Dear Go Fast Friends and supporters:
We're back! Hard to believe it's over, but the Go Fast Ottawa I-14 team has completed our challenge in Australia. It was an amazing experience. You can see the day-by-day updates about the racing on the Go fast blog at www.gofastottawa.blogspot.com In the end your fundraising support helped support almost exactly half of the shipping costs for the boats to, and from, Australia, or just over $3,500. Simply amazing. The container arrived back at the beginning of March safe and sound.
We would be thrilled if you could join us at the Go Fast Wrap Up talk to help us wrap up the campaign. We have some amazing pictures, video, and and to hear about the adventure of racing against more than 100 boats in Sydney Harbour!
Go Fast Wrap up Talk
The 2010 International-14 Worlds in Sydney Australia
Thursday, April 1st, 1930 hrs
Nepean Sailing Club
East Room
Bring $2 for youth sailing.
This is part of the Nepean Sailing Club's Toonie Talk program. You can read about the program and all the fabulous speakers at https://sites.google.com/site/nscspeakersprogram2010/
Monday, March 22, 2010
The Last Post
This is the final post that was made by Pornstar - it didn't get loaded up at the time, but here it is now for your enjoyment!
--------------
Pornstar here with my final report.
Yep, that's it - we are done. I'm writing this on the airplane wishing it would last and trying not to think of the cold/snow in Ottawa. We all had such a fantastic time. Great sailing, great company, great venue.
The second last day of sailing, we got our asses kicked. Three of the four Canadian boats in Silver fleet didn't finish. Only the Honeymooners made it around. The interesting part is that I felt we could actually handle the wind. If we were on our own we could do the maneuvers. All our issues came with traffic. With the wind and traffic, our timing was off and it was too much. We need to get more boats on the line in Ottawa to work on this one. A side note - the PRO (Principal Race Officer) told Sorta it was blowing 28knots sustained. I'm still not sure I believe it. It felt more like 18 "Ottawa knots" to me. All the talk about 'Ottawa knots' I've been hearing in the past from various people on the list doesn't make sense to me. If there is actually a difference, for me Ottawa wind is much more difficult for the same wind strength because it is way more squirrelly. Sea breezes are much more consistent. Waves are an entirely different story though... Mix some swells with some chop and add in some ferry wake and you have quite a mess. Fun though :-)
The final day was a great day for the Canadians in the Silver fleet. Blower and I started out well but lost Sorta/GG and Lokota/Gripper due to some team work issues. We were still all in the top 10 though. The best result was for Lawnboy/Andrew (needs a nickname) who finished 11th in the Gold fleet, just missing out on a top ten position.
After that, we quickly loaded the container and had our awards dinner at the Sydney Opera house. It was hilarious how fast the plates of food disappeared when literally attacked by a bunch of hungry sailors. Lots of food, lots of booze - good times... We also discovered that Sparky has a platypus fetish.
At the presentation, they announced that Toronto won the bid for the 2013 Worlds. Great marketing guys!
The next day we did some final tie-downs of the boats and masts then watched the containers get hauled away. Why is it that we guys like to watch heavy machinery in action?
The afternoon was free so I went scuba diving, GG went hiking, Blower/Sorta/ Undies/Gripper spent the day surfing and enjoying the beach. I joined them after my dive and got totally pummeled by the waves - tough surfing conditions. They closed the beach for swimming because the rip was too strong and they were tired of rescuing people - but it was still open for surfing...
Today I got in one final surfing session, returned my board then said goodbye.
Generally after something epic, I feel good about the experience, but at the end I'm ready to move on. Right now it is entirely different. I feel great about the experience and want it to continue on. Unload those containers! Today the wind is up - lets get back out there!
Pornstar over and out.
--------------
Pornstar here with my final report.
Yep, that's it - we are done. I'm writing this on the airplane wishing it would last and trying not to think of the cold/snow in Ottawa. We all had such a fantastic time. Great sailing, great company, great venue.
