It’s a Wrap

From Left to right:
Peter Shope (3rd), Arnoud Hummel (2nd)
Brett Beyer (1st) Scott Ferguson (4th) Gunni Pedersen (5th)

The last morning started with thunder and lightening and then the conditions that Scott usually thrives in – light and shifty. So, what happened I asked? Scott’s reply, ‘ok, it begins with a very bad start.’ Scott does not often get relegated to the second row within seconds after a start but in this race, it happened and it went downhill fast. As Scott said, ‘The middle of the fleet sucks!’ His finish was a 28^th – his worst finish of the series.

In the final race of the event, Scott found himself pinned at the favored end of the starting line. Anyone that knows Scott knows that in a big fleet, the last place that he wants to fight for is the most favored spot – it’s too high risk. Regardless, he was there and found himself sailing off the line in the bad air of Peter and Arnoud. Eventually, they both peeled away leaving Scott to fight his way out of the left. Scott ended up rounding the weather mark in 10^th only to hit the mark in the process – can it get any worse? Well, to his amazing credit, he was able to slowly tick them off and soon found himself in 5^th place, neck and neck with Peter. Along the way he saw Brett  and said, ‘What are you doing here?’ Brett said, ‘Oh, I’m just out for a sail.’ Because Brett had had an awesome first race, his overall win was sealed which meant he could have sailed in without racing the last race but once the fleet reached the shore, the score sheet showed Brett with a BFD (Black flag-over early) in race #1. The boat numbers that had been black flagged were not posted on the water but Brett had had an inkling so he sailed the extra race just in case. Good thing for him!

At the end of the regatta Scott had no regrets. Even though his last day of racing was his worst he came in with a smile. He’s a true sportsman - he has ultimate respect for his comrades and especially those that finished better than he.

Good friends.

As we packed up to go, Scott was in the car waiting and asked that I do one last double check of the apartment. All I can say is that, while it wasn’t fancy, it was just perfect…the view was amazing and the sound of the crashing waves each night, mesmerizing. I was sad to say “adieu” to our adorable property manager Andre, and even sadder when I closed the door on the sound of the ocean. As I turned the key, my eyes welled up and I stopped for a moment, then ran back in and opened the porch doors one last time as if to capture the sound forever. So many good memories, so many amazing people and yes, I need to be near the ocean.

View from our deck.

Final Results

Deux amoureux de la Suisse

Day 6 – Game On!

Peter Vessella, Peter Shope, Emilio Castelli, Scott Ferguson

It was more of the same today, strong breeze and big waves. Scott was able to pull off a 2, 4 and Peter Shope a 3, 2 but with another throw out allowed, Scott moves just ahead of Peter into 3^rd place overall, only four points out of 2^nd.  As far as being able to reach Brett Beyer in 1^st place overall well… it would take a last day of lighter and shiftier conditions, as Brett is a freight train in the breeze!

(Read a little more about Brett Beyer of Australia - click here.)

Conserving energy pre race

At the end of the day, Scott was most happy with his 4^th place finish, as it was hard earned. At the start he had a solid line site, was set up on the middle of the line but had a moments hesitation. The guy above him sheeted in a second early, just enough to roll over Scott. Not a usual spot for the Ferg to be in! He spent the first quarter of the beat looking for lanes and ducking transoms. At the weather mark he was deep, somewhere in the high teens. Ah, but fast forward to the last leeward mark and he was back up into 5^th place right behind Steven Schraffordt of the Netherlands. Scott stayed with him for a bit but then peeled off to the left, having to ease the vang in the tack - yup, it was that tight! Knowing that the committee boat was favored, Scott knew that he would likely converged with Steven in the middle so best to add a high-speed duck into the layline call! As it was it played out just so and Scott was able to duck Steven’s transom with enough left in it to shoot the line and cross in 4^th.

Newport's Fleet 413 battling at the top!

At this point in the game every point counts and in Scott’s mind, he knew that his 4^th place could have been an ugly one and having been over early in one race and death rolling in another … he was all smiles to have come out of that one unscathed!

