This video was taken of me during a great, windy training session we had last week. The other boat in the video is my training partner Ricardo Montemayor who sails for Mexico (MEX). It is days like this that just do not come often enough to English Bay. But when they do you have to jump on them. On this day I did the double session. But now Vancouver is back to lots of rain and not so much wind.

Kyle

Dale Jepsen One Design Regatta Write up in 48° North

This Write up from the Dale Jepsen One Design Regatta appeared in the November 2011 issue of 48° North on page 38 and 39. 

Bluenose Regatta

The Bluenose regatta and the Royal Vancouver club champs were held out of the Kits Yacht Club. Day one brought no wind in the morning. We were postponed till around 1:00. The first race got under way in a really light easterly but by the last leg the wind had done a 180 and we were beating up wind in a nicely building westerly. The next three races were sailed in about a 6-10kt westerly. It was some good English bay racing with the beach paying as it most always does. Then it was down to Kits Yacht Club for after sailing homemade chili and fresh baked bread. I had a good solid day, three 2^nds and a 3^rd I was sitting in 2^nd just one point out of first

The morning of day two there was not a breath of wind to be had. The race committee did try to get a race off at the scheduled time of 12:00 but it ended in abandonment. Then we just played the waiting game till 2:30 when a bit of a westerly came in with a lot of south in it. We were able to get one shifty race in before the 3:00 time limit. I was 3^rd right behind my dad. It had been a long cold day of sitting around but it was nice to get a race off. After sailing it was back to Kits Yacht Club for more leftover chili and awards. Ricardo won 1st was 2^nd and my Dad completed the podium finishing 3^rd. Full results can be found here.

It was another great bluenose regatta with light wind, some tricky racing and as always awesome homemade food.

Kyle martin 

CYA National Sailing Championships Training

CYA National Sailing Championships

The CYA National Sailing Championships regatta was held at the St. Margarita Bay Sailing Club between Sept-28th and Oct-1st. I finished 16th out of 22 boats. The regatta results can be found here.

Ricardo and I flew out four days before the event started. The first day there was not a breath of wind so we unloaded our boats from the trailer and did not sail. Later on that night Al (my coach) got in after multiple flight delays. The next day brought more of the team and enough wind to sail. We had a great session sailing, at the end the wind swung a round and we got some hiking breeze out of the SW. There was more of the same the next day and we got great training in with some really good sailors. The day before the regatta started we went out for a shorter session and it was by far the best wind we had had so far.

The first day of the event brought winds of about 10-14kts. I had a good first race after which I had some good up winds and some slow down winds. I was not overly happy with the way I sailed. Day 2 brought almost a carbon copy of the first day and I sailed about the same. On day three I was just hoping for something different and I got just that. We woke up to some serious fog but by the time we were to start racing it had burned off a little. There was 12kts for the start of the first race then it built to a round 18kts by the end of the day. This was my best day so far, I could finally make the boat go. My results got better throughout the day although my down winds were still nothing special. The last day was a lot like the first two; I had a good start although I was OCS. Despite that it was a good race and I was happy with how I sailed.

Overall the event was excellent. We had great accommodation as we were staying a 30sec walk from the sailing club and we had our own launch ramp and dock right outside of the place we were renting.

As for right now I am happy to be home and looking forward to spending some time here which is something I have not done in a long long time.

Dale Jepsen One Design Regatta

The Dale Jepsen One Design Regatta was held in Bellingham Harbor out of the Bellingham Yacht Club on the weekend of September 17 and 18. There were 17 boats entered in the laser fleet.

Day one brought around 20kts building as the day went on. The wind was shifty and unstable we got three races off before the wind got to be too much and the race committee sent us in. My scores the first day were 1,1,2.

On day two the race committee held us on shore for an hour because it was too windy. By the time we went out the wind had died off to about 18kts and it would continue to die throughout the day. There were 5 races run with the last two almost drifters. In fact the wind did completely die on our sail in. My results from day two were 1,2,1,6,3. I won the event with 10 points between me and the boat in second. The event results can be found here.

CYA Youth National Sailing Championships

The CYA Youth National Sailing Championships were held at the St. Margaret Sailing Club, between August 26 and September 1st. There were 15 boats entered in the laser fleet. The first two days were a training camp. We had wind and a good training session the first day but the next day there was a hurricane predicted to blow through so the organizers canceled training for the day. Our Royal Vancouver team went out anyways and it was a great day of training although the wind was really starting to pick up during our sail in. After all the preparation for the hurricane it was downgraded to a tropical storm and almost missed us altogether.

 For the first day of racing there was still a bit left over weather from the storm the day before and there was around 18 kts. The race committee got two races off, I finished 1st and 2nd respectively. The wind was out of the SW and it paid to go left.

The next few days saw the breeze lightening and swinging N as the passing storm had sucked the sea breeze out with it. The last day of racing brought one really light race in the morning then the wind swung around to the SW and the last race of the event was sailed in a fresh sea breeze.

 I won the event with a 9 point gap to 2nd. The event results can be found here. I am looking forward to heading back to Halifax for the CYA National Sailing Championships next week.

