ALIR Starts Tomorrow - A Lone Mini (not Abilyn) Set to Compete

I'm unexcited to report that Abilyn will not be participating in this year's Around Long Island Regatta. I'd love to blame this on life and work just getting in the way, but that's simply not the case.  Up until a couple of days ago, I expected to be in California for "real work."  But that's not what's causing me to miss the regatta.  The issue is that I failed to plan for the contingency that my "real work" would be pushed off (more than a mere possibility in my line of work) and thus failed to plan for the race.  This included failing to give potential alternate co-skippers (Sam is out of the country) more than a moment's notice to decide if they wanted to come aboard as guest co-skipper for the race.

As they say, prior proper planning prevents piss poor performance.  But prior proper planning sometimes prevents you from even having the opportunity to perform, as is the case here.  Yes, I could probably get to the start line.  But I'm loath to rush.  And it wouldn't be safe.  So we learn from our mistakes, and move forward. It's all we can do if we want to get shit done, and be happy.  Yes, I quoted Kanye West.

I am happy to report, however, that Josh Owen, skipper of Frogger (USA 702), a Manuard-designed Tip Top Mini, will be representing the Minis in this regatta.  Frogger has a chance to do well considering the forecasted conditions, which call for relatively light breeze, but predominantly reaching conditions. I've personally slicked along at 6.7 knots of boat speed in about 7 knots of breeze at 100 degrees TWA with a reaching kite up, and I know Josh can do the same.  He also has the benefit of a Code Zero, which is a key weapon for cracked off, light air sailing.  We wish Josh well, and will be tracking Frogger along with the rest of the fleet at the Kattack Live site.  

As I mentioned to my wife (who was encouraging me to try to do this regatta, even last minute), the ocean doesn't close.  Being able to do something like the Bermuda 1-2 is about time on the water and miles, not how many races you enter.  Take VOR teams Alvimedica and Abu Dhabi as an example; while Team Brunel and Team SCA recently sailed in the Marina Rubicon Round Canary Islands Race, Alvimedica and Abu Dhabi squared up for an unofficial race across the Atlantic, clocking up another 3,000 miles of training and added experience.

We're focused on miles, and are planning to crush some (phrase stolen from Josh Owen...not sure if I like it) in the next couple months--although nothing in terms of VOR miles.  Let's be real.  First on our list is what we hope will be a 300-mile training exercise that will combine legs from ALIR, Vineyard Race, Around Block, and the Offshore 160 in what hopefully will be a hell of a long-weekend training session.  Although we won't cross an ocean, we'll sail through three sounds and a small chuck of ocean, and will finish in New York Harbor.  See below.  

Abilyn Racing proposed 300-mile offshore training exercise

Maybe ol' Fortenbaugh will let us tie up on the cheap at North Cove upon our return.  After all, I was a decent fleet captain at Manhattan Sailing Club back in the day.  

As we build toward this offshore exercise, we'll be out on the water, continuing to practice and hone our skills.  Hope to see you out there (if you're not already sailing in ALIR).

Learning through failing

Took Abilyn out solo today in 12-22 knots.  Had 3 epic wipeouts with the A5, one of which had me on my side for a good minute.

Through various failures on the water today, I learned so much about myself and the boat. I experienced some nasty roundups and never once panicked.  And now, I can check solo round-up in 20 knots off my list of experiences. 

I can't wait to write more about it. But I have some sails to roll and then some free Ben & Jerry's to scarf. 

 

 

 

 

Off to Bermuda!

Earlier in the winter when I hashed out a plan to race my Mini Transat next year in the Bermuda 1-2 Yacht Race, my wife said, "If you're gonna sail to Bermuda solo, you might as well do it once more crewed."  Smart. So I signed up as part of the crew of the Swan 56, King Daddy.  Later this morning, we'll drop the dock lines at the slip in Jamestown, RI, and head out to the start of the biennial classic--the Newport Bermuda Race, which is fondly known as as the Thrash to the Onion Patch.  Fun fact:  Settlers from England first introduced onions to Bermuda in 1616. 

