Nothing really prepares you for your first 75 boat start line. Most of our development team sailors found that out at Lake Macquarie this weekend, sitting in light air with Aussie boats packed in on both sides.
For many of them this is their first international regatta, and they arrived buzzing. The silver fern life jackets went on as soon as the charter boats were sorted, and the kids trained hard through a couple of hot days. By the time the wind died and they got rest day off at the beach, they couldn’t wait to race.
The racing made them wait anyway. It was a long day before three races got away, and getting off that line cleanly was a whole new challenge. The NZL team racked up a good collection of OCSs. At this stage that’s a sign they were pushing the line hard, and they came ashore happy and proud to have the first day done.
Day two felt like a different regatta. The breeze came in around midday and the fleet got four races in. At one point 40 boats piled up at the top mark, and the drone caught all of it: https://www.facebook.com/reel/1050501741351106
More from the water: https://www.facebook.com/reel/1036208349445471
Today is the final day and the first grey one we’ve had. The wind is light again this morning, so the kids might be sitting on shore a bit longer before they get one last go. They’ve learned heaps this week and made some good mates on the other side of the Tasman.
