Monique Meijer NB-28: RS-X racing @ MOCR Miami 2011

RS-X racing @ the MOCR 2011

Who ever thought I was going to be at the Miami Olympic Class Regatta, to compete between all does others.

Day 1 (20 jan.) I flew from Boanire, to Curacao and from there to Miami with Insell air. All went very smooth and also at the aiport in Miami people very friendy.

For $2,35 I took the bus 150 to South Beach where I'm going to stay for two nights just to relaxe and sightseeing.

Day 2- Also today I take it easy. Waking up late, in the morning wondering around the shops etc. I like it. The hostel I stay is named Clay hostel and is realy in the centre of everyting. Close to the beach, close to the shopping street and very nice athmosphere.

Day 3-

I woke up around 8 am as I still had to make my sail numbers so made a start with that in the hostel. Then at 9.30 am I checked out and took the bus# 120 to down town. Then Metrorail and bus again to the sailing centre at Coconut Grove. There I met the Mexian team and many others. A bit later Dominique arrived in a van with many people who trained a banana river in Orlando and all our gear. I started to get my gear all set up, the rest was doing the boat and appatement. Because today I moving to the appartment (Royal Palm) where I stay with Dominique (CAN-5), Gul from Turkye who will be our coach, two girls from USA Margot (USA 294), Solvig (USA 009) and the fysiotherapist Marion. At 7pm we went to the appartment.

We have a nice appartment right at the river, about 10 minutes from the event site.

After getting seatled in our rooms, (I share with Gul) we went to do some shopping in the supermarket. Oh so many chooses so many things, not empthy shelves because of cruise boats.......

When the others so mine stuff i bought, they told me not realy the diet for a RS-X racer, so I think this week I have to kick off from my Dr Pepper, Pepsi, Twister, choclate chip cookies, oreo's and many of the other things I like to eat or drink. So this is the moment to change.

Day 4- Today we left at 9am from the appartment. First quick stop at the USA sailing centre for registration, later we would come back for the material check.

At the event side we got our gear organized and we went out for a little try. I was very happy with the gear, felt very smooth and lighter then I'm used too.

I did rigg my sail pretty nice and did some setting on the boom.

Was also happy to be back on the water again. Before getting on the water I had a little challange to take first, to go with board and sail of a dock. All went good and even manged to keep the sail dry all the way.

For lunch we went to "The last carrot" where you got a hug sandwish full of healthy stuff.

After we went back to the event side to meet Greg and Beth on the event side and then we went to the appartment where we had a nice chill out afternoon, chatting with the girls.

For the evening we and a very nice dinner made by Gul and Beth, Rocky mountain: eye around, with white sauces, ronzoni pasta and creeck salate and for desert pineapple. Thanks girls for the nice dinner.

Today earlie to bed, to get ready for the first racing day. Now I feel more getting excited and bit nervous about what is going to come.

What was again the start cyclisch, what colour of flags, what is the course, so many new rules and things to remember.....;-)

NEW GEAR --> RS-X board and rigg!!!

Day 5- Finaly it was time to start racing. We where a little bit late because we had to waite for the bridge and get some patol for the car, but I had like 30 minutes to get my gear set up. I made it and was at 10 am on the water. The wind was today a bit different then yesterday.

10.45am I was at the startline. After showing my sailnumber to the commitee boat to let them know I was there I was just cruising around to check a bit the area, the start line and what others where doing.

It was not planning conditions so it meant for me playing with the daggerboard.

First the guys went. Oh all does flags, signals many rules, other sailors on the water. What I'm I going to do?

I tried to stay calm. I'm not here for winning, not here for being in top 10. No I'm here for training, so that is what I'm going to do. Practise, try things and most of all see what others doing.

So daggerboard down, startwatch ready and there the horn. I was all the way on the commitee boat side most up wind from all 31 girls and was right at the line. Just had to pomp to get out of the no wind zone from the boat. There we go. Up to the first mark, but where is the mark.....? Oke follow the other red sails. Finaly I saw in the distance a yellow small dot with some boats around, that should be the upwind mark. Then back to the start where the gate should be, back up to the upwind mark.....Where is the rest? Oke I see two other sails around me going to the same mark. Then a halfwind reach and one more downwind. The halfwind reach was so nice, oh everything felt so comfortable - like slalom, but then the last downwind reach to the finish....Harnesslines longer, feet in the footstraps, pomping with the wave and a little gust but still not planing. It seems so easy. Looking to the settings, yes my daggerboard is back up, my sail is loose,I fpush the mast a little forward and yes there a little gust, I do go. Finaly I made it! My first race in the MOCR. Just not in the time limit, but I did do the full course and was even able to be on time to get some Gatorate from the coach boat and to see the men starting.

The second race we had planning conditions at the start, after a general recall we started good. Also this race I did the full round and wasn't last, just again out of the time limit, but well I try to remember I'm here to train.

Tommorrow again a new day and hope everytime will get better and I will learn from it.

Day 6- At 9.00 am we where at the event side as today no open bridge, no empthy car. Also we had to start first today before the men.

I was one of the first to go out of the harbou what is already a good training all does tacking around the boats and other windsurfers and some coachboats passing.