The racetrack for Newport Bermuda is virtually the same as the Bermuda 1-2:  635 miles at approximately 162 degrees magnetic.  However, because the Gulf Stream current--the major obstacle between Newport and Dark 'n Stormies at the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club--is constantly changing, each crossing can be vastly different. This year, the current is shaping up to deliver three significant eddies according to our intel from Jennifer Clark:  one warm eddy (clockwise current) straddling the rhumb line north of the stream; and two cold eddies (counter-clockwise current) south and to the west of the Stream--one large and one small.  These eddies will serve as conveyor belts.  Get on the correct side, and you'll get a bump to Bermuda at around two to four knots.  Get on the wrong side, and, well, suffer the consequences.  

The goal on King Daddy is to push through what is forecast to be relatively light breeze for the first two days to get to the first eddy and then break right, cross the Stream, and get to the western side of the next eddy, which is estimated to deliver a four-knot current.  Staying west is essential not simply because of the favorable eddies that exist on that side of the rhumb line, but because of the low pressure weather system that is forecast to pass over the racetrack on Sunday.  This system is expected to bring a fresh SW breeze of between 15 and 25 knots. If we can get out in front of that system and far enough west of the rhumb line, we'll be able to catch a nice reach to Bermuda.

Punching through the first bout of light air is going to be tough as King Daddy is very heavy, is carrying a crew of 16 (and necessary food and water for three days at sea), and generally hates light-air downwind sailing.  That said, the boat has been optimized to prevail in the St. David's Lighthouse (amateur) division of the race. I like to joke that race-optimized means we don't run the AC when the racing sails are up!  But, in point of fact, the owner and boat captain have made tremendous efforts to make the boat competitive, including by stripping all unnecessary weight, replacing the aluminum spars with carbon, and of course decking the crew out in a full kit of Helly Hansen performance sailing gear.

On top of dedicating substantial resources to getting the boat itself ready for the race, the owner and boat captain have also pulled together a crack team of amateur and professional sailors with substantial racing experience, both offshore and around the buoys.  Rounding out the 13 amateur (Cat 1) sailors, including myself, are three pros:  Gregg Griffin, Jack Slattery, and Pat O'Connor.  Gregg previously sailed with Privateer, a Cookson 50, and is cutting his teeth as boat captain aboard King Daddy.  Jack is a sales manager at North Sails in Salem, MA, and has over 20 Newport Bermudas under his belt.  Jack has coached the NYYC entry in the 2013 and 2011 NYYC Invitational Cup regattas.  Lastly, Pat came aboard from previously sailing with Spookie, Catapult, and a host of other high-performance race programs to serve as our second bowman. 

King Daddy and her crew have been up in Newport, RI since Tuesday staging the boat for the race.  We've tested all the sails, practiced safety procedures like man-overboard and the mechanics of setting the storm jib and storm trysail, checked the rig (and checked it again), and packed the massive kites into launching socks.  As we come down to the wire, we'll calibrate our instruments with the assistance of Jeff Udell at Custom Offshore and say goodbye to Newport as we hit the start line with 162 other boats spread across 14 classes under what looks like to be a perfectly azure sky.

Wish us luck and track us here.  Official race documents, including the scratch sheet, can be found here.

Finding Time On The Water

Time. As normal guys with day jobs and families, we seem to have so little of it, let alone time to dedicate to our sailing goals.  

These days, my time is consumed by work and family.  However, with the benefit of a boat that can be sailed with a crew of one, and with the benefit of an amazing wife who understands my sailing goals, I can get time on the water at any hour, including at night after my kids have gone to sleep. 

So this past Wednesday night, I headed north out of NYC for a little solo quality time aboard Abilyn.  My goal was to test new settings on the autopilot and practice some basic boat handling skills, including throwing up the big kite. With steady breeze out of the east at 9-12 knots, conditions were optimal. 

I got out to the boat around 1930.  After our last race experience getting caught unprepared in a 40-knot squall, I now rig the boat each time with my genoa reefing line, and at least two reefing points ready to go on the main, which requires a little more time on the mooring ball--I like to be ready before I cast off.  Too often have my co-skipper and I been handling setup on the way out of the harbor or out to the start line.  This works for some, but not me.  I cast off around 2015 and started beating SE past the Larchmont YC breakwater, and past the RC picking up marks following a night of Ideal 18 fleet racing. 

Shortly after setting the sails to balance the boat, I hooked up the Raymarine autopilot, which has been nothing but wonky since I got her "working" again last season.  As the AP struggled to hold a compass course, I set up the iPad to display my instrument and GPS data, which is accomplished by the DMK box that I recently installed (below).  This device--manufactured by DMK Yacht Instruments in Seattle--takes our NMEA 0183, NMEA 2000, GPS, and AIS data, and transmits those data to our iPad an iPhone via a local WiFi network.  It's glorious in that it opens up our data in ways found mainly on bigger race boats--like the Swan 56 on which I'm hitching a ride in the upcoming Newport-Bermuda race.

