I feel extremely privileged to have been a part of the 2012 North American Speed Sailing Invitational and I am very excited to have placed 4th in the event. The last two weeks have yielded some of the most exciting racing in my life. I absolutely loved battling it out every heat, every run, every crossing tack, jockeying for position at the starting line. At times being gracious and other times playing hardball, making sure I was always in position. It was these attributes of the racing, the tactical, that were so interesting to me. It was at this time that I would stop analyzing board design or fin shape and I would just focus on making the fastest runs. For the 60 Minutes of each Heat I just thought about how to go as fast as possible. Congratulations go out to Rob Douglas-Outright World Speed Record Holder, Damien Leroy-2011 Slalom World Champion and Alex Caizergues-Former Outright World Speed Record Holder and French Champion on placing 1st-3rd. As a part of TEAM USA I am honored to say that we have successfully regained control of the coveted Lynch Cup.
Currently I am debriefing the new HydroFlex boards with designer Stan Pleskunas, we have had an active discussion throughout the event. We have been paying special attention to the advancements on the larger Slalom Boards. Their ability to do over 40 knots in 20 knots of wind is impressive and their ability to perform as well as the Speed Boards in 22-24 knots of wind was surprising. We have some new designs in the works and we will be looking to manufacture prototypes very shortly.
All of my BEST Kites did an exceptional job, the 15 and 17 Meters TS Design really stood out with their higher aspect shape and stability in the higher wind speeds. I am really looking forward to working with BEST to increasing the performance in all of the kites.
One of the big standouts in equipment for me was the Gorilla Racing Bar and lines. Jim and I have been working on this project for the last 2 years and it was very exciting that we had the absolute best technology amongst the fleet. Our 4:1 Cascading Control System using Harken's T2 Blocks offered me the ability to rig the larger kites and the 1.1 MM Lines made a drastic reduction in windage.
Lastly thank you to Atlantis Weathergear and The Dancing Turtle for keeping me dry and comfortable during the entire event. Whether it was the Atlantis Aegis Smock or the Dancing Turtle Hoody I was alway warm and happy.
The opportunity to race in such a intimate group with the fastest sailors in the world is a true honor and one that I will never forget. THANK YOU to everyone who helped make this possible.
Thanks especially to Matthew Cohen for the Photo and the many photos from the 2012 North American Speed Sailing Championships.
All the best
Brock
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