The end of International Week

The last day of racing for international week had wind from the normal southwest direction and was again around 12 knots. The first race took a while to get going as the tide was ebbing and pushing the boats over the start line too early. After 4 attempts at a start, including a general recall under a black flag (if you get caught over early you can't race), we finally got the race going. We nailed the start and went to the left side of the course. We worked our way up the left side and rounded the windward mark in the 30-35 range. We then went low on the first reach and picked up around 10 boats as we were able to sail a hotter angle and used the tide current to push us up to the mark. We then were fighting for a top 20 position and battled it out with a couple of the top boats in the next reaching leg. We managed to hold our own for the most part. The next upwind we went to the left side again and managed to hold our position and gap out on the boats behind us a bit. We then had a pretty uneventful last 2 legs and finished a very respectable 23rd. Another great result.

The final race of the regatta wasn't as good. We didn't have a good start but we managed to have a good first leg upwind that got us back in the middle of the pack. We then struggled downwind and lost a lot of boats by getting sucked high on the 2nd reach. We were getting a little frustrated at this point and continued our march to the back of the fleet. We ended up 44th which isn't too bad, considering.

Overall I am very pleased with how we did this week. 35th overall is very respectable but if we can get rid of the 40+ finishes we can move up hopefully. Next week will be tougher but will be equally as fun.

This is the link for the Results

Oooo... Barracuda

Day 2 of racing was very similar to day 1. In race 3 the wind was upwards of 12 knots at times but mostly around 8-10 knots, from the southwest and a pretty slack tide maybe slightly ebbing. After a few restarts due to some very aggressive starting. When the race finally got going we had a decent start and were up in the top half of the fleet at the first mark, we were sailing a low course down to the wing mark on a screaming reach with the spinnaker up. Then we had some gear failure, the cleat that keeps the spinnaker pole in place gave way a few times and we lost a lot of distance to windward, and ended up having to douse the spinnaker and two sail reach up to the mark. By that point we had lost a lot of the fleet. Unfortunately we also found a small hairline leak in the front of our boat and our front tank was filling up with water so we weren't able to punch through the waves and pop up on a plane downwind near the end of the race and that also cost us some boats. We ended up in 45th place.

Race 4, the wind had died down a bit to a more consistent 7-8 knots. We started on the right side away from a lot of the boats which was a little unnerving. We went right and kept going right up the first upwind and halfway up I noticed that we were absolutely destroying the boats that went left off the start. We worked our way up and rounded the top mark in 9th. We then on the downwind we managed to keep out spinnaker cleat from busting out and kept our position through the rest of the race for the most part. We finished 15th, a race of a lifetime!!!

The Lay Day we went on a dive boat with a bunch of the Canadian contigent. Some went Scuba Diving and some of us (including me) went snorkeling. The boat was Russian run and we had to get pulled aside after every speech to get the english version. We went out to one of the last local islands and the first stop was for the certified divers and we just hung out on the boat and soaked in the sun. The next stop was a real shallow beach area where we went out and snorkeled. There were a lot of sea urchins and it was a little freaky when you were in the troph of a wave and getting real close to the spines of the sea urchins. It took me a little bit to get used to snorkeling again but once I did it was a lot fun. The next stop was one for everyone and while the divers were down below we spent our time either jumping off the boat or snorkeling. The snorkeling was so much better, the water was a little deeper I had to dive down a couple times to get a better look at the coral and fish. I ended up seeing a Barracuda that was 3-5 feet long, that was a little unnerving, I kept a good eye on that fish while I could see it. After the trip we went into town for dinner, and we stopped off at a local restaraunt where we downed a lot of beer and had good food. We then went off to see some of the sights and tour through the shops. While walking home Frank and I walked by a bar and one of the bar girls was very aggressive and literally tried to pull us into the bar, that was an experience, lol.

Day 3 of racing was a little more windy than what we have had up till this point. 15 knots of wind from the southwest again. Race 5, the first start attempt was postponed as the tide and current was pushing the boats over the line. When we ended up starting we got pinched out by an Aussie boat but we tacked off and then climbed our way back up the fleet. We managed to fix the leak in the front tank for the most part. We were still struggling with the spinnaker cleats but this race we were lucky and didn't lose many if any spots when the cleat busted. We ended up finishing 35th, a good race.

Race 6 the wind was a little lighter and we had a very similar race to the race before. The waves were slightly bigger than they should be with the wind and I ended up taking a few waves with my shoulder and was knocked off my feet a couple times, but we didn't end up capsizing which was good. We finished 32nd and had a decent gap between us and the boat in 33rd. After those races everyone was tired and fried from the sun. We are currently sitting 38th but close with a lot of boats and have a lot of room to move up.

