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The J80 Worlds reported
by Steven M. Hammerman,
USA #77- Hammertime
Everyone
who races sailboats likes to win. We all go out there with hopes, aspirations,
and/or visions of bringing home the silver. I've never met anyone who
approached a regatta with the attitude, "I'd really like to lose
this one." We traveled to La Rochelle, France, recently to compete
in the 2002 J/80 World Championship. Having finished second last year
at the Worlds in Newport, RI, we shared the realistic goal of winning
the big one this time. We finished third. Granted, third at a World Championship
is nothing to be ashamed of; however, we had opportunities that we did
not capitalize on. Ultimately, we let this one get away.
Win
or lose, my goal for every regatta that I sail in is to learn something
- to bring home a lesson that I can build upon to become a better sailor.
I have been fortunate enough to have sailed with many world-class sailors
over the years. Names such as Jay Lutz, Moose McClintock, and Carter Perrin
have appeared on the Hammertime crew roster recently. Racing with such
people has certainly raised my level of competition and has taught me
about patience, tactical decision-making, boat handling, and keeping my
head out of the boat.
We
sailed the championship regatta in France with a diverse and interesting
crew. We have all been friends and crewmates for years, but had never
raced together as a team on a J/80. Jay Lutz and I have sailed together
on and off for more than 15 years. He is the person responsible for my
1996 purchase of the beat-up, gray, demo J/80 that has become Hammertime.
I have crewed for him aboard his various J/80's and he for me aboard mine
with good success in both configurations. When I won the 2001 J/80 North
American Championship last fall and was awarded a charter boat for the
2002 Worlds in France, I approached Jay with the idea of co-skippering
the event. Although we have very different approaches to campaigning and
even to handling the J/80, we each bring valuable experience and attributes
to the team that complement each other. We decided to enter the event
together to pool our resources and talents. Joe Taylor is a homebuilder,
a contractor, an Etchells owner, a delivery captain, and our "MacGuyver."
He sailed with us last year when we placed second at the Worlds, and was
Jay's immediate choice as a third crew for our campaign. My choice for
the fourth to round out the crew was our good friend Gustavo Escobar.
A native of Mexico City and crew aboard my boat for the past three years,
Gustavo knows the J/80 as well as anyone out there. Never one to say "no,"
he always gives 110% and can be counted on to come through when needed.
"HAMMERTIME" and Crew |
Having
determined our crew members, we had two challenges to meet. First, we
had to lose a combined total of nearly 50 pounds to make the class weight
limit. We each set a goal for himself that would bring the team under
the limit. Fortunately, we all met or exceeded our goals. Second, we needed
to decide who would function in each position aboard the boat. When crewing
for Jay, I have almost always been a trimmer. When he has crewed aboard
my boat he has been the tactician, sometimes doubling as trimmer. Joe
is by history a prolific bowman, although he can do almost anything aboard
almost any boat. Aboard Hammertime, Gustavo works either forward or middle.
The decision to co-skipper complicated crew positions, as Joe and Gustavo
had little experience trimming on a J/80. In the large aggressive fleet
that we anticipated, trimming, calling tactics, and co-skippering was
not a competitive option for Jay and myself. The responsibility of trimming
fell upon Joe's shoulders, and he showed us that you really could teach
a (50-year-) old dog new tricks. Under Jay's tutelage and with my nearly
constant encouragement, direction, and criticism, Joe developed into a
solid J/80 trimmer over the final month before the event.
Choosing
a brand of sails was a no-brainer, as Jay runs North Sails Texas. We brought
the Sharkskin (Dacron) mainsail, Pentex jib, and nylon spinnaker that
were built for Jay's new J/80. Identical to the mainsail that I used to
win the NA's last year, the main has a beautiful shape and stands out
due to its dark gray color. The vertical battens in the North jib support
the leach without causing a hook and roll easier than any of the flexible
battens that have been used in the traditional horizontal fashion. North
has been working on advancing their asymmetrical spinnaker design, and
we felt that their most recent shape goes deep well in light to medium
air without resulting in the type of "folding" curl that occurs
in heavy air with designs carrying more luff area. Conveniently, the full
complement of sails, folded and bricked, measured exactly the maximum
dimensions and weight for transport as "luggage" without penalty.
