Chris and Andrew, we know you well. But for the benefit of others,  please introduce your champion crew and each person's background. And don't forget to talk about GBR and how you got here!

CW:

 I grew up in England and moved to the U.S. with my family in 1980. I started sailing at an early age thanks to my Dad, who is an avid sailor. While in England, I did some dinghy racing and crewed for my brother in a couple of different boats. After moving to San Diego my Dad bought a Catalina 27. There was an active Cat 27 fleet in San Diego at the time and I really got the bug for keelboat racing. There were a couple of Santana 20’s on our dock and I would go over and talk to the owners. I finally got taken for a ride and was hooked. I crewed on a Santana 35 with my cousin Simon for a while and finally got to see the S-20’s in action at the San Diego Schock Regatta in ’82. Simon and I decided this was the boat for us and we found a blue boat sitting on a trailer in Newport Beach named ‘Andastar’ with a for sale sign. We snapped it up and renamed the boat ‘Disaster Area’ after the band in ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy’ by Douglas Adams. The rest, as they say, is history.

I have raced everything from Lasers to Maxi Sleds. I moved to Seattle in ’98 with my wife Marilyn and have worked for North Sails Seattle since 2000.

With Andrew and I both being from across the pond it makes sense that we would be proud of our heritage. DA is registered in a sailing club in the greater London area so the GBR sail number is verifiable and official!

AK:

I am originally from England - born in Plymouth in Devon and came to the US in January 1986 after graduating from the LSE in London in 1985 with a degree in Government, politics & Economics. 

My family and I  lived in Hong Kong from 1973 to 1980 and we are all avid sailors. I was the youngest person (at the time) to do the China sea race (Hong Kong to Manila, Philippines in 1978) and we sailed extensively all over Asia.

Over the years in Hong Kong I owned two 505s and an Enterprise dinghy. I also sailed 470s a lot, it was great sailing. In England I. Co. owned a Fireball  in London and raced Firefly's at my University. I also raced  Enterprises as well in both Liverpool and London.  Sailing is huge in England, very big one design regatta's are the norm in a wide variety of  classes! The British sailing team collected a lot of medals at the 2000 Sydney Olympics illustrating the high caliber of sailing that goes on all over the country. 

Over the years I  have worked as a head sailing coach at the Cold spring Harbor Beach Club, ( Long Island, NY, 1983), The Boston sailing Center, Steve & Doris Colgates Offshore sailing school in Tortola, BVI and at the J. World sailing schools in San Diego, Annapolis, Key west, FL and Newport, RI.  Coronado's Jon Rogers, ( Jon is now the Junior program director for the Coronado YC) and I  were the original coaching staff  for  Larry Klein and his family  as they started and established  the J. World sailing School in San Diego in late 1987.

My parents live in Falmouth, England as does my brother. My wife Stephanie and I are the proud parents of our 10 month old baby boy - Liam.    We reside in San Diego and are members of the Southwestern YC.

My wife Stephanie was a member of the Woman's America's Cup team - America 3 in 1995 and sailed in all of the defender races aboard "Mighty Mary" as a grinder.  She is a Mom and a  Professor at Point Loma Nazarene University where she coaches track and field and is the strength and conditioning coach for all of the University teams.

I am a full time Dad and work for North U seminars, ( a division of North sails). We present seminars all over the country on a variety of topics ranging from Racing to cruising and sail trim.

I also coach a number of teams and present seminars for a variety of one design classes . In addition , i enjoy writing and am a contributor of coaching related articles to Sailing World and a number of one design class association newsletters, magazines and web sites.

Chris and i have sailed together for 12 years and it has been very enjoyable to have such great chemistry from the get go. We pretty much know what the other person is thinking and so the manoveures and tactics come with very little being said . This is the result of a lot of sailing together.

Our bow crew Bill Ramacciotti is a resident of Dallas and a former San Diego resident. Bill has sailed with us for 3 years now and he has been terrific and a great team mate. He is a very good communicator and very smooth and quick on the boat. Bill sails in the top notch Texas J22 circuit and has been an accomplished crew for many years having sailed with a variety of very successful teams. We are very lucky he sails with us.  

I have also sailed with San Diego's Chris Snow, ( North Sails one design) for many years on the J24 and we are hoping to sail in next years World championships in Medemblick, Holland.

What did you do to prepare your boat this time around? Did you set up your rig just like the tuning guide? Or did you try a new setting? The bottom of your boat did not appear to be particularly shiny.

CW:

The boat was set up per the North Sails One-Design tuning guide. However, after the event I decided that I will be adding a ‘Sailing in Waves’ section. Being able to keep the boat on its feet and going fast in ocean chop means having to make some adjustments to keep the boat moving well.

