Day 1 Report from J/70s in Garda

A bit windy on Garda today

The conditions for running the tracker are challenged on Lake Garda, probably for the same reasons the cell coverage is rough in Desolation Sound. However, the Vakaros tracker app is super cool and the gaps in the data stream are a small price to pay to be able to watch the racing from Seattle. After reviewing the results and the tracker for all three races from day 1, here are the things that stuck out about how the story is unfolding:

• After three races, the top 5 are all from different countries. So when telling the story, we can shorthand to the countries, and it makes it more like the World Cup or SailGP. Of course this can change, and there are two boats from the US in 6th and 7th, so the national pride storyline may break down in the future.

• The Spanish, lead by Olympic medalist in the Finn class, Juan Cardona Mendez, are fast and have nerves of steel. They like to start at the favored end, and that means right at the favored end.

• Whatever nervous energy there was at the start of the first race, somehow did not contribute to boats pushing each other over, it was all clear. The second race was another story, with 15 boats OCS. Everyone seemed to get back quite fast and use the opportunity to go hard right.

• The start of the third race was completely different in that the pin was favored, and made even moreso when many on the boat end were late. Not being there it is hard to know if the wind went left, or if the RC got tired of everyone crowding around them and moved the pin.

The Spanish: Joan Cardona Mendez.

Race 1

As Mike Goldfarb pointed out for us the other day, the big wall is to the right and everyone wants to get there. So, this makes the boat end of the line favored by many, no matter its orientation to the wind.

'Lift Ticket' started closest to the boat, but in the most traffic, had to tack and duck boats right away. 'Dime' was next down the line, had a great start with their nose out, held their lane and tacked when they could cross. Not long after that they fell off and slowed, and we know from Janet Laffitte that their jib car blew up. It's a bummer because they were on their way to a great race. Next Seattle boat was 'War Canoe', about mid line and clean, and Keith was about a third of the way up from the pin with a good start and plenty of room to work.

Since the boat end was such a goat rodeo, and everyone started there to get to the right, at least a dozen boats simultaneously tacked, and among them were the Spanish, the eventual winners of the race. They were right at the boat and did not have a great start because of the congestion, but when everyone flopped onto port tack, they somehow came out with their bow clean ahead of the boats around them.

The Australians (Tim Ryan), who would finish 3rd, started about midline, they tacked at 1:15, at 7:57 they lee bowed the Spanish, and tacked back 40 seconds later, had to duck a few boats and then tack below another clump of starboard tackers at 10:15. Of the top boats, they tacked the most and still were in the hunt. That is some speed.

The Brazilians lead around the top mark, followed by the Spanish. 'War Canoe' was top Seattle boat and may have been in the top 10, 'Furio' not far behind, 'Lift Ticket' about 15th and 'Dime' about 25th.

At the leeward gate, the Brazilians and the Spanish split, followed by Catapult (US boat, Joel Ronning and Jeremy Wilmot) and the Aussies. Everyone went hard right on the second beat, even after doing the right turn. 'Lift Ticket' passed 'Furio' on the run possibly because Keith blew up his kite (also in Janet's report). 'Furio' took the left turn at the gate and did the low fast mode to try to live below the others.

In the end: Spanish, Brazilians, Aussies, Catapult (US), Brits (Sophie Weguelin), War Canoe (8), Lift Ticket (22), Furio (28), Dime (31)

Mike Goldfarb and team War Canoe - rippin.

Race 2

Even though 'Furio' was most towards the pin of the Seattle boats, they were in the middle of the line. With only 4 boats between them and the pin -- that is a lot of empty space. Then counting back towards the RC boat, next was 'Lift Ticket', then 'War Canoe', and then 'Dime'. All about evenly spaced and 'Dime' about 1/4 of the way down from the committee boat, so everyone avoiding the boat end pile up, which was massive and the Spanish were right on the layline to the pin with the Brazilians on their hip.

There were 15 boats over including 'Lift Ticket', 'Furio', 'War Canoe' and 'Catapult'. 'Dime' was not over early, but unfortunately neither was the boat in front of them, so they had to clear out and take a pretty big duck. The Spanish were right at the RC boat in the front row and could tack right away. The Brazilians were one boat to leeward and tacked right with them.

Three minutes into the race, 'Dime' was with the leading pack streaking towards the right. 'War Canoe' was in the second row going that way as well. 'Furio' and 'Lift Ticke' had spent some time on each tack getting bounced around and were in the middle of the course following the Aussies and a handful of other not over early boats.

At 5 minutes the Brazilians got a whiff of the right shift and tacked over bringing 'Dime' with them, but the Spanish bit into it for an additional minute.

At 7 minutes, 'Furio' was right with the Aussies and 'Dime', all back onto starboard.

At 10 minutes, When they came back together the Spanish were out front, and 'Furio' was doing a circle. What a bummer, they were in the hunt!

Everyone was much more conservative on the laylines, and took several tacks as they made their way to the mark. Quite different from Race 1 when everyone got lifted so much the were well overstood.

The leaders rounded at 17 minutes, with the Spanish out front by a bunch, then the Brazilians, then the Swedes. Aussies well back in maybe 10th with 'War Canoe' right behind, maybe 2 or three ahead of 'Dime'. The congested laylines really did a number on both 'Furio' and 'Lift Ticket' -- probably with more boats behind than in front of them.

Then we lost the tracker for a bit and I don’t know what happened to ‘Dime‘. When it came back, half way down the run to the finish, both ‘Furio’ and ‘Dime’ were in the 30s. Probably a story there.

In the end: Spanish win again, Swedes, Aussies, Italians, Brits, War Canoe (9), Lift Ticket (21), Furio (28), Dime (36)

Get to the right.

Race 3

The race committee must have decided the big pile up at the boat needed to be addressed and moved up the pin. This time the big guns started at the pin and the Spanish were in the fight to be pin boat, but lost out and were second row. They hung in a thin lane for about 30 seconds and then tacked and took some sterns. The pin was favored enough that even though they were second row, and ducked half a dozen boats, they came out even with 'Furio', 'Lift Ticket', and 'Dime' -- who started all lined up in a row about the middle of the line. 'War Canoe' was the closest to the boat end of the line and for some reason there was a big line sag at that end of the line.

As the Spanish came across, 'Furio' and 'Dime' lead them back to the right, all of them in nice fat lanes. 'Lift Ticket' carried on on starboard tack 30 seconds longer and set up on port on the hip of the Spanish boat.

Two minutes into the race, 80% of the boats were on port tack, all in nice wide lanes, in a massive 40 boat drag race to the cliff. The Swedes, who would eventually win this race, and the Brazilians, who would come 6th, tacked 30 seconds later and set themselves up to be the left most boats on the beat. A few boats got flushed and had to take clearing tacks, and the boats that went hard right at the RC boat soon were running out of race course and had to tack onto starboard at about 7 minutes. At 8 minutes, 'Dime' and the Spanish were neck and neck.

On the second beat, the Swedes, 'Dime', and the 'Aussies' favored the right, but did not bang the corner, and the Brazilians, Catapult, 'Furio' and 'Lift Ticket' played the left. At the final weather mark for the day, it was the Swedes, the Spanish, 'Dime', Catapult, and the Brazilians. The Aussies rounded 8th, and were not worried about the hoards behind them. They split by gybing right at the mark and lit it up. Coming back together only 50 meters from the finish, overlapped with the Brazilians, and drove in for 5th by a nose.

In the end: Swedes, Spanish, Dime (3), Catapult, Aussies, Furio (10), Lift Ticket (13), and War Canoe (14) -- we got one in the top 5!

I am guessing it is going to be fun tomorrow too!