Winners of the 2000 Nationals

See Interview with Willem Van Waay Below

From the Top:

1st Place - "Head First" - Willem Van Waay/Travis Wilson/Peter Van Waay

2nd Place - "Mini-me" - Bruce Golison/Steve Washburn/Ron Rosenberg

3rd Place - "Hitched" - Kerry Poe/Kent Sisk/Keith Hammer

From the Top:

4th Place - "Mighty Mouse" -  Mike Pinckney/Jeff Nelson/Ken Ward

5th Place - (No Name) -  Yumio Dornberg/Rodrigo Mierelas/Skyler Lehr

6th Place - "Disaster Area" - Chris Winnard/Andrew Kerr/Simon Smith

From the Top:

7th Place - "Bustin Loose" - Rick Harris/Bill Ramaciotii/Harry Pattison

8th Place - "Gremlin" - Gordon Wanlass/John Andrew/Mike Sentovich

9th Place - "Still Wet" - Tom Schock/Tom Garrett/Shawn Patrick

10th Place - (No Name) Pete Hunter/Mitch Mark/Rachael Sandman

Willem van Waay on 2000 Nationals
Andrew Kerr interviewing 

AK- What preparations were made prior to the nationals? 
VW- I believe that three things need to be in check to do well at any major event. Physically the team must be able to perform any task in any breeze. Practice is the only way to improve physically; this takes time, lots of time. When our team had time to practice we tried to make that time very effective, find where you struggle and spend an hour on that maneuver. Mentally the crew needs to be well prepared. This is accomplished through proper diet and plenty of sleep prior to the event. We all spend lots of time together, on and off the water; this time increased
our respect for one another and made it easier to communicate. When you're all close friends it is easier to give and take criticism. Last would be the boat's condition and speed. We constantly asked ourselves, "have we done everything to make the boat faster?" When you believe in you're boat and sails, you increase you're confidence and with that comes speed. 

Travis, Peter, and I worked for so many hours on HeadFirst that breaking down again was not an option. I feel that a team must step back and search for faults, only then can improvement be made. Our weaknesses included not enough sleep prior to racing, we had the tendency to procrastinate until last minute to work on the boat, and we needed to better set up our job placement. Too often we overlapped jobs and this tended to slow our boathandling. Make the sailing more basic; work smarter, not harder. 

AK- What was the key to you're success in the 2000 Nationals? 
VW- We knew that consistency would be the key to Nationals just as it always is. To be consistent we did our homework; each day starting Tuesday we got out early and evaluated wind and water speed and direction, we also worked hard to improve straight line boatspeed. We were not opposed to changing jib leads or halyard and shroud tension. Disaster Area also had new Norths so we constantly lined up with them, two boats can quickly improve boatspeed if both are honest. With 38 boats racing there would be a long line, and lots of recalls. Recalls would bring out the one-minute rule, so our strategy was to always attempt to win the favored end. If we won the start we just had to sail smart and cover the majority of the fleet; if we were over, on the other hand, we could quickly spin and restart. The port tack approach worked out well for us. We tried to always be the last boat to tack or jibe on to port; this allowed us to not only be the most pin end boat but also the boat in the most controlling position. We felt that the wind shifts in Newport were not drastic enough to encourage starting in the middle; we wanted to win the favored end and work with our fortunate boat speed.

We also placed much emphasis on constantly using our new Tacktick compass. If you could stay on top of the shifts and change the compass accordingly, you could heavily rely on the header/lift chevrons both upwind and downwind. I think this made a larger effect downwind, if I was confident with the jibe we were on, I was able to relax and keep the boat sailing deep and fast. Peter watched other boats and wind pressure, I watched the compass, and Travis put all his concentration onto the kite. He trusted our judgment and never looked away from it, I feel this resulted in a 3-6 boatlength gain per downwind leg. We also tried to pick one end of the gate early, if we started attacking for the inside early (approx. 30 boatlengths) we were more likely to get it. Being in the middle of a pack, ten lengths prior to the gate, often resulted in disaster. 

AK- How about team communication on the water?
VW- We tried to keep it very simple. Travis was in charge of boatspeed. If we were fast he had me point higher; if we were slow I fell off. If this didn't work we adjusted jib halyard and lead position until speed was even. In the light conditions, Travis had to constantly move in and out of the cockpit. Peter was in charge of calling puffs, waves, and boat management. Never once did a starboard boat catch us by surprise. I was in charge of starts, last minute calls, and the compass.   We kept it simple and sweet. We complimented each other constantly and kept our focus up.

AK- The 20 class has experienced a resurgence in the last few years; how can we maintain or even encourage more growth? 
VW- I love the class. It's a great boat at a great price. The boat is simple yet the competition is fierce and dedicated to the class. I think we need to be clearer on the racing rules, perhaps they should be rewritten. Confusion on certain rules seems abundant..with this comes doubt of the class. We must attempt to eliminate any of these doubts or the class will fade again. I feel that some boats have made changes to their rigging in an effort to simplify boathandling and increase boatspeed; the efforts are not made to cheat the system or be sneaky. These boats were designed in the mid 70's and there are definitely changes that have been made to the boat that have made the boat more popular, the new deck is proof of this. Backstay and systems, fine tune halyards, and handholds are advancements to the class. I feel they should be recognized and appreciated instead of immediately criticized or banned. We spent weeks talking with pro riggers and sailors to come up with these high purchase systems, and yet they can be copied in a matter of minutes for very few bucks. If you have a problem with someone's boat please speak with that person directly, we are all adults and we should work harder to preserve this wonderful group of friends.

AK: Congratulations to you and your team on a terrific Nationals victory.