North American Championships 2022, Day 2
This day the wind shifted slightly to the north, necessitating moving the course to the southern corner of this side of the lake. The wind was more lake-like today with large changes in pressure.
Race two started in seventeen knots but dropped down to four knots on the next leg. The race committee showed good patience and diligence in what sometimes was a trying day. The goal of the day was to get four races and four races we got, with the last finishing in steady medium breeze with the majority of the foilers sustaining flight.
In Race 2, Woody Cope on his Nikita and SailTech sail was very quick up and down with a great read to dig to the left as the wind caved. The new breeze filled and he and Bailey moved right up the pack.
Woody ended the day with two bullets in the regatta for Classics but so has Bob Webbon. Woody has one second place finish; Bob has two of those. Bob drops an 11 and Woody drops a 5, putting Bob 2 points ahead overall. Bobby Orr, again showing great results, is in the wings waiting for a mistake. The classic battle will be close to the finish!
Gear changes were everything today. Often upwind foiling the first leg and back to sitting on the front beam for the downwind. Every sailor except Bruce saw huge variances in positioning with only three foilers’ score lines remaining in the single digits. Race three was exceptionally difficult for some as a wind hole passed through the middle of the course.
We have all watched the latest action in Garda at the Europeans. On race four, Mike Christensen pulled a Stevie Brewin inspired port tack start but was over early due to a lift. He continued sailing for a few minutes before returning and still managed to pick his way through the fleet to compete for 2nd place. Bailey White and Mike Christensen rounded the leeward gate simultaneously on the foils, entering the gate at 24 knots and exiting at 17. Bailey felt his legs compress into the boat as it rounded on foils but had good grip through rounding.
On the foilers, Bruce dropped a bullet from his picket fence score line to stand at four points. He has won every race, both in the Open division and against all Classics. Bailey is his closest competition with eight points in the Open fleet.
Surprisingly, the Open fleet has a tighter cluster of scoring with eight boats within the point spread of the top three in Classics. This difference highlights the consistency of the top classics this year and the closeness in performance of so many in the foiling fleet now.
All photos by Doreen Hilliard
