Team-LeBlanc

Hello,

I finished up 9th overall with a bunch of 7’s, 6’s, an 11, and a 3rd. 9 races total and I was a couple points away from 6th.

Here is the link to the final results: http://www.2008ifdsqdregatta.com/2008ifdsqdregatta/results/r-24mr.htm

The containers got packed the day after the regatta, and sent off to the port with no problems and should be arriving in New Jersey at the end of June.

After the regatta I went to Beijing for a few days and saw the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven and the Great Wall. I took a tobaggon ride down from the wall which was pretty wild (no safety helmet or railings).

Now, I am back in New Orleans for a week, then I am going to New York and Connecticut to sail for 2 weeks the US Independence Cup and the 2.4mR Open US Nationals.

-Mark

Hello Everyone,

The previous two days can be summed up in a few words: cold, windy, and raining. Although the weather was less than ideal for sailing and my least favorite, it did not stop us from going out and completing the two scheduled races for each day. My finishes were a 6th, two 7th’s, and an 11th. I ran into a trash bag floating in the water and lost all my boat speed to receive the 11th. So now I not only have to race, but also keep a watchful eye out for any debris that may be drifting around in the water.

Today was a stark contrast to earlier this week, sunny with a light breeze around 10 knots made for a beautiful day on the water. I finished 6th and 3rd in the races today. This puts me in 9th place overall.

Tomorrow is the medal race with the top ten boats competing for double points. I can move up to 6th place with a good finish in that race.

Here is the web site for the event: http://www.2008ifdsqdregatta.com/

I know, it is in Chinese, but there is an English button at the top right.

And here is the link to the 2.4mR results: http://www.2008ifdsqdregatta.com/2008ifdsqdregatta/results/r-24mr.htm

-Mark

Hello Everyone,

I am currently sailing in Qingdao, China at the 2008 IFDS Qingdao International Regatta with the US Disabled Sailing Team. This event is set up as a test run for the Paralympics which are immediately following the Olympics this year in China. There are 12 2.4mR’s from 8 countries here, making us the largest fleet.

I arrived last Tuesday after 3 days of travelling and a couple of missed flights from airport delays. We unpacked the containers Wednesday afternoon, then completed registration and measurement of our equipment on Thursday. Thursday night was the opening ceremony, lasting 3 hours with a traditional Chinese banquet dinner. The head coach asked me to be the flag bearer for our team, which was very nice.

Friday I was finally able to get out on the water to practice, the conditions were a stead 10-14 knots with 4 foot waves rolling down the race course. These are not the conditions Qingdao is known for, which is usually no wind with lots of short choppy waves. The water is a chilly 54 degrees, which makes for some chilly sailing, especially in a 2.4mR. We are sailing in the Yellow Sea which is in the North: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Yellow_Sea.jpg

Saturday, the Race Committee organized a practice race. The conditions were a warm 75 degrees, light winds, and very few waves. The race lasted an hour and I placed 7th over all.

Today was the first day of racing with 2 races scheduled. A cold front moved in around noon providing 12-14 knots of breeze with lots of chop accompanied by 3 foot rollers from the ocean. I Finished 7th in the first race. In the second race I got off to a good start, rounding the first mark in 4th. Downwind I lost 3 boats in a wind shift and the current, rounding the next mark in 7th. Then upwind I managed to move back up to 6th and keep that position until the finish. This puts me in 8th place overall, one point behind three boats tied for 5th, and 2 point behind 4th after today.

We have 2 more races scheduled for each day over the next 4 days. A thunderstorm is moving through the area right now and is expected to continue through the night. Tomorrow will be in the 50’s with “lingering rain” through the morning and then very light wind for the afternoon. Not my favorite conditions, but I am looking forward to going out again tomorrow. More to come later this week.

-Mark LeBlanc

p.s. I did not feel the earthquake which was far to the south.

This past week I traveled to St. Petersburg FL to pack up my boat in a shipping container.  The containers arrived a day late, but everything still got packed away.  My boat is now on its way to Qingdao, China.

-Mark

After 8 days of racing and 16 races, I tied for 1st.  Unfortunately I lost the tie breaker and placed 2nd overall.  I have qualified as the first alternate for the Paralympic Games in China.

-Mark

Hello everyone,  

This past Saturday was the final day of the 2007 Disabled Sailing World Championships. We had 5 days of racing with 12 races sailed. Eight races were packed into the last three days. We had 3 races on Wednesday in what started as light winds, then a storm front rolled through with lots of wind and sporadic rain. I finished with two 13s and a 19. Thursday started with no wind and after 2 hours of drifting around the lake, breeze filled in with a steady 8-10 knots and the race committee was able to get in another 3 races. I finished the day with two 20ths and a 17. Friday we arrived at the club to a 12-15 knot breeze coming from onshore; this was nice because there would be no big waves. The first race went off without a hitch and I finished 17th. For the 2nd race the wind strengthened to 15-20 knots and I finished 14th. The race committee called off the last race of the day with the wind at a steady 22 knots and increasing. 

Overall I’m happy with my 18th place finish at my first 2.4 World Championship. I learned a lot about starting in big fleets and this regatta helped me to recognize where I am in comparison to the professionals from Europe. 

This upcoming week I have been asked to crew in the Sonar Open World Championships in Marblehead, Mass. I will be sailing with Rick Doerr who just placed 1st at the Disabled Worlds in the Sonar class. The regatta web site is http://www.sonarworlds.org and you can check out the results there. After that I will be in Newport for a week to train and then to Noroton, CT for a 2.4 meter regatta before the October 3^rd start of the Paralympic Trials back in Newport. 

Thank you for all your continued support.

