And the Balls have it...

Quick post cause it's cocktail hour... so this will be brief...

Team Horsballs edges out Greg Fisher and his superb team to take the 2010 Thistle Midwinters West. More details to follow depending upon sobriety.

Congrats to all the competitors.

Balls deep in breeze!

Its absolutely nuclear this morning in San Diego, CA for Thistle MWW 2010. With some hot and heavy racing, it comes down to the final day of sailing in some epic conditions.

The race committee has decide to sail in Mission Bay this afternoon, as the forecast is calling for breeze in the upper teens and puffs 2-4 knots above that. Team Horseballs is anticipating some wicked puffs and big shifts, so the racing will be intense and consistency will be key. Greg "Fishballs" Fisher is right behind us (1.5 pts) and I think we all know that old salty dog still has a few tricks up his sleeve.

The current top 5 scores are as following after 6 races:

Championship Division:
3966 Horseballs 14.5 pts
3839 Fishballs 16 pts
3852 Doug Hart 18 pts
3820 Mike Gillum 24.5 pts
4009 Dave Tilson 24.5 pts

President's Division:
3851 Stu Roberson 6 pts
3956 Chip Ballough 15 pts
2737 Paul Harlow 16 pts
3410 Mike Poltrak 22 pts
3995 Ken Lane 23 pts

These scores are all pending protest (... and my level of sobriety this morning...)

Will keep you posted after the racing.

For Jack....

First and foremost, our thoughts and prayers go out to the Bauer family today, as we have heard news on the Left Coast of the passing of Jack Bauer.... a true Thistle Class sailing icon and class act. Today was the epitome of every Jack believed sailing should be; great, intense racing and off the water friendships... Many toasts for a good friend, great person and mentor.

As for the action at MWW, I can say our team (3966) sailed quite inspired today, as the epic conditions (15-18 knots, great swells) lead to some fantastic racing and great finishes. Coupled with carrying over half-points from the first day of sailing, the leaders going into the day were tight.

Race One was a tale of two races for Team Horseshack, as we had a less than stellar start and had to work extremely hard to get off the line under a crowd. But, sticking to a plan developed prior to the start, we recognized some significant gains and pressure to be had on the left side of the race course, and "hung it out to dry" so to speak. Boat speed has been the key to the week, and once again it paid off, as Craig "Horseshack" drove the boat like a man possessed. Combining a great 1st beat, and screaming downwind leg, we were able to lead wire to wire in that race; not without the rest of the fleet chopping tight on our heels. There are no "slouches" on the west coast, and these guys continue to impress.

Race Two was quite similar, though with a few major twists... One of which was Team Horseshack getting a stellar start and another phenomenal 1st beat to lead wire to wire... except... we had to christen a new bow ornament (Krazy Karl) as I had to rush up to the front of the boat at the last leeward mark rounding and fix our broken tack pin. All said and done, we finished 5th that race, because our fearless leader remained calm (literally) and we focused on correcting our issue and moving on. Greg "Fishballs" Fisher ended up winning that race, keeping the competition tight.

Race Three was a battle of attrition. All the teams were well worn out after 2 epic races prior, and the mental state was quite key! A positive attitude definitely paid good dividends, as there is no way in hell my body wanted to take any more of that punishment. Apparently our boat didn't either, as the port side jib car decide to "dismount" from the thwart halfway up the 2nd beat of this final race. The major story here was making me scream like a school girl every time we were on starboard tack because I could not cleat the jib. Amazingly enough, we were wicked fast, so Horseshack was not sympathetic to my cause... joking... and we managed to pass 4 boats on the final beat to finish 3rd for the race, and 1st overall... leading the regatta after 6 races.

Doug Hart won the day with a total of 8 points combined over three races.

The forecast is calling for some nuclear sailing conditions on the final day of racing (Saturday), so we're all geared up for some fun (though Fishballs keeps mentioning something about being old).

Ease, Hike, Trim (it's science)
Karl D. Felger

p.s. WE STILL NEED FISH TACOS!

we'll make sure some of the pictures to the event are posted tomorrow, along with the final results. Cheers, big ears!

