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Sailor;
Kevin Lim
After
13 days of preparation on the bay of Doha Kevin and boat were ready to
start the Games.
During the training we knew that the boat speed was good, so we were
confident in a good result.
After a cold and wet opening ceremony with huge impressive fireworks the
competition could start.
Location; Doha, Qatar.
Doha is an old fisher
village build till a city during the last
5 years with high buildings and wide lanes. The desert climate
gives sunny days with NW breeze of 10 knots every day.
According the Qataris it rains only one day p year, but we had 9 days of
rain with streets full of water.
The competition;
Day
1, 5/12/06
Race
1; Start 11.00 hours
A nice breeze 8knts from wind direction
280 and shifting to 300.
Kevin started out the pin-end and took soon after the start the lead,
which he kept till the finish with 200 m in front of number 2.
Shortly before the second race the starting vessel published that Kevin
with 4 other countries SIN/PAK/CHN/BRN had OCS for early start which
means he couldn’t make any mistake
during the
rest of the competition.
Race 2. Start 13.05 hours
Wind 6 knts from 350 to 010
Kevin started bad near the starting vessel to take no risk for an 2nd
OCS.
At 1st mark he rounded in 5th place.
During the race he worked much till he finished at 3th. position, when
the committee shorted the course, because of too less wind. The first 2
boats finished the line from the left side and Kevin with the rest of
the other 9 boats from the right side, because according the Sailing
Instructions you have to keep mark 2 on port-side. After the race Kevin
and BRN presented a protest against JPN and SIN.
The
jury disqualified Kevin, while the other 9 countries stay in the results.
Day
2 6/12/06
Race
3
Wind
7 knts and dropping till 5 knts direction
350 to 010. The start was at 11,05.
Kevin started well and rounded mark 1 as first. During the downwind he
sails with boat speed away from the fleet, but during the second upwind
he lost his advantage by defending to much at SIN.
But he managed to stay first at mark 2 with a small advantage on KOR
In the downwind he stayed first and finished first before KOR,JPN,CHN,
while SIN dropped to fifth. Ones
at shore we noticed that JPN and CHN were DSQ by OCS. SIN went from 5 to
3th. Now CHN also was out competition for the medals like MAS. The
medals will be divided between JPN,SIN
and KOR after only two days of racing
After race 3 we decided to present a request for redress
concerning the 2nd race, because that was the only chance to be
back in the competition for medal.
After
waiting till 19.15 the jury proposed to study the request the next day.
Day
3 7/12/06.
Wind
10 knots from direction 150. Start at 11.05
Race
4
The
wind forecast was that wind should shift to the right, but during race
the shifts came from the left.
Kevin
started bad at pin-end after turning back, into a port tack with KOR,
although the wind was
shifting
to 140(left). He forgot to make a control tack to the rump-line and
risked to much at the starboard side of the course. The positions at
mark 1 were; with advantage JPN,SIN,IND and with 150 m distance followed
by MAS and KOR.
During
the reach and downwind the wind shifted to 130/140 which made it
difficult to win positions.
During the 2nd up-wind. Kevin went again too much to the right of the
course and only managed to pass IND and he finished 3th after JPN and
SIN.
Race 5
After 45 minutes waiting the wind shifted back to 150-160 with 8-10 knts.
The start was at 12.45
The start was bad and Kevin again sailed
too much at the SB side of the course believing that the
wind
will shift more the right. The opposite was the reality, because the
wind shifted more to the left 140. After rounding the 1st mark 3th the
race was just following each other. Kevin tried with an risky action to
pass JPN at lee-side but lost one place to CHN and became fourth.
It is a shame that the race-committee is
not able to change marks, because they don’t have them. That
this
can happen at the Asian Games?? Although the coaches noticed the problem
already before the competition had started.
The race time was only 33 minutes by sailing behind each other.
Race 6
The
shifted more to the left to 120 degrees and 8 knots
Kevin started at pin-end but tacked on a
port tack to the starboard side of the course.
By
sailing too much sailing in the lee in the port tack to mark 1 Kevin
became 4th at mark 1.