Current Results

Le Gouverneur du port de Hyères

Day 5 - The windiest day so far!

http://www.thomtouw.com/

Hyères unrolled the welcome mat today and showed us what she’s really made of - epic conditions with lots of big wind and huge breaking waves!

This morning Scott’s intensity was palpable; he was completely focused and moving throughout the apartment as if on a mission. In the mornings I usually drop him off and don’t hang around but this morning, I had a feeling that I should hang around just in case he might need me to run and get something last minute. Sure enough, after his boat was rigged, with minutes to spare before going out, he went to put on all of his gear and realized that he didn’t have his long wetsuit pants as I had moved them the night before! With no time to run home, not to mention it totally being my fault, I sprinted to the traveling gear shop and grabbed the LAST pair of Zhik pants from the rack (which happened to be the right size), handed the woman my credit card as collateral and said that I would be right back as there was no time to wait in line.

Results from the day: Scott ripped off two 3rd place finishes AND his butt stuck to the deck – thank you Zhik!

Peter Seidenberg of Newport Fleet 413

While everyone was rigging up I paid a visit to the maestro himself, Peter Seidenberg. This man is almost 77 years old, has 9 World titles to his name and man can he sail a Laser! I remember watching him race against the hotshot kids in Clearwater, FL. and right off the starting line he schooled them. He hiked harder than anyone out there and was quickly launched out in front. It seems that the windier it gets, the better he gets. I don’t think that anyone, who hasn’t sailed a laser, can totally appreciate the physical agility and strength that it takes to master the art of sailing a Laser "well." Sure, anyone can plant themselves on the weather rail of a Laser and go for the ride, but to sail one well? No words, but tough! Hats off to Peter Seidenberg … you inspire us all! 

Peter is currently in 5th place out of 78 competitors in the Great Grand Master radial fleet.

Current Results

              Belle Marie de Bruxelles

Day 4 - An almost perfect day!

A good day for this trio!
(Andy Roy, Peter Shope and Scott Ferguson -sans his treasured OTUSA hat)

Breeze was up again today and Scott was having an awesome day until he death-rolled. For those of you who might not know what a “death roll” is, it's when you fall backwards and the boat and sail flip over on top of you. It's a totally helpless feeling and not a quick one to recover/get upright from.

Classic "death roll"

(photo by Thom Touw)

After winning the first race Scott was on fire and on his way to a second win. All he had to do was finish the run, turn the gybe mark to a short reach and wind up around the leeward mark and he was home-free up a short beat to the finish.

On the final run, he had a significant lead of about 15 boat lengths when he got a little too aggressive coming off of a wave and slipped a butt cheek, lost his balance and couldn't recover and in he went. He even tried to save his winning AC Oracle Team USA hat but to no avail. That move alone probably cost him a point but I suppose it was a sentimental knee-jerk moment. Once he got up and running he found himself neck and neck with Otto Strandvig of Denmark fighting for 3rd place. He shot the finish line hoping for a 3rd but ended up in 4th.

A big shout out to Peter Shope of Newport, RI. who finished the day in the Masters fleet with a 2, 1 and to Andy Roy of Canada who finished in the Grand Master fleet with a 1,3!

Current results

Caniche de la Côte d'Azur!

Race Day 3 - A little different look

Well, the day started with a scramble. There was a serious downpour followed by thunder and then the power went out. I looked at Scott and said, “What about the parking gate?”

Ok, let me back up a bit… we have this cute little studio apartment right on the beach and although it’s small, r-e-a-l-l-y small, it has a view to die for. Our kitchen is more like a galley and with the doors open and the sound of the waves, we feel like we are back on the boat cruising. With that said, it is also a bit rustic and things move at a bit of a slower pace so finding someone to let us out of the gate wasn’t looking good. Alas, in true Ferguson fashion, the tailspin was on! We were able to locate an old bike with barely any air in the tires and Scott was off in the rain, dressed in his sailing gear for the 30-minute sprint.

