Like a murderer returning to the crime scene, I went back to Lake Taal just one week after my sailing accident that left me with a broken arm. I got some behind-the-scene information from members of last weekend’s race committee. Apparently, according to the Race Official, at the moment of measurement, the average wind speed was ‘merely’ 17 knots (around 30km/h) with gusts in the low 20s. The Race Official did not see the need to cancel the race with wind speed below 25 knots. (In the Hobie Worlds for example, the maximum wind speed for a safe race was 25 knots.)The opinions of bystanders and sailors on the wind speed ranged from 17 knots with gusts up to 30 knots. Which, I believe, we were beaten with at least a couple of times. Coupled with big waves and wind shifts. All these factors changed constantly. Monitoring wind speed is only a fraction of grasping the whole situation the sailors are in.
The number of capsizes and the damage to boats and sailors alarmed other members of the race committee. Members who usually steer our club races and other sailing events. People who know the capabilities of the teams. According to them, it was time to pull the plug on the race to avoid further incidents. It took 8 boats retiring early and two trips to the hospital to put the race on hold after the first race of the second day... never to resume for the Hobie Nationals event 2011.
Despite an unlucky finish of the event, team Tiger Gambas placed 10th in the Nationals (17 teams competing), and 13th in the Open (20 teams). I’m proudly carrying Tiger Gambas’ individual trophy, complete with the National’s logo, on my arm... for another 7 weeks!
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