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2010 MIAMI OCR

Report by Dave Perry

February 1, 2010

Coach Report - Miami Olympic Classes Regatta - Women’s Match Race

All the training and racing the U.S. women match racers did in January paid huge dividends in the 2010 Miami Olympic Classes Regatta, as we won the Gold Medal and placed three teams in the top ten (1-6-9) out of 24 teams. This is especially significant as the field represented pretty much all the top women’s match race teams in the world.

The month began with a three-day clinic that I ran, followed by the Team Qualifier event hosted and run by the Key Biscayne Yacht Club and organized by the US Sailing Center Sheboygan and Liz Baylis. Much of our team’s success this month is directly due to the work and support we received from Sail Sheboygan, Liz, and the Key Biscayne Yacht Club, and specifically Ron Drucker, as well as Kenneth Andreason and the USSTAG.

The three US teams then participated in a three-day USSTAG clinic prior to MOCR. In the two training clinics this month our focus was on boat handling, boat speed and downwind tactics. I continue to be very impressed with how well our three top teams train and work together. It is a primary reason for the rapid development of each team.

The racing in the MOCR was enhanced by the quality and equality of Sail Sheboygan’s Elliott 6m’s. The boats were in great shape and very equal, thanks to the hard work of Rich and Dan Reichelsdorfer, and the quality of the new Radian Dacron sails from North Sails.

We saw a range of conditions from light to medium, steady to shifty, and flat water to moderate chop. Our three teams had good speed in all conditions, though we are all still learning about the new Elliotts and how to trim and sail them in various conditions. That will remain a front-burner issue for 2010. I was particularly pleased with the improvement in the boat handling, and especially the spinnaker work. That too will remain a front-burner issue for 2010, but we are rapidly crossing things off the list in the quest for the perfect handling maneuver for every situation. There were only a couple of teams that had as good and sometimes slightly better boat handling than our three top teams.

Tactically, each of our top three teams won some very tight races on their match racing tactics, which was very pleasing to see. Genny Tulloch’s team (Karina Vogen Shelton and Alice Manard) had a standout race with the German team, as they trailed their opponent by over ten lengths at the first mark and were carrying a penalty. That they came back and passed their opponent on the second beat was impressive. That they then methodically set their opponent up and spun their penalty and won the race right at the finish was outstanding. Sally Barkow’s team (Katie Pettibone and Nicole Breault) won a sudden-death race against last year’s MOCR winner from Denmark in the battle for 5th – 8th place, dominating her on the starting line.

And Anna Tunnicliffe’s team (Molly O’Bryan and Debbie Capozzi) showed tremendous grit and poise as both their Semi-final and Final series went to the fifth race. In the Semi’s, Anna’s team was up against the World Champion Nicky Souter from Australia, and led them 2-0 before Souter climbed back and evened the series 2-2. In the deciding race, Anna’s team led at the first mark but gave the lead to Souter down the run. Anna’s team took the lead back on the next beat by getting to Souter’s right, then defending that side hard. On the run the boats were essentially bow-to-bow as they came to the finish, but Anna’s team had chosen the favored committee boat end and won the race by less than a length.

In the Finals, Anna’s team faced Lucy MacGregor’s team from Great Britain which had not lost a race the entire regatta. Lucy led at the first mark in the first two races and held on to take the series to 2-0. But Anna’s team was far from ready to concede the series. In the third race, Anna’s team again trailed at the first mark, but MacGregor tacked in front of Anna and picked up a penalty. At the leeward mark, MacGregor then ran into Anna’s stern picking up her second penalty, giving Anna’s team an easy win…and a big shift in momentum. In the fourth and fifth races, Anna’s team again trailed at the first mark, but they applied the downwind tactics we had been focusing on all month in textbook fashion. They won the fourth race, tieing the series 2-2, and they set the stage for a dramatic win by trailing MacGregor by three lengths around the second windward mark in the final race. Working the run perfectly, they closed down on MacGregor and then with a series of three quick gybes, they got passed her and into a position to win the race right at the finish line.

It was great to see the excitement in Anna’s team as they crossed the line, knowing they had been involved in ten great tight match races in the Semi’s and Finals, and had prevailed using the skills and techniques they had honed over the month, as well as their immense amount of positive mental attitude in the face of much adversity and potential pressure.

The Team plans to train at the Key Biscayne Yacht Club in February and March in preparation for the next World Cup events in Palma, Spain and Hyeres, France. Our focus will continue to be on boat handling and boat speed in various conditions and situations, and downwind tactics. Of course we will continue to train the pre-starts and upwind tactics, as well as encouraging all three teams to solidify their teams to gain the benefits of continuity on the boat. It will be exciting to see these teams continue to develop throughout 2010.