Strategery no more...bring on the "Wet Dog"

Well,

Strategery is now at her new home in Canada. She sold quickly under the stewardship of crewmate Don Wigston (can't recommend him highly enough if you are either buying or selling a multi).

Now it's time to focus on bringing the kids into the great sport of sailing. To do that we've downsized to a Weta 4.4 trimaran, "Wet Dog". It weighs in at 220 lbs, rigs in 20 minutes, has liberal use of carbon fiber and planes like crazy in anything over 10 knots. Loads of fast, wet fun for the kids.

Keep an eye out on http://www.wetdogracing.blogspot.com

Thanks to all who were involved in the racing of Strategery - Craig, Scott, Dave, Don, Brian, Tommy, Zach, Dave V. and Mark in the chase boat...great fun, good times and I can't wait to see what we do together next.

C.

Another year done...

http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mr4LS9qylTw

So the racing is over. We took 5th overall in a very competitive fleet. However, as they say Cream Rises... and Tom Reese and Peter Katcha were undoubtedly the best on the course this week.

I have to thank the crew of Strategery - Craig, Scott, Dave, and Don. They really gave it their all this week. Scott gets the walking wounded award, having sprained/broken his finger during a mark rounding. On the last day of racing we blew apart the mainsheet system not once, but twice in the 20 knot breeze. Craig wins the MacGyver award for lashing it together so that we could keep on racing. Don did a great job trimming with the new system considering that he couldn't cleat the mainsheet. Dave kept his head in the racing, with his trimming allowing us to grind our way back from a poor start in the last race to a respectable 5th place finish. At one point we were at least 3/4 of a mile behind the fleet, so I was pretty pleased we were able to reel back some competitors.

That's all for now - hope you enjoyed the blog - sorry it wasn't as consistent as it could have been, but things got a bit busy down here.

Breeze on, breeze off...

So yesterday was a story of good news/bad news. Good news is that we had a great start and led at the top mark - bad news is that they cancelled the racing due to lack of wind on the downwind leg...Arrggghhhh.

Today the racing is postponed until at least 1:30 when the breeze is supposed to fill in. I think this is a great move on the part of the race committee, since we really are all here to race.

More later - obviously no change in the standings...

C.

Finally we raced

Sorry for no post yesterday - and had a longer post written for this one, but the computer locked up and I'm beat, so this will be brief.

Too much wind, so sailing was cancelled yesterday - you can see the conditions on the Jobson Sailing daily video at http://www.jobsonsailing.com/ Here's a pic of Peter Katcha practicing in the heavy air.

Today was close racing. Tom Reese is in the lead - sailing well with his crew and sailing guru Todd Hudgins.

We're in 5th place after 3 races - it wasn't our best day, but it's still early on and lots can happen.
Stay tuned.

Cliff.

Morning of Day 1

So it's finally here. The morning of Day 1. Forecast this AM is for a max of 24 knots. The problem is that observations are showing low 30's with gusts up to 40knots. That's close to trimaran tipping weather. Now trimaran tipping is a lot like cow tipping to me - I've heard about it, but never seen it done. I'm hoping to keep it that way. Can't be pretty trying to right one of these things in the middle of a race course.

That being said, we typically favor the heavy stuff, but there's a rumor that racing may be cancelled. It will be interesting to see if they hold races today - I sure would hate to be on any committee boat in this weather. Anchoring offshore in seas/wind like this is sure to make for some unhappy stomachs.

The boat is ready to run, the guys hopefully got some rest last night and we're going to see how this boat handles in the really heavy stuff. More later.

C.

Breeze on!

Quick update - the lastest wind forecast:

KWRW 2008

So we've made it down, gotten settled and have had a few hours practice. Tomorrow the big breeze should start, with the forecast showing 25 knots for the next 2 days, down to 18 knots on Tuesday. We'll see...

Some of you have asked me what exactly Key West Race Week is. I've attached a link to the site, but basically it's the largest/best regatta in the US. It attracts sailors from around the world, both pro and amataeur to test themselves against one another.

Here's a press release talking about this year's event:

Star Studded International Fleet Heading for Key West
--- Acura Key West 2008
Racing Begins January 21

Racing sailors from 18 different nations
are on their way to the southernmost point in the continental U.S. Acura Key
West 2008, presented by Nautica will welcome a record 60 foreign boats and US
entries from 35 different states.

