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2006 IFDS Worlds from Perth, Australia Reports by Roger
Cleworth | Arrival | Pratice |
Day 2 | Day 3 | The Official 2006 IFDS Worlds website Hi Y'all, All US Teams have arrived safetly. The containers have been unpacked and boats have been put together. Today is Saturday and the winds are expected to be in the 15 knot range. There is a big shift in the breeze every afternoon as the wind changes from the desert to a sea breeze. The temperature when the sun is out reaches over 100 degrees so when the sea breeze comes in it is called the doctor. However the "Doctor" brings in breezes over 20 knots which makes for interesting sailing. The first day of racing is next Wednesday. The time here in Perth is 13 hours ahead of Eastern Daylight US. The Official 2006 IFDS Worlds website Roger
The winds seem to wait for early afternoon to come in with a sea breeze. Yesterday, there was a good breeze (14knts) and 10 2.4's practiced short courses. Today is the first day of official measuring. Gene Hinkle has instructed his help on how to assist him in measuring twenty-two 2.4 meter boats and 16 Sonars. This will be a two day process and will include weighing the boats, keel measurement, hull measurement and sail measurement. On Wednesday there will be a practice race and the first official day of racing is Thursday. Sailors who need to be classified as disabled will be looked at today by the Classification team. Today was practice Day at The IFDS Worlds. The winds were 12 - 18 knots with a few self tacking puffs thrown in for good measure. The race was held at 2 pm. The RC set the starting line at somewhere around 360 feet. It ws difficult to see the pin and for twenty boats that made it very difficult to judge the line. There were only two boats over however. The pin was favored but only one person had the guts to go out to an edge on an extremely shifty day. The shifts were as high as 30 degrees and fairly frequent. The closest boat to the pin, GBR, started halfway down on the pin side and about 5 boats below the line but stretched out to a great lead early on. Roger and Nick started close to midway and battled different sides of the course. The competition was tight and both finished in the top 5. There is a cyclone in North Australia which is effecting our weather patterns. The winds still promise to blow and possibly increase by the end of the week. Here are the results: Roger
The courses, both on areas of the Swan River, are tricky - especially the 2.4mR course. Both are strongly influenced by geographic details, and the shifts are not always straight forward. On the Sonar course, some of the most experienced teams have been dominating the racing - particularly those with strong breeze experience. The Brits posted a 1-2 today, the Germans won the second race, local Aussie Jamie Dunross had a 3-5, the Gold Medalist Israelis from Athens were in the hunt in the second race. Our US Team, Jen French/Brad Kendell/Brad Johnson had a rough day. Race one was tough from the start, and compounded by being on the right side of a left hand shift. The best we could manage was a 14 out of it. In race two, the team had much better speed, and decent placement to finish 9th, but a protest with one of the Israeli teams, a rather large difference of opinion, and a 2 1/2 hour marathon hearing with the jury led to a DSQ being handed to the Americans which still has our jaws dropped! The 2.4 course saw shifts that were not easily predictable, and some boat issues plagued Nick Scandone throughout the day. Roger Cleworth had a 5th in the first race and a top 10 in the second. Helena Lucas from Britain posted two wins to top that leaderboard. Though we did not have a particularly stellar day today, we have 9 races to go! Conditions should be similar tomorrow, but with a tropical cyclone developing up to the north, who knows what might happen. More tomorrow..... For more info www.2006ifdsworlds.com.au USDST
Coach
The start of the second race saw the winds increase to over twenty. The chop reaching back and forth for the start was so tremendous you had to be careful not to let your cockpit fill up. BY now the current had reverse to going up wind on the right and after the start many tacked over to use this advantage. Unfortunately Roger got pinned to the left and eventually became the furthest left boat ouch! I wish I knew how to talk Italian. Megan from GBR finished 1st, Bjorner from Norway 2nd and Andrew May from New Zealand 3rd. Nick's backstay line broke and he had to retire from the race. Roger finished eighth. Overall shows Helena in 1st, Heiko 2nd and Roger 3rd. Top three in each class got small pennants as prizes. Roger
