Storckmooresailing

Sadly, sport has a way of dealing harsh blows to progress at inopportune times. On Friday, just two days before the event’s first races would be held, we had planned a final day of training with our coach for this event, Ramon Oliden, who coached the current 49er World Champion Team. We would end the day much less prepared than we went in.

It was windy, blowing about 15-18 knots in the morning, and wavy, with the peaks of the steep masses of Mediterranean Sea entering Palma Bay nearly 10 feet from the troughs. The morning session was a good one, as we sailed around a course working on our sets, gybes, takedowns and laylines in the difficult conditions. While we were not perfect and capsized a few times, we were happy with the session and the progress we had made. We came off the water to find our US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics teammate, Carl Horrocks, down for the count with a badly twisted ankle, an injury he had suffered in a wipeout having not come free form the footstrap at the aft portion of the wing. While concerned for Carl’s health, we nonetheless wanted to continue with our plan for the day and get the most out of the conditions offered us. We know the dangers, and the payoff, of pushing our limits whenever the opportunity arises.

After lunch we returned to the boat-park to discover that the conditions of the morning had only become more extreme. The wind was now closer to 18-22 knots, and the waves had had a few more hours to build up in the bay. We decided to make one more short session, looking to put into practice some of the improvements we had made in the morning. We hoisted sails on the beach as countless boats returned in various states, some without mainsails, most without spinnakers, all looking harried by their experience. We decided to go. It was incredible. We flew upwind, regularly finding our boat airborne as we both became detached from the wing, swinging on our trapezes back to the rail like a wrecking ball on a cable. We continued upwind, the boat humming, and even executed a handful of nearly flawless tacks in between the massive waves. We made it upwind, but that was much less than half the battle.

Adrenaline pumping, it was time for the “bearaway,” when we would dodge waves and get the boat going downwind in what would be one of the most difficult maneuvers we have accomplished yet. We went through our usual routine, knowing that the key to success is practice, repetition, and repeatability. We found our spot in the waves and turned through the dangerous, broadside to the wind angle of sail known as the “power zone,” escaping into a safer heading on a broad reach. Trevor ran in and began hoisting the behemoth spinnaker, while Erik held the boat on the edge of control between two waves. The boat needs to remain heading almost directly downwind while Trevor is not on the wing so that the spinnaker does not fill prematurely and so that Erik’s weight can keep the boat flat. The two barreled downwind in this delicate dance for what seemed like an eternity, fast approaching the wave in front of them. Trevor pulled the halyard, found it stop, and began his movement to the rail just a second too late. That wall of water that we were playing chicken with found it’s way over the bow before we could turn up and avoid it, and over we went. We were so close we knew we could get it.

Spinnaker back in the sock, boat upright, and bodies rested for a brief moment, we continued on. We went for the bearaway; we missed it. Much earlier in the maneuver than we had just made it, we stuffed the bow, stopped our momentum, and began capsizing. It was now time for escaping unharmed. Trevor was able to get off and fly forward. Erik unclipped, ready to pull his foot out of the footstrap and jump off to windward, safely away from the mainsail and rigging. It did not come out. The boat continued to flip, Erik dangling straight backwards and down from the little rubber strap that has so many times saved him from going around the bow of the boat while cruising downwind at unthinkable speeds.

After two Skype-enabled consults with USSTAG team physical trainers and a visit to the hospital for x-rays, it was decided the best course of action would be for Erik not to compete in the event. While disappointed, we know this is for the best. It is early in the season, and it would be imprudent to race and risk reinjuring the foot, which has been diagnosed with ligament damage.
Thankfully the x-rays cam back negative, so no bones are broken. Erik will return home as soon as possible to try to rehab for a speedy recovery.

Trevor will go on sailing in the event with Peet Must, whose crew Carl is also out with his footstrap-related ankle injury. The two will certainly be able to learn a great deal from each other and world champion coach Ramon throughout the event.

Stay tuned for continued posts as Trevor sails on, nonetheless anxiously awaiting the return of “skip.”

Thanks to our supporters and sponsors. This minor setback will not deter us from our goal, and will only drive us to strive that much more ardently when we are together on the water again.

Erik and Trevor

Bummer!

This entry was posted on Saturday, March 27th, 2010 at 8:22 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.