DMK Box mounted to instrument panel.

DMK Box mounted to instrument panel.

After some time playing around with the AP, she managed to hold an upwind course fairly well, although I kept my eye on her with the expectation she'd go wayward at any second. 

Night mission:  AP testing & boat handling

Dusk turned to nightfall as I made my way east past the bright lights of Rye Playland in steady breeze and a bit of chop.  I worked on optimizing main and jib trim and keep the boat up to speed through waves.  After throwing in a couple of tacks--one good and one not so good (see the linked video)--I contemplated my downwind sail back to Larchmont with hopes of setting the big kite and getting a quick sleigh ride home.

Two thoughts made me to hesitate on setting the big kite.  First, I didn't know how long my AP would give me on the bow to hook up the kite before she decided to do her own thing.  Second, there was very little ambient light and I forgot I had lost my Petzl headlamp overboard in Around Block a couple of weeks ago aboard the Swan 56, King Daddy.  But whatever, conditions were mild and this was practice.

So I set the AP while sailing 160 TWA, grabbed the kite, and went forward to hook it up.  Just as I hooked up the corners with our Equip-Lite shackles supplied by West Marine Rigging, the AP went wonky again and nearly gybed me over.  I quickly recalibrated and reset the AP, then went for the hoist. All went up cleanly despite poor visibility at deck level.  But, by now, I was approaching the Connecticut coast--R42 was half a mile away and I was doing 7 knots in 9 knots of breeze.  I needed to gybe.

So I started down the 30-step protocol that I outlined in an earlier post.  After setting up the position of the articulating pole, it was time to trim the new working spin sheet and bring the clew patch around.  Snag. Let's try one more time.  Snag.  

Damn, I didn't clear the lazy spin sheet after I dropped the jib.  Given my proximity to land, I decided to douse the kite, which turned out to be an interesting task without having the AP engaged.  Other than getting the tack and clew a little wet, all went smoothly and I turned towards home. By this time, it was 2230, and I had one final challenge--de-rigging and calling for a launch by midnight, lest I wanted to spend the chilly night on the boat until 0700 when launch service resumed.  Long story short, I had one of the most epic, solo, de-rigging experiences ever--on par with the bishops's epic golf game in Caddyshack.  

This practice re-emphasized for me how critical time is to the success of our sailing program.  Being on the water practicing basic sailing maneuvers is essential to locking into muscle memory routine tasks like being CLEAR to do anything.  In my case last Wednesday, this meant being clear to gybe.  I can't simply call up to the phantom bowman to clear the line.  Also, I need to put in more time building my relationship with my autopilot.  I'll never be able settle in for a quick nap offshore if I can't trust my AP to hold a course for more than a couple minutes.  It's just not possible.  The idea of going solo offshore without a trustworthy AP frankly seems ludicrous to me.  

Alright, I'm headed to couples therapy with my AP.  

See you out on the water.

Bad Elf Teams Up With Abilyn Racing

We are excited to announce that Bad Elf will be teaming up with Abilyn Racing on its ocean racing campaign.  Based in West Hartford, CT, Bad Elf manufactures innovative GPS devices and hardware accessories for use in the aviation, marine, and outdoors GPS markets, and particularly for use with Apple devices--Bad Elf's GPS devices meet all the requirements of Apple's MFI licensing program.  

We will be using a pair of Bad Elf GPS Pro modules aboard Abilyn in connection with our iPad and DMK Box.  The Bad Elf modules will allow us to feed GPS data into our iPad via Bluetooth for use with programs like iNavX and iRegatta Pro (with the rest of our instrument data being fed into our iPad via WiFi through the DMK Box).  In addition, with their dedicated lat/long displays, we'll be able to use the Bad Elf modules to plot our position on our Maptech waterproof charts.

The Bad Elf GPS Pro and other Bad Elf GPS devices offer a great solution for small race boats like Abilyn looking to build a robust yet affordable onboard information center for navigation and performance analysis.

Check out Bad Elf at http://bad-elf.com.  

