Little Bow Reservoir - S.A.L.S.A. camp

Sunglasses were mandatory for this trip. The glare from endless fields of snow on the way out there was blinding. From the causeway, Glenmore looked frozen solid and covered in snow. The weaselhead was opening up so hopefully it will clear by May 1. I drove past Chestermere to pick up Simon on the way out. Chestermere is liquid but the water level looks low. The drive was about 2.5 hours, including the stop at Chestermere. Very good roads, except the last 1.5 km was muddy and slick.

If you look at the horizon in the pictures, you will see a white line- snow covered hills. The morning was chilly with a decent breeze. I was apprehensive. A new lake, cold weather, shifty winds. Even though this was my 14th day on the water in 2007, it felt like the first. RVYC has become a place that I am comfortable sailing and the prairie winds feel different.

Pirates!

This morning we reached back and forth around two marks to practice roundings. It was a pretty busy course and as a result, I often turned in a bit of a panic to avoid other boats. The winds were super light so avoiding other boats with grace took serious advance planning. Other boats aren't very predictable either. Things I forgot to do:
- turn slowly
- full roll tacks and gybes
- gybe with sail about halfway out for best lift when rolling.
- steer with the body, not the rudder

The second drill was the paper clip drill. Three marks - two upwind, one downwind. Similar practice on mark rounding with extra challenge on the downwind mark as boats entered from two directions.

After a quick lunch we were back out again but the wind was dying. I practiced roll tacks on the way out. Remember to face forward. Turn the tiller hand to grab the rail and the tiller to pull the boat over. It is very hard to level slowly when there is no wind.

When the wind died completely, we played with the boats. Get the stern out of the water, get the bow out of the water, climb the mast, do a 360 race (capsize, turtle, right on the other side), get centreboard out of the water without getting wet. Some of the guys were able to tack the boat standing on the boom at the mast. I should have tried the lamba dance. This is done for more wind. A head stand in front of the mast, facing forward. After this, chaos reigned. Pirates were capsizing boats. People screamed when they saw them coming and again as they fell into the cold water. They tried to sink a laser by having a lot of people sit on the turtled hull. It stayed afloat, but just. Then the crowd boarded a byte with enough weight to sink it to the gunwales. Some of the pirates had the sense to capsize their boats before going after others. Some didn't and their boats sailed slowly around as if ghosts were driving. I herded a few to keep them from heading to the rocks.

The story was that wind was coming. 25 knots in Haro Straight. It was taking a long time coming. At 2:30 we headed in. I was drifting along fishtailing my rudder for propulsion when a 29er came up behind me. The boys were planning to flip me. I got onto the bow and started paddling with my arms. Off like a rocket! The 29er boys gave up. I paddled all the way back to dock. The water is freezing cold. I don't know how the kids played in it for so long.

Fingers crossed for more wind tomorrow.

Blah, blah, blah

I have stood here before inside the pouring rain. Last time there was wind. Lots of it. Today the water was like glass or, for those on the inside, like Chestermere. Rig but don't change was the call. Be ready if the wind comes, but don't get itchy sitting around in your gear.

We gathered in the sail hanging area. Peter talked about a few things. Brady's experience being rammed at CORK. What to do when on port tack and unsure if you can pass in front of a boat on starboard tack?
1. Cross - Are you feeling lucky? Risk a protest. Most boats won't ram you. It is quicker for them to duck and protest. If it is really close, you might be able to squeak out an extra couple inches by turning around the bow of the starboard tack boat.
2. Duck- This must be decided early - 5 boat lengths away. Ducking will lose you 2 boat lengths. If done right, you can cut that down to 1.5. The idea is to duck early enough so that when you cross the transom of the starboard tack boat you are close hauled and can get a lift from him.
3. Tack - if you lee bow him, this can be an advantage. Also, by sailing up a bit, you can force him to tack away.

Race preparation was also discussed. The usual stuff- eating well, sleeping well, checking your gear, boat, and rig. An interesting discussion on getting in the right frame of mind. Different people have different strategies. Some have music, some talk to others, some keep to themselves. What works for me?

At new lakes I always talk to people. That is mostly to allay fears of Loch Ness Monster type creatures that may reside in the lake. At Glenmore on Wednesday nights, I get there at the last minute, change and rig as quickly as possible. Rigging fast does seem to get me focussed. It helps me to feel confident in high winds to know that I have checked my rig carefully.

I listen to music in the car on the way there. I would like to make a few CDs for this. Geoff recommends slow music like Imagine for light winds, Bob Marley for medium, and Boston for high. Not bad, but I think I'll make my own selections. John Johnson was helping at the last camp, but only certain songs. The key is not to get over hyped and unfocussed. While hiking, I like to sing "Walking that fine line, between the wind and the sea, smoke and the steel, you and me" (Tom Cochrane and Red Rider).

The younger kids were getting wrangy. Lunch time. Excellent soup as usual and an interesting chicken/ avocado wrap. A breath of wind was imagined at the mouth of the bay. Coach Nigel went out in the coach boat to check. He reported back that the water was glassy as far as the eye could see. The other coaches went through the options:
1. Send everyone out and hope that enough wind appeared
2. Go to the museum (the only thing worse than having 20 kids running around the sailing club grounds is...)
3. Go swimming (many are unprepared for this as we aren't talking skinny dipping)
4. Go running (we just ate)

We had no choice. They sent everyone to the change room with instructions to be on the water in 15 minutes. This was a bad idea. The women's change room is grossly undersized and sadly much smaller than the mens. I was the third one through the door and the first one back out changed. It was chaos in there. Neoprene everywhere.

