3rd at US Trials Part 1
Last week we competed in the first phase of our US Olympic Trials. The event was hosted by the Key Biscayne Yacht Club. There were eight teams at the event. We sailed a double round robin before the top four moved on to stage 2. The top four from this event will compete in the second part of the trials in May 2012 in Weymouth, England. We finished the double round robin 11-3, which seeded us second, and qualified us for the second part of the trials.
In the semi finals we sailed Anna Tunnicliffe and team in a first to four points series. We sailed the first three races on Friday. We had even starts in all three of those races and rounded right behind her in the first two. In the first two races, we gained on the downwinds and put ourselves in a position to pass her. We got in a gybing duel and were able to pass her and win the first two races. In the third race, the positions were reversed. On the last downwind we were in a good spot but did not have luffing rights and got a penalty for sailing above our proper course.
From there, we were not able to get rid of our penalty so they won the third race. In the fourth race we got a penalty right before the start. Up the first leg, she tacked too close and got an offsetting penalty. We rounded behind her and she was able to hold onto her lead and win the race. In the fifth race, we were leading and in a tacking duel up the second beat. Near the windward mark we did not get to the starboard layline so when we leebowed her she was able to hold us to layline and take the lead. In the sixth race, she led around the first mark, but she gybed a little early and we crossed over behind her and gybed and got an overlap from astern. We did not have luffing rights so we went for a fake gybe and Anna gybed and got a penalty for port starboard. From there she was able to lead us to the mark. We stayed within two lengths so she could not do her penalty. We rounded the windward mark and started sailing downwind with no spinnakers. She did her penalty and we set our spinnaker. We were 1 length ahead. From there we got in a gybing duel she was able to crush our spinnaker and gybe away and win the race and the series 4-2.
From there we went to the petit finals to decide 3rd and 4th place. We raced Steph Roble and team to a first to two points series. We were able to win the first two races and get 3rd place.
We were pretty disappointed with how the semi finals went. We know the mistakes we made and we know what we need to improve on in the next seven months to be ready for the second part of the trials.
We would like to thank the Key Biscayne Yacht club for hosting event, Sail Sheboygan for supplying the boats, our coach Dave Perry, the US Sailing Team AlphaGrapics, Sperry Top-Sider, and all our other sponsors and supporters.
