The DAWG Gets NOOD

by Webbdawg

Dawg and Crew Bob

When I heard that Sailing World's NOOD in Diego was actually hosting a Martin 16 Class, I said "Finally, disabled racing on the West Coast." In SD there is a group called AIMS (American Institute of Marine Studies) that owns 5 of these little yachts. All you SD sailors could do good by getting in touch with these people and offer a helping hand, check it out. The M16's are now fitted with a turbo kit (ayso kite). The last time I sailed an M16 was in Mission Bay two years ago with no kite. So this was the first time I sailed them rigged with the kite. That regatta in Mission Bay was, Ironically the start of SA. I called the Ed and said to come visit, we hadn't seen each other in probably 15 years. Besides getting 4th in that regatta, Ed asked if I knew anything about websites - he said that he and some looney friend (now long since forgotten) wanted to start a sailing web site unlike any other (boy he wasn't kidding). Of course I know about websites I told him - I use MSFrontPage (not anymore though) and with The Ed's ediorial, uh, creativity, and my web knowledge, SA came to life. It somehow seemed perfectly fitting that the Ed and I would end up doing this regatta together. So on to the NOOD.

DAY 1
Was a great day for sailing. Good breeze, not too sunny and a great crew, an older gentleman who had only been shown how to fly the kite the day before. So we set, jibed and doused a few times for more practice.

Race 1 got a great start, even with Josh Ross, a good sailor and head of the AIMS org. I soon started lifting out and moving a little faster. It seams the Quantum sails on my boat like flat water and a little breeze (that will change on the last day). Managing to maintain a lead we rounded the weather mark a couple of boat lengths ahead. WOHO, well here is wear teamwork pays Josh and his crew obviously has done this more than a few times. My lead evaporated to a leeward rounding right on his stern. Upwind again it was obvious that we were fast, we were fast downwind wind too when we got our ducks in a row. Well Josh won the first race. And the Second race too, things were pretty much the same good close racing.

Race 3 started well, good start going fast and even with Josh. Halfway upwind I punched left and separated from the fleet and caught a huge velocity shift and never looked back. Won that one by a mile. 30-minute sail back to the dock and off to the club. I didn't see anyone at the club that I knew and I was wearing my SA lid hoping someone would fess-up to being an anarchist. But not one was to be found.

Dawg leeward bow out Josh on weather hip

DAY 2
I was looking forward to this one. Scot and I had not sailed together we guessed since on a Moore 24 in Marina Del Rey some 20 years ago. If nothing else I said let's have fun, Scot says after we win we'll have fun. Ok we'll have fun and win. That's what we did, Scot's knowledge of the bay and local conditions really helped in calling shifts, the wind was going from the east to the south. Any of you guys and girls that drive know what it's like to have someone you trust to make calls and free you to do nothing but drive. We were fast up wind and Scot knows how to fly an ayso too so the only losses down wind were when big shifts came thru. It pretty much rained all day and there were a few really big shifts, the kind where you're way out in front and then your not (the unpredictable kind). So race one we get a great start and cover the fleet and pull out all the way to the finish.

Race 2 was the same until the second weather leg when a huge righty came thru and lifted all those boats behind to nail you. Josh went from way behind to way in front. We rounded the mark in second when the stake boat sounded a horn. I thought they shortened the course. At the leeward mark the committee boat sounded horns too. Ok so we sail thru the line like a finish but no horn. Kite came down and we went back around the mark to sail another leg. It was rather odd, the change of course at the weather mark because the course did not look to be changed much, in fact it was still very one sided, which led to the confusion. So back at the leeward mark before the bungled whatever, we had caught Josh. He looked to be finishing too, and then at the last moment he went for a leeward mark rounding and kind of bungled that thanks to me hollering "Why aren't you finishing". I think it threw him for a loop. So here are the two lead boats totally blowing their lead while the third place boat sneaks in. We did recover nicely rounded the mark and punched right caught a righty just like the one the nailed us earlier. Rounded the weather mark with our lead back and sailed to a bullet. I felt really bad for Josh because of my comments but hey you never listen to your competition.

Race 3 was like the first, good start, cover the fleet and take the shotgun. 30 minute sail to the dock and off to the club in the rain.

Shot of the small fleet, Josh and Me to weather

Day 3
Totally different that the other two. Strong winds from the west and an ebbing tide = big chop. This is where I found out that the Quantum sails had a problem. It is really hard to put some punch in a sail that has no shape (really flat). The previous days the water was fairly flat and the boat could point with speed, but the main was very flat and I couldn't get much power out of it.

It was obvious that this day things would be different. Josh and the #3 boat sailed by Gregg Scott seemed to motor away from me. Franticly working controls I was able to match speed but could not point with them. They had a set of HaarStick sails. My crew (Mike Ross, a double below knee amputee) and me really had to work to maintain second place finishes. Josh walked away with all three races like we did the day before. Gregg and Urban sailed really well and almost beat us a few times. Rounding the weather mark in third several times that day can bring you back to earth. We were fast downwind but our upwind ability really suffered. This was a long day watching Josh sail away and my lead slowly evaporate. I had to place second in each race or Josh would take the regatta. The last leg of the last race Gregg and Urban were neck and neck with Mike and me. We stayed to their left and eventually tacked further left for a velocity shift and nailed the second place finish. WHEW, that was work. But it felt good to win. Always does.

Lots of NOOD coffee cups and the overall too. Results

WOOF
After Thought: While at the regatta it was told that the Martin 16 may be included in the 2004 Athen's games (Paralympics). Apparently an event has been canceled and that the organizers are considering the Martin as a replacement. This would be a full fledged event not a demonstration event. I feel that Aims and San Diego is poised to field a few teams to vie for the spot on the US Disabled Sailing Team. I hope that SDYC puts a proposal together to host the trials other wise it will more than likely go back to St Petersburg YC (they host the trials for the Sonar and the 2.4) and that makes it more expensive for us west coasties. That is one reason I am not sailing the Sonar any more, too much travel east and no boats out west. SO lets go SD!!