We got the bullet! My newly formed chick’s racing team won the race! This is an enormous improvement from being DFL and 11th place in the first race, and 9th place in the second race. We got the bullet in our third race!
OK, for you non-sailors, the bullet has a lot of significance in racing. “The bullet” is when the gun is fired from the Race Committee (RC) boat. The gun is fired at significant times during racing:
- when the RC boat leaves the harbour (which scared the bejeebers out of me on Monday, because they were right us when they fired the gun!)
- during the start sequence, to count down the time to the start of the race (5-4-1-Go!)
- when there are any course changes during the race
- when the first boat crosses the finish line!
The time I most like to hear the bullet is when my boat crosses the finish line first! OK, OK -- enough gloating. Why did we win the race this week? Here are our keys to success:
1. Start ahead and stay ahead. Especially in light wind conditions, it’s important to be at the start line on time. One of our strengths is our starts, and we had it going on! Three of us had our countdown timers on our watches set, and we communicated frequently about what we were doing, when. We had an excellent start, along with only 1 other boat! The rest of the fleet started with a handicap. They had to make up time right from the beginning.
2. Play well together. It takes some time for each team member to learn their role and how to interact with others. On a sailboat, interacting with others includes knowing where to be physically, communicating quickly, letting others know what you need and what you’ve done, all the while keeping it competitive and light at the same time.
3. Keep everything running smoothly. Keeping everything running smoothly is a constant challenge on a sailboat. We headed out of the harbour 45 minutes before the start of the race and took the time to practice both upwind and downwind. A few things went wonky on the downwind trial that we sorted out before the race. If they had happened during the race, we would have lost our place for sure. Preparing in advance and checking all the lines throughout the race is critical.
What does it all boil down to? Teamwork. Working well together.