The second last day of sailing, we got our asses kicked. Three of the four Canadian boats in Silver fleet didn't finish. Only the Honeymooners made it around. The interesting part is that I felt we could actually handle the wind. If we were on our own we could do the maneuvers. All our issues came with traffic. With the wind and traffic, our timing was off and it was too much. We need to get more boats on the line in Ottawa to work on this one. A side note - the PRO (Principal Race Officer) told Sorta it was blowing 28knots sustained. I'm still not sure I believe it. It felt more like 18 "Ottawa knots" to me. All the talk about 'Ottawa knots' I've been hearing in the past from various people on the list doesn't make sense to me. If there is actually a difference, for me Ottawa wind is much more difficult for the same wind strength because it is way more squirrelly. Sea breezes are much more consistent. Waves are an entirely different story though... Mix some swells with some chop and add in some ferry wake and you have quite a mess. Fun though :-)
The final day was a great day for the Canadians in the Silver fleet. Blower and I started out well but lost Sorta/GG and Lokota/Gripper due to some team work issues. We were still all in the top 10 though. The best result was for Lawnboy/Andrew (needs a nickname) who finished 11th in the Gold fleet, just missing out on a top ten position.
After that, we quickly loaded the container and had our awards dinner at the Sydney Opera house. It was hilarious how fast the plates of food disappeared when literally attacked by a bunch of hungry sailors. Lots of food, lots of booze - good times... We also discovered that Sparky has a platypus fetish.
At the presentation, they announced that Toronto won the bid for the 2013 Worlds. Great marketing guys!
The next day we did some final tie-downs of the boats and masts then watched the containers get hauled away. Why is it that we guys like to watch heavy machinery in action?
The afternoon was free so I went scuba diving, GG went hiking, Blower/Sorta/ Undies/Gripper spent the day surfing and enjoying the beach. I joined them after my dive and got totally pummeled by the waves - tough surfing conditions. They closed the beach for swimming because the rip was too strong and they were tired of rescuing people - but it was still open for surfing...
Today I got in one final surfing session, returned my board then said goodbye.
Generally after something epic, I feel good about the experience, but at the end I'm ready to move on. Right now it is entirely different. I feel great about the experience and want it to continue on. Unload those containers! Today the wind is up - lets get back out there!
Pornstar over and out.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
It's over
We had a decent enough race to finish it off. The Silver fleet race started early, at 10:30 am. We were 5th around the first windward though and lost three boats throughout the race, all canadian - ouch! (But great work Honeymooners, Knee Trembler, and G-Force!) ah well, we all did well in the end. once we got of the water it was a frenetic afternoon getting the boats taken down, rinsed, dried, and packed into the container - we left there at 6:10 and raced home to get a shower and get on the ferry to get over to the opera house for presentation night. The evening was fun, with everyone dressed up a bit. Not a sit down dinner, but they came around with beer, wine, and food, so we at least got a little bit fed and and a lot drunk. I'm now a bit hungover, going to the beach to nurse it.
t.
t.
Day 3 - Jan 10
See entry below from Sorta (skipper of Knee Trembler)
Well, the bubble burst a bit today. SSE wind and lots of it. Sunny and we were first off. GG & I absolutely NAILED the start. Pin end on Starboard at nuking speed and no OCS. Headed for the preferred shore and had to tack, realising there was NO traffic to worry about and we were 3rd. Woohoo. Then up to second thanks to GG's superior trim on main and great tacking (lots of others dumping and not making it through the tacks). We were raked for nuking thanks to GG too (more beers I owe him). Got to the windward mark 2nd and rounded to hoist no problem. Took off like a shot and pulled away from all other boats chasing the leaders (GBR something). I think this is likely the fastest I have ever been on a skiff. Ran out of harbour so had to gybe and rolled it in to windward on the new side - over s or something. ANyway, all attempts at a quick recovery failed and we were soon chasing a time limit rather than the podium. Very demoralising. After the first cap, I looked back from the dagger board to see a line of upside down boats, eventually (sadly) also including PS & Blower. During the recovery almost got squashed by one of the infamous Manly ferries too - putzing around in the boat only to look up and see a wall of green steel not 20 feet away!! Yikes. We went in all sad (but not lost or squashed). Then realised most went in with about only 20 finishers. Steady wind during the first downhill was recorded by the RC at 28 knots. That's Sydney knots, so no real
surprise.
