Team Report from LA Harbor Regatta

Although our team did not place well- they learned alot, and came out positive. The comment I heard most was that with the group never having sailed as a team before they were at a significant disadvantage until they were able to come together as a crew. What a great lesson learned. Here are some comments from the crew-

Patrick Gerometta KP 2008
Picture a crew of individuals which had never sailed together as a team before and place them in a situation where they were competing against other colleges. We started this regatta in that way. But by Sunday, we had come together very effectively as a team, and even though our position in the fleet did not reflect this, we really worked well together. The crew who had up to this point sailed primarily in the sheltered waters of Long Island Sound were not used to the conditions of the open ocean. Certain variables such as the swell, and the masses of kelp made things interesting.
The conditions throughout the regatta could not have been better. Every day started out with light wind, but it steadily built all day. It was sunny and warm in the afternoons around 70 degrees with the high on Sunday of 80 degrees. The boats themselves were fantastic for intercollegiate racing compared with the Navy 44’s. They were easy to rig, fairly easy to sail, and average in their ability to maneuverability.
I had never driven a boat with a wheel or a symmetrical spinnaker before and I must say it was a good learning experience. The racing itself was very close and I feel much more confident as a skipper than I ever have before. Our Coach at the event (Peter Must) was very knowledgeable and he helped us work better together, and because of this and the fact that he took time away from his vacation to coach us, he deserves a big thank you from the team.
Derrick Cherico KP 2011
Being put at a relatively new position on the boat helped me to learn about the whole process of sailing. I was able to learn and perfect that position very well. On top of that, being in the boat instead of up at the bow let me see how everything worked and how things really affected other things. For example, in tailing for the jib trimmer I was able to see the technique on how to properly trim the jib. The seniors were also able to explain how to use the tell tails to trim the jib. Compared to being on the Bow, I quickly found out that my position affected the bow and I was able to understand what problems were caused by certain actions. Finally, I know now that I needed to be more aggressive on trimming the guy. Once we practiced together a little, the team we had really meshed together and we sailed really well. Because of the little mistakes and tactical errors made, we were never able to do as well as we could have. It was a great learning experience that I hope I can have again in the future. It seems to me that I learned more while under pressure because I affected other people’s jobs while they affected mine.
Brandon Stardub KP 2008
Over the past weekend of sailing I personally got a better hold of how the boat operates as a whole. This includes the jib car positioning as well as some of the things to do to power up and depower the main; the position of mast/floater allowed me to gain extra knowledge that I would not have necessarily is able to grasp if I had been in a busier position. As a whole, I feel this regatta was run very professionally. The people running the regatta were very knowledgeable of the maritime industry as well as sailing; it was the best of both worlds. I think having Pete Must there as a coach was a big help as well, he is a very knowledgeable person and can bring things down to our level very easily. Overall I will say the team progressed greatly from the day of practice. If there were another two days in the regatta, I feel KP would have been more competitive in the later days.
Jennifer Davis KP 2008
Participating in this race was a great experience for us. We had the chance to sail in new waters with new competition. Overall, I learned more about tactics and boat handling (more so on the bow). It was a great regatta to start our racing season!