Everyone... Start Your Engines

Measurement Day 2 was a lot less stressful... for me. In the morning Frank and I joined up with a couple Victoria sailors and went to the local go kart track to do our best Michael Schumacher impressions. We ended up paying 300 baht for 10 minutes ($1/min) for go karts that go 60-70km/hr. We had an absolute blast and plan to go back with a few more of our fellow sailors so we can have some good carnage in the corners. For lunch we went to a local place and I was laughed at by the locals because of my order of the spicy dish. I showed them... somewhat. We then went back to the yacht club and went for a swim and then chilled out until the Opening Ceremonies. The Opening Ceremonies were a lot of fun, the Aussies have arrived and well they know how to party. We talked with the guy who organized pretty much the whole travel and boat transportation for the Aussies, Ben is one crazy guy. I also met the guy who owned my boat before Frank and I bought it, he is also a character (well what Aussie isn't, lol). The regatta is sponsored by Heineken and we are getting free beer out of that sponsorship, WOOHOO!!!!
Racing day 1 was a lot of fun, but challenging. The wind was coming from the Northwest at about 10 knots with gusts up around 12 knots, and lulls down around 6-7 knots. The wave pattern here is very different. You have the ocean tide rollers going one way and the wind waves going the other, which makes it harder to read the wind and where you need to be on the course to get the best wind. We finally got the 1st race started after 3 restarts. Frank and I couldn't seem to find clear air on the first upwind and were unable to get any boat speed. We then made up a few boats but still ended up 52nd. It was a frustrating race, but we learned from it. In the 2nd race we had a good start and were very focused on keeping clear air and it payed off we were up in the top half of a very tough fleet at the first mark. We had a bit of bad luck when we gybed to early and hit the wing mark and lost a few boats doing our 360 penalty turns. We managed to real in some of those back and ended up 37th. A much better 2nd race, and we applied what we learned from the first race. As of right now we are sitting 43rd in a 69 boat fleet so we are quite happy but still feel we can do better.

The begining of Sailing and the Language of Pattaya

I am starting to get into a routine in the mornings here at the yacht club. The Yacht club is great, the food is great, the beer is cheap (just like everything else...), and the view over the water is phenomenal. We sailed for 2, 2 hr sessions on my birthday, which was what I wanted to do, spending my birthday sailing in a tropical climate (I don't think this birthday will be topped for a while if at all). Its actually quite peaceful here once the sun goes down and cicadas stop screaming. On the 7th we went for a nice long sail, the wind was 12-15 knots, and the waves are steep and big, but that just adds to the fun. The wind seems to build throughout the day to usually peaking out around 10-15 knots and it usually hits that around 1pm and goes throughout the rest of the day. Beaching the boat will definitely be interesting if there are any kind of waves, we saw some 3 ft waves crashing on the beach about 5 minutes after we had gotten on shore and if we were still in th water we would've had some sketchy moments.
March 8 was measurement and it was a chaotic gong show. Our boat lost weight in the last 2 years and we had to put some lead corrector weights in the boat to get it up to weight. Our new sails weren't registered on our measurement certificate because we just got them the day before so that also added to our hassle. Measurement day may be evil, but its a necessary evil. In the evening we went into Pattaya to check out the sights, and wow, are there sights. Bar girls beckoning you to come drink at their bar, a males ego will not be as big as it is in Pattaya (well at least until you realise their motives, lol). We had dinner at a local restaurant, I had a real nice and spicy stir fry squid with chilli peppers dish. The total cost of that dinner for 11 people 1700 baht (included 11 large beers). We had a lot of fun touring the streets and I ended up picking up 2 boardshorts and 1 pair of flipflops for 500 baht (approx $17).
There is one more day of measurement and since we are all taken care of on that part we will be we will be heading into town and hitting up the go kart track, which should be a lot of fun. From here in Pattaya the hobbit says bye.

Bangkok to Pattaya

Morning
-Woke up unscathed, might have been the smart drinking of gatorade before sleeping, lol, yes hobbits are smart from time to time
-Hobbit Hotel Review
-Nothing Fancy, but when you are just sleeping in the hotel, who needs anything more.
-3 rings of power
-Rush hour? how about rush day, the traffic never seems to slow down.
-100 baht cab ride to the bus station
- we sat in traffic for 20 minutes before we drove around the block to the bus station, that was a little annoying, lol
-Bus Ride to Siracha cost us 117 baht each, and it was a airconditioned coach, which was nice.
-We then took a tuk tuk to the Tiger Zoo, only because they were right there.
-LOTS AND LOTS of Tigers and Crocodiles in the zoo
-Got to feed an elephant which was very cool, and interesting
-The baby elephant was very cute.
-Frank was a kid again looking at all the tigers
-Took a picture with a baby tiger and that was very very cool (the baby tiger was very cute)
-In the tiger show they had the tigers jump through fire hoops, it was very cool.
-In the croc show they had the crazy guy put his head in the crocs mouth, CRAZY!!!!!!
-In the elephant show they had the elephants play basketball, well they slammed the balls in the baskets, lol
-50 baht 2 bottles of water and 2 beer
-30 baht bus ride back to the siracha main road.
-1oo baht for the rest of the bus ride down to pattaya
-200 baht to turn a bus to a cab and take it to the yacht club (which was hard to find, the locals don't know what the club is)
-The Yacht Club is Stunning
-Will be using the Pool a lot
-The Food here at the yacht club is great, but I haven't had a bad meal yet.
-Pattaya will be interesting.