Sent Gold fleet out next and they showed us how it was done in two races - great to watch. LawnBoy & Andrew had a reasonable race given ww mark capsize and a broken trap line, Price Club and Dirty had an AWESOME second race finishing well up the order and Haywire and Fluffer were very respectable in their winds too.
Second Silver fleet race postponed till tomorrow. Side bar - the wind was recorded by RC at 18-20 for the Gold Fleet, so we really got hammered in Silver, which I am off to do now. Tomorrow last day - can't believe it is almost over. What fun.
cheers,
Sorta.
Well, the bubble burst a bit today. SSE wind and lots of it. Sunny and we were first off. GG & I absolutely NAILED the start. Pin end on Starboard at nuking speed and no OCS. Headed for the preferred shore and had to tack, realising there was NO traffic to worry about and we were 3rd. Woohoo. Then up to second thanks to GG's superior trim on main and great tacking (lots of others dumping and not making it through the tacks). We were raked for nuking thanks to GG too (more beers I owe him). Got to the windward mark 2nd and rounded to hoist no problem. Took off like a shot and pulled away from all other boats chasing the leaders (GBR something). I think this is likely the fastest I have ever been on a skiff. Ran out of harbour so had to gybe and rolled it in to windward on the new side - over s or something. ANyway, all attempts at a quick recovery failed and we were soon chasing a time limit rather than the podium. Very demoralising. After the first cap, I looked back from the dagger board to see a line of upside down boats, eventually (sadly) also including PS & Blower. During the recovery almost got squashed by one of the infamous Manly ferries too - putzing around in the boat only to look up and see a wall of green steel not 20 feet away!! Yikes. We went in all sad (but not lost or squashed). Then realised most went in with about only 20 finishers. Steady wind during the first downhill was recorded by the RC at 28 knots. That's Sydney knots, so no real
surprise.
Sent Gold fleet out next and they showed us how it was done in two races - great to watch. LawnBoy & Andrew had a reasonable race given ww mark capsize and a broken trap line, Price Club and Dirty had an AWESOME second race finishing well up the order and Haywire and Fluffer were very respectable in their winds too.
Second Silver fleet race postponed till tomorrow. Side bar - the wind was recorded by RC at 18-20 for the Gold Fleet, so we really got hammered in Silver, which I am off to do now. Tomorrow last day - can't believe it is almost over. What fun.
cheers,
Sorta.
Day 2 Jan 8 - another view.
Update from Pornstar(Brent) - also from Jan 8th, the same day as Sorta's update in the next post below.
"
So we didn't finish the last qualifier race. Near the end of the first downwind, our rudder cassette split open. Luckily we were close to the beach and were able to get it before it totally exploded. Lakota and Gripper broke off the tip of their daggerboard so we had a carbon/expoy party that evening. The rudder was fairly easy to fix since it was still in one piece. Just key it up, grind it open, fill and carbon. I finished it off by putting it in a plastic bag and drawing out the air with using the vacuum cleaner in the apartment. I thought I made it leaky enough but the vacuum over-heated and started smelling like burnt plastic. Oops. Oh well, it lasted long enough for the epoxy to kick.
The broken rudder put us way back, deep in Silver fleet. So the Canadian team has Lumber/CS, Lakota/Gripper, Sorta/GG, and us in Silver fleet with the rest in Gold.
