US YOUTH WORLD TEAM COACHES' REPORTS FROM BUSAN, KOREA


Mike Kalin and Rob Hallawell

Friday, July 22

No racing today - championship is over!

A quick recap:
Paige Railey (Laser Radial) - Gold medal
Megan Magill/Briana Provancha (420 Girls) - Silver medal
Adam Roberts/Nick Martin (420 Boys) - 4th place
Royce Weber (Laser) - 5th place
TJ Tullo/Jerry Tullo (Hobie 16) - 7th place

The fog on the ocean today was incredible. Racing was called on shore at 12:30PM. Team USA was confident and prepared for the day, alas Adam and Nick missed their shot at a bronze medal. The team is very proud of their achievements, mentally exhausted from their awesome focus and extremely happy with both their sailing experience, and the many new friendships they made with folks from all over the world.

Closing ceremonies take place on Huendae Beach this evening and it should be spectacular.

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Wednesday, July 20

After a 1.5 hour delay on shore due to visibility and lack of wind on the race course, the sailors made their way out to the courses in swells from a distant typhoon. A particularly exciting time for me was hanging on to the front of the coaches boat (an 80 ft Navy ship) as we slammed down a couple of 10 ft waves on the way out.  There were a few spots on the way out where the waves were stacking up 15 ft and over -- an awesome sight.  The sky was clear, but very hazy; the wind was from the S-SW at 10-12 knots for race 8 and 10-14 knots for race 9.

Laser Radial: Paige footed to a lane at the start of today's first race and led a charge to the right side of the course (favored again) with great speed and she would round in first. Good pace and solid covering helped her maintain lead, giving her another bullet.

In race 9, Paige was a little overanxious and received an OCS. Had it counted, Paige still would not have fared well, as she snagged something underwater on her boat and lost many boats (there was some debris in the water today). China went on to win race 9. After two drops, Paige holds a six point lead on China, however, Paige holds an advantage as Paige's second drop (13) is better than China's (OCS).

Laser: Royce would have his best start of the regatta in race 8. With a heavily favored pin, but a massively favored right hand side, Royce managed a mid-line start, all by himself. He immediately flipped to port and was able to cross the pack to starboard while leading the pack from the pin. At the top, Royce was at about 10th place. Great downwind speed put him in 5th at the leeward gate, where he would join the parade to the right side. A one-turn penalty at the windward mark put him back a few places, while advancing the hard charging pack. Royce would hold his own on the run, but round on the outside at the leeward mark with only a short, tight reach to the finish. Two more boats would sneak in at the finish and Royce ended up 10th.

Race 9: Heavily pin favored again, but the gains were made on the right side. Royce didn't manage a great start here -- at the unfavored side (boat end), but not able to tack to port.  Royce had a poor lane and was deep off the start. A 10th place rounding was salvaged, which allowed Royce to let his downwind speed go to work. Another 5 boat gain and a fifth place rounding at the gate had Royce in a stampede to the right once again. A little too zealous was Royce out on the right -- he overstood the top mark significantly and would lose three boats. He held his 8th place finish to the end. Royce stands 5th and remains in the hunt for a medal with three races to go.

420 Girls:  Megan and Briana again had difficulty in finding a mark which cost them dearly. On the first beat of the day they jumped out to a lead and were battling the French girls well ahead of the rest of the fleet. The French team has won most of the races, but any time Megan and Briana can get close enough to race in the same clear air, the two teams are very even. While engaged with the French girls, Briana noticed boats who had been well behind on the left side of the beat setting their spinnakers. The quickly set theirs and sailed back down to the windward mark but the damage had been done. They ground back to finish 3rd, a very impressive display. In their second race, they rounded the top mark 6th and again gained throughout to finish third. The two are in second overall but with two teams, Great Britain and Brazil only two points behind.

420 Boys: Adam and Nick had another rough day getting off the line and sailing the first beat. They worked super hard to get back to 9th in the first race but couldn't find a clean lane for most of the second. On the final dead downwind run they were finally able to get clear and start surfing down the massive swells. The two California boys felt right at home and in the one leg went from 25th to sixth! They are in fourth overall and with three races to go are right in the thick of the medal chase. The Singapore team has jumped out to a commanding lead, with Japan and Great Britain second and third. There are many other teams still in the hunt so tomorrow should be exciting!

Hobie 16: TJ and Jerry finished in seventh in both races as the swells proved challenging in the Hobie class. They continue to learn, improve and have a blast in the process. They are in seventh overall and can still crack the top five.