I was quite earlie at the start 10.40 am, so time to discover the race area. For sure planning conditions, so YES no daggerboard for me.

I was good at the start but they called us al back, general recall, to many over early to say who was quilty. The second start was quite good for me so we where going. I was able to follow the rest of the fleet pretty well and realized after the first mark our course was going to be the outerloop and not like yesterday the innerloop as we started as first before the men.

All the way to the gate I was in 20 place. Then somehow the second part went a bit harder, but was happy to finish and had a good feeling about this race.

The 2nd race of the day was again a good start (but again recall), I was going even better now. Was keeping up with the girls in and around place 20. Just made a very bad crash with Solvig as I had to give here the way as I was on port side but didnt know to take or stop or what to do and because of that we hit each other. Lucky nobody hurt. We could continue. Just a shame I made it bought times just out of the time limit (less then a minute).

So all I can say for now is I did feel good on the water and seen I improving a lot now I know the course, knowing in planning conditions can be about place 20, so there is still hope.

* Waiting on the startline.

* There we go....---> general recall.

* getting ready again and this time was good!

Now back in the house, like a ciber cafe all on the laptop chatting with the rest in the world. Is realy realxing after the racing. Also the days are not to long on the water. We everyday back around 3 pm. and have the rest of the day for our selve. There are some wonderfull people coocking for us, so healthy food and not to late to bed. Ready for the next days.

I keep everyone posted!!!

Day 7- I woke up and looked outside and today no sunny day, it was raining. At the event side they put up the prospone flag and they told us first possible start was going to be at 1 pm. So I didn't even started my rigging.

* Hang around a bit with the other sailors, while waiting for the wind.

At 12.15 I hit the water to make sure I wasn't to late as the wind was quit lght still and I wasn't the only one. Many people where going. Out in the bay I was a bit worried as the wind was not strong and was now SW, so go downwind to the start, not realy my favorite thing to do. Anyway I made it on time.

Before our start the boys went and that moment a very big rain cloud came in, I was not having the set in controle so changed my settings to more windy conditions. The first start was good but then I was hoping to stay in planning conditions but the wind died, so daggerboard down. The wind was shifting and changing all the time, now experience was counting. This was not my best race.

The second race of today I was very good at the start as the most women somehow likes to stay alraedy 2 min. before the signal on the line to get a spot. From my slalom experience I try to come from the back into a cap with some speed and this time it worked out great, just a general recall again. The second start in this race was oke except that I heard an horn and thought again a recall, just now the white with blue cross was up...so someone was over earlie but they didn't call us back. (this they explained me later) so lost some time there.

Oke, I continue and was going pretty good in good wind and was still able to read the number of the people in the front at the upwind mark. Then I lost them......I did do the full course and was happy to finsih. No points again as was to late, I know the problem I realy need to learn to the downwind part, there I loose so much time compaire to the rest.

* Me at the finishline.

* Me with in the back - Miami!!!

Then I went back to the harbour what was a very long way. The coach boat was already full with 2 other people. I had a RC boat following me back and while I was we where chatting was was quite funny as everyone was asking wich country I represent. AHO nobody knows and I have the flag in the sail what makes people even more curious.

Day 8- It was going to be light wind today and the women had the first start so pretty quick I went on the water and it was a downwind reach to the commitee boat what took me a long time to get to the start. But I had enough time to get ready. I made a very bad start, in the last minute I dropped my sail in the water and when I got it out I had not so good position at the start. Then I made a tack to avoid to get all the bad wind but got no wind so fall in.

Then I was going to the upwind mark, by the time I got there the jury told me they cancelled the rce as there was less then 3 knots of wind on the course. Back at the start the racedirector decided to move to another area and hope for some more wind. We waited about 3 hours, I cruised around a bit between the coach boats and was even able to talk a bit with some other competerives, some where playing with SUP boards, other playing a "softball game" so kind of boring. At 3.15 pm we got the flag to go back and it was over for today.

In the appartment Gul made us some realy nice dinner, salate with shrimps and patatoes. Later we played some card game Uno what was realy funny as everyone had other rules. At the end we managed to play the game that everyone knew wich rules we where using.

Day 9- For me this is the last day of racing a for sure no medaill race for me, but one more day to get into the timezone and so in the points.

I had a good start and went quite good today, it was a light wind day with very cold windy breaze. I had my long wetsuit on and was pretty happy about that decision. I felt good in this race as I was keeong up in the middle of the group going up wind. In the downwind I lost a bit but was doing better then some others in the upwind again. The last reach and downwind I was pomping to make sure I was going to be on time this time I was so curiuos at the finish that I asked the judges and they told me YES, I was happy.

Now one more race. I was working hard, just half way trough the course the wind died a lot and so for us in the back was more difficuilt to reach the time as we had less wind. Still was trying but this time just out of the time limit again. I went back to the harbour myself just to train more, I didn't feel to tiered yet. Most got a ride by one of the boats back. On shore it was time to de rigg and to prepair the gear for the traveling.

Only the top 10 men and women are going to have one more race tommorrow.

We went after back to the house to get changed and then going to the restuarant Cheese cake factory and Sandbar for some drinks.

It was late when we arrived back home but I enjoyed it all this week.