Aug 2011 Newsletter - Summer Tour
Two Weeks, Two Championships - Skip Dieball
When we all sat down to map out this latest newsletter, it was suggested that I write a short story (really, I havenʼt done that since college!) about the summer months in which I was able to team up with a couple of great friends and trek across the USA for a few big events. It was a special time, for sure, so I said that I would. Doing this took me back through some cool experiences...some were sailing related, some werenʼt. Enjoy.
Much of my early summer of 2011 has been spent chasing kids and working very hard. Not so different from the rest of the world, but this particular summer has been in high-gear in terms of time flying by! As I type this, I am still somewhat “hungover” from a whirlwind tour of the eastern part of the USA. The piles of work just get bigger and the time goes by that much faster. Somehow I have to figure out how to slow the clock down!
Generally, I try to manage my calendar about 6-8 months in advance. Sometimes, however, it just can’t happen as event dates aren’t always solidified, or I simply get pre-occupied with other stuff. One thing that was etched in stone was a back-to-back week trip, first to the Highlander Nationals and then to the Thistle Nationals. Logistics, early in the summer, were of no concern....maybe it should have been?!?!
The two week journey started with getting Highlander 1001 ready for action. The last time it was raced, it had finished quite well and all the pieces were put away and it was in amazing condition. I put a few pieces of hardware on that fit my style (i.e. 2:1 mainsheet) and after a quick wax job, I was ready to hit the road.
Taking a step back in time, Jeff Eiber and I have sailed off and on for a long time, but recently put forth some effort to sail together again and over the winter we knew we wanted to go to Rock Hall and sail Highlanders. I quickly recognized Jeff’s motivation....he had sailed there before and had a great time. He loved the area and the sailing when he visited a few years before. My motive was similar, but more so to see Highlander friends and help our customers anyway I could. Admittedly, I have less experience in the Highlander than my brother, but with Jeff, I was pretty confident that we could get the red boat around the race track.
About mid-June Jeff and I discussed the upcoming trip and we hadn’t done much work in coordinating a 3rd crew. We knew we wanted to have someone fun, but for all the reasons above we were looking for the right person. All through the summer we had been sailing with Abby Freeman. I had nudged her to consider sailing Highlanders with us, but it conflicted with a Jr event that she was leaning toward. I didn’t want to conflict with Jr events as those provide lifetime memories. I had promised similar experiences, should the Jr events not pan out. No pressure though....and in the end, she decided to the back-to- back tour with Jeff and me! This was the first great decision of the summer on everyone’s part!
Back to the road trip...I have this knack of traveling through the night to events. It provides me with max time with my family and just seems to cut down on the travel hassle. Yes, I typically arrive a bit dusty, but sleep is overrated! So, I pick up Abby in Vermilion, Ohio on the evening prior to the practice race at the Highlander Nationals. Not much time or wiggle room if there was something to go wrong with the vehicle or trailer, but you have to forge forward with confidence! Abby & I stop by Jeff’s house, load up and hit the road....in a driving rainstorm at 11:PM!
When we finally arrive, we get out of the vehicle, stretch and sweat! Yep, it is the heat wave of 2011 and the epicenter is Rock Hall, MD....or so we think at the time. One competitor thought he had arrived in Hell when he stepped out of his car! It was that hot....but that made for quick measurement. With the help of my good friend from Annapolis, Matt Patterson, we got the boat measured and did the practice race, which ended up being abandoned due to storms. When we all had turned to the direction of the club, the wind was on the nose and building. In a state of prudence, we took the mainsail down. I didn’t have any back up sails, so we were cautious....and last back to the dock!!! The storm blew away and no one had any issues.
While at the event, Jeff, Abby & I stayed in a great little town called Chestertown. It had everything we needed and we ended up exploring a bit through the week. There is one image that I likely won’t forget. Every morning when we exited the hotel, there was a huge American flag in the distance. And every morning that flag was hanging due to no wind. I was so frustrated with that sight, that one morning my team made me walk out the front door only to tell me the flag was flying perfectly (it wasn’t!).
Racing at the Highlanders was very tough and tight. The wind was shifty and if you had the confidence, you could send it to the corner and come out perfect. This happened a few times for our competition, much to our frustration. You see, we typically play the middle and lead back from the edges. This didn’t work and you had to really anticipate. Congrats to those that could. We couldn’t....so after the 1st day, we were licking our wounds and sitting in 5th. All races were sailed well with good starts and/or good comebacks....just not enough in the head to send it!
Days 2 & 3 were a little less “edgy”, and as a result we did better. We did follow a common theme that we discovered at the Thistle Great Lakes....don’t try so hard and be a touch more patient. This worked well and got us back into the top 3 after Day 2.
The last day things fell into place for us. We won the 1st & 2nd races on that day. This set up a last race where we only had to finish 4th or better. This scenario always brings up different pre-race strategies. John Bauer and his team had to hit the home run and we had to fumble. I suggested we do a loose match race. The team had confidence in our speed and teamwork that we should just continue sailing the same as the first two races that day. At the starting gun, we found ourselves just upwind of John heading to the left side. Mathematically, he was the only one that could beat us, so we had him where we wanted him. As we dug into a header, we decided to tack to port, giving him a very small sliver of left course to work any magic he could. As we saw on Day one, those that sent it, did better....and to make matters worse, we found ourselves getting ping-ponged up the middle and ultimately dialed out at the top mark. We were in 12th and, sure enough, John was winning. He made that sliver work.
