Sunday, March 16
Goede Morgen, or good morning in Dutch. All the US team and their families arrived safely in Leiden and now at Yacht Club Braassemermeer. It is a cold and rainy Dutch day, weatherwise. Tomorrow should be cool/cold with no rain. All the kids picked up their charters today. They launched after a chalk talk with the coaches.
Monday, March 17
Second day of practice: Take the shortcut to the club...fun roundabouts! "Whoa! Dad, bicycles have right of way"...and the entire school is biking in together. One more roundabout and into the country. Two lane roads that are wide enough for one car! Wild daffodils bloom next to the roadside canals....canals on top of canals! Windmills everywhere....old ones, little ones, and giant new ones. Wild swans nesting in the green tuffs of grass. Sheep munching on the same grass. Into the little town...."Slow down, Dad! You don't want a camera activated ticket." Stop at the bakery...everything is good, so many choices. Most people speak English better than us, but the baker doesn't know English numbers. Hand her some money and trust that she's giving correct change. They're all nice here, we can trust them. Turn right, turn left across the long bridge that has pull-outs for other cars coming at you, and into the yacht club parking lot. Rig the boats, warm the hands, zip all jackets. Kids into team meeting and then quick, put on the last minute touches--hats, gloves, neck gaiters, help 'em into the water. The team practiced with teams from Finland and Holland today. Good practice, coaches are pleased. Wind comes in daily at 2 p.m. (as opposed to the morning wind of 8-10 mph). Off the water around 5:00 p.m. De-rig, debrief meeting, and off to find dinner and to bed. The Day in the Life of an Opti Sailor!
Tuesday March 18, 2008
A quote from Ian Stokes says it all, " Today the weather was 'sunny'. We had sun with lines of hailstorms blowing through. Imagine sailing along and then the sky drops a bag of marbles on your face. Now imagine them falling at 60 mph. Now add some snow to that, and the need to hike. Those were the conditions today and they were AWESOME."
Again, Team USA practiced with the Fins and Dutch. The Irish and British teams arrived midday.
This evening, the team went Go-Karting at an indoor racetrack in Delft. Most of the kids did two heats in groups of six. For each race everyone was fully geared up in a flakjacket, neck brace, helmet, and leather jacket. Fortunately, there were no serious crashes. The racetrack had many curves and rises as it went up three stories! The kids had a great time. Next, it was the parents turn. They raced in propane powered cars in one heat. Our coach, Ben Williams, had the fastest time.
Wednesday, March 19
Lay Day! Team USA splits into groups to tour Amsterdam. There's a bus stop near the hotel. It's a quick 10 minute ride to the train station, then a half hour ride into Amsterdam. The early risers get hit with sleet and freezing rain which persists off and on throughout the day. The kids are troopers, nothing dampens their sprits.
Points of interest include the Anne Frank house... lots of quiet, contemplative kids after that tour, canal tours and more. Several groups made it to the Van Gogh museum and gave it good reviews. Another group toured the Torture Museum. The Heinekein Experience was closed for construction, much to the dismay of many. The Maritime Museum is also still closed. The Bloemenmarkt was another stop for some. It's still early for tulips, but there were plenty of bulbs and stands selling cut flowers.
Not sure who ventured into the Red Light district, a couple of the younger ones wanted to know what that was... hmmmmmmmmmmm, how to explain that to an 11-year-old? Seems everyone got a whiff of some funny smelling smoke.... Amsterdam is an education at many levels.
Thursday, March 20
Back to work.... the sailors get back to the venue for their last practice before the regatta. Very chilly, very breezy, the rain and sleet continue off and on. Around mid-day the temperature drops again as a front comes through. Wind reaches a steady 20-25 knots with gusts up to 30 knots on the lake, air temps about 35F plus sleet and rain, challenging conditions, great sailing! Practice ends early so the sailors can get hot showers and rest their legs for the regatta. Team dinner tonight at an old railroad car. You cook your own meal on a grill in the middle of the table. Ian Stokes brings his guitar and he and Alex Ramos rock the house.