A Day in the Life of a Hobbit - Bangkok Style

(Notes taken during or slightly after events)
Night 1
-Cab ride (1100 baht, rip off, but hey still only $36), crazy driving, thought I was in "The Fast and the Furious the Short Film", but then I was introduced to the dark side of Bangkok and was given a slow drive down the prostitute street...
-VERY humid, hobbit melting weather
-The Watergate Hotel is very much basic but will do the job
-Feeling alone, but will get better when I meet up with Frank and the rest of the sailing crew.

Day 1
-Very Crazy here, hustle and bustle
-The Road "Laws" are more guidelines than anything else
-Can't really complain about the traffic in Calgary after being here for a day.
-North Americans would definately have trouble getting used to the traffic here
-When in Thailand you must take a tuk tuk just for the experience but the tuk tuk drivers will try and take advantage of you and you will pay a little more
-When taking a cab always ask for them to turn on the meter cause it will save you money.
-Went to the Grand Palace (Temple of the Emerald Buddha), the Sitting Buddha, the Standing Buddha, the Reclining Buddha, and The Temple of the Dawn.
-The word to describe them all is PHENOMENAL, I really enjoyed them just wish I had someone to share the experience with.
-Favorite was the Temple of the Dawn, it was the most unique and was a tall pyramid type structure with very tall steep steps (hard for hobbit legs to climb)

Night 2
-Met up with Frank and his tour group in the evening after a 2 hr nap (jetlag and pollution drained me)
-Had Dinner and then went out to Soh Can Road (don't hold me to the spelling)
-The evening was great, in the group that I went out with, there were 2 20 somehthing australian sisters, 1 mid 30's englishman, 1 20 something englishman, 1 20 something brazilian, and Frank and I.
-We picked up some booze from the 7 eleven (thats right) and walked up and down the street for a little bit, taking in all the sights (said no numerous times for pingpong shows)
-First bar was an open air bar and we shared 3L of Chang beer and it cost us 400 baht total
-The one "downside" to an open air bar is you get bugged by some roaming street vendors including little kids, just stay firm and say no
-The next bar had live music and was a blast, and again the theme is cheap beer :)
-We then went to a dance club and danced the night away
-Although the hobbit is need of dance lessons and will be taking applications for his dance partner ;) lol

A long flight for a short person

(Took notes, during and shortly after each event)
Woke up early on March 2, original flight from Calgary to Vancouver was delayed (10:10-10:45) so my layover in Vancouver wasn't much of a layover, it was more of a jog over to my next gate. My little hobbit legs got one last workout before I got on my 13 hr flight to Hong Kong.

Hobbiton now presents "The Hobbit In Flight Movie Review"

Dan in Real Life
-Starring Steve Carrol, Dane Cook, Juliet Binoche
-Dane Cook actually shows some good acting and depth in his role
-Carrol was alright but should stick to comedic roles
-Binoche pulled the movie out with her performance
-The Hobbit gives it 3 Rings of Power out of 5
The Game Plant
-Starring Duane "The Rock" Johnson, Roselyn Sanchez
-Token Disney Movie
-Formualic Plot
-Not enough Sanchez, lol.
-Rock manages to pull off a good performance with his charisma, too bad the story isn't great
-The Hobbit gives 1 Ring of Power
Jun0
-Starring Ellen Page, Michael Cera, Jason Bateman, Jennifer Garner
-Great Movie
- Off the wall but fun
-Ellen Page's Oscar nomination very very well deserved
-Michael Cera and Page's chemistry was awesome
-Knowing what Page looks like in a skin tight suit (Xmen), the wardrobe leaves a lot to be desired, lol.
-The Hobbit gives 4 Rings of Power.
In the Actors Studio (Feat John Cusack)
-Need to watch "High Fidelity"
-Lipton has underrated dry sense of humor
-Cusack is a cool guy
-"Putting Cameron Diaz in a cage with a Monkey... Thats a good day"

Meal Review
-TV Dinner Wannabe's
-Free Beer (Henieken, Molson Canadian, Coors Light) is Free Beer

Layover in Hong Kong
-The Hobbit is proud to announce that he got to the Hong Kong Airport before Starbucks (its under construction)
-Saw a Magnet for Happy Valley (you take that as you want to take that)
-Hobbits do not do well on 13 hour flights, even hobbit legs get cramped
-Still hasn't quite hit me that I'm not in Calgary
-The Flight plan for my flight from Vancouver to Hong Kong: North to Alaska and the Bearing Strait, then South through Russian and China airspace.

