TEAM STRAMMER/BROWN

Although we have a few more months before Fred and I are back on the water together, we are continuing to improve our skills and work our way to Rio.  Fred has been spending his time watching 49er videos focused on technique while taking his physical therapy to the next level.  I have been sailing with other US 49er sailors learning different skills and processes that help our team get to the next level.

It has been over four weeks since Fred’s surgery, and he is making exceptional progress in the recovery. His visits to Jaguar Therapeutics in Miami have kept the inflammation and pain at bay, while he works to maintain muscle strength and flexibility through assisted range of motion exercises.  The first six weeks post-surgery have required extreme patience to let the sutures heal, but it has paid off with a faster than expected recovery.  This means Fred will be taking his physical therapy to the next stage next week.  Hopefully this is an indication of a shorter total recovery time, which translates to getting back on the water soon.

Fred spending time on the bike at Jaguar Therapeutics with fellow US Team member Paige Railey

The next level of rehabilitation will include more advanced strength and conditioning and range of motion exercises, and a step towards more normal workouts. For last few weeks, Fred’s  workouts have been limited to the stationary bike, unweighted lunges and squats, and one or two ab workouts all while wearing the sling. In the coming weeks, he will begin to run again in the Alter-G and regain normalcy in the full-body spectrum of workouts available. Fred said he was tired of lifting weights less than 7 pounds and ready to get back to business.

During Fred’s recovery, I moved to San Francisco and have been sailing with our fellow American teammates in training camps practicing some new body movements on the trapeze wire that will help us with our 2013 goal of better boat speed.  Our coach Luther Carpenter always asks us “are you sailing the boat or are you riding the boat?”  Well, I am learning to “sail” the boat through waves and chop to keep the boat tracking through the water as fast as possible.  Just as football teams watch the videos of their competitors to learn their moves and plays, Fred has been spending a lot of time on the computer watching the technique of the top teams so he will be ready to go when he is healed.

Fred and I in San Francisco in 2011

Besides the body movements, I am also focused on sailing harder and faster through boat handling maneuvers.  My goal is to come out of tacks, jibes, and accelerations as fast as possible and get straight into speed mode.  Every day I hit the water I have a small list of items to work on.  By sailing with other people, I’ve learned different ways to do maneuvers, little tricks on technique, and valuable communication skills.  Fred and I will take all these new developments and add them to our program to improve and climb the world ranks.

I head to Europe next week to sail the Kiel Regatta in Germany and the European Championships in Denmark with another US teammate.  In order to keep improving, it’s important to continue racing against the best in the world.  I will also spend some time coaching the top US youth sailors in Germany and Cyprus.

Fred and I continue to improve in our own ways so we don’t fall behind the progress we have created over this last year.  Our goal is to be well prepped mentally and physically so that when his shoulder is good to go, we can jump right back on our learning curve.  We have two big events to prepare for: the ISAF Pre-Worlds in Santander, Spain and the 49er World Championships in Marseille, France.  Both events are in September which should give Fred and I just enough time to synch before the racing begins.

Dear supporters,

With great regret, Zach and I wish to inform you that we will be pulling out of our training camps and regattas for the rest of the spring and summer. The dislocated shoulder I experienced during World Cup Hyeres in France two weeks ago also tore the labrum in my left shoulder. After discussing our options with our sailing and medical staff, we decided that surgery to repair the injury was necessary, especially since we are still year one in the quad. The procedure was performed earlier last week, and I am happy to report strong improvement in my strength and mobility already. A huge thanks to Dr. Chris Herrera at Jaguar Fitness and Dr. Lee Kaplan at University Miami Health for their expert knowledge and services, as well as to our sponsors and supporters who have reached out to us these past few weeks.

As you can imagine, this news is unbelievably frustrating as Zach and I have enjoy great progress this spring. Not only have we been producing better results, but we have also been learning a lot about the 49er. We are so close to many more performance break-throughs, which will now have to wait until we hit the water again in August in preparation for the World Championships and the Santander Test Event in September. Although we finished World Cup Hyeres last in Gold Fleet, Zach and I have climbed in the ISAF World Rankings to 7th which is a testament to the effort and support we have achieved over the last year and a half.

Photo courtesy Fred Strammer Jr.

The risk for personal injury is not uncommon in Olympic sailing and, in particular, the 49er as we are beginning to realize: many past and current skiff sailors offered their condolences and stories as they described their own physical hardships and setbacks. We are thankful that both of us are healthy and fit, and that this circumstance was just an unfortunate accident while competing.