Friday, March 21
The first day of the regatta is finally here and we were greeted with heavy snow -- the first snow of the season! Several storm cells came through bringing 30+ wind gusts. The race committee decides to postpone for two hours, due to snow, not wind. It is only 34.8 degrees F. We're told it's the coldest and windiest Easter regata on record. It's typically in the mid 50s with winds 15-20. All 200+ sailors huddle in the clubhouse and warm up with hot chocolate while they wait for the AP flag to come down. Half the team is experiencing an international regatta for the first time and are simultaneously nervous and excited. Some of the sailors run outside to have a snowball fight. We hear Riley Legault exclaim, "I've never seen snow before!" John Lambert is with the team in Peru. He suggests to Bill Crane via text that "each country put together a hockey team." The snow stops, wind moderates and RC decides to go. "It's going to be epic man," cries out Olivia Crane. "It's going to be a party out there!" As the kids launch Drake Lyons proclaims, "Paradise just doesn't describe this experience." The first flight's start is underway. Wind is 12-15 and shifty. The sun is peaking through the clouds. Parents in the yacht club can see across the lake for the first time. Many are looking through binoculars trying to see how their sailor is doing. They all look alike in their gear. "There's a lot of anonymity out there," observes Susan Simmons. Only Pat Gibson, with 15x50 binoculars can make out the sailors and he provides regular updates. The shifty breeze requires the RC to delay the start of the second flight so they can move the marks. All flights are finally underway. The top three finishers in each flight are Forrest Short (4), Ian Storck (8), and Duncan Williford (18) in Flight 1. Reinier Eenkema van Dijk won the second flight followed by Charlie Lalumiere (34) and Kayla Gibson (43). Alex Ramos and Olivia Crane battled it out in the third flight, finishing 8 and 9 respectively, followed by Ian Stokes (15).
Saturday, March 22
When we picked up our rental cars last Saturday we thought it odd that ice scrapers were provided. Little did we know they would be so necessary. This morning we woke up to a thick layer of ice on our cars. The sound of ice being scraped off windshields was being heard throughout the hotel parking lot. Sailors had to be rigged and dressed at 8:15 for the team meeting at the club. It was a beautiful morning. Lots of sunshine and more blue sky than we had seen all week. The kids were pumped, especially the lighter ones who were thrilled the wind seemed lighter at 15. At the sight of a dusting of frost on the docks, Kathryn Booker exclaimed, "Mom, this is really cool!" While the kids were rigging, Tracy Lyon was reminding her son that "prior prepration prevents pitifully poor performance." Olivia Crane yelled to Kendall Swenson, "What time is it?!" to which Kendall responded, "Game time!!" The first two flights enjoyed managable winds while the third flight had some start delays due to wind shifts and black flags. When they finally started the first of many cold fronts came through, bringing gusts well over 30. When the air is colder the puffs feel significantly harder due to the air density. Mix in some sleet, hail, and horizontal wind and you have an exciting sailing cocktail. Some kids in the first flight sailed back to the sailing area for their next race and had a long time to wait for their third flight in the second race. To stay warm many of the girls had a routine, starting with jumping jacks, the macarena, and the "soulja boy" dance. The RC was able to get a second race in for the day, challenging the spirit and strength of all the sailors. Rather than looking for the puffs Max Simmons was looking for the lulls. It was survival conditions for many. The team came in one by one and secured their boats while the RC was assessing whether there would be a third race. A lot of hot chocolate proceeded to flow as the kids looked out the clubhouse windows marvelling at the conditions they had just sailed in. At 4:00 the RC sounded the horn to cancel sailing for the day.
Sunday, March 23
When Forrest Short woke up he asked his mom if they were going to have a white Easter. He got his wish. This morning the kids were greeted with ice in the bottom of their boats and frozen main sheets. "There's something wrong when a Texan has to teach the Belgians how to get the ice off their centerboard," observed Stephen Nelson. The trick is you dunk your blade in the cold water first. A quick team meeting was held at 8:15. The kids raced back to their boats to fine-tune their rigs for the 15-20 knot breeze forecast out of the southwest. When Kendall Swenson couldn't loosen the knot in one of her frozen lines, she cried out, "I need a manly kind of man" and Dave Ramos stepped in to help. Many gathered around the bulletin board to see the results from the first three races Ian Storck is leading the US team in third place, followed by Duncan Williford in 20 and Max Simmons in 25. Some also noticed this posting from the RC: "The International Jury congratulates the competitors in Saturday's racing for their courage, competence, and seamanship skills." Temps are hovering at 32 degrees as the sailors launch their boats at 9:00. Three races are planned for the day with winds peaking at 1:00 when another storm cell comes through bringing more snow.