Final Day

Nigeria - Final Day
Skip Dieball

The final day of sailing at the Heineken Lightning Nigerian Nationals would take place in the ocean. After spending Saturday in the volatile bay, I personally looked forward to the type of racing I am more used to.

My team, with Alan Emslie (skipper) and Peter Jarvis (forward), held a slim three-point lead going into the last day. We had a throwout already in play with four races Saturday, and we were sitting pretty good with a decent throw.

The sail out was fun. We were battling the current and going upwind, so we tacked along the shoreline breakwater. There is a village situated on the breakwater with plenty of activity!

The sailing in the ocean was delightful. A nice southwesterly wind was very consistent, and the water state was similar to a medium wind day in Con Con, Chile, or a heavier air day in San Diego. We had chop in between the swells, which made boathandling and driver concentration a premium.

Alan did a fabulous job with our boat focusing on speed, and we started the day with a 1,2 in the first two races. This sealed the championship as we could now use our 7th as a counter and take it easy in the last race. Congratulations to my teammates. They worked really hard all weekend, and I think we were dialed in!

The prize giving ceremony was top-shelf. Heineken really added some flare and to the winners were great trophies and BEER!!! How about that....worth the hard work!

Steve and I had some time to reflect on the trip home. Everything the local fleet did for us was above and beyond the call of duty. They really made us feel right at home and made sure we were comfortable. Special thanks to North American Airlines for giving us an upgrade to First Class on the way home. It made the ten-hour flight not only comfortable, but when we got to New York we were in/out of customs/baggage within ten minutes. Truly appreciated!!!

Lagos Yacht Club is a special place. Both Steve and I have asked to come back, and we've put some plans in place to do another Lightning Lab with a slightly different format to build on what we've accomplished on this trip. I can't wait!!!