Thank GOD for throwouts. Half way through the event, currently with no throwouts there are 2 women in the top 5, Helena Lucas and Megan Pascoe both from Great Britain. WIth throwouts Helena Lucas is still in the top slot. Here is how I calculate the top spots down to 9th with throwouts, after that scores jump dramaticly. But with 7 races left there is still alot that can happen
The RC started us at 11:am today 3 hours earlier than usual. The breeze was still good however, 9 knots, puffs to 13. The winds had shifted to E SE which we hadn't seen before. The cyclone which is in Northern Australia is threatening to impact our weather increasingly over the next few days. The starting line was in a low wind part of the bay and the weather mark had the full reach of the breeze, and waves. Roger was off the line in great shape and stretched out for the first minute or so. He didn't quite get to cross the whole fleet but was on top of quite a few. Nick started further up the line but got covered by an Italian boat and couldn't find a path to the right which was the game plan. For Roger, this view of the fleet behind was short lived. The wind fell out for a while and he couldn't find a power gear in the largely lumpy waters of Matilda Bay. Nick managed the new conditions fairly well and pulled out a 6th place. Roger tested the competitors in the back of the fleet and took 13th. These results place Roger in 6th and Nick in 12th. There are two races scheduled for each of the next 3 days. Roger
Mid Regatta report from the USDST Coach Greetings once again from Down Under! True to the nature of Perth, strong winds have dominated the area for the last several days. The Freemantle "Doctor" has been reinforced by a Tropical Cyclone that has been hovering over NW Australia so that afternoon winds have been in the high 20 to low 30 knot range. Team USA has not been having the best of regattas. The race courses have been tricky, and the well seasoned teams have been dominating the scoreboards. Quite often, the race courses have been one side tracks, meaning if you don't get there early and go far enough it is nearly impossible to get into the top group. Starts have been a decisive indicator on the Sonar course. Regardless of the wind direction, it appears that the pin has been the place to be. The Germans, British, and Norwegians have been particularly adept at securing the start at that end, though it is possible to be in the hunt if you have a decent start up the line a bit – but only if you are spot on in your timing. When the breeze has been out of the SW – typical here – the geographic influence of the shoreline to the East has been incredible. If a team finds itself to the right of the pack, the losses can be enormous, and a short hitch to the left – even only 3 or 4 boat lengths can mean gains of several boats. How far is too far, and how far is far enough is a thing that varies from day to day. At the top of the leader board are the Brits, Germans, Gold Medalist Israelis, Australians, and Norweigians. Unfortunately for US Team SailLaVie, the past few days have been frustrating. After a slow start in the first race, the team came back to a 9th in race 2 – only to have that taken away by the jury in a marathon 2 ½ hour protest. Day 2 did not start much better for Jen, Brad and Brad. A poor start put the team behind from the get go, and they found themselves behind early on a one sided course with no real clear air lanes to work back from. The day ended on a high note though, when an aggressive start by Jen at the pin allowed them to get an early jump to the left, and leg out a bit with the Germans and local Aussie, Jamie Dunross. We held onto third for the better part of 3 legs, but let 3 teams get slightly to the left, and finished the race in 6th. After a lay day on Saturday, where local wind conditions climbed into the high 30 knot range, boats were back on course but this time in ESE breeze in the morning. Though wind velocity was only in the 10-12 knot range with some puffs, the course was set with a strong port side bias with the pin favored. You had to get