Racing Day 1

Three full races (E-D-C-B-A) and two heats (4E and 4D) sailed today at the Worlds. I've forgotten just how much waiting these big championships consist of... for fun I wrote down some times on paper:

0900: Yep, my prediction from yesterday is correct. There's no wind and the AP-flag is up.

1042: The E-heat of the seeding race is done in a gust of wind. However the wind dies out and changes direction, so more waiting.

1131: D-heat of the seeding race. I make an OKish start, but approach the first mark on port with a row of starboard tackers in front of me. Also a collision at the leeward mark, so I'll race in 2E...

1156: B-heat of seeding race

1233: The A-heat of the seeding race finishes.

1322: The AP-flag is again up while results are calculated.

1340: Race 2, heat E is finished. Again my start is OK but finding a way around the crowded first mark proves challenging. More collisions and more penalties. I'm stuck in E for race 3 too...

1351: 2D starts.

1423: 2B starts. The leading boat finishes at 1428 for a heat-time of ca 5 minutes.

1438: 2A starts. Leading boat finishes 1445, heat time ca 7 minutes.

1507: A protest hearing (probably related to the A-heat?)

1535: more boats called into the protest room.

1555: 3E is started but abandoned

1604: 3E starts. I'm sixth, so can take advantage of the new HMS system where the six first go up into the next heat.

(3D also goes OK for me, I'm fifth so I move up to C)

1703: 3C finishes. I didn't sail great, but I stay in the heat and start in 4C tomorrow.

1723: 3A starts and the first boat finishes by 1729

1739: again there is a protest hearing after the A-heat

1818: 4E is started but results in a general recall (there were many of those today, probably due to the skewed starting-line which made the starboard end highly favoured in most heats)

1820: 4E starts and finishes by 1828

1847: 4D, the last heat for the day starts.

This then is roughly the daily schedule that we shall follow for the next four full racing days, with Wednesday as a lay-day in between, and then there's Saturday, the last day, when racing is only from 0900 to 1300.

Full results here.