DA’s bottom was sprayed with McLube, which dulls the finish.

AK:

Our preparation this year centered on sailing the boat at a variety of different events -- some on the ocean and some on the lakes.  There really is no substitute for time sailing the boat as a team.

With tuning we tuned the rig to the North sails one design tuning guide #'s,  primarily adjusting the lowers for side sag in the mast --  with a turn and a half tighter for the windier races and a turn and a half looser for the lighter ones.

We used quite a bit of aft lower to stop the forestay from bouncing around in the chop and when we had max backstay we put max aft lower on to keep the luff curve and draft position in the mainsail consistent and to retain a tighter forestay. 

As you know, the sensation in this year's nationals is your boat speed. So what's the magic secret that makes you go so fast? I have this sinking feeling that you guys will just tell me what the other top boats already know. But you were obviously doing something different. I did notice though, that you were the flattest boat, at all times.

AK:

Their really is no secret! Lot of sailing prior to the event and attention to sail trim and balance were a  primary focus.  We also emphasized  high percentage starts and tactics. By that I mean low risk moves -- not pushing the line or banging a corner.

This is your fourth win of the National Championships. How was this different from the other times? Recalling from memory here, I believe one of your other wins was also in Marina Del Rey.

CW:

MDR has been very good to us. We scored all bullets (5 out of 6 races with a throw out) in ’93. This regatta stands out from the ’93, ’95 and ’98 wins from a preparation and teamwork standpoint. Andrew, Bill and I are an awesome team that works and thinks as one.   

AK:

Their all different experiences with their merits, great memories and challenges.

There are many many way's to lose a regatta and ignoring the fundamentals is probably the biggest one.

CW:

There’s nothing I can add here, Andrew’s comments sum it up. We were completely focused on the job at hand and keeping the boat flat is something we’ve always done. I have my hand on the Mainsheet at all times and like to work it in the waves. I don’t play the traveler much at all. I just set it for the given wind and go.

Did you find your advantage to be more upwind or downwind? From my eyes, it seemed like your upwind gains were significant.

CW:

Everything was clicking for us upwind. On the downwind legs we just tried to hold a clear air lane.

 AK:

What is different from last year? You had good boat speed last year too. But conditions here were quite different. What's new on your boat this time?

CW:

We added some new lines and the Genoa halyard fine-tune to our cache of tools. We learned a lot from a critical mistake last year and decided to not let it happen again!

AK:

We were 2nd overall at last years Nationals but lost the regatta by counting an 8th in Race # 5 as a result of starting in a very high density area of the line which cost us the lead in the 6 race series. So we resolved to avoid this type of mistake and to sail every race of the series one race at a time with a lot of focus on making high percentage decisions.  The boat was the same, our team had more resolve.

So what was the point of doing a personal match race with Ogletree on race 7? How did that even start?

CW:

We discussed the possibility of Charlie going at us during breakfast that morning. I have done plenty of match-racing in S-20’s and was ready for it. It was the only thing they could do.

AK:

Believe you me --  we wanted no part of it as all we had to do was sail a solid race to win the series!

Charlie and his team instigated it as they figured it was their only chance to prolong the regatta by forcing both of us to sail bad races and thus our throw outs. It was actually a lot of fun and probably provided a lot of entertainment for the fleet! It lasted for four starts, (  including 3 general recalls) and involved a lot of circling and maneuvers.

How did you feel when you started crossing sterns in race 3? It was also interesting how you missed the weather mark on that one but the quick gybe and recovery didn't seem to cost you much time.

CW:

AK:

No problem at all. Our goal wasn't to be winning every race but to be up in the top group every race and sail consistently. We tacked on a tight layline and didn't make the mark so we jibed around and tried again. The important thing was to be smooth and keep the boat up to speed the whole time, that kept the loss down to a minimum.  

How did you handle the bumpy conditions at Marina Del Rey?  

CW:

We kept the boat moving fast at all times. Bill does a great job calling the waves and Andrew and I make small adjustments to the sheets, backstay and aft lowers. I noticed a lot of boats that were too strapped in and not pointing well.

AK:

We were conscious of not pinching and always going fast as a bad chop set approached. The Genoa sheet and backstay were played a lot and we identified flatter water to tack in. We tried to always sail in a wide a lane as possible so that we could sail fast.  Going downwind we tried to jibe on the top of a wave so we could surf down the front side of it as the jibe was being completed.

What did you think of the racing conditions at Marina Del Rey generally

CW:

When there’s some breeze MDR is challenging and fun! I love the ‘cluster chop’ that MDR generates.

AK:

Great sailing. Very challenging both upwind and downwind.

How do you think you would do it differently in the flat waters of Huntington Lake in 2003?