left, and sail the larger breeze lines on port, taking small tacks back on starboard if you could. The top mark was under a high hill, which made it shifty and unpredictable at the top in very light winds. The Canadians led at the first mark, but dropped back to 6th over time in those fluky winds at the top. The Americans rounded mid fleet at the first mark, but went low on the first run on a three lap course and were never able to recover. On the 2.4mR course on Matilda Bay, conditions have been a little bit confusing. It is not unusual in this fairly small round bay for both sides of the course to pay big dividends. Which side will come in at the end of each beat, can and does change in an instant. Boats can be up on huge lifts, only to crash in the final 30 meters with the other side filling in. Helena Lucas from GBR and Bjornar Ericstad from Norway have had a better handle on the breeze than anyone. Their results have been amazingly consistent on the course, and their placement uncannily accurate. Heiko Kroeger of Germany has been fairly consistent as well, keeping him near the top of the scoreboard after 5 races. The American 2.4mR sailors have had their ups and downs. Roger Cleworth has put together some good races placing him tied for 5th in points with Megan Pascoe of Britain and three points behind Paul Tingley of Canada. Nick Scandone has struggled a bit early in this regatta. A few boat issues, topped by a broken backstay in race 4 have him in an unenviable position 12 and a lot of work to do in the final 6 races. Today marks the midway point of the event, with 6 races set for the final three days of sailing. In addition to this being a World Championship, it holds extra importance as a country qualifier for the 2008 Paralympic Games in China. The top 7 nations in each division qualify for that event, with the balance qualifying at the 2007 Worlds in Rochester, NY. Stay tuned…….. USDST
Coach
Hi there Sailing Fans! Another hot and sunny day in OZ. The conditions for racing today were somewhat different from other days, with the winds staying in the ESE range, and velocities stying lower than predicted for the day. On the Sonar course, the wind was 10-12 knots with gusts higher. On the 2.4mR course on Matilday Bay, the winds were slightly lighter (8-10) with higher puffs, but significantly much shiftier. It seemed that today you had to sail for pressure, and pressure brought definitive shifts. It appeared (from our coach boat) that you had to sail to the pressure closer to you in order to get the shift, and the shift could be a significant header OR lift. If you waited for it to come to you, the potential for big loss in distance to other boats was big. Jen French and Team SailLaVie sailed a very strong first beat in the first race of the day, but an unfortunate rounding incident at the first mark forced a two turns penalty, dropping them back to the back of the fleet for a 13th. In the second race, they again had a very good first beat and run, but they worked too far to the right on the subsequent beats due to a seating system problem which affected their ability to tack, and they could only salvage an 11th place finish. The Canadians had a strong day with a 4-5 across the line, but a DSQ in the first race of the day, dropped them back a bit in the scoring. At the top of the leader board, Norway and Germany had a great day and sit atop the fleet tied in points. The British had a mediocre day for their team, to drop them back slightly in the standings. With 4 more races to go, anything can happen. On the 2.rmR course, Nick Scandone finally found his groove in Race 6 to take the gun and the win. He was involved in a starting line protest with Helena Lucas of GBR who was DSQ'd from the race, and lost the series lead. The second 2.4mR start was apparantly one in which very few of the 19 boats could actually start on starboard. Nick got flushed on that one and couldn't get back in the fleet. Roger Cleworth had two mid fleet finishes, and he and Nick now stand tied in points. Bjornar Erikstad from Norway and Heiko Kroeger from Germany are 1-2 in the 2.4mRs. The entire Canadian 2.4mR team has been sailing well and sit solidly in the top 6. Todays racing (2 races) will really define who have a real shot at the medals for the World Titles and the country qualifying berths for China. As you have seen so far, anything can and will happen here in Perth.