Thistle MWW 2010 - On the scene(ish) report

less than 24 hours to San Diego!

This year, I was asked to be the meat in the Team Horseshack sandwich at Thistle MidWinters West.

I'm feeling good about the prospect of this as previous meatballs include Nick Turney, Karl Bradley, and... oh, wait... I see a trend here... but I digress.

A week off of work in sunny San Diego is a great way to spend the start of February, and I'm looking forward to seeing some good friends, girls in bikinis, and sea lions (not in any particular order). Maybe a few rum drinks and a trip to tijuana later, ummmm yea...

Anyways, I'll try and keep up on these updates, highlighting the days racing with any and all news from the Left Coast... I will keep the Swerve mantra alive... "no bikini top left unturned!"

Karl D. Felger (the "D" is for Danger)

The Art of Crewing

The art of crewing is highly overlooked. As Dave Perry says, “"....it's damned hard to be a crew. You have to be a contortionist, a psychic, and a glutton for verbal abuse, not to mention flawless...." Not only, as he so clearly states, do you have to be at your physical peek; manipulating your body into awkward and uncomfortable positions, performing physically draining tasks for hours on end, and doing so while wet, hot/cold (hello Musto???) and God forbid occasionally hung-over; you clearly have to be on top of your mental game too. If crew let the skipper do all the thinking they’d be going in a straight line for hours because the one on the tiller says “he/she’s in the grove.”
Placed before the crew, this can all seem daunting. Every tactical decision you make has an effect on the outcome of the race, and ultimately the regatta. Better yet, these decisions have to be made under duress and within a split second. But this is not without hope. The best thing one can do is anticipate, simplify, react and live with it. By breaking down your mental processes in this fashion any crew, whether they be a newbie or a 20 year AC veteran, can make their next race one for the ages.
Anticipation:
Paramount to every sailors skill set is the ability to anticipate what is going to happen next whether it be a shift, velocity change, tactical situation and/or equipment issue. Anticipation is key when it comes to deciding what side of the course to go to in regards to wind, current, etc. One must realize the advantages and disadvantages to every option and also foresee how each outcome will unfold. Anticipation is crucial in regards to dealing with other boats in the fleet also. You must be able to discern if you are able to cross a boat on starboard or if you must tack to avoid them. The big picture is also important. When you take a risk and when you consolidate are something a crew must always be calculating. One piece of personal advice here… trust yourself!
Simplify:
Keep crewing simple. The easiest way to do it is to know your role front and back, and understand the roles of your teammates so you can fully comprehend what they expect of you and what you should expect from them. Remember to sail within yourself, and set reachable goals. Work with your team to make your job easier and thus more rewarding both personally, as a team, and on the scoreboard.
React:
Racing sailboats is very dynamic. The playing field is in constant flux, your competition is always changing, and your position on the race course is relative to both of these factors. The best sailors are those individuals who can recognize these scenarios and react to them in an appropriate and timely manner. Anticipation of the situation and the simplification of the maneuver go a long way towards making your reaction and its outcome second nature. This is why many, many good sailing teams practice tacking, gybing and other mechanical maneuvers constantly; to eliminate errors when making split second decisions. Their reactions come across as clean, crisp and premeditated.
Live with it:
When you make a decision, be confident in your abilities. Trust in your speed, strategy and sailing capacities. When it works out you’ll be “world-beaters” and when it doesn’t you’ll have learned a valuable lesson to approach the next situation. Success is sailing has more to do with consistency than winning every race, sort of like baseball in that you only have to succeed 3 out of every 10 times to be considered an All-Star. Mistakes are made when variables out of your control don’t pane out, they’re made when you make hasty and rash decisions. Be smart, but have fun, enjoy it and tell me all about it at the rum tent!

Ease, Hike, Trim (it’s science)
Karl D. Felger

Sailing Song Lyric of the Week

A sea was storming inside of me

Baby I think I'm capsizing

The waves are rising and rising

And when I get that feeling

I want Sexual Healing

~Sexual Healing by Marvin Gaye (Feat Shaggy)

Rig Tuning

F'ing Hilarious!