-Mark LeBlanc

Hello Everyone,

 I am currently in Rochester NY at the Disabled Sailing World Championships.  There are 46 competitors in the 2.4 meter from 25 countries. I watched the entire 14 person Chinese paralympic team pile into a 6 person taxi cab minivan. Monday was the first day of racing on Lake Ontario, and 3 races were scheduled but we only had 1 race due to lack of wind.  I finished 14th and was the top American.

Yesterday was the 2nd day of racing and weather conditions changed rapidly.  The day started in light winds and I finished 21st in the first race of the day.  The 2nd race started light but a storm front came through and the winds picked up to 15 knots with a heavy rain and I finished 4th.  For the third race the wind went lightened and I finished 7th.  This puts me in 12th place overall and the 2nd American. 

 You can follow my progress and check the results at: http://www.2007ifdsworlds.com/2.4mR_results.html

The Rochester Yacht Club is sponsoring a video summary which can be accessed posted after 9 pm Eastern time every day at: http://www.t2p.tv/guide/ds07.php

Thanks for all your continued support,

-Mark LeBlanc
Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Hello Everyone,

Last weekend I travelled to Chicago for the US Independence Cup/North American Challenge Cup. I had 1 practice day and 3 race days scheduled. The first day of racing was Saturday August 4th which was a hot and sunny day with light winds in the “windy city.” We had 5 races that day and I got two 1st and 3 2nd, these finishes put me in first place at the end of the day. On the second day of racing Chicago lived up to its nickname, we had a steady 12 knots of wind with gusts of 15-18. Once again I did very well in the racing, I got three 1st and two 2nd holding on to first place. The final day of racing brought a dieing breeze and choppy seas. The race comittee was only able to get 4 races and I finished the day with two 1st, a 2nd, and a 3rd. I finished first overall in the regatta with only 19 points and I was 9 points ahead of my closest competitor. Below is a picture of me receiving the Judd Goldman Trophy.

I want to thank everyone for all of your support. In two weeks I am travelling to Newport Rhode Island for the Clagett regatta and right after that I am going to the worlds in Rochester New York. Thank you again for all of your help because without you all of this would not be possible.

-Mark LeBlanc

Hello Everyone,

This past weekend was the second Finnish ranking regatta and my last weekend in Finland. The regatta was in Wasa (pron. Vaasa) which is on the Baltic Sea and the west coast of Finland. Wasa is known as the sunniest city in Finland and is home to Wasalandia, the Finnish Disney Land complete with a Minnie and Mickey.

The Regatta was a Saturday-Sunday event with six races scheduled. On Saturday, the wind was blowing from the NW at a steady 10-12 knots with quite a bit of chop rolling down the race course. Once again it was a cool 60º F air temperature with 40º water. There were three 1-hour races and we were in by 3:30 for sausages and drinks. I was in 10th place at the end of the first day.

On Sunday we had a 1-hour delay due to a lack of wind. The breeze eventually filled in from the N at a steady 12 knots. The wind was coming off the mainland so it was very shifty which made the final three races exciting. I was very happy with my Sunday finishes of 6, 5, 5. There were 23 boats at this regatta and four of the competitors were former World Champions.

Overall I finished in 7th place with my U.S. teammate John Ruf finishing right ahead of me in 6th. Looking back on my 4 weeks in Finland I have learned a lot about racing my 2.4mR. I really developed my downwind and upwind speeds and am getting better at starting which has been my weakest area. It will be a long road to the Olympic Trials in October with lots of practice and four regattas between August and September.I am currently working at the South Carolina Yacht Club in Hilton Head, SC teaching sailing for the rest of the summer.  My next regatta is the Independence Cup in Chicago during the first week of August.  I thank you all for your support because without you this training trip and my goal of representing the U.S. at the Paralympics would not be possible.

Thank you again,

Mark LeBlanc

Hello Everyone,

I have been in Finland a little over 3 weeks now and I really like it.
The people are very friendly and the country side is absolutely
beautiful. The last weekend of May I went to Helsinki for the first
of six Finnish ranking regatta’s. The 2.4mR is made in Finland and
probably has the most sailors here.

Saturday the 26th was a total rain out. The wind kept swirling around
the racecourse and never filled in, this was also accompanied by
sporadic rain showers of 40 degree water. It was very cold weather and
is probably the coldest water I have ever sailed in. After 4 hours of
drifting around, the race committee called it quits and we headed in.

On Sunday the 27th the weather changed completely with a steady wind
and the sun coming out. After 5 races I finished 10th out of 25 boats.
The Europeans have a very different view of how to use the rules and
how to start. They push everything to the limit and sometimes beyond
which creates lots of tough situations. Also I am learning quite a
bit in these large fleets, and that is the entire reason I am here.

Last Friday, June 1st, we took the ferry to Stockholm for the Baltic
Cup. There were 46 boats in Saltsjobaden, which is a very small town
on the coast right outside of Stockholm. We sailed out of the Royal
Swedish Yacht Club which had lots of very old trophies on display
inside. I placed 21st out of the 46 boats. The racing was very
difficult and the wind was shifty coming off the mountainous
coastline. Once again it was freezing cold and I put on everything I
owned to sail.

The Past two weeks I have trained with my team-mate John Ruf, 2
Canadians and the US 2.4mR coach who is Finnish. We have been having
4-5 hour practice sessions focusing on boat speed, mark roundings, and
starts every day the wind cooperates. We have had a few days with no
wind and Lake Nasijarvi looking like a mirror. Also the weather has
finally warmed up here in Tampere and I am very excited about that.

I will send out another update after the next regatta in Vaasa or you
can look at my web site in the mean time, www.team-leblanc.com, for
some more pictures. Thanks again for your support.

-Mark E LeBlanc