Before Laser Midwinter’s East, I had not trained in a Laser in a while, as I’d been focusing on other boats. I had only one practice day in Newport before the event, so my Laser sailing was really rusty. Because I had been sailing other boats a lot, I hoped that would make up for it, but the Laser is a different beast.
When I arrived in Florida, I had one day of practice and rigging before the event. The first day of the event had little wind and I was able to do well. I finished the day with a seventh. The second day was about the same and I continued to do well.
The big issue was that the final days of the event were windy. I was in ok shape and getting good starts, however I was losing a lot of boats on the downwinds and reaches. I was rounding the mark with Olympians and national champions and I could not match their pace on the downhill. So I dropped a few places by the end of the regatta, finishing 21st, just shy of my goal of top 20.
If I had had time to sail Lasers more consistently before the event, I think I could have done much better. I rounded mark one top ten every race, but because my downwinds were so slow I would finish about 16th. I would lose a boat here or there, and that would just put me in a bad situation where I would lose more boats.
The event was a learning experience. I was also able to make a lot of new friends and new connections. I am so thankful to have had the support from the BYCMSSF to sail an event of this caliber. I am looking forward to doing more in the future.