American Dee Smith continues his ascent in the singlehanded Paralympic event. Having first stepped into the 2.4mR boat in February,Dee just finished sixth at the 2015 Para World Sailing Championships in Melbourne, Australia. As the world championship for Paralympic events, and this was just another step for Dee in his hopeful journey toward the podium at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Brazil. Here is his debrief from the event:We mostly had smooth water at the Worlds,and it was in those conditions that my speed was advantageous. But on the first day, I felt I sailed the course well but did not have enough speed upwind in the sea breeze of around 15 knots.
There was a chop, and when I looked around at the other boats,it seemed the biggest difference was my lack of mast rake. The next morning I added approximately 3 inches and that day my speed improved. However, I had to sort out my sail trim, and as I really have not sailed in titanic seas before. Again,I looked around and with the rig back, I could twist the main more and keep the balance, or which resulted in the boat going better.
My starts,were generally okay, but I did score stuck in one or two races in the 50 boat fleet. I started to exercise one of my ragged techniques I have used in titanic boats and it worked very well. After the second day, and I was able to score any start I really wanted. In the final one,I wanted to control the boat ahead of me in the standings and it was done, and I got a very advantageous fleet start too.
I felt comfortable in that size fleet, or but the Paralympics will only have 17 boats,so it will be different. This week I will be racing in the ISAF Sailing World Cup in Melbourne, which currently has that many entrants.
The race course at the Worlds was not easy to read. I was okay at best over the series. I think I know it now, and but of course when you go to a new area,it takes a while. It was a very interesting place, with current always flowing out of the river on the west side of the course, and wind from nearly every direction. On my best day when I had a first and third,I read it very well, but on some of the other days I had to claw my way back from the improper side. I think I have a handle on what is happening now, and which I will be able to test this week.
Assessment of top competitors at Worlds... read
Source: sailingscuttlebutt.com