LASER WRITE IT DOWN

After your races, sit down and write the stuff you did well and that the things that were not so good.
Try to do it as soon as possible after the races.

Can you think of a way to do it better?   Practice?  New equipment?   Get stronger?   Try to figure a plan.   Ask for help if you need it--- maybe even if you think you don't need it.

After you collect some notes--- review them and see what has been happening.

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LASERS TALK TO GOD

This is not a picture of God.  I don't have a picture of her, so this will have to do. 

Sam Varner, former trainer of US Olympic teams, is his book "Slimmer,Younger, Stronger" writes about breathing, fluids, food, sleep, exercise, thought, and the power of prayer.

Sam is spiritually motivated and suggests that you pray to God twice a day about your goals.  Write them down on a little card to carry with you, so you won't forget.

I am not sure God cares about your sailing, but if you continue praying twice a day for better sailing, after a period of time I wouldn't be surprised if it worked.
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LASER SAILORS LOOK FOR HAPPINESS

 Look at that picture! Aren’t you glad you sail a laser? 

Somehow this sailing business has to do with ‘fun” or just being happy.  If you look down the left side bar, you will find I have 52 posts on fun.  Check out the August 27, 2911 post which is a pretty good one.

Shawn Achor, Harvard Professor, tells us that if you are happy, you work faster and smarter at about everything. That is compaed to being neutral or sad. He doesn’t mention sailing.  They haven’t tested that yet, but he will probably think so.

Shawn has a 21 day program that goes like this. 

Every day for 21 days.

!) Write down three things you are happy about.  Try and keep them different every day.

2) Journal an activity that made you happy in the past 24 hours... this will help you remember it.

3) Exercise at least ½ hour every day.

4) Meditate.  To clear your brain of all confusing thoughts and multitasking Junk.

5) Record one thing that you did to help another.  Open a door for them. Pick up trash that wasn’t yours.  Write a note to thank someone.

I found that number one was easy except after a few days I was repeated something.  Try to keep them all new.

Number two was fun to do and turn out to be mostly about sailing because I can do a little of that every day.

Number three reminded me to get the exercise in.  Get the happy hormones working!

Number four was hard for me.  Usually I just stopped writing, closed my eyes, focus on my breathing and spent a few minutes then.  Better to do it twice a day 5 or 10 minutes at a time.

Number five required some new thinking.  I do things for people, but it is random.  Now I am looking for things to do to help every time I am out and about.

AM I HAPPIER NOW?    I was really pretty happy before.  IT WAS “FUN” ANYWAY.

AM I A FASTER BETTER SAILOR NOW?   It can’t hurt.

I REALLY JUST WANT HAVE MORE FUN SAILING.  Yes, maybe a little faster, but if you get really good you just have other problems.

You can “Google” Shawn Achor and see one of his videos. Worth a look and he is funny..

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LASERS CHECK ON DAVID DELLENBAUGH

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    This is Alejandro checking the bottom of his boat.   I put this in because I can't figure out

      how to get my David Dellenbaugh picture in here.   I probably have your attention.

The last ”Speed and Smarts” skipped telling us about the finish in the last race with Greg Fisher in 24^th and David D. in 25^th.  Before that race David D. was winning the series if he could throw out his worse race, a 22.--- but he had to throw out the 25 and that put him in second with Greg Fisher in first.               I e-mailed “S and S” asked what happened and have had no answer.  I hope that David D. dose a “S and Smarts” on that subject.

All the good guys keep track of the score in a long series and know who they have to beat to stay ahead or get ahead.

The last race may turn into a match race thing or a team race activity in a fleet race situation.

Usually the first shots are in the prestart, with one boat trying to chase the other away from the line so both can be very late.  That didn’t seem to happen as David had a fairly good start except for one fellow that tacked under him just before the start.  Was that Greg?   Then David was taking a lot of bad air and took a lot of sterns trying to get free air.  But did that get him down to 25 by the end of the race and Fisher a 24.  Fisher must have been messing with him around the course.

Maybe there is some question of “sportsmanship” to throw match racing into a fleet racing, but it is regularly done and not outlawed by current racing rules.  The team racing that I mentioned above is referred to action that slows another boat so other boat can get ahead.  Team racing as such with a second boat interfering with a competitor so that another boat will win has been ruled illegal.

Certainly many times a person will cover another for reason of a short or long series and let another boat, which is no threat in the scoring go off uncovered.   I have personally won several races because the first two boats are covering each other and let me have the last wind shift.

For a moment I feel like a real winner and then you realize what happened.  They let me have it.

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LASER HELP THE BOTTOM OF THE FLEET.

 From this past weekend there are seven things that the bottom of our fleet needs to work on.

1.      Sail the boat flat when the wind is up.

2.      If you can’t hold it down “super vang”. Two block with the sheet and then pull the vang on as hard as you can.  Now you can ease the sheet out whenever you need to keep the boat flat going up wind.

3.      Get the vang off before the windward mark.

4.       Going downwind sail the fast angles, right or left, depending on which is closer to the leeward mark.  When the wind gets lighter sail a higher angle.  Don’t sail straight downwind except changing right and left, by the lee to broad reach.

5.      Before the three boat length circle and arguments about who is inside at the mark, get the out haul and Cunningham set for up wind.

6.      Leave the centerboard up for one last push down before your turn.

7.      At the mark, enter wide (two boat lengths) and exit close-hauled next to the mark.

If you don’t have time to practice between races, get out early or stay late.  It takes time and practice to remember all the stuff.

LASERS WAIT FOR SUNSET

When you are waiting for Sunset, if you extend your arm out toward the Sun, make a fist and extend your thumb up, from the top of your thumb to the bottom of the fist is 15 degrees.  If you have big hand then your arm is longer and it all works out.

15 degrees is the amount the earth rotates in an hour.  The Sun don't really set, we just roll away from it at 15 degrees an hour at about 300 or 4000 miles an hour.  Measure the Sun from the horizon.  Just the thumb is 5 degrees or 20 minutes.  Just the fist is 40 minutes.   That helps tell you when to head for home or when you turn on the Laser running lights.

It will also work horizontally,  If you are sailing on little lake without your compass,  A header of 5 degrees (the thumb) means if you tack you gain or loose 12 %  of your separation from boats on the same line of equal position.  The fist or 10 degrees is 25 % of the separation.

While your sitting there watching the Sun, say "thank you Sun for all the wind I enjoy".  Remember the Sun makes the wind, but that is  another story..

And THANK YOU Tillerman for the nice Sunset picture.

LASERS PRACTICE STARTS

Recent "Speed and Smarts" news letter told the story of Dave Dellenbaugh's trip to the Lightning circuit and his preparation.   And his practices...

Practice number two, after spinnaker handling, was STARTING.

How many of you practice starting?

He had an interesting system.   Find or put out an anchored buoy to be the starting line and then set up to leeward and to the right of the buoy.  Start your watch for ten minutes and try to be at the "line" in one minute and at full speed.   A few seconds past the line, circle back and repeat at the next minute.  

When you get that down pretty well, move your set up point closer and closer to the buoy to see how little distance and time you need to get up to full speed.

At the start you are closer to all you competition than any other time in the race. 
Shouldn't you be at your fastest and best?   Well, get out and practice.

Dave doesn't comment about the last race in the series, when he lost the lead....I may tell you about that next time.