CYA Youth Champs

Write up in the local paper after the second day of racing at the CYA Youth Champs.

Up to date results can be found here

CORK Olympic Classes Regatta

CORK Olympic Classes Regatta started out great for me with my first race a 5th. The weather at this event was ok. The first day brought some wind for the first two races then dying for the last one. Day two brought thunder shower warnings and great wind, We got one start off just as the lighting started and it wasn't long before the race committee blew off the race and we returned to dry land. That was it for day two. On the third day we got one race off right away. There was ok wind for this one. I had a good start near the pin and headed to the left witch had been the favored side all week. I had good upwind speed I finished up 8th. Then there was a wind shift and it took two hours to reset the course. We got one more race off before the wind started to do circles. On day four the race committee was in makeup mode. We did four races in four hours. I did not have the best day, but it also was not the worst day. The wind was about 10-12kts and a little shifty. Last day, day five. When we get to the club the AP flag is up and there is great wind really great wind. Well it turns out that the race committee thought that there was too much to race in. According to the coach that went out there was only 20-22 kts. That was it- they called off the day. What sailing we did get I think was excellent training. I ended up 15th overall and top junior. Results can be found here. Now we are off the CYA Youth Champs in Halifax.

CORK International

CORK International was held in Kingston at the Portsmouth Olympic Harbor which is a fantastic place to sail. Most of the summer there are good winds out of the west, but not for the first three day of racing this time. Day one was ok wind was out of the north east, it was very shifty and there were some very big puffs. All three of our starts where really pin favoured, the first one you could not make on starboard. I made it work and I came out of the day with three bullets. On day two the wind started out coming from the west. We got one race off before the wind completely died. I managed to work my way to the front and win the race. We sat on the water for a long time but did not get any more races off. Day three was a lot like day oneand we did five races I got a 4th in the first and bullets in the rest. It was definitely the kind of wind that keeps you on your toes. On day four we finally got the wind that we had all been expecting. It was out of the west at 10-15 kts. There was only time to get off 2 races. I finished 2nd and 1st accordingly. I won the event with 9 points over the 11 races including two drops. Results can be found here. This event was a great tune up event for CORK OCR which starts in two days.

Laser Junior Worlds

Write up by my coach Al Clark

We decided after the good experience last year in Hayling Island , UK, that we would go again to the Jr Standard Worlds (under 21) this year in La Rochelle. The Mens Radials Worlds were held in conjunction.

We had Alexander Heinzman, Ricardo Montemayor and Kyle Martin in the Standard Rigs. In the Radial we had Alex Kroitzch, Gabe Frame and Cameron Ho.

The plan was to fly to Paris and drive down 400kms to La Rochelle, we ended up with 5 in the car with Alex H driving from Germany and meeting us on July 12th . Lilliah Martin (Kyle's Mum) had booked us 2 nice apartments right beside the marina and we were happy to have full kitchens in both. We did all our grocery shopping the first day and were out training for 4 days prior to the start of the event on the 18th July.

Of course the weather was sunny , warm and light breezes for the early training, that changed to the opposite by the weekend.
The wind came and eventually the rain and stayed for the regatta with the exception of the last day, when we still had plenty of breeze but with sunny skys, ( a nice way to end an excellent event).

The racing was pretty standard for a Worlds, 2 races a day running about an hour or so long, generally we started around noon, (they posted the schedule each night at 6).

The routine was awake 3 hours before sailing, then breakfast, then walk to the dock,get course assignment, rig the boats, get all gear to coach boat , sail to the race course, plan to be there 30 to 45 min before the first start , (the fleets were split into 3 starts).

So the racing commenced and it soon was clear that Ricardo and Alex were well in the hunt, (they were posting single digit results all thru the qualifying series). Kyle had also improved greatly since last year and was in the low teens many races.

The Radial boys were in tough with a high calibre fleet , (some were full rig sailors too old for the Jr Worlds), but improved daily and hung in till the end.

As the regatta heated up fine tuning was needed to increase boat speed in the heavy air, as well as a lot of work on starting techniques. The boys worked as a team each evening and as we got to the club each morning to help each improve, (it was a pleasure to have such a agreeable group of sailors).

In the end Alex H had a super event finishing 12th , (very close to the top 10), Ricardo was 20th and Kyle was 67th in a 147 boat fleet. Excellent results and both Alex and Kyle will have another chance next year.

Alex , Gabe and Cam learned heaps about big fleets at a worlds in heavy air and had very respectable results for their age and experience. Mostly I think it was the experience of living together in a foreign land competing against the best in the world.
With close to 300 sailors with many coaches and parents at the site and it was quite a spectacle.

Always nice to see our up and coming sailors representing the club in a fine fashion on the world stage.

Al Clark

ISAF Youth Worlds

ISAF Youth Worlds
Report from Kyle Martin
The 2011 ISAF Youth Worlds were held in Zadar, Croatia from July 7 - July 16. I was sailing radial, a change from my usual full rig so was hoping for big winds. There were two sailors, Natalie Montemayor and Kyle Martin from Royal Vancouver YC as well as a team in 420 and 29er from back east. There were 49 countries represented in the boys Radial fleet and 41 in the girls.