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We
originally made arrangements to have a "Grand Prix" fairing
job done on the bottom and foils by the best yard in the La Rochelle area;
however, several weeks before the event, I was informed by the French
J/80 builder that the charter boats had been faired and prepared at the
factory so as to keep them identical for the upcoming ISAF World Sailing
Games. We were told that they were "race ready." This is where
I learned my first important lesson of the event…
Arriving
in La Rochelle two-and-a-half days before the start of competition, we
had a plan whose execution would have us preparing the boat for a half
day and then practicing on the water for a day-and-a-half. Little did
we know. I have learned from past experience that my boat prep always
takes longer than expected; however, our charter boat was reported to
be rigged, in the water, and "race ready." (There's that deceiving
term again). Shortly after arriving in La Rochelle, we located the yacht
club and found our brand spanking new charter boat. As we watched reigning
World Champion Kerry Klingler and crew hauling out their charter boat
out to apply their knotmeter impeller, everyone was appalled by the condition
of the bottom. Applied by ?roller or brush?, the Teflon bottom paint texture
was that of very rough orange peel. We immediately got into our boat via
the unlocked forward hatch to bring out the brand new Tohatsu outboard
in order to motor around to the crane area. Unfortunately, there was no
fuel aboard and our command of the French language prevented us from finding
gasoline and 2-stroke motor oil on a Sunday evening. We rocked the boat
around the large harbor to the crane and hoisted it onto a borrowed trailer
as the sun set at nearly 10PM local time.
Monday
morning came around quickly, and we got started on the bottom. We were
the first crew in the yard, and a brief inspection in full daylight revealed
the same rough bottom paint job that we had witnessed the night before
on the other charter boat. Before getting to the 400, 600, and 800 grit
wet-dry sandpaper that I had brought from home, we had to begin with some
220 and 320 grit paper that I purchased from the local chandlery. That
brief trip also scored us a fuel can, 2-stroke oil, metric hardware, and
assorted necessary supplies. We worked on the bottom and foils until early
afternoon, when we broke for a late lunch. Not in the condition that Jay
or I would race with in the US, we accepted the bottom as the best that
we would be able to muster under our circumstances. The afternoon was
occupied with continued boat prep. We dropped the rig to replace the too-long
upper shrouds, to add a toggle to the too-short forestay, and to wire
and mount the SpeedMate knotmeter and TackTick compass, and we mounted
hardware for the sprit retraction system and spinnaker bag.
We
began Tuesday morning by applying McLube Sailkote to the underwater surfaces
and Teflon polish to the hull above the waterline. Following completion
of sail measurement and anxious to get out on the water, we hoisted the
boat off the trailer and planned to set it down briefly to wet sand the
spots where it had sat upon the trailer pads. A very emphatic member of
the measurement crew insisted that we launch immediately, refusing to
allow us the few minutes needed for this simple task. Equally emphatic
insistence on my part in terrible French with several select English terms
bought us a different crane operator and exactly two minutes to finish.
We were leaning out over the edge with 600 grit wet-dry paper as the boat
went down into the water.
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Finally
in the water and ready to go…almost. The new outboard engine leaked
fuel mix all over the aft cockpit and the backstay legs were too long.
Arrrgh! "MacGuyver" Taylor took care of the fuel leak and I
arranged for the backstay legs to be removed and replaced by the next
morning. Munching on some baguettes as we motored out into the Bay of
Biscay Tuesday afternoon, we were finally on the water. And the water
was so different from our home water. It was clear blue with current.
We
sailed around the race area, familiarizing ourselves with the conditions
and practicing boat handling maneuvers for several hours. The practice
race served up several interesting lessons. The race began with a general
recall. No one went back, so the results were not necessarily indicative
of performance. The British boat that led around the entire course was
likely OCS; this may have accounted for their being so launched out. It
became readily apparent that the depth of talent in this championship
event was unprecedented in J/80 competition. Simply being fast or smart
or even fast and smart was no guarantee of success. After returning to
the dock, I went aloft to install the masthead tri-color light so that
we would be in compliance with class rules. That was another "oops"
from the builder.
That
evening, the town of La Rochelle, the Societe des Regates Rochelaises,
and the J/80 Class Association France officially welcomed competitors
and visitors to the 2002 J/80 World Championship. In a beautiful ceremony
held in the historic courtyard of the Town Hall, the Deputy Mayor of La
Rochelle bid welcome to everyone, followed by introduction of the Race
Officers and delegates from each of the 10 participating countries. Local
school children presented the flags of participating countries, and a
brass band entertained outdoors. Following a delightful reception at the
Hotel de Ville, the crowd dispersed to seek nourishment and libations
for themselves. After dinner, we spent time reviewing the tidal current
charts as well as the vector diagrams of the prevailing wind patterns
for the region.
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The
first day
of real competition began with installation of the shortened backstay
legs. We pondered the possibility that the boat was ready for competition….
It was as ready as it was going to be for the event. As became the routine
each morning of competition, I checked the rig and tuned it for the expected
conditions. On the course, there was a very light and fluky breeze from
the Northwest. By the warning signal for the first race, the breeze had
filled, and the competition began. Three races were sailed in shifty winds
ranging from less than five to fifteen knots. A dying right breeze, followed
by the fill of the sea breeze from the Northwest made for challenging
conditions. Capitalizing on good starts in the first two races and sailing
conservatively, we finished 4-3 and felt pretty good to be in second place.