59th Annual Edlu Regatta - Race Recap

Last Saturday, Abilyn hit the start line with eleven other double-handed racing yachts in the 59th Annual Edlu Regatta.  Although Abilyn had a decent downwind leg, we ultimately got caught in a squall with too much sail up that caused a bit of rig "damage", and forced us to withdraw from the race.  Check out our recap edit (left) and photos (below).  

Co-skipper Sam and I learned a lot from this race--mostly what we need to do going forward.  We learned some valuable lessons about planning, communicating during maneuvers and in hairy situations (like a 40-knot squall), and the importance of REEFING EARLY!!!!  As the saying goes--if you're thinking about reefing, it's already too late.  

Today is an off-day for Abilyn Racing.  While the Pogo 2 USA 806 and the proto USA 415 will be racing in the Indian Harbor YC Spring Sprint, I'll be taking care of some repairs, calibrating some electronics, and hopefully taking Abilyn out for a spin to get familiar with our new storm jib made by UK Sailmakers and practice some reefing.  We'll be on the line again during for the Stamford YC Double Handed Regatta on May 31 and June 1.  

See you out on the water.

59th Larchmont YC Edlu - Race Preview

It's less than 12 hours before the start of the 59th Annual Edlu Regatta.  Abilyn is one of 16 boats in the PHRF double-handed class, and one of three Minis.  

Earlier this week, Abilyn sat in the yard about 70 miles to the northeast at Brewers Pilots Points Marina in Westbrook, CT.  Our plan was to deliver her in the easterly which was forecasted (and actually did) materialize Thursday night.  Getting anxious, Sam and I hopped on Amtrak for a night mission Tuesday night to catch a northwesterly, which would allow us to reach home down the sound at an average clip of about 7.5 knots.  That night turned into a comedy of fails.  Our jib hadn't made it up to the boat with the rest of our sails the week before, which caused us to make a pit stop in City Island, NY.  We managed to catch the last Amtrak of the night in New Rochelle, NY.  But, when we got off the train in Old Saybrook, CT, we were greeted by no cabs, and worse, no breeze.  Oh, and it was about 38 degrees F.  Then, when we left Pilots Point marina, our keel was greeted by some mud.  And down the Sound, our runner just happened to fall out of the mast; it literally just fell out.  Hearing the crash made me lose a bit of sleep on the off-watch.  And the 10-15 knot northwesterly that was forecasted to materialize never did, which left us motoring most of the time at a brisk 4 knots.  We're typically not known as a 4ksb.  

Yeah, that's not scary...We are sailing, right?

One of the few perks of a night mission delivery.

Home

Despite these frustrations, Sam and I had a pleasant delivery.  We got the Code 5 up for a little bit and managed to make 6.7 knots SOG in about 7 knots of breeze at a TWA of about 100 degrees.  Sam was bundled up in his balaclava (right, top).  We witnessed a brilliant sunrise (right, middle).  And after dropping Sam off in Greenwich Harbor, I was more than happy to arrive in Larchmont Harbor (right, bottom).

Not too soon after we got back, we attended to our to-do list to prepare for the Edlu.  Remove excess weight.  Re-install the runner.  McLube the blocks and cars.  Tune the rig.  Come up with a navigation strategy.  

According to the models (which fellow Mini sailor Josh Owen believes should never be trusted), the breeze tomorrow will be out of the southwest at between 7 and 15 knots.  We will be running out to Eatons Neck in favorable current, and then we'll be beating back to the finish line.  Our goal on way out will be to maintain VMG.  TWA to the mark is about 169 degrees, which will be too deep in the forecasted breeze.  So we'll need to make sure our gybes are impeccable.  Our goal on the way back is to limit our tacks.  Not only is our tacking angle far inferior to many of the other boats in the class, but our speed coming out of tacks is also inferior.  Luckily, the other two Minis in our class have the same problems.  That said, one has the ability to cant his 7-foot keel, which is why he gets a PHRF rating of 87 compared to our 111.

At the end of the day, we're not out there to win our class.  This is nearly impossible as a very well-sailed J/92, Thin Man, also has a 111 rating.  We're out there to get around the course as fast as we can, execute our maneuvers cleanly, stay safe, not blow up any kites, have fun, and beat the other two Minis!   

We'll let you know how it goes.  

Abilyn Gets a Splash of Color

Sam and I spent Sunday not sailing in the blustery American YC Spring Series.  Instead, we prepped Abilyn for the season and her first race of 2014--the Edlu hosted by Larchmont YC, which has an impressive class of well-sailed double-handed yachts.  