The day brought a bit more breeze and two more races. Scott was totally psyched to sail in having scored two 2^nd place finishes only to find out that he had been “over early” in the first race. I asked him what happened and he said that he was late in getting set up and ended up setting up near the committee boat with a huge pack underneath him. He felt that they were pushing the line too early so he dropped back a boat length. He had lost his line sight and hoped that someone below was onto it and that he held back enough but apparently not. Eight boats were called over and he was one of them. Ah, C’est la vie!

In both races he fought hard with Brett Beyer of Australia but Brett was clearly the dominant one in the breeze. Scott is top 5 when it comes to heavy-air boat speed but feels that he needs more variable conditions mixed in to be able to win amongst this Master fleet powerhouse.

The forecast is showing for more of the same conditions and even building later in the week. So far, the ice and ibuprofen are helping out!

Les chiens sur le Port de Hyeres

Race Day 2 – Long Day, Late Start

Waiting for wind made for a long day and a late start.  At 4:00 pm the flags were raised and by 5:00 pm race #2 of the series was on.  Ferg watched the Apprentice fleet sail the first beat and all was obvious in his mind, according to the forecast and what he could see, the left was favored and so the left it would be. 

Check out the breeze at 6:00 pm - slight right phase.

The line seemed square so Scott started in his favorite, low-density spot - the middle.  At the gun he sailed off with Arnoud just off his weather hip where he was pretty happy until he noticed the far right guys winding up on the inside. Arnoud hung for a while on Scott’s hip until he was forced to tack away. With the right looking really good Scott went into his “minimizing the damage mode.” In his words, “You have two choices: A) Take a lot of transoms trying to get to the right and spend your time fighting for a lane or B) Chip away. You can only do what you can do with the breeze you are in and the breeze that you can get to. Most importantly, stop thinking about ITA with the blue life jacket and how he is doing compared to you. Start to imagine that it is only you on the race course and missile lock in on the puffs and your immediate opportunities.” He chose option "B".

Scott arrived at the weather mark in about 26^th place along with the latter half of the fleet all cramming to get around. Struggling through the crowd and trying to find a lane was tough and the group at the leeward mark was, in Scott’s words, “an even bigger cluster fu@! than the weather mark.”

Scott is usually super fast in these conditions but being bunched in the pack, finding clear air was the key. At the leeward mark he knew that he didn’t have the best race going but despite the rattling first beat, he saw that the breeze was coming left. The water was darker up to the left and now it was a matter of getting through the mass of boats to get to it. He cracked off a bit and waited patiently for the masses to peel away. After digging in 2/3rds of the way up he had clear air and could start playing the puffs. I think that being able to read the breeze and how it’s moving across the water is an art and I do know that Scott is very attentive as to how the breeze is moving and knows when to go for it and when to hold back. As it was, he gained back 10 boats on that upwind leg, whittling his place down to 17^th. He then focused on ticking them off downwind. After catching four more downwind he came upon a cluster of three sailing super high on the reach and was able to pass the three-pack on the final beat landing him a 9^th place finish. The conditions were light and choppy and he knew he was fast but the first beat pretty much sealed the deal.

What’s your walk away from this? His answer, “You make mistakes and have to move on. Focus on the next thing. It’s a long regatta.” Then he smiled and said, “And I love being interviewed by my lovely wife.”

To date Scott stands in 7th place only five points out of 1st place and in good company with some very strong players!

Results

About 5:00 pm

Getting late ...  around 6:30 pm

Race Day 1- So Many Sailors, So Little Wind

Just a few of the Radials

A long day was spent onshore waiting for breeze. The forecast looked grim and Scott had packed his boat up half expecting the day to be called off. We then drove home and went for a walk on the beach. As we arrived home Scott realized that he had left his life jacked at home ... good thing we went home!

At about 2:30 pm Scott saw that the breeze was up at the airport so we headed back down to the event. At 3:00 pm the guns started firing and the flag calisthenics began. Instead of the scheduled Apprentice fleet starting first (which would have given the Masters group another half hour to prep) the flags were signaling for the Master class to head out ASAP. The frenzy began and Scott worked to keep his head together and just do what he normally does, “stick to the basics as it’s pretty easy to get distracted by the fact that this is a world championship. It was hard to stay focused on what I normally do especially with being rushed into a race that I had all but packed up and thought wasn’t going to happen.”

