The Olympic Laser Trials

Weather: Partly sunny, windy (E @ 15 to 20 knots), temp range 72 – 80 degrees.

Comment: We were up and at 'em at about 0800. First on my agenda was to talk to the yard about the leaks (mentioned in yesterdays report) and the leak in the hydraulic steering system. Foreman Tom mentioned that he’d have Jim-Bob take a look at it. Great! We were scheduled to be put back in the water today, but Bobby Hardy, the fiberglass guy, still has work to do. We’re guessing Monday for splashing!

It’s 0815 and we’re off in Gary’s rental car. He has a yen to see the Laser Olympic trials at the US Sailing headquarters in Miami. We stopped for a cup of joe and a breakfast sandwich at a Burger King in one of the upper keys. After about three hours and several wrong turns, we finally found the site for the regatta. There were several classes of boats racing but we couldn’t see any of them as our view of the race course in Biscayne Bay was obstructed by several mangrove islands. We had glimpses of what turned out to be Star Boats on the course, but that was it.

Gary counted about 60 Laser dinghy trailers, not the crowd of 400 he was expecting. He hoped to see the boats on the beach but by the time we arrived, they were long gone. We walked to a local eating establishment for lunch, hoping to catch a glimpse of the racing. It was not to be. We enjoyed lunch in a restaurant that had dozens of birds fling to and fro, looking for handouts. There was no attempt on the art of the restaurant to discourage the birds. As is typical in Florida, dogs are welcomed in this restaurant too.

On the way back to US Sailing, we struck up a conversation with the skipper of a large Shuttleworth catamaran that had sustained major damage. The skip reported that occurred during the Miami to Key West race only 46 miles from the finish, while the cat was well out in front of all racers. He was hard on the wind, flying an oversized jib, when a chainplate pulled out of the bow. The lack of support caused the crossbeam to sever in two places and the resulting strain caused major damage to the centerline structure which provided a solid place for footing on the foredeck.

The skipper said he needs to repair the boat and do sea trials so the boat is ready for a race in April.

Back at the US Sailing site, we arrived as some Lasers were hitting the ramps. Gary talked to one or two skippers about rigging and such. He admits to having a big learning curve in order to be competitive.