We catch up with our very own Greg Griffin after his win at the Bloody Mary Regatta, hosted by Western Carolina Sailing Club on Lake Hartwell in Anderson, SC.
Karl Felger: What conditions did you encounter at the event, and how did you set up the boat in preparation?
Greg Griffin: The conditions were forecast to be light at 3-8 mph, so we had two shims in back to get about 1.75 inches of prebend. All of our settings were within the ranges we provide in the Evolution Sails Thistle Tuning Guide, but this was what I was paying most attention to given the light forecast. I wanted to be sure we were matching the mast bend to the luff curve for the light air.
KF: Tell us about your team, their positions and how you interact with them during the race.
GG: Mark Reddaway and I sailed two-up for this event, so he does the work of two crew most of the time. We have a lot of time together in the boat and practice a tactical feedback loop where we are in constant communication on what we see up the course.
KF: What was the biggest contributor to your success at the event?
GG: We had terrific boat-speed and execution on the races with more breeze(the second two on Saturday and the first on Sunday). In the lighter, more volatile conditions of the first and last races, we were able to rely on confidence in our boat-handling and decision-making to sail pretty conservatively and not take too much risk. While these would be our worst scores(6 and 4), we took little risk in the volatile conditions.
KF: Can you give us some insight on what made you and your team so fast?
GG: We would utilize the mainsheet tension and vang to bend the mast and then match the changes with the cunningham and jib halyard to keep the draft in the proper spot as we went through the gears in the changing velocity. The boat-speed advantage made the decision-making easier in these three races and we were able to win all 3.
KF: What are the top 3 things you and your team do to make the boat go fast?
GG: We have really worked hard this year to fine-tune the sail shape changes as we transition through the 'gears'. This has resulted in more dynamic adjustment of not only the mainsheet, vang and jib sheet, but also the cunningham and jib halyard tension to move the draft back forward as the previous controls are tightened.
KF: How did the Evolutions Sails inventory and team help your performance at the event?
GG: We spent a lot of time in the lead-up to Nationals this year dialing in our sail shape manipulation and understanding the limits of trim with the latest Fisher designs. The analysis and continued refinement of our skills has resulted in the dynamic adjustment becoming second nature. It has developed a muscle and brain memory so to speak as we encounter changes in the conditions. Our testing also resulted in a number of refinements that we have introduced into the sails to fine tune their performance.
Pictures from the event, courtesy of Rick Fontenot, can be found on the WCSC website: https://www.wcsc-sailing.org/content.aspx?page_id=187&club_id=611309
