Getting the boat through the waves

My most recent training block started off with the Icebreakers regatta in Toronto. Over the course of the three day regatta, we only got enough wind to race on one day. Why didn't I choose to do a normal sport instead of sailing? At least then I wouldn't have to spend so much time waiting for wind. But I chose sailing, and as frustrating as it can sometimes get, it's not a decision that I regret. Anyways, on the one day that we did race, it didn't go well because I couldn't get the boat going fast upwind in the light and choppy conditions. I am partially at a disadvantage in these conditions because I am a little bit too heavy to be sailing the radial. This disadvantage translates into an advantage in windier conditions, so I can't really complain. Still, being slow in any condition is unacceptable so this is something that I need to fix. Sailing fast upwind in choppy conditions is difficult for everyone, not just someone who is heavy. This means that there is a lot of opportunities to compensate for my weight by having superior skill. This area became the focus point for the training block that followed the regatta. To work on this, I would needed to have choppy conditions. Typically, in sailing, just because you want to have certain conditions, it doesn't mean that you get them. In fact, this was probably the first time that I got the exact conditions that I needed. We didn't have enough wind to sail everyday, so it wasn't perfect, but when we did have wind, it was choppy. This allowed me to put in some solid hours focused in this area. I saw some big improvements over this training block, although it is still definatley something that I need to work on going forward. For now, I'm back in Vancouver to finish off with school. I'm here for three weeks to finish my courses and write some exams and then I'm officially done with highschool!

Fillah