We have been here in Palma for nearly a week now and racing is just around the corner. In the days we have been here we have been sailing and learning lots! It has been really nice to see some old faces from past cat sailing, and there really is quite an exciting feeling ahead of the first major regatta.
As with most new classes, there are lots of grey areas in the rules which are all being exposed at the minute. So a lot of the time has been spent looking at other boats to get more ideas on maybe how to do things in a better way. That said I am really happy with how our boat is set up!
We managed to get our replacement mast yesterday, as the one we were initially supplied with had some off center fitting firing the mast to bend. The new mast is a lot better and much of yesterday was used to set up the new mast, Yesterday afternoon we took the opportunity to have some down time, as everything has been pretty full on since we arrived on Monday. The sun was shining and we left Can Pastillia to get some lunch else where on the island, it was really nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of the boat park. Rupert and I experienced our first frozen yoghurts, and as you can see we didn't start small.
The team finished the day with some fun on the beach and a nice drink in one of the water front bars.
It
is now Sunday, today is the practice race. I'm not sure how to describe
what I am feeling, its a mixture of nerves and excitement. Lucy and I
have progressed so much over the winter, but we don't want to put any
additional pressure on our selves for this regatta, the number 1 plan is
to get out race and back in alive and one piece. The results are not
overly important!
Superstition
suggests it bad luck to finish the practice race, but lets see how its
going before we make that call. check back later for a round up of the
day, and my final thoughts before the real racing starts tomorrow!
Cheers
TP