The Pessimist and the Optimist

Sunday was a miserable day. It was raining. It was dull. I was terrible. When I did get a good start on the left the wind filled in from the right. When I got clear air off the start line everyone else outpointed me and I was soon in the toilet. The waves kept slowing me down. I totally misjudged the adverse tide at the windward mark a couple of times. I'm totally out of practice in sailing in a fleet this large and the competition is way too tough for me. I totally suck. Anybody want to by a second-hand Laser cheap?

Sunday was a magnificent day. Sure it rained a bit, but only in the last race. In spite of not having sailed against such tough competition since July I was getting pretty good starts. However I was not very good at observing and predicting what the wind was going to do next, which is something I can work on in practice sessions and through mental preparation. It was interesting sailing in strong current again after sailing on lakes all summer and I'll soon be judging the laylines in tide a lot better. The waves were big enough early in the day to catch some nice rides downwind and I was slowly getting back the hang of how to deal with them upwind. I noticed I wasn't pointing as well as the rest of the fleet but one of the top sailors pointed out to me afterwards what I was doing wrong: I need to sail absolutely flat in these conditions -- something else to practice. What a great day, a real learning experience and some good input on things I need to work on. And my finishes did improve in every race. Think I need to buy another Laser so I can leave one boat at the club and keep one at home for practice. Can't wait for next Sunday.