For those interested, the lay day activities were varied.  I went on the organized tour, which included a tour of an ancient Buddhist temple and a tour of the world's largest container ship builder (Hyundai Heavy Industries). Interesting, but also six hours on the bus.  I'm glad Team USA spent the day at the beach surfing on inner-tubes (in the words of Jerry Tullo: "mowing down thousands of locals"), or in downtown Busan shopping and resting.
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Sunday, July 17

Team USA had a very successful day two at the Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship in Busan, Korea. Two races were held for each fleet, making it a total of five for each.

The weather today was warm and humid, as usual, with a light S-SW seabreeze of 4-7 knots on the Laser course (with a bit more wind on the doublehanded course) and a pretty flat race course (no swell or chop like the other days). Team USA found the light drag race conditions much to their liking.

420 Girls: Megan and Briana had a bad start in the middle of the line in the first race and rounded the top mark tenth. They used their blazing speed to continually pass boats and finish 4th. At the start of the second race they were part of a group of four starting early at the boat and had to return to clear themselves. They rounded 11th and were again able to charge through the fleet for another fourth.

Hobie 16: TJ and Jerry are still learning how to consistently sail the Hobie and when they are able to get clear after the start, they can win the races. In the first race of the day, however, they had a rough start and first beat and were second to last until passing a boat right before the finish. In the second race, they battled for the lead the entire way and were excited with their speed and boathandling. Their second place in the race put them in the hunt for a medal!

420 Boys: Adam and Nick are also having difficulty getting off the line. In both races they had a weak start, rounded mid-fleet and then rocketed downwind to pull up to the top group. A bad jibe at the final mark of the last race cost them two boats so they settled for an eighth. With many teams inconsistent, Adam and Nick are right in the hunt!

Laser Radial: Paige had determined that the right side was going to pay and she went for it. On a very crowded boat end, Paige emerged and was able to tack quickly toward favorable current on the right side. After legging all the way to the right side in 3-4 knots, Paige and her Brazilian opponent had a big lead on the pack. Paige would cover for the win in race 4. China was OCS - again.

Race 5 was very similar, but with a freshening breeze up to 7 knots. Paige had a similar strategy to race 4, but it didn't work out very well on the first beat. With both sides emerging in building pressure, Paige was caught in the middle at the top of the beat and suffered her first deep rounding -- in the low teens. A big comeback ensued - Paige passed four boats low on the first reach and passed another four on the next run in only 4 knots of breeze. The light wind allowed the other girls to hold off Paige on the last beat, but Paige finally broke through at the end of the run to get room on three boats and claim second place. China won the race.

Laser: Royce "Comeback Kid" Weber has been the beneficiary of thorough pre-race preparation. Royce has teamed up with Cy Thompson of USVI and Luke Ramsay of Canada to do a lot of pre-race due diligence. Royce discovered just how favored the right side would be and was ready to take advantage. At 20 seconds to go, Royce was primed near the boat end with a nice hole to windward in which to tack at "go". Unfortunately, at 7 seconds, Royce was over and he had to re-start. After clearing himself, his plan of a clear lane to the right was foiled. Instead, Royce would foot and make his own lane -- very low. He knew it was worth it to gain the current advantage. The right side was indeed massively favored and Royce used his speed to launch from second-last to around fifth at the top mark. Great speed on the run allowed Royce to pick up another couple of boats and it was a drag race out to the right corner for the next beat. Royce held on to what appeared to be third, however, Brazil was later DSQ'd and Royce finished second.

The start of race 5 saw a ridiculously crowded boat end. Royce fought hard for a good spot in the front row and he got it. He was able to flip to port and establish a nice lane early. Again, blazing upwind speed in the flat water and 7 knot breeze propelled Royce to 1st at the top mark. But, the charging pack was right on his heels and ground him down a little. Royce managed a 3rd by the leeward gate. From there, the top 3 had great speed out to the right side and extended on the fleet. Royce would hold on to third.
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Saturday, July 16

Greetings,

This year's Youth World Champs are taking place in Busan, South Korea (same venue as the 1988 Olympic regatta, but with different spelling). I have compiled the write-up from the Volvo course (singlehanded), while Rob Hallawell will update on the Haijan course (doublehanded). To start, yesterday's practice race capped more than a week in Busan of glassy calm, with lots of rain. The opening ceremonies last night were spectacular and superbly entertaining! A beach setting with thousands of locals on hand set the scene for a festive evening of drum shows, concerts and fireworks! As soon as the festivities ended, the mood suddenly became more serious amongst the competitors.

