Diary From Qingdao
August 25, 2006
Yngling team Carol Cronin, Kim Couranz and Margaret Podlich write:
What a difference
a day makes... or so we thought when we left the dock. Rain and 12-15 knots from
the southeast meant that we could finally use our hiking muscles! After a
gruesome tow upwind in the huge mixed-up chop and ocean swells kicked up by the
ebb, we settled in to playing controls and trying not to slam into the biggest
waves. It was also a great treat to actually have enough pressure to work the
waves downwind.
And then the start time arrived... and the breeze promptly died, leaving behind
the big swell and shifts the size of, well, China. One start attempt was
abandoned, and then the Star flag went up, and we gladly handed off the starting
area to the boats with bigger mainsails! After several postponements and
attempted starts, the Stars finally went around 3pm. (We had arrived at the
starting area at noon.) We started soon after... and won the leeward end. What a
treat! When the pressure came in from the left, we tacked and crossed the
fleet... but then a forty degree right shift changed the picture dramatically,
and we discovered that the tuning adjustments we had made (while an improvement)
were still not good enough to stay with the leaders. We rounded the first mark
in 5th place and gradually worked our way back to tenth by the finish, after
three weather and three leeward legs.
After a short break and another rig adjustment, the second race started about
4:30. We started well and rounded fifth. This time we moved up on the second
lap and rounded fourth, but then one mistake at the second leeward mark showed
us how close this fleet is! We couldn't go the way we wanted and dropped back
to, again, 10th by the finish. Frustrating, but much more fun sailing when our
speed was even with the group.
Thanks to a great high-speed tow from Coach Gary Bodie, we made it to the hoist
ahead of the group, but it was still dark by the time we hauled. (All the
support boats had their running lights turned on halfway through our second
race, and we were wishing we had some too.) We are looking forward to the pizza
delivery we just ordered from a surprisingly western restaurant nearby, so we
can be ready to go again tomorrow for what could be our last day of sailing.
We are currently in twelfth overall, with either two or three races remaining.
Tomorrow is supposed to be a bit lighter, though the rain is supposed to
continue. (One of our jokes for the day: What is worse than no wind without
rain??? Answer: No wind WITH rain!)
Many thanks to all of you sending happy emails and good vibes. Special thanks go
to our sponsors Boat U.S., New England Ropes, Harken, and others who have helped
us spend the time here to learn the very challenging conditions.