The first race we had all Silver fleet Canadians in the top 10 (of the Silver fleet). But more significantly, Lawnboy (Cornpants) and Andrew (needs a nickname) pulled off a 2nd in the Gold fleet! And just to prove it wasn't a fluke, they got a 3rd in the next race. Way to go guys!!
Our third race started off as a disaster. We had some handling/timing issues at the start that sent us swimming before the start. Bad enough that we just made the the 6 minute time limit for crossing the start line. To cap it off, we swam again just after crossing. So by the time we actually got going, we were deep DFL, and the fleet was barely in sight. We got the boat moving well after that and started reeling them in, one by one managing work our way up to 23rd, but its not fun starting so far behind. The wind was up and the downwinds were a total blast. We were just flying.
The Honeymooners (Lumber and CS) now have two 2nds in the Silver fleet. Sorta and GG have recovered from their qualify woes and now have a consistent 8,7,6 in Silver fleet and Lakota/Gripper are up and down with boat handling/breakage issues.
G-Spot (Dirty Boy and Price Club) broke their rudder cassette in the third race so they got a DNF. There have been a lot of cassettes broken this regatta. From different builders too. They seem to be a bit under designed.
Yesterday was a 'lay day'. I couldn't do a scuba dive because it wasn't confirmed that we would have the day off until late the night before and everything was booked. So I saw some sights in Sydney and went surfing instead.
Two races today, first start 11:00.
Pornstar out
"
So we didn't finish the last qualifier race. Near the end of the first downwind, our rudder cassette split open. Luckily we were close to the beach and were able to get it before it totally exploded. Lakota and Gripper broke off the tip of their daggerboard so we had a carbon/expoy party that evening. The rudder was fairly easy to fix since it was still in one piece. Just key it up, grind it open, fill and carbon. I finished it off by putting it in a plastic bag and drawing out the air with using the vacuum cleaner in the apartment. I thought I made it leaky enough but the vacuum over-heated and started smelling like burnt plastic. Oops. Oh well, it lasted long enough for the epoxy to kick.
The broken rudder put us way back, deep in Silver fleet. So the Canadian team has Lumber/CS, Lakota/Gripper, Sorta/GG, and us in Silver fleet with the rest in Gold.
The first race we had all Silver fleet Canadians in the top 10 (of the Silver fleet). But more significantly, Lawnboy (Cornpants) and Andrew (needs a nickname) pulled off a 2nd in the Gold fleet! And just to prove it wasn't a fluke, they got a 3rd in the next race. Way to go guys!!
Our third race started off as a disaster. We had some handling/timing issues at the start that sent us swimming before the start. Bad enough that we just made the the 6 minute time limit for crossing the start line. To cap it off, we swam again just after crossing. So by the time we actually got going, we were deep DFL, and the fleet was barely in sight. We got the boat moving well after that and started reeling them in, one by one managing work our way up to 23rd, but its not fun starting so far behind. The wind was up and the downwinds were a total blast. We were just flying.
The Honeymooners (Lumber and CS) now have two 2nds in the Silver fleet. Sorta and GG have recovered from their qualify woes and now have a consistent 8,7,6 in Silver fleet and Lakota/Gripper are up and down with boat handling/breakage issues.
G-Spot (Dirty Boy and Price Club) broke their rudder cassette in the third race so they got a DNF. There have been a lot of cassettes broken this regatta. From different builders too. They seem to be a bit under designed.
Yesterday was a 'lay day'. I couldn't do a scuba dive because it wasn't confirmed that we would have the day off until late the night before and everything was booked. So I saw some sights in Sydney and went surfing instead.
Two races today, first start 11:00.