Three Laser guys were on the water when I launched. There was enough wind to drift out of the harbour between the rock and the boats. Fortunately it was a SW wind so no tight tacks required.

There was a lot of slow sailing. Tips:
Remember to sit forward- on the centerboard
Sailing upwind, heel slightly to leeward to allow the sail to drop and stay in position.
Upwind- flatten the sail out in severly light winds to allow the boat to get moving- block to block, snug vang, loosen main about a foot out from corner of transom. Outhaul tight. Cunningham- well now, that's top secret :)

We played around in circles for a while on a triangle course. Great practice for mark roundings. The course was tiny and there were a lot of boats. Getting on the inside definitely pays, but it isn't easy. After sending us out further upwind to work on speed, we were towed back in. The miniscule bit of wind that had propelled us for over an hour was gone.

Good Friday

Sunshine and wind this morning! Talk of 25 knots but I don't want to believe it. I'm rigged and ready to go at 9:35. The others are not. The 9 am briefing was at 10am. Then on the water by 10:15. We're not to come in for lunch until 1:30. The wind is stronger than yesterday but from the same direction with similar shifts and gusts.

Peter focussed on tacking at the briefing. Back foot over hiking strap. Take the mainsheet to the chest. Turn the rudder slowly. Face forward. Duck. Bring the mainsheet to the block (easing it). Tiller hand to the gunwale. Get across and level the boat. Switch hands on the main and tiller. Sheet in. I worked on this.

The first drill was windward/ leeward tacking and gybing. Must remember to loosen cunningham on the downwind legs. Remember position in boat. Outside foot at the front of the cockpit, knee bent. Inside foot tucked back under the hiking strap. Kinda like being in the blocks on a track. Ready to move forward, backwards, side to side. Shoulders square with the boom.

Then we did this crazy drill with 3 marks. It's like windward/ leeward except that you have to 360 every mark. Deadlier than death circles. Especially at the middle mark - boats entering from two directions.

Today I was hit a lot. Bang! Wham! Bump! The coaches saw enough hits that they were asking if there was anyone who hadn't hit me. Brady, Scott, Geoff, and a few others. The coaches also said the hits they saw were not my fault. True as it is, it reveals a few things. Some of the worst hits I didn't see coming. Like when Scott rammed me port side aft. It's not much consolation that it was his fault. His mainsheet got caught on my boat, turned his boat, and then mine capsized. I climbed over the top, but not quick enough. Fionnlagh turtled. I got wet righting him. The moral of the story is: keep my head out of the boat. If I'd seen him coming I could have yelled "Starboard" and hopefully avoided the whole situation. I didn't see Brady coming either but there were a lot of boats going into a mark rounding and I'd just come out of a tack to starboard. On a happier note, the hits also reveal that I'm not straggling behind the group anymore, that I'm stepping into the fray.

Easter Camp at Royal Vic

I am seriously travel weary when I get here. Nine flights in two weeks. This is city number 7. The airport was a mess this morning in Calgary. Long weekend travelers. Line-ups at the Park & Jet, huge line at baggage drop, and an enormous line at security. 10 minutes until my flight boards and there is a 40 minute line at security. I march past hundreds of people in search of a place near the front to butt in. There is a young woman traveling alone. No problem. Except for the problem of why she was a good choice. But this is a sailing blog. Not much sleep last night. Maybe 4 hours.

It was a beautiful day for sailing. It was cool in the morning, but probably 5 degrees warmer than the February mornings. I have a new Rooster main to try out. Although it seems quite similar to the original main, I like it better because it is tricolour (blue with red and yellow). The old one was evil red and black. I also have new paddling gloves from MEC. I'm hoping both that they will be warmer and that I will be able to grab lines off the deck with ease.

The wind is coming from the NE. Zoe has a difficult time tacking out of the harbour between the Big Rock and the boats. I'm nervous about it too, but out I go. No problem, just a lot of quick tacks and no room for mistakes. Plus you have to be willing to sail awfully close to the rock.

We started with windward/ leeward work. What did I learn?
- when rounding the windward mark, heel the boat to windward to help with the turn.
- play with the vang on the downwind leg. It's not set right until the leach is flipping slightly when by the lee.

We also practiced starting and stopping.
- to stop quickly: head up and then back the sail briefly. Ensure the vang is loosened before doing this.
- starting- the roll is critical

The wind was just right today. Not too heavy, but enough to be hiking some of the time. I felt like I got the start right once. Sheet in, allowing the boat to heel to leeward. Then flatten to accelerate, sheet in fully and tighten the vang.

After lunch we had a few short races. I was sailing well. I had one really good start. I dodged down the line after the port tackers took my spot and came into a hole with enough speed that I got clear air.

I'm so exhausted that I'm sure I've forgotten many important parts of the day. Finished up with drinks at the clubhouse followed by a late dinner at the Carriage House with some of the coaches. Must sleep.