Photo: Mick Anderson/SAILINGPIX..

While we can’t progress in our sailing for the next few months, this situation gives us an opportunity to pursue and complete new and outstanding projects. Olympic sailing is an exhaustive search for understanding and knowledge in all areas of this multifaceted endeavor, and we will use our time thoughtfully to continue our development. There may be three years until the Games in Rio, yet we understand the urgency and value of the time today in our performance down the road.

Zach and I would like to thank the US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider, Hedgeye, our friends and families, Chris Herrera at Jaguar Fitness, and Dr. Kaplan at University Miami Health for their support. It is a long road to Rio, and we are truly thankful you are there to share it with us.

It’s been a while since our last update, and for good reason.

Photo credit: Will Ricketson, US Sailing

The last two days, light winds prevailed during our qualifying series which made getting the 9 daily schedule races on our racing circle difficult to fit in-three for each of the two 49er qualifying fleets and then 3 for the 49er FX. Our first day of racing was disappointing as we continued to struggle with our minimal trapping technique. However, we came back strong the second day with some better speed and continued good starting to get the job done and qualify for gold fleet. This included going back out for one final race at 7pm in a 3 knot easterly.

Twilight racing. Photo credit: Will Ricketson, US Sailing

With higher winds in the  forecast for the rest of the week, we were looking forward to three days sailing in gold fleet. Unfortunately, five days of light-air sailing days, both practice and race, made the transition to a moderate easterly with steep chop uncomfortably difficult. We had a difficult first race getting forced to the wrong side of the race course on the opening beat and a capsize on the final run ultimately ended our regatta. Having stuffed the bow on some irregularly steep coach boat waves, I dislocated my left shoulder while trying to right the boat. Remarkably, Zach was able to right the boat on his own and sail us back to shore, sailing through the finish line on the way back to the harbor before I was extracted for medical attention.

Photo: Mick Anderson/SAILINGPIX..

Additional tests will be needed when I get back in the States to determine the extent of the damage, but I am optimistic my recovery time will be short. Big thanks to the regatta medical staff, Luther Carpenter, and Will Ricketson for helping me ashore and getting me to a hospital. For the rest of the week, Zach will be on the water assisting the team when we aren’t slowly packing up the boat. We will finish this event 26th overall.

Photo: Will Ricketson, US Sailing

We are certainly disappointed that we will miss out on the racing with this injury, but by no means is this a significant setback for our team. After my knee injury this past September, we came back stronger and refocused to clinch our first World Cup gold in Miami. We will continue to improve ourselves and our team through this temporary hiatus from water training with the same fervent commitment to win a medal in Rio.

We would like to thank the US Sailing Team Sperry Topsider, Hedgeye, and our friends and family for their continued support.

Tomorrow, racing begins at our third World Cup event for this year. Zach and I have now been in France since Wednesday after leaving Boston on Tuesday evening. With a long 24 hour period of travel on planes, buses, and trains, we put in a few light air days of sailing with a lay day on Saturday for a small weather system that came through. We feel well rested now that we have caught up on sleep and now that our friends in the Boston area are safe from further threats. We have been thinking you all sending safe and positive thoughts!

Photo credit: Will Ricketson US Sailing Team Sperry Topsider

Zach and I are hoping to post a top 20 result this week to achieve a funding goal while also gaining valuable racing experience. After this event, we will be flying to San Francisco in between regattas for additional training camps with our other US training partners. We continue to make great strides in our heavy air sailing, however, we are looking forward to working on a few things once we get back stateside.

Forecast for the week. Great wind for regular racing!

The format for this event is a bit different than World Cup Palma. We will have two days of qualifying and then three days of regular racing with the medal races on Saturday. The winds look light for the qualifying series, so we will need to work hard to make sure we don’t have any huge errors the first two days of the event. You can check out live racing and results at World Cup Hyeres.

Remembering the good times training in Miami thanks to Patrick Rynne and Fiona Graham from Waterlust.

Zach and I would like to thank the US Sailing Team Sperry Topsider, Hedgeye, and our friends and family for their continued support!

Those are more than just stickers, they are our partners for success.
Photo credit: US Sailing

Zach and I went into Friday’s racing with the goal of moving up into the top 20. We had an incredible race to begin the day when we nailed our start near the pin and were the first to reach the jetty on the left side. For much of the race, we were in 2nd, sailing fast, smart, and executing great boat handling. On the final run to the finish, we were held out past the layline and we were passed by three boats inside-although we did instigate the gybe by throwing them a fakey! Our progress this past six months have been truly incredible!