Laser Radial: the wind finally filled from the S-SW at 10-12 knots. On the Volvo course, Paige Railey (Clearwater, FL) pounced on the fleet in race one by artfully taking the pin end and quickly tacking to the favored right side -- although the wind dipped to five knots briefly, she went on to extend her lead and take race one by a commanding margin. Race two saw Paige punched out again to the (thus far) favored right side. Unfortunately, the left side saw a bit more pressure and a better angle and Paige rounded in 4th. Her downwind speed brought her back to second, but she could not pass China, who would now tie her for the lead with a 2,1 to Paige's 1,2. Race three saw Paige show great discipline and restraint. Although the fleet around her rolled over her on the start, she stayed clean and behind the line and finally bailed to the favored right side. China, on the other hand, had a great start, but was OCS. Paige again made the right-side work and claimed victory in race three. Paige leads with a 1,2,1.

Laser: On the men's side, 17-year-old Royce Weber, of Surf City, NJ, had a fantastic day of comebacks. Although Royce had trouble finding a lane at the start of the races, he was able to bail out quickly and get right back into the race. Royce twice rounded in the mid 20s, only to finish 15th in race one and 9th in race three. Race two was a gem, as Royce rounded in fifth and used his downwind speed advantage to convert to a second by the end of the race. Royce stands fifth in a tight field of 35.

From Rob Hallawell covering the doublehanded course:
Today was day 1 at the ISAF Youth Worlds held in Busan, Korea. Our team arrived on Tuesday night, spent Wednesday recovering from the flights, Thursday registering and rigging the boats, and Friday there was a practice race. For all of those days the wind was light and fluky. Today seemed no different with a Northwesterly and a Southerly battling but neither reaching more than 5 knots.
At 10:20 a.m. the doublehanded and Laser fleets were released to launch with USA's 420 sailors Adam Roberts and Nick Martin, both of San Diego, the first boat to hit the water. By the 11:55 first warning a nice Southwest breeze had steadied and we were more then ready to race.

420 Girls: The 420 girls started first. Megan Magill and Briana Provancha, both of San Diego, had a great middle of the line start and played the shifts to round in the top group. Their downwind speed was great and they rounded the leeward mark in third. They continued to charge throughout, moving to second and closing to within 2 boat lengths of the French team at the finish. For the second race, Magill and Provancha chose to start on port by the pin but couldn't quite cross the Italian boat. It seemed not to matter to them as the race committee had blown 2 sounds after the start horn, signaling a general recall.

As they returned to the start, Megan and Briana finally saw that the individual recall was flying, not the First Substitute! They had great speed and climbed back to sixth at one point but had to settle for a ninth. In their third race, the pair again started to leeward of the fleet and suffered as the right paid off heavily. After rounding the first mark in 19th they were able to climb to an eighth place. After an unsuccessful request for redress (reread the rules...they had a very good case!) they sit in third place overall. Unfortunately the French team has three firsts, which will be hard to catch up with.

Hobie 16: The Hobie Cats started second and had a blast in the 8 to 13 knots. Brothers TJ and Jerry Tullo, both from Staten Island, NY, are fairly new to the class but they are learning quickly. Their first start hurt them terribly and they struggled to an eighth place out of 11 boats. Their second start was only slightly better but they had figured out how to sail upwind and led at the top mark. As the fleet reached over them to windward they realized they had to improve downwind as well! They ended up fifth but with much more confidence. In their third race they again trailed off the line but held a big advantage being to windward on starboard. Each boat tacked to port and then had to duck the Tullos! As TJ and Jerry tacked, they found some nice pressure and led nicely. With their new downwind speed, the brothers won the third race easily. They are in fifth overall but should be able to continue to improve.

420 Boys: The 420 boys started third and lagged behind the other fleets due to general recalls. Ten boats were black flagged from the first race! When they finally got off the line many of the boys went to the wrong windward mark! Adam Roberts and Nick Martin were in the group heading that way but only lost a few boats as they realized the error early. From a tenth place rounding they gained throughout and finished fifth. The second race was a parade and again they finished fifth. The wind lightened a bit for the third race and Roberts/Martin sailed fast but missed every shift out there. They struggled to a 22nd place and sit in seventh overall.

Two more races tomorrow in a 10-15 knot southerly seabreeze. Stay tuned.