CW:

We will be targeting flat water events such as the Camellia Cup in April and Memorial Day Regatta in Eugene which will also be the Western Regionals.

AK:

What did you think of your competition this year? How do you compare this to the other years?

CW:

I think the depth of competition was excellent. We would have liked to see Tom Schock and Harry Pattison there to add to the mix!

AK:

Excellent. Charlie, Mark & John, ( on "Cal trans" ) are terrific. Charlie is a two time Olympian, Melges 24 National Champion  and current member of the US sailing team. Enough said!

Bruce Golison and Steve Washburn have been winning big regatta's in a lot of different classes for years and are proven world class sailors.  There is also a slew of younger talented teams who are great. The competition in the fleet was every bit as good as any other year that I have sailed the Nationals, probably better.

You're not a particularly light boat, yet you go the fastest. What does this mean on the effect of weight on the boat? Is common theory wrong about this?

CW:

We will be about 60 lbs lighter next year so I’ll have to let you know! We are a heavy crew but we have done very well in light air, so just sailing smart and keeping the boat moving will net results in what would seem like unfavorable conditions.

AK:

I think it is what you do with the crew weight is the important thing.

How did you do on your starts? Any tips on good starts in a big fleet?

CW:

We started conservatively. I’ll defer to Andrew for the details!

AK:

We did well on the line. Typically we had clear air and could go fast for the first 400 meters and get in phase with the wind. Our goal was to sail in clear air and on the lifted tack so we looked at the start as a means to an end to achieve that goal. We were quick to consolidate a good start by tacking and crossing as many bows as we could. This got us more into the middle of the course with strategic options and kept us away from early laylines which reduce tactical and strategic options to nil.

In a bigger fleet looking for a low density area with a bigger space as possible and clear air tends to becomes more of a  priority.

Being at the favored end  is usually a  risky place to be as everyone is battling for it and there is a lot of bad air and pinching off the line in that area. Some survive the battle and others don't so  the bigger space and clear air will generally get you off with at least a reasonable start and help ensure a solid first beat.

There was little tactical interaction, most of the time between you and the other boats. Any comments on that?

CW:

Tactical interactions usually slow down both boats involved, especially on downwind legs. We tried to minimize getting into any situations.

AK:

Essentially we wanted to sail our own race and stay in touch with the bulk of the fleet and our competition. We were lucky enough to be at the front section of the fleet and thus boat to boat scenarios were minimal.

One thing that is very common in Nationals events is the use of gates and offset marks. Many S20 sailors have never dealt with an weather offset mark or leeward gate. How does a top boat deal with deciding which mark to use at the gate? And does an offset mark change anything for you?

AK:

 It can be a tricky decision but the two prime elements generally are going to the closer, ( more upwind gate mark) and the one with the least number of boats and clearest air.

When approaching the gate marks it's a good idea to count the number of boats you are likely going to have to contest for a mark and go to the one with the path of least resistance!  If your team is  not pressed on the rounding by a crowd of boats then going to the gate mark which will take you to the favored side of the course and also provide for the smoothest maneuver also are big factors to consider.

The offset marks are smart for a bigger fleet as they reduce weather mark confrontations on the port tack layline. One trick is to look at the position of the offset mark and see if you can set the spinnaker between the marks which, if successful,  can be a good gain.

CW:

I just go to the gate Andrew tells me to!

You both sail other boats successfully. How different is the S20 from other similar sized keelboats? Is it really easy for someone new to the class to dominate? Ullman raced in WD Schock Memorial, it would have been interesting to compare your speed to him under those conditions.

CW:

AK:

It's very similar to the other classes. The preparation, tuning and team work all have to be their.

I don't think it is easy for someone  new to dominate at all. From what I understand Bruce Golison and his team were by far the fastest boat at the WD Schock memorial and as  terrific a sailor as Dave is he didn't have the necessary time in the boat to beat a team that is very smart, practiced and fast.  

Chris, being with North Sails, you'll have to educate us a little bit. This is a tough question because I'm putting you in a spot. But what's the difference between the way your sails were cut compared to Ullman or Pattison sails? And please explain why this really makes any difference.

CW: I really can’t comment on the differences between the sails. All I can say is that the current North Sails have evolved nicely since I was brought on board in 2000.

No one stole your battle flag this time, like the Mudflap Girl in 2000, but did anything mischievous happen to your boat?

CW:

We had a US flag sticker stuck to the transom but that’s about it this year. We will have a new flag next year that will probably be swiped and end up on another trip around the world!

AK:

Very uneventful for DA! Not so much as a sheep/alternative battle flag hoisted up the rigging!  They must have figured the flag had traveled enough by now!