© WilsonTrophy Twitter

Spectators cheer on the Wilson Trophy competitors.

After 345 fully-umpired races, the 2013 Wilson Trophy has come to a close. Of those races, we competed in 22; 18 in the regular racing, followed by two quick wins in the quarterfinals, followed by two quick losses in the semifinals. We didn’t win, didn’t take home the glory of being the25th and newest title defenders. That honor went instead to Wessex Exempt, who sailed cleanly and classily throughout the regatta, both when they knocked us out in the best of three formatted semifinals and when they went 3 and 1 in the best of five finals.

© WilsonTrophy Twitter

British Fireflies team race in big breeze.

Today was the first day of racing at the 64th annual Wilson Trophy in West Kirby, England. The fleet had a scheduled late start—the first warning signal wasn’t until 12:57 in the afternoon, although we arrived at the West Kirby Sailing Club (WKSC) promptly at 9 a.m. We had signed up for a 9:30-10:30 practice time, but all practices were cancelled due to the breeze already whistling through the boatyard and the desire to prevent breaking boats before racing began.

© courtesy ICSA Facebook

Sail through the death puffs like boat 10.

The breeze is up, howling down the river in dark puffs that dart towards your CJ. On the first beat, you’re easing the jib, hiking your booties off, and keeping an eye out for possible auto-tacks. At the windward mark, you’re making a solid layline call and navigating through starboard tackers. Then the windward offset comes, and you carve down around it—and suddenly you’re sailing downwind in a CJ in heavy air, one of the most precarious situations in college sailing.

© Bill Records

Windy conditions make jib sheet management trickier.

Few things will take a crew down faster than mismanaged jib sheets, whether the problem is a tangled leg or a luffing sail. Around the racecourse, proper sheet management means anticipating potential snares and nipping them in the bud. In a CJ, this entails constant attention to the slack in the lazy sheet and keeping both sheets in the correct areas. In a 420, it means nailing the right balance of windward and leeward sheeting. In all college dinghies, sheet management means incorporating the right touch of delicacy, especially when it’s light.