Our 2nd beat and final run were what won us the regatta. There wasn’t much wind shift, so we just worked what we could. Many boats went hard right and, though, they were looking quite good, they eventually faded. Our conservative nature got us back into 5th (with John still winning). We jumped two boats in a great gybe set and cruised to the finish. Stressful...yes. Fun...you bet! John with his crew of Rob & Joyce Spring sailed a great event. A few points here/ there and it would have been a different story.
Jeff, Abby & I had a great Championship week and decided to sail in the Women’s event, where men can crew. Abby was to drive with Jeff and I crewing! This was great fun, except the wind all but died. We swapped 1’s & 2’s with Joni Palmer with Rob & Joyce Spring crewing. In the final race, we were behind, then we were ahead and then the wind died....we lost, but guarantee we had more fun!! Abby did great.
After a fun dinner and prize giving, we hit the road....again....in a driving rainstorm! Our tour was taking us to Cincinnati where we’d spend a day re- packing for Thistle Nationals. The tour was 1/2 over and we were having a blast!
...the continuation of our mid-summer tour of the eastern USA! We pick up the story somewhere in the middle of Pennsylvania. Jeff Eiber, Abby Freeman and I are on our way to Cincinnati from Rock Hall, Maryland. The goal is to get there in the morning, have a nice rest and do some laundry. My wife, Laurie, sees 3 adults and wants desperately to have an adult conversation after being cooped up with kids! Say no more, we will get everything together for a great dinner prior to hitting the road for Pensacola and another drive through the night!
The transition from one event to the other was pretty painless. I had the Thistle and all the stuff already in the garage and staged. We just had to remember the “thistle specific” stuff, like blades, sails, etc. No worries! We are ready!
After a great meal, we hit the road. Abby takes 1st shift, Jeff takes the 2nd and I do the home stretch into Pensacola. We are in contact with our friends and word is it is HOT! We all laugh as we just spent the past week on the Chesapeake in ridiculous heat index. How much worse can it get?
After a nice breakfast, we get on site with the afternoon & following morning to measure. There is really nothing that we are concerned with in terms of measurement. We have 3974, which is Blair Dryden’s race horse. The boat is perfect in every way and this was confirmed with a swift and easy measurement. The only thing we actually HAVE to do is get our housing sorted out....what? You say we haven’t got housing sorted out? Oh, we do, we just have to go and get it!
CruiseAmerica.com should be everyone’s alternative to the random hotel stay. They rent RV’s! We reserved a 30’ beauty and brought it to Pensacola Yacht Club for the afternoon, before plugging in for the week at the Big Lagoon State Park! At first, I was a little apprehensive, but my buddy Greg Griffin nudged me just enough to live a little outside the hotel scene. It turned out to be a fantastic call. It was home for the week and provided us with a nice spot and the AC was kickin’ in full gear to the point where we were actually cold inside the RV!
Our morning routines were established early. Starbucks, Target, Yacht Club, in that order! Not much outside time as the heat index was in the upper 1-teens all week. In fact, there were a few mornings where we had to do some minor boat work and it was exhausting! Sweat drenched shirts by 9:AM is no way to live, but we had to make the most of it.
On to the racing. The practice race was...how can I say this nicely? A waste of time. There were general recalls (by design) and there were competitors not even trying to start on time. I got a little frustrated after the 3rd or 4th attempt and found Greg Griffin in an effort to pace. Greg has been winning everything in site and would prove to be a great partner as he was equally frustrated with the starting scene. We went upwind for about a mile while the fleet tried a few more starts. We got a lot out of this session and felt very comfortable with our set up. This is just what we needed, so we then went in. Many followed as a storm was rolling in. Our at-the- dock tradition would start at this point....BUSHWHACKERS! Jeff and I couldn’t get enough....like candy, really! So we would cap our day with a nice Bushwhacker and slowly put the boat away...everyday!
The regatta itself consisted of one race on Monday, two on Tuesday, two on Wednesday and one on Thursday. Friday would be a no-sail day due to unstable wind and weather. The schedule was quite relaxed and something that I’m not totally used to, but in the heat, I didn’t mind heading in each day when we did. It was very tiring doing two races in that heat. I’m always a fan of 2-3 races per day, but this seemed appropriate for the masses.
Our boatspeed all week was great. We started the event with a race win and never fell out of the top spot. I can’t express how difficult this is with the fleet of talent assembled. Yes, we were going fast, as were about 15-20 other boats. Yes, we got lucky a few times, but that is what you need in order to succeed....that, and limiting mistakes. It is right here where I think that week of sailing the Highlander Nationals comes into account. We had been through the rigors. We sailed a tough fought series in Rock Hall and we were comfortable with each other. We were a team and we had faith that everything was going to work out. Sure, I did my part to screw it up on the starting line, but our boat, sails and set up got us out of trouble almost immediately.
Hats off to the top 10 boats. The battles were fierce and the passing lanes were hard to find. This is what makes the victory special. Hard fought and well earned.
To my friends Jeff Eiber & Abby Freemen, the Thistle National Championship capped a summer of fun. We sailed LE Districts, 4th of July, Great Lakes, Highlanders and Thistles. We won 3/5 (could have done better in the other 2). It was a journey and along the way we got better. Their commitment to the whole program and hard work and trust that things would work (like the RV housing) made it a fun experience.
There are a few regrets though....namely with the banquet and prize giving. Normally after such a week, I would head right to the pub and have fun. Not this time, we had to hit the road for the Lightning NAs in Michigan. Also a bummer, but part of the deal, was Abby needing to leave Pensacola immediately for her brother’s wedding. She earned the accolades that everyone shared, but wasn’t there to experience it. That’s ok, we’ll get back to it again and hopefully try to repeat the experience.....maybe San Diego. I wonder where I would park an RV?