The weeklong competition will
feature world class competitors and top regional programs competing in 16
different classes on four separate courses.

“The global reputation
of Acura Key West continues to grow as evidenced by the record number of foreign
entries,” longtime event director Peter Craig said. “One would be hard pressed
to find a year where there was more talent, with this 21st edition featuring an
impressive list of champions from the America’s Cup, Olympic and Volvo Ocean
Race arenas.”
A quick glance at the
scratch sheet tells that story – among the tacticians are Cayard, Barker,
Butterworth, Bekking, Isler ,Hutchinson and Warden-Owen to name but a few.

The debut of new designs is always a much anticipated component of
the Key West extravaganza. The list of new boats this year includes Dan Meyer’s
Judel/Vrolijk 66-footer Numbers, John Brim’s R/P 55 Rima 2, a pair of new
J/122s, the Mark Mills designed Sllim 37 and 2-time Boat of the Week winner
Irvine Laidlaw’s latest Highland Fling, a swing keel Wally 80.

Teams will unite to compete in the 11th annual International Team
Competition for the Nautica Watches trophy. This “side competition” with a focus
on national pride will feature eleven 3-boat teams from the Farr 40, Melges 32
and Melges 24 classes. Team Switzerland is back to defend their 2007 title
with Ernesto Bertarelli’s Alinghi and Franco Rossini’s Blu Moon joined by
Claudio Recchi’s Let’s Roll.

And with true national representation
it is only fitting that the PHRF National Championship be decided at Acura Key
West. 55 boats in six classes will compete for the title with beautiful Chelsea
Clocks awarded to the top three finishers. Bob Oberg’s (Annapolis, MD) Beneteau
First 10 captured the inaugural championship by the slimmest of margins last
year. The unique championship formula can be viewed on the event
web site.

Nearly 70% of the entries are racing in the one
design arena. Once again the 46-boat Melges 24 class is the biggest class, and
the J/105s have an impressive 34-boat turnout. The 25-boat Farr 40s are starting
their earnest preparation for the 2008 Worlds in Miami next April while the Swan
42s will make their Key West one design debut with an impressive 12 boat
turnout. Melges 32 growth in this country and abroad is clearly exhibited with
their strong 27-boat showing.

The IRC, Farr 40 and Melges 32
classes take their first step toward the highly regarded Acura Grand Prix
trophies, awarded to the combined winners at the conclusion of the Acura Miami Grand Prix in March.

Emerald-colored waters, sunny skies, dependable breezes and warm
temperatures make the southernmost point in the continental U.S. a popular
sailing destination in the midst of the northern hemisphere’s winter.

Follow the results and the racing at Premiere-Racing.com. Blogging from
all four courses, Kattack race tracking, and daily video
reports will bring the action home. Be sure to check ESPN.com each evening for a 4-5 minute Gary
Jobson production that will feature racing highlights of different classes each
day.

Getting Closer...

The guys made it safely - boat is rigged and ready to run tomorrow. We're spending the night in Marathon with the kids, and Mark and his family have the chase boat in Orlando - hoping to be here tomorrow afternoon.

This week is looking like a good mix of weather - Heavy air days Mon/Tuesday and dropping for the remainder of the week. We'll see if I'm right or not.

C.

Loaded and ready to roll...

The guys came by last night and we finished the packing/loading of the boat. It took less time than usual, which either means we're getting better at this or we forgot something...

Strategery leaves on Thursday, with the guys driving through the night to set up the boat early. Kim and I head down with the kids on Thursday afternoon. Mark and Robin head down with the chase boat some time Thursday PM with a planned day at Disney on the way.

Forecast is all over the place, but I think we'll see heavy air on Monday/Tuesday, then a drop off, with a build again in the later part of the week. That said, it's early and things do change.

More later - Good night.

C.

Gearing Up for KWRW

Sunday is about done.

We had some good practice sessions this weekend before loading the boat for it's ride to Key West. Craig and Dave traded off working a mark boat to set a line to practice starting. Phil from the club was a great help today since Dave had Reagan aboard the chase boat.

So now we do some cleaning/refitting of broken/worn out boat parts, empty the boat and repack it for the guys to leave on Thursday.

Stay tuned!

C.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas Everyone!