A view from the jetty during race 1
Photo credit: Kristin Lane

In race two, the fleet was more aware of the left shore which made the racing tighter. A bad start forced us to tack out and find another lane back which immediately put us in the back of the pack. We found an opportunity to gain on the second beat as the fleet leveraged again out to the left by working a shift on the right. These races are incredible close as we went from 25th to 15th in half a beat!

Teammates, roommates, friends.
Photo credit: US Sailing

After race two, we were sent ashore to let the 49er FX fleet get in their racing for the day. We didn’t hit the water again until 5pm and completed one race in a light and lumpy southerly. Unfortunately, we trusted our instinct to protect the left instead of the coaches advice to get better pressure on the right. Ultimately, we sailed a difficult and disappointing race which made us fall from 18th to 23rd overall in the event (we placed 50th at this event in 2012). Listen to Zach’s debrief of the racing today.

Dollying out after a tough race.
Photo credit: US Sailing

Today, we will be packing up the boat and preparing for our return trip to the United States for some much needed rest. We have had two windy, productive weeks here in Palma and our bodies are tired and bruised. Our next event is Semaine Olympique Francaise de Voile in Hyere, France on April 22nd.

Zach and I would like to thank the US Sailing Team Sperry Topsider, Hedgeye, and our friends and family for their continued support! We are looking forward to seeing you stateside!

Fun in the wind and waves.
Photo credit Mick Anderson/US Sailing

We had a long day yesterday waiting for wind to fill with an off shore breeze. By 7pm, three races in both qualification fleets were completed. Zach and I posted a 12-5-31 which put us 26th going into today. Unfortunately, the 31 was a result of a persistent lefty that took us totally off guard. Having watched the blue fleet race an hour earlier, we determined that there would be several shifts in the beat and not a one sided race track. After port tacking the start near the middle-boat end, we thought we were set up well for the race. However, the lefty persisted for two legs which made the run so skewed that we didn’t gybe. Regardless, we were stoked about our current standing and ready for some intense racing in gold fleet today.

Photo credit Mick Anderson/US Sailing

And, gold fleet did not disappoint. Racing began at 2pm with a solid 12-15 knot southwesterly which kicked up a three foot swell and a short chop-made worse by a lot of coach and media powerboats. Zach and I sailed three races and improved throughout the day. It’s been a while since we have had such tight racing, a bit reminiscent from our A-division days in college-compounded by a fast and skittish boat!

When things really go bad

With a 26-20-15, Zach and I are still sitting in 26th place. Tomorrow is the last day of regular racing and we are hoping to make a final jump into the top 20. We are going to have to clean up our small boat speed issues and be a bit more disciplined in our tactics to make that happen. Time to go all out for the final day!

Debriefs over a cafe con leche anyone?

Zach and I would like to thank the US Sailing Team Sperry Topsider, Hedgeye, and our friends and family for their support!

Long upwind sail to the Finn course!

A building southerly breeze brought more 6+ foot waves today as we completed two more races in the 49er yellow fleet. The races were sailed on the outer most race circle usually reserved for the Finns.  Although there was less chop, the swells were slightly larger as they came barreling in from the Mediterranean.

Going upwind with half our sail area… trying hard just to keep the boat in the water!

After the race ending capsizes we experienced yesterday in the windy race 2, we focused intensively on throttling back to keep our boat upright. In the first race, Zach and I had a stellar start, winning the pin end and rounding the top mark in the top 6. A careful set and we were off screaming down the run, although we were trying to sail only at 60-70% of our top speed. Good boat handling and continued diligence to our conservative game plan helped us maintain a single digit position.

In race two, we moved up towards the middle of the line and had a decent start. We are feeling positive and confident about our new upwind boat speed which has helped us maintain or improve mediocre lanes. Another top ten mark rounding found us fighting with some of the world’s best. At the finish, we overlaid our layline and had to douse the kite and reach towards the line-no problem and tactically sound in these conditions!

There were more than a few obstacles on the race course today!

Overall, Zach and I had an 8-9 to end the day and some great racing. We are incredibly excited about our progress and eager for more opportunities this week to improve and continue our upward climb in ability.

Tomorrow, is the last day of racing and yellow fleet will be the first to race. Conditions look unfavorable with a fading southerly forecasted. Currently we are sitting in 20th overall and qualifying for gold fleet.

