Busy week.

After finishing up the Clagett regatta, I had a chance to sail 2.4 against Paul Tingley, gold medalist in the 2008.  Paul was very helpful and we had about 3 hrs on the water in Newport.  What came out of the last two weeks is I am getting used to the boat and can sail it much better and more consistently.  Confidence is going up.  I now can trust my speed and can turn my attention to the race course.

On the way to JFK, we were able to stop by and see our friends at Oakcliff Sailing Center.  http://www.oakcliffsailing.org/ This is a fantastic place to get out on the water.  They are helping all sorts of people get better at sailing.  First class.  I was talked into sailing on the Thursday night classic regatta with founder Hunt Lawrence.  We had a nice light air battle with some of these beautiful boats around the bay.

The Windmark Olympic Sailing Foundation is supporting my Road to Rio campaign.  It is a 501(3)c tax deductible foundation.  The foundation is supporting the USA sailing team.  Please help. 

I was able to spend the fourth of July in Kokkola, Finland.  Where my new 2.4 is being built.  Charger builds about 50-60 boats a year and does a very good job.   The boat builders are very good there.  Yards like Swan and Baltic do a big business there.  The 2.4 has just as much going on as a big boat, but just takes less time to  put it together. 

 

They had a boat ready for me most of it done, but after seeing all the little changes I wanted to make we took the next boat out of the mold.  I was then able to place everything where I wanted.  

 

This is the table where all the lines go, so many cleats

I have a few ideas that I am bringing from the big boats to the 2.4.  I will see how they work, next month when I pick up the boat in Rauma, Finland.  The 2.4 open worlds are there 8/8-15.  They expect more that 110 boats...  Both able and disable bodies.  A very big challenge, to sail against the best in the world in these boats in an area that I have not seen.

 

Deck right out of the mold

 

My boat with foam and bulkheads going in.

Coming back to Newport from Finland, we worked on Ted Green's 2.4 to make some of the rigging changes I put into my new boat.  After a day and half of work we got sailing with a supper spar in.  This was my first try with this type of rig and a new learning curve started.  Felt pretty good and matched my new sails well from both Quantum and North.  In the Newport Regatta out of Sail Newport, I used each set on one day of racing.  Both set of sails did well, winning all the races I finished.  Had a small break down and lost my back stay in one race.

All in all, ready to go back to Finland to race the worlds, just after I sail to Hawaii on Wizard one more time....