Melges 24 US Nationals
The Melges 24 Nationals in Jacksonville was a very demanding regatta. Dave Shriner and I joined a relatively inexperienced Melges team for the event. Day 1 was tough on the team with a breakdown in race 1 that caused us to withdraw from the race and miss the start of Race 2. Our helmsmen and the boats owner Bob McElwain was having a real difficult time keeping the boat balanced upwind. In our debrief after the race I stressed the need for minor adjustments to the control lines for the main and working on keeping the main leech under control to generate lift. The Melges is not an easy boat to helm in puffy conditions; it requires a lot of practice to match the best helmsmen in the class.
Day two was a little easier on the helms and we were able to break out of the middle of the pack with a solid fifth place staying in the front of the 47 boat fleet the entire way around the coarse. In the lighter breeze Dave and I were able to give more feedback and help with the trimming a bit more then on day 1. Dave has a really great ability to adjust the rig tune on the fly this really helped get us out front on the first beats in race 4 and 5. Friday and Saturday were dominated by light and shifty conditions which meant sometimes you got the elevator but other times you got the shaft. Downwind we were not as quick as upwind, that made us a target for some of the more quality teams in the fleet. In the light breeze the best helmsmen have the ability to balance angle and boat speed sailing the best VMG possible to the leeward mark. Also the gybes on the Melges require a slow consistent turn and the entire team needs to move as a group to re-establish flow to the chute and main.
I struggled with explaining maneuvers to the helm in advance. The helmsmen - tactician relationship is a two way street, the best teams have worked together for years over a variety of conditions and venues. This was my first event sailing with Bob and I think I put him into a few situations he may not have been confident in. I also could have explained and vocalized my thinking more aggressively and then checked for understanding before executing. Over all the team improved with three top ten finishes in the last five races.
Also in attendance were two other members of the Pied Piper Racing team, Todd Jones racing onboard "Team Gill" and Mike Hoey racing onboard "Flyer". Mike Hoey had the most success finishing 6th overall sailing with a very good group onboard Flyer that included Bora Gulari on helm and George Peet from ABN AMRO 2 on bow. Todd Jones onboard "Gill" was set to challenge Flyer going into the last day of the event but took a few steps backwards, no thanks to USA 548 who rolled over the top of "Gill" at the start of race 9 forcing them into a down speed tack shortly after the starting gun.
In hindsight it would of been a good measuring stick for Pied Piper to Race in the event but I am glad to see the members of our Key West Race Week team competing onboard other boats and hopefully learning some new tricks in the process. I also learned a lot being able to get off the helm and look around the race course a bit more. I also had the oppurtunity to write a daily report for the US Melges 24 website which I enjoyed.
Pied Piper's Key West team is set and I think everyone is really looking forward to January and getting the new boat on the water.
Day two was a little easier on the helms and we were able to break out of the middle of the pack with a solid fifth place staying in the front of the 47 boat fleet the entire way around the coarse. In the lighter breeze Dave and I were able to give more feedback and help with the trimming a bit more then on day 1. Dave has a really great ability to adjust the rig tune on the fly this really helped get us out front on the first beats in race 4 and 5. Friday and Saturday were dominated by light and shifty conditions which meant sometimes you got the elevator but other times you got the shaft. Downwind we were not as quick as upwind, that made us a target for some of the more quality teams in the fleet. In the light breeze the best helmsmen have the ability to balance angle and boat speed sailing the best VMG possible to the leeward mark. Also the gybes on the Melges require a slow consistent turn and the entire team needs to move as a group to re-establish flow to the chute and main.
I struggled with explaining maneuvers to the helm in advance. The helmsmen - tactician relationship is a two way street, the best teams have worked together for years over a variety of conditions and venues. This was my first event sailing with Bob and I think I put him into a few situations he may not have been confident in. I also could have explained and vocalized my thinking more aggressively and then checked for understanding before executing. Over all the team improved with three top ten finishes in the last five races.
Also in attendance were two other members of the Pied Piper Racing team, Todd Jones racing onboard "Team Gill" and Mike Hoey racing onboard "Flyer". Mike Hoey had the most success finishing 6th overall sailing with a very good group onboard Flyer that included Bora Gulari on helm and George Peet from ABN AMRO 2 on bow. Todd Jones onboard "Gill" was set to challenge Flyer going into the last day of the event but took a few steps backwards, no thanks to USA 548 who rolled over the top of "Gill" at the start of race 9 forcing them into a down speed tack shortly after the starting gun.
In hindsight it would of been a good measuring stick for Pied Piper to Race in the event but I am glad to see the members of our Key West Race Week team competing onboard other boats and hopefully learning some new tricks in the process. I also learned a lot being able to get off the helm and look around the race course a bit more. I also had the oppurtunity to write a daily report for the US Melges 24 website which I enjoyed.
Pied Piper's Key West team is set and I think everyone is really looking forward to January and getting the new boat on the water.
Jack Jennings
Pied Piper Racing