We fully rigged the boat--including with some awesome new lines supplied by West Marine Rigging (more on that in a separate post)--compounded the entire interior to get rid of some nasty stainage (the wife appreciates that), loaded on all our gear, and cleaned the topsides in preparation for a little splash of color that was added on Monday by Mac Designs--a Newport-based outfit that has worked on some pretty impressive race programs, including Puma Ocean Racing and Elvis, the Gunboat 62 led by Melges 32 World Champion and Viper 640 North American Champion, Jason Carroll (and sometimes sailed by an actual Elvis impersonator).

So if you see a 21-foot boat with pink and green screaming down the Long Island Sound later this week (I hope that easterly develops sooner rather than later), it's likely us.  

See you out on the water.

Ocean Racer Series #6 - Rob Windsor

As we write this, there are less than 12 days until the start of the 2014 Atlantic Cup--the preeminent event in the United States for short-handed sailors, as we described in our last post profiling Chad Corning and his tips on how not to flunk Offshore 101.  Here, we focus on another Atlantic Cupper and local Long Island sailor, Rob Windsor, who will be racing with Mike Hennessy aboard Team Dragon.

Hailing from Centerport, New York, Rob started sailing at the ripe age of two, and has since developed a keen interest in short-handed Class 40 ocean racing.  Rob has sailed in all three iterations of the Atlantic Cup, twice aboard Team Dragon.  He's made six Atlantic crossings, including aboard Team Dragon, which finished only 30 minutes behind Concise2 to come in 2nd in the double-handed class in the 2011 NYYC Transatlantic Race.  In 2013, Rob finished the 5,450 nm course from Le Havre, France, to Itajai, Brazil, as part of the prestigious Transat Jacques Vabre, which attracts some of the world's best ocean racers including Franck Cammas and Jean-Pierre Dick.  Rob sailed with teammate Hannah Jenner aboard the Class 40 11th Hour Racing, and persevered despite suffering a rig failure early in the race that sent them backwards to Brest for repairs.  

Rob's extensive mileage as a short-handed offshore sailor, and experience dealing with complications at sea, make him a valuable resource for our program.  When we reached out to Rob to give us his thoughts on offshore racing, including any rules that he lives by, he quickly pointed out that when it comes to sailing short-handed offshore, there are few rules--the top one on his list being not to fall off the boat.  This is one rule that I will need to explain to Jimmy--my alternate personality that manifests during my hypnagogic state of consciousness.  He's a mischievous fellow that likes to wreak havoc on my wife principally by speaking gibberish:  "Where are the documents for Elsa's deposition tomorrow in Arendelle!?" he might yell.  Although he is responsible for doing some pretty horrible things without my knowledge, like climbing into bed (under the top sheet!) without showering after an all-nighter at work, I'm fairly certain he won't cause us to fall off the boat.  That said, I'm clipping in while I sleep solo offshore in an effort to heed Rob's number one rule for short-handed offshore racing. 

Rob provides his other rules below.  Follow Rob here as he vies for the title in the 2014 Atlantic Cup aboard Team Dragon.  The first leg from Charleston, South Carolina, to New York, New York, starts on May 10, which is the same day we'll be racing against two other Mini 6.50s in the 59th Larchmont YC Edlu Race.  

Rob Windsor Profile

Team Dragon (Mike Hennessy, Rob Windsor) recap from the Atlantic Cup 2011.

  • Nationality - USA  

  • Occupation - North American Agent for Owen Clarke Yacht Design, yacht preparateur

  • Disciplines - short-handed ocean racing, Class 40

  • Teams - Dragon, 11th Hour Racing

  • Notable Results

    • 8th, 2013 Fastnet, 11th Hour Racing

    • 2nd, 2011 NYYC Transatlantic Race, Dragon

    • 2nd, 2011 Atlantic Cup, Dragon (first in leg from Charleston to New York)

Short-Handed Offshore Racing:  Rob's Rules

Stay on the boat!!!

I have very few rules when sailing offshore but at the top of the list is DONT FALL OFF. If you fall overboard during a race where you are by yourself, or double handed, there is a very good chance that you will die. I can't think of a scarier scenario than coming on deck for my watch and finding my co-skipper not there.  You have a harness for a reason--use it and clip in.

