Dealing with the light air – Dean reports on Nice

Today was the third day of the Extreme Sailing Event in Nice, France. As was the case when we were here two years ago for the Louis Vuitton Trophy the venue really struggles to get a good sailing breeze. In the three days of racing to date we have not seen over 6 knots and generally in the 3-5 knot range. 

After starting the regatta terribly we have been improving a little each day. We have improved our speed a lot with some changes on the set up although we are still not fast. Our crew weight in these lighter conditions is a real disadvantage but we are managing to find ways to minimise the impact of this. 

Today we sailed a pretty solid day with some good results early and then a few little errors late in the day cost us a few points. The racing is such that a few breaks around the course can turn a bad day into a good one very quickly. 

Tomorrow the forecast is again for some more light winds – looking to improve again tomorrow. 

Dean