RS:X Lithuanian Cup, Day 2

I‘m back. Second day of the competition (Saturday).

This day was much more fun than the first one as we had some planning conditions and even some pumping to fulfill the RS:X sailing type. We had 4 races and I was super stable – came 3rd in all four races. But first things first!

First race. Wind seems to be picking up and during the start it was about 5-6 m/s. No deckerboards needed, no hard pumping, no sweat during the distance. Just a wonderful 25 mins of sightseeing. I made, let‘s say, normal start and reached the upwind mark being 3rd. From that point nothing else changed, all sailors remained the same and finished in the same position as they were at the first mark. We managed to go through all the distance in foot-straps and planning. Whoohoo!

Second race. Wind seems to be making its final choice and staying more or less the same – about 6 m/s (7-8 m/s in gusts). So, we again, started in planning conditions. Happy  faces, no arm pain and RS:X speed. That‘s sounds wonderful! Anyway, I decided to start from the port tack as this seemed to be more beneficial. I got in the shadow of the Olympic sailor Juozas Bernotas LTU 14 and Martynas Juodeska LTU 1 but didn't make a tack as this would be even worse. So, I lost some speed and some angle, but still maintained in the 3rd position. You wouldn't believe what happened next! I reached the upwind mark 3rd and..........and remained the 3rd best sailor of that race until the very end. Rock‘n‘roll! 3 more points in my pocket! Cha-ching.

Third race, wind dropped a little and made me change my mind of going only on the fin. I pulled my deckerboard, got pumped up for pumping hard and focused for the race, gusts and wind shifts. I knew I will have to pump until the upwind mark and after that I could chill out and get my board on the fin. So, it was exactly as I thought. After getting on the top of the racing course I started planning in the first half-wind and did that as I remember until the very end of the racing distance. Finished 3rd.

Last race of the day. A little bit of exhaustion was felt, as we were sailing more or less 2 hours with no brakes. The sun was not so warm as it was in the first 3 races. But, on the other hand, the wind got a last breath and increased just before the start. So, again, we started on the fins and this time nothing really special or harsh happened. No intense fights, no protests, nothing, just me and the 3rd place.

So, to make a long story short, we had 4 races on the second day of the competition. In all races I managed to catch the podium places and in the evening I had 12 points that allowed me to stay quite concrete in the 3rd position.

As for the Viper class, that is being trained by Darius Daraška - well, Dalia Zykutė was taking bullets every single time the judges let the viper class start. Others were not so stable but still, the sister of Dalia - Austėja Zykutė was covering Dalia in the second position. What that means? Well, double twins power on the two first podium places! Keep going girls!

The last day of the competition seemed to be tricky, as the rain was being forecasted and the wind was changing every hour we turned the forecast on.

Still, the second day was amazing. We felt exhaustion but were happy as hell. To make a day from perfect to fabulous we bought some ice-cream and just chilled like hell in our apartments. That the life worth living! 

That's it for now folks! Keep reading and wait for the last day of the competition!

Arnas Bušmanas