For those of you freezing up North wishing you had your boat in the water, I thought we'd post some videos of some practice time on the water yesterday. We had some fun in heavier air. Randy and Mark Porter were in the chase boat, shooting video and providing some much needed critique on driving, while I was on board with Craig and Scott. Scott had some fun doing "ironman", working both the bow and headsail trimmer position. Wind was about 20 knots with all kinds of wonderfully shifty/fluky gusts to play with. We only stuffed the bow a couple of times downwind, and on an upwind leg, we certainly spent some time on one ama playing with the limits of the boat.

The only downside was that it was damn cold for FL. I think we topped out at 50 degrees, although when my feet got wet if felt like Maine as a kid after playing outside till my extremeties got numb.

UPWIND

No, that's not Santa driving - it's just the warmest hat I had down here.

Here's a little Downwind clip for you as well.

As the year draws to a close, we all have so much to be thankful for. I have to thank my crew Craig/Scott/Dave/Don/Mark/Randy and all their families for putting up with a changing schedule at the end of the year. Team Strategery is made up of some great guys, and I know how lucky I am to have them as friends. So Merry Christmas to the crew, their families, you readers and all those on the water out there. Be safe and have a great holiday.

Practice, Practice, Practice

Faithful Friends and Crew of Strategery 3

So... the helmet craze is catching on. Houston NOOD and Trimaran Showdown champion Tom Reese had his crew sporting a melon cup at a recent regatta warmup for KWRW. Craig wore one in the ESPN video from Key West last year and now they are all the rage! Not sure who the guy with the helmet is, but love the lemon. Thing is, when you need it, you could care less how it looks. As someone who has at least 5 CAT scan's on file from boom ducks that simply weren't lowe enough, I say "way to go"!

Last weekend the team out for a test sail with our new jib and our 2001 blown out main. Note the missing batten and baggy shape (ugghh). This may be the ugliest sail in existence. The panels are see through like swiss cheese! I think Craig is angling for the sail to be donated for his cat...you never know with that boy. So, couldn't get into the rhythm of speed, but it still was good to get some stick time in prep for KWRW. Thanks to Mark on the Everglades chase boat shooting the video. He shot some really long footage - this is the shortest clip and it's 10 meg. May go for smaller size video in the future to see if it makes a big difference on the load.

This is my first attempt at a video load. Not sure how long it will take to load, so please be patient.

We practice with Randy on Sunday, Wed, Sat and then North for the holidays.

From the Crew of Strategery to you - we wish everyone a safe and Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday Season.

The aftermath

Whew,

So the showdown is over. What a blast it was - the race committee did such a fantastic job and the club was nothing but welcoming to the out of town boats.

We had some highs and lows. Port tacking the start and crossing the entire fleet in 18 knots of breeze - priceless. Losing your halyard when in first place 100 yards from the line...not. Or knot. You choose. We blew out our main halyard - the cover cut away in the clutch. Had to drop the mast tonight to pull it for repair. Soon to be good as new!

The racing at the Showdown was fantastic, with Tom Reese the run away champion. Still hot from the St. Pete win, they took bullets inm every race and ended up beating Randy Smyth on corrected time for their mark on the perpetual trophy.

The conditions varied from light to heavy and with 15 tri's on the line with a single start, it was exciting.

Now we start our training program with Randy in preparation for the races in Key West. Looking forward to a real challenge this year - not a single rock star on our team - only a bunch of average joe's. Hope we do well. Kim and the kids are coming down this year - should be great fun.

More later,

C.

Trimaran Showdown 07

So, the opening blog will be focused on the first annual Trimaran Showdown. It starts tomorrow AM and boats have come from around the country to participate.

Our PRO (primary race officer) Tom Garner has the following to say:

"We already have some of the best sailors in the Nation registered and this looks to be an outstanding regatta. There will be a five race format and the weather predictions are Sunny and Clear with temperatures in the mid 80's. We are also expecting much better winds then Houston encountered last weekend. This is your last chance to race againt the big boys before heading to KWRW. The water in Choctawhatchee Bay is crystal clear and still warm enough to swim in Pack up your boat and head this way. Need crew, no problem! Just email me and we will round up crew for whatevr position you need covered.
Randy Smyth will also be teaching a clinic to the 28R fleet on Thursday. All classes are invited to attend.
What more could you ask for? "