Before the third race, we discussed the need to work the course right
side on the first beat, and the course left side on the first run. Following
a mediocre start, we never made it across to the right side and rounded
the weather mark in 10th place. We reconfirmed the plan to work the course
left side downwind, hoping that our good downwind speed would help us
pick up a few places. No sooner than had we rounded the offset mark…we
jibed. Unprepared for this unexpected maneuver, we wrapped the spinnaker
on the forestay. To add insult to injury, we sailed into the hole under
the fleet navigating the offset leg, on the unfavored jibe, and away from
the favorable current. In a moment of mental lapse we had dropped to 19th
place, from whence we never recovered. In retrospect, we should have heeded
Moose's advice from the recent issue of Sailing World. Back at the dock,
I spliced Spectra pennants for the jib furler and the boom vang to provide
better leads. Consistency certainly had paid off, as the German team aboard
GER 508 took the early series lead with finishes of 1-2-9. Ending the
day in fourth place overall, we were exhausted and a bit disappointed.
Nevertheless, we enjoyed an evening on the town after the well-attended
"Oysters Party" at the Yacht club and then reviewed our tide
and wind data before turning in.
Day
two of competition began with a postponement. Early fog and light air
gave way to building moderate but shifty breeze as the sea breeze filled
in. Rounding the first weather mark in third place, we had a good downwind
leg and moved into second. Notching up our boatspeed a bit, we caught
up to leader Kerry Klingler (USA #352) and knew that we needed to protect
the left side for the advancing sea breeze. We tacked on USA #352 and
sent them back to the right just before the big lefty came in. Able to
hold off the boats who had gone further left, we won the race by a comfortable
margin and watched Kerry work his way back to 10th. What a feeling to
have sailed our own race, understanding the wind and current puzzle, and
to find ourselves leading the regatta! All good things must come to an
end… Following several general recalls, we had an average start in
Race 5 but looked over our shoulder to see USA #352 buried above and behind
us. We again knew that the money was on the right side of the course,
but there were boats between us and there. Klingler quickly tacked out
and took a short hitch to weather to establish a clear lane, ducking a
slew of transoms along the way. Suddenly, he was back in the hunt, and
went over to the right shortly thereafter. As the boats above peeled off
to the right one by one, we discussed digging right but held our lane
to keep the one remaining boat on our board from getting to us - bad move.
We were deep in the fleet at the first weather mark and then lost our
tackling during the spinnaker set - not pretty. After finally getting
the tack line re-fed and the spinnaker up, we only got back up to 18th
by the finish. Taking his lumps early and using boatspeed on the favored
right side, Klingler finished 2nd. A solid third race with a 5th place
finish saw us end the day in second place overall. Having completed 6
races, the scoring now allowed a throughout. We had 31 points to Klingler's
19 and FRA #376's 34.
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Having
lost our knot meter display overboard during a hectic spinnaker set, we
embarked upon a mission to find a new one on land. Several hours later
we had run into numerous dead ends when we became the beneficiaries of
a fellow competitor's generosity. Indicating that he was not in contention
for a podium position, Antonio Mari of Puerto Rico offered the use of
his display for the remainder of the regatta. In exchange for Tony's self-sacrificing
offer, I volunteered to clean his waterline the next day and to remove
the underwater impeller at the conclusion of the event.
Friday
was a day that the Americans failed to "put it in the bag."
Because of the 14-foot tidal variation and a mid-morning low tide, racing
began one hour later, at noon. We utilized the extra time to clean the
boat's bottom and to recheck everything on the boat. Out on the racecourse
the breeze started at about 5 knots and then slowly built throughout the
day. Light air and flat water - just what the doctor ordered. Minor on-the-water
rig tuning and we were ready to go.
Race
#7 held a number of surprises for competitors. Once again, tidal current
and 20º wind shifts made navigation and tactical decisions that much
more difficult. On the final approach to the starting line, we were working
back through the fleet on port tack to get near the boat end. Looking
at the big picture and not anticipating such a thing so early in the event,
I was caught off guard. I didn't see what was quickly developing in front
of us - we were being hunted. GER #508 headed right at us. I headed down,
they headed down. I headed up, they headed up. I bore off hard and they
aimed at our bow, then turned up and hailed, "Protest." With
just over a minute to the start, we were doing penalty turns. Needless
to say, we had a terrible start and rounded the weather mark in the bottom
third of the fleet. Working the boat and the course, we climbed back through
the fleet to the finish and made a remark that we'd never even considered
before, "15th place is good." Fired up after that fiasco, we
led the next race wire to wire, scoring our second bullet of the regatta.
