A lot of hard work and a little bit of luck …..

Off to SFYC

He swears that he's not  superstitious  ...

The white mailbox is over the top...

Here we go again, Laser Master Worlds # 5 and I am sitting this one out. I know that I won’t be tragically disappointed if the breeze goes light because, I know that it won’t - it’s San Francisco!

Looking back at the last 5 months I am endlessly impressed with Scott’s work ethic. He has no illusions of winning this time nor has he in the past but more important is his mindset: work hard and know that you did everything possible to be well prepared for the event.

Scott’s three biggest exercises in preparation: time in the boat, sailing in competitive regattas and riding the road bike. Trust me, Scott doesn’t just go out for a leisurely ride, when you ride with him, it’s all about pushing hard. It’s actually sometimes quite annoying especially when he starts barking at you…that’s when I pop my headphones in and turn the music up, pretending that I can’t hear him.

For Scott, it’s all about pushing it to the end - it’s all about, “The White Mailbox.” On one of his standard rides around Jamestown (18 miles) there is that final push up Hamilton Avenue where you can’t let up until you reach the white mailbox over the crest.  It’s all about the final big push in the workout. It’s about hitting the top without stopping, no easing up….just like hiking upwind…it hurts but there is an end and you just have to push with everything you’ve got, right to the very end. I didn't get that gene.

As far as the luck, I did have one big request before flying out to meet Scott in San Francisco…”I need another Boston Red Sox hat, or two.” Scott claims that he is not superstitious but he has sailed the last two LMWorlds with a Boston Red Sox hat. Although, in the land of the San Francisco Giants, I have advised Scott to promptly remove the hat upon hitting the shore, otherwise his luck could change.

Lastly, speaking of giants…. competing against the likes of Brett Beyers (AUS), Russ Sylvestri  (USA), Arnoud Hummel (NED), Andy Roy (CAN) and Al Clark (CAN), just to name a few, Scott knows that it’s going to be tough to stay in the top 5.

Coming up next: The Laser Slalom... it's predicted to be a windy one!