Pornstar out
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Day 2 Finals - Jan 8
See below for update from Sorta - (Knee Trembler)
Hi everyone,
thanks for the encouraging words - LawnBoy (Paterson) is doing REALLY well and we watched as they had another great day today. Two races for Gold fleet but the usual multiple recalls for those keeners. Meant us Silvers
were late getting away not leaving the beach till 4pm or so. We definitely had the best of the weather with a lovely sunny day and winds from I guess 12-20 knots through the early evening. First away on the start, and a good beat from middle harbour towards Manly for the upwind. Paying to go in to the middle head cliffs big time and the usual dramas with ferries. We had a great race for the first one ending up top 10 again alongside PS & Blower and co. Then race 2 and we waited for what seemed like ages - re-learning our high wind parking techniques. Race 2 we did even better and think we were 3rd or 4th having had what is likley my best down wind kite run ever. Must have hit north of 20 knots, setting sun and doing well. One capsize but we were far enough ahead not to even loose a place!! Aching and happy now off for some food - glad it is a lay day tomorrow.
cheers all,
Sorta & GG
Hi everyone,
thanks for the encouraging words - LawnBoy (Paterson) is doing REALLY well and we watched as they had another great day today. Two races for Gold fleet but the usual multiple recalls for those keeners. Meant us Silvers
were late getting away not leaving the beach till 4pm or so. We definitely had the best of the weather with a lovely sunny day and winds from I guess 12-20 knots through the early evening. First away on the start, and a good beat from middle harbour towards Manly for the upwind. Paying to go in to the middle head cliffs big time and the usual dramas with ferries. We had a great race for the first one ending up top 10 again alongside PS & Blower and co. Then race 2 and we waited for what seemed like ages - re-learning our high wind parking techniques. Race 2 we did even better and think we were 3rd or 4th having had what is likley my best down wind kite run ever. Must have hit north of 20 knots, setting sun and doing well. One capsize but we were far enough ahead not to even loose a place!! Aching and happy now off for some food - glad it is a lay day tomorrow.
cheers all,
Sorta & GG
Friday, January 8, 2010
Breakdowns and breakthroughs
Jan 6th: last day of qualifiers
wind was SSE 12, with gusts to 15. We were coming down the first downwind when i heard creaking from the back of the boat. Looking back, i saw that the 'cassette'(a kind of carbon sleeve that holds the rudder to the boat, was flexing with every turn of the rudder. ack. so we dowsed and headed in. it must have got cracked somehow, but we don't know how. Anyway that added our second DNF in the qualifiers, putting us deep in the rankings. Brent fixed the cassette overnight and we were ready to go the next day.
Jan 7th: First day of Finals races. (three laps, windward leeward) Wind ESE
Now firmly in silver fleet, our race was at 1300. Wind was less than 10 knots with flat water. Pretty similar to our normal conditions. Hilariously, all the Canadian boats in the silver fleet finished in the top 10. We come all this way, and we are STILL racing against each other ;-) After that race we went upstairs to our apartment and watched the Gold fleet race. We have an excellent view of the start line and most of the upwind downwind, with only the top part of the course hidden. Orange whip? had a great start off the pin end, and continued to work well all the way up the course. Around the first windward, when we saw the first chutes coming down, the Whip was in second!! A cheer went up from the balcony. We followed the battle all the way down the leg to the leeward mark rounding. Wind was getting very light now, no doubt frustrating for everyone out there.
Tactics : most people found a lift off the left hand shorelines, which had to be balanced with a little less wind in certain places. Downwind, we noticed that the shoreline down the right hand side of the course kept the wind for longer, and helped those boats that stayed in there for longer.
The Whip continued to work it around the course, first getting distance from the boats behind and then tryng to get ahead of Archie Massey, the leader. At the finish they were just 12 seconds behind the leader. Way to go!
Jan 8 status : It's about 10am now, with Gold fleet supposed to have two races, starting at 11. They have put up the AP for gold fleet as the wind is not looking good right now- very light. Weather doesn't bode well for a significant change, but there will be some sitting around while we wait for the wind to do something. Direction is still southerly, so if they do get some racing off, we'll have a great view from the apartment. There is talk of them having to use the designated lay day, which is set for tomorrow. ....
stay tuned
t.
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