Race #9 finally began after 3 general recalls. These resulted in numerous
Z-Flag penalties being assessed; however, all were clear when starting
under the shadow of the black flag. Following another mediocre start,
we fell victim to the "ping-pong ball" treatment. Every French
or Swedish boat that crossed tacked right on us. We tacked at least six
times in the first few hundred yards of the race. That pretty well set
the tone for the rest of our race. Not paying enough attention to where
we were on the course, we significantly overstood the port layline twice
and finished a dismal 18th. Upon returning to the Yacht Club, we found
that a controversial rule interpretation by the international jury led
to 26 boats receiving scoring penalties in Race #7 for extending their
bowsprits on the "spreader" (offset) legs. Another four points
were added to our tally, and we had dropped back to fourth overall again.
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With
only one race necessary to complete the series, the schedule on Saturday
was pushed back again one hour to noon. Early light and variable winds
led to postponement of the sequence until the breeze had filled and stabilized
somewhat. A good jump at the start enabled GBR 425 to nose out on the
fleet, while conservative tactics and covering the fleet kept her in front
the entire race. USA 352 finished second, while FRA 376 edged us on the
final tack to capture third place for the race and the overall World Championship.
Once again consistency had paid off; the new champions never finished
better than third yet never finished worse than ninth (excepting their
throughout race - 42). After the boats had been broken down and put away,
Pascal Abignoli and crew aboard FRA 376 Tendrisse were crowned the new
J/80 World Champions in an impressive closing ceremony at the SRR. They
were presented with the new perpetual trophy - the largest half-hull model
I've ever seen (it even came with its own wooden "suitcase"
for travel). Klingler was awarded second place, and we took home the third
place trophy.
After dinner, the Swedish teams threw a party behind the apartments where
most of the competitors were staying. Food, alcohol, and music lasted
until the early hours of the morning. Getting to the train station at
5:45 AM was ugly, only to find that we couldn't figure out how to purchase
tickets from the automated machine that spoke only French. With only seconds
to go, we threw our gear onto the train and I collapsed in a wheezing
heap to begin our journey home.
Reflecting upon the entire experience of racing a chartered boat in a
World Championship in a foreign country, I have learned (or reconfirmed)
the following lessons:
- Do
your homework. Get as much information as possible about the venue -
wind patterns, tide tables, tidal current diagrams, and local knowledge.
Review this before and after each day's competition.
- Bring
everything with you that you can think of. Instruments, lines, hardware,
tools, extra batteries, etc.
- "Race
ready" does NOT mean ready for you to race the way that YOU want
it
- Arrive
two days earlier than you think you need to. Take this time to fully
prepare the boat methodically and completely.
- Get
out on the water at least one day in advance and LEARN the venue.
- Develop
a game plan that is well thought out with a solid foundation and FOLLOW
IT. Unless there is a compelling reason to abandon it, execute the plan
as best as possible.
- Dig
early to get where you want to be, and don't let one boat that has not
even challenged you force you to abandon the game plan. Kerry Klingler
demonstrated the ability to do this on more than one occasion and benefited
from the foresight to do so.
- It
is much easier to stay in the lead group than to come from behind and
break into the lead group. Therefore,
-
Start with speed in the front row. It was amazing what a difference
the starts made. With a good clean start, we were consistently out
in front; however, with a mediocre start we were fighting to be
in the top third at the first weather mark.
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Maintain clear lanes.
- DON'T
RISK A PROBABLE LOSS FOR AN UNLIKELY GAIN.
- Develop
consistent terminology that everyone on the crew understands (i.e. "Pressure/No
pressure", "Course Left/Right" vs. "Upwind"
or "Downwind" "Left/Right"). This can eliminate
unnecessary confusion and conversation at critical decision-making times.
- Know
the instruments available to you and use them. When calling tactics,
I used a "hockey puck" handheld compass, a handheld GPS with
downloaded charts of the area, the knotmeter, and our TackTick compass.
All of these we had brought with us, along with the necessary brackets
and mounting hardware. With this small arsenal of technology, we were
able to track our progress compared to the competition, to gauge the
speed and direction of current, and to call lay lines with confidence
in complex situations.
I
would like to thank our sponsors who helped us defray some of the costs
involved in our venture: Spinlock, Ronstan, McLube, Layline, West Marine,
and Dirty Dog Eyewear. Additionally, I would also like to thank Mark Michaelsen
of the SailingProShop for advice on foul weather gear and his generous
pricing offer.
In
the end we asked ourselves the two questions most important to evaluating
such an undertaking: Did we enjoy ourselves? Yes. Would we do it again?
Hell yes! I've already begun planning for the 2003 Worlds in Ft. Worth,
TX, and the 2004 Worlds in Sweden…
Steven M. Hammerman,
MD
J/80 Class Association President
USA #77 - Hammertime
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