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2005 Laser Master Worlds

by Bill Symes

On Sunday, Sept. 25, LauraLee and I–accompanied by duffel bags full of sails, lines, blocks, tillers, tools, wetsuits, Power Bars, sunscreen, McLube, and other necessities of the Laser life– boarded a plane in Portland for what promised to be our biggest sailing adventure yet: the Laser Master World Championships in Fortaleza, Brazil.

Two weeks later–aching muscles, water-logged head, bruised ego, and empty wallet notwithstanding­–I can happily report that it was, indeed, the experience of a lifetime!

The Master Worlds, for Laser sailors 35 and over, is held annually in conjunction with the Senior Worlds, for the elite (and younger) group of international sailors who compete at the Olympic level. To give you some idea of what this means, the US sent only seven competitors to Senior Worlds; not one qualified for the 68-boat Gold Fleet (Seattle’s Emery Wager was top US finisher, 16^th in the Silver Fleet). The winner, for an unprecedented eighth time, was Brazil’s Robert Scheidt, who is to dinghy sailing what Tiger Woods is to golf, only more dominant.

We arrived in time to watch the last two days of the Senior Worlds and for me to get in a little practice in Fortaleza’s epic wind and sea conditions (more on that later). We were lucky enough to witness the amazing spectacle of Scheidt sailing home after the final race (which he won) accompanied by fireworks, TV cameras, and a flotilla of local fishing boats. Later that evening at the awards ceremony, we were treated to a loud and colorful display of Latin American over-the-topness as Brazilians feted their favorite son like a true rock star.

During the three-day interval between Senior and Master Worlds, the lobby of the host Marina Park hotel bustled with bronzed hard-bodies departing and graying softer-bodies arriving. Master Worlds is like a club, with many of the members returning year-after-year to re-unite and compete with old friends from all over the world. The field includes a number of ex-Olympians and world champions, many of whom were contenders in the Senior Worlds just a few years ago. This year’s regatta attracted 182 sailors from 25 countries. The US contingent totaled 32 sailors, including two from Portland: Bill Symes and Bill Huseby. With assorted wives, mistresses and significant others, we made a commanding presence, second only to the Aussies in number (and volume).

Meanwhile, over in the coconut grove beyond the pool, 180 Lasers were being issued, fitted out, and measured for the regatta. Fortaleza is known as a breezy place (it’s a popular wind-surfing destination) but, amid the flogging sails and flying coconuts, it was becoming clear to us that we’d be sailing in near-biblical conditions. They never turn it down here; it blows 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This observation precipitated a run on radial rigs as the smaller and more sensible sailors bailed out of the full rig fleet like rats fleeing a sinking ship. I elected to stay on the full rig ship.

Racing got under way Sunday. We sailed out into a sea of white froth and a 25-knot easterly. Lasers a few boat lengths away disappeared completely behind the waves. On the bright side, the water temp was around 80F, which was nice as most of us spent a lot of time in it. I will not dwell on the details of the racing (for a full report go to our Worlds Web site at http://www.willamettesailingclub.com/fleets/laser/worlds.htm). Suffice to say that it continued like this for the next six days, subsiding at times into the high teens, and peaking once or twice above 30.

The weather legs were punishing, as only those of you who have ever sailed a Laser in heavy air can appreciate. The reaches were hair-raising; it was a challenge just to stay in the boat, and breathing was difficult without a snorkel. And turning the boat downwind on top of those monster waves was, well, slightly hallucinogenic, at once exhilarating and terrifying. It was like a big day at the Bonzai Pipeline. The course was often littered with boat bottoms. There was an ambulance stationed at the launching ramp every day; as far as I know, they only had to patch up a couple of bodies. Everybody survived.

But if the sailing conditions were a bit out of my range, the après sailing conditions were just perfect. Laura met us at the launching ramp every day after racing with a bucket of cold beers. From there it was into the pool with all clothes and gear for a good rinse, some international mingling, and perhaps a round or two of caipirinhas* to help manage the pain (which they do very effectively). This was followed by a brief intermission during which we could catch a quick siesta and change into dry flip-flops; then it was down to the hotel lobby to hook up with friends, flag a taxi, and set off into the balmy Brazilian night for dinner, dancing, and perhaps a few more caipirinhas before bedtime.

This is how we lived our lives for two weeks. Is sailing a great sport or what?

Some local sailors have asked me to describe what it takes to go to a masters world championship. It’s simple: all you need is the desire and the will to do it.** That, and a lot of money of course, although after three trips to the worlds, I can honestly say I would not trade the experience and the memories for any amount of money. The way I look at it, the entire trip to Brazil–plane, food, drinks, hotel, boat, gear, souvenirs, everything–still cost less than a new mainsail for a Farr 40. In the sport of sailing, everything is relative.

We made the decision to do Brazil around last Christmas, which gave me nine months to prepare. Although there is no need to qualify and no minimum skill level required to go to Master Worlds, if you want to be in the boat race, you need to get at least somewhat acclimated to sailing in big winds and big fleets. It’s six days of intense competition, both physically and mentally exhausting (and that’s before the nightlife!).

My preparation consisted of 1) a physical rehab program designed to get this old body to go one more round, 2) as much time on the water as I could fit in to sharpen up my fading sailing skills. This meant a lot of time in the gym during the winter and spring, and 2-3 days a week sailing in the Gorge during the summer months. In addition, I worked on increasing my tolerance for sailing in high traffic by attending a number of major regattas in California and Seattle.

I would stress to all would-be worlds sailors, though, that you really don’t need to devote that much prep time in order to enjoy yourself at worlds. The top guys definitely come ready to race, but everybody (including the top guys) is there primarily to have a great time, and we sure did. Long after the results are forgotten, Laura and I will cherish our memories of sharing caipirinhas, laughter, and lobster empanadas around the pool with friends from Australia, New Zealand, Great Britain, Argentina, Kenya, and all corners of the US. We’re already dreaming about Jeju Island, Korea, site of the 2006 worlds.

Anyone care to join us?

*delicious but deadly Brazilian cocktail involving mashed up limes and sugar cane

**I might add that it also helps to have a good support team. I got a great push from my on-the-water training partners, Rob Hodson and Bill Huseby in Oregon and Vann Wilson in Long Beach, CA. Laura and I were also extremely fortunate to have Bill and Becky Huseby along for the ride in Fortaleza. In addition to being great sailors and delightful company, Bill (a native Brazilian) is fluent in Portuguese, which came in mighty handy indeed when trying to navigate those treacherous Brazilian restaurant menus. Finally, this whole thing would not have been possible for me without the steadfast and cheerful support of my travel agent, administrative assistant, logistics manager, social director, dance partner, cocktail waitress, counselor, nurse, lover, wife and best friend, LauraLee. I would never dream of undertaking an enterprise like this without her (but as she is already booked, you’ll have to find one of your own).