Game Day Has Arrived

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Day 1 of racing on Saturday was very challenging. The Race committee moved the course left and further in shore. With the finish line within the moored boats. Not great. The startline was always biased and with a left shift just before the start of the first race it turned into a single beat to the first mark. Not great for those of us who started further down the line so first race shocker at 51.

Second race had a general recall. Again because of a heavily biased line and the black flag was out for the second start. Started midline and managed to get around the top mark in mid 20’s Stayed there pretty much the whole race but dropped 5 boats on the last beat when I started getting tired. Big Day. Need to improve on that tomorrow.

Results can be found here.

http://2017.okworlds.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Results-day-1_after-jury.html

Robert Deaves Report is Here.

http://mailchi.mp/abe76ee08c12/nick-craig-masters-barbados-conditions-with-perfect-score-after-ok-dinghy-world-championship-opener?e=86f5affdb8

Photos of me on the water.

Another 2 races today. 2 Races per day now til next Wednesday so eat sleep sail for a few days before we get a break.

4 Finn sailors turning up today and we’ll unload the Finn Container and get the boats down to the Club.

Dave

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OK Dinghy World Champs Opens in Barbados

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The OK Dinghy World Champs opened officially here last night at the Barbados Yacht Club. Robert Deaves is here and filing his usual high quality reports. His first can be found here.

http://mailchi.mp/9be2e0033d03/wall-to-wall-smiles-as-2017-ok-dinghy-worlds-opens-in-paradisiacal-barbados?e=86f5affdb8

After completing all the Measuring the Race committee team ran a practice race on Friday. Reasons for the practice race are two fold. Firstly to allow the Race committee to test their systems and iron out the bugs. Secondly for the sailors to get a race in on the course. There were certainly a lot of bugs to iron out with major changes to race course position, marks, flags and setup being made for today. Not a great start for me but it’s always a step up again to start in an 80 boat fleet. Results can be found on the link below.

https://www.facebook.com/tiki.knudolsen/posts/669746763218332?pnref=story

Day one of racing starts today. 2 Races scheduled starting at 12.30pm.

Looking forward to it.

Dave

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Updates from Barbados

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Wednesday we went for a training sail in the morning. Then had a game of golf at Barbados Golf Club in the afternoon. Photo of 3 hot tired but happy golfers after the round. Great day.

The webcam link I sent out recently has broken. The live feed is now being streamed thru their Facebook page here.

https://www.facebook.com/footprintsinthewan/?rc=p

Measuring starts today for the OK Dinghy Worlds. Unfortunately my boat is one of 10 that will go thru the jig for a full measure. They have selected the 2 newest boats from every manufacturer/designer to go thru the jig. 2 x Leech (Mine and Sefton Powrie), 2 x Mackay Icebreaker (Phil Rzepecky and Mike Wilde), 2 x Synergy etc. Makes for a big day today so hopefully I’ll be able to get out for a sail later.

Finally heres a picture of our Finn Container that has arrived at the Club. I’ll try to find the time to open it today for a quick to confirm everything arrived safely.

Dave

NZL10

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Wa Gine On….?

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Well for me it’s two more days of work followed by a days packing then at 0700 in the blessed am starting the trek to Barbados! A long awaited return to Finn masters sailing. Ray mon and myself have a day in Miami first hanging out as Crockett and Tubbs. I arrive there first and have been requested to have the obligatory hookers and Ferrari waiting! Should be fun.
Only 140 entries which is great as it limits the bunnies on the start line. Josh you should get your craft back in one piece! Don’t know how your name “The Tighty Whitey” will go down with the Bros tho!
Well 5deg here vs 29 over there with early reports from the ok sailors of epic wind and waves! Inexperienced master Finn sailors pls stay on the beach so the rest of us can have some fun! Hopefully we shall see no repeats of that shameful episode in La Rochelle when racing was cancelled when the wind hit 20knts…..with the vast majority of the fleet then screaming like school girls in delight as they fled back to the ramp….the kiwis hung there heads in shame!
Looking forward to catching up with old friends…Vlad the Impaler immediately springs to mind, Ray and I both wonder which “daughter” he will bring this year…top bloke though!
I now know that after two pumping infringements to pull out of the race so there will be no DNE’s this time around. Well we all have high hopes and have been training hard to beat Rafa so….LETS GET READY TO RUMBLE!!!!….no customary rights this year Ray 😊.

Finn Containers Arriving

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Welcome from sunny and humid Barbados.

Big breezes over the last couple of days. Comment from Mark P from yesterday

Had my first sail here today, just epic, and it seems much the same every day. Wind direction is a bit different to swell, meaning on starboard gybe broad reach you have waves from directly behind and they are big, think hiking off back tank to keep the bow out big. Really good fun but forget any notion of the breeze being low density / soft etc, this is a grunt fest. Catch up for a rum next week cheers Mark P

Pictures are of more containers arriving. These are the Finn containers with all being delivered and customs cleared today. Will be able to report on our boats late today.

First day for a sail today after a slightly rum induced full nights sleep last night.

Looking forward to it.

Dave

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Safety is Paramount in Taxi’s in Barbados

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Reassuring signs in taxi in Barbados.

All this while flying along playing dodgems on Barbados roads in our taxi tonight.