Thai Airways flight- Hong Kong to Bangkok
-Purple has never been used as it was inside the Thai Airways plane.
-Not much to report other than the colour was loud, and that I slept for most of the flight.

Bangkok Airport
-Busy, the customs was easy and not too busy.
-The architecture of Hong Kong and Bangkok airports are very similar, and very cool.

There and Back Again?

Well, hobbit here you are, its the night before you leave for a 3 week trip to Thailand...

Thats right the Hobbit is going to Thailand, where he will be at least average height, maybe even above average.... WOOHOOO!!!! The the itinerary for "There and Back Again: Sailing in Thailand" is as follows, leaving Calgary Sunday March 2 at 10:10am and will arrive in Bangkok via Vancouver and Hong Kong at 10:30pm on March 3. In doing so this hobbit will prove once and for all that hobbits can fly, they just need some assistance. It will be a 2 night stay in Bangkok, which will include visitation to the Wats(Temples) and other PG tourist activities (hobbits have always had troubles dealing with R rated activities). On March 5 the hobbit will meet up with his sailing partner Frank, and will then proceed to go south to Pattaya via the Sriracha Tiger Zoo. Finally reaching the Royal Varuna Yacht Club that evening. The Hobbit will then wake up on his birthday, March 6, and spend it on a beach (now thats a birthday). Now the actual Sailing event will begin with the Thailand Fireball Nationals/International Week which will run March 8-14, and the World Championships will run March 16-21. The hobbit will then come back to Calgary on March 22 via Hong Kong and Vancouver. The hobbit is looking forward to an amazing trip full of new experiences and fun times, hope you are ready to live through his exploits and adventures.

Note - For those who don't know, my nickname is the hobbit, and well I just can't seem to escape that fact, I seem to get some laughs out of being called hobbit, and well... we all know hobbits save the world, why not run with it.

North Americans Day 4 & 5, Layday, Worlds Day 1

Sorry for the long wait, but here is another post.
North Americans Day 4
Warm day with not much wind, we waited around for a while on the water which was okay because it was sunny, but still wasn't what I came here to do. Finally we got a race off, and that race was just another race like the most of the other races in this regatta, we struggled with boats speed and couldn't get out of the back of the fleet. Finishing 28th.
Off the Water we had a good dinner with some of the other sailors and had some competitive games of bocce where many disputes were settled by the use of a measuring string.
North Americans Day 5
We got skunked for wind and didn't get a race in. We finished 26th in the regatta and look to getting our boat speed up to par in the light wind races and move up in the standings for the Worlds.
The BBQ afterwards was great, the beer was flowing and people were having a great time, oh and by the way GO OILERS!!! There are some crazy characters at this regatta and we are having a great time here.
Layday
We really wished that there had been racing on the layday it was a great day, warm, mid 20's, and blowing a good 20 knots of wind. We started off the day at this great diner called Floyds, where a lot of the menu items were named after different TV and movie stuff. Great food, amazing atmosphere and will be on my must return to list. We then went tourist shopping and looked at all the cheezy tourist shops which is a lot of fun. We then went back to the Rooftop Patio at the Sticky Wicket in the Strathcona Hotel, which is a cool place to eat. Afterwards we headed back and made a huge dinner, and watched the movie Casanova, which is very cheezy.
Worlds Day 1
No wind all day until 4:00 and we went out and didn't get a start in until 5:00 but we ended up having 2 General Recalls so it was another 20 minutes until we actually started a race. Upwind we found the boat speed we had on Day 3 of the North Americans and rounded the top mark 14th, we lost one boat on the reach, then went left on the downwind and halfway down that leg, the wind started to shift and we started to pass boats and were up to 2nd at one point, but the wind didn't stop there, it kept on shifting and screwed us over and we rounded the bottom mark DFL(Dead Fuckin Last). The wind continued to be screwy and shifted right back to where it started and that was enough for the race committee and they called the race and we were towed back into shore and the wind had begun to die and it was getting late, we got back to the dock at around 7:30.
Off the Water, it was Swiss Night and we had Free Wine and Cheese to go along with a presentation from the Swiss, showing the venue and some of the details about next years worlds which is going to be at Silvaplana which is near St Moritz. I would really like to go there but the Worlds in 2 years intrigues me more, Thailand, I won't miss that worlds, if I can sail, I will be there.