USDST
Coach
Greetings. Today the RC abandoned any attempt to start races after posting an onshore postponement. Though our forecasts only showed chnaces of intermittent squalls, the local government service showed severe weather off the immediate coast of Perth, and radar indicated a large storm cell several nautical miles away. The breeze stayed moderate in Matilda Bay and on Mellville Waters throughout the afternoon, and the anticipated weather finally moved into the immediate area at about 8 or 9 PM bringing with it torrential rain, and windy conditions. That was good news since there have been some wild fires south of Perth that brought a smokey haze over the race course area today. When the RC cancelled racing, an announcement was made that they will move up the starting time on the final day and try to get three races in. Lawn bowls and Bocce were the game of the afternoon. Final report to come after racing on Wednesday USDST
Coach
Well the 2006 Worlds in Perth are over, with the prize giving set for Thursday,Australia Day, here in OZ. With a 12:30 starting time posted by the RC in order to get in 3 races on the final day, lots of energy was buzzing at the club early. Unfortunately, both fleets went out on course to be met by a dying breeze. After a lengthy delay, the Freemantle Doctor decided to show, and 3 good races were held in builing southwesterly winds. Racing was close, and by late afternoon, the World Champions were decided. On the Sonar course, the British squad led by John Robertson showed their talents, by taking the crown for a second time in a 7 month period. Their consistency around the course all week, topped off by a win in the final race made them undisputedly the best Sonar team at this event. Second place overall went to the German team skippered by veteran disabled sailor Jens Kroker. Only one point behind the Germans was the Norweigian boat, with helmsman Jostein Stordall. These team were the very same that graced the podium in Sonderborg, Denmark in August of 2005. Rounding out the top 5 were Jamie Dunross a local sailor from RPYC and Dror Cohen and his gold medal team from Athens. The American team of Jen French, Brad Johnson, and Brad Kendell came 14th overall, but showed steady improvement through the series, and come away from this event with a lot of invaluable experience. This was the first big international event for the team, and their skills were tested by a very strong fleet of sailors. The depth of talent and experience level of teams at this Worlds Championship was deeper than seen at any other past World Championship. The 2006 IFDS Worlds is being used as a country qualifier for the 2008 Paralympic Games in China. Seven countries qualified out of the Sonar fleet: GBR, GER, NOR, AUS, ISR, IRL and CAN. The next and final qualifier will be in Rochester, NY at the 2007 IFDS Worlds. Our 2.4mR sailors had a very good day on the water - posting some nice finishes. Nick Scandone had a 1-10-2 in the three races to move him up to 5th overall, and Roger Cleworth had three solid races to finish 8th. The podium finishes were not decided until the final race, and in the end, Heiko Kroeger of Germany edged out Britain's Helena Lucas for the Gold, while Bjornar Erkistad, who had been atop the leaderboard going into the day, struggled during the day but held on for the Bronze. The top 5 were rounded out by Bruce Millar from Canada, and Nick Scandone USA. The top seven countries in the 2.4mR also have now qualified for China: GER, GBR, NOR, CAN, USA, AUS, NZL. Containers are being packed up today for shipment back to the States in time for the DIsabled Midwinters in St Pete, FL March 23-26. If you haven't yet made plans to attend, get on it! Here is a chance to sail against some great competition, and chat with the sailors about their experiences here in Australia. So its off to the containers, and then we get a chance to experience Australia Day - said to be much like our 4th of July. I guess we'll have to see how it compares! USDST
Coach |
So far there are 22 2.4mR boats registered for the regatta.
A few boats have been held up in shipping. It seems a container ship broke
down in Italy and there was a boat from GBR and FRA on it . Andrew Millband
from GBR will not be sailing. Damien from France, it has been rumored, has
gotten his boat off the ship and is having it flown in from Italy.
Hi
to all from Down Under. Today was a tough day for the US team out on the
water. The day dawned sunny and breezy - with fairly flat water on Matilda
Bay for the 2.4s and on the Melville Basin for the Sonars. Wind velocities
were in the 11 to 16 range out of the SSW. 
Another exciting day of racing on Matilda bay.
Race three saw a tight bunch at the weather mark with an exciting
first leg. Winds began at 16 knots and built to twenty by the end of
the race. 10 or so boats rounded the first top mark within twenty
seconds of each other. The Downwind leg saw little separation from
the leaders and believe it or not, the waves from these little 2.4
made quite a lot of chop for the leeward mark rounders. The race was
three times around. Heiko finished first, Hellena second, and Roger
3rd. Nick came in 8th. Looking around the course I noticed a few
people holding their vangs down on their masts with their hands and
a few others rounded up on the down wind legs and lost big, victims
of the high Winds.