Don't take anything for granted.

It goes without saying, but preparation is key to success in anything--especially sailboat racing. Going over the boat from stem to stern and from keel to masthead is super important. I can tell you from experience that having a big failure is not fun. You need to check the boat over thoroughly--including parts and jobs done by others.  If you assume that all is well, it never is.

Work at not being a crappy sailor.

This goes along with my point on preparation but I thought I would give it its own line. You can't be great at anything without practice. You think those guys you see on TV playing professional sports making millions just show up?  Nope.  They have to work at it, same as everyone else.

Practice will get you in a position where you know what to do when the time comes. You will know what settings make your boat fast.  You will know the best way to get the spinnaker down in big breeze.  There is no end to the benefit of training.  Don't just go sailing on a beautiful day. Go out when it's windy or raining.  Go out when there is no wind. Having some time dealing with the not so nice will save you tons of time on the race course.

Covet thy auto pilot.

People get weird about the way they think about their auto pilot. I believe that you need to treat it like a person.  Let's face it, you can't steer the whole way if you are only one or two on the boat.  The pilot will do a lot of the driving.  If you were trimming the main for a person driving, they would tell you that they had too much or too little helm. The pilot can't talk but it does let you know what's going on by the way it drives. You need to pretend that there is a person sitting there with the tiller in their hand to get the most out of it.  If you are nice to the driver, you will do much better at the end.

Go to sleep.

You have to sleep.  Getting into a routine is hard for some people.  Most people are not used to getting 2 hours sleep and then going back to work for 2 hours.  However you set up your watch system on board, it is important that you get enough rest.  When you are tired, you make silly mistakes that can cost you a race.  Making a mistake while you are tired can also get people hurt which takes the fun out of it.  While you are on watch, you are responsible for keeping the boat moving as fast as possible as well as keeping the other person on board safe. It is a lot of responsibility.  Make sure that you get the rest you need to be responsible for your self, the boat, and your co-skipper.

Keep the wheels on the bus.

You need to keep the boat moving all the time.  Wiping out because you have too much sail up is not fast.  It's also real easy to break stuff.  If you spend some time not "taking things for granted" and working on "not being a crappy sailor," you'll see that decreasing sail area is faster than leaving the big stuff up in too much breeze.  Reefs go in and out pretty easily and fairly quickly as well. If you blow up your big kite because you left it up in a squall you will be very disappointed when you need it again.  Be smart, and reef early and often.

Don' get HANGRY.

You need energy to compete.  You need to have the right kinds of food aboard to keep your energy level up.  Some of the freeze dried foods are pretty good I think.  They make a lot of different varieties with lots of different ingredients.  You also need to have some happy food. Having a snack like chocolate or nuts that makes you feel good mentally will go a long way.  For me, coffee is the key.  I can't make it without at least one cup per shift. Whatever your happy food is, bring enough so you don't run out.

Love all, trust a few...

It is really important that you work as a team and have a co-skipper that you can trust.  Once you find that person, look after them.  There is no one else looking out for your well-being, so it's important.  So if your co-skipper is a coffee drinker, make them a cup before they come on watch.  It takes two minutes and may sound like a small thing, but it shows that you are looking out for them.

Have good spares.  Know how to fix stuff.

No matter how well you prepare, stuff will break.  You can't have a spare for everything so you need to make a good list and pick the things you can't live without.  All of that depends on the boat you are on so it will take some time. You need to know your boat's systems and how to fix each of them. The sailing bits are fairly straight forward. Winches, furling gear, etc. is standard stuff you should know.  Electronics is a big one that bites a lot of people.  Knowing where the wires are and what they do can be a huge help when things break down. The more time you spend fixing things means less time making the boat go fast.  Figure out what you're good at and figure learn about what you not good at.  Take the time to learn.  

Goonies never say die!

The race isn't over until you cross the finish line.  There will be some ups and downs.  If you let the downs keep you down, you're done.  Positive mental attitude is key.  It's hard to keep it up but that's how you win.  Quitters never win and winners never quit.  Lots of cliches in there but they are all true.

Never give up.

The Abilyn Racing Ocean Racer Series collects tips and experiences from some of the world's most accomplished ocean racers.  Our goal is to improve our own sailing, as well as to show other sailors--both in the United States and elsewhere--that if you have strong ambitions to race offshore, there is a network out there of knowledge and guidance.  Just ask!