For the first 3 days there was check in, training, and a practice race. The winds were light, 3 - 7kts and the temperature was in the high 30's. The opening ceremonies were spectacular. They were done from a barge at night with a "Beatles Yellow Submarine" theme. I got to carry the flag for Canada so was taken to the barge by boat. There was an incredible fireworks display with hundreds of people from the town crowding along the sea wall to watch.

The first 3 days of racing were in the same very light wind and high temperature. The race committee managed to get off all the scheduled raced despite some long days on the water. By the time the lay day came around we were all starting to think that it would never get windy.

On our lay day we did touristy things. We walked in to the old part of town, which is still surrounded by ancient walls. We walked up the spiral stairs of an old bell tower and got an amazing view of the city.

Racing the next day (day 4) was in the same very light winds but for the last 2 days the wind came up. We had 16kts for the first race on day 5 building to 18kts for the second race. I finally got to hike and I led to the first mark and finished 5th. Day 6 also had wind, with me finishing a 9th in one race, so it was a great way to finish up the regatta. Natalia sailed very well finishing 21st overall with her best result a 3rd on the last day. I finished 38th overall. I had a lot more fun in the wind and was wishing the entire event was windy.

Waves

Sailed my radial in waves and used it as a tune up event for youth worlds. I was pleased with the way that I sailed. The winds were light for all but 1 of the races and in that race I finshed 2nd. Overall  I was 6th tied for 5th.

Laser Canadians

Laser Canadians where held at Wabamun sailing club in Alberta. Al, Ric and I drove up, Ric and I camped on site. I think that this was the most fun event that I have done this year. There was great wind (18-20 kts) and every day we sailed 4 races a day that were around an hour each. I finished 2nd dropping a 3rd with my best race being a 1st.  Ric won the event.

District 6 champs

Good event but there was no wind the first day and we did not get any races off. The second day brought the wind in at 1 o clock on the nose, we got 4 races off.  I won all of them!

Kitten Cup

See my coach’s write up

Elvstrom Zellerbach Regatta

Elvstrom Zellerbach Regatta hosted by St. Francis Yacht Club was a fantastic event. The team drove down to San Francisco for the weekend. We left Thursday afternoon, drove to Portland that night, and then down to San Francisco the next night. The first day of the regatta brought lighter wind for the start of the first race quickly building as the day went on. I finished 12th in the first race. The second race brought more wind and more current, the current was out going, dragging you over the start line. This made for some fast up wind and long downwind legs. I was 10th in that race. By race 3 the wind was really starting to blow at over 20k. I had an ok start and got to the top mark in good shape, I think top ten. I then sailed a great down wind and went round the right gate. From this point on it was pretty much a drag race although I was able to make up one more spot on the next leg. I finished 4th in the last race of the day.

Day 2 brought more wind and 3 more races. I sailed a solid first race finishing 10. I could have sailed the downwind better. I tried to work my way in to shore to get out on the current but it did not come back with any great favors. The 2nd race was respectable. I sailed well and had better down wind speed and tried to just keep the boat rolling through the waves. It seemed to come together and I ended up 5th. By race 3 well over half the fleet had packed it in. I sailed an ok first half and a bad last beat ending up 8th in that race, which is the same place I finished over all out of 27 boats. We packed up the trailer and were out of San Francisco by 5:30. We drove to the Oregon border where we stopped for the night and then finished the drive home on Monday.

Laser Midwinters West Training

Laser Midwinters West

Laser midwinter west was a great event. We got to California YC four days before the regatta was to start for some excellent training. Despite colder than average temperatures we still managed to have a fantastic time.

The first day of the regatta brought 12 kts for the first race then building to 17 kts by the end of the day. My racing went well with solid finishes of 9th, 10th, and 8th.

Day 2 brought light air for the first race then building for the 2nd and 3rd before dying completely for the last. My results for the day were 4th, 10th, 21st, and 17th.

Day 3 started out with an AP as we waited for the wind to fill in. After 20 min there was enough to start and they got our first race going. I finished 6th. There was a little more wind for the next race and I finished 12th.

I was happy with the way I sailed this event and pleased with my 10th place over all finish. You can find results here on the regatta site.

skiing

With the lack of wind and no one to train with I went up skiing for the weekend.

Miami OCR

The regatta is over and I am packing up to head home. Over all it was a good event as the conditions were great. We had wind almost every day. The race committee did a terrific job getting off all the races that were scheduled. You can find results here

MIami

Well I made it to Miami, it is nice to see temperatures in the double digits- 25 C. Got in two days ago and today was my first day sailing. The weather was great and there was a bit of wind maybe in the 10-15kt range as well as  a lot of great people to sail against. Over all it is pretty pleasant here.

So I am back from Christmas vacation, have been sailing 2 days this week. The weather here has been nothing special not a lot of wind and still cold, although it has been really sunny. I have loaded my boat and it is ready to head to Miami. I have got a week of training and then the Miami OCR, updates on the regatta can be found on the regatta website. I will have some updates on my site too.