Some had wheels, some tillers, some were faster than others but in a long series (see here the 2021 F1 World Championship… or not) in the end everything usually shakes itself out; and unless you can keep that firmly in mind then you will never enjoy a regatta like the San Diego Masters… nor are you very likely to do well. When you have a calm flat-water venue like San Diego then a changeover raft or large powerboat makes it easy – or easier – to run multiple races in a short space of time; Bitter End YC uses the same system for its famous Pro-Am (which hopefully will be back soon). Surely one of the world’s greatest Corinthian sailors, to older sailors who grew up in Lasers the competitiveness of ‘casual’ Carl Buchan at events like this will be no great surprise
to starboard. No order on the position – just pull up to the front of the dock to allow other boats a place. Then grab your name (that was Velcroed to the main), gennaker, protest flag, water and personal gear, and dash to your next boat. Picture a subway platform with lots of trains coming in on each
side at the same time. The doors open and the people flood out. Running with sails and boat gear in hand, crashing into each other, all trying to find their next train. Once onboard the doors close and the trains are off. The dock ends up empty but for the volunteers, void of the chaos that just hit it for the last 90 seconds. After the finish of the next race it will all happen again. And after nine times you get pretty good at it! Any time you have borrowed boats, 12 of them no less, you will
find some boats are better than others. My crew knew which boats were the fastest and which were ‘challenged’, but I would not let them tell me. Not before, during and especially not after racing. Here is my thinking: I could not see why any preconceived expec- tations of performance, or lack off, was going to help our sailing. A bad boat sailed well will beat a bad boat sailed like a bad boat!
If we hacked up a race and finished last (an easy thing to do) let me believe it was the slowest boat of the fleet that made the bad result, not me. Heavens no, the boat was the problem and now I am happy to be rid of it, moving on to the next train. Imagine if they said ‘You just got last in the fastest boat in the whole fleet!!!’ I did have to assert my authority as the skipper once. I know, I
have not been sailing in San Diego Harbour for 40 years, and only just saw the boats for the first time a day before. But as someone who prides himself on turning experience into wisdom I just had to step up and lead for this one time… Each boat was handed a ‘travelling kit’ for the 80-minute motor home from South Bay to the San Diego Yacht Club. Not a boring
motor, not for me at least, because it was like a military hardware show for the whole time. Aircraft carriers, helicopters, jet fighters zipping around. Just around the corner was the submarine fleet. The closer you got to the show the more interest the patrol boats with manned machine guns took in you. We don’t have any of that back home in New Zealand. Where the diligent and brilliant volunteers of the SDYC did need
a little outside wisdom was in modifying their idea that the teams competing only needed one beer per person in their travelling kit. I mean, speaking for my team, after four races, an 80-minute delivery on one beer? Make that three beers each please. I would have asked for even more but I thought I had pushed it hard enough… The SDYC did a fantastic job with the boats, sails, organisation
– the race committee was superb. A flawless event and you too should try to con your way in if you ever get the opportunity. Oh, the racing! Day one, I struggled around the startline. Some
good ones mixed with too many bad ones. To the extent I was questioning if I could even start a lawn mower. But we became king of the comebacks. After that we chipped
away and were top boat for the last day. I do want to publicly thank my more than excellent crew, Benny, Chris, Ann, Mark and Geoff, for pulling me out of the fire more times than I can count. We sailed really well but ended up second overall. Carl Buchan
sailed really really well to win the regatta. He also practised lots with his crew before the regatta. Hey, that’s normally my gig… next time I might have to show more commitment. The last time I got second in San Diego I left a boat on the bottom
off Point Loma. OneAustralia is still out there… somewhere! So the Masters Regatta was definitely an improvement on that. Also, I’ve clearly still got it… at least with my beer call. Turning experience into wisdom.
q SEAHORSE 39
MARK ALBERTAZZI
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