The Master Standard fleet is broken up into two fleets which alternate daily. For race #1 Scott and his archrival and good friend, Arnoud Hummel of the Netherlands were in the same fleet. Both Scott and Arnoud hold two World Championship titles each.

On the race course the breeze was shifting right which caused the race committee to change the line several times. Once things settled in, Scott wasn’t sure when and if the breeze would swing back left so he went for the middle of the line. Again, stick to the basics: clean start, hike like hell and look for pressure.

At the start, Scott saw the fleet pushing hard and many set up way too early so he ducked down, found a spot on the line with no one on either side of him where he was able to hang back in clean air. At the gun, the breeze was at about 12 knots and Scott was in clean air and hiking hard. He often hikes really hard for the first two minutes with just a few quick glances over his shoulders. He then looks for pressure and when he looked over his right shoulder he saw that he could cross the fleet and be lined up for pressure on the right. Once he tacked and was well into the pressure he tacked back to consolidate. At this point he was launched out in front and chose to play the middle to cover both sides. Soon he could see the guys on the far edges of each side closing in.  As he came into the weather mark he met up with Arnoud who had started at the pin end. They continued overlapped 1,2 around the second mark. Downwind, Scott was able to grab a puff and break free, which put him out ahead of Arnoud by about three boat lengths. He was then able to extend another three boat lengths and finish the race in first place.

Amazingly enough, finishers #1 and #2 in the each of the two standard master fleets are all former world champions! (Brett Beyer/AUS, Arnoud Hummel/NED, Al Clark/CAN and Scott Ferguson/USA) It’s going to be an exciting series for sure with a mix of conditions expected!

Scott Ferguson, USA

Arnoud Hummel, NED

Photos by Thom Touw 

la Plage à Hyères

Each year on our anniversary we seem to find ourselves at a Laser Master World Championship. Scott and I have both competed in Brazil, England, and Spain and this year we celebrate 28 years of marriage in France! La vie est belle, n’est-ce pas? This year, as in the last two events, Scott will be on his own and I, his trusty Sherpa.  I have decided that I am too small to compete against men larger than me in a radial but just learned that there is a 4.7 fleet that has been added to the competition so that just might change things for me in the future.

On Friday, Scott and I arrived in Hyères via Boston, Munich, Marseille then car.  While it took us a while to get to the venue, it proved to be a good thing as when we arrived to register, the lines were gone and it took only an hour to get Scott’s boat measured in and ready to go. While we were getting things in order a lovely French bird pooped on my shoulder and much to Scott’s disgust, I started laughing and declared that to be good luck. He’s not sure about that but I think it’s a sign!

The event this year is huge with over 500 competitors representing 25 countries. In the laser “Standard Master” fleet alone there are 116 competitors with four past world champions included. So, Scott has assured me that his work is cut out and that the bird poop doesn't mean Sh@#%.

On The Road to Hyères

Scott and Dan after a breezy session on Narragansett Bay

Preparation, preparation, preparation. I am constantly amazed at the work ethic and the training that Scott puts into everything that he does. When most of us are so beat at the end of a workday and have every possible excuse to grab that beer or call it quits for a quick power nap on the couch, there is Scott wheeling his boat down the hill for a quick session. Last week I was yelling out to him that we were due to be at a dinner party in one hour and what was he doing suiting up to go sailing? He smiled and said, ‘Just going out for 20 tacks and 20 gybes.’

The "Master" division (age 45-54) at the Worlds is once again the largest fleet and in fact, this will be the largest fleet ever with 119 competitors, not to mention that there will be six past world champions in that fleet as well!

Part of Scott's preparation is finding strong training partners and one of his favorites is Dan Neri of North Sails (seen above) They both share a love of road biking and Laser sailing and often cross train together. Unfortunately Dan will not be at the Worlds but I know that there will be constant banter back and forth via email.

For me, I will not be sailing but rather brushing up on my high school French, which started with how to pronounce “Hyères”

How to pronounce Hyères - click here!