Dear Friends,

We sailed two races today in 10 to 20 knots, and placed 5th and 10th.  We are now in 3rd place overall, with four days of racing left.  We have two more qualifying races scheduled for 10 a.m. tomorrow (Thursday), and then the fleet will be split into gold and silver.  We can even hopefully start the final series tomorrow evening!  We carry GPS units on our boat, so you can follow racing — live — online!  Follow the links from the Worlds website: www.470Worlds2010.com  For details from today’s racing, please read on!

Our racing today was characterized by not great decisions upwind, combined with good speed around the course, great speed on the windy tight reaches, and great downwind tactics to help us pass boats.  Today’s breeze was a shifty easterly, and the current was turning during our first race from flowing downwind to flowing upwind.  We started at the pin in the first race and went left.  2/3rds of the way up the first beat the left was not looking good, so we bailed and went towards the right.  Unfortunately for us, the left did come in, and we got bounced around the top of the beat.  We rounded the top mark in approximately twentieth.  We set immediately as the reach mark was low and blasted towards the mark, passing a pack of boats that had gone high.  We gybed at the reach mark, and passed some more boats downwind.  By the time the race was over we had moved up to 5th!

As we were preparing for the second race, we noticed a left shift during the starting sequence.  We decided to start towards the right end of the line so that we could tack onto port and get lifted immediately.  We worked the right side of the course, and the left paid again.  We were mid-fleet at the windward mark, and passed one or two boats on the tight reach.  We had sailed a great downwind tactically, and rounded the leeward mark in approximately 7th.  We missed a large left shift with pressure on the left side of the second beat, and lost five boats on the second upwind.  We were able to pass two boats at the leeward mark to finish the race in 10th.

The race committee sent us back to land after the second race early, at about 12:30, because the coast guard had ordered the race committee to bring the 470′s in.  The forecast called for 100 kmph (62+mph) winds and thunderstorms.  We were postponed until 6:30 p.m.  The thunderstorms arrived slower, and the race committee canceled racing at 5:30 p.m. just as the first thunderstorms hit.  We got back to our bungalows at 7 p.m., and felt like it had been an early night!  See below for a photo of us sailing in after a good day of racing.

Thank you to our larger team!  To the many individuals who give generously to support our olympic sailing campaign, and to our sponsors who support our effort.  The US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics sponsors: AlphaGraphics, Rolex, Atlantis, Sperry Topsiders, and Harken.  And, our personal sponsors: Kaenon and Sampson Ropes.

All donations to our campaign are greatly appreciated, and check donations are tax deductible.  Please mail checks to: Sailing Foundation of New York, c/o Isabelle Farrar, 326 East 82nd Street, Apartment 5C, New York, NY 10028.  Or, donate directly through our website:www.470TeamUSA.com

Best,

Erin and Isabelle

US Sailing Team Alphagraphics

Campaign for 2012 Olympic Games
www.470TeamUSA.com