During
the 2nd up-wind he sails to the 2nd place just after KOR and in front of
CHN,JPN.
In
the down-wind by trying to pass KOR. he went to the right, although the
wind shifted to left. CHN,JPN received the gust first and pass Kevin.
The finish was; KOR,CHN,JPN,MAS.
Back in the harbour
The
jury didn’t accept the redress and suggested Kevin to protest against
his witnesses and the finish boat. Although the finish boat noted Kevin
as finished 3th place in race 2.
Day
4. 8 dec.2006
Wind
from 340 with 10 to 8 knots shifting the right.
Race
7
Kevin
started well at pin-end, but sails extremely to the left of the course.
Why so much risk???
The
wind shifted to the right during the up-wind and Kevin rounded the mark
1 in 6th place.
Down
wind he tries the opposite side from the rest and lost 2 places. During
the up-wind he sailed up to place 5, but at down wind leg the jury gave
him a yellow flag.
The
penalty drops him back to place 7.
Race 8.
Wind
from 340 with 10 knots Start at 12;45
Again
Kevin sails the first up-wind too much at the left side of the course,
but managed rounding
mark
1 in 4th place. During the down-wind
he comes closer to KOR in 3th place. At the second up-wind leg he
sails again too much left, while KOR went to the right followed by JPN.
At
the mark 2 Kevin lost his 4th place to JPN and was not able to pass JPN,
KOR in the run so
he
finished 5th.
After having
a discussion concerning the racing tactics. We decided to sail with the
fleet and not
sailing the
extreme lee-sides of the course. Risking only to achieve first places
doesn’t make sense
when you
already cannot get a medal result.
Race 9.
Wind
340 with 10-12 knts. Start at 13;45
Kevin
starts in the middle of the start-line. At mark 1 the fleet is close
together and rounds, KAZ,SIN,KOR,MAS,JPN. At the run Kevin wins one
place and rounds mark 3 in 3th place.
During
the 2nd up-wind he pass SIN, while the last run he pass KOR and became
1st.
Finally Kevin
sailed a good race and I hope he gets his confidence back for the next
races.
After 9 races the overall ranking is;
1.
SIN 17 points
2.
JPN 20 points
3.
KOR 24 points
4.
MAS 37 points
Day
5. 9 dec. Rest-day.
This
day we were invited by the Malaysian Sailing Federation for a lunch at
the shopping centre.
After
having a nice lunch we spend the day at the sport centre visiting boxing,
gymnastics and
the
badminton finals. We
returned back to the village at 19.00 and after the dinner we have been
watching the new James Bond movie.
So it was a nice relaxing day
Day
6.10 dec.06
Wind
285, shifting between 280 and 290 with only 4 knots. Start at 11;05
Race
10.
Tactic
again was to stay close to the fleet with small control tacks, because
of the shifting winds.
Kevin rounds mark 1 in first place in front of SIN, KOR, JPN.
The places didn’t change till the finish, so Kevin became 1st.
Day
7 11 dec.06
Wind
180 and shifting to 195 with 10 knots. Start at 11;30
Race 11.
Kevin
starts bad and has to tack to a port tack, while JPN,SIN,CHN, KOR sailed
a SB tack.
At
the 1st mark the positions were; SIN ,CHN,JPN,KOR,MAS. During the race
JPN and KOR
were
fighting together and Kevin could pass them, while during the last run
CHN gets his 3th yellow flag and has to abandon the race, so Kevin
finished in second place after SIN.
Day
8 12 dec. 06
Wind
290-300. Compass course 295 with 11 – 14 knots. Start 11;05
Race
12
Kevin
starts in the middle of the start line and controls the fleet.
He
rounds mark 1 as first and sailed away from the fleet and demonstrating
his skills to the press.
Every
leg he makes more advantage and finish 1.30 minutes in front SIN.
Final
results after 12 races;
1.Gold
medal – SIN-
2.Silver
medal – JPN
3.Brons medal – KOR
4th
place- MAS
Rvv dec.06
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