while.

A quick Kapiti pack-up, Bar b que with sausages and onions, Prize giving, speeches and we all headed off in our different directions after a great weekend session.

Thanks heaps to all that made this weekend happen.