After five days of training on Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, Ireland's single Melges 24 team finally kicked off the Melges 24 US Nationals aboard Conor Clarke's "Embarr".
Representing Dun Laoghaire, the team aboard - Nathan Wilmot (helm), David Hughes (tactician) Conor Clarke (pit), Shona Wilmot (bow) and Prof O'Connell (spi trim) were itching to get going having being third overall at the world championships last May.
Here Prof gives his first instalment from Wisconsin.
It was typical lake racing - very very shifty with big variations in windspeed across very short stretches of water. "Hero to Zero" and occasionally "Zero to Hero" experiences were many!
Racing is very very tight, plenty of individual recalls, a few general recalls, a few "Z" flags, crowded top marks and some collisions too. The legs were only one mile long so boathandling was key - as well as raw speed.
We took a 4th and a 3rd in the first two races and were a little disappointed. We lost at least one boat in each of those races quite close to the finish where we missed two gusts - not clever but that's how close it was out there.
Race 3 wasn't looking too flash for us either after doing a 360 degree penalty turn after the start for fouling a starboard tacker when we tried a very narrow cross on port whilst wriggling out of the start. However, we turned on the afterburners on that race thereafter and managed to win it after leading at the first mark. What a comeback!
Race 4 - we were relieved (if not happy!) to finish 6th, having been outside the top ten at one point following a dodgy kite set. We had a problem with the bowsprit extender line at the first spinnaker set and the five seconds it took to fix, cost us 10 places.
So, we are 2nd overall, two points behind the leader former US Yachtsman Of The Year Bora Gulari racing "Air Force One" with Nathan's brother Jeremy aboard calling tactics.
We expect to have three races tomorrow under the stewardship of PRO Hank Stuart whose team did a great job today.
Live mark rounding positions and results are being carried on www.sailingupdates.com <http://www.sailingupdates.com> .
More tmow folks - heading for a rest now after a long day on the water!