Zach and I would like to thank the US Sailing Team Sperry Topsider, Hedgeye, and our friends and family for their continue support!

Chatting with Luther
Photo Will Ricketson/US Sailing Team Sperry Top Sider

Racing began on time yesterday with a 12 knot breeze slowly building to 25+ by mid day. Two races were sailed in the yellow fleet qualification group and Zach and scored a 12-OCS for the day.

In the first race, Zach and I had were late to accelerate at the pin, but had great boat speed and came out of the left top 6 at the windward mark. We had a good run and maintained our position at the leeward mark. Throughout the rest of the three lap course, the breeze began to build along with the waves and we found ourselves misjudging our laylines especially at the leeward mark. It’s difficult to find the layline and a good place to gybe in wavy conditions!

Afternoon conditions

By race two, the breeze had begun to build to the low 20s as predicted, pitching the swells up to seven feet or more. Having seen these conditions last year during our time in Palma, we knew that if we could keep the boat upright we could easily finish in the top 5. An entanglement with another team at the boat end of the line within the final minute to the start, instigated a poor position near the line during the final countdown to the start. We started second row, and incorrectly assumed we had started cleanly and continued to race. During the first beat, the wind built to over 25 knots which made sailing extremely difficult. On starboard, the boat was launching well out of the water off the huge swells. By the windward mark, the difficulty of the sailing conditions was made apparent by the number of capsized boats. More than half the fleet failed to sail two legs of the course including ourselves when we capsized on a gybe for the leeward mark layline. In all, only 5 boats completed the course and racing was immediately postponed on shore. Some boat carnage and equipment breakdowns were prevalent in all classes.

Rogue Wave!

Racing for the second qualifying fleet was postponed onshore and eventually cancelled for the day with conditions deemed un-sailable. Blue fleet will sail their two races today, then the fleets will be shuffled again with two more races in each fleet scheduled for Tuesday.

For up to date information, check out World Cup Palma website.

Zach and I would like to thank the US Sailing Sperry Team Topsider, Hedgeye, and our friends and family for their support!

Zach and I have had a great week of training here in Palma de Mallorca and are ready for racing to begin tomorrow.  This past week, we have been organizing and measuring our equipment, working out, sailing, and moving from our temporary housing to our shared rental house with U.S. men’s 470 team Stu McNay and Dave Hughes. Our days in Europe are always full, but we are enjoying our new tasks as we begin to understand our boat and ourselves better.

With a full week of 12+ hour days, we took Friday and Saturday off to rest our bodies and our minds. Although we intended to try and explore the island a little bit, somehow we ended up napping for most of the days which was probably for the best. Much of the island was shut down for Good Friday services including all grocery stores and many restaurants.

World Cup Palma is the second stop on the World Cup Tour and is the first in Europe.  Racing begins tomorrow morning at 11 am. There will be three days of qualifying before a two day final series race begins. The event concludes with the medal race on Saturday. We will be updating throughout the event on our website and on our Facebook page (please like our page!)

We would like to thank the US Sailing Team Sperry Topsider, Hedgeye, and our friends and family for their support!

Zach and I are here on the beautiful island of Palma de Mallorca after a week of travel, boat organization, and setup. Our experience from our Euro travels last year have already paid off and we made the trip from Amsterdam with no issues. Much of campaigning involves learning how to travel and move equipment efficiently to reduce time on the road so we are more rested and have more time for sailing.

Boat park at S’Arenal, Mallorca

Since we have been in Palma, Zach and I have had to completely check over our boat which we bought last spring and haven’t sailed since the Kiel Regatta in June. Additionally, we have been working on better understanding our equipment by measuring all the variables so we can better replicate settings. As a team, we use about five to six different sails and three masts throughout the year and each piece of equipment has their own variances. Over the next two years, our careful measurements will help us better understand what kind of equipment works best for certain conditions, ultimately making us faster.

We have been fortunate to get in a few days of sailing. The last two days we have had a breezy Westerly and a significant swell. Six foot waves with occasionally higher sets have been rolling through making beach launching precarious. Zach and I watched as several teams capsized and broke masts in the beach surf getting in and out. Despite the launch, the conditions were incredible. Several times we almost went completely airborne (maybe some photos later in the week)!

Sunset from S’Arenal, Mallorca

We would like to thank the US Sailing Team Sperry Topsider, Hedgeye, and all of our supporters.